New Soldered Initial Charms!

I just added several new designs on my website today for Initial Charms!!!

I really love my newest creations, Flower Garden Charms since they remind me of a beautiful summer day. These oh-so-pretty graphics are from vintage postcards and each letter is based on entwined blades of grass and greenery…

…each letter is highlighted with colorful flowers and I’ve kissed each flower with touches of glitter for that extra sparkle we girls love so much.

These are so colorful and happy looking to me that I want to wear the whole alphabet around my neck! I hope you'll like them too and if you would like to see my newest soldered charms, just click HERE to come visit. Merci ~ xoxo ~ Joy

Random News…

Since I've always been a girl with ants in her pants, I just have to let the cat out of the bag about something before I pop and float away…..

Earlier this month I was asked to contribute photography of several pieces of my jewelry for a new book being published (not to be confused with my book that I am currently working on, but this is for another book). As you can imagine, I am totally thrilled and over the moon about this : ) especially since the book author is well known and loved. She has written over 20 + craft books, often appears on TV and teaches workshops. I am so honored to have my jewelry included in her newest book.

Signing the release form was a special moment for me and I scribbled away using this cute flower pen that my darling niece made for me when she was a little girl, which made the moment even sweeter.

Reaching milestones like this is so encouraging for those of us who dream, create and like to share with others. Teaching workshops, writing, and sharing through publications is a deep desire for me and knowing that a little bit of me is reaching out beyond this blog is heartwarming. So stayed tuned….as the publication date gets a little closer, I’ll be blogging about the talented author and letting you know more details about her exciting new book. xoxo ~ Joy

Real or Fake?

….. or maybe a bit of both! Here’s a little secret I’ll share with you….

….whenever I run out of fresh flowers for small arrangements, I use my silk flowers and then blend in real clippings of greenery from the yard.

I really enjoy having small arrangements of flowers around the house. These are two arrangements I made today to enjoy in the bathroom and in my studio. I think mixing in the real pieces of ivy makes both arrangements come alive and look like something fresh picked from mother natures garden. Although I would rather have fresh flowers, for those times when you get caught short, this is a super simple get-you-by trick and it saves money too!

I hope your week starts off with a little touch of beauty in your own surroundings. ~ xo Joy

Whimsy For Your Teacups

I have the cutest thing to share with you today! Meet “Ethel” – she is a tiny teacup size art doll created by talented artist Rose Farnsworth Davis for her Mrs. T. Bagg line of art dolls.

I received this little sweetie in the mail this week as a birthday gift from one of my dear friends, Sherry. I first came across Rose when she signed up for one of my soldering workshops and when I discovered she created these charming teacup dolls, I knew I had to let Sherry know about her. Sherry loves tea and often gets together for tea parties with her girlfriends. Little did I know that Sherry would send one of these cuties to me and C-U-T-E they are!

Just look at this detail!! Rose starts each doll by making an original sculpture and then she creates resin reproductions. Each doll has her own personality and with every doll, you receive a humorous personality profile on an ATC card that is also signed by Rose.

Here is the bio for my doll, Ethel…..

Ethel is ready for high tea in this beautiful Julia chintz fabric by Royal Winton.

Her favorite tea flavor is Earl Grey, with a touch of honey.

She’s a minimalist and claims to detest accumulation, and yet has 18 cats in her home! Ethel says they’re “family”, not objects.

A few of Ethel’s favorite movies are “Guess Who's Coming to Dinner” and "Desk Set". Favorite actors, Katherine Hepburn, Sydney Poitier and Johnny Depp.

Favorite Quote- “Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most!”


Thank you soooo much Sherry for gifting me with this charming artwork! If you would like to see the full collection of Mrs. T. Bagg artdolls by Rose Farnsworth Davis, please visit her Etsy shop by clicking HERE or you can visit her blog by clicking HERE.

Fancy Things Made Here

Last night I was organizing an old hat box full of vintage photos and was inspired to create a little something for the studio…an altered cabinet card photo sign…

I’ve always loved this particular photo of this lady wearing a very fancy hat. Don’t you just wonder where she wore this fabulous hat? Was this her special Sunday go to meetin’ hat or perhaps the fancy hat she wore on afternoon promenades in the park…or maybe she wore it to luncheons or tea parties with her best girlfriends?

Since every business needs an open & closed sign, I was inspired to create one using my favorite cabinet card. I made it extra special by using snippets of letters collected from my stash of French letters, newspapers and magazines. I also used hundred year old pieces of lace and trim that Corey sent me from France. And of course, a little bling was added with the silver German glass glitter and a vintage pair of earrings at the top. So come on in…my little studio is open for fancy business! xoxo ~ Joy

Sunday in the Studio

I just returned from a fabulous 3-day birthday road trip with Mr.Cupid! The highlight of birthday week was a trip to an old Florida town called Micanopy.

It was beautiful driving along the winding country roads under the tunnels of moss-draped trees. The weather was postcard perfect and this was also the perfect drive to enjoy with the top down on my little Miata!

Micanopy is a really small town…only a couple of blocks from end to end. But you’ll find charming antique shops, restaurants and beautiful old antebellum homes that have been turned into romantic B&Bs.

I came home with a few treasures and spent today in the studio organizing future projects that I am trying to find time to create. I found these old wooden spools that I thought would be perfect to hold my yards of antique French brocante lace, trim and ribbons. It’s nice to have them all organized so I can see the lace patterns at a glance. And I really love the layers of stock or price numbers still stuck to the spools!

I also remembered these wonderful old bottles that I purchased in Savannah last year. They were dug up from a renovation project in the historic district and I love that one of the bottles has a child’s marble stuck in the bottom. I am leaving that in there and I plan to do glammed-up bottle projects with them.

I also pulled out this vintage 1920’s high school yearbook. The photos inside are amazing and so much fun to see. I have a special project in mind for this too.

…and of course, I am always coming home with bits and bobs of vintage rhinestone jewelry. I just need to find the time to sit down and create a few more couture pieces for the website. I promise I’ll get to them soon.

Thank you to everyone who sent emails and left such sweet birthday messages for me here on my blog! I truly appreciate your kindness and hope you enjoyed this small visit in my studio today. I only wish you could be here to enjoy a slice of birthday cake with me. Merci ~ xoxo Joy

Queen For A Day – or maybe a Week!

Well….I’ll tell you a little secret…. another birthday rolls around for me this week and my dear sweet hubby always makes me feel like Queen for the day.

This year, he said we were celebrating “birthday week”, so I’ve been receiving a little somethin’ somethin’ each day, leading up to the big day later this week. So far, I’ve received a new macro camera lens that I’ve been wanting for some time now. I’ve been like a kid in a candy store playing around with my camera and experimenting with my new lens…

I’ve also received a new Adobe Photoshop program and some additional photo enhancement software. These programs are really powerful and have so many bells and whistles. It’s a bit overwhelming because I am the type who likes to just sit down and do it…no time to learn by reading an instruction manual or watching a tutorial. I have ants in my pants that way.

I would have to say that my computer skills are only average. One of my wishes this year is to become more proficient with Photoshop and to improve my photo taking and editing skills. So here are my first attempts using my new big-girl toys….please bear with me over the coming weeks as I experiment with new techniques. I’ll be happy to share what I learn as I go along and if any of you have any tips to share, I would be eternally grateful for your advice too. ~ xo Joy

Spring Cleaning

Well, the spring cleaning bug hit this week and I’ve been spending time in the studio working on projects I’ve long put off.

All the accumulated clutter has been organized, sent to the garage, donated or banished to the alley. Then I took on the task of repainting the old wood floor. My studio is located it what once was the old sleeping porch. Our home was built in 1924 and back then folks used to sleep on porches trying to catch a cool breeze at night. I can’t even begin to imagine living in the hot, muggy Florida heat without air-conditioning! Quelle Horreur!!!

I’ve also been retouching the painted furniture…..

…and I took on the Great Wall of China too! Now that everything is organized, clean and smells of fresh lemons, I can’t wait to get in there tomorrow and start working on a few new product lines for spring and Mothers Day. There is just something about a clean and organized workspace that seems to inspire me and makes the creation process that much more enjoyable. I hope this week finds you enjoying creative inspiration too. ~ xoxo ~ Joy

Workshop Updates

I had a wonderful time this weekend teaching the last of my scheduled workshops.

For my Salvaged and Soldered class, I made this fun Saints & Sinners necklace. It’s a rosary style necklace that features a mix of vintage rosary beads, a silver cross, an assortment of vintage beads and soldered charms with glittered collaged images of naughty French showgirls! Tres Chic!

Because of the many projects I am working on right now, I’ve decided not to teach any more classes until later in the year. If you have an interest in attending a class, just send me an email and I’ll be happy to let you know when the next ones are scheduled…or watch my blog for further workshop updates. Merci ~ xo Joy

Easter Greetings….

From me to you……Sweet little Peeps sitting on a nest of shredded 1850’s music paper, surrounded by a patch of Cadbury Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs with Sugared Shells…

Hope your Easter holiday is equally sweet! ~ xo Joy