Workshop Announcement!

Just wanted to announce that I’ve firmed up 3 more workshops for the month of December! My next class will be this Saturday, December 5th , from 10-1pm and the class theme is Vintage Soldered Ornaments.

In this class, we’ll create several large soldered ornaments using beautiful beveled glass in different sizes. We’ll also be using vintage images, vintage papers and scraps, glitter and we will enhance the ornaments with beads and vintage chandelier crystals. This will be a great class for beginners and also a fun class for those who already know their way around a soldering iron.

There are two additional workshops schedule for Vintage Soldered Charm Jewelry and a workshop for Vintage Soldered Charm Bracelets. For additional information, click HERE to visit my new workshop page on my website.

FYI Update – on my new line of Couture jewelry…. I changed my mind and decided to premier this line a little later in the month. Silly me trying to launch a new line between Black Friday and Cyber Monday!!! My studio right now is a swirl of china, glass and clouds of glitter. Poor Barkley is walking around with his fur sparkling like he’s been dipped in a vat of fairy dust and me personally…. I’ve found glitter in places that I can’t even begin to explain……

Couture Jewelry and a Craft Tip!

Black Friday did not find me at the local mall this year, but instead, I spent a glorious afternoon attending a Gem, Jewelry & Bead show held at our local historic Coliseum Ballroom.

Talk about a kid in a candy store!!! There was so much sparkle in this room that you practically needed to shop with your sunglasses on. I am only sorry that photographs were prohibited because I really wanted to share this event with you on my blog.

I came home with a bag of sparkling vintage components and beautiful beads (NOT pictured above). Many vendors were from all over the world and some of the antique and vintage gems and estate jewelry pieces, simple took my breath away. I was happy happy happy!

After finishing a few orders this afternoon I have a date with myself tonight to have some playtime in the studio. It will be just me, with the holiday music cranked up, a pitcher of fresh homemade cranberry margaritas and piles and piles of sparkling vintage jewelry components!!! It could only be more fun if you, my dear blog friends, could join me.

I’ve been carving bits of time in my schedule over the last month or so, working on a new line of jewelry. I am happy to announce that my new Couture line will debut on Monday! This collection includes one-of-a-kind vintage pieces that I create from my stockpile of vintage components, mostly rhinestones. So please mark your calendar to come back and visit with me on Monday, November 30.

And my craft tip for you today…..see my simple but pretty bead dish? It’s really a vintage deviled-egg dish! It’s a great little dish to sort beads or work on color compositions. If you are a beader, you might want to try this! xo ~ Joy

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is all about being grateful and one of the things I am grateful for this year is YOU! My dear customers and blog readers. You might think that sitting behind a computer and running an internet business is pretty impersonal, but it’s really not. I’ve been blessed to meet so many sweet women who are literally from all over the world.

For example, this one dear customer who goes out of her way to make the world a little better place. She shares…and cares…so much about her friends, family and those she does business with. She has one of the kindest hearts I’ve met in awhile. I’ve been joyfully working with her over the last month or so, creating a number of custom Christmas orders.

She recently sent be these beautiful and tiny antique monograms to turn into jewelry

They are small, intricately detailed and oh so romantic! Initially they were created near the turn-of-the-century, and were once intended to personalize clothing or household linens.

I just love how the pieces are suspended between the layers of glass!!! They look as if they are floating in air since you can still see through the glass. And the combination of lace, pearls and crystals is so romantic don’t you think?

Would you like one of these for yourself? I was so taken with the beauty of the lace and the final outcome of the jewelry that my sweet and generous customer shared her European source with me. I will be adding these special pieces to my line of Lace Jewelry so please stay tuned for that announcement!

And now dear ones....I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with much love from those you hold dear...be it from family, friends or even those you work with, who make you realize that everyday is a blessing and there is always something to be thankful and grateful for. Sweet Blessings to each and every one of you ~ xo Joy

Craft Project - Glammed Silverware!

If you have an addiction for anything that sparkles, like I do, you might enjoy this simple and fun craft project!

When I shop for silverware to use for my spoon bracelets, I often come away with odds and ends of serving pieces. I can’t use these pieces for my jewelry, so I found a way to use them in my home. Here is the before photo of an old serving fork and large knife…

I grabbed a tube of jewelers glue (you can use any glue that will adhere to metal) and a box of vintage jewelry rhinestone pieces – and created these glammed up serving utensils!!!

With the holidays around the corner, I thought these would look beautiful displayed on the buffet sideboard when entertaining.

They are still functional but you’ll want to take care and wash them gently by hand after using.

This was such an easy project and only took a few minutes to glue everything down and I love the end result! Simple but sparkly, and a pretty way to add an elegant touch to your table settings. I hope you’ll give this project a try! ~ xo Joy

Marie Antoinette Party!

Finally…it’s time for the long awaited and much anticipated Marie de Fete over at my dear friend Gabriela Delworth’s blog!!!

Please click HERE to go visit her beautiful celebration of Marie Antoinette with a holiday theme. She is hosting a number of guest artists who are also sharing their love of all things Antoinette! She is posting several “themes” each day, so be sure to check back often….you never know who you might see there….wink wink….

Gabriela is always such a creative inspiration and her party has inspired me to have a SURPRISE SALE on all my Marie Antoinette jewelry! Save 15% on your favorite Marie pieces until Sunday, Nov. 22, when the sale ends.

And when I think of Marie Antoinette, I can’t help but think of Paris, so all my Parisian theme charms are on sale too!


For Marie Antoinette jewelry, click HERE and for my French Market Collection, Click HERE

Merci Beaucoup Mes Amis!

Soldered Charms Workshop Wrap-Up!

This past Saturday I taught my first class in making Vintage Soldered Charm Jewelry!

I had 5 students and 5 fun-filled hours to teach beginning and more advanced techniques in creating soldered charm jewelry. Everyone created and took home 4 different sized charms that could be added to charm bracelets or worn as a necklace. I was really proud of my students, as a few had never soldered before and they all did a great job. My big hope is that my students left inspired to continue creating with this fun form of crafting.

I’ll be teaching several more classes in the coming months so please stay tuned to my blog for further updates!

French Roses Soldered Charms!

I’ve added a new category, Vintage Roses, to my line of Art Charms! These designs are inspired by beautiful vintage illustrations from my collection of postcards and botanical prints.

I just adore vintage botanical prints, especially the ones with roses. For this jewelry, I’ve layered rose images, from turn-of-the-century French illustrations, over pretty script writing from a vintage French letter. I really love the combined look. What can be more romantic than combining French art, roses and love letters?

Even if it’s already cold where you live and the blooms of your rose garden are a distant memory, wearing these pretty charms will surely celebrate your love for all things romantic and keep the beauty of a summer day close to your heart.

Charms are just $25 and include a FREE chain and FREE First Class shipping.

I hope you like my newest creations and the charms pictured here are just a few of my favorites. If you’d like to see the others, please click HERE. Merci ~ xoxo, Joy

The Shop Around The Corner...

As promised, here are some fun photos of a new shop, Vintage Designs by Hedwig, that opened recently near my home. I can tell this shop is going to be BIG trouble because I already have my eye on at least a dozen items that I hope will soon be living with ME! Don't you just love this shabby wood carved love seat?

The owner, Anna, is a delightful shop host and she is full of interesting stories about the items in her shop. She also has the most charming European accent and I could listen to her all day as she describes how she created many of the items for sale in her shop. Anna’s talents are amazing, as you’ll soon see…. let’s step inside.

The lace draped front door gives you a clue about what you’ll soon see! Stepping into the shop is like stepping into a lovely, feminine boudoir…needlepoint rugs, French silks, chandeliers……

A charming teacup chandelier embellished with lace, roses, ribbons and crystals….

Anna refinishes and paints furniture like a pro! This beautiful cabinet was once part of Anna’s kitchen and she has a funny story about how it ended up in her shop.

Anna has a love of old books and you’ll find them ribbon tied, stacked and tucked in little corners all around her shop.

She also has a love of vintage fabric and lace and you’ll find many beautiful pieces to use everywhere in your home.

Lace is everywhere and it’s all displayed so beautifully. If you love lace, you will LOVE Anna’s shop.

She also has a love of vintage clothing and has some real treasures to show you. Beautiful lace and velvets dating back to the late 1800’s!

I loved her use of lace panels to swag around the shop! The ceiling lights really show off the design in the lace.

Anna is also an extremely talented seamstress! She sews many of the items in her shop. These are gorgeous lap quilts she makes using heavy French silk, and bits and pieces of collected lace. All sewn together to created something useful and beautiful. The quality of her work is truly amazing.

Here are just a few of the lace and silk pillows she makes for her shop. Each a unique piece of artwork.

She also used lace and ribbon to make these beautiful little purses! Perfect for when you want to carry a small purse, but still want to be stylish.

She has such a creative eye for putting things together…like these romantic caged birds….

She uses her collection of gorgeous fabrics and trims to create large totes and purses. The quality of the fabric, trim and jewels used on these purses will amaze you!

She makes all these purses by hand too! I found it very difficult to select a favorite.

You’ll find romantic china pieces set in pretty displays all around the shop.

Anna also makes these needlepoint and silk pillow covers…tapestry and silk together is a beautiful combination.

Anna also created this lovely lace embellished dressing screen! She used lace sections to create storage pockets on the back of the screen…

…and the front of the screen is covered in a quilt pattern of lace sections with romantic fluffy flowers edged along the top. It’s simply gorgeous!

Anna is one of the most talented ladies I’ve met in a long time. Not only is she a charming shopkeeper, but her artistic talents are used to create many of the items for sale in her shop. It’s easy to see the love and passion she pours into her shop and if you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit – you won’t be disappointed!

Vintage Designs by Hedwig
2530 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, Florida

(727) 804-3416

Found Treasures!

Last weekend was a busy one in our historic neighborhood. Every year there is a home tour called Bungalow Fest and we had an open house. We invited friends over to help with traffic flow through our home and after the event was over, the husbands headed to the patio to watch football and my girlfriend and I headed out to shop a few nearby antique stores.

What treasures we found! I found these gorgeous antique French Limoges tea plates. The rose pattern is so feminine and I simply could not leave them behind.

And finding a set of 6 matching plates is pretty rare for me. I usually stumble across a single lonely plate. And with a price tag of just $4 each, it was not hard to resist these pretty plates!

Anything with a Cherub on it always catches my eye and when I saw this cute little dish, sitting on a half-price clearance table, this sweetie came home with me too.

On closer inspection I noticed that it was an old ashtray. The leaves on the side of the dish served as cigarette holders. But now, it will have a more fun job of holding vintage buttons or sparkling bits-and-bobs in my studio.

I have a vintage rhinestone chain that I think I will glue around the edges of the dish. I love the look of faded rhinestones against old brass or worn silver.

Another thing I am always on the lookout for are old creamers and sugar bowls. I use these items everyday and they are so pretty displayed near the coffee pot.

Not only are they great for their intended purpose, but I often use them as small flower vases, and the sugar bowls also make a great holder for silverware when entertaining.

All in all, my girlfriend and I had a fun day and our total purchases cost less than if we had gone out to lunch. And the cherry on top was that I discovered a new Shabby-Chic-European-Style store that just opened within a mile of our home. This is the shop where I purchased the beautiful French Limoges plates! The owner and I bonded like long lost friends and I’ll be visiting her this week to photograph her shop and share her wonderful treasures with you…right here on my blog! Until then…

Workshop Announcement!

Come join me for a Vintage Soldered Jewelry Workshop I’ll be teaching next Saturday, November 14th at Grand Central Stained Glass, in St. Petersburg, Fl.

Spend a morning and early afternoon with me and create four dazzling pieces of vintage soldered jewelry charms and/or pendants. You’ll also learn decorative soldering and jewelry beading techniques and we’ll have lots of fun doing it!

Where & When

Saturday, November 14, 2009
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Grand Central Stained Glass
2425 Central Avenue


Tuition is $75 and includes all materials.

Register at Grand Central Stained Glass (727) 328-2428
Or register on line HERE

Workshop size is limited! Only a few spots remain open and if you find the class is already full, there is a wait list available.

Hope to see you there!