My Love Affair With Glass Continues...

Since I just spoke about my glass obsession, I thought I would take the opportunity to give some examples of why I get so darn excited about it! Last Fall I had the opportunity to do a trunk show at The Genuine Article. The proprietor, Betty James is a fantastic glass bead artist. Her gallery is also host to nationally known glass art as well as being a bead store/studio where classes are taught by herself & other professionals in the field of jewelry design.

Recently Betty had acquired the inventory of a bead shop. Her wonderful manager Mary Beth asked me to take a look at a small box that they had acquired as a part of the inventory. It contained a decent sampling of W. German art glass, along with some period & vintage buckles & buttons. I gladly sorted everything & was thrilled to be able to cherry pick my way through the box of goodies! I came away with what I considered a small treasure trove of some of the best examples of W. German opaques as well as other types from the 1940's.

A week or so later, I came back into the shop & noticed that they had managed to incorporate much more of the new inventory into their own displays. However, what they didn't realize & what caused me to gasp with glee was the now HUGE showing of vintage west german art glass beads that I've ever seen in one place! I eagerly sorted it out from the rest of the inventory & created it's own area. I know we all have our things that give us inspriration... I get so jazzed when I see beautiful new/old stock - meaning never been used glass beads. So of course, I HAD to get more!

I've been playing around the past few months or so with my interpretation of a bygone design which can reach back into Egyptian Revival as well as Victoriana with the bib necklace. My design incorporates funky texture with art glass and vintage Swarvoski crystal. The fun blue design has been dubbed the "ju ju bees necklace" by Mary Beth.

Art glass & swarovski crystal beads and victorian & 1940's black glass buttons, just totally get me going! I figured I had to share where my recent inspiration is coming from. And thank you to Miss Mary Beth for asking me to come on in, woo hoo! It was a pleasant surprise.

Quick note, I am unsure why the top picture continues to come in upside down, and I tried to alter it several times - but it makes an unusual visual, don't you think?

until next time...

The People Who Have Touched My Life...Touched My Art - Ethel & The Murano

I touched on this a little bit during the How I Fell in Love with Vintage Beads & Buttons Series... how a part of this journey was discovering more and more about the types of materials I wanted to work with - in the early stages, ah... I knew so little.

Meet Ethel! A largely boisterous old lady who had a 2-3 pack a day habit & went to bed each night with an old-fashioned as her toddy. Tough as nails, rough around the edges old farm girl who had dug her way around old barns and houses, went to every flea market and auction she could, to feed her specialty of glass treasures.

I'll never forget the first day I walked into this great little antique shop in St. Charles, IL...there sat Ethel behind the counter, and as she barked out "can I help you" in that deep, scratchy voice, I remember being a little bit afraid. But oh...Ethel, her bark was much worse than her bite & it was the start of a beautiful, every-so-often friendship. Every time I'd see her she'd yell out "hey kiddo," and we'd be off on an adventure of her educating me about art glass.

I never realized just what an impact those first several encounters had, until I walk around eight years later & see all the paperweights, pheasants and art glass that I now cherish. It was a delight to sit and learn from her, and listen to her tales about how she found some of the most exquisite examples of pre-1940's glass I have ever seen.

Not only did Ethel aid in starting my addiction to glass, but she was also one of my first connections to obtaining large quantities of vintage beads. She had a gentleman who would come from Georgia with bags & bags of beautiful necklaces. I remember her taking a chance on me when my pocketbook was small and I'd stash away 50-60 strands with a promise of return with the money & she believed in me. That very first purchase, was supposed to be with a friend, and I was never able to get this person to pony up the cash... and I was embarrassed, it had been far too long since the last time I had seen Ethel with the promise of a soon return. Somehow I finally managed to get the money together and make my visit to pay for all those treasures she had been patiently holding for me.

Little did I know at the time that I was primarily sitting upon the biggest collection of antique & vintage murano glass beads that I have since never seen. Unknowingly, I parted with some of these beauties to my friend for a song! As I continued to research & learn more, I honestly told my friend that I had made a mistake, and if I had known, I would not have been such a good sharer! But that's okay, I learned as I matured in my interest & knowledge of glass. And honestly, Ethel knew very little about beads herself, so neither of us knew the value of the treasure she had bestowed upon me.

Ethel isn't around as much now, having lost her husband about 3 years ago. I have tried to keep in touch with her, but I think her passion for glass has waned a bit and she's getting up there in years & now lives a more quiet & peaceful existence. I will forever be grateful to the old lady who may have been gruff, but was willing to share about her stuff. If it wasn't for her, I would not have evolved and grown my passion for all things glass.

More soon....

My Life in Vignettes - The Master Bathroom

I am not much for before & after pictures... I really should have done that with this room. This was my second attempt at designing a room (I'll present the dining room another time)... which really required some major work - like moving a plumbing stack, a reinforced floor, etc. It was a challenge for my old-school contractor to see my vision, but the end result is super cool. And hats off to my plumber who understood where I was going & made his own artistic contribution with the bathtub faucetry straight from England - the crowning glory of this fun & funky room.

I wanted the traditional 1950's style black/white hexagonal tile flooring & the beautiful tile walls that you see pictured...courtesy of a wonderful free-style tile guy... who did all that by hand with no spacers! The tub, toilet & pedestal sink are Kohler Ironworks Historical Series. The paint on the 1/4 wall matches the claws & pedestal. My house had no linen closets... so where you now see a bench and cabinetry is where there used to be a tub. And where the toilet closet resides, once was a free-standing shower.

The cabinet artistry was done by the daughter of a friend who was in art school at the time. Giving a feel of art noveau and gothic nuance. The rocket style lighting, bark cloth cushions, punched metal table, magazine stand & garbage can, combined with the eames style clock & vintage lucite seahorses give this room a more atomic feel.

Probably the most bold & talked about place in my home. People visit & go into the bathroom on purpose just to see what can be done....if you dare!

Until next time.....lisa

Spring Trunk Show Announcement!

For all you Chicagoland people, a quick drop in about the event I'm doing this weekend! If you can stop by, would love to see you!

lisa

My Life In Vignettes - The Foyer

We own a little 1928 Queen Anne... bought it about 10 years ago & I told my husband that it had all kinds of character. Well, it did - but it was also a bit of a fixer upper. I didn't really find my inner artist or know what I really liked for decor until we moved here. I remember returning from Germany 20+ years ago with all this crystal, porcelain, huge massive oak furniture, paintings & a friend saying to me; "It's really lovely, if you were maybe 35 or 40. I really don't think you know what your style is yet." And boy was she right!

I didn't realize what a texture girl I was...that I loved colors... dimensionality & grouping treasures together that people wouldn't expect. Dare to be bold! I was finding that out about myself in my jewelry design, but I had only just hit the tip of the iceberg in my home.

I made it my mission...."out with the new, in with the old." Ten years later, I am pretty content with the colors in my home even still & I tweak a little bit on finding old treasures. There is no area that I wont collect...from rugs to glass, pottery to wall art - anything is fair game. The more unique, the better. I also believe that because I adore doing non-traditional visual display of my jewelry with vintage props, that it has trickled down into my home life. Thus, "My Life In Vignettes," because I really do feel this is how it has evolved.

From time to time, I will be photographing other parts of the house. I am totally interested in learning about those of you who have allowed your art & creativity to kind of spill out into your home decor.

Until next time...

The Blog Picture - A Story Behind

Greetings! I know I've been a little bit quiet still. But it's been on my mind to get back here. A few of you have asked about the design featured as the mainstay of this blog. There are a few of you who know me & the story behind it. It's not something I talk about much, but as I have shared before when speaking about heirloom work, sometimes powerful things, including design come from a deep emotional place for me.

Almost three years ago in March I received a phone call as I was driving over to Long Grove, to help my good friend Lynne at Olivia's Past by standing in for the day while she attended a style market. I will never forget it. I was running late... it was the first day of Spring Break for my children & I was racing to get there. I was calling Lynne to let her know I was behind & to ask if the neighboring store could post a note that I'd be there shortly... as fate would have it, she decided not to go to market & as I was on the phone with her, another call was coming in... a call that would have an unimaginable impact on me, and which still has a profound meaning that I never thought would happen and affect me or continue to be such a part of who I am today.

The other call was a caseworker who was very involved in my mother's life, calling to tell me that she was in the hospital in the end-stages of pancreatic cancer. I know... I know... shocking right? How can this be? What had led up to & transpired that you didn't know your own mother was dying? At least this is how I feel & think I would ask if I were the person on the other side of this.

There is alot of back story to my circumstances which I may or may not share here just because I don't know how well-received it might be. We all know that there are difficulties and circumstances involved in all of our relationships. I will just say at this point that my mother had been diagnosed later in life with some serious illnesses, to include some things surrounding her mental health. Those challenges created issues within my immediate family & deeply affected my children to the point where I had decided that some distance would benefit them. It was the single and most hardest decision of my life! To this day, I do still feel it was the right thing to do by my children - but it did and still does have everlasting effects on how I feel with regard to my relationship with my mother.

From the day I received that phone call, to the day she passed away was 2 1/2 weeks total. In my mind a lifetime of emotions & trials played out. After I received that call, I went directly to the hospital where she was staying. It had to be the most surreal moment of my life. I'll back up to only 2 months earlier when I had received a phone call from her & we had a subsequent visit together which went superbly well & she told me of her illness. At the time I remember feeling that I was capable... and willing to be there for her in her end time. That I possessed the ability & wanted to be there to support her. Ah...but you know as well as I, time can get away from you. I got busy with children and my business, and before I knew it, I was getting this phone call.

As I said, this was all so surreal. I couldn't believe this was really the end. I didn't understand the gravity of the situation. The hospital staff was looking for guidance from me...why me? I haven't been here, I feel I don't have the right to make decisions. Others in her life felt very strongly that I had no right either. There were so many good people in my life that told me to do what I felt was right for the both of us - right then, period. And after the difficult decision of putting her in hospice, I decided to spend every opportunity I could with her until the end. It is a choice now that I made that I am so truly grateful for. Despite all the hardships & challenges through our life... no matter what had transpired in the recent years, she left this earth knowing that I loved her and I felt her love in return.

This was such a crazy time...my children were on Spring Break, there was an upcoming family wedding, my husband who still after almost 14 years was travelling out of town full-time for work. The people during this time who surrounded me were my rock. They know who they are... I expressed what I felt in my heart at the time to each one individually & they know that I feel much love and gratitude. On mom's last day here, something kept pulling me to stay all day into the night...I cannot tell you what it was that kept me there...it was just a sense, a feeling to stay. The woman in the bed next to her would see me break down as my mother could no longer communicate and she told me to be strong... my mom was scared too, but I needed to be strong for her. Her last loving act was to take my face in her hands and give me a look that was so full of love...her last lucid moment. This is how I knew it was right - for the both of us for me to be there. I left that night and 3 hours later I received the call that she had passed.

So, we had this family wedding that weekend. There was no way that I wanted to change that circumstance... there should be joy & celebration and I just didn't want that to alter. So I postponed memorial services to the following weekend. In the meantime I had chosen some pink, frilly and feminine outfit to wear to this event which would have totally shocked my family - but that is who I am - unpredictable. Of course I no longer felt like wearing it and my teenage daughter was thrilled that I had decided that it was hers for the event. I didn't even care to go at this point, my heart wasn't in it. But something drew me down to my studio...

I designed what I considered to be the most formidable & bold piece of my career at the time. And that is the necklace you see pictured as the mainstay of this blog. Bold...embracing...powerful - and even a little forboding... I put every emotion I had into creating that design. The crowning glory centerpoint is a 1930's czech shoe buckle embedded with black czech faceted glass & rhinestones. The necklace is comprised of hundreds of czech 1940's faceted glass beads & a bevy of 1950's silver polished swarovski. I dressed demurely for that wedding in black denim wide-legged trousers & a 1940's style black satin wide collared jacket with peplum... and made that statement... I'm here... I am happy to celebrate the wedding, but the glorious focal at my neckline is where I am, anything I had left to give that week was in that design. Oddly enough, at least to me, everyone realized it. People gasped when they saw me...pale & forcing a smile...knowing I was in pain but there in support of my family and that design was approached by many that night, and those who know me well understood the meaning & the power behind it.

It was the only thing I would design for about three months. It was all I had to give of myself to my art at the time. It will always remain with me and become an heirloom in my family. While black is the color of mourning... I feel that this represented the boldness of the last couple weeks I spent with my mother. That no matter what had transpired... we dared to make amends. And I dared to be bold in celebrating her in that design....unconventional, non-traditional. That was who we were together - no matter what.

I truly hope that I have not offended by sharing this story. I somehow felt as the 3rd anniversary of my mom's passing is coming upon me that this was the time to share...

And We Have A Winner!

Congratulations to Heather of The Pine Cone Tea Cup! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePineConeTeaCup She is the winner of the custom-made vintage beaded pendant necklace. I have only had the fortune to have a few conversations with her so far... but such a lovely woman. She is a busy mommy of three who still manages to find some time to express herself creatively. Check out her super cute blog at http://thepineconeteacup.blogspot.com/. Welcome Heather! I look forward to getting to know you :)