Handmade Toggle Clasp

I've been making my own sterling silver hook and eye clasps for a couple of years, but until last month, I'd still been buying all of my toggle clasps.

Last week I'd finished this sea glass pendant and decided on agate beads for the necklace. The only clasps I had in gold fill were those super tiny lobster clasps that I didn't think were large enough to go with this piece. I've never bought any other sort of clasps in the 14kt gold fill simply because of price... and I couldn't do my normal hook and eye clasp because I'd never bought wire larger than 21 gauge in the gold fill.

That's when I decided to try the beaded toggle... I'm so happy with the result, I've made earrings that look just like the circle part of the toggle clasp :)

My poor little apple tree

My little apple tree got its first blossoms this year and has tried to produce a total of 39 apples. I got up and saw the little branches almost touching the ground. I've taken off approximatley 1/2 of those apples, but it is still pretty droopy.
I hope some of the branches are large enough to hold an apple or two!

The best carrot cake in the world...

Well, that is my opinion anyway... I love my family's old recipe for carrot cake and have yet to find one in a restaurant that is even half as good. It takes a very, very, very long time to make, so I don't make it very often... like for my husband's 26th and 30th birthdays (Yes, those candles are supposed to look like a 3-0, so it will be another 4 years before I taste this creation again...)

But on to the main attraction:

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1 tsp. soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. sald

2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. oil

3 eggs

2 c. finely grated carrots (freshly grated)

1 c. well drained crushed pineapple (15 1/4 oz. can)

1 c. coconut

1 c. chopped walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. raisins

Sift flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside. Beat sugar, oil, and eggs with electric mixer until very well mixed. Gradually add flour mixture; fold in carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, vanilla, and raisins. Bake in greased and floured two 8 inch pans or one 12x9 inch pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Mix 4 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 box powdered sugar, 1/2 stick margarine or butter and 1 tsp. vanilla until smooth.

Hide cake from the rest of the family so that you have plenty to enjoy :)

Sea glass flowers - on glasses

My family loves to make flowers out of shells and sea glass... it's definitely in my genetic make-up and not something I can control :P

Here's one of my mom's latest creations: Sea glass picked up off the beaches of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and made into flowers. The stamens are her prized pieces of cobalt blue glass (very rare) and perfect on these cobal blue martini glass stems.

And what's even better is that I have a husband who cooks and has filled these glasses with mousse. Somedays I think life cannot get better!

Changes to etsy!

I was so excited with I logged into my etsy accounts this week! The features I have been longing for are finally there....

My first desire with this site were that the item listing page was only one page... I can't tell you how many times I'd made it through the item description, item tags, and pricing pages to have my internet reset, my computer reset, my dog interupt me, etc, etc... and *poof* nothing is left. My second desire was to have a "save as draft" function. I'd thought this function would remain a pipe dream for as long as I was on etsy :)

In an ugly box...

can come such great stuff! This box recently appeared on my doorstep (one of those - oops, honey, I forgot to tell you "Mary Ann" stopped by - events).
I opened it up and took a gasp. You would not believe the number of beautiful vintage buttons that are in there!
From World War I and II military buttons
to ones that are purely decorative,
my button collection has gone from large to huge :) All thanks to a neighbor's mother downsizing her home. Sometimes I think I am way too lucky to have the great friends I do!

Cameron Antiques Fair

This past weekend was the semi-annual antiques street fair in Cameron, NC. I love going to this event and was disappointed I forgot my camera (although, here's a blog post with beautiful pictures). I love how you can find everything there... the antique/vintage, crafts, food, plants, etc, etc and came home with a good little stack for myself :) The first thing I bought was this cute necklace. I don't have anything like it and just had to have it.

And my prizes of the day were these glass bottles. In addition to my family's obession with shells... we have a thing about old bottles, too. We're apt to partake in occassional "bottle-hunting" expeditions (in between the beach-combing) but I've never found purple ones on my own.

I was even looking at items with a crafty eye and can't wait until I solder these miner's tags.

Somedays my husband is just wonderful :)

I just look at him and lament that my veggie garden is too small and he spends the whole weekend digging up grass (well, more like weeds) and almost doubling the size of the veggie plot! I can't wait to get all of the plants in there!

Recently, I was cleaning out some bead drawers and always get surprised by what I find (like beads I bought in 2nd grade, yet still have yet to use them or get rid of them?). I found some cute little sping time charms that made me wonder exactly what I would do with them since they don't even come close to looking like my "shore debris" theme.As I was laying them down together in a pile for destash, I thought, these look kind of cute... and don't leaves look like these moss agate beads hanging on the wall over here... Oh, and maybe I should pair them up with some pale pink...

Lo and behold, I got a cute little spring set.

It's fun breaking out and doing something besides the norm :)

Last night, the Triangle Jewelry Makers group met at Ornamentea. Someone had this wonderful idea... "bring out your dead" project night. [Dead, as in those beads you've had for 5 years yet havent done anything with them, the 1/2 wire wrapped pendant, a 1/2 finished chainmaille braclet, etc, etc.] Since we were in a wonderful store, I got to do my needed shopping... this was one of those anticipated shopping trips that I was almost drooling thinking about it. Here's the load I picked up - everything to begin my silver soldering experiments at home! I can't wait until I can make an ammonite ring :)

More with the ammonites

So I mentioned lots of ammonites before. Marilyn (Handcraftusa on etsy) bought one and has created this beautiful pendant delicately crocheted in black cotton. I've often admired her crocheting with wire:

But, my most favorite would be these little zipper rings:

State Farmers Market in Raleigh

The weekend before this past one, my husband and I ran up to the State Farmers' Market in Raleigh. I love visiting during their spring craft fair (which ends up being my yearly visit). Last year, my neighbor and I went for veggies and came home with crafts only.

This year, I went for crafts and came home with plants and honey. It always surprises me how that turns out.
I got a few blueberry bushes (that are covered with blossoms!) and have them in the ground near my new garage (It's still new if it's a year old, right?).

I had to move my apple tree away from the garage and am so excited because this is the first year it will blossom (and I didn't kill it when I moved it.... my normal M.O.).

And this was my prize. The Ann Magnolia. Stands about 6 feet tall and is planted next to the southern magnolia. I can't wait until next year when I get the full force of his bloom in my yard.

Those flowers are ever so pretty!

Are you adding to your gardens this year?

Ammonites and Findings

I tend to go overboard when I'm buying any sort of supplies I need... especially if it is a favorite item. Swiping the drool away when I open one of my drawers, I can now look at hundreds of ammonite fossils. In the past, I have only wire wrapped them. But recently I stocked up on all sorts of items including tie tacks and cuff links where I can use an adhesive.
And so I've started some new types of inventory like these clip on earrings:
and this pendant:

I'm happy with the results.

Bead Mixed Lots...

Sometimes I buy beads and findings in mixed lots.... and until recently, they've been sitting around in my studio still in the original packaging.

Just this week, I discovered something in a mixed lot bag of gold plated findings: Magnetic clasps. Now, I've seen magnetic clasps before and since I make most of my own clasps, I'd never thought of using them in my own jewelry. But for those pieces where I need something more streamlined than my large handmade hook and eye clasps, I think these will do. Now I'm off to order some in sterling and gold fill :)

Spring has finally come!!

(Yes, this is a cropped photo so you don't see the dandelions that still need to be pulled out of the garden!)

the kitchen is still trying to beat me...

So, I've previously mentioned that my stove does not work... well, now the dishwasher has decided to die... Oh, well... now I'm really seeing how spoiled I got in the last 3 years by actually having a dishwasher!

Metalsmithing

In my last post, I mentioned spending all day at Ornamentea...

Here's what I came out with: Granted, I didn't finish everything in class and had to go to town yesterday with my files and emory cloth, but I like the results.
I can't wait until I buy all the supplies and can do some more at home!

Bead Shopping

It's been awhile since I've browsed a bead store. I've been on a bead shopping hiatus - trying to actually use up something before I go buy more plan.

This week, I've managed to get into two of my favorites again. This afternoon, I was in the Twisted Jeweler in Fayetteville and snagged some opalite. I figured what the heck - I've never bought opalite and it was a steal -buy 1 strand - get 2 free!
On Saturday, I spent the day at Ornamentea... but that will be another post :) Before I left, I was stocking up on cool stuff like this Toggle Clasp from Elaine Ray Beads and

a raw brass sea horse. I can already see what colors he'll looks great with in my overflowing collection of nugget-sized mother of pearl beads.

It's that time of year!

When little spots of color start popping up here and there. Now winter won't be around much longer and spring is coming! Who cares if they just salted my road again this afternoon :) I got my first flowers of the year at Lowes - and showing a hint of my favorite color :)

My favorite thing to make right now

would have to be sea shell flowers. I love lining up my little coquina shells by size and color.And love putting them on everything from jewelry to candle holders... And I love how each one is slightly different.
Do you have a favorite craft for right now?