Sunday, flea market and work in progress

flea market finds
Yesterday I finally made it to the flea market again. And I was lucky to find anything!! This was the big flea market and I can't remember when I last had such a "bad catch"! Just a couple of brass filigree buttons and some old lace...

Captain and Socks
Two of my kitties relaxing Sunday afternoon...


sketches
This is what my sketches for work in progress look like - if I actually sketch something. But this is just the original idea and not fully thought out. I just let the process take over. These are for Moth and Cobweb.

work in progress: Moth
As I mentioned, I am working on more necklaces inspired by A Midsummer Nights Dream. This will be Moth.

work in progress: Cobweb
This is a version of Cobweb, another Midsummer Nights Dream inspired piece. Cobweb is going to end up with more than one necklace, it seems.

work in progress: Poppy
A poppy flower that will turn into a necklace. I made a few of these in copper last year and I just really like them. I have some in progress in copper too.

As Midsummer continues ...

Midsummer still has me enthralled and I am working on two more necklaces - for Moth and Cobweb, two more faeries serving Titania. Trying something new and feeling a bit giddy and lightheaded in the process. Wondering where this is going and where will it lead? Does anyone out there start a piece/project with a finished idea? I always just have an element, an initial inspiration. I never know what the finished piece will look like, because I never have a complete concept. Just a beginning... and then I follow where the piece takes me.
I keep thinking, I should know what I am trying to achieve. But I don't. So then, maybe I am not creating these pieces at all. I am just helping them manifest themselves...

I'm so lucky!

Egret by Silke Powers

Look what I got in the mail yesterday! Silke of Metamorphosis was having a giveaway about two weeks ago and I got lucky! This is the print of one of her paintings and it is just beautiful! Thank you soooo much, Silke!!

Kristin issued a challenge...

challenge - work in progress

On Friday, Kristin of Waking Beauty Designs issued a challenge to try "to do the thing you think you cannot do". Well, I am finding that I love a challenge. I have been wanting to do more with textiles and I have been wanting to try myself at an ATC. And then there were the beautiful pieces Lorrie of Lilylovekin Tails recently created, that I found so very inspiring. So, what better starting point could there be? Let's do something different!

Well, it was already a busy weekend, we had guests coming for dinner on Sunday (more about that later), and I wanted to get my Midsummer Nights Dream Necklace finished, so I was a bit short of time. That is why I can only show a work in progress... this textile piece has sort of expanded on the measurements of an ATC (it is my first attempt), so I guess it doesn't fall into that category. But never mind the label. A hand written quote from Zora Neale Hurston: "There are years that ask questions and years that answer.", also stamped and coloured, on old linen and adorned with vintage lace; backed and stiffened with felt. As I said, it is still being worked on and I am enjoying it immensely! Thank you, Kristin, for enticing me to stretch my limits!!

awaiting guests

Well, I mentioned we had guests invited for dinner on Sunday. A colleague of Max', with her boyfriend. They live not so far from Frankfurt and we live just north of Munich; it's about a 3-4 hour drive, depending on traffic. They were on their way to Munich, where she will be working for a couple of days. Max works for television, so does she and so they both do quite a bit of travelling. Max and I prepared a lot of mediterranean inspired dishes: artichokes, asparagus, eggplant, fried dates with bacon, several cheeses and delicious Italian salami, pork roast (Italien style, of course), mozzarella with tomatos, salad, strawberries with prosecco (well, actually, this is to drink)... you get the idea. I had the flowers up over the table, because there wasn't room on the table, as usual. It was a lovely evening.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend?

Midsummer Nights Dream

Peaseblossom's Necklace
Just finished this necklace, which began with a piece of silk rod in green and a copper filigree. And then whimsy took over, must be because of midsummer. Must have faeries in my head... Peaseblossom is one of the faeries serving Titania in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream.

Peaseblossom's Necklace, Detail
I think this necklace would be something Peaseblossom might wear, with all those little flower shaped jade dangles and copper spirals.
Finished with a copper hook I forged myself and fused copper rings.
Thank you to Deryn Mentock, whose work was the original inspiration for this necklace.

Summer earrings

These are a couple of simpler earrings I just made, trying to capture a summer mood. These matte glass beads remind me of beach glass. I just love those little vintage brass flowers!

The pitter patter of little feet on a non typical Sunday

This morning in the bathroom I heard a strange noise after washing. It sounded like the tap was dribbling. But it wasn't! Looking around to see what was making the noise, I glanced into the shower tub; which is no longer in use (we shower in the bathtub, just in case anyone wants to know). There was this frantically scrambling little creature.


This is a young mole. And he couldn't get out of there and there was nowhere to hide. Hence - frantic. I only took one picture of the poor little guy before scooping him up to rescue him - I didn't want to give him even more stress. Apparently one of my cats deposited him there and then went off to take care of other business. Well, he didn't seem to be hurt and was just full of spunk (I can't repeat what he said to me, when I picked him up, but it was obviously very naughty mole language). I took him out to the garden and opened up one of the mole hills that are everywhere this year and he went down that hole faster that you can say: go home.

Yes, I realize that these are not flea market treasures. That is because I don't have any to share with you today. This is what I picked up yesterday, when I was shopping for groceries (our stores are not open on Sundays). Today, Max will be coming home again, after being away most of the week, due to work. So, a bit of special dinner is in order. I'm thinking melon with prosciutto, some tomatos with mozzarella and fresh basil, sautéd carrots and green onions with a bit of garlic and grated lemon rind, some spicy fried chicken breasts, fresh Turkish bread and perhaps a mediterranean dip...

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!

another new necklace

Love's Lace
A little necklace with an etched copper heart, forged copper links and clasp, wire wrapped copper links, freshwater pearls and glass beads.


The etching reminds me of old lace. Next in line is a bracelet - I think.

More dramatic sky, and what's in a name

More dramatic thunder clouds on Thursday
About 5 minutes after taking this picture, we had a torrential downpour, hail and extreme winds. It was over in about 10 minutes, but this repeated itself several times during the day. On the weekend, we are supposed to be getting something like summer weather, the temperatures might even go above 25°C!!

New Necklace - from the Elements - Air
Just finished this today. This has been in the works for some time. It just didn't seem to want to come together. Today, it finally did.


This is for the element air. There is a print of faeries in the copper frame, underneath resin. I matched it with lots of sky blue glass beads and some very vintage copper finished steel chain links and some forged copper links.


Rear view - etched copper
I am not at all used to using this bright sky blue. But it really pops, not just on the photos, so I guess this is just right for summer.

Another new necklace, finished today.
A colour enhanced carved sponge coral rose, combined with brass, vintage faux pearls and vintage black lucite beads. Very dramatic (must be the influence of the weather).


For some reason, I can't seem to come up with names for these two necklaces. Anyone have any ideas?

What has been going on

Dramatic sky on Sunday evening, just before the thunder storm

new earrings - Rose Garden

Mystic Peach Earrings

Southern Belle Earrings

Folk Art Earrings

Sunday already!

Well, most of you already know that I go to the flea market on Sundays. Today is an exception, I am in the flow of creating some earrings and didn't want to interfere with that process. But, so as not to disappoint anyone, I have some things to share that I found during earlier excursions (after all, I have been a flea market addict much longer that I have had a blog!!)

miscellaneous finds
Do you see that bracelet? Those are real bugs (not altered in any way, they are naturally that colour; I'm not quite sure exactly when this was the craze, possibly in the 40's. This isn't the first I have seen) !!

various pieces of amber
I am still trying to find more information about these pieces. I keep coming across them. Either the clover shape (these can either be in the form of a lapel pin or have the pictured fixture which I believe was worn on a leather watch band) oder the stylized flowers (which are often on this brown thread that looks like silk). I have no idea what they are about. Which only makes them all the more interesting.

Oh, and my garden still has blooms to share:

Poppy - papaver orientale, "Patty's Plum"

Wild rose
This is a wild rose with delightful tiny little white flowers, that is now trying to climb into the cherry tree. In the fall, this will be full of beautiful tiny little rose hips, which are fantastic for decorating.

Invasion of the wild strawberries

English Rose - I don't know the name of this one. I ordered Golden Celebration, a golden yellow rose, which this definitely is not. But it is a beautiful rose all the same.

Have a wonderful Sunday! I am going back to my earrings.

New Earrings

Secret Garden Earrings

I finally made some new earrings! This last pair complements the Secret Garden Necklace. I still have to create some new designs, but this was great as a warm up.
(Available in my Etsy and DaWanda shops)

Get excited - Gift from Diane

Yesterday, I received my Get Excited gift from Diane at Diane's Mixed Art - this lovely little collage, covered with wax. This is a technique that I haven't tried yet, so it is a very intriguing piece.

isn't this sweet?
And it has a kitty - just purrrfect for me!

close up
Thank you very much, Diane!!