The Bubbe Pin™ Story

It has become almost a universal problem: how to keep a yarmulke (kippah) or small headscarf from sliding off the head. For many years the best solution has come from grandmothers, (“bubbe” is Yiddish for grandmother) handing out cheap metal or plastic covered bobby pins. No style, just plain functionality.

My Bubbe Pins™ add that missing element and you don’t have to be Jewish to wear them! They range from one of a kind ornate works that are reminiscent of Indian jhumar to very simple, yet elegant, limited edition designs suitable for both men and women.

So now for the pictures! Here are a few of the possibilities. Look for more colors and designs soon – or contact me and tell me what you want. These are perfect gifts for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and are the perfect addition for High Holy Day dress.

My niece modeling my Bubbe Pin™

My latest are small vintage Swarovski faceted jewels, rectangluar and Rivolis. Some of these are extremely rare and I don’t have too many of them, so I want them to be displayed perfectly in every piece where I use them. I used one of the especially rare rectangular jewels (Swarovski Article 4523) in the piece I showed off in my previous post, eXtemporaneous After Midnight. It took me some time to develop the open weave netting to fit in such a way as to show off as much of the faceted table as possible. Here are a pair of stones showing two versions that I worked through.

The jewel on the left shows more of the top flat table though both are viable designs that hold well. These jewels are 16 millimeters by 12 millimeters so I’ve used equally tiny seed beads (15/0) for a certain amount of subtlety.

Next are some Rivolis which measure 12 millimeters in diameter. The open weave of mainly bead netting works especially well although this bezel actually uses three different techniques. The first set of stitches is Right Angle Weave, then I work the back in Peyote and the front in netting. I have a tutorial in the works (which means I’ve taken pictures and now have to write up the technique and make some drawings). Shown below are six rivolis which are now ready for my newest piece (which I hope to have finished in time for the Etsy Beadweavers’ September Challenge – but more on that later).

As always once I’ve worked out a design detail, I am both proud of these and excited at the idea of taking them further. I have some very tiny teardrop stones I’m thinking of tackling next.

There are so many ways to bead weave bezels and I like to think I’ve added to that collection. I like the idea of being able to utilize different techniques to achieve whatever look and style fits whatever design I can come up with. How about you? do you have a favorite look for bezeled stones and jewels?

You also get a chance to see the opulence of the pallev of this sari (which I will be wearing for my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah).

Ever since I was a young girl I have adored the mathematical visualizations known as fractals. They describe the chaotic nature of branching, of shorelines, of the depth of imagination. And they are pretty besides!

Tin Man’s Heart by Donna of DreamTree on Etsy is an abstract fractal art print. She creates this in layers according to her profile. They are gorgeous abstract art.

Dendritic Quartz Crystal by nomadshop on Etsy is an example of a fractal you can hold in your hand.

Color Therapy by Kelly Dietrich is a very colorful abstract fractal print. I could stare at this one all night!

Anatomic Mass VI by Jacquelyn Stephens is an oil and acrylic mixed media original painting with subtle colors, fascinating faux texture, and amazing emotional impact.

What kinds of topics do you like to read about on an artist’s blog?

Do you prefer many small pictures or fewer larger ones? Or none at all?

Are you interested in uplifting stories? Articles about technique? About inspiration?

Would you be put off if I wrote about my other passion (astrophysics)?

What would it take to entice you to interact, that is to say, leave a comment (or two) here at my blog?

Thank you!

It doesn’t have to be this way! On the one hand, we can take a chance and use that fine antique tea set even if only rarely, while on the other hand being careful to clean and store it properly. In my own family, my mother has a set of old Syracuse China in the Federal pattern which we use maybe three times a year. It is well loved for its connection to the past, but it doesn’t go in the dishwasher nor is it ever put away wet.

When it comes to clothing and jewelry, things are a bit different. Clothing, because of the organic nature of the materials, is particularly fragile when it comes to aging. Moreover, one can’t depend on familial relations to assure that grandma’s 1950′s garden party sundress (with the really cool tulle petticoat) will even fit. Even if it does fit, is it your style? (Personally, I see no reason to ever wear a skirt with an appliquéd poodle on it, but that’s just me.) Similarly for old jewelry; it may be broken or not to your fancy, or it may be desired by several family members. Or perhaps you made a purchase of a piece whose siren call was just too much for you.

Most articles of clothing, while they can be recut and restyled, probably aren’t going to be easily made into more than one new piece. But if it’s very worn, at least you can salvage some cloth and use it in quilting, doll making, doll clothing, appliqué work, and more as your imagination reveals. I’ve bought antique and vintage clothing to wear as is which worked because I could easily do some small seam repair. I have one vintage (it’ll be an antique in less than a decade or so) jacket whose buttons I replaced and I wore so much I wore the elbows out. I’ll probably cover then with some kind of decorative appliqué and wear it again (after I’ve lost a bit of size myself).

Jewelry can be much more problematic partly because of all the attendant emotional conflicts that often arise. Engagement rings are sometimes passed along unchanged, but just as often stones are reset either to account for changes in taste or because the band has been worn almost through or because there are numerous offspring to share the stones. Much less emotionally trying are bracelets and necklaces which can usually be broken apart and completely remade. Earrings and brooches generally pass unchanged from owner to owner but they, too, can be modified or incorporated – transformed – into new works of wearable art.

The steps taken to transform an old piece of jewelry into a new heirloom are occasionally complex but also occasionally simple. This depends on the nature of the pre-existing piece and the parameters of the new Piece or pieces to be created. The simplest transformation is taking single beads or charms from a bracelet or necklace and creating a separate necklace or bracelet for each sister and cousin. A necklace with many components can be remade into earrings and a bracelet (or a simpler necklace) or a brooch. Sometimes, it’s necessary to add components. In one case, I transformed a plain silver colored necklace of three leaves connected by simple folded bands of metal and draped around the neck with a chain into a work of art with many colored rhinestones placed one by one in the leaves, connectors of semi-precious faceted aventurine beads and Swarovski crystal bicones linking the leaves and a hand crafted bead woven cord of many tiny seed beads in complimenting colors.

On my Transform page you can see some other examples, including a necklace of netting made of bugle beads featuring a transformed vintage rhinestone brooch as the centerpiece.

One of my clients has even suggested taking the beads, jewels and sequins from an old wedding dress and using them to create a new set of jewelry. There’s so much you can do to reuse past treasures that have faded for one reason or another and turn them into heirlooms that you can share with the future.

I look forward to reading your suggestions and ideas here along with any questions. What have I missed?

Candles, now that they aren’t merely a light source necessity, have become imbued with romance, luxury, and, perhaps more than a bit, self-indulgence. This week’s treasury theme is candles and some unusual holders they might find themselves in.

Two Tier Candle Shelter by WindwoodGlass is a lovely green geometric stained glass affair that holds five tea lights with delicate beauty and crisp good looks.

Blue Key – Tealight Holder created by arosebyname begins with a common plain glass votive candle holder transformed by the weaving of thousands of tiny delica seed beads into a beautiful and unique display for burning a plain votive candle.

Serena Bell by BayRaysGirl is something out of a fantasy or dream. The description “jewel encrusted” really fits. Wow!

Pink Lotus tea lights by DianasStainedGlass is a wonder of overlapping and layered petals that shimmer gracefully when in use with a tea light.

Wispy Opalescent Irrodized Pink Fluted Vase by Glass2Class is listed as a vase but can easily be a candle holder. I love the golden hued pink.

1. Straighten up and reorganize my studio, my bedroom, the kitchen, the dining room, my mother’s garage. No wait. Not that one. That would take a lot more time than I could possibly find.
2. Spend more time in the studio not counting the cleaning and reorganizing. Actually give myself more time to be creative. (This gets my vote for sure!)
3. Extra exercise time while not as satisfying as more studio time, certainly would be good for my health.
4. Sleep in. No, I’m not actually serious about this one. I’d much rather make good use of my time. There are quite a few business tasks I could, instead, finally catch up on.
5. Gardening. It’s a jungle out there. Really!

What would you do with the time you’d have if your computer was in the shop?

In most of the west, jeans, plain tops, and sandals (or athletic shoes) are the most common form of dress. Sometimes skirts and blouses and occasionally a real dress makes an appearance, but for the most part the clothing is conservative even when it tries to be daring. Today, I am going to introduce you to some other fashion statements from other countries that you might not have ever encountered before.

Thanks to a television program, NCIS the fashion subculture, Goth is not totally unheard of. But the show’s forensic scientist, Ms Abby Sciuto, is hardly daring in her dress compared to the many styles that are seen in Japan.

Goth Lolita (or Gothloli) is but one of the subculture Lolita fashion movements in Japan. The basic Lolita premise is to create a sweet, pretty (or beautifully innocent) appearance, but there are at least ten named variations (or, subtypes,) of the Lolita fashion. I particularly like Wa Lolita which incorporates modified kimono and haori with petticoat style skirts, and Classic (Aristocrat) Lolita with its Regency style elegance. Of course, Goth Lolita is in a class of its own. For some very lovely images of real people wearing these (and other) Lolita styles see Lolita Fashion at Wikipedia.

India has developed its own fashion archetypes, most of which do not merely follow the west’s. Saris, despite how much they typify most westerner’s vision of India, are actually almost a modern development. In fact, the National drape, now seen everywhere is likely not much more than a hundred or so years old. Traditionally, saris range in length from 5 to 9 yards of cloth with borders along the length and at least one fancy ned border (the Pallav or Pallau). but even this is not standard throughout India as there are traditional cloths without any decoration and some with two pallevs. Stictched clothing also exits (for example salwar and kameez) as well as jackets and vests and the far more traditional dhoti and veshti still worn in a few regions. Modern Indian fashion is, however, greatly influenced by this country’s own film industry (Bollywood) to an enormous extent with fantasy cloths featuring embroideries, jewels, unusual fabrics in an amazing array of opulence. There has even been some fusion of Indian style with western for evening gowns and formal wear especially.

My own personal preference is for traditional weavings in 6, 8 and 9 yard lengths, (although I am planning on purchasing a two 4 yard set of cloths that may predate the invention of the modern sari but as a direct ascendant). My favorite source for saris at present is Sari Safari in Portland Oregon. I was lucky enough to obtain an 8-yard and a 9-yard sari from the late Chantel Boulanger, who spent many years promoting draped clothing and made an in depth study of the dying drapes of India. (I believe her book may still be available from Sari Safari.)

Africa as a continent is only now beginning to come into its own as a fashion center. While the mainstream is mostly western there is a strong emergence of high style based on traditional clothing and adornment. Stunning and amazing are two words that describe some of these works perfectly. Sadly, my knowledge of this movement (or perhaps collection of movements, for Africa is not one country and culture but many of both) is very lacking. If you know more, please write about it in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m in the mood for a garden party even if it’s only in my imagination. I decided to go look for Summer dresses and accessories to wear to a Summer Tea.

Crochet White Cotton Top Halter Tank with Shiny Sequins by Sebsurer on Etsy is handmade of course. I think this would be perfect with my sarongs!

Greek Dress by Flowersun on Etsy has the kind of flowing lines that can look good on almost all women. It also looks very comfortable.

FLAPPER GIRL by everlastinglifashion on Etsy is a contemporary interpretation and integration of the Roaring Twenties and modern Goth. I love it!

Designer Vintage Reproduction Spring and Summer Hat by In Style at 1000Markets. Everyone who knows me knows I adore wide brim hats. Here is a lovely example made by hand using traditional millinery techniques.