The Annual Salon des Artistes is coming right up

This year we are doing something a little different and joining forces with more artists at the Bazaar Lizard, in a landmark house, The Lizard House, in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque in Albuquerque's North Valley.  The house has a sculptural relief of a very large lizard on its front wall.  We're excited about getting to go inside!  So, it's December 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at 8671 Rio Grande Boulevard NE, official invitation by artist Bea Lombard below:

Some inside-the-gate parking available; more along Rio Grande Blvd.  Please bring cash or checks for shopping, and come and see us and the Lizard House!

Moving slightly away from the Bakelite stash

Celluloid is as luscious as Bakelite.  It's hard not to rub these buttons like talismans.

Necklace #196.  Vintage celluloid and metal buttons on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape. Little Bakelite ball buttons at the ends.

Extruded celluloid is pretty weird stuff and maybe not for everyone, but I think it has a wacky charm.

 Necklace #201.  Vintage extruded celluloid buttons on satin bias tape.

But leaving plastics behind, these intricate mother of pearl buttons are likely Victorian.

Necklace #198.  Antique mother of pearl buttons on Japanese cotton bias tape.

Stone is nice, too.

Necklace #197.  Stone buttons on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

But on to something softer, buttons covered with vintage Japanese kimono fabric.

Necklace #200.  Buttons covered in vintage Japanese bias tape, with Bakelite accent buttons, on satin bias tape.  

Check out the most recent necklace collection at https://goo.gl/photos/uJFB3VUDePMFPEbk9

And Still More Bakelite (and some other vintage plastic)

More show-and-tell from the work table:

Necklace #190, Very very tactile Bakelite cylinders from the 1930s on polka dot cotton tape.

Necklace #191.  A little break from Bakelite.  Vintage plastic roses with mother of pearl leaves and vintage glass twinkling in between (satin bias tape).

Necklace #193.  Two-tone 1930s Bakelite tapdancing away on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

Necklace #192.  Another break from Bakelite.  Vintage plastic and mother of pearl with rhinestone centers (satin bias tape.

Necklace #194.  Vintage celluloid and metal center button surrounded by spinach-green Bakelite round buttons (on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape).

For more photos from the stash and the archive, check out https://goo.gl/photos/uJFB3VUDePMFPEbk9

1930s Bakelite (and a little metal)

Slowly having fun with the hoard of buttons from a dear friend.  1930s buttons, mostly Bakelite, have been calling:

  Necklace #187 features these almost-op metal buttons with little Bakelite accents in between.

Necklace #188 is various seductively-shaped Bakelite buttons

Necklace #189 features large two-tone Bakelite buttons that are very pleasing to the touch, with little Bakelite accents in between.

Click https://goo.gl/photos/uJFB3VUDePMFPEbk9 for the albums of more current work and https://goo.gl/photos/GpN6kRMTVzpzjiQAA for the earlier archive. 

Having fun with a wonderful button-box gift

A dear friend gave me a treasure-trove of buttons, and so I am off and running!

Necklace #184.  Vintage celluloid and metal buttons on a black satin bias tape.

I love a rythmic asymmetry and I always drift to black and red.

Necklace #185.  Bakelite buttons with mother-of-pearl insets, on Japanese chirimen bias tape.

Hard not to keep rubbing these pleasingly smooth buttons or watching the mother-of-pearl catch the light.

Necklace #186.  Bakelite buttons on satin bias tape.

These 1920s butterflies are one of the great treasures in the gift box, and the little Bakelite buttons give them a little dimension.  

So yes, off and running, with more designs lined up on the work table.

I've Been Wanting to Play with These Little Guys...

Necklace #182.  Gelato spoons with vintage glass and plastic buttons on Japanese chirimen bias tape.

More photos at https://photos.app.goo.gl/hdHCqLU4WxExMnYD2.

The annual Salon des Artistes is a week from Sunday!

Come see us if you are near!

Fun with found objects - and wonderful Japanese fabric

I've been having fun including some of the found metal objects that sit on my worktable:

Necklace #177 .  Vintage metal buttons with a central bit off the street, on bamboo bias tape.

Necklace #178.  A metal bit with great patina that I found on the street in Houston last year.  The contemporary plastic buttons have a similar patina and the little vintage plastic ones add a poke of color.  It's on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

Necklace #180.  This one incorporates a rusty washer that I have long admired.  The buttons are celluloid and other vintage plastic on cotton bias tape.

And then there is this one that is all button:

Necklace #179.  Vintage celluloid buttons on cotton bias tape.

And one with some lovely Japanese kimono silk:

 Necklace #181.  Buttons covered in vintage Japanese kimono silk with vintage plastic accent buttons (maybe Bakelite - not sure), on Japanese chirimen polyester bias tape.

And it is time again for the annual Salon des Artistes!  Here is the beautiful invitation created by Bea Lombard, whose work will be available at the event.

In addition to me and Bea, there will be work by Carleen Lopez (bags and pillows with exquisite fabric and photo-transfer embellishment), Phoenix Forrester (vintage clothing and tiny scenes under glass domes), Diane Glenn (necklaces and various bits of exotica), and Marie Baron (pottery and elegant beaded jewelry).  If you are near, please come see us!

Back to black ink - my more current work is in an album at https://goo.gl/photos/uJFB3VUDePMFPEbk9.

I am about to work on this album - some images have been in there too long!  I need to fix past posts of this blog as I move some of the pictures to another album and I'll try to be thorough, but if you see holes in a post where there should be pictures, I would be thrilled if you would let me know!  The link to the big album of past work is  https://goo.gl/photos/GpN6kRMTVzpzjiQAA 

Thanks!