Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry

Valentine's Day will be here soon!

2012-01-23T14:39:00.002-05:00

Here's a fun conversation heart broken china pendant with black artist wire - a sure conversation starter! Click here for more info.

And for the ladies to give their best guy - Men's broken china cuff links & tie tack designed from Crest-O-Gold china. Click here for more info. SOLD - other styles available.

What woman doesn't love Waterford crystal? Here's one of my designs from Waterford crystal. Click here for more info.

Here's a sweet heart-shaped Spring Garden Royal Domino broken china pendant with gold
artist wire wrap that's sure to delight your loved one. Click here for more info.

This broken antique china pendant with copper wire crochet necklace will make a unique statement this Valentine's Day. Click here for more info.

Just a few suggestions - lots more wonderful Valentine's Day gifts on my website at http://www.marjoriescracked.com. Stop by and buy something special for your loved ones! Or have a jewelry piece custom designed for an even more meaningful gift.

Jeremy's wagging again!

2012-01-15T10:45:00.002-05:00

It's been five weeks today since Jeremy's surgery. And he wagged his tail for the first time today! Very slowly but it was a wag! Still can't position those feet enough to walk but hopefully the acupuncture & time will help that.

That tail wag certainly did me a world of good! :)

Featured on Shpangle's Blog - How Nice!

2012-01-02T19:19:00.005-05:00

Mick of Shpangle Jewellery contacted me shortly before the holiday and asked if he could mention my jewelry on his blog. What a nice honor indeed! He has posted the blog article - here it is:

Shpangle Jewellery Blog

As you can tell from the spelling of Shpangle Jewellery, Mick is from the UK. He specializes in creating jewelry that will preserve your memories. He can take almost any small item that you send him - a flower, photo, lock of hair, a piece of wedding dress, etc. - and encase it in resin, thereby designing a truly unique, personal piece of jewelry. We have a similar love of preserving the memories of our customers - and of recycling old into new. Recently, Mick has also used some small shards of china in a pendant for one of his customers, as you can see below. Beautiful, isn't it?

Thank you, Mick, for such a lovely mention on your blog!

My sweet Jeremy Todd's surgery

2011-12-13T15:08:00.005-05:00

It's been quite a time for us. Jeremy, my beloved 3-year-old Cocker Spaniel, ruptured a disc in his back on Sunday as a result of intervertebral disc disease and his hind legs are now paralyzed. His breed is susceptible to this condition, thanks to selective breeding. He was absolutely fine on Friday. We went down to the beach and he had a grand time running and chasing seagulls. Saturday morning, he wasn't as exuberant as he usually is and didn't act like he felt well. By the afternoon, he was trembling and not himself at all. I took him to the Garden State Veterinarian Hospital and was told he had a back problem. They prescribed 4 weeks of rest in the house and cortisone and pain pills. By Sunday afternoon, his hind legs were completely paralyzed. It's absolutely unbelievable how fast he went downhill.

He had emergency surgery on Sunday night. One of the discs in his back had ruptured. He had an extensive amount of damage to his spine. They told me that his spine should be white but it was purple. That could be the start of myelomalacia, which is a softening of the spinal cord. Death could occur from that as a result of respiratory paralysis. This could happen any time over the next seven days.

But on the positive side, they're giving Jeremy a 50-50 chance of a full recovery, if his spine doesn't deteriorate from the trauma. And today, just two days after surgery, he had some feeling in one of his toes! The doctor said that, although he's not out of the woods yet, it's a sign that his spine is trying to heal. All we can do is wait to see how he recovers from all of this. Unfortunately, there's a 40% chance that it could happen again.

I'm devastated that this happened to my sweet boy. He's had a rough time of it as it is. Before I adopted him, he had been hit by a car, breaking his clavicle. His owners took him to the vet but abandoned him there. He was put in a shelter in North Jersey where he sat in a cage for six months. He became cage aggressive, the shelter felt he was not adoptable and he was scheduled to be put down. Rescue Ridge came to the rescue and took him and I adopted him from them almost two years ago. I'll always be indebted to Rescue Ridge for saving Jeremy. They've been very supportive throughout this nightmare.

He's such a good boy and tries so hard to please. He faces being in a crate for the next 6 to 9 weeks, which will be difficult for him due to his long time being caged at the shelter. He cannot even urinate by himself. Please keep him in your thoughts in the days ahead as he recovers from this trauma.

Huge discounts at Marjorie's Cracked!

2011-11-03T21:21:00.003-04:00

From now until the end of the year - 50% sale throughout the store, including Christmas items! Now would be a great time to find some wonderful values for your holiday giving. I'm clearing out to make way for some exciting new jewelry in the New Year. So hurry now to catch these great buys while they last!

Witches & Brooms & Bats, Oh My!

2011-09-27T10:42:00.001-04:00

Some fun Halloween broken china jewelry. Available now for a limited time on my website.

Foster kittens

2011-07-29T18:55:00.004-04:00

I had the pleasure of fostering three little black and white kittens for a short while. They're back with Rescue Ridge now. Curious George, one of the tuxedos, has found a home. But Squirt and Pepe are still waiting. The photos and video are of the kittens when they were only about 5 weeks old. They're 11 weeks old now and doing well. These kittens are personality plus and real cuddlers! Please contact Rescue Ridge to meet these little darlings. I know they have much love ready to give you.

Here's Squirt:

And Pepe - he has a white stripe right down his back!

Enjoy their videos!

Newest custom sea glass ring

2011-07-03T14:31:00.003-04:00

I received an order for a custom sea glass wire wrap ring after my last post here about my sea glass jewelry. The customer saw my blog posting here and asked for something to match her personality, which she described to me as being a fast paced, free spirit, living life like there's no tomorrow. I designed this big, bold, bright ring for her and she loved it!

My first orchid cactus bloom

2011-06-29T15:58:00.008-04:00

I bought an orchid cactus last fall and waited anxiously all winter for spring to arrive and the first blooms, since I was told by the lady who I bought it from that it blooms in the spring. But there were no buds this spring although the plant was thriving. Then about a week ago, the first bud appeared. And finally today the first bloom opened! And it's a beauty and well worth the wait. I don't know if there will be more buds this late in the season but I'm happy there was at least this one!

It's Sum-Sum-Summertime! Time for Sea Glass!

2011-06-24T15:16:00.004-04:00

While sea glass jewelry is wonderful to wear year round, it's during those warm, lazy summer months when it's especially nice. My website has a full line of authentic wire wrapped sea glass jewelry. All of my jewelry is designed from authentic sea glass found on the Jersey Shore. Such as the brown sea glass wire wrapped pendant shown above. And the green sea glass wire crochet ankle bracelet shown below.

I still have several wire crochet sea glass necklaces, such as the one below. These necklaces can be lengthened or shortened according to your preference - just let me know when ordering.

I also carry sea glass rings and I can custom design a ring for you in your size and almost any color sea glass you wish for.

And of course, there are the earrings! Check out what I have on my website and again, I can always custom design a pair for you in the color sea glass that you want. The second pair of earrings shown below also have capiz shell in their design. I have always loved capiz shell!

Though I did just say that all of my sea glass jewelry is designed with Jersey Shore sea glass, there is this one particular piece that doesn't fit that statement. The sea glass in this bracelet was sent to me by a friend from Maui, Hawaii.

So stop by my website and check out all of my sea glass designs and decide which you really must, must have!

Latest custom order from wedding china

2011-06-16T09:11:00.006-04:00

Just finished up a custom order from a customer's daughter's wedding china that had broken. These were pretty much designed by the customer, except for the wire wrap on the pendant. She asked that the brooch have no wire and a scalloped edge. And she asked for a 2" x 2" pendant. Her response was "stunning"!

Latest jewelry video

2011-05-20T19:46:00.001-04:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Cool2Craft Feature

2011-05-16T09:37:00.004-04:00

I'm very pleased to be featured on the Cool2Craft.com website today! The theme of their blog this month is "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" and I was asked to share what it's like to walk in my shoes. Here's a link to the feature:

Cool2Craft Creative Play Contributor Marjorie Cunningham

Thank you, Candace of Cool2Craft, for including me in this month's feature!

My jewelry on eBay

2011-05-03T19:20:00.009-04:00

Here's your chance to bid on some of my jewelry pieces on eBay. These are my spring clearance pieces and the starting prices are less than I sell them for on my website.

Unique strawberry broken china pendant wrapped with black artist wire
Designed from hand painted Lenwile Ardalt china
Pendant is 1-3/4" x 1-1/2" counting bail
Comes with 18" black velvet cord necklace.

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Purple pansy broken china pendant with silver artist wire wrap
Pendant is 2" x 2"
Comes with 18" black velvet cord necklace with lobster clasp.

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Yellow & pink butterfly broken china pendant
Pendant is 1" x 1-1/4" (not counting bail)
Comes with 18" black velvet cord necklace with lobster clasp.

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Yellow pansy pendant with gold artist wire wrap
Pendant is 1-3/4" x 2"
Comes with 18" black velvet cord necklace with lobster clasp.

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Broken china pendant designed from Bavaria Germany china
Wrapped with gold artist wire
Pendant is 1-1/4" x 2" counting bail
Comes with 18" black velvet cord necklace with lobster clasp.

Happy bidding!

Peaches' miracle

2011-04-22T09:16:00.006-04:00

As some of you know, I do volunteer work for Rescue Ridge, a no-kill shelter that takes in animals everyone else has given up on. Here is the story of Peaches and her miracle:

Peaches is a beautiful pit bull who had serious aggression issues and separation anxiety due to prior abuse. When she was adopted, she had cigarette burns on her body. Her present owner couldn't take her anywhere without fear of her biting someone. He took her to several vets and even a pet therapist. After endless attempts at medicating Peaches, they saw no results and suggested she be euthanized because there was no hope. The owner requested another opinion so a trainer was brought in. After spending fifteen minutes on the owner's couch while having Peaches growl and bark at him, the trainer stood up and said "I'm sorry but you need to put her down."

I referred her owner to Mike of BullysBehaven.com, who worked with Peaches for thirty minutes, Peaches went from an anxious aggressive dog to......well pictures speak a thousand words.

They walked her through the busy streets and directly through the outdoor cafes in Freehold and she was a rock star. They passed dozens and dozens of walkers and bikers and Peaches was perfect.

At the end of Mike's visit, the owner had a tear in his eye and a million dollar smile because he said "after a year of hell with Peaches, this girl right here is the type of dog I always wanted. "

And here's a recent update from Mike: " I dropped in on Tim tonight to see how Peaches was doing and she is fantastic. All she wanted from me were belly rubs. Peaches walks perfectly on leash but while I was there, I got her used to a Gentle leader. Reason for that is that Tim wants to start riding his bike with her which he was never able to do before because of her aggression and anxiety, so the Gentle leader will give him a little better control while on the bike. He went from almost euthanizing her 10 days ago to wanting to go on bike rides today. An amazing ending and an incredible new beginning."

Dogs showing aggression, separation anxiety and other behavior issues or have failed a temperament test do not need to be euthanized or given up by their owners. The right kind of training can restore dogs with issues to dogs who can live happy and contented lives.

,

Amaryllis beauty

2011-04-10T13:41:00.006-04:00

If there's one thing that says spring to me the most, it's blooming amaryllis bulbs! I have two bulbs - one had two blooms and one had four blooms, but they weren't all opened yet in these photos. The bulbs started blooming a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, the blooms are gone now but their beauty can still be enjoyed through their photos.

In the mood for summer!

2011-03-13T16:04:00.004-04:00

Since my main focus on jewelry designs is centered around the broken china idea, I don't always talk much about my sea glass and broken shell work. Those items are tucked away on my website and not given very much exposure.

But the other day, one of my customers found those pieces and bought two of the broken shell pendants. She was giving them as gifts and said she was excited to share my work with her friends. So I packaged up the following two pendants and sent them off to their new owners.

Not long after, I took a walk on the beach and found these pieces of shell and sea glass that intrigued me. I'm in the mood now to create some summer jewelry, even though the cold winds of March are still blowing. So in the next few days, I'll be putting on my creativity hat and will try to come up with some ideas for these shells.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to feel in a summer mood, too, here are some pieces that still remain on my website.

Jeremy on the rocks!

2011-03-08T16:22:00.003-05:00

It's so wonderful to be able to get out and about now that the weather in NJ has improved. It was only 43 today but sunny and beautiful so Jeremy and I went to the beach. Even with the cold temperature, Jeremy couldn't resist going into the water a little bit!

My giggly grandson

2011-03-08T10:39:00.002-05:00

I just have to share this video of my 7-1/2 month grandson Joshua. Such a happy little guy! I hope his joy brings a smile to your heart like it does to mine.

Spring is on its way!

2011-03-07T16:16:00.005-05:00

Well, spring hasn't sprung yet here in NJ but it's on its way! My first daffodil of the season has bloomed.

And crocus are always early bloomers.

Welcome back, Oriental Poppy!

And all these lilies, too. Hope you've had a good winter's rest.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of my spring flower friends return.

Two more Irish Shamrock broken china pendants

2011-02-27T19:05:00.005-05:00

Here are two more Irish Shamrock broken china pendants. And that will be it for this year. Quite a few of the pieces from this tea pot have sold but there are still a few jewelry pieces left, including the two latest ones shown below. Available at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry website.

Latest Irish Shamrock Pendant

2011-02-23T10:41:00.003-05:00

I promised you more Irish Shamrock jewelry for St. Patrick's Day and I'm working on it! Here's the latest - available at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry. Hope you like it!

Top O' the Morning to You!

2011-02-15T15:13:00.005-05:00

St. Patrick's Day will be here before you know it. Be ready for it with some exclusive Marjorie's Cracked broken china jewelry pieces. This is all I have left at the moment, but I hope to find enough time to design more before the day when everone wears the green arrives!

Valentine's Day will be here soon!

2011-02-02T10:08:00.002-05:00

Here's a fun conversation heart broken china pendant with black artist wire - a sure conversation starter! Click here for more info.

And for the ladies to give their best guy - Men's broken china cuff links & tie tack designed from Crest-O-Gold china. Click here for more info.

What woman doesn't love Waterford crystal? Here's one of my designs from Waterford crystal. Click here for more info.

Here's a sweet heart-shaped Spring Garden Royal Domino broken china pendant with gold
artist wire wrap that's sure to delight your loved one. Click here for more info.

This broken antique china pendant with copper wire crochet necklace will make a unique statement this Valentine's Day. Click here for more info.

Just a few suggestions - lots more wonderful Valentine's Day gifts on my website at http://www.marjoriescracked.com. Stop by and buy something special for your loved ones! Or have a jewelry piece custom designed for an even more meaningful gift.

Latest custom order

2011-01-30T18:46:00.004-05:00

This customer sent me a very bright, beautiful broken teacup and asked me to design four pendants for her family. Here are the results! It's always such a pleasure to design heirloom jewelry for a family.

Reward offered for safe return of Charlie Brown

2011-01-11T10:09:00.005-05:00

As some of you know, my dog Jeremy was adopted from Rescue Ridge, a wonderful organization in Monmouth County, NJ. One of their courtesy post dogs, Charlie Brown, finally found a home in Morganville, NJ on New Year's Eve but escaped from the yard the next morning. He is still missing.

Reward offered for safe return of Charlie Brown

Dog goes missing shortly after arriving at Marlboro home
Amy Rosen - News Transcript

MARLBORO — A cash reward is being offered for the safe return of a lost dog named Charlie Brown.

Charlie Brown is shy, traumatized and scared, according to Michelle Forsythe, a rescue transport coordinator from Pennsylvania who helped arrange the adoption of the 18-month-old reddish-brown lab mix to a family in the Morganville section of Marlboro.

Unfortunately, within the first few hours at what was supposed to be his forever home, Charlie Brown ran away from the yard of the family’s Alexander Court, Marlboro, home on Jan. 1 at about 4 a.m. and has not been seen since.

Charlie Brown has had all his shots and all his health certificates are in order, but he was recently neutered and his sutures were supposed to be removed Jan. 3. The dog has a microchip, which is currently registered to Forsythe, but Marlboro police and animal control officers had not been able to locate Charlie Brown as of Jan. 10.

The family has put out food, but Charlie Brown, who loves food, according to Forsythe, has not been located.

Over the weekend of Jan. 8-9, volunteers from Rescue Ridge, a local animal rescue organization, took to the streets and woods in the area to help locate Charlie Brown. The volunteers also handed out fliers in the area. With snow forecast for Jan. 11, concern was growing for the dog’s safety.

“Charlie Brown and his brother, Bobby, were young dogs that we think were abused by their original owners,” Forsythe said. “They had been in foster care on a farm pending a nurturing home.

“Charlie Brown is very, very sweet and doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. Charlie is scared of new people and situations. If scared, he will crouch, bolt, run and hide. He enjoys other dogs and fast-food snacks. He won’t come if called,” she said.

Anyone who has seen Charlie Brown is asked to call Marlboro police at 732-536-0100 or Michelle Forsythe at 304-374-0804.

Add touch of summer to winter days

2011-01-10T11:50:00.004-05:00

You may come from a warmer climate than I do, but here in New Jersey, I'm starting to long for a touch of a warm breeze. Ahhh, those summer days, they seem so far away.

Add a touch of summer to your cold winter time with jewelry designed from authentic sea glass - right from the Jersey Shore. Sea glass is becoming quite rare since we use more plastic these days than glass. It used to be abundant along the shore but now it's much harder to find. Here are some jewelry pieces designed from my sea glass collection.

Copper wire crochet necklace with authentic green sea glass pendant. Pendant is 3/4" x 1-3/4" counting bail. Necklace is 20" long counting clasp. (Can be lengthened or shortened according to your preference - let me know). Purchase info here.

Brown sea glass wire wrapped pendant. Comes with 18" black cord with 2" extension
Pendant is 1" x 2". Purchase info here.

Green sea glass and capiz shell earrings with silver hoops. Earrings are 1" long not counting silver hoops. Purchase info here.

Brown, green & white sea glass wire link bracelet. 7" long (can be made longer for you). This particular bracelet is designed using sea glass from Maui, Hawaii.
Purchase info here.

More sea glass jewelry available at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry including rings and ankle bracelets.

A very Merry Christmas to you!

2010-12-24T12:51:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas from Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry! I tried to put bows on my cats and take their photos, too, but they just wouldn't cooperate. My dog Jeremy wasn't too thrilled with the photo shoot, either, but I did get one of him trying to walk away! His look says "what kind of silliness are you putting me through now"??!

My best wishes for a wonderful holiday season for each of you and much love and blessings throughout the coming year.

Marjorie

Gorgeously unique jewelry by Sarah Babu

2010-12-13T15:20:00.007-05:00

I met a lovely lady online from Nairobi, Kenya named Sarah Babu. Sarah creates delightfully unique jewelry that I just had to share with you.

I asked Sarah to tell me a bit about herself and here is her story.

"I have lots of interest in art, I might have been born with a bead, needle and thread. I have always drawn, painted, beaded something almost everyday. I am currently working in a bank and bead part time. I am a Kenyan citizen.

"I am looking to expand my jewelery making business and that is why I contacted you. I loved your pieces. They are very unique and have a timeless touch to them. My plan is to look for some one who would be interested in buying the sort of pieces I have in bulk (over 50 pieces), then sell it to other people.

"My pieces are influenced by my community (Agate,Gold Dust, Malachite, turquoise.) The materials I use are horn beads, seed beads, glass beads and semi precious stone beads found locally and in other African countries. I have quite competitive
prices and try to make my pieces as unique as possible."

I'm sure you will agree that Sarah's work is lovely and unique. If you are interested in purchasing any of Sarah's jewelry (I'm sure she could be convinced to sell individual pieces in addition to bulk), please let me know and I will get you in touch with Sarah.

Happy Thanksgiving from Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry!

2010-11-24T14:53:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow will be a busy day for each of us here in the US so I just wanted to stop by and wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. We have so very much to be grateful for in our family. At the top of the list is the newest member of our family, little Joshua Raymond. Josh is 4 months old now and is such a joy.

Wishing you all of the wonderful blessings of life in the coming year. Stop back soon for some new designs from Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry!

Holiday page is up!

2010-11-12T09:05:00.004-05:00

Holiday page is up on my website! English Spode China holly leaf & vintage Christmas jewelry plus broken china Christmas ornaments! Holiday creations

These jewelry pieces were designed from English Spode china. Still available are pendant, earrings and wire crochet necklace. The necklace can be either shortened or lengthened - just let me know!

These pendants were designed from vintage china depicting adorable santas, reindeer and snowman.

And I still have a few broken Christmas tree ornaments - more to come!

Delicate Limoge broken china jewelry

2010-10-26T17:38:00.007-04:00

The following jewelry is designed from a lovely Limoge tea cup. The design was on both sides of the cup so these jewelry pieces are reversible. Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com.

Indian Summer in New Jersey

2010-10-24T15:51:00.011-04:00

We've been enjoying a few days of Indian Summer here in New Jersey with beautiful sunny days in the mid-70's. It looks like the clouds will roll in tomorrow and showers starting on Tuesday but temperatures will still be balmy until Friday.

Yesterday, my daughter, Becky, and my son-in-law, Ray, went down to the dog beach with my cocker spaniel, Jeremy, and their Shiba Inus, Aspen and Bella. What a glorious day it was - sunny but not real hot. The water was very low and the dogs had to run almost up to the boats to get to the waves. So they didn't do a lot of swimming. But so many dogs came out to the beach to enjoy the beautiful day and they had such a blast.

It's hard taking photos down there because the dogs seldom stand still. But Becky was able to get a few and I wanted to share them with you.

The dog beach is the one place where I feel comfortable letting Jeremy run free. And boy, does he love it! He raced from one end of that beach to the other. It absolutely thrills me to see him running so fast and free. What a shame it is when I have to leash him again after that. The way we live with cars zooming all around us is just not natural to dogs. But it is what it is.

But yesterday he was free and he had a ball. There was a seagull that was teasing him. As soon as Jeremy would take off after him, the gull would lift off and fly the other way along the shoreline and would then land. Jeremy would take off again, only to have the gull fly off in the opposite direction. Back and forth they went!

Ray had brought along homemade dog treats that Becky had made the night before. Jeremy loved them. Here he is with Bella begging for more. Aspen had enough of the treats the night before so he buried his in the sand. Every once in while, he'd go over to the spot and dig it back up with his nose and then cover it again. Once he didn't cover it enough and Jeremy found it. Aspen's face looked so baffled when he went back and the treat wasn't there!

Aspen, Bella and Jeremy all enjoyed digging a huge hole and here's Jeremy with his head in it. What's in there, Jeremy?!

What a sandy mess Jeremy was by the end of the day. And his long hair was full of burrs from running in the sand dunes. But it was all worth it.

I doubt if we'll have many more of these beach days now that November is almost here. But I know that Jeremy has made enough good beach memories to keep his dreams happy throughout the winter. A great day spent with my family and dogs. But my little grandson Joshua slept through it all! :)

Lazy Days in the Sun

2010-10-13T08:54:00.007-04:00

Now that the cooler days of autumn have arrived, the best place to lay around in the sun is inside! My grandson, Joshua, and my pets, Jeremy and Belle, enjoying a lazy day in the sun.

Autumn Days Broken China Jewelry

2010-10-11T18:32:00.004-04:00

Copper and gold artist wire crochet necklace with
fall color broken china pendant
Includes five Czech goldstone beads
Pendant is 1-1/4" x 1"
Necklace is 19-1/2" long
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/chokers2.html

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Broken china fall leaf pendant with copper
artist wire wrap and three Czech goldstone beads
Pendant is 2" x 2"
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/pendants2.html

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Mod fall color broken china pendant with copper
wire wrap and three Czech goldstone beads
Pendant is 1-3/4" x 2"
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/pendants2.html

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Broken china wire chain bracelet
with brown Czech goldstone bead
& copper artist wire
Bracelet is 7-1/2" long
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/bracelets2.html

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Designed from Richard Ginori china with
copper wire wrap
Earrings are 1" long not counting hoops
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/earrings3.html

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Witches & brooms & bats, oh my!!

2010-09-28T19:07:00.004-04:00

Some fun Halloween broken china jewelry. Available now for a limited time on my website.

Crochet directions for Joshua's new hat

2010-09-20T19:18:00.010-04:00

My grandson Joshua is two months old now. My daughter and I took Joshua and our three dogs to a bike trail the other day and the wind was a bit chilly. Joshua was wearing a cute little baseball cap but it didn't cover his ears. We don't want Josh to get an earache, so I decided to make him a hat with ear flaps. But it also needed a brim because Joshua doesn't like the sun in his face.

I spent that night looking at page after page on the internet but just couldn't find what I was looking for. So I sat down and worked up this hat. It's simple and worked up quickly. I had it done that evening. It's a little big for Joshua at two months but will be perfect in another month. So I would say that the hat fits 3-6 months. Joshie loves his new hat!

I used regular worsted weight yarn for this one but also used the same pattern using baby yarn for another hat which of course worked up a bit smaller since the yarn is thinner. Using worsted weight yarn makes for a nice thick hat that will be perfect for the upcoming cold days. I hope I can explain the directions well enough. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Use "G" or "6" hook.

Chain 4.

1. 11 dc in 4th ch from hook, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (work in rounds for main hat until brim - do not turn)

2. ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each stitch around, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3

3. ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next st (2 dc in next st, dc in next st) 11 times, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3.

4. ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of next 2 sts (2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 2 sts) 11 times, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3

5. ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of next 7 sts (2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 7 sts) 5 times, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3

6. ch 3, dc in next st, dc in rest of stitches around, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3.

7, 8, 9 & 10. Repeat round 6.

11. ch 1, (sc in next 9 sts, decease one stitch) 6 times. Cut yarn.

Brim

12. The brim will be worked on top of the finished stitching so the brim will stand out instead of down. Working at opening of hat with seam towards the back, attach yarn around one dc, ch 1, sc in next 18 sts.

13. Ch 1, turn. sc in next 18 sts.

14. Ch 1, turn. Decrease 1 st, sc in next 14 sts, decrease 1 st.

15. Ch 1, turn. Decrease 1 st, sc in next 10 sts, decrease 1 st.

16. Ch 1, turn. Decrease 1 st, sc in next 6 sts, decrease 1 st. Cut yarn.

17. Attach yarn directly in back of finished brim and repeat rounds 13-16. You will have two brims right next to each other.

18. Using plastic canvas or other type of plastic, cut out the same shape as the brim. Insert the plastic between the two halves of the brim. Attach yarn at end of brim where it joins the hat on the right side and sc through the two halves of brim all around the brim. Cut yarn.

Ear flaps

19. Attach yarn at the second stitch next to the left side of the brim. Ch 1, sc in next 8 sts.

20. Ch 1, turn. sc in next 8 sts.

21. Ch 1, turn. decrease 1 st, sc in next 4 sts, decrease 1 st.

22. Ch 1, turn. decrease 1 st, decrease 1 st.

23. sl st back to middle of flap and made chain of 32 sts.

24. sc in second ch from hook and sl st to flap.

25. Attach yarn at 9th st from right side of ear flap. Ch 1, sc in next 8 sts.

26 -30. Repeat rounds 20 - 24

Work in loose ends of yarn and you're finished! I'm making a red one next.

Jewelry Boxes 123

2010-09-01T09:11:00.006-04:00

Find the perfect jewelry box, music box, watch box or jewelry armoire at Jewelry Boxes 123. They offer hundreds of high quality wooden, fabric or leather jewelry boxes at affordable prices. They are so convinced that their prices are the lowest anywhere that they offer a 110% low price guarantee. If you find an item for less anywhere else, they will match the price and will give you another 10% off. Plus now through September 15, they are offering free shipping and no sales tax.

They even carry automatic watch winders. What a unique gift for a serious watch collector or luxury watch owner. You'll also find cigar boxes and humidors and wall mounted armoires.

What little girl wouldn't love this beautiful ballerina music jewelry box that plays "Waltz of the Flowers"?

Jewelry Boxes 123 has a very helpful advice center on their website that will help you choose the perfect jewelry box for yourself or for a gift. Have you ever heard of a jewelry roll? They have plastic zippered compartments and can be rolled up, fastened with a ribbon and then tucked into a suitcase. You'll want to check out their tips for buying jewelry boxes, such as making sure that the drawers slide out smoothly. Squeaky or creaking is a sure sign that the box will not stand up to daily openings and closings. A jewelry box for men, called a valet box, serves as a sophisticated, classy way for men to keep their keys, loose change, rings and more in one place. What a perfect gift for the man who has everything! You will find these tips and more at Jewelry Boxes 123's advice center.

Treat yourself and your jewelry to a luxurious jewelry box or find an unforgettable gift that will become a family heirloom to be passed on through generations at Jewelry Boxes 123. Shopping at an expert website such Jewelry Boxes 123 will ensure that you will have a great shopping experience and will find the perfect jewelry box for any occasion.

This is a paid advertisement.

Meet Carla Trujillo, Mixed Media Artist

2010-08-11T09:53:00.007-04:00

Meet Carla Trujillo, our newest merchant at the Reclaimed to Fame Market! Carla uses mostly found objects in her artwork and we're very glad to have her talented works in our market. Please visit her shop to see more of her fabulous art work.

"My name is Carla Trujillo and I am a mixed media artist. My interest in the arts began in the field of printmaking some 25 years ago and within the past four years, I have expanded my talents into the world of mixed media art and assemblages. I love working with the human figure and faces, so my focus has been on creating art dolls. It's a challenge and a delight to bring together four of my favorite materials (wood, wire, fiber, and clay) in order to create some type of balance and relationship with the materials.

I am continually pushing myself to explore new styles and techniques. All of my pieces are one of-a-kind creations that seem to have a spirit that people connect or relate to.

I am very excited to be a part of Reclaimed to Fame Market!"

My new Fiesta!

2010-07-28T14:05:00.007-04:00

My Ford Escort was 11 years old and really starting to look it. While I've always loved the car, I was starting to feel that it wasn't as reliable as it once had been and I started looking around for a new car. But with so many cars out there, which should I choose?

I fell in love with the look of the Mini Cooper a couple of years ago. But my research into the car made me hesitate. BMW parts promised expensive repairs and the car experts didn't give it such great points. So as much as I loved the look of the car, I wasn't sure this was the one for me.

Then I read about the Fiesta. This Ford model has been available in Europe for years and they love it there. And it was finally coming to the US! With great gas mileage and such a sporty look, I was definitely interested. And the experts had nothing but good things to say about it. But when would it be here?

First I heard that it would be available in May, 2010. The Ford website said it was here and the ads started appearing on TV. But the dealers in NJ didn't have any. I was told they would have some the middle of June. Then the end of June. Then the first week in July. And they would only be getting two or three in at a time. Finally, on July 16th, one of the service men at my local Ford dealer called me and said "Guess what just came in?" Just one was there and I was on my way to see it. It was love at first sight and I bought it on the spot. I was told that they checked their computers and I was the first one in the State of New Jersey to drive the 2011 Fiesta out of a dealership. Pretty neat!

I've had the car a week and a half and I couldn't be happier with it. It drives like a dream. It did have some extras that I've never treated myself to before so I'm feeling quite pampered. I haven't enjoyed driving this much since my first car. A new grandson and a new car - life is good! :)

Joshua Raymond - my grandson

2010-07-11T13:04:00.005-04:00

Joshua Raymond Desfosse arrived today, July 11, 2010 at 5:30 a.m. weighing in a 6 lbs. 3 oz. He couldn't wait the extra 20 days until his due date, instead telling his mom that he was ready.

My first sight of Joshua was of him laying on a heater bed. They were raising his temperature so they could give him a bath. They do things so differently now than when Joshua's mother was born. He hardly looked real, all bright pink and so perfect. I wish I had thought to get my camera out and take photos of his first bath but I was too busy taking in every inch of him. He didn't like his bath at all! But as soon as they were finished, he quieted right down. They wrapped him up tightly and then his great-grandmother, his mom's friend Rachel and I took turns holding him. What a sweet little bundle he is!

Here he is with my mother, Joshua's great-grandmother, holding him.

He didn't wake up again during our visit so I couldn't get many photos. But I couldn't wait to put them up. I'm going back tonight and I know his father, Raymond, took some good photos of him and Rebecca so as soon as I get them, I'll be posting them, too. Get ready because there's going to be a lot of talk about Joshua here! I'll try not to bore you but I'm one proud grandma! I'm so happy and relieved that all went well with his birth and that mom and son are doing so well.

Just getting ready for a big yawn here. Such a tired little guy. Being born is tough!

Shiba Tail

2010-07-09T15:04:00.004-04:00

My daughter, Rebecca, and her husband, Raymond, own two Shiba Inus, Aspen and Bella. She told me that there really isn't a lot of information online about Shiba Inus and not many people are familiar with them. So she's started up a blog about her adventures with her own Shiba Inus and will include information anyone who is interested in learning about the breed will be sure to want to know.

So stop by her new blog, Shiba Tail, and leave a comment to help her get started. Thanks! :)

What a day at the beach

2010-07-03T12:33:00.005-04:00

We have a fabulous dog beach not too far from us and my daughter, Rebecca, and I took our dogs down there the other day. What a beautiful day at the Jersey Shore it was. I was going to bring my camera to catch all the dogs' antics but usually my beach bag ends up full of sand from the three dogs' digging so I didn't want to take the chance. Maybe next time.

The dogs ran and chased other dogs and dug tunnels and swam and just had an absolute ball. It makes you happy just to watch all the beautiful dogs frolicking on the beach. Yup, I definitely have to bring my camera next time!

Though I have no photos to show you of our day at the beach, I did snap some of Jeremy that evening. Notice the tip of his tongue hanging out. He tried to open one of his eyes when he saw the camera but that was it. He was bushed as I'm sure my daughter's two Shiba Inus were, too. I didn't have too much energy left myself!

Rebecca's Baby Shower

2010-06-26T17:07:00.010-04:00

Yes, I'm going to be a grandmother! I'm looking forward to holding my first grandson in my arms in just a little over one month. Can't wait to give the little guy a big kiss. No name yet - Rebecca and Raymond have a few names picked out but Raymond wants to see his son before he makes his final decision.

And today was Rebecca's baby shower. Given by Raymond's Aunt Dawn, it was a huge success. So many wonderful people who were so very generous to Rebecca and Raymond. They're all set now for this delightful new addition to their lives and home.

The food was so delicious and take a look at this fabulous cake!

We all had a wonderful time and I know Rebecca was absolutely thrilled. Thank goodness the baby's room is finished in their new condo so they have a place to put all of these wonderful presents. This is one lucky couple!

Thank you to all who made this baby shower so very special for Rebecca (who will always be my baby girl).

Gabriella DeLawey Doll Art

2010-06-23T14:54:00.004-04:00

As manager of the Reclaimed to Fame Market on 1000 Markets, I am very proud to have Gabriella DeLawey Doll Art as one of our talented merchants. Her art dolls are such a wonderful way to recycle found objects and I'm just fascinated with them! Here is her story:

"I have been "hooked" on figurative sculpture since January 2008. I took a class at John C. Campbell Folk School with NIADA Doll Artist, Akira Blount. I bravely attended her class for advanced doll makers reasoning my sewing, pattern making and former sculpting skills would suffice. As it turned out, the making of a needle sculpted doll and covering a needle sculpted doll head with paper clay was really hard!

"I was determined that I would pull it all together and give it a real go. My doll needed a little re-working once I returned home but it turned out great. The doll had a soul and that's when I knew I would be successful as a art doll artist.

"I qualify for Reclaimed to Fame Market because of the many items I recycle, especially in the costuming of the dolls. Several months ago, I started using reclaimed items as the body of the doll. Some items I used on dolls that have sold were candle sticks, perfume bottle, a bowling pin and thread spindles. Other items are leather gloves (they make great shoes), vintage hankies, linens, blouses, trims, jewelery and buttons. The list goes on and on. In fact I have even used the shirt off my back! Dolls are a wonderful art form for recycled items.

"Equally important for a successful doll is the "soul" as I mentioned above. Capturing the spirit of the doll is the real challenge. I love creating each character. I only make OOAK (one-of-a-kind) and I have vowed to never do a limited edition. The thrill comes when I make a doll and a buyer sees it and must have it. Or will email me because "she just couldn't get her out of her head". That's the best when someone gets my whimsy.

"Art becomes really fun when people love what you make and respect it enough to buy it. Artist need art admirers, collectors and critics to complete the circle (at least this artist needs all of the above)."

Ms. DeLawey makes her home in North Central Mississippi with her husband Joe, their dogs, Tucker and Maddie, and her Persian cat, Miss Lilly.

Artist Statement

"I am inspired by the fun I have making something out of nothing. I enjoy creating expressive characters and weaving a story using texture, fiber, color, expressions and body language. My medium is paper clay, cloth and reclaimed found objects. I hand make all of my costumes, wigs, and many of the props used.

"It is my intention to entertain and endear people with my characters, all of whom I find to be lovable, laughabl, and sweet."

Gabriella DeLawey Doll Art

Murano Glass Gifts

2010-06-16T16:13:00.013-04:00

Discover the beauty of Murano Glassware by visiting Murano Glass Gifts' website. They offer affordable prices and a high quality selection of the finest imported Venetian glass art.

The master glass-blowers of Murano, Italy have kept to the age-old traditions of glass-blowing. Those traditions have only improved with time and today, as it did over a thousand years ago, the island of Murano stands as the center of Venetian artistry. The exceptional craftsmanship of these handcrafted artisans and their attention to detail is shown is each piece of Murano glass art. Read the extensive write-up that Murano Glass Gifts has included on their website to learn more about the long and impressive history of Murano glass work.

Murano Glass Gifts have chosen a wide selection of original artisan jewelry to include on their website. Their pendants, necklaces and earrings are exquisite and are a joy to behold. Own a piece of Murano history today or give one of these stunning pieces of artisan jewelry for a gift that will never be forgotten.

This has been a paid advertisement.

Like cats and dogs

2010-06-15T14:35:00.006-04:00

The old saying of "fighting like cats and dogs" would make you think that cats and dogs just don't mix. But I've learned that cats and dogs can actually get along just fine - actually better than some cats do!

My two cats, Dickon and Belle, fought quite a bit when Belle first came to live with us but they now have called a truce and just keep away from each other. No more fur flying, thank goodness! I've only ever had cats since I've been an adult and have had those that got along and those that didn't. When I decided to adopt my cocker spaniel, Jeremy, I expected problems. But it turned out to be easier than introducing two cats.

Both Dickon and Belle were leery of Jeremy at first because they weren't sure what he was capable of and he was a lot bigger than them. But they soon learned that he was all bark and they put him in his place. Jeremy really loves Belle and tries to play with her and sometimes she's OK with it but most times she smacks him. But he still will try to lie down next to her and she lets him now.

The one I thought would never get near Jeremy was Dickon. But as you can see from this photo, they're OK with each other now, too. Though Jeremy does have to watch his step around the big gray boy!

It's been a great relief to see all my pets getting along so well. I think they like each other better than they'd admit!

Meet Claire Ludovico of Humpty Dumpty!

2010-06-07T15:38:00.011-04:00

I'm very proud to introduce Claire Ludovico of Humpty Dumpty and her husband, merchants in our Reclaimed to Fame Market. Claire creates the most gorgeous wearable and functional art from emu and ostrich eggs. Included in her shop are eggshell barrettes, curio boxes, jewelry, nightlights and lamps. I'll let Claire take over to tell you her story.

"For all our Renaissance Faire friends and for those who have just found us here, we create wearable and functional art from ostrich and emu eggshells. Claire has been carving eggshells since 1996. The shell is durable: the ostrich chick takes three days to break out of the shell, and is about the size of a full grown chicken at hatching. Sometimes after-hatch shells are used; other times the shells of infertile eggs are upcycled. Emu eggshell, while not as thick as ostrich has more interesting colors: dark green outside with blue to blue-green underlayers and white interiors. In the creation of jewelry, emu shell is usually backed with ostrich shell for strength. The ostrich shell is also translucent and therefore allows lampshades to be made from it. Emu is opaque until the (very thin) white layer is exposed.

"Most of the products I have included in the Reclaimed to Fame Market are made exclusively of ostrich eggshell. Ostriches, according to reports I have had from various ostrich ranchers, have a 20% to 30% infertility rate. Unfortunately, the egg within the shell, by the time it is discovered to be non-fertile, has been in an incubator for two weeks or so. No one would want to eat it...except, of course, coyotes (who may be the major consumers here in Arizona when the egg stuff is "placed" in the desert.) The shell is left to be used in whatever fashion one's imagination can create...or to be tossed. I am approached regularly by people who have ostriches or emus and don't know what to do with their blown eggs. I'm happy to make suggestions for up-cycling the shells.

"Anyone who has visited with me at one of my Renaissance Faire shops usually seeks an answer to the question,"How did you get into doing this?" The answer is a little long. In 1995 my husband and I moved to Arizona to raise emus at his sister's request. We were to start up the ranch and when things were rolling she and her husband would take over. This would be their retirement plan...a plan hatched when friends told them that raising emus was soooo easy, all one had to do was feed the birds and pick up the eggs. Naturally, this was not exactly the case. We agreed to try it for a few years.

Not knowing anything about emus, we joined an Emu-Ostrich Association so that if problems arose, we would have access to people who knew what they were doing. The Association was responsible for Ostrich Alley at the Chandler Ostrich Festival. In an effort to educate the public, the Association went to the Ostrich Festival and the Arizona State Fair and distributed literature about both birds. The first Ostrich Festival that we attended was in March of 1996. There we met other ranching family which has remained our friends over the years. The then teenage son in this family created earrings out of chips of emu eggshell with a post and a few emu feathers glued on the back. He sold them very cheaply. A few weeks later we had an Association meeting at the ranch of another of the members. Because they had jeep tours through their property to see all the different kinds of wildlife that they were raising, they also had a gift shop. Unfortunately, the least expensive item in the shop was $75. We thought they should hook up with the teenager who could make make them some slightly more elegant earrings, etc. However, he was busy in school and playing football. When we were at the ranch again a few weeks later and noted the continuing lack of an inexpensive memento for the jeep tourists, we returned home and noted to ourselves that we had eggs (emu, of course). Perhaps we could do something with those eggs!"

And the rest is history! Stop by Claire's shop and read more about Humpty Dumpty's work and beautiful recycled products. We're very proud to have Humpty Dumpty in our Reclaimed to Fame Market.

Advertising opportunity

2010-06-03T08:53:00.003-04:00

I have received several inquiries concerning advertising on this blog and I have decided to include that opportunity on my blog.

If you're interested in advertising on my blog, please contact me. There are two advertising methods to choose from. One is a blog post about your product/service (with two contextual links & two photos). The post would be approximately 200 words.

The other option is a text link in the sidebar.

Contact me for my reasonable rates and expose your product/service to all of my readers.

Latest custom order

2010-05-27T10:58:00.005-04:00

A lovely lady I met on Twitter told me that she would be taking a look at my website to see if she could find some jewelry to wear as a bridesmaid next month. She found just what she wanted in a blue sea glass wire crochet necklace, but alas, it had been sold! She wrote to me and asked me to say it wasn't so. But I was pleased to tell her that I had more of the blue sea glass and I would be glad to replicate the piece for her. She was very pleased and asked for matching earrings, too. That request made me gulp a few times because it's really hard to find small pieces of sea glass that would be a similar shape and would match the color of the piece used for the necklace. I dragged out my containers of sea glass and I was lucky enough to find three pieces that went together beautifully.

If you see any jewelry pieces on my website that might not be the right length or the right color or you'd like something just a bit different, please let me know and I will do all that I can to create the perfect piece of jewelry for you.

Meet Dave Alden of Wolf Creek Millworks!

2010-05-24T10:58:00.006-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to Dave Alden of Wolf Creek Millworks! We're proud to have him here at the Reclaimed to Fame Market. Here is his story:

My name is Dave Alden, owner/operator of Wolf Creek Millworks. I am a 46 year old computer technician by trade, though my intention is to transition into my wood business as soon as that is possible. I have experience with graphics design, printing technology, and computer repair professionally.

I am a jack-of -all trades at home. My shop is the result of my woodworking hobby gone crazy. I bought tools to build furniture because the commercially available stuff seems all to be made from "ticky-tacky" and definitely "looks the same" (can't remember who did that song-though). I found that real wood is very expensive, often lacks character (unless you're willing to pay even more), and can be difficult to find in certain size configurations. As I drove to and from work, I noticed lots of tree (or tree bits) laying about in people's yards, behind businesses, in burn piles at construction sites and thought it to be a waste. A little google searching led to the discovery of tools that can turn this waste into a raw material source for my hobby/ now business. I now use this source exclusively.

The items for sale in my shop are meant to be enjoyed for years and serve to recycle the previously ignored wood piles in our suburbs and semi-rural areas. It's like Christmas when we open up a log with the mill. We get to see something no one else has ever seen before, the inside of a tree. The wood with the most character is chosen for turnings and small boxes. Larger objects will be made from the less figured wood. Any waste from that operation is added to my son's firewood pile so at least someone can enjoy some warmth from it.

Stop by Dave's shop and check out his beautiful work.

Broken Waterford Crystal Jewelry

2010-05-21T13:32:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to remind my readers about my broken Waterford Crystal jewelry - sometimes it gets lost in all the broken china and sea glass jewelry on my website!

The jewelry was designed using shards of a broken Glandore Waterford pitcher. The pitcher had a deep open diamond cut with a band of laurel leaf around the rim and a 16-point starburst on the bottom and was lovely. It's such a shame that it broke but that did give me a chance to create some very different jewelry from it.

Anyone familiar with Waterford crystal knows of its exquisite beauty. These photographs don't truly depict the colorful sparkle and shine of these crystals pieces. Whatever color is worn behind the pendant will reflect beautifully in it.

The prestigious name of Waterford reminds you of the ultimate luxury items, like diamond rings, Rolls-Royces and Armani clothing.

Each pendant comes with an 18" black velvet cord; but the bails are large enough that almost any of your favorite chains or cords can be used.

So stop by my website and see all of the unique broken Waterford Crystal jewelry available there.

Follow Me Fridays Blog Hop

2010-05-21T10:54:00.001-04:00

Follow and be followed here at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry!
Enter your link below.
Follow the blogs you love.
Leave a comment so we can follow back. It's that simple. Have fun!

Unique jewelry for Father's Day

2010-05-18T18:23:00.006-04:00

Father's Day is fast approaching. And what a great idea broken china jewelry would make as a gift for your dad! If you have cracked or chipped china that would have sentimental meaning for your father, unique cuff links and tie tacks can be handcrafted out of it. Or you can choose from these ready-made pieces available on my website.

If you'd like to have some custom pieces designed, please contact me as soon as possible so we can start the process. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Heirloom jewelry created for your graduate

2010-05-10T09:05:00.011-04:00

Graduation days are upon us once again. It's a proud time for many families and friends of those who have completed their educational goals. And as we prepare for the special date of celebration for those graduates, we begin to think of what we would like to give them to commemorate their achievements. We try to find something different, something that will speak to their hearts.

China is sometimes a part of a family for generations and so many memories can be attached to it. Turning a broken plate into a wire wrapped creation is my way of prolonging the life of those memories. Do you have cracked or chipped china with great sentimental value to you or your family? Does your son have a mug that his grandfather treasured? Does your daughter have a Beatrice Potter dish that she used as a child? These would all make perfect jewelry to commemorate this special occasion and that will be treasured for many generations to come.

Contact me to start the process. I will work with you to create the perfect piece. Ideas for your jewelry can be taken from the pieces that are shown on my website or you can leave it up to me to create a design. Both women's and men's jewelry can be created.

Of course, any of the finished pieces of jewelry available on my website would also be perfect for your special graduate. Broken china jewelry is a beautiful way to say "Congratulations". I also carry handcrafted sea glass and shell jewelry. Pendants, brooches, earrings, bracelets, rings and wire crochet necklaces are all available.

Visit my website and then contact me soon! And congratulations to all the graduates for their accomplishments.

Jeremy's hair cut

2010-05-09T10:23:00.007-04:00

Jeremy is half the dog he was! Jeremy has such long beautiful curly hair but all of a sudden, it got really hot here in New Jersey and a few days ago, I gave him a good grooming and cut off all his curls. He feels the heat terribly and he's so much cooler now. I miss those beautiful curls but he's much more comfortable this way. I'll probably need to give him another cut for July and August. Of course, now it's gotten cold here again but the warm days will be back soon and he's all ready for them. Here's the before photo:

And here's his new cool look - it may not be exactly professional but I'll get better at it:

I'm really proud of the way he let me groom him. Three months ago, when he was still at the farm, I tried to brush him and he snarled at me. That was one of the days I really had doubts about adopting him. I wondered if I wouldn't even be able to brush him, how would I be able to take care of him properly? But I'm so glad that didn't stop me from bringing him into my life. Once I brought him home, I kept brushing him a little every day and now it's no problem at all. He wasn't sure about the clippers when I first started using them but he was so patient. I've never used clippers, except for a little clipping I did on him last month, so it took me quite a long time to completely groom him. And he never jumped off the table. Of course, he was getting treats every time I finished with a section! He's a good, smart dog and has come a long way in the last three months. He went on a two-hour walk through the Avon Town-wide Garage Sale yesterday and was a true gentleman to everyone he met! I'm very proud of him.

Again, my heartfelt thanks to Rescue Ridge for bringing this dog into my life.

Reclaimed to Fame on Amazon!

2010-04-23T09:40:00.008-04:00

As many of you know, I manage a market at 1000 Markets called Reclaimed to Fame. All of the merchants in the market are artisans designing products using recycled materials. About a month ago, I contacted Matt Triforo, the CEO of 1000 Markets and asked if he would be interested in doing some type of promotion for Earth Day on behalf of our market. Well, one thing led to another and he hooked us up with Amazon for their Earth Day promotion. He told me that Amazon is very fussy about any artwork submitted to them and we might go through a lot of work setting it up and not have Amazon accept us in the end.

I contacted my merchants, because I'm terrible at designing banners, working with images, etc. and knew I needed help and Brinda Hammel of Brinda Kay Designs offered to design an Earth Day banner for our market and do the product image work needed. I set up a special collection in the market offering free shipping until the end of April. And 1000 Markets submitted everything to Amazon.

And this week we were thrilled to see the above email promotion go out from Amazon! Apparently, this went to 250,000-500,000 customers so what a wonderful way to publicize our market. The link to our market is in the right top corner and it takes you right to our Earth Day collection.

Very exciting! Thank you 1000 Markets and Amazon for this wonderful opportunity. The promotion offering free shipping in celebration of Earth Day runs until the end of April, 2010 so stop on by and check out our talented merchants!

Reclaimed to Fame Earth Day Collection

Earth Day Celebrations!

2010-04-12T19:38:00.004-04:00

Earth Day is April 22, 2010 and in celebration of that special day, Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry is offering free shipping now until the end of April, 2010 at my store at 1000 Markets. So if you've been waiting for the right time to place an order, now is the time!

Also, as some of you know, I manage a market at 1000 Markets called Reclaimed to Fame Market. The merchants there are all artisans who create products from recycled materials. We restore unwanted items to their glory! The merchants have put together an Earth Day collection and are also offering free shipping on those products in the collection from now until the end of April, 2010. So stop by and check out the innovative and talented merchants there!

Feature on Cafe Handmade

2010-04-07T08:54:00.004-04:00

I'm very proud to be featured today on "In the Studio" at Cafe Handmade!

Cafe Handmade Feature

Newest Limoge jewelry

2010-03-30T16:14:00.007-04:00

I truly have not been attentive to my jewelry business since the beginning of December and haven't been very creative at all during the past 4 months. I remember having so many ideas and beautiful china to work with back in December but life got in the way as it has a tendency to do. I'm now trying to get back in the groove and have created some pieces from a beautiful Limoge cup given to me by a friend.

All of these pieces are available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/new.html.

The cup had floral designs both on the inside and outside of the cup and the pendants below can be worn on either side for versatile use.

These earrings match the second pendant shown above.

And finally this wire crochet necklace with gold wrapped broken china pendant.

It's good to be back! :)

Meet Tin Can Sally!

2010-03-02T10:01:00.006-05:00

Meet Tin Can Sally, our newest merchant in the Reclaimed to Fame Market at 1000 Markets!

After spending more than a decade as a three dimensional artist in the New York City area, artist Sarah Kilvert decided to pursue a lifelong interest in metal sculpture after relocating to Maine in 2001. Quite by accident, she began making copper switch plates simply because she was frustrated by the ugly plastic switch plates that ruined the beautiful silvery-gray pine walls on her porch. In the midst of that project, she stumbled upon old advertising tins tucked away in her attic. Instantaneously, an idea was born!

Following the discovery of the concept of switch plates made from old tins, Sarah began researching methods of making these, perfecting each step in the process and finding the proper tools. After several months of research, tools were purchased and the first switch plate was made in late 2003. Shortly, thereafter, Sarah began finding tins at yard sales, online and through friends and relatives and began building a large inventory of switch plates. A local store quickly expressed interest in selling them and the switch plates became a huge hit!

In early 2004, Sarah branded the switch plates “Tin Can Sally” and created a website, selling them online. In addition to single and double switch plates, Tin Can Sally added outlet covers, GFCI or rocker covers, push button switch plates and, most recently, triple switch plates all made from old tin cans. Sarah currently sells her Tin Can Sally products on ArtFire, eBay and 1000 Markets. In 6 years, Tin Can Sally has recycled thousands of tins, keeping them out of the landfills and beautifying homes all across the United States and Canada. Sarah will continue to make switch plates from old tins as long as tins are available. They have been increasingly hard to find. Hopefully, there will be enough tins to keep Tin Can Sally going for many years to come.

Stop by and visit Tin Can Sally at http://www.1000markets.com/users/tincansally.

My daughter, Rebecca's, wedding

2010-02-24T14:43:00.009-05:00

I'm finally getting a chance to blog about one of the biggest days I can recall in my life - the recent wedding of my daughter, Rebecca Cunningham, to Raymond Desfosse. The event took place last Saturday, 2/20/10, and was a day we'll always remember. The wedding went beautifully and I was proud as punch of my daughter. She really made a stunning bride and she never stopped smiling the whole day. It was wonderful to see her so very happy. And Raymond, too - he had a huge smile that never quit.

My mom and I had a chance to meet more of Ray's family, which was certainly a pleasure. They're a great bunch of people and I know will be wonderful in-laws for Rebecca. And what a wonderful occasion to welcome Ray into our family.

These are just some snapshots of the day. Professional photos aren't ready yet. But I wanted to share our family's happy occasion with all of you.

It surely was an emotional day for this mom. But I held off the silly tears until I got home after the wedding. There was no way I could cry - even happy tears - in front of those beaming faces of the happy couple.

May all go well for them in the years ahead and may their happiness continue every day for the rest of their lives. Congratulations, Rebecca and Raymond!

Rescue Ridge's 1st Annual Male Revue

2010-02-16T18:59:00.005-05:00

As some of you know, I recently adopted a dog from Rescue Ridge, a wonderful last chance animal shelter in NJ that finds homes for animals that other people and shelters have given up on. They are having their first annual Male Revue on March 4, 2010. While I wouldn't ordinarily say that male strippers are exactly my kind of thing, I know that this show will be a wonderful fund raiser for Rescue Ridge and if it helps the animals there, I am all for it! I've donated the broken china wire crochet bracelet shown above to be included in one of the gift baskets offered that evening.

The Male Revue will be held at the Headliner in Belmar, NJ and promises to be lots of fun. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. The doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the show starts at 8:00 p.m. Included in the evening will be a buffet dinner, 50/50 raffle, 22" HDTV Sharp TV raffle, gift baskets and gift cards and, of course, the gorgeous guys! Check out www.internationalhunk.com to learn more about the show. And best of all, all proceeds will go to the benefit of the animals at Rescue Ridge!

I wish Rescue Ridge much success with this fund raiser.

Meet Jeremy Todd!

2010-02-10T11:09:00.012-05:00

Some of you may already have met Jeremy Todd over on Facebook and Twitter. But I just had to blog about the newest addition to our family!

Jeremy has had a rough road so far. This is what I know of his story. About a year ago, he was hit by a car and his family took him to the vet but wouldn't pay his vet bill or take him back. He was injured in his shoulder and you can still feel a bony protrusion there. He ended up at the Bergen County Animal Shelter where I believe he stayed for six months. They were ready to put him down because no one had adopted him and because he was getting so hyper and was growling from being cooped up so long. I don't even want to think about how close he came to being put down. To his rescue came the wonderful people at Rescue Ridge. They paid the shelter to release him and took him to their farm in Howell. That was in October, 2009.

I first saw Jeremy (then called Cassidy) on Rescue Ridge's Petfinder website. Since I'm working at home now and have more time, I had been looking online at shelter dogs and was thinking of giving one a home. I've always had a soft spot for cocker spaniels. I went out to Rescue Ridge's farm and met Jeremy. He was very hyper, running in circles, leaping on the kennel door, leaping on people, grabbing at clothing and nipping. I have very little experience with dogs, not having had one since I was a child. I kept telling myself that this dog had too many issues to deal with and was too hyper for my quiet life. He may not have had a good, stable upbringing or maybe it was just all that had happened to him the last year - he definitely needed some behavior modifications. But something about him kept me coming back. I went to the farm several times that first week to walk Jeremy with the other volunteers who loyally come to the farm to walk the dogs.

I did some online research on dog training and started watching the Dog Whisperer on TV and began to think that I just might be able to train Jeremy and help him to calm down. The people at Rescue Ridge were encouraging and told me that if I adopted Jeremy, they would always be available to help. They checked me out carefully, as they do all those who wish to adopt their animals and I was told that I could adopt Jeremy if I wanted to. During the second week I spent at the farm, I began to seriously think of adopting him. But the biggest test was how he would get along with my two cats, Dickon and Belle!

One of the gentlemen from Rescue Ridge, Paul, brought Jeremy to my home to meet Dickon and Belle. While it wasn't the best of meetings, Paul felt that Jeremy would not be aggressive with the cats and that it would work out in time. So Jeremy stayed in my home and has now been with us three weeks today.

It's hard to believe this is the same dog I first saw at the Rescue Ridge farm! He's calmed down a lot and is lying at my feet right now, chewing on his stuffed monkey. When I had tried to brush him at the farm, he growled and snarled at me and wouldn't let me do it. I imagine he just didn't know what I was doing. But now he lets me brush him, comb him and even dry him with a hair dryer! He's being a real doll with the cats though he wants to play with them and doesn't realize how much bigger he is than them! As you can see, he's taken over the cat bed!

He's walking much better on a leash now though we have a way to go to teach him to walk with a loose leash. He stays at the door when I go outside to feed the birds or get the mail and no longer leaps at the door. He's not barking at every little sound like he did when he first came here. He still needs to calm down when people come to the house. He really loses it and reverts back to some of his old behavior because of the excitement. But we'll be working more on that.

Please don't think I'm saying anything against the people at Rescue Ridge because of the way Jeremy behaved there. They are truly wonderful people and do their very best for the animals in their care. But of course the animals do need to be penned up and there is a lot of barking and it's very hard for the dogs there to be as calm as they would be in a quiet home. To anyone who is thinking of adopting a shelter dog - please don't judge a dog by the way he behaves at a shelter. They so often are completely different in a home environment. They just need some quiet, structure and discipline and lots of love and most re-adapt to home life very quickly, just as Jeremy Todd has. Please check out their website at Petfinder and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. I actually set up the Twitter account on their behalf and will be updating information about Rescue Ridge and their rescued animals there. Please send a donation to this wonderful rescue group through their website and help them help these needy animals.

Thank you, folks at Rescue Ridge, for bringing this delightful, affectionate dog into my life!

Secondhand Angels

2010-02-03T14:44:00.006-05:00

Meet one of our newest merchants in the Reclaimed to Fame Market - Secondhand Angels! Here's her story:

I am primarily a self-taught artist. My mother is a painter and writer and was I exposed to a great deal of art and culture growing up. I have taken a few classes here and there. Most recently in the fall of 2009, I attended an ART of REUSE class at John C Campbell Folk School in Murphy, NC for a week. It was a wonderful, priceless experience. My instructor was very encouraging; I ended up with time recently after losing a job. I decided if not now, when so I have been able to get my shop set up and focus on my art. This is something I have wanted to do for many years.

I have done different things over the years - mixed media, collage, shadow boxes, but really got jazzed up about jewelry after JCC. I came up with the name Secondhand Angels as I describe on my website.

I started making Angel Pins a few years ago after my Aunt Frannie passed away. She was an exceptionally creative woman and very influential in my life. I realize now that making the angels was my way of feeling close to her. She is with her sisters in my banner photo. I started using odd earrings and pieces of jewelry. I have sold in local shops, but until now I have mostly made items as gifts for friends and family.

I have recently expanded my vision with bracelets. All designs are ONE OF A KIND; many are vintage and some are contemporary. I use old and new buttons, items from the hardware store, sewing notions, beads and whatever strikes my fancy! You may find an angel charm on most of my bracelets.

I collect items at thrift stores, flea markets and all places in between. The collecting is just as special to me as assembling my pieces. Who were the women who once owned these pieces of jewelry? What were their lives like? Where did they live? I love preserving the history by recasting items into a new interpretation.

I have also set up a fan page on Facebook and have over 100 fans in two days! Secondhand Angels - please stop by and join.

I feel this is the beginning of a journey for me and I will quote one of my first customers after she received an angel pin. "My precious Hope Angel came yesterday! And I'm wearing her today! Thank you so much for your gift of vision! Blessings to you."

I am proud to be a part of Reclaimed to Fame - I am honored.

Amy T. Cunningham
Secondhand Angels

Last of the Nippon china pieces!

2010-01-31T10:06:00.004-05:00

Afraid you missed this one! Just sold my favorite Nippon china piece. But don't despair - there are a few pieces of jewelry from this exquisite china left! This was such a lovely antique vase that unfortunately broke beyond repair. But the jewelry designed from them will live on for many generations to come.

Still available is the pendant below showing a lovely flower with green background and gold decoration with gold wire wrap. The pendant measures 1" x 2-1/4". Click here to go to webpage where available. This is the last Nippon china pendant that I have available.

I have two crocheted necklaces with Nippon china pendants left. The first is a pink flower broken china pendant with gold artist wire crochet necklace. Pendant is 1" x 1-1/4". The necklace is 17" long (this can be lengthened or shortened according to your desire. Click here to purchase.

The second crocheted necklace with a Nippon china pendant is this gold wire crochet necklace. Pendant is 1/2" x 2". Necklace is 20" long but again can be lengthened or shortened according to your desire. Click here to go to page where available.

And last but not least I have an ear cuff designed from Nippon china. Ear cuff is 1-3/4" long. See enlarged photo to see how china piece hangs when worn. Can be worn in either ear.

That's the last of the Nippon china pieces that I have. Perfect for Valentine's Day gifts or for any other special occasion. Or just treat yourself to one of these lovely pieces.

My sweet Patches

2010-01-29T16:34:00.007-05:00

I've been wanting to devote a blog posting to Patches, my 15-year-old Maine Coon who passed away on December 8th. It's amazing how attached we can become to our pets. It's been almost two months since I lost her and it's still so very painful to think of her. I miss her so much.

I say sweet Patches but no one else thought she was sweet! She was a very grumbly girl and hissed at anyone who got near her. She tolerated my mom when I went away and she came to feed her. She'd rub up against her legs but most times would end up biting her ankle! She wouldn't have anything to do with my other cats.

But she was oh so sweet with me. She had the loudest purr and would snuggle under the covers with me and purr for an hour before going to sleep. She loved to sleep in my lap and when I'd reach down to pick her up, she'd give a kick with her hind feet to jump up. She'd look up at me and she'd half close her eyes and there would be pure love on her face. Her fur was so soft and she was so gorgeous. My daughter named her Patches because of the orange patch on her head. None of these photos do her justice.

She was just a little tiger kitten when I got her, so very small. She didn't have long hair and she had a little stick of a tail. But when she was a few months old, she just blossomed into such a gorgeous long-haired beauty. She had tufts on her ears and fluffy pantaloon legs. I loved to bury my nose into her softness.

Patches had a kitten-like quality that she never lost. She loved to play, especially hide and seek and hit the ball. She would have been a great baseball player if she had been human! You could throw a cat toy to her and she never ever missed batting it back. She frightened easily and I hope wherever she may be now that she's happy and no longer scared like she was here in this world.

I have a patch of pink meridian flowers near the side door and Patches loved to get right in the middle of it. She would mash it all down in the center. When those flowers come up this spring, they won't be the same without their mashed middle.

Patches only went outside on a leash. She loved the garden and will be especially missed as I work in it this spring. I'm glad I had one spring and summer at home with her since I semi-retired last February and am working home now. Though most people think a 15-year-old cat is quite old, I've had cats live 18 and even 21 years so she didn't seem old to me. She died suddenly of cardiomyography, an undetected heart condition. It was a nightmare of a day that I'll never forget. She was gone in a couple of hours. No matter how long you have a pet, you always wish it could have been longer.

Patches will always be loved by me and missed and I was blessed to have her be a part of my life for as long as I did. Rest in peace, sweet Patches.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner

2010-01-04T15:35:00.011-05:00

I think this is the first year since I started this blog that I haven't posted at Christmas and New Year's. Having lost my sweet Patches so suddenly the beginning of December, I just couldn't find it in my heart to be merry and bright. I do hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all a healthy, happy and prosperous year ahead in 2010.

The stores are now full of boxes of Valentine's candy and red heart decorations abound. I know I like to get a head start on holidays myself and start thinking of gift ideas well in advance. I had several people contact me a few days before Christmas asking if I could get jewelry to them in time - one was in Australia! So here's a bit of a head start on Valentine's Day with some gift suggestions.

This is one of my favorite sea glass pieces. It's a flawless piece of authentic white heart-shaped sea glass found on the shore of New Jersey. Wrapped in silver artist wire, it's a wonderful gift to say "I love you". Click here for more info.

Here's a fun conversation heart broken china pendant with black artist wire - a sure conversation starter! Click here for more info.

And for the ladies to give their best guy - Men's broken china cuff links & tie tack designed from Crest-O-Gold china. Click here for more info.

What woman doesn't love Waterford crystal? Here's one of my designs from Waterford crystal. Click here for more info.

Here's a sweet heart-shaped Spring Garden Royal Domino broken china pendant with gold
artist wire wrap that's sure to delight your loved one. Click here for more info.

This broken antique china pendant with copper wire crochet necklace will make a unique statement this Valentine's Day. Click here for more info.

Just a few suggestions - lots more wonderful Valentine's Day gifts on my website at http://www.marjoriescracked.com. Stop by and buy something special for your loved ones! Or have a jewelry piece custom designed for an even more meaningful gift.

Michael Londra's Celtic Christmas Show

2009-12-13T11:13:00.008-05:00

My mom and I had tickets to see Michael Londra's Celtic Christmas show in Mahwah, NJ last night. But I've had a really rough week and didn't feel up to battling North Jersey traffic and wasn't sure if I could make it, though I had been looking forward to the show for months. I had a very serious family issue come up this week that I can't really get into at this time. I hope it will all turn out well eventually but it came as quite a shock. And I lost a beloved pet I'd had for 15 years quite suddenly Tuesday morning. She had been doing well and it was a terrible shock. I've always taken the death of my pets very hard. I can't say I've found much love in this world from people I've chosen to love and trust. The only true love I've ever really had were from my grandmother who is no longer with us, my mom, my daughter and my pets. So it was a very stressful week, full of tears and sleepless nights and I felt and looked just terrible. But I didn't want to miss this show so we decided to go.

I couldn't be happier that my mom and I made that decision. Michael's show was happy, lively and festive and it truly lifted my spirits. I've always known of the healing power of music and it was once again proven to me last night. Michael was lead singer of Riverdance on Broadway and has a hauntingly beautiful voice. His Irish wit and great sense of humor made the show a true delight. He interacts wonderfully with the audience, teaching them Gaelic and encouraging them to sing along. He said he judges states by their singing at his shows and said we did a great job. Well, of course, we did - New Jersey gave birth to Frank Sinatra, Frankie Vali & the Four Seasons and Bruce Springsteen, to name just a few - we rock! He tells tales of Christmas in Ireland and talks about his family. He travels with the fabulous band AnDochas. Their musical talent and sound is so glorious. Just try to keep your foot from taping while listening to them! And to top it all off, Michael has two amazing Irish step dancers traveling with him. Their feet just flew all around that stage. Michael said that he'd always wanted to be a dancer but unfortunately he's a dancer trapped in the body of a tree. Well, that may be so but I for one am not sorry about it because I much rather hear him sing.

And sing he did. He sang the beautiful song he wrote and which is the title song on his new album "Beyond the Star". He sang Silent Night (partly in Gaelic) and The Wexford Carol (he's a Wexford boy himself). And the beautiful Don Oiche Ud I MBeithil (please don't ask me to pronounce it!). He sang the beautiful Winter, Fire and Snow and he did such a wonderful job with Sting's Fields of Gold. And being a Riverdance boy, the show wouldn't have been complete without Lift the Wings. I wish YouTube had a video of him singing it so you could hear his version but I can't find one. But you can hear him sing Danny Boy on YouTube (which video has had almost 2,000,000 views!). As beautiful as that video is, I think he did an even more beautiful version last night - just brimming with emotion. Michael's website also has clips of his singing for you to enjoy.

Michael's A Celtic Yuletide Christmas tour still has quite a few shows coming up. So check out his schedule, buy some tickets and buy his albums Beyond the Star and Celt (both beautifully arranged and produced by the very talented Steve Skinner) and have him touch your soul and lift your spirits as he has mine and so many others.

Thank you, Michael and all those involved in last night's show, for a truly enjoyable evening.

Newest member of the family!

2009-12-01T15:38:00.006-05:00

Now that I'm doing the paralegal work at home instead of the office, I thought it was time for me to get a dog. But my home is small and I do have two cats so I thought I would probably get a smaller dog. I saw a beautiful cocker spaniel at the Humane Society in Tinton Falls on their website and decided to go there on Saturday to meet "Sparky". Well, Sparky turned out to be one of the largest cocker spaniels I had ever seen and was very "sparky" and hyper. Really beautiful though. So I asked that she be taken into the cat room to see how she responded to cats. That didn't work out well at all. A cat hissed at her and she went berserk. So poor Sparky went back into her cage.

There were so many dogs and cats there and all desperately needing a home that I didn't know which way to turn first. There was a miniature collie who had caught my eye so I headed back to the main office to find out more about him. When I walked into the lobby, I saw a young couple holding a cat carrier and both were crying. The man saw me and asked if I had come there for a cat. They were bringing in an 11-year-old cat, Belle, because their 3-1/2-year-old daughter had allergies and asthma. The man took Belle out of her carrier and put her in my arms. Belle just buried her head under my arm. He told me all about her, what a good cat she was, how clean and healthy she was. They even had paperwork of all her shots and a certification from her doctor that she was in good health. He said that he knew that Belle wouldn't have a chance at the pound, being as old as she is. They were both obviously heartbroken about parting with Belle. I just couldn't let them put her in one of those cages after holding her so I decided to take her. I hadn't even seen her face, which was still buried under my arm. We exchanged names and telephone numbers so I could let them know how Belle makes out in her new home.

I got Belle home and set her up temporarily in just one room until she got used to the house and my other cats could accept her. What a sweetheart of a little cat she is. And what a beauty! She's so small - only 7-1/2 pounds. I'm used to my huge lion of a cat, Dickon, and Patches is a Maine Coon and larger than Belle. Belle has beautiful calico coloring and a square bib on her chest. Very gentle and very loving. And of course, very frightened and confused at first. But now she's eating and purring and exploring the house. She's very brave! I'm having quite a problem with Dickon. He is not happy about Belle at all. I may have to keep them apart for quite awhile but I'm hoping that, even if they never become friends, eventually he'll be able to tolerate having her around. I feel so sorry for her - losing her home and family like that. She's going to need a lot of love and care to make up for it.

Now carrying broken china Christmas tree ornaments!

2009-11-30T15:54:00.004-05:00

Recently one of my Twitter followers asked me if I had ever considered offering my broken china pieces as Christmas tree ornaments. She said she could picture them beautifully decorating a Christmas tree. That's all it took for me to go rummaging in my boxes of broken china to find some large Christmas pieces that I could make ornaments from. I now have four ornaments completed and I'm very pleased with them. I'm selling them for the fantastic price of $19.99 each! I did an online search for broken china Christmas tree ornaments and could not find any so if you'd like something totally unique on your tree this year and would like an unusual gift for someone, these will be perfect!

You can find all four ornaments available for sale on my website at www.marjoriescracked.com. They will only be available until Christmas.

Custom orders from your own china gladly taken!

The Irish Tenors

2009-11-27T23:34:00.005-05:00

Tonight I had the privilege of seeing The Irish Tenors in concert at Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ. And what a show it was! I've been a fan of theirs for almost 11 years now and have closely followed them as a group and each of the tenors individually. I've seen many concerts over the years and have seen a lot of changes in the group. Although I was always sad to see the changes when they happened and in many ways miss the old days, the group as it stands today is simply outstanding.

Anthony Kearns, the only original Irish Tenor still with the group, performed a gorgeous version of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". I've always thought he had a voice that was clear as a bell and he's only improved with time. This song is on their new Christmas album and for me was one of the highlights of the show.

Finbar Wright, who replaced John McDermott many years ago, sang "When You Were Sweet Sixteen". I've always loved Ronan Tynan's version of the song, but Finbar's version tonight was amazing. He made it sound so romantic. Finbar has a truly wonderful stage presence and he made this song his own tonight.

Karl Scully is the newest member of The Irish Tenors (he replaced John McDermott, who came back to the group after being replaced by Finbar Wright to replace Ronan Tynan....it's a long story!) Anyway, Karl is a wonderful part of the group and has a voice like an angel. With only harp accompaniment, he sang a lovely, moving version of "My Lagan Love".

The boyos had a great time singing Irish medleys and fun Christmas songs. They really got into "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and we all had fun along with them. They received a rousing reception at Count Basie and I wouldn't be surprised if they were asked to come back again next year. I certainly hope so. This was the first show of their Christmas tour so check out their schedule at The Irish Tenors website and if they're anywhere near you this Christmas, you owe it to yourself to catch their show. The Irish Tenors, both past and present tenors, never cease to amaze me with their talent and will always have a place in my heart.

Fur Free Friday

2009-11-27T16:09:00.003-05:00

Today, November 27, 2009 is the nationwide Fur Free Friday. Although it is not a very pleasant subject to discuss, it's a very necessary one. Unfortunately, so many people are still unaware of the cruelty that abounds across the world towards defenseless animals. Please remember to keep fur, leather, sheepskin, sealskin and duck & goose down off your shopping list and do all that you can to remind others.

Here's what my favorite animal organization, In Defense of Animals, has to say (since they say it much better than I could):

Over 50 million animals are mercilessly killed and skinned every year to make fur products. The victims of such violence are either raised in filthy, tiny wire cages for their entire miserable lives before being anally electrocuted or bludgeoned to death, or they are trapped in hideously cruel leg-holds and snares in the wild. Killing animals for their fur by any means or method is horrific and morally unacceptable. To continue to inflict so much pain, suffering, and death unnecessarily at a time when there is no need to use fur as a source to make clothes or trinkets is simply unfathomable. There is now a profusion of other synthetic or natural fibers that can do the job both functionally and with a fashion sense in mind. We must convince shoppers to remain steadfast in their decision to never buy fur as well as effectively encourage others to make the same choice. While many companies have pledged to go fur-free, other popular brands continue to profit handsomely from animal suffering.

The necessity of Thanksgiving time

2009-11-25T09:10:00.009-05:00

A lovely young boy I once knew grew up to be a 23-year-old man who recently decided he no longer wanted to live in this world and so he took his own life. He was such a gentle, shy, polite little boy. I think he was 12 when I last saw him. To think then that he would be ending his life a mere 11 years later would have been unimaginable. How could this happy little boy have gotten to such a point in his life?

Unfortunately, a quick internet search has revealed to me that global suicide tolls exceeds war and murder. And that doesn't even take into account the attempted suicides. Every 4 seconds, someone in this world ends their life. And unfortunately, the rate goes up around the holiday season. There has also been an increase in suicide of young people aged 15-25.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all that one has to be thankful for. No matter how dark things appear around us, we must seek out and concentrate on the good things that are still there. Sometimes things happen to us that make it hard to perceive any good in the world. It's at those times that we must try even harder to cast the gloom aside. Life changes constantly and each day is a new beginning. We must grab hold of those new beginnings when we are at our lowest.

Personally, I have so much to be thankful for this year. I have a beautiful daughter who is healthy and well. My mom, who went through a frightening medical adventure last year at this time, is doing better. I have a warm home and good food and live in a safe neighborhood. I have two pets who give me constant love and I have many friends who have been so supportive of me. I'm at a good place in my life. Looking back, I can remember times when I felt that my world would never be good again. But things change and if love has been lost, love can be found again. And if friends have betrayed you, new friends will come along. And no matter how long dark clouds hover over you, the sun will come out again. This Thanksgiving, reflect on all that you have to be thankful for. And if those things are hard to see right now, trust that your future will be better. And give yourself a chance to know that future and to enjoy all that's ahead for you.

A blessed Thanksgiving to all of you.

Pet memorial jewelry

2009-11-18T14:39:00.008-05:00

I'm constantly trying to think of new ways that people can enjoy my jewelry. The most requests I've received from customers is to make jewelry from a mother's or aunt's china or from a particular pattern of china that has some meaning to them. I've heard many stories from customers as to the reasons they'd like their jewelry made. But this year, I've received a new one.

I can't go into too many details since the jewelry is being made as a Christmas surprise. I'll tell more of the story after Christmas. But for now, I can say that the customer's relative had lost her cat this year and the customer wanted me to design jewelry from the saucer that the cat ate from. I thought this was a most wonderful gesture to make.

I'm a cat lover myself and have two buddies who live with me. I've lost many cats over the years and I think the hardest part after the loss is getting rid of the cats belongings. There is nothing harder to throw away than the cat's dishes and yet, I could never keep them to let another cat use. Maybe it's just me but the dishes were a particular cat's and only that cat's. But to keep the dishes always felt a bit foolish.

So what better way to retain part of something that reminds you of your precious pet than to make jewelry out of it?! This Christmas, my customer's relative will be given a gift that will hold special meaning for her and her alone.

So if you're looking for a unique way to commemorate the love of a beloved pet, consider having broken china jewelry made from their pet dishes. If you'd like further information on how to proceed, please contact me.

Latest custom orders

2009-11-15T18:29:00.011-05:00

I recently finished up two custom jewelry orders for customers and sent them off. Both customers were very happy with their jewelry and gave me some lovely compliments. It's always so encouraging to hear back from satisfied customers and know that my jewelry has made someone so happy.

I promised not to use names in this blog since these are for Christmas gifts and I would hate to ruin anyone's surprise! Sometimes customers ask me to handle the design myself and really don't have any preferences. Both of these customers were very specific in what they wanted and I think they made some great choices. The jewelry above is part of a five-pendant order for family members designed from her mother's china.

Here is is all packaged up and ready to go!

So if you're interested in having your own heirloom broken china jewelry designed, contact me and we'll begin the process! Any china, porcelain or crystal that you have can be made into lovely jewelry. So begin a broken china adventure with me!
You can contact me through my website.

The jewelry below is also for a customer who wanted jewelry designed from her mother's china. I know that both orders had great sentimental value to the customers and will be treasured by them and their family members for many years to come. It was a pleasure creating these!

Featured on A Bead A Day!

2009-11-14T10:19:00.003-05:00

Lisa Crone, who writes the fabulously informative "A Bead A Day" blog, has very kindly featured my work on her blog! How nice is that?! I'm quite honored. Lisa has a very popular blog and being a part of it is pleasing me no end. Here's the link to the feature:

Featured Designer: Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry

She really did a wonderful job, didn't she? Thanks so much, Lisa!

If you're a jewelry artist, or just love the beauty of handcrafted jewelry, follow Lisa's blog. She's very informative. Here's her own blurb: Appreciating the individual beauty of beads and the unique works of art they are used to create!" And that she does!

Perfect pendants for Thanksgiving

2009-11-02T16:12:00.009-05:00

I have some broken china pendants that I designed that would be perfect for Thanksgiving. They are designed from a Childhood Almanac Plate Collection
"Giving Thanks" November by Sandra Kuck. Look at those sweet faces! The original plate showed the two young girls praying and giving thanks in church. These pendants are available on my website. Please click on this link for more information as to size and pricing.

200-year-old china piece from Thailand

2009-10-28T09:57:00.005-04:00

I've always said that one of the greatest parts of being in the world of jewelry making is all the wonderful people I meet. It was through Facebook that I met Tanya Boden, who together with her husband, Attit, owns Aardvark Silver in Bangkok, Thailand. Tanya's neighbor in Bangkok had a bucket of old Thai china, china that is about 200 years old, that he no longer wanted and when Tanya saw it, she thought of me. She wrote and asked if I'd like a few shards to make some jewelry with. And of course I did!

She sent me the cup cover shown above. Look at those beautiful blues! And even though it's of such an age, the gloss is still shiny and smooth. It's going to be awhile before I can start working on the piece since I'm busy right now with Christmas custom orders but I can't wait to begin on it. Meanwhile, I'm trying to come up with some ideas of what to do with it.

Tanya also very kindly sent me a piece of her mother-in-law's china. This is about 90 years old and there's no way I would break it! Isn't it beautiful? When I asked Tanya how she could bear to part with it, she said that she preferred crystal and sending me these pieces was her way of getting something with history out into the world.

I'm very appreciative of receiving these gifts from Tanya. Please stop by her website at Aardvark Silver and check out the fabulous jewelry she and her husband create and the silver jewelry findings they sell. And follow her on Facebook and on Twitter.

Thank you so much, Tanya!

Heirloom jewelry custom orders

2009-10-20T16:19:00.011-04:00

As the holidays approach, I've been hearing from customers who want heirloom jewelry designed from china that holds sentimental meaning to them for family members. China is sometimes a part of a family for generations and so many memories can be attached to it. Turning a broken plate into a wire wrapped creation is my way of prolonging the life of those memories.

So create a special memories piece of jewelry that will be treasured for a lifetime. Or have a signature piece created for yourself.

I will work with you to develop the perfect piece. Ideas for your custom piece can be taken from the pieces that are presently for sale or have been sold on my website. Or come up with your own ideas and give me a challenge! Or you can leave it up to me to create a design from the china that you send to me.

Often times, beloved plates with great sentimental value are broken. There's your grandmother's favorite bone china teacup from England that now has a broken handle. The oriental vase that graced your parents' table for so many years slipped out of your hands last week, broke into pieces and now resides in a bag thrown in the back of your closet. Or perhaps you'd like something special created for your teenage daughter - maybe something out of that Beatrice Potter dish that she loved as a child. Don't despair! Just contact me and I'll be glad to work up a jewelry item from the broken pieces that will have special meaning for you and your family members.

Here's a testimonial from a very happy customer for whom I designed jewelry for her whole family last Christmas:

"The pendants were absolutely perfect! As you can imagine, this Christmas was difficult without my grandmother. On Christmas Eve, my mom and aunt brought some of my grandmother's old photos to share with their cousins before dessert. After everyone was done looking at and talking about the pictures, my mom told them that she had a special gift that she wanted to give to them early. Everyone was really amazed by the pendants and by how they were made! And the cousin who my mom thought was least likely to wear the pendant was the most moved by it! She and everyone else put them on immediately! I cannot thank you enough!"
Tara Napolitano
(for full story, please visit my blog.)

Ronan Tynan not anti-semitic but hero to many

2009-10-20T09:31:00.003-04:00

I have never discussed politics or religion on this blog and have hesitated in saying anything about the recent incident involving Ronan Tynan. But I also believe in standing up for what you believe in and am personally heartbroken at this turn of events. The media is trashing Ronan, people are tearing him apart on Twitter and blogs and I'd like to take a moment to give my take on the situation.

For those of you who are not familiar with what happened, Ronan Tynan has been accused of making an anti-Semitic remark and the New York Yankees have fired him from singing God Bless America at their games, which he has been doing for the last seven years. The media reported that he made a comment to a real estate agent who was showing an apartment in the building where he lives. The real estate agent said to Ronan something to the effect of "Don't worry, I won't rent it to a Red Sox fan" and the media incorrectly quoted Ronan as saying "I don't care about that as long as they aren't Jewish".

The truth of the matter has been correctly reported in the Irish Times. Three weeks prior to this incident, another real estate agent was showing the apartment to a couple of Jewish women and told Ronan that they were "particular". Ronan said that might be "scary" because he tends to practice singing in his apartment and can be quite loud and they might not like that. When Ronan ran into the second real estate agent the other day, he was thinking of that incident and actually said "At least they're not the Jewish ladies", referring back to the two women who might not have appreciated his loud singing.

It was a chance remark made in the hall of his apartment and has been completely blown out of proportion. Ronan has since apologized to the tenant who was looking at the apartment and she has accepted his apology. He has apologized to all those people this has upset and offended. However, the Yankees jumped the gun and fired him and the media took off with it. Now many people think Ronan is anti-Semitic.

I have met Ronan on numerous occasions and know friends of his and have closely followed his career since 1998. What I have seen of the man is a loving, caring, generous man. You meet the guy and his arms immediately go out to you for a huge hug. When you talk to him, he holds your hands, looks you directly in the eyes and gives you his undivided attention.

Ronan is a true inspiration to many. He had both legs amputated when he was very young. Most people would be sitting in a wheelchair feeling sorry for themselves. But not Ronan. He went on to become a medical doctor and then a renown singer who has sung for presidents. Immediately following 911, when New York was in a turmoil, Ronan was there, right at Ground Zero, despite the hazardous fumes, handing out food to the rescue crews and firemen and singing to give them encouragement. He sang at many of the memorial services following 911 and gave courage to all who heard him. Ronan is also known for his motivational speeches where he urges people to strive for their dreams and not to let any disability or disadvantage hold them back. Are these the acts of a bigot?

To have this man torn apart because of a chance comment which has been taken out of context is a real sin. He was so proud of being the Yankees' tenor. He's a good man who must be horribly crushed by things that are being said about him. He has worked so hard and done so well in his life and now his career is being harmed by the media. He's a man who knows what pain is and knows what it is to be ridiculed and discriminated against because of his own handicap. All I ask is that, before jumping to conclusions about Ronan, please read all of the facts. He's a man to respect and admire.

Thanks for your time.

Meet Tanya & Attit of Aardvark Silver in Thailand

2009-10-13T15:54:00.007-04:00

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Tanya Boden, who together with her husband, Attit, owns Aardvark Silver in Bangkok, Thailand.

Tell us a bit about Aardvark Silver and what it's all about.

Aardvark Silver is my way of giving back and sharing the lovely things I have access to. After all, how many people can get on a plane and come to Bangkok and even when they get here, are able to find the items I have access to at the great prices I have them for?

It’s about making new friends as well as customers and about providing the best I possibly can in both product and service. It’s about giving a quality product at a competitive price so that the savings can be passed on to others. Aardvark Silver is about allowing me to give a business point of view to the qualities I hold near and dear to me. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, share and care, honesty and loyalty.

Where did you come up with the name for your business?

I love the much misunderstood little Aardvark. It’s a great insect eater and works behind the scenes a lot. A bit like I have for most of my life.

You and your Thai husband Attit run Aardvark Silver together. What advice do you have for married couples working together?

Keep your own individual interests alive so you have something external to chat about. I still go to work a few hours a week (I teach Science in English) and we talk about my job or students or whatever and it gives us non-business stuff we can share.

Make sure your pillow talk is not all about orders and customers, forward planning and inventory.

Make a date once a week and go and enjoy yourself separate from the business stuff.

Communicate as clearly possible so there are no misunderstandings. This is essential in our house due to language barriers as well.

Do what you do best and let them do what they do best. If you are not so sure then test your skills out on the side so you don’t step on toes and take over. Maybe after that if you find a better way it can make for change but be gentle in how you approach it all. You have to live with the other person still. Sharing tasks and decisions is what a partnership is all about.

Credit where credit is due. Make sure you say Thank you when a job is well done or completed on time. “Thank you” is so important.

I read on your Facebook page that you now read, write and speak Thai but that your husband does not speak English. Did this ever create any difficulties in the two of you working together?

YES LOL
I use a dictionary still quite often because my vocabulary is still quite small. I am going to school for up to 10 hours a week and my language skills have improved but still have a long way to go. We have to speak with pictures sometimes and so I use drawings, maps and even printed pictures to get across what I need so there are no misunderstandings.

There are times when I get upset at things, like when the computer wipes out my documents or whatever, and I sound off in English. Attit gets quite confused as he has no idea what I am going on about but he sees me angry. Thais don’t express emotions the same way as Westerners do so they tend not to understand strong emotional outbursts. His English usage is limited to Thank you and Sorry, LOL so I have learned to take more care with my words and to think things through before running off at the mouth.
Training and teaching new skills has also been a challenge because I just don’t have the words to explain sometimes.

Sometimes it’s not even the language that is the problem. There are a lot of cultural things that are also very important and these are a challenge at times to say the least.

As Attit doesn’t read English and he still has problems with my handwriting, I have had to write labels in both languages. So for example if you get a funny squiggle on your label it may say “pair” in Thai because Attit needs that so he can get the order right. It’s a fun skill but means I write things twice a lot of the time.

Tell us about the quality of the silver that you have available.

Our silver is 92.5 Sterling with a hallmark most times. Those pieces without a stamp are because to stamp the piece would ruin the surface or because the item is unsuited to a stamp and so it’s better without one.

We also have Fine silver, which is made by the Karen people. Our Fine silver is 95-99% pure silver and is sometimes quite soft. It is lovely to work with though. The Karen are a Hill Tribe and have been working with Silver for 100’s of years. All their items are handmade and so each has its own little differences which add to the character of the piece.

I do specify which item is which silver.

Fine silver tarnishes less easily as it has no copper content to oxidize and for this reason some people prefer to wear it.

You have a wonderful new website at http://www.aardvarksilver.com. Do you sell your products at any other places?

http://www.aardvarksilver.etsy.com is our Etsy store
http://www.9dollarearrings.etsy.com is our Etsy jewelry store. http://www.artfire.com/users/Aardvark is our gems store on Artfire.
We have special offers on a regular basis. You can email me or subscribe to our newsletter through the web site to be kept updated about what we have new or what we are offering as special items or discounts.

We also have been selling here in Bangkok.

Which of you creates the lovely jewelry that is sold on your website?

We both make items together and separately.

I make a lot of painstakingly wrapped stones and fiddly bits that are time consuming. I have also begun to use the torch and make some bases for my wire wrapped items.

Attit does a lot of knotting, tying and threading. He also uses the torch but mainly for making supplies. Currently he is working with crystals and memory wire as well as rhodium plated cubic zironia set spacers and a very cute Sterling silver spacer that he has claimed as his signature feature.

Sometimes we work together and then go out of our way to compete to get ooohs and aaahs from the other one. We sat one day and made earrings, 50 pairs in 3 hours and none were the same style. It was a little competition between us to see what we could do. The charity we sent them to was so delighted and has sold them to raise funds towards a new clubhouse. It’s another way we Pay it Forward.

When did you first realize you have a talent for creating jewelry?

I love the stones I sell and I had some base metal findings that were lying around so I decided it couldn’t be that hard to make my own pieces. Well I sat and taught myself and put together some very passable first pieces that my Thai friends wanted and so I went from there. The positive feedback about the pieces I make and wear is what keeps me making things. I have always been creative from when I was a child and now have the time and the materials to be able to express that better. I am a seamstress by trade amoungst other skills and so have had design training and can pick trends for future colour ranges etc.

Attit learned to play with tools and metal when I put a couple of pairs of pliers in his hands one day, gave him 5000 jump rings and he proceeded to make some base metal chain maille. That was an eye opener for him and he saw he could easily do what I was doing. He has not looked back and has learnt from watching me or from playing and messing up stuff. Like all good artisans learn.

What advice do you have for aspiring jewelry artists?

Just go for it. Don’t get too hung up on the technical stuff and just because someone else does something one way doesn’t mean you have to as well. I have taught myself most of my skills and yes they are different and my end item is not the same but that it what makes the pieces unique. You want to find your own style along with the technical know how but if you get stuck in the details of techniques your flow will be stopped and when that happens and its not fun, its much harder to create.

What is the most satisfying thing about your business?

When someone says “Thank You, I love it”
When I get to see what someone else has created with items I hand chose to sell.
The honour of meeting so many many wonderful people
Turning a bad experience into a great friendship. I have some great friends now that came into my life because a parcel got lost or something else went amiss and we were able to sort it so that we were all happy.

What qualities do you think you need in order to manage a home-run business successfully?

Focus and dedication. In our house there are no days off. We don’t have time even for the holidays like Xmas because there are customers that need to be taken care of. Here we don’t celebrate traditional days like in the West so the post office is open Xmas day and other odd times when it would be closed in the West.

Organization and communication are paramount and need to be taken care of carefully and often.

Set your foundations up first so you don’t have to struggle later to put them in place.

Systems of accounting and stock control etc need to be set up from the beginning even if you are only doing it as a hobby. You never know when it might take on a life of its own and grow so big you do it as your day job and if you have all the basics in place it is so much easier to change from part time to full time.

Use the support systems that are available. It is amazing how much free stuff you can get these days and some of it is invaluable. Things like software for web pages etc can make your job so easy and they can be free also.

What are your future plans for your business?

To grow our small business into a larger one and to supply both retail and wholesale customers with the best possible products at the best possible prices so we are all happy.
To meet lots of new people and to share what we do.
I want to go to Tuscon next year for the Fair as well. It is a worthy goal.

We want to employ an English teacher in our boys village. This is an expensive goal and will cost about $12,000 a year so we are saving to make this a reality. Hopefully next year we can do this and it will help to keep the kids in their home area longer instead of them coming to Bangkok at 15 or so and not completing their education. Learning is so important.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about Aardvark Silver?

I want to say Thank you. It is an honour to be trusted with your orders and your requests. It is an honour to be a part of your hobbies and your businesses. It is an honour to be considered your friend. Thank you.

The importance of pets

2009-10-11T13:31:00.008-04:00

I had a bit of a scare with one of my cats last night. Patches is 15 years old and has lost quite a bit of weight this past year. I took her for blood work a couple of months ago and they couldn't detect any problems and said it was probably due to her age. But I don't feel that she's that old. My Satin lived to 21 and Toby was 18 when he contracted an aids-like virus. Patches is far too young to look like she does. The photo of her here is from the summer before this past one. She's aged so much since then.

Last night I went to visit with my mom and when I came home, Patches was in poor shape. I won't go into all the graphic details but I was afraid she had suffered a seizure or stroke. She was obviously frightened by it herself. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep last night and thought this may be the end of my little Patches. But she completely surprised me by coming out this morning and eating some breakfast. She isn't back to herself quite yet but certainly much better than last night.

I took Patches when she was just a tiny kitten. Satin had just passed away and I was having a hard time adjusting to life without her and thought a kitten might help. Plus I only had Figaro at that time and have always had two cats. I love calicoes and thought Patches was beautiful. She has quite a bit of Maine Coon in her. She has been such a good and faithful companion throughout the years. My pets have always meant a great deal to me but now as the time may be approaching when she'll no longer be a part of my home, her importance becomes even more apparent.

Here's a photo of Dickon.
I had seen a female cat at PetSmart and my heart went out to her so I went to the pound to bring her home, even though I already had two cats. However, when they took this female cat out of her cage, she began hissing at all the other cats and became very agitated so the pound said she had to go to a home where she'd be an only cat. Then I saw Dickon who was about a year old and had been there for four months. What a big beautiful boy - he's huge! They let him out of his cage so I could play with him a bit and of course he came home with me.

My pets are a special part of my life and the bond I have with them is a strong one. They've given me so much totally unconditional love. Hopefully, Patches and Dickon will be with me for many more years to come. They're my buddies. :)

Witches & brooms & bats - oh, my!!

2009-09-30T13:10:00.010-04:00

Here's some fun Halloween jewelry - designed from broken china. Available at my website. Buy pendant & earring sets and SAVE!

19th Century shard of china - now pendant!

2009-09-24T19:29:00.008-04:00

I received a lovely call from Sherrie Ruhl in Maryland a couple of weeks ago. She had a shard of 19th Century china that she wanted me to make into a pendant for her. She was full of compliments about my work and wanted to leave the design up to me. I found the story of how she found this piece of china fascinating and wanted to share it with you and Sherrie has kindly given me permission to do that.

"I dug that shard up out of my tiny backyard when I was homesteading in Ridgely's Delight in Baltimore City, now known as Camden Yards because Ridgely's Delight is next to the Orioles stadium. My house was built in the early 1800s and the whole broken bowl would have been buried in the yard - though I found only that small piece when I was renovating the property.

"I think the bowl is simply transfer ware - a common kind of pottery used in the early 1800s, probably exported to the USA from China.

"The shard has tremendous sentimental value to me - I remember the hot day my neighbor and I dug up the back yard and turned it into a beautiful courtyard with trees and roses and lots and lots of flowers. We also found old medicine bottles and an old gold ring."

And here's the finished pendant!

I sent a photo to Sherrie and she was very pleased with the finished result. She said she now can wear it instead of burying away her memories in a dusty box. It truly does make me happy to be able to transform a shard of china like this into something people can treasure for many years to come. I'll be sending this pendant off to Sherrie first thing in the morning and will be smiling all day. :)

Set the Table - Vintage Tableware & Linens

2009-09-14T18:59:00.000-04:00

I've met many wonderful people since I started my adventure as a jewelry designer. One of the nicest is Del Hylton of Set the Table. I had designed some jewelry from a beautiful Richard Ginori plate that I had found. The name was written on the back

of the china but to me it looked like Richard Ginon china, so that's what I had on my website and my blog. I couldn't understand why I couldn't find any reference to Richard Ginon china on the internet. It was such beautiful china. Then I received an email from Del Hylton who very kindly told me that the correct name of the china was Richard Ginori. I was truly grateful to Del for setting me straight and saving me from some embarrassment.

Now I have another reason to be grateful to Del. I just received the most delightful box of china from her today. She sent me a Richard Ginori plate, a lovely pink plate with beautiful flowers on it, a Woods & Son plate from England with vibrant flowers all over it, three lovely bowls and a set of six Stafford napkins rings. I'm thrilled - she couldn't have sent me anything nicer. Diving into that box of china goodies made it feel just like Christmas morning as I pulled out one treasure after another.

I took photos of the china that Del sent me and was going to post it to this blog. But I'd rather post some photos of the lovely things that Del has available in her shop - Set the Table - Vintage Tableware & Linens. Del has a lovely shop in Orlando, Florida and has such beautiful vintage china tableware available, along with gorgeous vintage linens. I've added a few photos here but she has lots more on her MySpace page at www.myspace.com/setthetable.

So stop by Del's page at MySpace and say hi and check out all of her beautiful items. You can't possibly go wrong doing business with someone like Del who has shown such kindness to me, a complete stranger.

I'll be posting more about the china Del sent me and posting some photos of it and the jewelry designed from it.

Thank you so much, Del - you're the best!

Today's Pick on Wickedly Chic!

2009-09-14T13:50:00.001-04:00

I'm blown away! Liz of Wickedly Chic has chosen my sea glass ankle bracelet to be Today's Pick over on Wickedly Chic! For those of you who may not be familiar with Wickedly Chic, it's one of the hottest spots on the internet for independent shopping. Liz chooses several of her shopping finds each day and posts them as Today's Picks. However, she only chooses one of those for the pick of the day which is posted on the front page of Wickedly Chic. I'm truly honored that she chose my ankle bracelet.

Thank you, Liz Nonnemacher!! You're the best! :)

Wickedly Chic

"Jewels of Fall" - An Artisan Jewelry Show

2009-09-04T21:23:00.000-04:00

I'm very proud to be part of "Jewels of Fall" - An Artisan Jewelry Show that is taking place this Sunday, September 6, 2009. The show is being hosted by Mona Hair of The Jewelry Connection. I did a live interview on The Jewelry Connection internet show last year and Mona invited me to join her in this upcoming event. You can tune into the show at the following link:

The Jewelry Connection

Three of my Fall-themed jewelry pieces will be displayed during the broadcast of this show. I hope you'll join us. Here's what Mona has to say about the show:

"You're Cordially Invited to Attend: Jewels of Fall - A online internet jewelry show of one of a kind designs of wearable art in an exhibition.

"Designers from many places are converging and collaborating to bring together their impressions of the Season of Fall in wearable art. All submissions are one of a kind designs by independent jewelry artists!
Show Time in the USA is 12pm PST, 2pm CST, 3pm EST
Show Time in Europe is 9pm
Show Time in the UK is 8pm

"Please join us to applaud these designers for their expressions of creative inspiration and share with us in the glory of the colors, textures, and shapes of Fall!

"Their works will be displayed as we share biographies on each designer!

"May the Season of Fall bring you a sense of romance, expectation, and a renewed reverence of life.
Warmest Regards,
Mona Hair
Producer and Host of The Jewelry Connection"

Say hi to dbDesigns!

2009-08-30T11:14:00.000-04:00

One of our newest merchants in the Reclaimed to Fame Market is dbDesigns of Fleming Island, Florida. Danielle Blumenberg creates beautiful jewelry from antique flatware and coins. She is
very aware of her environmental footprint and does much in her work to reuse and repurpose. She also does a lot for charity. Here's her story!

"Hi! I’m Danielle Blumenberg, owner and designer of db Designs in sunny Fleming Island, Florida. I am a military wife (for 20 years), who has had the privilege to live all over the world. The great part has been getting to experience the cultures of different places every 2 to 3 years; the not-so-great part was never being able to have a career of my own... Until recently :-)

"I started my jewelry design business a little over 5 years ago, and my how it has changed! What began as just a little bit of beading quickly grew into wirework, and then metal-smithing. For the most part, I am self taught (and consider myself very much a novice) with tons still to learn! I have been able to take some great workshops with incredibly talented artisans, but not nearly as many as I need or want!

"Much of what inspires me and fires my imagination is trying to use old commonplace items in new ways. I love working with many mediums, but mostly metal. Specifically, "upcycling" or "repurposing" antique and vintage solid silver flatware and coins into unique wearable art! As I anneal, saw, forge and bend the vintage components into fabulous pieces of jewelry, I wonder about the possible history of the components. For example, while I was working on the WWII era Mercury dime necklace, I couldn’t help but muse about whether any of the coins were in the pocket of an American G.I. as he defended our country.

"I have an environmentally friendly, but VERY messy, studio in my home, and recycle and reuse everything I can. I use natural chemicals, such as eggs for patina, and citric pickle, to try to reduce my environmental footprint. I also make every effort to purchase from fair trade vendors, as opposed to free trade vendors for my findings and beads. When founding db Designs, I wanted to strongly support the community and those who strive to make a difference. In an effort to do that, I contribute merchandise and a portion of all sale proceeds to a variety of charities. As db Designs continues to grow, so will my efforts to make a difference. To date, db Designs has donated over $8,000!!! For a list of some of the charities that have benefited, you can contact me via email at Danielle@designedbydanielle.com or visit http://www.designedbydanielle.com/aboutus.html."

Check out dbDesigns here at 1000 Markets at http://www.1000markets.com/users/dbdesigns.

Sweet little Tweety Bird

2009-08-28T15:53:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, my mom called me, all excited, to tell me that there was an escaped parakeet in her yard. We discussed whether she should try to catch it or not. Neither one of us believes in caging birds. But parakeets in the United States aren't born into the wild and have a difficult time adapting to the wild when they escape. Many times their wings are clipped so they cannot fly as well as wild birds. The other birds don't accept them and parakeets are very social animals and they become depressed without some type of interaction, either other birds or humans. They don't have the instincts that are born into wild birds and may not know how to escape predators.

My mom and I looked in the local papers and online for any sign that the owners were looking for the parakeet. We thought the owners would have a better chance of catching the little guy. By then he had disappeared from my mother's yard.

I live several blocks away from the mother's house and was surprised to find the little parakeet sitting in my pine tree one day. But he was very skittish and wouldn't let me get close at all. I put extra food and water out for him near the tree. He would swoop down and hover over the food and water but then would fly back to a branch without eating. Most of the time he just sat in the tree looking depressed. The other birds just ignored him.

We didn't see him again for almost a week or more. We had a very hot, humid spell during that time here in New Jersey. While I know these birds come from Australia and can withstand the heat, we didn't know if he was getting enough to eat or drink and were very concerned about him.

Then who do I see out in my bird feeder this morning but the beautiful parakeet! He was fine and no longer acting depressed. I had put wire around the feeder to keep out the squirrels who can sometimes get too greedy with the seed. The little parakeet had squeezed between the holes in the wire and was sitting inside safe and sound, eating away. I was so glad to see him! I took some photos of him through the window. When something would scare the other birds and several of them would fly off, he would look around and act cautious so I think he's picking up some survival skills. So I'm feeling much better about his chances out in the wild.

"The Crying Tree" by Naseem Rakha

2009-08-26T16:42:00.000-04:00

I think this is the first time I've blogged about a book I've read. I am an avid reader and usually read 2-3 books a week. So I come across many good books. But this book isn't just good - it's truly superb!

It's a heart-wrenching story of a family who suffers one of the worst losses a family can imagine. It's a story of the effect that loss has on each member of the family. But most of all, it's a story of the power of forgiveness. It's beautifully written by Naseem Rakha. If you click on the link above, you'll find an interview Amazon did with the author.

I've always had many questions about forgiveness. Should it always be forgive and forget or should you merely shed the anger and not the memory? Does forgiving mean accepting the person as though nothing had ever happened? This book may not have answered all of my questions but it certainly gave me a lot to think about and I know I'll be re-reading it many times.

I don't like to give away too many details about the story but I did want to recommend it to my blog readers. It's an exceptional story and is sure to touch all who read it.

My jewelry featured in 2010 Wire Art Jewelry Calendar!

2009-08-11T18:54:00.000-04:00

It was quite an honor when Marjorie Oxman contacted me a couple of months ago asking if she could feature my jewelry in the 2010 Wire Art Jewelry Calendar she was putting together. What a lovely compliment! The calendar has been completed and my Colonial flutist pendant designed from Crest-O-Gold china is featured on the July page.

It's a lovely 13-month calendar featuring 35 wire art jewelry designs. Jewelry artists will enjoy the inspiration each month will bring. And what a great gift it would make for your artist friends!

New sea glass jewelry

2009-07-28T15:49:00.001-04:00

I recently sold my last sea glass wire crochet necklace so I figured it was time to make some more! Love working with sea glass - almost as much as I love working with broken china. Sea glass has always been a part of my life. Living on the Jersey Shore, I collected sea glass as a child and then when my daughter was little, we collected it together. I've used it to decorate picture frames, made mosaics with it, displayed it in glass bottles and now love to include it in my jewelry.

Since copper wire is my favorite wire to work with, I really wanted to use it this time. First of all was picking the color of sea glass to use. Blue and copper? White and copper? Green and copper! That was it!

This copper wire crochet necklace has an authentic green sea glass wire wrapped pendant. The pendant is 3/4" x 1-3/4" counting bail. The necklace is 20" long counting clasp. (Can be lengthened or shortened according to your preference - just let me know).
Also available at www.marjoriescracked.com.

For my second design, I decided to use a lovely shaped brown piece of sea glass. This is a copper wire crochet necklace with authentic brown sea glass wire wrapped pendant. Pendant is 3/4" x 1-3/4" counting bail. Necklace is 22" long counting clasp. (Also can be lengthened or shortened according to your preference - let me know).
Also available at www.marjoriescracked.com.

Let me know what you think!