ULLABENULLA

Reliquaries At Chateau Sonoma!

 Chateau Sonoma  is my absolute favorite shop North of the Bay Area!  So I am thrilled to be offering it as a new teaching venue.  This past Sunday 8 wonderful women joined me in a 'Reliquary Class' held at the home of Sarah Anderson, owner of Chateau Sonoma.  We felt as if we had been transported to Provence, nestled in the dining room of her truly stunning home!  Surrounded by French antiques, beautiful views and good company, amazing art was created by all!  

Sarah is in the process of creating a 'classroom' at her shop, where I hope to offer many more classes in the near future.  Stay tuned for more wonderful classes to take place at Chateau Sonoma HERE! as well as on the sidebar of my blog.

  

Fairy Chatelaine's At The Castle

Four Lovely Women joined me on Tuesday to create 'Fairy Chatelaine's'!  Little treasures were encased in clay, glittered, shaped and formed into enchanting charms any fairy would be proud to wear!  The first one below, was created by one of the students for "a friend who just lost her Mother", filled with personal symbols and meaning...  Truly Wonderful Day!!!

Woodland Splendors...

Isn't this acorn necklace by Sarah Hood delightful?  The perfect thing to wear to a forest ball!  Sarah's line uses both organic materials and metals to create master pieces of woodland treasures...

Link via Fold and Fairy!

Vera's Jewels...

Has anyone else noticed how wonderful the Jewelry Vera Wang is creating these days?  The Queen of wedding dresses has a sure eye for details and romance!  I adore her use of tulle, silk and old rhinestones, perfectly designed in classic colors...  so inspiring!!!

 

Mica Disguises!

My good friend and fellow blogger Florizel featured this delightful 17th Century Dutch - handpainted on copper - miniature in a leather locket recently, and I just had to share it here.  What makes this locket extra special is that inside are numerous hand painted 'disguises' on Mica, so that the fashionable young lady can be shown 'transformed' as the wearer desires!  I think this piece is amazingly inspirational and would love to try something similar as a reliquary!

 

Reliquary Class At The Castle This Weekend!

I am truly thrilled to have another full class at the CASTLE  this weekend - my ever popular 'Reliquary Class'! Yesterday I made a few new samples for the class, inspired by Antique Reliquaries.  As always its the little bits and pieces that make them special...

Sizes vary from two inches to two and a half inches.

This round reliquary has a wonderful vintage 'flaming heart' as the centerpiece.  The spines are actually porcupine quills that I've had for some time, and not known what to use them for...  The Music paper is old French and the quote from a vintage love poem.

I've had a tiny bag of 'Mouse Skeleton' bones laying around for years, and finally decided to use the ribs in this piece.  Beautiful Dresden bits surround the bones, and found words give them provenance.  The background is old wrinkled red silk.

This one started with the black sequin net on red background.  The cross is cut from a antique piece of ecclestastical silver ribbon and overlayed with a brass finding, with a old watch wheel at the bottom.  I adore the little silvered glass fish - tiny antique beads from my stash.  The quote is from an old found poem.

You can't see the background on this one, but its real butterfly wings!  Gold Bouillon, Dresden, quilling and a vintage cameo make this reliquary special.  Butterflies are the symbol of the soul, and here also dreams...  

Lollie's in a Teacup!

Ever catch a dandy little elf with striped stockings sleeping in your teacup?  Or perhaps you've rigged a little trap and caught him under the teacup?  Poor thing -- but lucky you!

Either way, who could resist a pair of these little legs by Marilyn Phillippi of Lollie Patchouli?  As you can see - I couldn't!!!  They make me smile every time I wear them, and I am sure I can hear tiny giggles coming from the sugar bowl...

THANK YOU Marilyn!  

I blogged about November Girl's wonderful work before Here!  Also be sure and check out her New Work Here!

  

'Lovers Eye' Brooch Workshop at the CASTLE - February 10th!

'Lovers Eye' Brooch Workshop

Georgian ‘Lovers Eye’ brooches were created as a way to keep one’s lovers identity a secret by not revealing the whole face.  In this half day class you will create your own version of these rare and very sought after pieces of jewelry.  Ulla will introduce a ‘faux soldering’ technique that uses a combination of beveled watchmakers glass; silvered foil; Apoxy clay; beads and pearls; and a photo of an eye.

Half day.  1:00 to 5:00  Limit to 12 students

Tuesday,  February 10th

$85.00

Please call the Castle at 510-204-9801 

This should be a Fabulously Fun class, hope to see you there!!!

Historically New!

A little bird told me there was an Amazing 'Marie' inspired event this past weekend - wish I had been there...  With Marie in mind I thought I'd post the lovely jewelry created by Anna Lorich. Her poetic jewelry is inspired by 'feelings' which she conveys in landscapes and portraits.  I love her use of a variety of materials, including cloth, resin, enamel, photos, and the classic gold and silver.  Her portrait pieces in particular have a contemporary feel laced with old world romance. Lovely!!!

Marty's Magic!

This weekend I went down to Santa Cruz to spend some quality time with my dearest friend Marty.  Over the years, Marty and I have shared one of those special relationships where no matter the distance or time we can always re-connect and inspire one another as if it were only yesterday that we were last together.  I met Marty when we were both doing crafts fairs in the early 90's.  I was instantly attracted to her smile, generous spirit, true business savvy and unmatched eye for detail. We became fast friends and have supported one another through the thick and thin of life's adventures.  This weekend was no different, being able to spend time with Marty's Granddaughter Molly!  

Marty lives in one of Santa Cruz's beautiful Victorian gems.  Her home is like a museum, filled with a lifetimes worth of artistic treasures!  Her love of the exotic, gothic, original, whimsical, and antique evident everywhere you look.

But the brightest new jewel in her collection right now is truly little Molly!  A strawberry blond sprite (look at those Flintstone piggy tales!) with giggles that can curl your toes, she kept us laughing all weekend long!

It's Marty that I owe my love of bats, skeletons and the macabre.  Her passion for creatures that others may not find as appealing always inspires me!  Who else but Marty would get 3 orders for Tree Sloths while I was there?  Here is a favorite necklace that she designed called 'Skeletons in the Closet'!

My own Marty Magic Jewelry collection rivals any shop display!  If the number of ones jewels equates the level of our friendship over the years, then ours is truly tops!  In the center is my newest addition a Rhinoceros Beetle Charm!!!

THANK YOU MARTY for another perfect visit!!! 

 

Language is wine upon the lips. 

~Virginia Woolf~

"The Victorians kept lockets of hair and miniature portraits painted with ground hair and pigment to secure the memory of a lost love. In much the same way, I secure my memories through photographic images rendered in lines of my own hair, the physical remnants. I do not reproduce events, but quiet minutes, the mundane, the domestic, the ordinary moments."

Melanie Bilenker Jewelry

Mourning Hairwork Designs in honor of 'Day Of The Dead'

For 'Day of the Dead' I have found these amazing images of Hairwork Mourning Jewelry from the NY Public Library Digital Gallery.  I have always been amazed at how intricate the Victorians could weave human hair!   (link via Fed by Birds)  

Deborah Simmons Jewelry Studio Visit!

One of my dearest friends, Deborah Simmons recently started her own jewelry business, and is now selling her wonderful earrings on ETSY! Deb and I have been friends and neighbors for almost 10 years, and its been so much fun to watch her evolution into a first class jeweler. I currently own 3 pairs of her beautiful earrings, and refer to them as my 'BLUEJEAN EARRINGS' as a way of saying I can wear them with anything!!! Her designs are simple, elegant, and classic.

I thought it would be fun to show you a more indepth view of who Deborah is and where she creates her art. She has a charming corner in her garage created from old worn doors and a vintage window that she calls her studio. Here she keeps precious findings in seashells, gold remains in a mud-bowl crafted by her son, and tools lined up on a small ledge, waiting to be used... One senses the importance of family, nature and spirit when seeing her space.

A matt board is filled with inspirational images and ideas, giving a peek into her process. Treasures like this antique cross, which she loves for its simple lines and worn quality beckon from the corners awaiting transformation into something new. Nearby outside, a quiet corner of her garden allows for contemplation and ideas to take form...

Deborah keeps her finished pieces in vintage cigar box trays, here displayed like a work of art in itself. A favorite corner of her home sings quietly with the same grace and style that she herself has and that her jewelry shows. Muses, of all forms, human and animal keep her busy, and inspired! Please take a peek at her Shop to see more of her lovely work! BEST OF LUCK DEBORAH!!!

More OnLine Window Shopping...

A delightful Georgian Micro Mosaic bracelet listed on Ebay. What every girl needs don't you think???

Jewelry That Tells Stories...

Jivan Astfalck of the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, creates jewelry that melds historical and autobiographical material, fiction and fairy tales. "...enigmatic, yet suggestive of the wounds of history and of the trauma and healing processes that are part of our relationships with others, these objects are sites of memory and fiction, history and thought, visible traces providing connections with the invisible and imagined in a complex web of relationships." Shown in order are: Daphne‚s Dream; On Memory and Loss - ChickenBones; Vanitas; and Sleeping Beauty.

Anne Arden McDonald, and a Request For Fabric!

This is a truly long overdue post, on a wonderful artist! Anne Arden McDonald lives in Brooklyn and works in a variety of media, including photography, sculpture, drawing, and installation work. She is best known for her 'self portrait' series that reflect her interest in installation and performance. Her photos evoke feelings of space, quiet, and mystery... One cannot help but wonder about the spots chosen and her position within... Anne also has created delightfully composed 'watch cases' using her own photos and found objects, showing us pieces of stories within glass. In February she wrote me: "I've been working on making cyanotypes--little dresses made of fabric and lace and leaves and paper, contact printed into cyanotypes". Little dresses that become yet another canvas for her mysterious photos and techniques. I am also in love with her line of Jewelry, organic found pieces of nature cast into rings and earrings.

Now she is working on an installation out on Governor's Island and LOOKING FOR FABRIC THAT'S FALLING APART TO BUILD A GIANT DRESS, WHITE OR CREAM, SOLID OR WITH LIGHT PATTERNS - STAINS ARE FINE - ANY MATERIAL - FANCY OR PLAIN. Here is an opportunity for you to contribute to a wonderful artists work while cleaning out your closets! If you are able to help Anne, please CONTACT HER HERE! Best of Luck Anne, and we look forward to seeing your project in its completion!!!

Tactile Jewels...

I wish I knew more about this work by Hanna Hedman... Her jewelry looks wonderfully tactile and organic!

Corsage Love...

I just love photos like these! They make me want to pull out all my old silk flowers, threads and lace and make something magical!!! Japanese images via A Bearded Man.

BUTTONS, BUTTONS, BUTTONS...

This morning I discovered that Juju blogged about Laura Walker's handmade buttons, and I decided to do a Button Theme Post! Laura's Buttons, made of porcelain, are available on ETSY!


I am a huge fan of Elsita's artwork, and she also recently did a post on her own handmade buttons made of 'Shrink Plastic'! Her whimsical drawings and designs translate beautifully in this medium!
I found these handpainted buttons on re:make, hard to resist names like 'The Enchanted Forest' and 'A Clover And Two Ladybugs'!
Melissa Becker has a wonderful line of buttons that remind me of old pewter buttons from yesterday...
KupKup has delightful 'Petit Patisserie' felt buttons for sale! They look so delicious, how could you resist?
Mudcakes presses lace and other textures into her buttons - making them feel airy and romantic!

I'm in love with these OctopusMe Buttons! Who couldn't use a few extra appendages on their shirt???

Want to make your own beaded buttons? Here is a link to a Workshop where you can make your own...! Anyone else care to jump on the Button BandWagon with me???

Wearing The Bird

I LOVE this necklace featured in Camilla Staerk's 2006 S/S collection!