Looking for....

...back issues of Belle Armoire Jewelry. I'm a junk store / yard sale kinda gal and don't want to pay the near new prices for used issues I'm finding on ebay. I guess you could call me cheap... no, I don't like that.... thrifty maybe? lol!

If you have some that you're ready to pass on just email me, with your prices and issues, using the contact info in my profile.

I've been working on assemblage jewelry, putting to use all the trinkets and baubles I have collected over the years, thinking someday I'll use it. Guess what? Someday has finally arrived!!! I hope to have a small collection ready to show on the evening of the 14th, just in time for Christmas shopping.

Thanks for stopping by ~ I've had folks asking about the baby chick (she's not a baby anymore!) and Smokey and Tweedle Dum ~ I'll have something on my blog about them by the weekend.

Update ~ My cards are featured on Today's Primitive Home this week! Be sure to visit TPH!

Take Care & God Bless,

Lana of Honeysuckle Lane

~*~

You are cordially invited...

...to our first Poppets, Portraits, and Playthings of the Past webshow.

Just click on the link and enjoy!

~*~

The Poppets are being fitted...

and will be dressed for their debut the evening of November 1st!

Tatted trims, velvet and silk ribbons, dotted gauze, whatever I can find in my treasure boxes...

All of the girls will be wearing split pantalets, hand-sewn of white silk doupioni. One of them is modeling her divided drawers here, though modesty kept her face from being shown.

Their pantalets are embellished with various antique trims that I have found here and there at thrift shops and estate sales.

We do hope you will join us @ Poppets, Portraits, & Playthings of the Past on Saturday night!

Suzanne (Painter of the Past / Pear Tree Primitives) is finishing her 3rd portrait for the show this week. We are looking forward to your visit!

Please check back later in the week for more details... or visit either of our websites to sign up for our email updates.

~*~

Puzzle Ball ~ a not-so-Simple-Joy!

I collect pincushions, the older the better; the more worn and torn, the more I am drawn to them.

Some are a bit puzzling, but with a little patience, you can make one for yourself. There are numerous patterns available for these wonderful whimsies...

These are all antiques that are in my collection.

See how the velvet on some of the pieces has worn off almost completely?

I wonder how many hands these have passed through. Have they held pins while a mother sewed her child's clothing? Or maybe a wife worked tirelessly by lamplight, patching her husband's farm clothes, time after time, taking a pin from the ball now and then to hold a patch of fabric as she stitched...

Such little joys to collect, but not so simple at first glance!

Perhaps they were worn out from use and were set aside, forgotten for many, many years; until one day, a curious soul opened a trunk of memories, letting years and years of bits and pieces of someone's life tumble on to the attic floor...

~*~

Fun & Funky Fall!

I've been making jewelry items for a few years now, mostly soldered charms and beaded pieces. Last week I decided to try something a little different, just for fun, to learn a few new techniques... after all... I have all the time in the world.... right??? LOL! I really should have been working on orders: dolls, valentines, Christmas cards, and a pumpkin... but I just HAVE to take a break now and then in between the "have tos" and do a "want to"... does that makes sense?

I combined beads from a few vintage necklaces, along with a few new items, made all the wire chains myself, and here's what I came up with:

It's a bit fun and funky looking, with loads of autumn hued beads:

There's a necklace and matching bracelet:

This autumn ensemble is on etsy right now if you are interested in it:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16341760

When I was taking pics outside, my batteries died. Snowflake (who is never snow white because she is always digging holes in the dirt), was watching me. I pointed at the birdhouse and jewelry and told her, "don't you dare bother this while I go get fresh batteries". She loves to scavenge lost and misplaced items and hoard them in her doghouse... shoes, gloves, turkey feathers that I have picked up and placed on the swing till I get ready to go inside, small hand gardening tools, a bouquet of flowers that I picked and put in the swing for just a couple of minutes, etc. I ran in the house, grabbed my batteries, and when I came back out, there she sat, guarding the jewelry, lol! She sat there till I took her photo and then she went back to lay down on the warm leaves in the sun. She's a good little girl... sometimes!

Now that I'm hooked on making my own chains and doing all the wire wrapping, I hope to make some unique pieces using many of the trinkets I've collected over the years while junking.

Stay tuned....