Playing with Vintage China

I am busy this weekend sorting through my collection of vintage plates and bowls, searching for just the right pieces to turn into pretty and romantic jewelry. I just LOVE working with vintage plates!

As I look around my studio, there are stacks and stacks of china, scattered all around, each pile sorted by color. Needless to say, the largest stacks are pink and white! And almost all the plates feature pretty roses….my favorite.

So far today, I’ve been able to hand-cut over 60 pieces of china to use for bracelets, necklaces and charms. These will be the last items I am working on for the website. I’ll have a busy week coming up between soldering, photographing and listing all the new jewelry pieces on the website in time for my re-Grand Opening next weekend. Until then, I hope your upcoming week will be filled with beauty and things you love too. xoxo ~ Joy

Studio Snap

Happy Monday! Just a quick peek of the clean and organized side of my workbench this morning!

The other side is covered with stacks of vintage jewelry boxes and plates filled with beads, baubles and pieces from my stash of vintage rhinestone brooches. The next two days are devoted to creating new pieces of recycled glamour jewelry for the website.

And speaking of my website, after sitting down with my planning calendar last night, I’ve selected the date of Sunday, August 8th to have my website makeover completed and all my jewelry products loaded up for sale. I sure have enjoyed my summer break and completing numerous projects I was working on, but I also have dearly missed creating jewelry in my studio each day. So mark your calendars for August 8th to come back and visit. Hope your week is wonderful! xo ~ Joy

Before and After Cabinet Project

Yesterday I finished the last of my studio rehab projects and I wanted to share my china cabinet makeover with you. I found this vintage china cabinet in an antique store for just $75. It had great lines, but needed a little help in the pretty department….

With a little paint and a few carved appliqué pieces…voila! This is what it looks like now!

I purchased the rose appliqués from The Bella Cottage. The appliqués are copies of wood carvings that were done back in the 1800’s and they are very easy to work with. You simply glue them on your project before painting.

I used the same painting technique I described on my chair makeover project that I blogged about last week. I hope you can see in these photos the areas that I’ve sanded off and the shadow areas that I left on using the antique glaze I applied over the paint. I think it helps define the carved details in the furniture and appliqués.

The scroll carving behind the glass was already removed before I snapped my before picture as I was trying to decide if I was going to leave it in or not. I decided to put it back and also add the lace panel for a little softness. I made that piece from an old curtain I had stored.

I am using this cabinet in my studio to hold my china plates that I use for my broken china jewelry pieces. I used to store my china in open shelves, but I think using a vintage china cabinet still gives me storage, but now it’s pretty storage! xo~ Joy

Peaches and a Party!

A fresh, juicy Georgia peach on a hot summer day… a classic treat! YUM!!! Last week as we drove back from Savannah, we stopped at a local farmers produce stand. I could not resist coming home with a basket of peaches.

This weekend, I baked my sweet hubby a homemade Peach Cobbler using a recipe from Paula Deens Just Desserts cookbook. It seemed liked the right thing to do after being in Georgia and also dining in her restaurant. Warm Peach Cobbler topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream….. dee-lish!

I also have a party that I want to tell you about happening at my dear friend Gabriela Delworth's blog later this week....

Mark your calendars to come visit and enjoy the creative fun starting on Thursday! See you there! xo ~ Joy

Relaxed, Recharged and Rejuvenated

Mr. Cupid and I just returned from a mini-spa vacation to Hilton Head. We’ve been soooo busy lately and really needed a get-a-way where we could relax and unwind.

We stayed at this small, charming Inn that makes feels like you’ve stepped back in time to a French Chateau!

The gardens were beautiful and just relaxing poolside we felt like we were on vacation in the Garden of Eden.

We also enjoyed a visit to Savannah, one of our favorite cities, where we had a fabulous lunch at Paula Deen’s restaurant….a must every time we visit Savannah…

…and I also found time to do a little shopping with my other favorite Paula….the owner of The Paris Market & Brocante. I came home with some treasures that will be incorporated in some new jewelry pieces.

…and speaking of jewelry…..now that my book, studio overhaul, furniture refinishing and vacation time projects are over, my creative juices have been recharged to get busy creating my new jewelry pieces and finish my website makeover! Lots of progress will be coming over the next few weeks, so please stay tuned! xo ~ Joy

Shabby and Chic Painting Project!

I’ve been working hard to refinish a few vintage furniture pieces I recently purchased for my studio and thought I would share my favorite painting technique with you.

First I gathered my supplies…….

Here is the chair I purchased from a favorite vintage shop. Classic Chippendale style with beautiful lines, but the wood color was too dark for my studio.

While I worked, I had a little supervisor who just had to be in the middle of everything!

And here is the final result!


I think the new light color really shows off the style and detail of the chair. Much more romantic don’t you think?

I really love how it turned out and now I am thinking about doing a whole dining room set to match.

I’ve used this paint color on previous projects and I still love this shade of creamy white. Think melted vanilla ice cream and that should give you a good idea about the color.

Directions: I used Valspar Flat Interior Paint and you can buy it at Lowes from their National Trust for Historic Preservation paint line. The color is Churchill Hotel Lace. After I painted the chair, I sanded off the paint in selected areas using a Paint Stripping Sponge by 3M called the SandBlaster. To give the paint a little more depth and show off the carved details, I did a wash of Antiquing Glaze, also by Valspar, in the color Asphaltum. I really watered down the glaze and worked in small areas at a time. Simply brush on the glaze, wait 1 minute, and then wipe off as much as you want with a slightly damp paper towel or rag. To finish, I like to use MinWax Finishing Paste in Natural, for a soft and protective finish over the paint.

I hope you like this project! A little bit of paint and elbow grease can really make a difference on a tired piece of furniture. Once you see the beautiful results, don’t worry if you suddenly have the desire to paint everything in sight!

Happy July 4th!

Festive flowers on my studio windowsill. Hope your holiday weekend is full of summertime fun and excitement! xo ~ Joy