Welcome To The Mad Hatter Party!

Welcome to everyone visiting from Vanessa’s A Fanciful Twist Mad Hatter Blog Party! I hope you were not late......

Today we celebrate the magical story of Alice In Wonderland, the enduring story written by Lewis Carroll nearly 150 years ago. I was inspired to celebrate by doing what I do best…. creating something that sparkles.

It all started when Alice saw the White Rabbit rushing by… "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!!!" Lord knows, I’ve been heard to mutter that statement a time or two myself. I was inspired to create this altered “bling” pocket watch, using a broken, vintage timepiece from the turn-of-the-century, along with one of my favorite white rabbit images….

…and of course, it had to sparkle, so I added a strand of vintage rhinestones and attached the watch to a vintage chain with a vintage key, and tied it all up with a pretty silk ribbon.

Now, come follow me down the rabbit hole…......

Photo by: Thomas Dodd

Even when a girl is tumbling through life at breakneck speed, she still needs to sparkle! To celebrate all the adventures Alice experienced, I created a fun necklace with the charming image from the “Drink Me” illustration. I also added the heart, key and little teapot charm to complete the necklace.

I like to think that Alice is drinking a Lemon Drop Martini and that’s why her world goes all wobbly…… at least that’s what would happen to me if I fell down a rabbit hole! The perfect excuse to eat, drink and party!



Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed your visit today. To continue to other blogs joining the party today, click HERE to return to A Fanciful Twist.

Adventures In Spoon Bending

I’ve been working really hard to perfect my spoon bracelet line and I think I have finally reached a point that feels good for me. I just finished a new batch of bracelets and I really love the new process I am using.

It’s taken a lot of time and effort. Something I thought would be a piece of cake to create really is more involved than I initially thought.

Lots of hand strength and power tools are involved. And of course, creating the broken china charms too…

Getting a gentle and smooth bend in the spoons, cutting through metal in an even line and drilling tiny holes through thick metal are skills I’ve tried to learn and become accomplished at. There really is a lot of work involved in these pretty bracelets and I very nearly gave up several times. Last week, I had every intention of discontinuing this line and sold off all the bracelets I had in stock.

But I decided to give it one last shot trying a new process and I am thrilled with the finished products! I am so glad that I decided to keep these special bracelets in my line and try a new way one last time before throwing in the towel.

My latest batch really is pretty and I’ve polished them up to a high silver shine like fine jewelry and added extra sterling and crystal charms too! There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears in these pieces and you can see my newest creations by clicking HERE.

This is a perfect example of why you should never give up without a fight for anything you truly want because the answers to your problems can be just around the corner.

Celebrating The Empress Josephine

One of the great things about blogging is that it gives you the opportunity to meet so many kindred souls. As much as my heart follows all things Marie Antoinette, my dear blog friend, Ms. Lucy, follows all things Josephine. We met through my blog when she commented that she loved my Marie Antoinette Versailles Necklace.

and asked if I could create the same necklace using images of Empress Josephine instead.

Ms. Lucy is hosting a Birthday Celebration for Empress Josephine on her blog and having 3 giveaways where you have multiple chances to win!!! I have donated an Empress Josephine Portrait Charm (as shown below) for her giveaway and if you’d like to be entered in the drawing for my charm, just leave a comment on this post and also leave a comment on Ms. Lucy’s blog Enchanted By Josephine.

Comments on my blog receive one chance to win the charm, and if you also signup to become a follower of my blog, you’ll also receive a second chance to win! BUT you also need to leave a comment on Enchanted by Josephine to win my charm. Ms. Lucy will be announcing all the winners on her blog, Thursday, June 25. So hop over and enjoy a little historical fun and beauty in celebration of Empress Josephine!

Going Once…Going Twice…

Just a quick post to let everyone know that my Super Summer Sparkle Sale ends tomorrow, Sunday June 21, at midnight.

A BIG heartfelt “Thank You” to everyone who came by to visit and make a purchase! I appreciate your support and I am working hard in the studio this weekend to catch-up with all my orders. You guys are the BEST!

I also wanted to let you know about a fun upcoming Blog Event….the “Where Bloggers Create” party being hosted by Karen at My Desert Cottage.



I’ll be there and I hope you will be too. Please visit Karen to signup for all the fun happenings on July 24th. I’ll need every bit of the next month to get my studio back to being organized enough to take photos to share with you!

A Special Day

Just a quick post today because I am living in the studio playing catch-up with orders. I wanted to share this cute photo I took yesterday of our little boy, Barkley.

Yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of his adoption! It’s hard to believe how such a little dog can add a new dimension to your life. This 8 lb furball rules the world… he struts around the house like it’s all about him. He fills our day with fun, laughter and companionship in a way that only a dog can. He has me totally wrapped around his tiny paws and if you’re a dog lover, you’ll know exactly what I am mean.

I’d like to leave you with a few favorite dog quotes…enjoy!

“No mater how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich” – Louis Sabin

“My little dog…..a heartbeat at my feet” – Edith Wharton

“In a perfect world, every dog would have a home…and every home would have a dog” – unknown

“Whoever said you can’t buy happiness, forgot little puppies” – Gene Hill

A Drive-By Treasure Hunt And The Law Of Shopping

There is almost nothing I enjoy more than a lazy weekend morning with a tall cup of coffee, strolling along the aisles of local flea markets or antique shops. This past weekend was NOT one of those lazy weekends. I am busy creating orders in the studio, round the clock, until I am caught-up (not complaining!) But, I ended up having to make a last minute, quick trip to a supply store, which happens to pass right by my favorite flea market. So I had to stop, right? I gave myself 30 minutes to dash to my favorite booths, and goodness gracious, I hit the mother load!

I found this great vintage jewelry box for only 5 bucks… and I am always on the lookout for old rosaries, saint metals and of course, rhinestone jewels. I came home with all the treasures you see here for just over $10!!! Whoooo Hooooo!

This almost never happens for me, but don’t you know it’s just the way it always goes… when you have a pocket full of money and all the time in the world to shop, you can never find what you want – but when you have no time, no money or are not looking for something specific, you find everything you want without even trying. I wish someone would explain this “Law of Shopping” to me so I could make it work to my advantage. Which begs the questions, am I the only one in the universe this happens too?

Romantic Inspired Jewelry

I wanted to share some new jewelry pieces with you that I created last weekend!!! When I was recently invited by Artbeads to come on board as a blogger for them, I made some selections from their vintage bead collection. For this project, I selected 2 styles of beads, both in pretty shades of bubble gum pink.

I’d been wanting to make an 18th century inspired necklace using elements from my stash of vintage jewelry parts, but I needed something special to pull everything together. I think these vintage pink glass teardrop beads add the perfect finishing touch! These beautiful beads are truly vintage and knowing that they are no longer produced, encourages me to create something really special with them.

The pink teardrop beads still retain their original copper wired headpins, which have that gentle patina on the copper that adds such lovely character to these beads. These are the most beautiful vintage wired glass beads I’ve seen in a long time. The glass even has those wonderful little air bubbles trapped inside and the glass seems to glow on the necklace. It’s hard to capture with my camera, but I think you can see what I am talking about.

I also selected these pretty vintage opaque rose faceted beads that you see in the above photo. These beads are really special too. You just don’t come across vintage beads with this quality very often. These beads feature a lovely milky pink color and the facets are small, crisp and reflect the light beautifully.

I also made a coordinating charm bracelet using more of my favorite 18th century images, along with assorted heart charms, vintage pearl beads and also more of the beautiful vintage pink beads that match the necklace.

Everything was attached to a vintage silver chain. This bracelet even has a soft, romantic jingle to it! I don't think I'll be able to sneak up on Mr. Cupid when I wear this pretty bracelet : )

Of course, since this jewelry is all about romance, the feature charm on the bracelet is a Cupid!

You can see the vintage pink glass beads really nice in this photo. Just the perfect touch of romantic color!

I even made a pair of matching earrings! It's not very often that I have a whole matching set of jewelry pieces, so I am looking forward to wearing this collection with a pretty, white sundress this summer.

It's also not very often that I make something just for ME!!! I really enjoyed creating this jewelry and I was really pleased with the quality and appearance of the vintage beads I received from Artbeads. If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know how much I adore working with vintage components and if you do too, I’m sure you will be as happy with these vintage beads as I am. I highly recommend that you visit Artbeads – a great source for unique beads and beading supplies, to create your own special jewelry.

Thank you for letting me share this fun project with you!

Show Me Your Crown Party!

Welcome to the party hosted by Andrea at Vintage Bella Studio! If you’re like most girls, you LOVE things that sparkle…. no matter how old you get!

Even, if you don’t look as excited as this ol’ gal, you’ll notice that she is decked out in her finest jewels and her diamond tiara still fits perfectly atop her head. This fabulous photo is of Princess Marie-Louise (1872-1956), a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. It comes from one of my all time favorite books “Tiaras – A History of Splendour” by Geoffrey C. Munn. If you would like to learn all about Tiaras and Crowns of Kings and Queens, their history and even their construction, I highly recommend this wonderful reference book. Click HERE to visit Amazon to purchase a copy for your very own (and it's on sale too!)

My personal collection is small, but sparkly. I prefer vintage tiaras where the metal has turned dark gray. The rhinestones seem to sparkle so much brighter by comparison.


I keep my two large ones in the studio, and I’ve even been known to wear one while soldering jewelry. They look particularly fabulous when I wear them with my large Marie Antoinette replica earrings, like I blogged about HERE. My smallest tiara is kept in the glove box of my little convertible…. you never know when you might need access to your tiara FAST! Mr. Cupid says I am guilty of drive-by queenings : )

I also have a couple of embellished paper crowns.

This is one I received a couple of years ago for a special birthday celebration.

And this is one of my favorites…. a sparkling Marie Antoinette crown made for me by my dear talented friend Gabriela Delworth.

This one has a special place of honor in my studio and I see it everyday while I work.



I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog today! Please be sure to click back to Andrea’s blog to continue visiting other blog’s for this fun event. Enjoy the party!!

Silver Spoon Bracelets Back In Stock!!!

My popular vintage silver spoon bracelets are back in stock! Its taken me forever to get these made and there are only 7 available on the website.

These always go FAST so click HERE to see them. BUT WAIT!!!!!

Before you leave this blog post, I have a big announcement…..

I am having a HUMUNGOUS sale!!!

Not just on Silver Spoon Bracelets, but on EVERYTHING!!!!

In organizing my stock recently, I discovered my supplies are overflowing and I need room for my new designs coming this fall. So my jammed packed, small studio space is YOUR gain!!!



Please come visit my Super Sparkle Sale and save 40% off everything on my website!!! And there is FREE shipping too! Just enter the voucher/coupon code “cupid” at checkout and click the “re-calculate” button to receive your savings. Click HERE to start saving BIG.


Have I lost my mind? Maybe…. all the sparkle and shimmer in my studio must be affecting my brain, so come shop before I recover my senses ~ xoxo Joy

***UPDATE 6/4**** Thank you for your orders!!! All the bracelets sold - BUT I have enough stock to recreate duplicates for almost all the styles. I've already started working on the next batch, but these will be the last ones available. You can place an order for one (at the sale price!!!) and your beautiful silver spoon bracelet will ship to you in about 5-7 days.

***UPDATE 6/7**** WOW! Thank you so much - all the additional spoons I had available have been spoken for and I am now totally SOLD OUT. I'll be on the hunt for more silverware and have more available in the near future. Thank you once again for all your orders - but don't forget, everything else is still on sale!

Click Here To Shop