My Dad is here, working on cleaning out my parents old house. As my parents are happily settled in new digs in Austin - its not a sad, heartbreaking experience... but the process is still exhausting mentally and physically, and a little depressing. We have a dumpster... and we clearly know how to use it! (Picture was taken on Day 2 of 7!)
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| My brother ( on left) and husband ( on right ) surveying the territory. |
But amidst the flotsam and jetsam there are treasures to be had!!! You know I am a mixed media artist and sometimes the strangest things spark an idea. Let me show you a few things I happily adopted this week:
1. Vintage clock keys - wire wrapped? Annealed, drilled? Necklace focal or shrine insert?
2. Dutch (?) painted porcelain button - gabled house and ships beyond. Peyote stitch bezel? polymer? Focal on a shrine exterior to draw you in?
3. Vintage celluloid (early plastic) horse. I am thinking it was a Cracker Jack prize back in the day - before my time. Resin? Featured in a shadowbox pendant?
4. Rhinestone bling - broken costume jewelry... Really - no idea. The magpie in me was drawn to the "shiny!"
1. Wee glass bottles ( above tins in top pix) - wire wrapped? Circular peyote around the neck? Corks? Contents? Those tins? Definitely shrine pendants. Altered, manipulated, and secret relics added inside...
2. Id bracelet blank, vintage Mexican silver earring - My Mom saved one earring. Who knows the reason. Its stunning.
3. Broken small pocket watch - no question here. I am just going to polish it and wear it on a long necklace with chunky gemstones!
Books!
Derelict, dying, decrepit books. Old dictionaries, and foreign language texts are the best. Why? Words under resin! Lining a shrine interior! Text is a favorite of mine to incorporate into much of my work.
Sorry to be brief - I hope you enjoyed seeing my finds... Its late here Thursday night - I look forward to a bit of down time this weekend (its been dialed up to 11 since before Beadfest) and then the studio next week! Stay tuned for more adventures...
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| Brother - waving goodbye from way over there across the vista of detritus. |
What a lovely post Jenny - you've foud some reall treasures there...I have a similar collection of broken jewellery but nothing as interesting as the tins and bottles. I do have some old books that are inscribed in the inside cover in the most beautiful hand and dated 1898. There are are also lots of passages marked in pencil and I've wondered what the significance was to the owner. Mysteries of the past...
ReplyDeleteI love mysteries of the past. It was all I could do to edit the treasures to things I knew I would honestly use... I have a certain weakness for old books!
DeleteFabulous post, you just never know what you'll find when going through that kind of thing. Don't forget sometimes you can find wonderful texture on the outside of old books not just the text within. I found a very old bible and used it for the beautiful texture on the outside. As with Lesley's old book my bible has an inscription dated 1864 with names and comments and such written here and there within. I researched the names but wasn't able to find any connection. Still a wonderful find. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteOh you are so right! The embossed covers! Thank you Kristi. now where is my RTV?
DeleteWhat a difficult exhausting week...But such wonderful finds! I look forward to seeing what you do with them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen - it was great to hang with Dad, and my brother. But it was challenging in many ways... Both glad and sad that its over.
DeleteWhat a great collection, can't wait to see what you do with them!
ReplyDeleteDare I say Seed beads? Ever since Sally Russick started a "create with cabs" blog hop I have had seed beads on the brain. (Granted - I work with cabs and cold connections plenty. ) But peyote stitch around a bottle is tempting me.
DeleteOh, I did enjoy seeing your finds. I would have grabbed them up too! They're just lovely. :)
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