Patty Van Dorin

necklace 244

Necklace 244 - available on etsy, click here for more pictures and details

exquisite vintage cobalt glass "donuts"

Beachcomber earrings

Relic Bangle
this bangle had a couple pieces of ancient Roman glass that I used from my very special reserved hoard of extra special beads and some drilled stones

and that's the newest additions to my etsy shop

12-23-11

inside my studio

where I can be found if I am not on the beach or in the garden

Horizontal Hold - click here to go to etsy - sold

Katherine - wrap bracelet or choker available on etsy

special delivery

wishing everyone a Merry Christmas

good cheer and holiday wishes to you and your family

made an early start

I am not one to make New Years resolutions but I do like to think about what I would like to accomplish in the upcoming year.

One goal that I have is to reduce the volume of stuff that I have accumulated over the years. Good stuff but stuff that I will never find the time to use, even if I could live three life times. It would make a big dent if I can list one item per day on my etsy shop. Excluding weekends, after all I have to make this easy so I can keep to this goal.

Another goal is to make and sell more finished items.

Today, I decided it was silly to wait until January to start. So....

Triteleia - Wildflower Garden wrap Bracelet or Choker style Necklace
available in my etsy shop

Now my only other issue to work out is in which shop I should list these items. I was trying to keep the Tuscan Rose etsy shop for handmade and vintage items and the River Bend Ranch Studio etsy shop for supplies but some items fit into both.

Oh well, I won't fuss with it too much.  I have both etsy shop links on my side bar if you want to look in either shop.

vintage quilt blocks
available in my etsy shop

click on any of the links for more pictures and details

winter garden

a few blooms gathered today from the garden

solar flare

Solar Flare 
available in my etsy shop

personal talisman

a page from the visual daily journal
my journals have fewer words lately
mostly my entries are just brief notes of the day
sometimes, the pages have only images

Navigator bangle stack 

Numbers Talisman bangle stack

I have had several people ask if I wear the jewelry I make or do I just make it to sell.

Yes, I do wear jewelry that I make. When not wearing it, I like to keep it out in my studio as decoration.

This is my bangle stack that I wear.
It is my personal talisman.

a button from my grandma's jacket

vintage kimono fabric that I bought when I lived in Japan

an old powder glass bead that I found on a street when travelling

a coin I found in the back of the vintage cabinet that I bought for my living room

In my studio, I keep a small container to put found items. This way they are in one place when I have time to make a few pieces for myself. There is a talisman necklace in progress and I will share soon.

squirrel sanctuary

I have said good-by to the squirrel sanctuary that was formerly the living room dining room. Good riddance to the dark green ceilings.

So much better.

My quest this weekend was to find a sofa.  After going to nearly all the furniture stores, I could not find a sofa. That is one that I liked and one that was under five grand. My last stop was a thrift store run by a local church group and there she was, the perfect sofa, comfortable and really cheap.

I am going to re-upholster it with fabric that I have been collecting but I am really happy with it's "bones".
There are still things to unpack and things to hang but finally it's starting to look like home.

Little vignettes set up that I have had in every house I have lived in.

The color of paint was a big change and I am in love with the pale shade of grey that I used in both rooms.

Transferware plates are one of the things that I like to collect. The cheap ones that may have chips, cracks or repairs. Ones that I find at thrift stores, these are the plates that I love the most. Like this one I found a few months ago.

Aside from the nice periwinkle blue color, what had me excited about this plate is the old metal hanger on the back.
How perfect is that?

So now that I have a living area somewhat set up in my house, I am back to the studio this afternoon.

And maybe start that upholstery project.

The Navigator

The Navigator 
on etsy - click here for more pictures and details

The bangle bracelets have vintage fabric that came from a shattered old quilt top. Vintage fabric adds the perfect aged look that I just can't get with newer fabrics.


I love the graphic element that this piece of vintage tape measure adds. It was hard to cut it up but I have been wanting to use it in a bracelet for myself so I cut more to make for this one and a couple other projects I have in the works.

Now, I am off to go sofa shopping. My neighbor stopped by yesterday and her first comment was, "you have no furniture". That's right I have no furniture. Who needs furniture when all my time is spent in the studio. But getting a sofa would be nice for reading and go a long ways to make me appear normal amoung the neighbors.

Fair Winds

Fair Winds Talisman Necklace
click here for more pictures and details