Ragtags Vintage Rhinestone Treasures

Finally on my way home

2011-08-26T12:03:00.000-04:00

After three weeks in Boston, it is finally time to head home. I will miss this place with all it's wonders just steps from my door. I will return to the internet on Monday, August 29th, unless Irene knocks out the electricity!
In the mean time, are you ready for the 2011 Boston Bazaar Bizarre?

It will take place on December 4th at the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama. The fair will be open to the public from Noon until 6pm, with an Early Bird Shopping Hour from 11am until Noon. Normal entry costs $1, Early Bird entry is $10 and limited to 100 shoppers. Early Bird tickets will be put up for sale on our site at 10am on November 15th.

The Cyclorama is located at 539 Tremont Street in Boston, MA.

Have you ever heard of Michal Negrin?

2011-08-16T15:50:00.000-04:00

Holy Crappinoli! GO to Michal Negrin's at Fanueil Hall Marketplace in Boston if you ever have the chance; the website just doesn't do it justice.

Boston Update

2011-08-16T15:43:00.002-04:00

70 lbs. of supplies on the road and STILL not enough! I have ideas for things I left at home and it's hard to move away from them and work with what I have... eh.

Inspiration in Boston

2011-08-09T15:52:00.008-04:00

In between creating Etsy listings, rhinestone cuffs and wandering around Boston, I've spent some time surfing the net to keep up with the trends and friends.
Here is an artist I found that made me fall in love with enamel work...

Her name is Donna Sturges and I encourage you to visit her Facebook page, if only to peruse her photos. Her ideas are so fresh yet classic and the colorful designs of her work just make me smile!

Working in Small Spaces

2011-08-08T08:06:00.002-04:00

In addition to all the technique research I did for a week before leaving for Boston, I should have studied some tips about working in small spaces. It is much harder to get anything done than I thought it would be. I have the urge to stay in to get more work done but the city is calling and I am really torn. Eh...
It doesn't help that it is raining again with two more days of rain ahead.

I am in Boston until August 26

2011-08-07T08:13:00.004-04:00

Lucky me! I get to stay in the North End for 3 whole weeks! I brought 70 lbs. of supplies with me and am ready to unleash some serious creativity and go on some excellent adventures. So far I am finding that if you can't get out for an adventure, they tend to come to you!

Yesterday, while taking the dog for a walk, a marching band came up the street, weaving in and out of traffic, stopped at the end of the street, and played several songs before weaving in and out of a couple of open air restaurants... odd huh?

Cuff Tutorial, Finished Cuffs & Supplies in my Etsy Shop

2011-07-30T17:39:00.003-04:00

I suppose I needed to make this official announcement weeks ago, lol. What I hadn't mentioned that I am also listing some wonderful supplies that I can't even believe I'm parting with. BUT... you can't make those cuffs like I make them without some vintage bling... you just can't. It would be a shame.

In other news, I have orders going out to Australia and the UK, my two dream destinations. And I've not only sold 2 cuffs in the past week or two, I've also dropped off 3 more at a fabulous jewelry store in downtown Portsmouth named "Puttin on the Glitz". I am so lucky to have such a wonderful place to go, visit with the owner Assiah (who is even more wonderful than her store) and I have the honor of selling there. And I've managed to make a few extra cuffs to put in my shop. Life is good :)

Why is it so hard for me to keep up with this blogging stuff?

2011-07-29T16:05:00.002-04:00

Oiy! I always intend to post more often but it just doesn't seem to happen! I've been busy with work, but still, it seems to only take a minute to give a hello and an update.
I have stuff to show too! Like the tutorial I've promised? It's been done and posted in my Etsy shop already. And supplies to make cuffs and other fantastically fancy jewelry? Yeah, that's being posted too.

I even posted an entire Gocco small business package on Ebay that I forgot to promote. That is going to sell for much less than it's worth... all because I don't invest enough time on the internet. Grrr... so annoyed with myself!

Statement Cuffs in my Etsy Shop

2011-07-02T12:13:00.005-04:00

I am happily working away on some new cuffs to list in my Etsy store! I miss making custom cuffs but the prom rush is over, leaving me plenty of time to stock my shop with more jewelry. Keep an eye out here and I will post a cuff tutorial soon! That way, if you can't afford to buy one of my cuffs, you may decide to take a stab at making your own.

Project Accessory Update

2011-06-19T20:00:00.003-04:00

So, I am back from NYC, sitting in my livingroom. I didn't make the cut. But I did find a lot of encouragement from the experience. First off, there is no reason to be intimidated by being judged. I learned so much about my work, how to present to an audience, and learned what I need to do to make it next season. No really, they told me that! I found the judges to be friendly, generous in their suggestions, and best of all, I could totally see where they were coming from.
This just wasn't my time. I wasn't ready and the universe knew it. Next year I will go back and give them exactly what they want. In the next 11 months and 29 days I will learn how to make a handbag... not just A handbag, but many variations. I will learn the concepts and work my way up. I will also know how to design and make shoes... shoes like no one has ever seen before, because they will come from inside me, which no one else can do but me :o)
And last but not least, I will not be afraid to go BIGGER with my work. I will still do the meticulous, futzy things I've always done, with lots of details and wonderfully finished edges, but I will also let myself explode with big pieces, without fear... and I will document it ALL... every single piece. After all, if you want a killer portfolio, you have to choose the best of the best of your work and build your book so it has flow, crisp photos, and an occassional model photo with a little sense of humor.
Surprisingly, they were impressed with my portfolio, given that I put it together from photoshoot, to layout, to printing, in just three days! I think they thought it was "quaint" but the photos had enough quality to get a feel for what I do.
All in all, I would say it was an exceptional experience, and fun, and there is nothing like the confidence boost of seeing other's portfolios and knowing that your work is pretty damned good. It confirms that you belong doing what you love to do.

Project Accessory open casting call in NYC

2011-06-15T13:05:00.003-04:00

My goodness I've been busy! I found out about 9 days ago that Project Accessory, a spinoff of Project Runway, is holding an open casting call this weekend in NYC, so I'm going for it!

I am required to fill out a 29 page questionaire, provide my passport (which is in the process of being processed), provide a portfolio (which I did not have but am currently creating) and a couple of photos of myself.

I have been working like a chicken with my head cut off all week, trying to make things to fill a portfolio and today is a photo shoot day. Sadly, other than the photos I post on here and a few product photos from last year, I really don't have anything to show my range of skills! I have vowed to never sell or give away anything without taking a studio shot of it first!

Lesson learned!

New Work - Cuffs, iPod cases and Fascinators

2011-06-06T12:17:00.005-04:00

Keeping up with orders and the internet is turning out to be more intimidating than I'd realized. I have not posted in a while but I certainly have been busy! I am not only making jewelry, but iPod cases (because I made one for myself and now everyone I know wants one), and feather fascinators (because they are fascinating!), and I have done all the research on feathers to the point of saturation and am writing a much needed tutorial. It includes washing, bleaching, dyeing and every kind of manipulation techniques that I find. Making the screen shots seems to be what is taking so long. AND I finally found some of those Swarovski circle findings... and plenty of 'um!
So, here are some pics of some of my latest projects. They are not the good quality photos but they atleast will give you a glimps of what I've been up to.

Time for Magazine Submissions Again

2011-04-20T14:57:00.006-04:00

This time I am submitting to Belle Armoire Jewelry and Jewelry Affaire again. Here are the pieces I am submitting. The first one should look familiar from a previous post. It's one of my favorites! I hope I have a chance to get it back from the store before someone buys it!

Wish me luck!

Dinner of Champions

2011-04-19T20:32:00.003-04:00

I am taking a breakie-break for a late dinner and an episode of Cupcake Wars. Yes, that is a shot glass of pure NH maple syrup, a mini 3 Musketeers and a cup of coffee. It keeps me going...

The Ever-Elusive Rhinestone Circle/Flower/Charm/Finding

2011-04-17T12:46:00.005-04:00

As promised, here are the special Swarovski pieces that are so hard to find, that even I can't find them... and I am like a pig seeking truffles with these kinds of things! They don't have an official name, as far as I can tell. And even if they did, no seller knows it so they are really hard to search for! Some correctly call the stones Swarovski, but some just call them rhinestones, crystals, or super-sparkling circles. Some call them findings and some call them charms. Some even call them flowers! A person can go nuts trying to find these things!

I managed to find a really nice lot on eBay this week but they are all the same size. I am looking for the kind that stack to form an gorgeous, sparkling flower that adds so much color and texture that it makes me drool. I am convinced that it is impossible to make an ugly piece of jewelry if you use these things. Atleast that is what I think when I don't have any. I sit and I sew and I think to myself, "This bracelet wouldn't be so damned ugly if just had some of those Swarovski circle things!" Of course, when I am done making the piece, it always looks fine... but would be so much better if I just had a few of those circle thingies! LOL

Puttin' on the Glitz Spring Trunk Show

2011-04-14T21:32:00.006-04:00

Assiah Russell and Stephanie Robb

I just got home from the Stephanie Robb trunk show at Puttin' on the Glitz. It was an awesome evening filled with beautiful jewelry, wine, snacks and the ever-amazing Assiah Russell! I was treated to a make-up consultation with Joanne McDonough of Joya Beauty. What a lovely woman, and so insightful, I will have to treat my daughters to some pampering at her studio. Assiah displayed 10 or 12 of my cuffs and I received many compliments... which always makes me blush, and feel kind of awkward. I learned that I need to have a background story ready to tell when people ask me questions. It's funny but it never occurred to me that I would be asked how I learned to do what I do. There were many basic questions that took me off guard... artisan 101 kind of stuff that I have read about a million times and somehow took for granted that when it was my turn to answer, it would just come to me. I didn't anticipate feeling like a deer in the headlights. I'm sure it was perfectly clear, by the look on my face, that my mind was racing as I tried to find a way to sound like I knew what I was saying. I will be better prepared next time.

For inquiring minds who want to know way too much... the highlight of the night for me was when Assiah took me aside and said I am magic. I haven't had anyone tell me that in years! I was also invited to sell my work at Wild Things Gallery in New York. AND when I mentioned to Stephanie Robb that I also make beaded Christmas ornaments, she seemed very excited with the idea. I will have to remember to mention those to Assiah sometime soon.

10 Pounds of Vintage Swarovski

2011-04-13T23:35:00.002-04:00

What does 10 pounds of Swarovski rhinestones look like? Well, if I could take a worthy photo of them, I sure would be happy, but try as I might, my photos can't even come close to doing them justice. Last Saturday I received my Swarovski shipment in the mail. It was a steal at $550 and I was so excited, I was literally jumping up and down and clapping my hands as the Postman fetched my box from the truck. So instead of trying to take photos of the sea of little packages of rhinestones, I've chosen to post photos of some of the new work that has come from them. I am already seeing a significant improvement in the design and color combinations. And the SPARKLE... Oh there is nothing like the sparkle of genuine Swarovski!

Everything I received is already set in brass and there are shapes I've never even seen before! There are some examples of every color Swarovski makes, and there is a good amount of chain, although you can never have enough rhinestone chain, IMHO.

There are still some components I am always looking for that were not included in this package. They are extremely rare and, had I known that, I wouldn't have used the supply I had so generously on my first few pieces. I'll post some photos in the future just in case someone has a pile of them in their stash and would be willing to sell them!

Photo Improvements & Mailbox Candy

2011-04-06T18:03:00.005-04:00

It's been a productive day and a day full of joy as I received wonderful vintage goodies in my mailbox... much more than I'm showing in the single photo. I will be working until 2 a.m. and dream about what I'll be creating when I wake up in the morning! The photos are looking better, don't cha think? Now if the cloudy days would just melt into some sunshine, I'm hoping to see an even greater improvement.

My First Photos

2011-04-05T22:39:00.003-04:00

These first test shots show promise. I have to experiment with the lighting, but the details are clearer than I've been able to get without the photo box and there is minimal flaring. Without the box, I might get one crisp photo out of every 30 shots, and sometimes the clear one wasn't the one with the best composition. Now it seems almost every shot is clear, but somewhat dull. I'm done for the night but tomorrow I will figure out how to capture some of the sparkle and a little more color depth.

My Portable Studio

2011-04-05T22:26:00.006-04:00

I am happy to say my efforts were successful and I've had a chance to try a few shots in my new photo box. But I have to admit that it doesn't look as polished as I thought it would. It does seem that it will do the job, once I experiment with it. What I did, in a nutshell, was remove the netting from a collapsible laundry bag, making sure to leave the seams on the frame. Then I glued nylon lining fabric to the seems on the frame with Beacon Fabri-Tac. After it dried I cut the excess fabric around the edges. I set up two small lamps with 100 watt bulbs and placed my Ott-Lite above. Ta-Da! All done! And it easily stores in the corner of my closet when I'm done with my photo shoot.

Portable Photo Studio

2011-04-05T15:02:00.006-04:00

www.instructables.com with tutorial... too ugly for me

Etsy.com : affordable until you add the shipping... it's cheaper to make my own

The reason I don't have photos of my latest work is because they don't lend themselves well to photography. They are encrusted with Swarovski rhinestones, fire polished beading, cut glass buttons and you just can't capture that with the old "natural light on an overcast day" trick. Or at least I can't. So today, I am forced to finally take the plunge and build my own portable photo studio setup. I'd seen a tutorial on instructables.com years ago and I've marked many a commercial set on Etsy and Ebay. I've collected the supplies to make them, but I could always get by with natural light and a white background, so that's what I did until now. I will hopefully be posting some awesome photos of my work by tomorrow, along with a photo of my little studio setup.

Jewelry Affaire - Spring 2011

2011-04-05T12:18:00.003-04:00

Hello from Ragtags studio! I have been away from my blog for a while but have been inspired to return having realized it was included in the tagline of my article. Please feel free to read through my previous posts. Rest assured I will begin posting amazingness to help you learn how to make fabulous jewelry on your own, where to find great supplies, some eye candy to enjoy, and little interesting stories that happen regularly in my creative life. Please join the Ragtags Facebook page for regular updates and promotions.

Finished and Mailed Pocketwatch Pendants

2010-09-11T11:54:00.005-04:00

* Finished Pendants

* Mid-process

These were so much fun! I'm glad I had the chance to revive them and relieved they are on their way to their new owners. Now, back to my regularly scheduled program....

A Fairy Pocketwatch Commission

2010-09-02T10:55:00.010-04:00

Did you know you can take an old pocketwatch casing and turn it into a miniature little world to wear as a pendant?

I've been making these for about 5 years but stopped last fall because, as you can imagine, I got distracted by other ideas and projects. I do offer a tutorial on Etsy, but last week I received an Alchamy request for two pendants, so I brought out my supplies and got to work!

First I had to purchase two casings on Etsy. I bought these from Kimagure. They have to have an open front that is removable. I'd prefer to find some with the bezel still intact, but those are rare. Not to worry, I will create a custom fit faux bezel when I am finished creating the diorama inside the case.

The casings must be thuroughly cleaned with rubbing alcohol before adding anything to the surface of the metal. Adding a patina of faux wear spots that expose the copper base and then a layer of faux verdigris really brings a lot of charm to the casings, contributing to the illusion that they are really old and forgotten.

As those dried, I went through my collection of vintage images and chose some little girls and wings to print out. These two spoke to me so I carefully trimmed them out with precision. Then I chose background pieces and embellishments from my stash....

There is so much more to do, but I'll be sure to post the finished pieces when they are done in a day or two. In the mean time, if you'd like to learn how to make your own, I still offer the tutorial in my Etsy store along with a page or two of vintage images to work with!

Statement Necklaces have Lead to Learning about Organza Flowers

2010-09-02T10:51:00.004-04:00

Along my journey in discovering how to make bib necklaces, I stumbled upon a hot new trend that captured my imagination and work space. Organza flowers.... so I have been perfecting my technique by practicing, experimenting and purchasing tutorials here and there. What a fantastic edition to all the other embellishments used to make jewelry! I've seen them used as brooches, hair clips and combs, even on little rings. They're also beautiful on sweaters, scarves and shoe clips.

Finding Supplies on Etsy at Rock Bottom Prices

2010-08-10T13:47:00.020-04:00

Shopping for treasures is sort of an organic, opportunistic process for me. Ok, it's kind of an obession. I have found the most fantastic lots of rhinestone jewelry, swarovski crystals and vintage chains on the internet at the absolute lowest prices. My supplies primarily come from Etsy, eBay and occasionally off Craigslist. Basically I run some back-door searches where I find odd lots from people who normally sell unrelated goods and do not know the value of what they have or how to list them. I also find sellers with excess stock who just want to free up space in their studios or have changed their artistic direction and no longer need the supplies they have.

Some of my favorite Etsy keyword searches for finding jewelry supplies and vintage jewelry stashes are: destash, junk jewelry, jewelry lot, estate, single earrings, vintage, harvest (ing), repair, reclaim, costume, rhinestone lot, watch movements or parts lot, and jewelry destash lot. Bits and Bobs is another favorite.

You can combine these keywords in any number of ways, for instance, single vintage earrings will bring up a mix of finished jewelry pieces but it will also bring up the odd lot of vintage finds. Rhinestone destash jewelry is another of my favorites! In fact, I'm actually surprised with myself for sharing my most valuable techniques.

I would also recommend searching "All Items" instead of just "Supplies" or "Vintage". Sometimes people mislabel their listings and I like to catch those too!

And last but not least, the subject of sorting. I search so regularly that I am familiar with all the recent listings, which is the sort order that comes up by default, but I also sort by lowest price when running a search I do not do regularly. I try to make those searches as specific as possible soI don't get too overwhelmed with results. For instance, if a trend toward enamel flowers catches my eye, I will try all the search terms I mentioned earlier with the words "enamel flowers" and also try terms specific to the source like "enamel flower brooch", "retro enamel pins", etc. I look at the first few pages of "most recent" and then also sort by "lowest price" and scroll through until I've seen all the results up to my price range. Don't forget to check shipping charges too. I don't mean to say that people gouge on shipping to make up for the low selling price, but it does happen sometimes and is very disappointing once you've already put it in your shopping cart and are whacked at checkout time.

When you've found what you are looking for, make sure to save the seller and check periodically for more if you think they may post similar listings in the future.

In my mailbox: One Serious Pile o' Bling

2010-08-04T16:27:00.006-04:00

I couldn't believe my eyes as I opened the packages that arrived in my mailbox today. I ordered some "destash" lots on Etsy. These are the best of the best, but there's much more! I have some barely damaged pieces and some harvest pieces that I will work with later to restore as many as I can to their former sparkling beauty.

Soon I will post my secrets to finding Eye Candy for Reclaimed and Junk jewelry on line, along with general shopping tips, so you know what to look for at brick and mortar stores.

My creative past: Cake Decorating

2010-07-31T13:59:00.008-04:00

That summer my best friend was getting married and I was in the wedding party. As the cake arrived that morning I thought to myself, "I can do that!". I picked up some Wilton books and did some research on the internet and found an overwhelming amount of information. So a few months later, the perfect excuse came up, and I felt prepared. Her parents were having their 50th wedding anniversary and she asked me to make the cake, and sure enough, I could! Here is my first cake:

Then her daughter wanted to design her own birthday cake, so I did that too:

In the midst of all this cake decorating stuff I came across a forum that discussed the use of a Cricut Expression for cutting fondant. I happened to have one of those so I just HAD to try it out. Sure enough, guess what, I had a new obsession; decorating cakes with fondant. Oh how I wish I'd borrowed a camera, because for a while I didn't own one. I only have a few pictures of a couple of simple cakes but I hope by now you can imagine how intricate the cakes became with more experience! These two are birthday cakes that I made before my camera died. The first is for a boy's birthday and the second was for a Boston Celtics fanatic who was turning 33. If you are not a Boston fan, you probably don't know the significance of that number, but it is jersey number of the legendary Larry Bird. I was so proud of that little cake at the time! I wish I had a photo of the assembled cake, but no one thought to take one once it reached the party.

Eventually I got so good at using my Cricut with food mediums that I wrote a tutorial on how to convert an Expression into a cake decorating machine. Soon after, the Cricut Cake came out and my report sold like hotcakes on eBay for a few months. It was empowering to know that the report helped a lot of people save a lot of money by just using the diecut machine they already owned.

My creative past: Sewing Children's Clothing

2010-07-31T13:32:00.007-04:00

After the holiday season passed, I found myself wanting to make something completely different; something easy without all the fussy details. My favorite cousin had a little girl and I desided to make her some gifts. I decided to sew something pretty out of some vintage sheeting I had. Here are the results:

I made a simple dress with a matching headband and had enough fabric left to make a ton of other things including a few more dresses that I gave as gifts for baby showers and some listings I sold on Etsy. With the scraps from all the clothes I made grocery bags. There's a lot of fabric in two fitted sheets!

Back when my children were little, I made all their clothes. I was also a quilter and belonged to a guild and I also made crazy quilted Challah covers that I sold. It was nice to get back in front of a sewing machine and it is funny how, over time, the process of constructing clothes seemed to be easier than when I was younger.

My creative past: Beaded Christmas Ornaments

2010-07-31T13:16:00.007-04:00

My first attempts at making beaded ornaments were encouraging. I used bits of interesting things, vintage finds, and leftovers from my mixed media craze. I loved the color combinations and the freedom that comes with experimenting from the unknown. As always, my appetite for information took over and I began to research everything I could find about beaded ornaments. This is when I stumbled upon Crackerbox ornaments. Now THOSE are amazing! I studied them intently throughout the summer and the following holiday season, I began designing ornaments in earnest. Once again I'd found a niche market and I ran with it!

As you can see, my later attempts were far more polished and commercial looking. I began to write tutorials and sold the ornaments, kits and tutorials on Etsy and eBay. This is an art form that still captures my imagination and I plan to offer them again this coming holiday season. I also intend to develop some jewelry designs that incorporate ornament techniques.

My creative past: Journals & Bookbinding

2010-07-31T12:45:00.007-04:00

After the discovery of Teesha Moore and the journaling days with my daughter, I started making journals to work with, to give as gifts, and to sell. I also had the opportunity to make some custom orders on Etsy too. It was a fun, but short lived period, as I soon discovered beaded Christmas ornaments, and a new obsession was born.

My creative past: Cards & Rubberstamps

2010-07-31T11:41:00.018-04:00

Somewhere in the mix between buttons and scrapbooking, I started making greeting cards and collecting rubber stamps. I sold the cards on eBay for a while and made some good money at it. Unfortunately, the buttons took over my world and I eventually sold my rubber stamp collection on eBay for over $400!

While collecting the rubber stamps, I came across an artist named Teesha Moore and I was smitten with her work. Soon I was having "journal days" with my eldest daughter, although I must admit that I'd sneak some greeting card work in there too. We would work away for hours and chat about life.

My creative past: Embellished Buttons

2010-07-31T03:46:00.011-04:00

While exploring altered arts, I found I had a passion for buttons. This passion lead to an insatiable appitite for vintage buttons. I don't know how it happened, but I found myself collecting huge amounts of buttons from eBay. Well, after you pick out the pretty ones, you are left with LOTS of ugly ones! So began my 2 year career of embellishing buttons. I'd stumbled upon a niche market and I ran with it until my fingers were sore and my eyes crossed. My customers wanted more, but I was burnt out.

My creative past: Mixed Media & Paper Arts

2010-07-31T02:26:00.015-04:00

My little sister suddenly passed away in June 2005 and that prompted me to make scrapbooks for her children and for myself. As with everything I do, I became obsessed and scrapbooking became my passion for the past 5 years. I've invested in plenty of tools, books, magazines, and spent endless hours scouring the internet to keep on top of the newest trends and products. But as I dug around, I found myself drawn to the wider variations of the world of paper arts and mixed media. I learned about image transfers, painting techniques, altered books, ATCs, collage, texturing, piercing, punching, diecutting, and every other thing you can think of related to paper transformations. This opened doors that I never could have dreamt of, but first I got sidetracked with a little side business of selling embellished vintage buttons, a move I would never have predicted.

My creative past: Mosaics

2010-07-30T01:35:00.000-04:00

Being creative is my obsession. I've made all sorts of things to sell over the years.
My "job" for a while was creating hand painted mosaic tiles, which lead to learning everything I could about the art of mosaics. I developed a wonderful customer base and completed lots of exciting projects that sold very well on eBay.
Since my educational and professional background was in publishing and graphic design, it was only a matter of time before I looked to create something in print.
I found a creative partner through the Yahoo forums and we attempted to publish a gorgeous, glossy, full color magazine. Ultimately we failed to go to print, but the experience helped me grow by leaps and bounds and helped make me realize that I needed to change direction. After years of mosaic work, I moved on to mixed media and paper arts.