Raven Box

This box was a gift, just the box. My family knows me well. I love boxes! It is an empty German candy box. Ancient Asbach brandy-chocolates made from the river Rhine Rudsheim. I painted the raven on it this past Fall. I felt the box needed something more, perhaps a shadow for the bird. So it sat unfinished until today. I traced the raven and cut it out of dark paper, lined up the feet, and traced the shadow made by a sunny window. A decorative piece of wood is the finishing touch. My original intent was to list this in my Etsy shop...

until I discovered that my bead design board fits inside perfectly. This will make transporting and storing my jewelry in progress a lot easier. I guess that I need to keep the box now. Time to find another box to paint.

January Sketchbook Challenge – Doodling

I am a bit behind on my sketchbook challenge posts. January’s challenge was “doodling” and it is already March.

As you can see from the dates on my journal pages I did complete these in January. I used the paint from my prize winnings from the December Sketchbook Challenge. More information from that post here. I am quite happy with the selection of Luminarte Radiant Rain colors that I received.

I admit that I haven’t even started to work on the February theme, but I did put it on my to do list. I’m looking forward to trying the twinkling H20’s shimmering watercolors next.

I like the contrast in the first doodle more than the wash of colors in the second one. It’s my journal, experimentation rather than perfection is the goal.

More Drawers – Repurposed Silverware Chest

I seem to be drawn to these vintage silverware chests at garage sales. I love boxes and drawers! I brought this one up from storage and put in the necklaces I have been making. Some are already listed in my Etsy shop. Some aren’t quite done yet.

A close-up of the burgundy velvet lined drawers and jewelry. Looking at this picture reminds me how varied the styles are that I like to create in.

RAEvN’s Nest Dress Form

I want a dress form to display my jewelry for photo shoots. I love the vintage muslin dressmaker forms with the manufacturers name stenciled on them. I really don’t need another dressform, I already have three.

This is one of the dressforms that I have. After tightening up all of the sections it does look better. Of course it is now too small to use for making clothes for myself. I find that the separate sections are too distracting.

The dress form does look better with the knit shell pulled up and pinned on but I really have my heart set on a muslin one.

So I decided to try and make my own. This will be a removable canvas cover.

I am not very good at taking step by step pictures. If I’m creating I don’t usually feel like recording. Here it is almost done. What do you think?

I made a stencil with my own name for it.

I still need a metal collar to complete the look.

One of my necklaces displayed! More to come…

Snow - Weather to Talk About!

This had been a mild Winter without much snow. Perhaps today will be different. March 2 marks the first "Winter Storm Warning" of the year.

We already have a few inches here in Fredonia. This is the view from my front door.


The snow is heavy and wet. The white pine trees are already leaning over from the weight.

Printers Cabinet Now Holds Jewelry Making Supplies

I couldn't resist this printers cabinet! I sold some things I kind of liked and bought this cabinet that I really like. My assemblage studio isn't heated so I squeezed this into the kitchen for now. It will be for my jewelry making supplies. Yes, I know I have a drawer problem. I told my friend Jill Shulse while watching Hoarders, one of our favorite pastimes, "I'm one of those organized hoarders. When I'm 80 my house will be lined with rows of cabinets with drawers. There will only be enough room to walk through the aisles. All my drawers will be labeled and if I like you I will let you look in them. LOL"!

It fits perfectly in front of the mural that I painted on the walls years ago. Instead of standing on a door the rooster looks like it is standing on the cabinet.


This is one of my drawers for "Inspiration" pieces.

This drawer is for pearls and shells...

One of the drawers waiting to be filled...

Silver Carnival Horse Update

I wanted to share how I sent out the carnival horse necklace. I found a box to protect and elevate the necklace. I also included a card with my inspiration picture of Lena at the carnival. The pearl rosary style chain is from her jewelry box.

Inside the card is the story behind the necklace. For more information on this necklace see this post.

Mother of Pearl Rose and Bird - Necklace

I started with the beautiful carved mother of pearl flowers. The sweet little bird was a perfect accompaniment.

Three faceted citrine stones flank carnelian beads with tiny brass spacers. Three baroque pearls with crystals between are the balance to a victorian brass bar pin with rhinestone. The bar has been depinned. A hand forged brass clasp hooks to a chain making the necklace adjustable from 19 inches to 24 inches. A sweet rhinestone flower drops from the brass chain. Pairs of bone bead, agates and glass beads round out the necklace.




Available at my Etsy shop RAEvN's Nest here.

Raven Picking Grapes - Necklace

If I were to pick a necklace to represent me, this would be it. A raven picking grapes. There is so much symbolism in this totem animal for me, grapes just put it over the top. I just finished this necklace today and before I change my mind I am going to list it in my Etsy shop RAEvN's Nest here.

The raven is an antique locking brooch and pendant combination. The silver plating over brass has a wonderful worn patina.

Hanging from the pendant is a vintage cluster of simulated pearls.

The sweet antique metal button is the perfect accompaniment. The embossed hand picking grapes drops from the clasp chain in back.


Richly colored green jasper stones in a rosary style chain with three additional baroque pearls. The necklace has a sterling silver clasp and is adjustable from 19 inches to 24 inches. The pendant and grape pearl cluster hangs an additional 5 inches below.


Just hatched from the Nest!

Ivory Rose and Rhinestones - Necklace

I've been busy sorting through jewelry, collecting ideas and finally creating.

Jewelry from the nest.

Picasso is one of the artists who I admire. He worked in many mediums and was always experimenting with different styles. Above is one of his fine art prints pictured in a book.

This antique ivory colored rose is the beautiful centerpiece for this necklace.

I couldn't decide which of the two pictures above that I like better, so I posted both.


There are two large chunks of carnelian stone flanking the rose with a third by the clasp. A chain of brass roses with rhinestone centers have a beautiful green patina on parts of the leaves. The asymmetrical design includes carved bone, crystal, brass and glass beads. A textured brass chain, with a pretty little marquise mother of pearl button, enables the necklace to be adjustable between 18 inches to 24 inches.

This necklace is available at my Etsy site RAEvNsNest here.

Necklace - The Elegant Moose

I saw a necklace with a silvertone elk head from an odd fellows badge and wanted one. I have searched the internet for months. That is the beauty of found object art, you can't just find the components anywhere. There was just something about it...

I decided to make my own. I drew an elk, then reduced my drawing, but something just wasn't right. I didn't want to copy the elk exactly, but I liked it exactly as it was. The antlers looked wimpy and for some reason I began thinking about moose. Perhaps because I was thinking about original art, art that is inspired but not copied.


Why would a moose be a totem animal for me? I had seen many animals on our vacation to Yellowstone this past year including elk, but not one single moose. Perhaps the moose had something to tell me.

I looked up moose totem on the internet and this is a summary of what I found:
The crown of courage; Full of contradiction; Excellent depth perception; Strength; Intuitive nature; Reward ourselves for a job well done; Moose
I etched all of these traits on the back of the moose head.

I cut the moose from heavy gauge brass. Next, I etched the image of a moose with the name of the designer in bold letters - RAEvN.

I refashioned a vintage glass bead necklace adding a mother of pearl flower. Hanging below the pendant is a piece of jewelry from my Great Aunt Lena's stash. The shell charms remind me of antler. I also added an acorn shaped button backed by a shell button. The clasp is a hook and eye that I fabricated from brass wire.

The necklace is available in my Etsy shop RAEvNs Nest here.

Necklace - La Rose France

I found this sweet brass label while on one of my internet travels to Europe. The label reads "La Rose France, Houbigant Paris". This was originally a brass label from an antique perfume bottle. Houbigant was a perfume manufacturer founded in Paris, France in 1775.

According to the item description, the plate was found in the ground and was made perhaps around 1910 - 1930.


I added a sterling silver rose with sparkly rhinestones including one tiny black one.


The pendant hangs from a delicate double strand vintage rosary type chain and antique glass bead chain with a brass jumpring marked CZECHOSLOV stamped in tiny letters.


This necklace is available at my Etsy shop RAEvN's Nest here.