Well, it has been a year .. . just catching up on things.  Took inventory on product for The Rose Sword and will be deleting and the adding during holidays. Here are some earrings that will be added!

The spring is rapidly turning into summer in the San Joaquin Valley.  Hot.  It's going to be hot.

In my mind, I keep trying to manifest that the coastal weather comes and makes it way to stay here.  I'd even learn to love fog in the morning as long as it would burn off by ten or eleven a.m.

I've shamed myself into cleaning the messy workshop.  I'll be giving that a go 15 minutes twice a day. (And if you were a betting man or woman, I'd tell you to lay bets on the other side on that one!) So far, I am admitting the errors of my ways to you, dear reader, and telling you that I am really powerless at this point to do much of anything--including clean and sort.

But the treasures I found as I was making it presentably messy to you, piqued my curiosity about what else lies beneath.  So, I am going to consider it an exploratory adventure--not a declutter.

And if I find anything superb, I will surely show you through this blog.

And what are you doing this beautiful day?  Please share!

Hello and welcome to my messy workshop/office space.  My space is messy as it is the final room I have settled into in my new home.  I still have much to locate and put away, but even in decluttering for this A+ photo shoot (during which I found that my Kodak camera was defunct!) I found trinkets and treasures.

I have an amalgam of new and harvested vintage findings, yet unopened treasures from B' Sues Boutiques and other geegaws and do dads to work with in my collage and assemblage jewelry.  The boxes on the desk are one was I arrange my supplies.  The small box on  top houses any category of item I want.  In this case I have my busted Haskell pieces which, although beyond repair can be used to become part of another newer piece of jewelry.  The box it is sitting upon, you can see open in the next photo are pieces that I have started but not yet completed.  Some of these use acrylic or Lucite while others used glass art beads,  These are pieces in progress.

Against the wall I have my ITSO.  Its many drawers allow me space for beads, sketch books and colored pencils, Gilders Paste and Alcohol inks/Acrylics and other things.  On top of that sit three leatherette cabinets with drawers in which I house my beads/findings/brass beauties (even the verdigris brass tulips B'Sue sells have a home there--I use a lot of those in my work). In the cute bird boxes I house my cameos and wire .

Black metal mesh rolly carts are stored in the closet with my work table.  I keep everything in those from glue to vintage beads to broken bits of vintage jewelry.

The other darker armoire is also used for supplies and houses all of my props for photography.  Lining the walls are bookshelves which house many books, but especially dear to me are the vintage costume jewelry books and the drawing and design book and magazine which inspire me with color and style.  I also have many books that high light the Pre Raphaelites from whom I take color palette often for my jewelry and from the Art Deco age from which I draw lines and color.

Thank you  for stopping by to see my messy workshop.  Progress not perfection.  I am hoping that it iall sorted and clean soon!

Best to all,

Mary Deis
The Rose Sword exclusively on Rubylane
For all the finest in Artisan and Vintage jewelry

Welcome to B'Sue's Blog Sari Ribbon Party Hop

My name is Mary Deis and I decided on a very simple three strand necklace for this hop. I was inspired by the song/poem "Bread and Roses," for several reasons. The colors that were wound up in the silk that I received were a deep rose pink, a teal and an olive. I have been very concerned about decisions that are being made in this country by all parties--some in which men are making decisions for women about wage and their bodies--some which are smaller in nature. All are of a concern for my ever thinking brain and too sensitive nature. So, as I was preparing this writing during an all day conference yesterday, debating of whether I should put out there that this was a semi political statement for art, I decided to include part of my thought process. It's always about the word for me--I teach English and am a writer, so my creative children usually spring from that platform.

The lyrics that struck me as I started this piece were:

"As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too."

So--this is the roses part. All of the craft we bring to making the world more beautiful in spite of what is going on in that big old crazy world out there. I have come to realize, for my part, that I can only add beauty--I can't stop poverty or hunger or wars. . .but I can make sure that others can enjoy their time, I can make sure that I am putting out things that are useful and lovely and I can have fun while I do that. WE have all been in the good fight for far too long. So maybe it's time we shut off the t.v.'s and get back to those messy craft rooms and turn on some great music and "fight for roses, too"in the way that we can--color--style--texture. . .

I want to share the lyrics of the full song and then I want to share how I made this necklace.


Lyrics--

As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: Bread and Roses! Bread and Roses!

As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.

As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.

As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days,
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses, bread and roses.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; bread and roses, bread and roses.

How I did it: This three tiered necklace was made with teal aluminum chain maille for the top strand simply joined. The second chain was chain maille aluminum circles in yellow having sari ribbon woven in and out of the thread. The longest and must bottom of the three chains was made of one larger braid made up of three single braided strands of sari ribbon to make on chain combined with two pieces of chain , braided to make one chain and to create texture and interest.

Please leave a comment if you wish! Thank you for dropping by!

Pictures of my Blog Hop Sari Silk Necklace

Sari Silk Blog Hop Ala B'Sue's Boutique

So excited. I have to take the photos of the necklace that I made for the blog hop and post them. It is the first one I have worked on so I hope I do all correctly.

Steampunk in the Garden

This is something new for me. I am referring to it as Steampunk in the garden as it combine elements of the Victorian, steampunk elements and flowers galore in that Tiffany's turn of the century look. Tell me what you think.

New pieces in progress!

I just completed the channel part of a necklace that is my first attempt at wiring wrapping. The stones are so pretty that whether or not the wire has reached a state of perfection or retains it's Wabi Sabi qualities is of little matter. As soon as I complete the connections, I will put a picture on for you to see and have the piece up for sale!

Timeline

I am giving myself a challenge of developing 12 pieces for the fall line in 7 days. It is already happening in my head. . .but I do need to get some stuff down on paper as well this morning. Perhaps a bagel to nosh with some tea and a sketch pad and myself. A cleanly washed face and no makeup. That should keep people away from me.

That may just un-hinge the status quo. . or not. The drawing, not the no makeup--although that may un-hinge something, as well. One never knows and all I am certain of is that it will not be my responsibility if it does. If I come up with anything, I'll let you know. Have to go to Joanne's for more wire, as well.

Lovely Little Moons

In honor of the Asian Moon Eclipse, I have been giving much thought to a foursome of man in the moon faces carved and painted on ivory that I got in a repair lot about a month ago. I really want to do at least one set of earrings and then may do two other separate assemblage pieces with them. One smaller and one larger. Maybe on a necklace and the other a pin.

They are clearly great pieces and if I could locate them (see what happens when I clean?) I could take a picture of them for you and show them to you. You would have to agree that they are oh, so lovely!

UPDATE: Okay--I found them--what do you think. . .don't you agree that they are lovely?

Future Projects

I really don't like using the word projects. It smacks of a beginning objective and lots of little goals and deadlines. That is how my real world life runs. The creative spark--I want that to run a muck as it wishes on it's own time line.

The life that is crawling around in my mind, without a timeline is very fertile. But, I know if I don't put the ideas into reality that the ideas themselves will become the thing and it will suffice. Sort of like a Zen Sumi-e--get it calm in your mind first and then put it to paper. I had all of the brushes. I had the ink. I had the special papers--formed the thought and then because the image I put down on paper never quite matched what i saw in my brain, I was satisfied with the image I held.

Get several of the new doll line prototypes finished and out. Have already ordered business cards (a new secret passion of mine)and LOVE THEM and am talking to a designer about doing a banner for the store.

My demographic is 13-21 year old females and since I have an ongoing supply of critics to formulate my own focus groups, I am good to go.

Will be willing to sell the idea to any toy manufacturer out there for millions.. . let me know!

Get the MFL pictures taken and the book written and published which could happen by the end of August as I am self publishing. Also, want to publish three other books using jewelry as art forms while identifying and price guiding. May do a perpetual calendar. . .not sure.. . jello in my brain right now. . .

Am resorting jewelry I could be selling and kind of panicked when some of it has been selling prior to me being able to photograph it. I want to be able to sell it after the book publishes as the book piece from the book with certificate.

Falling in love with the pile of turquoise under my monitor that I am using in my fall line and trying to decide on metal tags for the 50 limited pieces in the collection. I will mix and match.

Now, to decide on the order--clean house first--God,that could take a year alone.
Anyway--

Why Assemblage and Collage Work?

It's not as though I don't have enough to do with my life. Trust me on that one. I have had three full time jobs at a time for the better part of the twenty-six years I have been out of college. I even had a summer where I worked five part time jobs six days a week and had them timed to 15 minutes in between each one of them. Am I wealthy. . .no. . .but did7 I ever have some great clothes.

I've had this creative side since I was young. I was the one whom the teachers indulged by reading aloud my often posted and seldom returned short stories. And, as I did my work, I was allowed creative license which in second grade meant reworking of classics into plays. When we wanted to rewrite Cinderella, our special effects consisted (in the transformation phase)of twirling during costume changes through the long cloak closet while spinning most of the time (sorry to put you through that Martha--our bad!) from rags to riches. The class loved it--the lead was nauseous--such the price for stardom--and a valuable lesson was learned-- if you got their work done, they would allow you to do anything you want as long as you were well behaved. Rehearsal time AND performance time. We were loud AND well behaved.

I was a member of one organized choir or another (sometimes more than one at a time) until my freshman year in college (sorry --church choir was family--and not too organized), I was allowed to paint and sell my work at school from the 7th to the 11th grade. I can macrame, crochet, embroider, sew (college scholarship--I even can cut my own patterns according to measurements without a guide-thanks mom!)fold paper, work with watercolor, pastel, ink and pen, am more than proficient in calligraphy, beading, photography and writing.

So, throughout the years of painting and drawing and working as a stylist for a local photographer and doing commissioned works of art early in my creativity--I burned out. (heck--I may be burning out now as I read through this. . ) I switched focus to the theater and did thirty-three productions in three years at four venues. The next year I co-owned and operated a local theater. But, even though I had expertise in costuming, set design, assisting, directing and producing, it wasn't very satisfying for me. What do I have to show for it all? A sash full of Girl Scout badges proving my worthiness and ability, grey hair coming in rapidly and a crap load of life experience.

About four years ago, I wanted to turn my creativity towards something I could do after I retired that would bring in income, but would, more than anything else, give me a sense of self and satisfaction. And would help structure my days and weeks and maybe even pay off some of those trips abroad I wanted to eventually take.

I came across Rubylane, which is the venue I decided on after watching and trending several items throughout the next six months. And , it is my second home. School, where I teach English and am in my 26th year, would be my first home as I am there more often than anywhere else.

I started with vintage antiques-both collectibles and jewelry-and the finally got the creativity bug last year again and decided to work my own label. For the sheer love of it all.

And I love it.

I love the people with whom it places me in contact.
I love the time I can spend working on my creations.
I love it when other people are touched or moved by something I make or by a description that I write.
And I love when people are excited by something that came out of my head and take it home with them and love it, too.

Why the collage and assemblage? I love to rescue objects and transform them into something greater than the sum of themselves. I like to see the potential when the envelope is pushed just a bit more than it was originally. I love to look for beauty where it does not exist to others and often find it in the common and the broken. I love things and people with road dirt all over them. Makes for a richer journey. I have met a wonderful colony of artists through work with B'Sue at her challenges (which I hope will continue--not for a prize--but just for the creative push!) and so here we all are.

Welcome to my Artisan Jewelry Blog from The Rose Sword exclusively at Rubylane.

Please be patient with me as I learn how to post and how to blog.

Please feel free to leave your comments to me.

Also, to give credit where it is due, the art work that begins this blog is by Sophie Anderson and has been credited under several names. The one at the end of the page is by Georges Barbier. He is one of my favorites and he will no doubt cover some of the posts because I love the color and design of almost all of his work.