SuzeBlogz

A trip to Montclair

In case you've actually never heard of Montclair, New Jersey I'll just begin by mentioning that it was one of the settings for the HBO show, The Sopranos! There are a lot of local shops, streets and businesses that were featured on the show. In fact...I have a girlfriend, Leah, whose nearby home was used as Silvios house and her next door neighbors house was Tonys house. Yes..The Tony Soprano!! I've 'stood in the Tony driveway" numerous times ! It's also located in the beautiful Watchung mountains.

Montclair is also well known for it's many Antique Shops and fun shopping (we'll get to that in a bit !)

Okay....

Now that we've gotten THAT out of the way...it is also a sort of mid-way point for my friends Bonnie, Lisa and Joan to meet up for a girlfriend lunch...we each had to travel about an hour from completely different directions.

We picked the well known retro 50's restaurant Raymond's for lunch

(Joan upper L, Bonnie lower L, Lisa lower R)

The restaurant has the coolest vibe to it, especially the colored seltzer bottles

Makes one dream of alcohol inks & glass, doesn't it !!

the temps hit almost 90 today (and FINALLY no rain) so lots of folks were eating outside

First stop Madeline Accessories, a jewelry shop that had bargain jewelry...which we, as designers, don't see as jewelry to wear but for it's many 'parts' ! The bits and bobs as they say!! Stuff to take apart !

I think we tore through the store !! Three or this, four of that...whatever ! And, more on Lisa in a bit....

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Next up our friend Nancy Laboz' (R) shop

Nancy owns PARCEL

A Gift, packaging and correspondence shop.

you'll love her website...so click on it above.

here's a brief tour

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Getting back to Lisa Kettell for a minute...

Lisa is a well known artist, blogger, author , and designer of wonderful, unusual jewelry

Her NEWEST, sports cuffs, are all the rage

and the bling part is an option..you can wear it or not..it's easily removable.

so..if you have a favorite team or want something completely unique...give Lisa a shout out. She's on FaceBook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram and email

 You'll find her !

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speaking of unusual...

HAVE YOU VISITED MY ETSY SITE TODAY

 

When the weather's nasty.....

I suppose the inclination would be to just stay in when the weather is really blech....but, not me ! I thought it would be more fun to take a road trip...in the pouring rain...to find some new bead shops.

90 minutes later I found myself in the quaint town of Pennington, NJ...a really small town of just over 2500 people....but with a super cool bead shop called 

 

owner Barbara greeted me warmly and showed me around her shop (which she co-owns with her daughter Laina and partner & friend Amy)

Artful Beads

it's got such a great WOW factor

and I especially LOVED that so many of the display tables were once old doors that had been distressed, covered with glass and repurposed. I was oohing and aahing.

displays also consist of the panels from old doors. Jewelry and beads hung from the knobs.

you know me...I just wanted to go home and find old doors after that !!....as if I didn't already have a house full of interesting ideas to begin with. LOL

Barbaras daughter Laina also makes the most beautiful wet felted bags...I was drooling. I told her that next time I visit I will come with a budget for one of those bags and not for beads !!!

this is the classroom and workshop area.

and there are absolutely beautiful samples of all types of beading and crocheting everywhere. Everything in the shop was totally MY taste !!

I was excited to know they sell the Vintaj Patinas and use them in classes.

yes...you will totally want to take a road trip too !!

On the way home I discovered I was actually very close to Princeton. I'd been to Princeton many times....passing the beautiful campus of Princeton University

...so, I took a slight veer off and went to see 

The Place to Bead

owned by Doris and Ana

while completely different from Barbaras' shop, they carry some really amazing German vintage beads that I don't really see in too many other bead shops. Every bead store has it's specialty.

I "supported" both shops and I can't wait for the beads I bought to show up in some of the fun pieces I've been making lately for my ETSY shop. (hint...hint )

 

Princeton is a wonderful town. There's not great parking but there IS great shopping and but I lucked out so I was happy to be able to walk a bit, umbrella in hand. Passed this little street fair

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Next door was a take-out sushi place...but it was the bathroom that I got such a kick out of....it had a big sign on the door indicating you dare not remove any of the cards from the wall....I couldn't even imagine till I went inside !!

I say..." Thank God for cell phone cameras"...how the hell else would I ever remember stuff like this !!

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For whatever reasons, it hasn't stopped raining here in Jersey for days...but I had a lunch date today with two wonderful friends that I haven't seen in ages....

Bonnie Egenton (l) and Linda Hahola (r)

we met at a halfway point for a deli lunch at the very famous Harolds NYstyle  Deli in Woodbridge, NJ and when I say famous....well...just click on the link and check out the menu. Harolds menu, while eclectic, has a very Jewish style flavor to it. Even the napkin helps you "speak Deli".

I can see my Jewish friends and relatives now....as they read this...they'll be totally 'relating' !!!!

This is a place for SHARING. There's no such thing as a single person order. You order a sandwich and its big enough to feed 3 people so you ALWAYS know you'll be bringing at least 1/2 of it home. So DONT FAINT when you look at the prices.

Here are some of the desserts...just look at the size of them

Yes..this is a cookie.

This will be a special weekend. Please Remember Our Troops.

but wait...there's more

once I get on a roll....well..it just keeps rolling...so...here's the newest piece I put up on ETSY

I often want to keep these pieces for myself...I have to work really hard on separating myself from the attachment to the work so I can imagine someone else wearing it !!

ARE YOU THAT SOMEONE ELSE ??? I hope so !!

here's another

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I dropped by a lovely shop yesterday

The Copper Frog Studio and Gallery

in the historic town of Allentown, NJ

a very inspiring shop located in the Old Mill. This mill was built in 1855 by Abel Cafferty with 300,000 bricks made on the premises. It replaced the original “old” mill built in 1706 by Nathan Allen.

The annex building on the ground floor attached to the Mill, occupied by The Copper Frog Studio and Gallery, is a recycled army barracks from WWII from nearby Fort Dix. Now, how cool is that !!!??

the shop is all about artisans....of all kinds, especially local ones....painting, wax, jewelry. Some one of a kind consignment, some stock.

 I'm very drawn to shops like this...eclectic, interesting, nature inspired.

if you click HERE you can see about all the artists.

Playing Catch Up

Since getting back from both South America and then the trip out to Galena, Illinois I haven't had a moment to catch up on the blog. So...let me begin by saying I'm starting to get some new items up on my ETSY site..and this is just the first of them. But...they will be all ONE OF A KIND.

"All Geared Up"

ever since my Vintaj class I'm all hyped up on brass, on filigree, and especially on those little crystal flowers that come in so handy as dangles and chain links. They are gonna start to show up in everything now...just watch !

I'm also realizing that I needed to be more fair to myself in pricing. I have been seriously underpricing so many of the pieces I've made...they take hours and hours of hand work (especially making all those loops!!) and I use up a LOT of supplies...so..you will see a little bit of a price increase. LITTLE, but fair.

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My morning began with a fundraiser for my synagogue at CHICOS.

Whatever you spent that morning they deducted an additional 10% off & that 10% went to the synagogue. I always swear I will not go overboard cause "there's nothing I could possibly need"...and then....

well...surely dont ask! The Temple is getting $50 just from MY purchases......you do the math.

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Then....From There:

We took the train to the NY Stationery Show in NYC. I hadn't been in years. I knew I'd run into my old friend Kasey Larson from Chicago who called to tell me she'd be walking the floor buying for her business.

and I knew just where to find my sister in art Julianna Hudgens and all the little kindred spirits that go with us...Lisa Kettell, her mom Joan Kettell, Cathie Fillian, Steve Piacenza & Diana Gonzalez...at the craft booths of course

Julianna was demoing tie dye

check out her shirt !! Yes...Tie Dye is back!

The Lenster and I walked around the show floor a bunch...and I ran into the Murano glass bead people....HELLLLLOOOOO ! They had a booth. Heaven help me.

well...over a hundred dollars later.....first (and ONLY) order placed at show !!!

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downstairs, at the same time as stationery (which was upstairs) , the Furniture show was taking place

so we browsed that for a bit.

Then after several hours of schmoozing with everyone, everywhere..... we headed home, sushi dinner and a good plotz on the couch!!

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I also want to share a piece of jewelry I made for my friend Connie.

Connie had an old charm bracelet with gold charms from when she was 16...she said she'd never wear the bracelet....so I took the charms off and incorporated them into the piece she's wearing. The Filigree came from Vintaj and the

ideas all came from ME !!

and I determined she had to have earrings that went with it !!

I had a lot of fun making this one. It really stimulated me to come up with a concept. And I used the Vintaj Patinas on several of the componants....they are THE BEST !!!

but, its those little flowers beads I'm now addictd to !!!

I'll have more....come back tomorrow.

The Book of Ruth

I always like to keep my peeps informed when there is something special to celebrate..and tonight we start a biggie...

49 days (7 weeks) after Passover, after the Exodus from Egypt we commemorate the wheat harvesting in the Land of Israel.

The holiday is called SHAVUOT (sha-VOO-oat)

 

it occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (late May or early June). Remember...Judaism uses the lunar calender when it comes to figuring out holidays !

Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to the entire nation of Israel assembled at Mount Sinai. Think 10 Commandments (even though there were actually a lot more !)

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and how did we arrive at this particular date:

Well...first you need to know about the Omer.

'Counting of the Omer' is a verbal counting of each of the forty-nine days between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot. The idea of counting each day represents spiritual preparation and anticipation for the giving of the Torah. 

Since it's a festival holiday..and it involves wheat harvesting and first fruits...we eat a lot of dairy, like milk, cheese, cheescake, blintzes, cheese ravioli...etc. 

Tonight at my temple we'll be celebrating with just such foods (then it's back to Weight Watchers!!). Many religious Jews also decorate their homes with leafy branches, plants and flowers. I say ANY excuse for plants and flowers is okay by me.

Plus, we read from The Book of Ruth...

you know the "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God"....etc

I was always pretty partial to the biblical epic movie from 1960 with Elana Eden and Stuart Whitman...

but, then again I've confessed before about my fascination with biblical epics...no matter what religion they're based on !!

anyway...if you are Jewish (or anyone who celebrates Shavuot) then I wish you

Chag Sameach (KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh) 

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A different kind of Earth !

I wanted to finish up my visit to Vintaj in Galena, Illinois by letting you know about their beautiful retail shop on Main Street

It's called vintajearth

and this is where you can buy already finished jewelry and other finished arty things.

Here's what's so wonderful about Galena:

It's truly like stepping back in time.

Fully eighty-five percent of Galena's buildings are in a National Register Historic District. Even the scenic beauty of the surrounding hills and valleys is a testament to being untouched by time.

You can visit the boyhood home of Ulysses S. Grant for a true piece of history

BUT...getting back to Vintaj Earth and  little tour inside the shop.

 

I am always blown away by innovative and clever ways of displaying product and everything in this store was beautifully displayed.

The use of natural things like driftwood was so beautiful. My house is done in all natural earth tones so I had a deep appreciation for the decor !

and again, the wonderful thing is that there are more than just one of these beautiful pieces, all hand made by designers.

all reasonably and affordably priced

I LOVE this old door, all distressed, and holding jewelry.

you gotta admit...it gives you so many ideas !

even these bowls, used as a means to display, were hand made !

Check out the doorknob...all I can say Is...I WANT ONE !!!

I completely LOVED how they covered up piping & electrical by using branches

 

 

 

thanks again Todd, Jess & Livi for the most wonderful experience.

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Reminder.....it's been a while since you guys visited my ETSY shop...where'ya been??

Suze's ETSY Shop

Very Vintaj

I laugh whenever I see the look on my face after we dapped some Vintaj metal blanks ! I look like a madwoman ! I look like I had Botox overload !!!!

OKAY.......I WAS a madwoman..it was so fabulous !!

I'd only dapped once before in a jewelry class, briefly.

and never using the Vintaj Big Kick and the patinas. We used the Deco Emboss dies to choose our pattern.

after imprinting the pattern on the metal blank, we added the patina and used the Vintaj Reliefing Block

to sand it off, leaving only a hint of the color behind. You can also use steel wool if you find that easier for you. Then we began dapping into the curved shape. 

we made earrings and pendants

It's my new favorite thing...I want to dap everything ! Seriously tho..I can't decide if my favorite is dapping or learning to wrap the filagree blanks around a bead or stone.

I'm entranced by all of it.

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here are some of the other exciting projects

Sue Wilke (r) from Ink and Stamp with Sue dropped by to say Hi. We go back a very long time

she has a spectacular store in town

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It was such a fabulous weekend

getting to spend time with Jess, Todd and baby Olivia

and all the wonderful ladies in class

I can NOT wait one extra minute till Vintaj runs the next segment of classes

I'll Be Back !!!

YAY !!!

 

Puttin' on the Patina

so, my exciting day begins with little Livi sitting next to me on our ride over to the Vintage studio! Wouldn't YOUR day be a hppy one if you got to see this sweet thing every day....just eat up that smile !! I swear I want to just put her in my carry on and take her home !!

so we head over to the fantastic, rustic Vintaj headquarters, where everything is all set up for classes. It is SUCH a great building.

so warm and cozy and condusive to learning.

It's gonna be fun for me cause we will be using The Melting Pot, UTEE and Mold n Pour and I have been 'retired'  from my products for like  2 1/2 years !! LOL

BUT....I really look forward to this cause, believe it or not, I can STILL learn new ideas and techniques. Of this I'm positive !!

Look how fantastic the set up is. And Jess demonstrates up front.

and I'm super excited because we will get to work with their patinas (made for them by Ranger, of course !) and I desperately want to learn the secrets to wrapping their filagree jewelry pieces...and I know its on the agenda !!

we each get a name badge with a Vintaj chain

there are samples of all the projects we're gonna make this weekend...it is unbelievable !

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our first project uses the melting pot and various Ranger embossing powders on a pair of Vintaj earring blanks.

The technique is a simple one. Place the blank metal earring pieces in the melting pot on top of a 'cut to fit piece' of craft sheet and sprinkle the various powders over them and watch them melt.

you can finish the procedure by sprinkling a little bit of clear UTEE over everything to seal it all and give it that UTEE shine.

everyone did a great job

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to give you an encapsulated version of some of our projects

we made a stunning necklace using various embossing powders.

we use the patinas on some of the Vintaj blanks.Place the Vintaj bezel in the pot & sprinkle in the embossing powders. 

seal the whole piece by sprinkling Clear UTEE over everything

then we're going to assemble the pieces.

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we made SO MANY projects on the first day...it was fabulously exhausting...in such a good way !

 

we made this amzing ring with UTEE & Mold n Pour....I re-created a favorite UTEE color using Ranger Heat Set ink in Green and some white UTEE which makes a jade color

then its poured into the mold

But...then I made a new decision....I decided to embellish the color with the patinas

and, we learned how to create the band with a cold connection (rivets...loved it !)

and now....I love my big Honkin' amazing ring.

as if that weren't enough.....look at the rsku effect bracelet we made

Like H-E-L-L-O!!!!

and we learned a technique where we mixed Vintaj glaze with their patinas called the Lalique effect..Holy Moley

I can't even go on..it was all too amazing...so..tomorrow I'll just have to show you the rest...

dont miss it.

 

Rustic River

So, here I am in Galena, Illinois. Home to the Vintaj Jewelry company.

I almost didn't make it....

Like seriously...whoa !!

my United flight out of Newark left 1/2 hr late which left my American Airline connection at O'Hare ( 2 terminals away !) in jeopardy. Originally I had an hour....No More....now I had 15 minutes !!

I never walked so fast in my life...I flew through from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 ( 2 freakin miles I kid you not) at heart attack pace and was the last to board the puddle jumper to Dubuque, Iowa where Jess & Todd Lincoln from Vintaj were there to pick me up!!!

Then we made the short drive to Galena.

Gorgeous little 10 month old Olivia Lincoln was my backseat companion. The grandma in me was so excited !

Before even checking into the hotel we stopped on Main Street to take in it's historic feel....remember...we're in the Land of Lincoln.

but, then we stopped at Jess' mom Trish's bead shop

Rustic River Finds

OMG

miles and miles of incredible beads, samples and the entire Vintaj line...all for sale..so..come and take a tour with me and get incredibly inspired.

the cool displays that Trish finds at flea markets (like these cigar molds that hold bracelets) are fantastic !

tomorrow I'll be in class....learning how to make many of these gorgeous pieces...I'll continue to take you on my Vintaj journey

Check back.....!

Lick It....Stick It

Many years ago.....and I do mean MANY...my friend Nick Romer (fellow New Jerseyite !!) started up a company called Green Sneakers and he manufactured one of the coolest & innovative (and, at that time, newest) products for crafters.

The Kreate-A-Lope

It was a HUGE success, especially with rubber stampers because back THEN....many years ago (and I do mean MANY !!) scrapbooking was practically non existant. We stamped our papers and made envelopes using his templates.

 

Well, Nick is Baaaaaaaack!!! And he's using KickStarter (a brilliant fundraiser platform) to get new and exciting templates back on the market again. If you want to get in on that project just click HERE.

and I am a B-I-G fan.

Nick sent me a 'care package' with lots of template sizes. I grabbed some fabulous wrapping paper I was hoarding

picked one of the templates (which is made of really good plastic and has great graphics on it indicating where to place) and layed it over the paper.

now...just start using your imagination...how great is this for photocopies of your kids pictures or even to do WITH your kids !!

now you can either trace the pattern and cut it out OR, just tear right up against the template...which is what I did.

once the paper has been fully torn , remove template and...

flip it over (picture side down) and reposition the template

Now...place the center piece into the template

and remove the large template...you're ready to fold the edges

Now just use the wonderful Lick It-Stick It non toxic, repositionable glue to seal the sides

and you are SO GOOD TO GO !!!

If you're a facebook person hop over to Kreate-A-Lope and like them

You can use any paper under the sun to make envies....calendars, scrapbook paper, rubber stamped paper, photos, photocopies, magazines, wrapping paper...the list is endless.

I only had a little time today to play because I'm packing for a weekend trip to Galena, Illinois..

to take a weekend of classes at VINTAJ

I'm a little over the moon right now !

and I'll be blogging...so come back.