Happy Easter

Hi to All,

Happy Easter.  I hope spring is trying to come your way.  We finally got a hint of it yesterday with temperatures close to 60 degrees F.  Below is the my most recent "Wizard of Oz" necklace.  This necklace was crafted from reproduction pages of the first Wizard of Oz  with the illustrations by W.W. Denslow.   I made the paper beads from cardboard game tiles; the chains and the other beads were reclaimed from vintage jewelry.  This necklace is posted on my Etsy site now.

Wizard of Oz paper bead necklace

Front cover of the journal

Back cover of journal

My friend teaches nursery school and loves reading to her 4-year old pupils.    This is a special journal I made for her, above are the photos of the front and back covers.  The covers are collaged with prose and pictures from some of the best known children's picture books.  After gluing the papers, three coats of an ultra-thick gloss is brushed on to protect the covers.  And no picture books were destroyed in this project.

Next week I'll be at the 2013 Earth Day Fair at the Pleasantville Middle School.  I will be running a workshop on making paper beads for the Middle Schoolers.  The Fair will run from 5:30 until 7:30.

Talk to you next week.  Be sure to stop by my Etsy shop or come see me at the Fair!

anne

Here it is!

Hi to everyone,

Ozma of Oz Necklace

Well, here it is; my Ozma of Oz necklace.  You can see some of the steps in making in the necklace in my previous blog.  There is also a complete tutorial describing the process of  making these paper "beads" in my November 11, 2011 blog. I posted the necklace on Etsy a few days ago.  You can see it there by clicking on the picture caption above.

Now I am working on a Wizard of Oz project made from the pages of a copy of the original edition.

Spring is just around the corner, some of the crocus have poked their purple heads up through the ground.  The first day of spring will be March 20th and Easter is March 31st.  So the Spring Craft Fairs can not be far behind!  Here we go again, my second season of craft fairs.

First on the agenda is an Earth Day Fair at Pleasantville Middle School on April 11.  I love participating, it is really a workshop. I can teach kids all about paper beads and how to make them.  It teaches them that we can make beautiful things out of what we throw away.

Sunday Morning Paper Bead Bracelet

And here is a sample of bringing old designs back!  This bracelet is made from the pages of the Sunday magazine section of the newspaper.  Available by special order at annemadethis@gmail.com.

Talk to you soon,

anne

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Hi to all,

My heart felt wishes and prayers go out to all of you who have suffered through Hurricane Sandy.  I hope that all things will return to normal as soon as possible.  

What about Halloween?  I wanted to find out more about it, so I did a little research.  All of our Halloween customs have roots in ancient and medieval Europe.  Many historians believe that Halloween originated as a harvest festival. As the days got shorter and the nights got colder, people all over the world ushered in winter with gatherings, bonfires, costumes and sweets.  One of the oldest of these festivals was an ancient Celtic festival called "Sanhain".  The participants celebrated the harvest by lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to scare off the ghosts of the dead.  Sound familiar?

Later, about 800 A.D., All Saint's Day was declared a religious festival celebrated on November 1.  All Saint's Day was a celebration and remembrance of the dead.  The name Halloween probably was derived from "All Hallows Eve", the eve before All Saint's Day. The night before All Saint's Day, poor children would roam the neighborhood begging for "soul cakes"; this is believed to be the origination of "trick or treating".    "Trick or treating" was not really a common custom until the 1930's in America.  Amazing!

The eve of All Saint's Day was a spirit's last chance to avenge any living enemies before moving to the next world.  Costumes were worn as disguises, so these spirits could not find you.   Turnips and pumpkins were used as lanterns, the beginnings of our modern jack o'lantern.  Apples were a harvest symbol back to Roman times, now we bob for apples and eat candy apples.  And finally, the candy corn was made to represent a kernel of corn, another harvest symbol.  So there you have it, some of the ancient roots of Halloween.  Have a great scary night!

Kaye Lynn, Max and Tori, my best supporters!

Saturday was the Croton Artisan fair.  Here's my team!  We had fun, there were a lot of ghosts and goblins trick or treating from one vendor to another.  And thankfully the weather held.  Below are a few new things I added to my table at the last minute.  A little holiday glitz and some necklaces made with paper beads, old acrylic beads and ribbon.

And finally, please take a look at my Make your own holiday cards and gift tags with Recycled Paper Workshop.  It will be fun for all ages!  It is being held on November 3 at the Greenburgh Nature Center.  You can see what we will be doing in my blog of September 18th.  I'd love to see you there.

Well that's all for now.  Check out my Etsy site and thanks for visiting my blog.
Talk to you soon,

anne

Flea Market Fun & Some New Stuff

Vintage  Paper Beads

Gray & Crystal Necklace and a crazy Pin

These are some of my recent finds at garage sales and flea markets.  I think my best find was the old paper bead necklace.  No one really knew what it was, but it was pretty apparent to me.  The crystal necklace and the pin will be taken apart and recycled into new jewelry--you will see it here in a few weeks!  I will probably keep the paper bead necklace as is, it will be a great sample to show at my workshops.

During the past several weeks I made one more memory wire bracelet.  It is a great color combination, neon green and violet.  It wraps around your wrist 6 times and shows off  11 paper beads.  What a great statement piece, you will get tons of compliments. And it has been posted on my Etsy site.

Violet and Neon Green Memory Wire Bracelet 

I have also been working on chunky sparkly bracelet, full of pearls and crystals.  A bracelet that will add bling to your holiday fashions or even a wedding dress.  There are about 50 pearls and crystals in this bracelet and 12 vintage buttons. Most of the crystals and pearls are recycled from old jewelry. I like it very much, you will have to let me know what you think.

Chunky Pearl and Crystal Bracelet

I plan to make a cuff of soft pale suede and add vintage buttons, crystals and pearls.  It will be the same colors as this bracelet but a whole different look. And I just got a recycled "Alice in Wonderland" book to fashion into bracelets, necklace and earrings.

I expect to send my first constant contact newsletter out next week.  There is a 20% off coupon attached.  Coupon is good either on line or you can bring it to my next craft fair in Croton on October 27th.  If you don't get a copy of the newsletter and you want one, just notify me at annemadethis@gmail.com.  And Halloween bracelets are still available, check my Etsy site!

OK, that's it for today.  Hope to see you all soon.
anne

Phelps Hospital Craft Fair Tomorrow

Chunky new necklace

Hi to all,

Just a quick reminder for those of you in the Hudson Valley, NY area--the Phelps Memorial Hospital Craft Fair is on for tomorrow!  The chunky new necklace will be one of the items I will be featuring.


Here are pictures of my new displays, the Beach Art Beads and I'll have tons of new earrings! Also all of the new Jane Eyre collection will be there.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Rain or Shine!

10 am - 4 pm

at

The James House Mansion

on the grounds of

Phelps Memorial Hospital Center

701 No. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY

free admission  free parking

 Music  Prizes Refreshments for Sale

 Silent Auction  James House Tours

My table space will be on the veranda, hope to see you all there.  I'll  have a bead kit giveaway for tomorrow

Still have lots of work to do, so this is short.  Talk to you soon.

anne

Work in Progress

Jane Eyre Necklace

Hi to all,

Hope this post finds every one happy and healthy on this Memorial Holiday.  While you are enjoying family cook outs, thank a soldier and remember all they have done for us.

Above is a preview of my Jane Eyre necklace.  I crafted the disks for the necklace from the pages of a reproduction copy of Jane Eyre destined for the trash. The cover was used to by one of my Etsy friends to fashion a pocketbook.  Always, reduce, reuse and recycle!! 

The disks in this necklace are strung with vintage beads from my mother's jewelry box (also destined for the trash) on a silver chain, ribbon and a faux suede cord.  The necklace, along with matching bracelet and earrings will be available in my Etsy shop next week. 

Beach Art Beads Bracelet-Pink I

Beach Art Beads Bracelet-Blue I

Following up from my last post, the Beach Art Bead bracelets are available now.  Just click on the links and you will see more photos.  Didn't they come out lovely, just like a sunny beach!  The bracelets were picked as favorites in Etsy in less than ten minutes of posting them.  They will look great with your summer tan. The beach art beads are strung with crystals, cracked glass and faux pearls.  Read more about them at my shop.  And there are special discounts when you buy two. Check my shop, annemadethis on Etsy.

My Jane Eyre necklace and  Beach Art Beads can be seen at the Phelps Memorial Craft Fair on June 9th in Sleepy Hollow.  There will be lots going on for everyone, so I hope to see you there.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Rain or Shine!

10 am - 4 pm

at

The James House Mansion

on the grounds of

Phelps Memorial Hospital Center

701 No. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY

free admission  free parking

 Music  Prizes  Refreshments for Sale

 Silent Auction  James House Tours

anne

Giving up control, once in a while!

My new guest room chair

Hi to all,

My new guest room chair has a long story attached to it.  I will just give you the highlights.  This chair was picked out by my daughter, Tori on a trip to Home Goods.  It's a great chair, isn't it? 

This chair is the beginning of a decorating and a personal adventure for me.  Tori is going to redecorate my guest room (her old room) completely.  My input will be very limited.  It will be her vision and  I will have to give up all artist control of the room.  This means getting rid of things that I have a 25- year attachment to.  (And it is probably about time for some of the stuff!)  Really difficult for a type-A personality like me.   But, change is good!  And I think the room will be beautiful.  All of my relatives will appreciate it, I am sure.  I will keep you posted as the redecoration progresses.

 Megan Brizzolara from California is one of my fellow Etsy artists.  She is a nurse by day and a crafter at night.  Megan purchased paper beads from my Etsy site annemadethis; she reworked the beads combining them with her own and crafted this great necklace.  You can visit her shop by clicking on Nutmeg5.  Since she has purchased more beads, I am looking forward to some new creations!

From Megan's Etsy shop Nutmeg5

Enter now for a chance to win a Recycled Paper Pendant

This is our second free giveaway at annemadethis!

This month annemadethis is giving away the recycled paper pendant was crafted step by step in my January 14th blog. Entering to win is easy. To enter just leave me a comment on my blog. Each comment equals one chance. If you leave a comment linking an item from my Etsy shop, that equals two chances. Enter as often as you wish. Every comment is a chance to win. The winner will be announced on March 15th here! Here's a picture of the pendant. I will put it on a rubber or faux suede black cord for you with a magnetic closure, you choose. It's a funky interesting piece you will love wearing!

anne