No New Pictures Today (Soon), but An Update About my Photo Album

Google in its infinite wisdom has made changes to the way Google photo albums are made, look, and are shared.  My album of current work now has a link of https://goo.gl/photos/uJFB3VUDePMFPEbk9.  In order to get the captions, including the necklace number, of each photo, click on one of the photos and then look up to the right side of the screen for a letter "i" (for "info") inside a circle.  It's the middle icon.  Click the little "i" and a caption will appear on the right.  If you continue to scroll through the photos, the information displays will stay with you; if you go back to the whole album, repeat the above steps to get another caption next time you click on an individual picture.  Sigh - just when you get used to something.  Thanks for your patience!  A friend discovered I had holes in the blog where pictures used to be.  This happens when I move photos out of the "current" album and into the album of earlier work.  I just went through and fixed them all - I hope!  The link to the album of earlier works is https://goo.gl/photos/GpN6kRMTVzpzjiQAA.

Buttons from Paris!

Back from a lovely trip.  Went to phenomenal button shop in Montmartre, Dam Boutons.

They don't allow photography in the store, but they have lovely pictures on their website, www.damboutons.com.  I wish I had taken a picture of their handsome black and white Spitz, though, sitting in that doorway and vetting the customers.

 

The mouths are from Salvador Dali (they had a number of buttons celebrating the artists that hung out in Montmartre).  The big red ones are actually from a trim shop that we passed walking through the Arts and Metiers district.

And then there was Le Petit Pan, a store that features charming things for tiny children in fabrics from Japan, but one of their storefronts in the Marais was fabric lengths, buttons and trim.

Now, time to get back to work!

Moving along into windy April....

Something made me photograph this necklace as soon as I finished it and put it on, a good thing because it was purchased right from my neck when I was out shopping!  A nice experience.

Necklace #126.  Buttons covered with vintage Japanese kimono silk, with fluorite accent beads, on Japanese woven cotton bias tape.

A dear friend sent me a wonderful button packet at the holidays, including these vintage glass and rhinestone baubles.  They almost wanted to stand alone but needed just a little more subtle spark in with them in the form of tiny antique glass buttons from another dear friend.

Necklace #127, the above-mentioned buttons on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

Necklace #128.  Buttons covered in contemporary Japanese chirimen fabric, likely rayon, with little red stone accent beads, on Japanese chirimen polyster bias tape.  The fabric for these was from little sachet covers.  They remain slightly perfumed. 

 I really should time photo shoots to avoid such giant shadows, although I like the shadows of the rhinestone spheres.

Almost Spring and.....

The necklaces at Mariposa Gallery have been replenished for spring, and a few new things have come off the work table after that:

Necklace #123.  Vintage Japanese kimono cotton and one subtle teal blue one from kimono silk, on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.  I'm hanging on to this one for a little while, since it goes with my great new top from Yasuko, with vintage Japanese kimono silk detail, and I want to wear it a couple of times.

Necklace #124.  A patina-rich collection of vintage mother of pearl buttons on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.  This one is a re-style:  I'm much happier with it now than I was when I tried a central button of a different material (stone).  The m.o.p.s wanted to be together!

Necklace #125.  Contemporary plastic buttons with the band of dots (from the wonderful Maya store in San Diego's South Park neighborhood) with vintage plastic and rhinestone buttons on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.  This one has been fun to test-drive.

It's February - time to get back to work!

The successful Salon des Artistes is now a distant memory, and Santa and others did bring me new buttons to play with.  First here is a restyle of an earlier necklace, adding some little floral celluloid buttons from a friend's gift tin of wonderful ones:

Necklace #120, vintage plastic buttons, mostly celluloid, on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

Pawing around in the vintage plastic buttons led to this one:

Necklace #121. Vintage plastic buttons (the one with the metal center is likely Bakelite) on cotton/linen bias tape.

And then, enjoying darks, lights and patinas in the vintage button world, this one:

Necklace #122.  Vintage plastic (one is horn) buttons, two with mother of pearl inlays, on Japanese woven cotton bias tape.  The little rings at the edges are stone.  I love that wacky button with the circle and triangle cut-outs.  The center button has, I think, achieved the gold-brown areas as it aged.  

As always, the photo album of current work is at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/105148425797657603947/albums/5669744508708774721.  

Two sparkles and a shiny one

A friend gave me some Chinese brocade:

Necklace #116.  Buttons covered in Chinese brocade, with some old glass buttons from La Mode (so they say on the back), on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

And here are some old rhinestone buttons with a pewter-y patina on the settings

Necklace #117.  The buttons on either side of the central one are actually elements from an old belt.  The accents are vintage palettes, all on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

I only got a little hank of this red and black striped rayon bias tape to try (extra expensive).  It has a  hand so different from the polyester, cotton, or linen tapes.  It seemed the right thing for this great buckle and some accompanying old buttons:

Necklace #118.  The buttons at the top, with the silver band, were from the stash of a generous friend in the neighborhood.  The buckle is likely Bakelite; the funny little button within it is some old-timey plastic.  And they are on the experimental rayon bias tape.

The Salon des Artistes, our annual show with, this year, six artists,  is less than two weeks away - December 7th, 10-4, 4000 Aspen Avenue NE, Albuquerque, near the intersection of Carlisle and Constitution!

And once again, the link to the Google+ album of current work is https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/105148425797657603947/albums/5669744508708774721

Back to Playing with Textiles, and More Shiny Natural Materials

Textiles, especially the vintage Japanese ones, call to me for a round of covered-button making.

Necklace #114 was a fun color-wheel game.  That deep violet vintage Japanese silk is a complementary color with the chirimen polyester bias tape, and the little Bakelite accent buttons are a split complementary with the deep violet.  It looked nice with an indigo-blue shirt.

Almost time for the annual Salon des Artistes!  It will be December 7th from 10-4 here at 4000 Aspen NE, Albuquerque.  Six of us will exhibit and sell (paperie, jewelry, bags and pillows, surprise balls, vintage clothes..... ).   May it not snow until December 8th!

My photo album of current necklaces (some are at Mariposa Gallery here in Albuquerque) is athttps://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/105148425797657603947/albums/5669744508708774721.