The 5th of December I decided I needed to take a break from making jewelry 7 or 8 hours a day.  I was getting ready for Christmas.  Then as ususal with vacations the Holidays came and went and I was passing my time reading my books and magazines.  I had ordered from Amazon the book "Making Mixed-Media Art Charms and Jewelry," written by Peggy Krzyzewski and Christine Hansen, and it is a short book and one that you can read from cover to cover in one setting.  I liked it so well I have now read it 3 or 4 times and gotten some new ideas, and recalled some old ones I had forgotten about.  It is a very good read and one you can read and enjoy and it is thoroughly informative on technique.  If you are new to making charms or jewelry it is a must for the beginner and intermediate jeweler.  I am in an ART CHARM group with these 2 ladies and although we live hunderds of miles apart I love being in swaps with them and seeing what they have done in the Photo Albums.  It is great fun and very exciting to see what we get in each swap.  We always have a big group in the swap.  Right now we have sign up going on for a Steampunk and Found Objects.  So far we have 27 or 28 participants and I am working on my charms now when I am not blogging.  I can't wait to see what my 28 charms will be.  I am thinking that this time I will put them on a necklace instead of a bracelet.  I will put in my slide show when I do.

Once a Upon a Time

One day when I was 5 years old, my grandmother, a manager of an exclusive dress shop, came home with a pirate's treasure in a paper bag.  In that bag were diamonds, emeralds, rubies, gold and silver.  All broken or returned jewelry from the store that couldnt be sold.  My, my did I have a good time.  For days, weeks, and months I played with these things.  I would dress up with all my jewels and play for hours.  Then I got a little older and discovered Wackers 5 &10 cent store and their diamond, emerald, and ruby rings.  Then F. W. Woolworth's made an appearance on the scene.  A new store for me to shop for the treasures of a lifetime.  More rubies, diamonds, and emerald rings, earring, brooches and last my not least bracelets and necklace sets. It was like I had a my summer days planned out.  I remember the rings and bracelets especially as I loved those the best.  I remember dressing up like a gypsy will all my jewelry, a long flowing skirt, a scarf around my head playing at telling fortunes for hours.  The rings cost 10 cents and 2 cent tax.  I would wear them until my entire finger was green, then I would clean the green off and paint the inside with clear nail polish I was good for another month.  One day my great grandmother was give me 25cents and we walked to town for her to pay a bill and me to spend my money.  It was a nice warm sunny morning about 9:15 a.m.(shops opened earlier then) and she gave my 25 cents on the corner of 4th and Grant and I was to meet her back at the corner in 30 minutes (I had to hurry there were so many to choose from) but I had my eye on this special ruby and brass ring so I ran off down the street.  My great grandmother told me that my money was burning a hole in my as I was fanning my hand all the way to Wackers almost at the end of the block.  She said she laughed so hard she nearly fainted.  But off I went running down the street to buy my special ruby ring and I thought I look just like a rich lady when we met back at the corner.  Wackers really had the prettiest rings I was sure of that as they nearly got all my money.  Visting with Brenda Sue at http://www.bsueboutiques.com/ this week made think of all the treasures I had access to at the time and the fun I had with my part of it.  Brenda Sue at http://www.bsueboutiques.com/ is having a Challenge: Five and Dime Challenge Part Two, Brooches and Earrings sets.  If you want go take a look at her website and get the idea and join the challenge.  She is a delightful person and really does some fine designs and her how to videos really inspire her.