SALE! Découpage mirrors are now $6 off!

We really need to sell these adorable but somewhat bulky découpage mirrors, so we've taken an additional $6 off. At this price we'll just break even on them but they have to go.

Check them out now!

New item: Vintage glass Japanese cabochon earrings - Pale Blue

I adore vintage glass cabochons, particularly the cut-glass floral kind that were very popular in Western Europe and Japan after World War II. These pale blue earrings are very special, as the cabochons have aged differently, making one slightly paler blue than the other.

They'd be perfect for the vintage-loving woman who likes unusual and unique cocktail jewelry.

Buy them now!

New item: Ceramic hamburger earrings

Yes, you read that correctly. These are earrings that look like hamburgers. Why? Because I can.

Buy them now.

New item: Acrylic rose earrings - White

These white acrylic rose earrings were super fun to make and turned out very well, if I do say so myself. They're lightweight and very strong, but look like porcelain or ceramic depending on the light. They go with pretty much everything and are perfect for spring, summer, weddings--you name it. I love these and think you will too.

Check them out!

New item: Enamel rose earrings - Mustard

I found these adorable enameled metal roses on ArtFire and decided to turn them into earrings. A little non-toxic, permanent adhesive and some surgical stainless steel posts later, they were done. They're lightweight, cute, and sophisticated but flirty at the same time. I love these!

What do you think?

New items: Framed necklaces in Blue Sky, Forest, and Seawater

I bought a small sampler of blank, hand-painted pendants from ArtFire artisan, Virago Creations, and decided to capture a little bit of nature in each one. So I carefully cut measured pieces from a recycled travel magazine and adhered them to the frames using painstakingly applied layers of Diamond Glaze. Then I made bails out of ribbon and put them on ball chains in varying sizes and colors.

The results were very pleasing and I think this little set is my favorite series I've made so far. I like it so much, in fact, that I'm keeping the fourth necklace ("Smoke", not pictured) to wear.

Check them out and see for yourself.

Blue Sky

Forest

Seawater

New item: Decoupage vase - Blue Flowers on Flames

This repurposed glass vase came with a flower delivery we received many months ago. The original plan was the decoupage the flowers on and then give it a thick coat of acrylic paint as a background. That didn't work out, however, so instead of acrylic paint I used orange crepe paper for an interesting textured look.

I'm really pleased with the finished result and think this would make a cool accessory for any room.

Buy it now!

New items: Upcycled napkin rings - Beige Palm and Pink and Purple

We've made two more sets of upcycled napkin rings, in a soothing, tropical beige and palm tree pattern, and a purple floral and pale pink combination. The sets are very different but, as always, made of upcycled paper towel tubes, craft paper, and non-toxic glues and acrylics. They also come with a muslin storage bag to keep them safe when not in use.

Check them out now!

Beige Palm

Pink and Purple Floral

New item: Green decoupage mirror - Orange Blossoms

Like "Wildlife" and "Superhero" before it, "Orange Blossoms" was made using basic decoupage techniques. I hand-stained a raw wood mirror and then carefully applied hand-cut orange flowers and paisley pieces to the frame over a thin layer of adhesive. The whole shebang was then coated with thick layers of glue, over and over again, to help the paper edges blend in with their surroundings. The project took several days, as I had to be sure that each layer of glue was fully dry before applying a new one, but it was a lot of fun. The end result is quite pleasing, don't you think?

Buy it now!

New item: Red decoupage mirror - Superhero

This mirror was made in much the same way as my previous decoupage mirror, "Wildlife". I stained a raw wood mirror by hand and then painstakingly applied hand-cut pieces of a single ply of a colored paper napkin to the mirror, which was coated in a thin layer of non-toxic adhesive. Then, using decoupage technique, I delicately coated the whole thing in a thin layer of glue, being careful not to tear the napkin pieces. After the glue was mostly dry but still a bit tacky, I gently distressed the paper for a slightly aged, vintage look.

After that it was just a matter of applying a few more coats of glue. Time consuming but fun.

Check it out!

In the works: Decoupage glass vase, three more decoupage wooden mirrors

I've been working on this cylindrical glass vase for a while now. Originally, I cut pretty blue and gold flowers out of some handmade wrapping paper I had stashed and decoupaged them in alternating patterns on the inside of the glass. Then I tried to cover the whole background with hand-mixed maroon acrylic paint, reasoning that it would be kind of translucent and smudgy.

It looked awful.

Fortunately, acrylic doesn't bond to glass very well, so I was able to peel it off without damaging the flowers. After cleaning it well, I decided to use pieces of crepe paper to give it a sort of papier mache background instead of a flat matte color. It's working really well so far and I like the way it looks; it almost appears that the glass itself has swirls of color in it. As soon as the glue is totally dry, I'll give it a coat of acrylic glaze for extra protection, let it cure, and get some photos.

I'm also working on some more decoupage mirrors and hope to have those finished by the end of the weekend. Stay tuned!

In the works: Decoupaged napkins mirrors in red and green, decoupaged cylindrical vase

I've stained two more 10-inch x 10-inch mirrors and left a third one raw in preparation for another napkin decoupage project like this one. I've also been experimenting with applying images to a children's play tea set in four different colors and will see how they turn out and whether they meet my selling standards.

I tried using one of Durwin Rice's decoupage techniques to decorate an interesting glass vase, but since I used acrylic paint instead of latex, it didn't work out so well. The acrylic didn't bond with the glass well at all and was very streaky. I'll be working to remove the paint (leaving the images on, which still look great) and going for a new background.

Sorry there hasn't been more merchandise posted, but I've been out of town for pretty much the whole month of June and haven't had a chance to work much. Please stay tuned for more updates!

We're now on Artfire!

A few weeks ago, I noticed via Google Analytics that traffic to my store had suddenly dropped precipitously. I thought maybe I wasn't promoting enough, or maybe no one wants my products. Or maybe there was so much new competition on Etsy that my store was simply getting lost in the fog. It happens.

Then I found this thread and lo and behold--it appears that Etsy has inexplicably messed with seller SEO. Thanks to their latest "enhancement", search engines can't find Etsy stores. Not even if you search for those stores' items by name. And not even if you search for the very stores by name!

Needless to say, this explains why traffic ground to a halt. And it's made a lot of people very unhappy, and a few of those people have recommended Artfire.com as an alternative place to showcase our wares. So as of today, we have an Artfire store.

I have no idea if this will be more effective than Etsy, but since listings are free, I don't see the harm in giving it a shot. No matter what, I won't be listing any new items on Etsy until they get this straightened out. Why would I pay them to advertise their site? No thanks.

I hope Etsy realizes what a terrible decision this was and hastens to make things right. Their projected "one or two weeks" timeframe is not exactly encouraging. What a pity.

Oh well. In the meantime, check out our new Artfire store!

New item: Dainty Yellow mobile home collage

This collage is a little different than the others in the mobile home series, as it's a colored line drawing of a trailer instead of a photograph. The original image had adorable little white stepstools at each door and some wrought iron curlicue adornments in the back, but cutting those out proved to be impossible...or, at least, not entirely worth the major major effort it would have required.

One thing I love about découpage is you can change the source images to suit your purposes. The stepstools and wrought iron were cute, but they didn't work here. And that's okay. Dainty Yellow is still pretty dainty even without them.

Check it out!

New item: Little Man mobile home collage

Continuing our mobile home series, we découpaged a cutout of a vintage compact trailer onto some gorgeous craft paper that looks like weathered, painted wood. We then hand-stained a wooden frame and put the piece inside. The frames are very inexpensive and the measurements not so precise. The glass didn't fit right away so we had to do a lot of chipping, carving, and chiseling to get it in. The end result is very pleasing, though.

Check it out!

New item: Necklace and hairpin set - Flew the coop

We had so much fun making this little pair. The necklace features a bright blue metal birdcage pendant, with its own swinging trapeze perch and working door, that I adorned with a purple organza ribbon. It hangs from an 18-inch handwoven silvery satin cord with gold metallic threads and a lobster claw.

The hairpin is a simple chromed bobby pin blank, to which I glued a vintage 1950s bright yellow celluloid bird cabochon.

Worn together, it looks like your pet canary has escaped its cage and nestled securely in your hair. How fun, and so perfect for spring.

Buy it now!

New item: Recycled sterling silver ring: Vintage glass cabochon in coral

We made another adjustable recycled sterling ring, this time with a red cabochon instead of a blue one. The results are pretty satisfying and we think this ring will sell. (Though maybe not as fast as the first ring, which sold within hours of listing!)

Check it out now!

New item: Upcycled whiskey bottle with cork stopper - Crazy plaid

This cool, old-timey bottle was on its way to the recycling bin when I rescued it from certain destruction. It appears to be handmade glass (though I'm not completely sure) and looked great even before I adorned it with alternating strips of colorful craft paper and a thin coat of high gloss protective acrylic.

I think this would look fabulous in a kitchen or bedroom, or it would make a fantastic bud vase. Do you like it?

Buy it now!

New item: Upcycled medicine bottle - Greens and blues

This upcycled veterinary medicine bottle would make the perfect stash jar for people who have things to stash. It's waterproof, airtight, and filters UV light. It's also decorated with hand-cut patterned paper and has a thin coat of acrylic gloss on it for extra protection. I hated the idea of throwing such a cool bottle away--imagine how many medicine bottles just like this one are sitting in landfills? Yikes. Why not turn it into something you can use over and over again? So we did.

Check it out!

SOLD: Recycled sterling silver ring: Vintage European glass cabochon in peacock

We took a vintage 1960s European glass cabochon and adhered it to a sterling silver, adjustable ring that is made out of 100% recycled silver. The ring has three-dimensional flower blossoms and leaves and catches the light in a very pretty way. We think it would make a great cocktail or party ring, and just in time for summer.

This item has been sold.