Winter Blahs

Apparently I have a serious case of the winter doldrums.

Gina's Guitar Pick

I made this guitar pick pendant for Gina as a thank you present.
It's the one on the right (the one on the left is for a donation I spoke of below)


Gina sent Scott meli-melo's for Christmas. I can't find anywhere to order them here in the US or online for that matter. Need I say more?

I also really want to see if Gina reads my blog.

Rock! for "Music Drives Us"

It's time for another BandGig concert featuring musicians in the program of all ages and musical styles. These special concerts always benefit a cause and this time it is for Ernie Boch, Jr's Music Drives Us Program.


This Saturday night, January 17th, The Elks club in Norwood, MA will be host to this concert benefiting music programs throughout Massachusetts. There will be raffles with lots of great products and services, and a very special raffle of two Floor seat Celtics tickets (which should command a pretty penny!) The winner and a guest will be able to watch the players wipe the sweat from their brow, and may even get moistened by accident (that's how good the seats are)!

Once again, I am donating an item of handmade jewelry. This time, I made a sterling silver pendant in the shape of a guitar pick with "BAND GIG" stamped in, with a chain so the lucky winner will never be caught without a pick again! My pendant will be included in a basket of other Rockin' goodies...here is a sneak peek...

If a 'Rockin' Basket' is not your thing, there will also be baskets themed with 'Pamper Yourself', 'High Fashion', 'Living Italian' and 'A Night In and Out'.

Please come out to the Elks club on Saturday night for a great concert and an awesome cause!

Starving Artists?

This is one place that I will not be going to on Sunday.

Starving Artist Group

This comes around every now and then...although I think mostly in the spring time.
They show their artwork at local hotels in the area and you can buy "an original" painting for $7-$49. Nothing over $50 is one of their sayings. I am not a fan at all!

This makes me crazy in fact.

I don't know about you, but I am an art collector, and this sort of thing makes me really angry! I know how these paintings are produced, and it is not pretty. The canvas rolls down a factory line. There are multiple artists who paint their little sections on the canvas and it can even be re-rolled so that the artist paints the same tree on the canvas (just in a different place).

This gives 'Starving Artists' a whole new meaning. These artists are getting paid peanuts for their efforts. The final artist down the factory line is instructed to sign the painting with a well known last (western) name, like Smith, or Jones. The people who paint these paintings don't even know the English language. I am sorry, I just saw a commercial for this nonsense and I am riled up by it.

Please don't ever buy any art from a starving artists sale! You are not buying art! You are buying sweatshop forced art.


Vent over.

Ann's Palette Knife Pin

Ann Gorbett who is a very talented palette knife artist, commissioned me to make her a pin in the likeness of the tool that she uses the most....a palette knife.

This request was a real compliment to me since I had commissioned Ann to paint my sisters and I from a copy of a photograph last August. I am a huge fan of her paintings!

Here are the pictures that she sent me of her knife.


This is the finished pin in sterling silver.



I think it came out wonderfully, and I hope she loves it! Well, I know she loves the front, but she hasn't seen the pin parts on the back yet, so I hope she loves those. She is not only a great artist, but a patient human being. :)

New Year, New Etsy shop!

It's a new year, and time for new endeavors!

I have opened a new Etsy shop with vintage jewelry and jewelry components. Most of the vintage jewelry that will be featured in my new shop is courtesy of my friend Jape's mother and animal advocate extraordinaire.

Please check out my new shop findingrosetta where 50% of all profits from sales will be donated to the Neponset Valley Humane Society.

Here is a sneak peek of what you will find at findingrosetta
Vintage flower brooch

Vintage telephone cuff links

And a vintage brooch that has already sold...thanks Kathy!

Although its fun for me to take pictures and list items, my main goal here is to make some money for the Neponset Valley Humane Society. So please take a look and see if there is anything you like, even if you like it to just take it apart and make something else with it. Because that is fun, too!

Happy New Year!

Here's to champagne and wontons!

Cheers to 2009!