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

Sally Jean's Oct 2011 classes

Sally Jean's Sample Buckle

This week I moved up to taking two of Sally Jean's five classes. Last year I was a "virgin solderer" and felt challenged to take even one of Sally Jean's classes. But, I need not worried last year or this. Sally Jean is such an attentive teacher and is at your beck and call all day as she circulates.

Sally Jean's classes are held at her BFF's home in Poway. Cheryl's home and the room we have the class in are wonderful. Cheryl is such a great hostess. Sally Jean's provides everything you need including a soldering iron if you forget yours. Lunch is also including along with homemade snacks along the way. Tuesday's Class we had Cheryl's sister Stacy join us for the day. She brought our "afternoon delight", a chocolate trifle dessert, that we were still talking about on Wednesday.

Girls at Work

Alicia at her work place

Close Up of Alicia's Wall Art "in progress"

Sally Jean had a lot of her new merchandise that has been made commercially there for us to "ooh and aah" over and purchase if we chose. I was lucky enough to win one of the two drawings on Tuesday and have my very own Watch Fob and Chain of Sally Jean's. Yea! Nicky won the first door prize in the morning.

I won a Sally Jean watch!

Cheryl also has her hand made elegant necklaces for sale during the week. They are works of Art and to be admired if one isn't going to purchase. Cheryl also has some packaged beads and little "Charlottes" for sale if we wanted to use them in our work. I purchased some and used one of her "charlottes" on my cuff as a center piece.

Silly Sal's Cuff up close and almost finished!

Buckle and Cuff'"s

Here are some of the gal's pieces that were created in Tuesday's Class. The best thing about Sally Jean's classes are her secrets that you only learn from taking her class. There are tips and tricks that you would never guess are involved in making theses projects. That is why you need to take her classes.

Nicky Wilt hold her buckle

Nicky's buckle up close

Michelle Hurt holding her buckle

Michelle's Buckle up close

Pam Munns holding her buckle

Pam's buckle up close

Ann Crutchfield holding her cuff

Ann's Cuff up close

Silly Sal's Cuff from above

Alicia's "Wall Art" almost complete

Twirling Tiny Toe Dancer

Margo below is holding her work in progress. I am sorry. I didn't get a good photo of Sally Jean's Sample. There isn't a chain yet on Margo's work. Darn, Sally Jean is wearing one of Sylvia's "Rosary" necklaces but you can't see the great cross and what makes up the cross in my photo because the necklace isn't hanging flat. . . Wahhhhhh.

Margo holding her "Dancer" and Sally Jean

The necklace that Sally Jean is where in the form of a crucifix was designed and made by our hostess, Cheryl Simpson. I wish I had taken a close up of it. I love all of Cheryl's chains!

Margo's Tiny Dancer in progress

Michelle Hurtt makes the most beautiful hand bound books with the covers out of silver serving trays. We got to see one of them up close and personal! She just finished selling a bunch of her handmade goods at Glitter Fest last weekend!

Michelle Hurtt and her Tiny Dancer

I saw some gals I had met when we took a class at Stamping Details that is not far from where our class was. "Shout Out" to Kim Fernald and Susan Millsom. Great seeing you guys again.

Susan Millsom

Kim Fernald

Next year, I told Sally Jean, I might really splurge and take three of her five days of classes. It is addicting as I see how many of Sally Jean's students are there for all five workshops and travel to be here and stay at local hotels. She is a great teacher.

Silly Sal and Sally Jean

See you Next Year! Hope you all can join me for some more fabulous Sally Jean classes here in Southern California.

Sylvia Swenson's "Working With Wire" class

Margo, Sally, Sylvia and Kathie

Last Thursday was the end of a six week "Working With Wire" course that Margo, Kathie and I took from Sylvia Swenson. I had never taken a class from her but Kathie and Margo had and they spoke highly of her teaching techniques, abilities and over all friendliness. I totally concur.

Sylvia Swenson at her table

I had learned what little I knew about working with wire and jewelry from friends like Debi Harvey and Kathie. This had prompted me to purchase some tools with my eye on "cheap" tools - not the best for accomplishing jewelry tasks.

The class was Thursday nights from 6 pm to 9 pm in Point Loma at the Newly built Adult Education Center off Mid Way and adjacent to the JoAnn's down there. There were wire kits to purchase from Sylvia and she always had the materials for us to make what ever project or technique we were learning that particular night.

Samples of Some of our Projects Sylvia Made

We all gathered around her work table at least twice a night for our tutorials as we watched her demonstrate that nights project. She was readily available for questions and brought in many of her own tools for us to use and experiment with using like the tumbler and vise and various ways to twist wires.

The Room where we worked

There was plenty of room and the lighting was fine. The students were all friendly and willing to share what they had created during the week we were at home and on our own. Over all, it was an excellent experience. Sylvia has another course starting in one or two weeks. Plus, in December she will have a series of classes that are on Saturdays.

Here are photos of some class members and their projects:

Talented Students work

Student's name unknown

Same unknown artist name

Crocheted Necklace she made at home

Tammy Lawhead

One of the many friendly students

Tammy's work that she did after class

Close up of Tammy's bracelet

Sarah Petrucci's "Green Stone Adventure" charm bracelet

Kelly Runk's ring she made in another class

Margo at her work bench

Some of Margo's jewelry she made in class

Earrings we learned to make

Some of Kathie's Jewelry she made after class instruction

Little projects I (Silly Sal) made

To learn more about Sylvia Swenson and her classes visit www.sdce.edu/class-schedule or www.sylviaswenson.com.

Sylvia also gives out a 16 page very comprehensive class syllabub for the class with lots of written instructions.