Embracing Change

Happy Monday Sweeties...

Hope your weekend was wonderful!

With the holidays over & some time on my hands, this weekend I decided to just PLAY. I made a huge cup of my much loved Cafe Mocha, stayed in my jammie's ALL day & cruised my way through some of my very favoritest blogspaces. I may not have commented on each & every one as I really was trying to see them all, but I so enjoyed feeling apart of all your grand & simple, honest & heartfelt, inspired & ordinary dreams for the New Year...it's hard not to do some revising & reevaluating when thinking of all the POSSIBILITIES!

{don't you love the intials, vs&w...I do. lol}

One post in particular really caught my eye & heart & not only did I want to participate,

but I wanted to share it with all of you.

Deryn Mertock creator of Something Sublime & an amzing jewelry designer, had been given an idea by a bloggy friend of hers, Rebecca Sowers of  "a Glance Back through your work to find your Creative Path Forward." Doesn't that sound inspiring?

{I just made my Heirloom Texas necklace this weekend with little toy charms I found at Round Top}

They both created a photo mosaic of their recent work and asked these questions:

Would I create this same piece again?

Would I wear this?

Is this something that really speaks of who I am artistically?

Will I still love this piece a year from now?

Five years from now?

Does this piece give me that special "ahhhh!" moment?

{my Heirloom Necklace with so many treasured memories}

Being a newbie to jewelry design & having never taken a class, I am still so 'in the process' of finding my way. In looking at my mosaic, I saw some of my 1st pieces that are a little more delicate then what I'm attracted to now & I realize that's just not me. I love chunky, junky, clumpy & nostalic jewelry..

they sing to my soul.

Hummm, why do I feel like following the course of 'Embracing Change' in the New Year?

First would be the great experience I had working on Riki's blog, Riki Jewelry. Each time I create with a new friend, I am forced to work outside my box & always learn something invaluable. This time it was how to alter & stretch templates & work in the html to achieve the desired look. Well it looked so darn good, I just HAD to do it to my own blog too! LOL Thanks Riki, I love the cleaner look & the possibility of larger images.

And secondly, following the path I have already started in my life, trying to Be Brave!

It doesn't come naturally to me friends. I know it may seem like I can be tough as nails & can accomplish anything if I put my mind & heart to it, but it does come at a price. Being Brave is not my usual reaction, being scared is. So this months brave task is, to take the two above pieces of jewelry, already mounted for presentation, to Stampington Publication for submission in Belle Armoire Jewelry. I'll just have to be patient & wait & see. Nothing extordinary can ever happen if you aren't brave enough to step out of the ordinary, now & then... right!

Next, a brand new header, I LOVE PS! ;)

XOXO

vintagesusie

Lovely New Blog Design for Riki Jewelry!

Greetings Sweet Hearts in this fabulous

New Year!

I am surrounded by snow in my quint

mountain hamlet,

but the sky is blue & the sun is shining brightly &

I have high hopes for an EARLY thaw.  ;)

{I know, it's just the beginning of January...

but a girl can hope, right!}

My Sweet Friend, Riki Schumacher of Riki Jewelry fame, asked me to help her create a whole new look for her blog in celebration of the New Year. She wanted a clean, feminine design, in which I think we accomplished perfectly! Her blog's white background, now makes a great showcase for her
Awesome Photography.

Riki's jewelry are 'romantic relics', vintage inspired & absolutely fabulous!

She is hosting a 'New Year's Giveaway' that I KNOW you'll want to be a part of...

just get over to her blog before January 10th, leave a comment & your entered.

It's that EASY!

What a talented artisan she is along with being such a beautiful spirit.

Thank you so much Riki for the opportunity to create this awesome design with you...

I think it turned out HEAVENLY!

XOXO

vintagesusie

The Gift of Serendipity & a Surprise

A new week is upon us Friends & along with that comes new Possibilities!

I believe in Serendipity.

The definition is:

1. The phenomenon of things coming together perfectly when you least expect them to.

 2. The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

Thus has been, my amazing 'Gift of Friendship' from Diane Cook! 

{susie & diane at marburger farms last September}

Diane found me through my blog, although I don't know exactly how she came across it.

I do know she was taken with my Disneyland post & loved the design of my etsy shop banner.

She contacted me to help design a brand for her to use on her blog rosa & josie's, for hang tags on her beautiful line of jewelry & to help promote her classes on the art of making jewelry.

It was a simple design from a vintage cabinet card she had of two little sisters holding hands.

As I played with this image in PS, there were so many things I fell in love with. The little pleats in their matching skirts, the floral embroidery & piping that decorated them, the crispness of their shirts & of course, how tenderly they held each other's hands.

 

Who could have ever imagined that one design job would make soul sisters out of strangers, inspire me to create my own jewelry, introduce me to some of the greatest talents in the art of jewelry making, get me design jobs, motivate me to travel half way across the US to the great state of Texas to be a part of an Antique Experience like no other, indirectly introduce me to The Junk Gypsy's & Magnolia Pearl, directly introduce me to my gal pal Charlene Pearl of My Heart's Ease & unknowingly change my life forever!

I couldn't have!

{one of diane's displays at marburger farms}

Serendipity, right?

So, I go to Barnes & Noble to pick up an issue of Artful Blogging that I know Diane has been featured in. As I flip through the pages & see her article, I am overjoyed for this amazing & talented woman I now call friend.

Heading towards the checkout, I grab a Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine just for the heck of it, thinking that maybe an ad I recently worked on for Jeanette at fundametal.net might be in this issue.

Again, with the magic of serendipity, what a wonderful surprise I had in store!

As I slowly turned the pages, wanting to take in each exquisite article, I saw one that caught my eye...

A Necklace Round Robin by Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studios . How exciting, I know Cindy, Diane introduced us & I worked on a design job for her ArtBliss Workshop.
Then another...

Where Inspiration is Hatched by Ricki Schumacher of Riki Jewelry. How cool, she & I had just been emailing each other about setting up a time to work on some blog design, she liked the work Diane & I had done together.

And then, there it was...

The Art of Presentation, Her Grandmother's Wedding Veil

Artwork by Diane Cook...

and spread across 3 glorious pages, were the images of two little sisters holding hands.

{diane at her booth at marburger farm}

One of Diane's favorite sayings is...

Come join me...take my hand, as we travel on this journey called life....we will learn together.

Diane is the embodiment of generosity. She can never truly know what an amazing gift
she is to me.

Serendipity...

The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.
I BELIEVE!

XOXO

vintagesusie