Rain Rain go away!

I feel I bit like this mangled daisy at the moment

Ok so I'm going to mix metaphors for a second.  Mother Nature ruins my best laid plans. I had hoped to get all of my new merchandise photographed and up on my etsy shop by the end of the week. Between the major clothes washing and cleaning I had to do post camp and Mother Natures rash of spotty thunderstorms and rain showers I have yet to take a single picture :(

I should expect no less though. I mean this is Michigan, where weathermen routinely use the phrase "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes".

I managed to take these pictures at camp last week

So I'll keep a weather eye out and do what I can to get these new pieces ready for you all to see. Maybe I can get some pictures between storms today....ROLL OF THUNDER....maybe not, lol. (Yeah that literally just happened as I typed haha). Well, the silver lining of this cloud is that I will be able to work on a new exciting line inspired by some awesome music, without the distraction of the beautiful outdoors. 

See the lil bee I caught ^ so cute!

How about a little description of the upcoming jewelry lines from KMarieJewelry. Well the first new line is kind of a spin off of my Art Nouveau line. Instead of beautiful ladies in my copper, brass  and silver frames there will be one of a kind antique maps inside each one. They will still have beautiful inspirational quotes and adorned with cute charms and sparklies.

Great colors are always found in nature.

The next new line I like to call Enchanted Charms. They are chain necklaces with a large circle at the center. Dangling off these circles are a collection of charms and beads. For example there is a Parisian Enchanted Charms necklace with a copper chain and center circle that hold a silver Eiffel Tower charm, and a brass fluer di lis charm, completed with a wooden carved key. Keep an eye out for it at my shop. 

Texture can be so inspiring.

So keep your eyes peeled. There's lots of great new stuff coming out from KMarieJewelry. I'll be sure to keep you updated when the weather clears up and I can get some great pictures. Meanwhile, I have to clean up my workspace. I made quite the mess making all this new merchandise. Maybe once it's clean I'll give you guys a peek at where I work :)

See ya soon!

Everything Old is New Again

      In addition to making jewelry and crafts I'm also a big fan of thrifting and antiquing.  The obsession probably really got started in college where Salvation Army stores (we call it Sal's) were the best place to find great furniture and fun clothes on a skin tight budget. I still have a beautiful wingback chair that I got for my college apartment at a Sal's for 25$.
     These days I turned the obsession into yet another business venture. My aunt and I now run an antique booth in a great, huge antique mall out in Howell, MI. It's called The Livingston Antique Mall. If you're interested in visiting you can check out the place and find directions here: http://www.livingstonantiqueoutlet.com/  Our booth is #141. I love just spending time walking around the mall there. There are so many interesting and inspiring things to look at.

      Running an antique booth is a pretty awesome job as far as jobs go. When I'm not pricing and doing inventory I am running to garage sales and estate sales...like a hunter I'm always looking for a good bargain. Every week I go clean up and restock the booth, rearranging our wares hoping to draw you in and help you find your new favorite piece. Here is a table we recently put together for the patriotic fourth of July sale that's coming up at the store.
     It's the kind of job that pushes my creative limits sometimes. Occasionally we will find an old piece of furniture that's a little too beat up, but it's a great deal and has potential. So I take it in and clean it up. If it needs I will sand it down, paint it, stain it, and give it a whole new life. I think that's probably my favorite and most rewarding part of the job.  
     I got this desk at a garage sale for $15.00. It was beat up and scratched and a little wobbly.  I sanded it down stained it with a rich walnut  and added a musical flair to it with some paint and vintage paper.  It went from being an unwanted desk tossed to the curb to a beautiful piece that has a new purpose and function.
      Each old piece I find has a second life inside of it. Whether I keep it for myself and give it a new home, or I refinish it and send it back out into the world it is definitely my preferred way to recycle. I've always preferred things that have a history, that have been through it all and are still standing strong.  And I hate to say this and sound like my mother, but they just don't make things the way they used to :)

      Here is my most recent obsession. I have fallen in love with milkglass mugs. They have bright beautiful graphics printed on them. Everything from pyrex flower designs to advertisements for every company you can think of.  I bid on one on ebay once that touted the virtues of streaking...alas I didn't win the mug. The picture above is what I have collected so far. I think my favorites are the orange 70's slang mug with words like "Dude! Right on, and Far Out" and the Smokey The Bear mug that reminds us all that "Only you can help prevent forest fires".

     Do you guys have any collections or obsessions your crazy about?

Your Journey's Just Beginning...

     I thought I would give you guys a sneak peak at what's being made here at KMarie Jewelry right now. I love to travel and I'm super inspired by just looking at the world around me. So I thought I should incorporate my love of the world into a new line of jewelry.

     Also, sometimes the world moves super fast and we forget what is being left behind. Physical paper maps are pretty much a thing of the past...that kind of makes me sad. I think they are beautiful in their own way. The colors, the lines and symbols have a certain graphic design to them. Once they're gone that style and design will be gone too.

     So here is my salute to Maps and the Great Wide World out there. See what ya can before it disappears...                               

The world's a
forest, in which all
lose their way;
though by a
different path
each goes astray.
-George Villiers

It is better
to travel
well
than to
arrive.
-Buddha  

The World is a book,
and those who
do not travel
read only a page.
-Saint Augustine

     Check out KMarieJewelery on etsy.com at the end of the week to see the finished pieces!