the good stuff

there has been a new jewelry tutorial that I have been wanting to try

joanna pierotti is a fabulous artist and she had a tutorial available

on her blog moss hill studio in december

since i love using old photographs this tutorial was right up my alley

it is a technique used on glass to make it look like vintage mercury glass

when i found this sweet girl image on pinterest

i knew that i wanted to incorporate her into something

when i finished the main pendant

i felt that the rest of the necklace should do it justice

that is when i hauled out all of the "good stuff"

you know, the stuff that collects and gets saved for that special something

well...

i used a lot of "good stuff"

pearls

garnets

cut steel beads

rhinestone rondelles

vintage sterling silver beads

 yep

i didn't hold back with this one

i am pleased with how it turned out

the red tones of the garnets and the gray/blue tones of the pearls

really enhance the necklace

i just need to make a funky hook and eye closure for the back

and then she will be finished

i don't know if i am going to be able to let her go....

playing with dolls

playing with dolls

takes on a whole new meaning

when you are 50 and not 5

from my happy bowl full

of these precious long forgotten dolls

i chose one that i could make as

the center of attention to this one of a kind necklace

 blue eyes just like mine were in order

so she fit the bill right away

of course a crown also had to be added

because everyone in my household

knows that i am

QUEEN

from her neck there are all sorts of pretties

an enameled charm that reads the number "25"

(an age i wish i could go back to cause i would do a lot of things differently)

an eiffel tower

a key with a crown on top

a fleur de lis

a miniature telephone

and a cute little chair

plus some cream colored fresh water pearls

and some rhinestone bling

i made some hand forged silver wire links

for the bulk of the necklace

dangling from the middle of each

are cute little cream colored fresh water pearls 

i love my whimsical piece

i know a lot of people think it's creepy

but i love these little porcelain doll heads

even more so

i love creating things with them

this way they are not forgotten little girls anymore

but girls that can live on and create new stories

and yes

that is the sun you see shining behind me

it too has been a long forgotten thing in this town

i am so glad it has decided to show up today!

happy wednesday!

Snow Day = Studio Day

a snow day at lola's

equals a very productive day indeed

visit whatever lola wants lola gets to see why

Stories That Photographs Tell

today was a day that i needed to gather up some vintage photos

to use in some vintage pocket watch pendants

that i was going to create

i was searching on pinterest and the internet

when i finally decided to just go into my own iphoto collection

and use some of the many images that i have of my grandmother's family

many of these photos are of her as a child

here she is with her mother, father and brother

i have used this one of her in many of my pieces

i just love her expression

another favorite of mine is this one of her and my grandfather

i just love the way she is looking at him

i used this photo in a special necklace i made for myself here

another one of the two of them

i love this wedding photo

i have it on display in my home

i believe my grandma was a flower girl (she is on the far right)

a picture of her parents 

a very stoic looking pose

my grandma and her brother

probably her confirmation day

a day in the snow

this must have been some sort of dance troupe she was in

she is the second from the right

i love this photo of her with her parents

her and some "beau"??

another one of her with her younger brother

love this coat and hat she had

another one in the snow

she had the poses down

this one is so great 

three of her closest friends - all decked out in their hats

each of these photographs tell a story

so many memories held in one image

do you have any special family photos that you would like put into a keepsake?

i just added a new listing in my etsy shoppe with this option

go HERE to find the listing

perhaps you will be the next person to have a custom piece

with your own special photo put inside!

here are a couple of examples:

New Listings At Lola's

take a peek in lola's etsy shoppe

to see some of my favorite

one of a kind pieces

as well as some other favorites

that were just listed today

a vintage shoe buckle...

a vintage chandelier crystal...

metal forged copper links and vintage rosary connector...

gorgeousness... 

some favorite rhinestone necklaces...

and some sweet silk flowers and rhinestones...

snow days....

early this morning i had to drive my daughter to work

as her little vw bug would never make it in this type of weather...

snow...

and...

lots...

of...

it...

this kind of day is calling me into the kitchen to make a big pot of split pea soup

what kind of weather are you having??

my new etsy listings...

some new listings in my etsy shoppe today...