Janet of All Trades

Its been a long cold winter and I have been busy in the studio making jewelry and planning for the upcoming show this Summer and Fall. The ideas keep coming so I keep creating and this was one that just came to me in the last few weeks so I thought I would share. It all started when I was think about shamrocks and how could I make one that would be very simple but unique. I then the ace of clubs came to my mind I thought about cutting a few cards, but I knew I would never be able to cut it out that perfect. So I broke the shape down in to circles. So I cut a few circles with my hole punch from some Encyclopedia Paper and transformed them into Shamrocks. First the Leaves of the Shamrock and then the stem, which is just a sliver of paper. Coat with a few coats of Mod Podge and let dry and a sealer for the top and it was done.  I attached a bead to the bottom and it was ready to adorn a Skelton Key. A lovely St Patricks day Necklace I made a few version...

Merry Christmas! I would like to give you a gift of a recipe that I have been making for years. It is super easy and will get  rave reviews from all your Holiday guests. I call them Cheese Pennies, although they have been called Gold Doubloons or Homemade Cheez its. Following is recipe that (be warned) will make this a request for every party from now on. Ingredients 3 Sticks of Butter 1 1/2 Packages of Onion Soup Mix 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Salt 1 1/2 Pounds Grated Cheese (about 6 cups) 3 Cups of Flour Directions: Mix Butter and Cheese well in a mixer. Add remaining ingredients and blend. It will be very dry and may need to be kneaded. Shape into 1 inch roll in wax paper and chill (2 hours) Slice into 1/4 inch thick Place on ungreased cookie sheet Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes This makes about 6 to 7 dozen Serve while hot or cold with fresh apple slices! Enjoy!

I love decorating and Christmas is the perfect holiday for me since I can re-decorate the whole house temporarily with old and new items. I especially like trees and in the past few years I have either made or found some of the most amazing renditions of Christmas trees to decorate my house.  It all started about 40 some years ago when I really wanted a Christmas tree for my bedroom. Reason being that one of my older sisters had this huge magnificent artificial tree in her room and I wanted one too. So my little brain started to work on how I could build my own. I proceed to cut some evergreen bows from a tree in our backyard and stuck them in a coffee can with a little dirt. I made a paper chain and ornaments out of felt. It was perfect and so the obsession begun. Since then I have always had a real tree for Christmas up until a few years ago when it just did not seem right to be throwing a tree to the street every year.  I then became obsessed again with making tr...

It has been a very busy summer since I decided to start selling jewelry at outdoor shows. Like anything new, it has been a learning process and every show brought different challenges. So I have compiled a list of the things I have learned by facing the challenges if you are ever thinking about embarking on this adventure! (1) Weather You can not control it but you can control how you deal with it. I learned that wind is not your friend and displays that worked inside don't always work outside. We had to weigh down all my mannequins with sand filled cigar boxes and screw their bases in to the box to keep them from moving. This took about two shows with gusty winds for us to learn this, since we got tired of hanging on to everything and picking broken jewelry off the ground. (2) Good Shoes Now when I mean good, I don't mean date night shoes or those that are really cute. I mean good as in possibly orthopedic and ugly. Your back and feet will love you at the end...

This little blog was so in need of update. I have been thinking about it so much during the last year and finally it was time. I started this blog almost 4 years ago this week to try find an outlet for my creativity. I know now that writing is not one of those outlets, but I love to create and try hard to explain the process on how I have created.Blogging has also changed over the last 4 years and if you are a blogger or read them you already know it is a different blog world today. I have not blogged as much in the last two years since I really have found something I like to create. This past year I have been busy making jewelry and selling at shows. This takes up a lot of my time that I would normally be creating,sewing and blogging. I have although made all my display and fitted tablecloths, so I still am making other things. I have a few post in the next couple weeks planned and I think they will be enjoyable. Please keep reading here at my newly designed page and you can foll...

I named my Jewelry Mannequin Mable over the Spring since I really thought she needed a name. She is an average size but I always thought she was a little plain and need a scarf or top to dress her up. So I thought I would make my own dress for here that alway would serve as a cover to protect her stark  white skin. I started with an old sheet in a light tan color that I thought would work the best for display purposes. Next I basically made a sack. Two rectangular pieces sewn together on two sides only. Much like a pillow case but open on both ends. Next I cut out the shoulder cuts. I did this first by placing the sack on Mable and tracing the curve of the shoulder. I then cut both sides to match.  Now the last few steps I kind of fumbled along with since I have never made a piece of clothing that looked anything like it was suppose to nor do I have the best sewing skills. I basically but the sack on Mable and pinned and re-pinned and sewed and resewed until i...

I have been so busy this Spring getting ready for some upcoming show over the summer that I have had little time to create anything but jewelry..  I call this one Central Park.. It's a map of Central Park,a Domino and a lucite flower. Orange You Glad it's Spring Pedant. Felt circle,Button and rhinestone Star on a Key Oh and these Lovely Flower pots that are not really jewelry but make the outside of my house look pretty too! I will post soon on my First Outdoor show that is a week! Enjoy!