Magpie July Ten

I spent quite a bit of time and money in July doing the fleas. Show and tell...just show actually, these beauties are better when I am quiet.

Ahhhhhhh...

Not Enough

Thank you is not enough to express my gratitude for a lovely post on Katsui the blog hosted by Susan Reaney and her daughter, Kat. Their blog is about their lives and love for jewelry repurposed from vintage elements.

The did a post called A New Talent about my soldered charm necklaces.

A very real compliment since jewelry is the kind of thing they do...

Here is Katie and this joyous necklace I have been looking at too many times to feel comfortable admitting.

I met Suz last November at Silver Bella. I can pick a Minnesotan out of a crowd let me tell you. I was immediately drawn to her. We have become good friends through our blogs and emails. I cannot wait to see her in at Silver Bella this year. She has a monstrous hug coming her way.

You can find their lovely pieces at Katsui.  We will be hosting a little joint give-away soon as well, so stay tuned for that.

Even though thank you is not enough, Susan and Katie, I will say it anyway...thank you, thank you, thank you...

You Never Forget Your First Girlie

Last month, some gals and I went to The Girlie Show which is a Rosie the Rockin' Riveter kinda of girl power art show. It is our highest quality show in Oklahoma City. It was my first Girlie and I will be going back. Uh, stood in line to get in, in the cold wind. That is how good this dang thing is. I am going to show you what I bought and brag on these great artists.

Those little felted flower hairpins are by Quid. Heather is precious and runs a fabulous boutique and blog.



I fell completely in love with Janet Waldrop, of Skip 2 My Lou, last summer while in Tulsa at An Affair of the Heart. I bought this necklace then.



I know, right? At the Girlie Show I bought this bracelet made with 100 year old French ribbon.



I put it on, shopped around and was compelled to go back and buy something else. And no, I am not holding out on you for Janet's link. She doesn't compute. She works making these stellar collaged vintage pieces instead of sitting in front of the computer...hmmmm, interesting...look at this necklace.



I will just take a minute to tell you about Amy Baldwin of Curly Q Mosaics. She is completely cool for one thing and I love her face. I just do. She is very supportive of local artists and is a great customer for one thing. And then she does these mosaics you just have to see. I bought this little mushroom. Honestly, she is so talented I could just run her down with my car. but i might break the piece I am wanting, so I haven't done that, yet. You are welcome, Amy.



And this darling girl makes lovely jewelry, both new and vintage pieces. She's Natalie of Ornamental Things. I bought this necklace collaged from a button and an old brooch. Yum. It is just the perfect length and I wear it all the time.



Just really been into jewelry. An old obsession all new again. Hope the drooling didn't ruin your keyboard.

It was Once July

My dear friend Brook gave me this spontaneously during book club last week. She saw it, thought of me and got it for me. It just made me cry. For someone to just know you like that is the connection I long for when I am low. Thank you dearest Brook.

Friendship is vital to me. I bought a gift for a friend last week. I just don't know what it is yet. I love these two necklaces from Tammy Gilley . I intended one for me and one for my friend but I simply cannot choose which to give and which to keep...That is a high class problem, huh?

I have been buying lots of necklaces lately and decided to display them on this bust form. She greets me of a morning in my bathroom. I bought her recently. Probably need to quit dragging things home but this is my new girlfriend and she is fabulous.

Here are some other finds less pretty but beautiful and interesting to me. I love both the high and a low in a room. It reflects me and all that implies.

I find my friends to be more essential than almost any other thing. Well, that and all the stuff...

Magpie of April

I recently found this lovely scales seen in the photo above along with those old glass flower earrings. You probably think I will talk about finding balance in my life. Actually the rust is always more interesting than the shine so I thought I would mention that I am a voyeur. I have been one as long as I can remember. I used to look at people while shopping and want to know what was in their bag. I would look at the ladies purses in church and wonder what kind of lipstick might be inside. I have always looked at people's shopping carts and put together a whole story, single, going home to have frozen pizza and ice cream. Mom with a baby and a child's birthday. I started this as I was checking out late one Friday night with Doritos, Oreos and a feminine hygiene product.

I walk my dog after dark hoping to glimpse inside someone's house. During movies I am more likely to look at the drapes than the actor. At the Lourve I noticed the frames rather than the paintings. My name is Robin, I am a voyeur.

In this twittering world of the Internet you can look at people's profiles, pictures and posts. You can sit alone and read, snickering at their spelling, longing for that artwork or the stroll followed by an impromptu picnic. I absolutely love when people post a blog about what they have bought. That is my melange of voyeuristic treats. In that tradition, I will show you what I have collected this month.

I almost always pick up books, new or old. They don't take up much room, have inherent value, look fabulous in the home and as a by-product make you look studious, which I actually am, so that is some truth in advertising. In other words the carpet matches the drapes. Look at the color plate in this one. Chills, honey.

I also collect anything Oklahoma, that is a whole other topic of discussion but here is a Gene Autry book. Oklahoma's yodeling cowboy as if you didn't know...

One can never go wrong with jewelry. If I am to follow the tradition of other blogs I would now say 'you never where where in my work these might turn up.' But the truth is I will probably just leave them in this cigar box only to occasionally run my fingertip across the pieces whilst saying "shiny."

Jewelry doesn't take up much room like, say, if you were to collect chairs. Yeah, well, I collect chairs. Children's chairs, not like sectionals. A ladder is useful as well.

Also I haul home doll chairs since I make dolls. However, I rarely sit my dolls in my chairs, because then you can't see the chairs. There's a good plan.

I compulsively collect utensils. I just do. My dolls often hold them. And that makes sense to me.

So just as you are looking at this, I will be somewhere watching, surfing, jeering, wondering what is in that house, cabinet, closet, purse, wallet, mind....