Angels Are Always There

Encouragement Bracelet - Purchase Here

Recently, I was reminded that angels are always there when you need them.  The reminder arrived in an email request from a lovely woman who wanted to give her close friend something special to let her know that she was loved dearly before her surgery date later this month.  Her friend was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and they were both reeling from the news.

 She wanted to offer her friend a heartfelt gift - something special for encouragement and an offering of hope as her friend begins her journey through cancer treatment or is it really torture?  Well, it is really both.  We have all been touched by cancer in our lives whether personally or through our family and friends.  It is a journey that takes you both through hell and back.  The angels in our lives are never more important to us than at these moments.

We designed this piece together and many expressions were considered, but this is the one that rang true for her.  It is my wish that her friend finds a moment of peace whenever she looks down at her wrist and sees this bracelet as she is receiving her chemotherapy treatments. It's those little moments that become so important when your life is on the line and you need a bit of hope to get through the day.

As a jewelry maker, it is rewarding when you know that your creation is going to make someone feel special.  It is the type of art that can be worn and travels with the wearer, hopefully bringing them little moments of peace and gratitude for their earthly angels that are always there when they need them.

It is finally sprinkling tiny rain drops today and I sense that the trees are as happy as I am to feel the happy wetness washing away the dust of the dry days we have been having of late.  I ventured out for a morning walk and every living soul on the trail looked energized and happy by the cooler temperatures and promise of rain.  It was a great way to start this day.

Blessings to you my friends,

Julie

Your Are Stronger Than Steel Ring Set

I enjoy wearing statement jewelry or wearable art.  A ring is the perfect accessory to show off your unique style and the sky is the limit in regard to size and the amount of sizzle you wish for the day.

This is a series of rings I designed for the

You Are Ring Series.

You Are...

stronger than steel

more precious than a saphire

rare as a pearl

more valuable than gold

and I love you.



 The rings feature steel wire cores with 14kt gold filled wire wrapping with a huge lustrious pearl with 14kt gold beads and semi precious stones like iolite, garnet, peridot, amethyst, saphire, carnelian, labradorite, etc.

 All in varying heights, this one sits about one inch above the finger and is so fun to wear.  It's my favorite architectural ring of the group.

 This is the mid range height ring that sits about 1/2 inch above the finger.  The two round loops at the bottom elevate the ring and is an interesting design element.  It also keeps the ring sitting upright and at the proper alignment on your finger.

This is the standard version or expected version.  It is a straight forward design that sits directly on the finger.

 The steel wire is treated with a protective coating that prevents rusting and keeps the steel looking black and shiny.

 There's something about the blend of ying/yang that is fascinating to me.  Delicate yet strong, feminine yet masculine, soft yet hard....it surfaces in my work again and again.  I love it.

Happy Creating and Blessings to you my Friends,

Julie

Belle Armoire Jewelry Feature

I know like me,  you religiously go to your local Barnes and Noble Bookseller to pick up the latest issue of  Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine before they are soldout.  I adore this magazine and have every issue printed over the past few years.  It continues to be a source of inspiration and it connects me although it be vicariously to other jewelry artists.

The most amazing thing happened to me a sweet.sweet.sweet and very talented jewelry artist on the West Coast by the name of Riki Schumacher connected me to Diane Cook another sweet.sweet.sweet and talented artist.  You must visit thir blogs and view their lovely jewelry creations. 

This connection lead, Diane to invite me to be a part of a collaboration with the theme of using the same focal point called Marianne which is available from Brass Bouquet along with hundreds of other great elements.  Well, I was just beyond pleased, excited, honored, and ectastically happy.happy.happy to be asked let me tell you.

Seven very talented artists agreed to participate and Diane wrote a brilliant article and six months later here we are in print in our favorite jewelry magazine. 

I drove to two Barnes and Noble locations before I found any available copies.  Just as I was putting my hands on the magazine on the shelf my phone rang and it was my best girl, Stacey.  I told her she would never believe what I was doing.  I was actually at Barnes and Noble picking up a magazine that had a piece of my jewelry inside...eeeeek....it's just too much!

That's my creation above featuring found objects:  mother of pearl buttons, a mother of pearl "Mother" broach, a crystal oval and lots of vintage chain.  Pearls and Turquoise one of my favorite combinations and a resin hand that I created from a vintage hand pin using a mold, crystals and metal tidbits.

My Mom had been in the hospital and she was in my thoughts as we almost lost her.  As I worked in my studio she became the inspiration for the necklace.  I filled this necklace with things that remind me of her.  She once gave me a huge jar of buttons that her Aunt had given her as a child to play with when she spent time at her house.  One of my Mom's favorite rings was from a family vacation to Wyoming - a huge turquoise creation.  My Mom also has the most beautiful hands...I remember looking at her hands as a little girl thinking how lovely her nails always looked.  I thought my Mom was elegant, beautiful and I was always so proud that she was my Mom.

What a great opportunity to be a part of this collaboration...It was a wonderful experience and I think that every single necklace is spectacular.  But, why wouldn't they be, these are some of the most talented gals in the business.

What a lovely Summer necklace, don't you think by the uber talented Molly Alexander?

Love the colors Molly selected for her necklace.

Diana Frey style is always romantically fabulous - her trademark.  I think Fabulous must be her middle name!

This necklace is by Marie Dodd even though it says Riki's name in print.  Marie has a steampunk vibe that I just love in her work.

Diane and Rikki's necklaces are so fitting to be side by side as they are dear friends and gal pals.  Both of these ladies create romantic found object creations that are unique one of a kind creations - truly wearable art pieces.  Love them both (& the necklaces too!).

The last necklace is by Cindy Wimmer and is a Victorian dream...beautiful blue heaven...with amazing roses and lovely fibers...beautiful work Cindy.

Thank you, Diane for including me in this collaboration...it has been my dream come true.

Now go out and visit these talented ladies blogs!

Diane Cook - Rosa & Josies Blog
Diana Frey - Diana Frey Blog
Riki Schumacher - Riki Jewelry Blog
Cindy Wimmer - Sweet Bead Studio Blog
Marie Dodd - Maire Dodd Blog
Molly Alexander - Beautifully Broken Me Blog
and Brass Bouquet

Blessings my Friends - Julie

Prairie Thistle at the Bottom's Up Antique Market

A quick share of my booth this month at the Bottom's Up Antique Market that opens tomorrow.  I have filled my space with loads of wonderful things for garden, home and body.

There are so many things I love in this space like the Breakfast at Tiffanys style dress and hat on the mannequin, the black walnut cross on top of the cabinet on the left, and the hanging lamp made from a vintage galvanized metal funnel.

I designed this French inspired shelf that I so admire in Jeanne de Arc Living Magazine with loads of hooks and cubbies to display your favorite collections.  My talented husband, Dan made these beauties for me.  I can't wait to hang mine at the farm!  For my out of town friends, let me know if you are interested and I can check on shipping options.

One of the favorite things I made for the show is this "Sisters" piece that is a printed dictionary page soldered between two panes of glass with vintage brass corners - they are gorgeous.

A painting that I did of the shadow of an angel above vintage sheet music bits with deep blue space below.  I added "The Angels Sing" in french below.  I painted the angel and the letters in a silver metallic paint that appears and disappears depending on the angle. 

 The Queen of Sheba mixed media shadow box in a vintage sucrets tin.

A vintage Little Red Riding Hood doll and book.

A barnwood cross  that features "With the Help of God " written in French is one of my favorites.

Two large vintage blue fruit jars made into sweet lamps.

Just a glimpse into my booth...hope you enjoyed it.

Blessings my friends - Julie

Bottoms Up Debut - Kansas City

I thought I would share some photos of my new Prairie Thistle space at Bottoms Up in the West Bottoms of Kansas City.  I only had two weeks to prepare for the show so I quickly put together a booth design for the show.  This venue is open the first Friday and Saturday of each month.   I had such a lovely time at the show I have decided to join in again in April.  I hope you can join me there, if you have never been to Bottoms Up you are in for a delightful shopping experience.

I will have a bit more time to prepare for the next show and plan to bring in more jewelry, antiques and French inspired goods for the home and garden.

One of the necklaces that I put together for the show featuring a large vintage shell button with a tiny sparrow wired to blueberry lace quartz.

I adore my sparrow cabinet that I had custom made to display my jewelry.  It is four feet wide and five feet in height and features a hard rock maple top.  It holds an enormous amount of jewelry, but would also be perfect for linens and lingerie.  My Master Cabinet maker has agreed to make more of these cabinets by order.  Send me an email if you are interested and would like more information.

It was a fun show with a lively crowd enjoying the lovely offerings of the antique vendors.

This was the first mannequin that I purchased long ago.  It is actually a boy mannequin torso that I always try to disguise with lots of lace strategically placed creating a more feminine shape.

I also brought lots of antiques for the glass case in my space.  This is a lovely Italian figurine of a family of Blue Jays.

Hand carved wooden statues of Jesus are exquisitely detailed.

A vintage beveled glass silver Victorian hand mirror and a white beaded purse with a tiny mirror in the clasp.

Purchase Here

A pair of white leather Mary Jane shoes - too sweet.

Our leading lady of Bottoms Up, Gwen McClure.  She's a lovely person and you can hear her laughter all day as she greets her returning loyal customers.

This is a photo of Gwen's lovely French inspired offerings.



Another booth filled with wonderful European antiques.  The two consoles in the front have silver leaf tops.

There are no words....

What a wonderful weekend and I am so excited about the show next month and I hope you can join me.

Bottoms Up

1200 West 12th Street

Kansas City, MO  64101

Related Articles and Links

Jenny Steffens Blogspot

West Bottoms Business District

Bottoms Up Facebook Page

French By Design Facebook Page

Beth Leintz Blog

Jewelry Display

My first show of the year went really well and the best part was seeing all of the familiar faces from my shoppe days at GardenologyKC.  I miss those gals more that I can tell you.

This was the display I used for the show which was a bit challenging as I have to work with just one six foot table so I added the corseted mannequin and a white wooden stool for a bit more surface area.

This corset was one of those finds that I am so happy about.  It does wonders for an ordianary dress form.

One of my favorite necklaces is the Italian enamel floral broach paired with large orange coral beads.  It will be a sad day when I have to let it go to a new home.

I added a vintage guilded Italian box, mirrored dressor trays and lots of small vintage books to my display this year for added height and shimmer of gold.

This vintage thread box worked well for added surface for what else, more jewelry.

A vintage glass box held my copper formed cuff bracelets.  The floral lace in this photo was an antique shop find that worked so well on top of the cut work table cloth I used for the table.

One last side view of the table design for the show.  I took these photos with me so I would remember where each component should be placed to save time moving things this way and that. 

My biggest problem at the show was that there wasn't enough room for more that 4-5 shoppers to be browsing the jewelry at the same time.  Alot of ladies were having to wait patiently for an opportunity to slip into an empty spot.  I think it made the shoppers feel a bit rushed as they tried to speed it up out of consideration of those waiting.

Connie and Nancy do such a wonderful job preparing for this event.  They take such good care of the artists spotting us at our booths as needed, providing snacks, cookies and always with big smiles.  They are really wonderful and so good at what they do.

The Thompson barn is so beautiful, a historic landmark of a classic Kansas barn.

Yup, here I am again in the mirror, but really I just wanted to share the cute dog figurine underneath the mirror.  He's one of my favorites and trust me I have dozens of them.

Enjoy the Day - Julie

Photo Shoot of Prairie Thistle Jewelry - Staging A Shot

Time to bring out the camera and stage a photo shoot of the jewelry I have put together for the upcoming Cupid's Gems Jewelry Show on February 5th.

A quick shot of my reflection in the vintage mirror on the table and I begin trying to get "the shot" that best captures the luster of pearls and the flash of semi precious stones.  It's a challenge...

I like to photograph my jewelry with other things that I love like vintage dresser mirrors, old clocks from Germany, an ornate gilded box from Italy, a tiny jar of glass buttons, old linen handkerchiefs from Ireland, and tiny porcelain birds in white from France that I found this week in one of my favorite antique shops..

Glistening pearls and faceted jasper in a long opera length strand against a vintage photo of three sisters on the porch steps.  Isn't she lovely?

Carnelian and Garnet Earrings - Buy Here

Carnelian briolettes with faceted garnets on 14KT gold earrings with a vintage lace backdrop in pure white that I think reflects the delicacy and elegance of these earrings.

Add a pair of porcelain birds and it makes my heart flutter a bit in excitement.  I love this shot!

Iolite and Garnet Earrings - Buy Here

This time pair the Iolite briolettes and ruby red garnets with the porcelain birds and vintage lace of the Irish linens.

Three strand necklace of Ryolite and vintage Czech glass ivory seed beads that have an old world feel to them.  This necklace is a choker design that is so flattering on women of all ages.

Close up of vintage Czech glass faceted beads and gemstone beads in vivid blue and those fabulous little birds.  I can hardly stand how darn cute those little birds are in the photos.

Full view of the long necklace with Art Nouveau focal point that seems right at home with the staging.

Just for fun, I wanted to share the sweet baby fork and spoon with a puppy on the handle.  I will be adding them to my etsy shop - Thing Finder.

I'd love to hear about your techniques and any tips you might have for getting that "it shot".

Hope you are well and living artfully.

Blessings - Julie