I sneaked a photo of this beautiful fine bone china tea set from the Musee de Decoratifs in Paris (Spring 2007).

I had the fortunate luck to visit an antique store called Heirlooms Antiques Calgary. When I saw shelves with stacks and stacks of saucers, I was absolutely in heaven. My eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store!

There were so many beautiful saucers to choose from, it was hard to not buy them all! But here are a few pics of the saucers I finally brought home. I will be making and selling ring holders that will be specially marked as from ‘The Mary Nielsen Collection’.

A few weeks ago, I had time to kill while I was waiting for an appointment. So, I decided to check out the IODE thrift store on 1st S.W, the new and upcoming area with trendy stores and restaurants. It seems very odd that there is a second-hand store sandwiched between the Chocolate and Colours hi-rise condos.

Walking in, it feels like nobody else knows about this place but you; but I am sure I am not the only one who thinks this place is a little gem. There is the usual racks of vintage clothing and knick knacks. And after paying only a few dollars, I came home with pretty vintage buttons and a bag of used stamps.

I generally do not collect stamps for their inherent value but more for the creative possibility of using them in collages. And just by looking at the stamps through the clear plastic bag, I could tell that they were Canadian stamps of an older vintage; when stamps used to cost pennies!

I truly believe that for some inexplicable reason, I was drawn to that store, on that day, to find a true treasure that was meant to come home with me.

This is a much belated big ‘thank you’ for everyone who came out to support me at the Make It! show last weekend. It was a great experience and a huge success. I met lots of new people, visited with friends and family, and even reconnected with old acquaintances I had not seen for years.

A very big special thanks goes out to my dear friend Joan for helping me set up on Friday. She kept me sane and grounded (while I was so close to losing it!) when we had technical difficulties getting up my sign. And a very big, big thanks also goes out to my new special love Craig, who was the muscle behind loading and unloading everything.

If you were not able to ‘make it’ out to the show, here are a few pics (this is for Dennis, serving over in Afghanistan).

A few months ago, I received a wonderful email from Danielle Fox, the editor of Stringing Magazine — a how-to jewelry publication. She found my work on etsy and thought my ring stands were ‘exquisite’. She asked if she could feature one of my ring holders for an article on jewelry storage/organization — and of course I had to say ‘yes’!

I am trying out a new look for my etsy shop.

On my travels to the flea market last weekend, I found a lovely old vintage bottle; its lid still intact for added character and charm. And priced at only $1 it was even more sweet!

It made me think of the work of Anna Corba, an artist I have always admired from afar. She is the queen of collecting vintage ephemera and transforming simple things such as vintage bottles, lined notebooks, gift tags and candle jars into miniature works of art.

So, with my collection of vintage ephemera such as silk ribbon, decorative cord, playing card, and letter medalion, I set out to create my own version of an ‘Anna Corba inspired’ vintage bottle. It was so simple to make but I think the result is amazing. So pretty!

I have always been inspired by looking into the studios of other artists. There is a great magazine called ‘Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women’. Although it is a magazine, it feels more like a book because of the size of the issue and quality of the printing. Not sure if my studio is worthy to grace the pages of this magazine at the moment. But I tell myself that it is a work in progress; just like my art.

I have tons of buttons and I was inspired to make brooches with them. Large buttons work the best and I paired them with plastic belt loops for the base. I just added a brooch pin in the back and voila! Instant vintage fabulous for my coat.

For the latest issue of Uppercase magazine (number 2!), I sent Janine a paper maché heart wrapped like a parcel with stamps and twine string. She was thrilled to receive it and it made her stressful day “much nicer”. So now she has made my day by including it in the Postal Service page of the magazine.