Rita Reade's Vintage Marketplace and Matilda's Mouse Antique

Silly Sal with Jackie's hat on her head

In November and December I decided to take some chances. My daughter had always remarked about my art, "What are you going to do with all your art you are creating?"

Well, the year before at Elena's Seaside Soiree in Oceanside, she had asked me to donate one of my Suzi Blu paintings for her fund raiser auction. To my utter surprise, two women started bidding on my painting and got my humble 6"x12" painting up to $75. Woo Hoo!

Also in 2010 I had taken my 1st Sally Jean Halloween class where we made layered glass pendant shaker box vignettes. Skip to this summer and what to solder with my dear friends, Margo and Kathie when we get together. Margo had figured out and shared how to make light weight pendant boxes and Kathie had discovered how to make fairies out of beads and bead findings.

One of my many fairy vignette pendants

I went on a mission and made way too many glass soldered pendant boxes for one person to wear.

All my "children"

Then in 2011 I took Sally Jean's "Cuff" class. The most fun I have ever had. I had finally found my venue. But I couldn't just copy Sally Jean's designs to sell, so I made my own pattern with canabalized vintage jewelry and my heart necklaces were created and no two are alike!

My first of 5 original necklaces

In the meantime, Margo was making theses beautiful Christmas Ornaments and had giving me her PhotoShop(ed) design for a present, Christmas 2010. She then challenged Kathie and me to manipulate a copy free print and create our own background for them using all the PS tools we possessed and understood. I liked my designs and started soldering 2 1/2"x 3" glass/soldered ornaments for gifts for my friends and family. Then I reduced them in size to 1"x1 1/2" pendants. Now, I had too many of theses too!

Christmas Ornament Original Designs

Christmas Ornament pendants

Another new friend who I met at a Terri Brush class at the Urban Barn in Escondido was involved in a wonderful Vintage Charm Swap. This had been one of the many swaps at Kim Caldwell's Moulin Rouge getaway in Huntington Beach that year.

Robin helped me and 7 of my friends to hold our own jewelry swap necklace. I had all my mom's vintage costume jewelry.

(I had once considered making one of those boards with a Christmas Tree painted and adorned with costume jewelry and Christmas Tree lights peaking out to be hung on a wall or put on an easel once a year.)

Nope, not for me and MY Mom's jewelry. But necklaces out of her jewelry - Yea! Five necklaces later for a sweatshirt and t-shirt gal? Here we go again. What to do with all theses necklaces?

Well, 1st off - Elena had her 2011 Seaside Soiree and I donated this year one of my favorite Suzi Blu mermaids 6"x12" paintings. Suzi had used my painting for her painting/frame class where she used styrofoam with Golden's Light Molding Paste to embed glass, beads and shells. It ended up being about 16"x20" piece of art for Elena's fund raiser. One more piece of art out of my home.

Kathie setting out our jewelry

Currie Elementary School Craft Fair

Kathie heard about a school near by us that has a yearly huge Christmas craft fair that had an entrance fee. We registered late and we were placed way at the end of this faire. I am happy to report that we sold some of our wares. Kathie had theses darling fairy earrings, phone dangles, pendants and zipper pulls. I had my Christmas stuff, my vintage fairy box pendants and some neckalce charms I had thrown together. We both sold some, but not much. But, our feet were now wet!

Just some of the vendor's tents at

Vintage Market Place

Then two other great friends, Jackie and Bonnie offered us a place under their tuen at Rita Reade's Vintage Market Place off Hwy 15 at Rainbow and The Oaks. Woo Hoo, I sold 3 of my heart necklaces and got so many compliments.

Kathie and Sally's jewelry at Vintage Market Place

Out that way that weekend Kathie and and I took a side trip to Matilda's Mouse, hidden away in rural Escondido - once the Betty Crocker farm house. The theme was Christmas and what a Winter wonderland! Everywhere you looked you were transported to those Christmas Past.

Matilda, the store namesake

Inside Matilda's Mouse at Christmas

I have found a new venue for my "stuff." The hair boutique where I get my haircut and color. Besides her Hillcrest stable of hair stylists, the owner has a jewelry and clothing boutique woven throughout her large studio. She has seen my wares and has offered to display them for sale in the spring. She says she loves my one of a kind designs and their "organic" nature.

Thanks to all of my teachers, friends and family for their support. I also want to give a special thanks to Debby Anderson for her generous sharing of a website where she gets some of her metal pieces that she uses in her beautiful classy art jewelry. I love seeing her designs in Somerset Jewelry Affaire and Belle Armiore Jewelry magazines.

Wish me luck in my sales. At some point an Etsy Shop may be in my future as I move onto new discoveries, ideas and creations.

More photos of Matilda's Mouse

Kathie in front of Jackie's upside down

Christmas Tree at Matilda's