Finally!

After weeks of cleaning, pricing, planning and prepping, it is finally here!  My first Jenny and Pearl Boutique.  If you are in the Southern California area, please pop in and see me.    Share this info with your friends and family!

I have so many beautiful things to show you - loads of beautiful items for everyone on your Christmas list, even one or two things that might catch your fancy!  The address and hours are listed at the top of the page.

 Cute Kitchen Collectibles

 Gorgeous Glassware

 Delectable Delights

 Chenille Bedspreads

 A Hankie Covered Christmas Tree!

 Unusual Antiques

 Beautiful Gift Items

 Vintage Purses

 too many things to list and of course...

one-of-a-kind Jenny and Pearl jewelry.

For my distant readers, don't despair, when the boutique madness has ended, I will get back to listing in my etsy stores and making more jewelry, so you can share in the fun!

Mention that you read my blog or are a friend of Jenny and Pearl on Facebook and get $5.00 off of any boutique purchase!  See you there!

Let's Make A Deal!

I have a great new contest!  It's actually an experiment - something I've been wanting to try.

I've been reading a lot about bartering lately, trading goods or services without involving cash.  There are loads of barter sites, some that charge a fee to join and others that are available at no cost.  Craigslist has a barter section and it is growing exponentially as  people find themselves strapped for cash and looking for new and creative ways to get the things they want or need.  I have used Swaptree to trade old books, games and DVD's for titles I want.  It works great!

Since I know that many of you (I'm including me) are 'strapped for cash', I am offering you a deal!

Tell me what you will give me, in exchange for something that tickles your fancy, floats your boat or rattles your cage in either of my etsy shops -  Jenny and Pearl (selling vintage items) and Jenny and Pearl Too (selling handmade jewelry).

I have plenty of things listed, big and small, and will be listing more over the next couple days, so you are sure to find something that you want for yourself or to give as a gift.

You can offer items you want to get rid of, things you have made or, if you live in Orange County, services you can provide.  Keep it family friendly and make it worth my while!

Follow these simple steps to participate

~ You must be a follower of this blog, OR a friend on my Facebook page OR have chosen one of my shops on etsy as a favorite.

~ Visit my etsy shops Jenny and Pearl (vintage) and Jenny and Pearl Too (jewelry)

~ Pick an item or items you would love to have!

~ Tell me what you will give in exchange in the comments section below.  Let me know how you are following Jenny and Pearl (I'm obsessed about being followed.  It's like my own private band of stalkers!)  Make sure I have some way of contacting you!

~ Contest ends Tuesday, August 3 at midnight PT.

I may accept all or one of the barters offered.  If everyone is trying to pawn off ugly acrylic neon sweaters from the 80's, I will have to politely decline.

Here are some tips.  If you barter the following, I can pretty well guarantee I will accept

1. a trip to Tahiti (or Toledo, for that matter - I need a vacation!)
2. a professional massage (emphasis on professional)
3. a scholarship to Yale for my children (come on Sweet T, I'm counting on you!)
4. the thighs I had when I was 25 (liposuction, anyone?)

I will not, repeat, will not accept trades involving the following

1. your children (period)
2. your husband (unless he's an electrician, handyman or carpet cleaner - if so, send him over!)
3. Richard Simmon's exercise videos 

Make it fun and remember, coffee and baked goods are part of my love language!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

I'm not a collector.  I buy really cool stuff that I like and then resell it, with the thought that if I think it's wonderful, maybe somebody else will too.  That is my goal.  My husband is always telling the kids to nail their things down or "mom will sell them".  He's so not right!

You know you're a collector if you need 'just one more' cabinet for your dolls or action figures, or you sent the kids to live with Grandma, so you could turn their room into an Elvis shrine, or you leap out of bed in the morning and race to the computer to see if you are the winning bidder of that amazing mid-century lamp on ebay.  You know who you are.  Remember the Beanie Baby craze?  Never did get that.

On second thought, I do have certain things that 'catch my eye', 'float my boat' and just make me smile.  They are a little unusual, but I like quirky.  So here are a few of my favorite things.  I do not, I repeat do not collect them.

~ old sign letters - usually the letter R, but I have been know to nab the occasional S or K or L or A.
~ Chinese Checker boards -  I love the way the colors pop!  They're fun and nostalgic

~ picnic baskets - I have one or two (or five or six, who's counting?)  They are great for storing collections (not that I have any) or taking on a picnic!

 ~ marbles and buttons - The marbles are a natural extension of the Chinese Checkers and the buttons, I just don't know why

Two other things that I have collec... I mean accumulated are old keys and vintage jewelry.  This brings me to this

 working on a chain gang

 and this

 raindrops on roses

and this

lauren's pearls

There's more where these came from.  They are in my new etsy shop Jenny and Pearl Too where I am selling my own one of a kind jewelry creations, incorporating vintage jewelry, old keys and other quirky elements.  There are no two pieces alike and they are all handmade by me!  I would love for you to visit my shop and tell your jewelry-loving friends.  Especially if they are jewelry collectors 'cause you know how obsessed collectors can be!

Key To My Heart

I love old keys.

I don't know why, but I love the shape of them, the history behind them, their patina.  It is one of several things that I collect.  I had rationalized that they are small and don't take up much space so it's okay to hang on to them.  They fit quite nicely in my old 'Chock Full O' Nuts' coffee tin.

One day I realized that my tin was 'chock full' and I really should do something with these, so I sat down and made myself a necklace, with a nice big skeleton key and a heart.  If there is one thing I like more than keys it would be vintage jewelry, so I incorporated an old heart from one piece and a big chunky chain from another and here are the results.  I made several more of these, gave them to friends, sold them in boutiques and then kind of forgot about them.

Now, when I say I love vintage jewelry I'm not kidding.  I have old jewelry boxes stacked and drawers full of amazing things, some of them in mint condition and others just bits and pieces.  Again, I rationalized, they're so small and don't take up much space but... six jewelry boxes, ten wall hooks several tins and a plastic rolling cart later, I came to the conclusion.  "My name is Karen and I'm addicted to jewelry."  Rather than enroll in a 12-step program to cure my addiction, I was once again inspired to create.

Looking through all these bits and pieces, I went beyond the keys to making more elaborate necklaces.  My darling family bought me all the equipment I would need to create amazing jewelry and I started with great gusto, sold a few pieces and then lost steam again.  I was suffering from chronic pain and handling all the fine work was just too difficult.

So, why am I telling you all this?  I am going to start selling my jewelry again.  Starting with the necklaces I have already created, I will be offering them for sale, beginning next week.  I have to fine-tune a few things here and there, take pictures and get them posted, but here is a sneak peek at some of my creations.

I can't wait until my 'babies' are ready and 'on the shelf'.

Stay posted and I will let you know when my collection is launched.
So put away your pennies and get ready to shop!

Artistic Endeavors

Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.  
~Stella Adler

The Girl with a Pearl Earring Jan Vermeer

A few days ago I had my to-do list posted.  I won't tell how few of those things I have actually accomplished, but "get my office and my merchandise in order" is just about completed.  What a mess!  It has taken me several days, working at it a few hours at a time, to finally 'tame the beast'.  It feels so good to see things nicely displayed on my shelves and tucked into orderly boxes.  I don't know how long it will last but for now, it feels good.

While I was wading through all the 'stuff', I got my work desk cleared off and realized how much I miss creating.  Now, this blog has definitely sparked the creative juices and I love hitting the "Publish Post" button every day, knowing that at least one thing is completed in my day.  The creative outlet that I miss is making jewelry, transforming something out of bits of nothing and holding it in my hands.  I wouldn't call myself an artist, but it is my artistic expression.  I have been so overwhelmed with life, my shop, writing and more life that I haven't taken the time to be creative.

For years, I discounted the value of my artistic endeavors, thinking it was something to fit in after everything else was done.  I undervalued it's importance, placing more worth on checking items off my list.  What I have discovered is, allowing time for the creative process is not only highly therapeutic, but allows me to connect with the ultimate artist, my Creator.

When I take the time to appreciate art, visit a gallery or work on my own creative outlets, I have to slow down and block out the noise of everyday life.  When I enjoy a colorful sunset, a beautiful painting, uplifting music, or my own original expressions, I believe I tap into the very heartbeat of God.

God's first acts recorded were those of creation.  And what a creation - filled with color, humor and beauty!

Art is man's nature.  Nature is God's art.

~James Bailey

God is really only another artist.  He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat.  He has no real style.  He just goes on trying other things.  
 ~Pablo Picasso

For all of man's exploring and discovering we have still barely scratched the surface of the incredible world in which we live.  I need to connect with the creative heart of God.  So tonight I'm going for a walk, communing with my Father and making something, just because...

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.   
^{~Genesis 1:31}