queen of hearts

when i was little, i played the queen of hearts in alice of wonderland.  i hung onto the skirt i wore as part of my costume forever–i still remember it: red check gingham happiness.

when i saw these red beads, they just struck a chord.  they are a gorgeous bright red at the center with delicate swirls spinning out to a clear finish.  you have to see them to believe them.

i added gunmetal, bali sterling silver, and black matte czech glass beads to make them shine.

available at my etsy store for $20 USD.  perfect for your queen of hearts!

i’m still donating $5 for every item sold to the aid organization of your choice to help the victims of the haiti earthquakes.  i know it’s out of the media for the most part, but as someone who went to assist with rebuilding in mississippi a year after katrina, i can tell you the work has just begun.  you cannot believe how much devastation there can be.  let’s keep doing what we can.

where to put it all?

what to do with all that cool jewelry?  well don’t be like me and just pile it on your dresser!  it’s messy, tangly, and you can’t see what you have.  i think it’s a proven fact that if you can see it, you’re more likely to use it.  surely some scientist has done a study on that.  right?

to solve this non-existential dilemma, i’ve created this one-of-a-kind upcycled jewelry board, created from rescued items: a pretty girl’s dress made from creamy yellow swiss dot and a frame.  with the pocket for rings, the grosgrain ribbon to hang earrings on, and the hooks for necklaces, we can get you organized.  at least in this area!

the sweet yellow swiss dot jewelry board is available at my etsy store for $40 USD.  more to come!  need one to match your decor?  your style?  shoot me an email (dogwoodandpoppy@gmail.com) and let’s see what i can put together!  surely with all the fabric, ribbon and doodads i own i could create something fabulous just for you.

amethyst revisited

i’m not a huge fan of purple.  i think it stems from the time when i was a kid and i got stuck with the cabbage patch kid with the purple dress (a friend got the pink one.  blerg!  i think our parents took turns trying to get them at toys-r-us).  but if you darken purple up like a sky at sunset, it’s one of my favorites!  and it’s february’s birthstone.

for these earrings, i’ve used two different metals to bring out the darker, edgy side of purple.  in the ones on the left, i’ve paired amethyst and iolite with gunmetal.  they’re available at my etsy store for $20 USD.  the ones on the right have carved amethyst beads and iolite combined with antiqued sterling silver wire that i burnished to bring out a bit of shine.  they are available at my etsy store for$26 USD.

i will donate $5 for each item purchased through my etsy store to the aid organization of your choice for haiti. participate in ‘hearts for haiti’, too–add my store to your favorites list and i’ll donate $1 to red cross.

my business cards came!

they’re here, they’re here!  they’re finally here!  and they’re just as pretty in person as they were on the screen!  maybe even prettier.  i got them from vistaprint; they have some really cool stuff!

as promised…upcycled jewelry storage

new to dogwood & poppy: storage with a side of snark.  for those of us have been accused of having too much crap and/or leaving it all over the place.

i created this one-of-a-kind upcycled tray from a thrift store find (the silver plate tray) with some paper, stickers, and ink.  i decoupaged the paper onto the tray, added the stickers and then stamped it so that it reads: “yes, but it’s MY crap”.  then i sealed it, so you can wipe it down with a damp cloth when needed.

i think it’s perfect for storing jewelry or whatever else you need: keys, cell phone, ipod, loose change, whatnot. put it in your bathroom and keep make-up or soap in it. give it as a gift to your messy valentine. or for someone who has it all…and now needs a place to put it. i can think of some men who would benefit from a place to put their crap…

the tray measures 9.5wide x 5.75high and is about half an inch deep. that’s a lot of room for crap!  it’s available at my etsy store for $22 USD plus shipping & handling.

sorry, the tray does not come with my crap; you have to supply your own. the necklace doesn’t come with the tray either, but you can buy it through my etsy store if you want.

i got my stamp!

i’m not very patient.  especially when it comes to ordering something online and having to wait for it to be delivered.  i’m one of those obnoxious people that checks the status of my package every couple of hours.  wait, that didn’t sound right.  i check it online by clicking on the link…i mean, i go to the carrier’s site and see if…oh never mind.

thanks rubberstamp.net!  it’s nicely mounted (oh wow) and really high quality.  now i can stamp my company name on whatever i want: boxes, tags, packages (teehee!). 

these are a few of my favorite things…

do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do!  bare branches on trees, coffee, (empty!) bird cages, gears, tire swings, epoxy resin, gunmetal and oxidized sterling silver, full moons–the lower on the horizon the better, harvest moons (the best!), scrolls, damask patterns, velveteen, milk glass (especially the kind with the bumps on it), tattoos, letterpressed paper, anything orange and aqua together, coffee again, my dogs, the branching of coral/ganglia/river deltas, sitting by a campfire, roasting marshmallows, whiskey/bourbon and cigars (but only together), the way dew beads up on grass, flannel sheets, the silhouette of birds on a wire, elephants, owls, upstyled vintage items, etsy, and of course, anything handmade!

hang the moon

check out my newest addition to my favorite things at my etsy store!  i combined a cool branch with an orange capiz shell and a milk glass drop to make this stunning one-of-a-kind necklace.  i hung the moon on gunmetal chain, which i doubled up for more visual impact, then finished it all off with a gunmetal lobster clasp.  i love gunmetal!  i love bare branches!  i love milk glass!  i love orange!

now you can hang the moon anytime you want.  it’s available at my etsy store for only $26 USD.  that’s a pretty good lunar deal for something so fun.

and i’m still donating $5 to the red cross for every item purchased through my etsy store!  so you can help haiti at the same time as you adorn yourself.  another good deal.  if i do say so myself.

peridot swing

another iconic bare tree, this time in pewter.  i don’t know what it is with me and bare trees, but i just think they’re so cool.  i made this one for my urban prairie collection.

i felt like it needed a little something, so i added a tiny peridot to swing from the branches, wrapped with oxidized sterling silver wire.  in keeping with the simple, timeless theme, i knotted it on a thin black leather cord.  i wanted to keep it spare and classic.

it’s available at my etsy store for $26 USD.

and i’m still donating $5 to red cross for every item purchased from my etsy store!

mmm…it’s so pretty i could eat it!

i love the warm rich yellow of golden yellow chalcedony–and this faceted one pairs perfectly with micro-faceted garnets and hessonite garnets.  the deep colors remind me of caramel!

mmm, caramel.  i think the sterling silver might get stuck in your teeth, though, so this one is best worn around the neck.  i just want to wear it to ward off the doom and gloom of the rain clouds on their way.

this one-of-a-kind necklace measures 19 inches, though i’d be happy to shorten it for you, and it’s available at my etsy store for $50 USD and arrives, as usual, nestled safely in my handmade paper box.

and i’m still donating to the red cross: $5 for every item purchased through my etsy store!  and for everyone who ‘hearts’ my store by adding me to their etsy favorites (you’ll need to sign up for an account if you don’t already have one, but it’s free) i’ll donate $1, no purchase required.

happy, happy! joy, joy!

check it out!  this pendant is a cool combination of found and made objects; a pendant that i made by antiquing a brass charm and encasing an image and a few watch gears in epoxy, a hand-hammered copper ring, two adventurine beads on an antiqued sterling silver headpin, and a found charm that says ‘always’.  then i strung it on a copper chain that i antiqued as well.

mixed metal sentiment.  what a cool declaration!

i really like that the oxidation/antiquing colored the epoxy to make it look aged as well.  a total success!

it’ll be up on my etsy store soon, as part of the new jalopy collection, with more to follow!