Happy Birthday Brother

My digi profile sketch "Uncle Jace's" wonderful biscotti recipe for They Draw & Cook http://www.theydrawandcook.com

Dentist, drummer, banjo player, jewelry maker, cook,
animal lover, husband.
Our "baby" brother and BIRTHDAY BOY!!

Wishing brother, Jonathan..... aka Jock, Jace, Jake, JC, Jon and Steve
(its a L O N G story) a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

That's brother Jock in the highchair (middle of the
last century at one of our birthday celebrations.
Just who's is a mystery).

A Message With Teeth In It

For all the Dentists in my life 

and all who work with them ♥♥♥♥♥ 

TPC, JHC, MAR & HH ( 2 brothers, 

1 cousin & my Philadelphia Dentist)  

You know who you are!  OXOXOXOXOXO

Uncommon Cents

Real change at the Philadelphia Museum of 

Art Crafts Show.

Sculptor, Jeweler Stacey Lee Webber 

is out to nickel and dime us in most 

unusual ways. 

Originally from Indiana, she now

lives and works here in Philadelphia,

PA.

First to catch my eye, copper Abe 

Lincoln silhouette earrings.

photo: Stacey Webber / with permission

Made from vintage solid copper US pennies.

There are Washington and Roosevelt pieces

fashioned from antique silver American coins
as well. 

photos: Stacey Webber / with permission

Earrings, cufflinks, bracelets, pendant

necklaces, long coin chains and money

clips.

photo: Stacey Webber / with permission

photo: Stacey Webber / with permission

Some of her most unusual pieces, hand tools.

Hammer, mallet, hand saw, architect/builder's

plum, tape measure and full size ladder.

Three American flags made of pennies remind

me of the flags my Grandmother displayed

from her porch railing on the 4th of July.

photo: Stacey Webber / with permission

All constructed with enormous care and craftsmanship

from old coins.

See it all at Stacey Lee Webber's delightful website:

http://staceyleewebber.com/Stacey_Lee_Webber/HOME.html

The Bead Of A Different Drummer

(click on images to enlarge)


I can hear them now. 

My future heirs, in my apartment

sorting and clearing what I've left behind.

"Do you realize how much she would have

left us if it wasn't for all these beads and books

and dolls and stuff?"

I can almost sympathize. 

I will have taken my adventures, stories, characters and moments of

serendipity traveling abroad and/or more locally with me.
And the beat goes on..  
Uh, or make that the bead goes on

The name of my favorite booth at last weekend's BeadFest

Philadelphia 2011. (actually in Oaks, PA- west of Valley Forge).

My equally bead obsessed cousin Janet came from NYC with

a group from FIT and met me there. 

Beaded beads at the bead goes on

another view/ the bead goes on booth at BeadFest 2011, Philadelphia

So much to see, touch and talk about while choosing.

Got to tell Diane Hawkey how much I love her wimsical beads.

And the visual feast at the bead goes on's booth of tempting treasures.

Hand painted beauties from Asia, the bead goes on

2 head beads/ the bead goes on

Huge apple green jade beads from Asia/ the bead goes on

Old Afghan coins / the bead goes on

2 huge Venetian blown glass beads with millefiori decoration/
the bead goes on

Diane Hawkey's delightful handmade ceramic  houses and mermaid

     Strand of pretty Chinese lampwork beads, carved bone kitties,
        Venetion blown glass and Diane Hawkey ceramics together in grande finale  :~)

the bead goes on      www.beadgoeson.com
Diane Hawkey        http://dianehawkey.blogspot.com/

Shop Talk

(click on images to enlarge)

Find my cat pins at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ciaocarolina

Getting my morning off to a delightful start.

Message from fellow Etsy.Com shop keeper ArtSings1946 
that she has included my little gray cat pin in her How We Love Our Kitties, Treasury. 
I am honored.

Some of ArtSings1946  charming folk art prints.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtSings1946?ga_search_query=ArtSings1946&ga_

search_type=seller_usernames

Little Star Gazing

Colleague Paula Pertile, whose delightful blog Drawing A 

Fine Line at http://drawingafineline.blogspot.com I enjoy,

put me on to www.illustrationfriday.com 

   This week's topic "Star Gazing" reminded me of 
    Laughing Cloud, Little Star's Mother wishing 

    on the smallest star for a child, my illustration 

    from LITTLE STAR, by Mary Packard for 

    Scholastic. 

    A charming story about a Native American girl, her

    desire for a horse and her special beaded necklace. 


    Initial evidence that I have drawn everything in the
    world at least once.......... ;-)

A Call To Arms (And Necks)

click on image to enlarge

Beading right along. Some new pieces 

at CiaoCarolina, myEtsy shop. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ciaocarolina

The jewel colors of these rectangular

carved Czech glass travertine beads

remind me of Egyptian scarabs which

inspired this bracelet. The links are

fashioned by hand from antiqued brass

wire which compliments the bronze

colored edges on the beads. Beads with

this mottling are called picasso beads.

                                     click on image to enlarge

This necklace is really a shapes and colors

sampler of 27 different Czech glass beads

from my collection. I've hand tied them on 

silk cord so each lovely bead can be appreciated 

separately as well as together with the others. Most

are also picasso beads. Some are clear, others 

translucent, all luscious. (OK, I'm a beadaholic). 

click on image to enlarge

These wonderful beads imitate African agate,

but are so lovely and rich as themselves. The

Czech bead masters make them so each differs

slightly from the next, just like stone beads.

From a distance they appear as earth colored.

Closer, the exquisite colored banding in the

glass is more apparent. The colors deepened

by their translucency.

Not finished yet. Many new ideas stirring behind

my beady eyes in my beady brain.

More soon. Bead patient ;-)

Eye....Uh Make That EAR....Candy

At last, Finished some new earrings and listed 
them on ETSY at my shop CiaoCarolina.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ciaocarolina

At the moment I am completely besotted by the 
delicious glass beads coming again from 
Czechoslovakia. Eye candy. Transparent 
watery colors, milky translucent gems and 
those reminiscent of vintage beads, before 
the world wars in Europe decimated the 
craftsman and their ancient craft.


Learn about Czech beads on Rings And Things blog
http://www.rings-things.com/blog/2009/05/28/featured-bead-czech-bohemian-glass-beads/

Earrings are just the beginning. Hope you will
stay tuned for other signs of progress. ;-)

Lend Me An Ear, Part II

Asked what are my favorite beads, I have to answer 
that I always love the beads I'm with. Lately, that 
means glass beads from Czechoslovakia. The colors, 

the shapes,the textures, So addictive yet fortunately, 

not fattening

Been making some new ear bobs from my small but
delectable personal stash. Czech window beads cut and
polished so you can see through the translucent colors.
Slightly off center mottled gold/bronze bordered
picasso beads. A sparkle of Swarovsky aurora borealis 
bicones. A fine dessert...... beads ala mode. Yum!

Available at my ETSY shop, CiaoCarolina  
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ciaocarolina
And more to come.

Lend An Ear

Beautiful Czech beads, a touch of Swarovsky sparkle and pearls.

Making some new pieces for my Etsy shop, CiaoCarolina.

Though these earrings are already spoken for, more pieces 

coming soon! 

Tooth Fairy

OK, got a little crazy with the polymer clay.

Thought Dr. Ted, my Pediatric Dentist brother,

would appreciate a tooth fairy....

So I made some.

Then, I made a few pups........ ;-)

Kitty Pins

It all started with polymer clay intended

for bead making.

First one then the other of the cat boys

came around to watch me work.

Cutting and rolling and punching

holes in a box full of free hand beads led

to fooling around.

With a head (and apartment) full of

cats... well you can see what happened.

Cats for pins! First the solid colors.

Soon varied color parts and marbelized.

Gave some away to friends and my

brother Ted. Who shared them with

folks in his kid's dental office.

By popular request, some cat

pins are now available at

Ciao Carolina, my Etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5219055

=^..^= =^..^=

Beads In History (My Version) -Part I

Antique glass trade beads photo copyright 2008 native-american-market.com

Shreve (The Daily Coyote) Stockton talking  about making jewelry from Porcupine quills on her latest BlogTV video reminded me. I've been wanting to write/right my own take on Beads In History. 

In olden days before Europeans began landing in North America in droves, Native American beading women made beads from Porcupine quills. 

Just obtaining a Porcupine was an undertaking.  

Then removing, trimming, washing and dying the quills. 

Pricked sore fingers and aching muscles, so much tiring work even before beading could begin. (Let's not even get into cooking Porcupine.)

Then one day word began to spread that the Europeans had something new and amazing, long strings of glorious glass beads in many colors. 

No plucking, no pricking, no washing no dying. Straight to sewing and stringing.

There would be no peace at home until the crafty women had those beads.

Soon the ambitious Dutch, anxious to settle the island between 2 rivers, they called New Amsterdam, offered to buy the island from the local Native Americans for a cache of those prized European beads.

The Native American men knew they didn't own the land the Dutch wanted nor any other land. 

Believing land was for everyone's use. 

But they thought about returning home to their beading wives and mothers without the shiny glass beads and they wanted peace.

So shaking hands, they took the Dutchmen's beads and hurried off  leaving the smug settlers thinking they had just pulled off the real estate deal of the ages. 

History for true beaders.

Little Star learning to bead from her Grandmother

from my book, LITTLE STAR.  (note: They are Plains Indians,).

Delightful Legacy

Is there anyone who sees Robert Dodd's marvelous celluloid rings that doesn't want to own one.....or two.....or more? 

Each ring painstakingly fashioned from 20-150 pieces of rare antique celluloid. Shaped by heat and the pieces bonded with acetone.

Sadly, my friend Alice M. at The Carrot Box reports that Robert Dodd passed away November 25 at 91 years of age.

I hope his family will take comfort knowing that his small works of perfection will continue to delight and his legacy continues.

See more of Robert Dodd's marvelous rings  at http://www.thecarrotbox.com  

My Mom's wonderful Chinese charms necklace restored at last. When I was little she always let me handle this necklace with its enchanting beads.

So much loving attention eventually loosened the charms from their original chain, but Mom saved the pieces.

As this necklace marks the beginning of my interest in beads, there is some satisfaction in having been able to restore it for my Mom. She was pleased, though now she can only "see" the necklace with her fingers as Retinitis Pigmentosa has stolen her sight.