Etsy Shop for siragwatkins

Contemporary turquoise slab and nugget plus silver necklace. EBTW Totally Turquoise

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:04:29 -0500

$125.00
Turquoise has a long and interesting history (check wikipedia for lots of information) and has been mined, cut, shaped, and used in jewelry and sculpture in many cultures and for many centuries. It comes in colors from sky or robin’s egg blue to greens and even some yellows in the matrix.

White howlite looks very similar to turquoise except for the color, and is often dyed and sold as turquoise. These days “turquoise” can be purchased in a whole range of colors, but even the real stuff is usually at least stabilized and frequently dyed.

The turquoise I’m using was sold as the real stuff and looks like it, but I’m not a gemologist and can’t guarantee that it’s all natural. However, it’s what’s available and works well in my designs, and probably pretty much what everyone else means when they say something’s turquoise. I like it and will continue to use it, but am providing this information so that you’ll know as much as I do about what you’re getting.

We were lucky enough to spend some time in Paris recently, and this piece is definitely influenced by the jewelry I saw there--big stones, sometimes real, sometimes not, combined with chain and lightweight metal links.

In this case it's 5 polished slabs of turquoise, ranging in size from about 1 1/2" x 2" (4 x 5cm) to maybe 1" x 3/4" (2 1/2 x 2cm) handwired to twisted silverplated links which also connect a silver wire disk and star, each about 1 1/2" across, an ornate oval bead a bit over 1" long, and a somewhat shorter rounder bead, also both silverplated,
culminating in about 6" of turquoise chips interspersed with tiny silver stars and ending in a lovely silver toggle from Findings, our other etsy store. From the clasp to the bottom of the largest link is about 13":the interior diameter is close to 26". The silver isn't sterling--it's plated or just silver colored--but that doesn't keep this piece from being quite dramatic and spectacular, not to mention wearable with anything from jeans to a formal, and it does keep the price down.

Thanks for visiting The Creative Block--browse around for awhile, and come back any time. And if you need something to inspire or complete your own creations, do wander over to Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com

Basic Bella Bracelet --- silver with crystal heart, catseye apple, silver wolf

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:02:46 -0500

$15.00
This is one of the bracelets you can easily make from the $5- kit listed at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28362317 (If you want more detail about sizes, components, etc., they're there too,)

I've used a fairly heavy chain (probably lighter than the top one, heavier than the last two, especially the one at the bottom), a clear crystal heart, and a bright red-orange apple.

Your choices may be different--I just wanted to show what one version looks like assembled, and also to be able to list this in handmade insteadof commercial supplies, where I think it's more likely to be seen.

I will be making at least one more of these, probably a somewhat upscale version, but wanted to make it clear that it's possible to make a decent bracelet for $5-.

I hope you'll enjoy looking at this one and then buy the $5- kit (or one of the more expensive ones) to take advantage of all my searching and bargaining by making a bracelet that's obviously Bella but also personally yours.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Glittery Little Blue Free-Form Peyote Stitch Bracelet

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:05:26 -0500

$30.00
I've been working on a very basic peyote stitch design to use for a class, and this is one of the prototypes.

It's made of many different blue, green, and purple glass beads, a few lampworked, quite a few from Miyuki, and maybe a few Czech seed beads. It measures 8 inches including the clasp, but because it's strung on wire it's a little wiggly--check the pics for how it fits my 6.5 inch wrist.

The clasp is a new style for me--a spring-ring closure with 2 sliding loops which I find pretty easy to use one-handed.

The bracelet is narrow, but not flat--it's only 2 to 3 rows of peyote stitch, but the variation in bead size and tension make some beads curve, protrude, and otherwise act in interesting ways. It also has quite s lot of glitter for something so small.

Dreaming of Miro Art Doll --EGADS

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:03:14 -0500

$65.00
Embellished with paint, glitter, beads, flocking, and yarns, this doll is about 8 inches tall from head to toe, with an additional 3 inches of topknot. I love the way the fabric itself dictated the dolls' faces and, especially in this case, overall shape.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California. We hope you will enjoy seeing and owning them, and will also take a look at Leslie’s other items.

Blue green purple freefrom peyote stitch bracelet

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:42:48 -0500

$40.00
I keep playing with this idea--not even quite a pattern--for a very simple freeform peyote stitch project that will never be the same twice.

These are fun to make and fun to wear and I think will make a great class project.

This bracelet is strung on tigertail, so it's strong and also holds its shape well. This is nice because it has little bead groups (loops?) wandering off here and there.
And it's glittery, too.

It's made form an assortment of Japanese Miyuki and Toyo beads--this means lots of interesting shapes, especially squares and triangles. It's fastened with a silver toggle with rope design details.

Inside measure, with clasp closed, is about 7 1/2 inches; pics show it on my 6 1/2 inch wrist. Enjoy!

And please see the other work here and visit my new shop, Findings, at leslietsy.stsy.com

Wiggly little necklace

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:28:03 -0500

$50.00

This is another gallery piece, but considerably less serious. I wondered what would happen if I did a little peyote stitch using wire instesd of thread, and this is the happy result.

It's about 15 inches long or 30 around, and has all sorts of Czech and Japanese glass seed beads--little pearly ones, glittery glass with fancy finishes, faceted crystals--plus stars, flowers, and even a few butterflies, all in soft, mostly transparent colors. There's also a sterling lobster-claw clasp.

A perfect necklace for a plain-colored shirt or sweater, even a tee, or to brighten up a plain blouse. Add a bit of silliness to your day without looking foolish!

Peruvian 2--one of the BDs

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:27:06 -0500

$20.00
His head is Peruvian ceramic. His hands are big vintage metal buttons--wouldn't he make a great catcher for your ball team? His body's a bead from India, arms & legs Czech glass, & he has metal boots & hangs from a vintage silver bow pin.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Vintage-style bracelet with enameled and Tibetan silver flowers and Swarovski crystals

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:57:01 -0500

$75.00
One of the interesting things about getting older is that you can watch things come around again—sometimes you’d rather they didn’t, but sometimes they’re something you liked and still do.

That’s the case for me with Swarovski crystals, which, after maybe a 40-year hiatus, are suddenly all the rage again. To be fair, there are other crystals on the market I also like, and I don’t like all Swarovski equally, either, but I find the glitter and glitz exciting both to look at and to work with.

That said, for me it applies almost exclusively to AB finishes, and I prefer cubes to just about any other shape, though I also like some of the more unusual new ones and love some of the older pieces that combine shapes and colors, or pair Swarovski with marcasite.

So I’ve recently acquired enough Swarovski to have some fun with, and have started out by making 4 bracelets. These are very unusual for me in that they’re symmetrical and relatively simple—I like them a lot, but I’m sure it won’t last! They are also extremely difficult to photograph—either they glitter so much you can’t see them, or their transparency makes them fade into the background. However, after several hours of different attempts, I think I have photos that will give you at least an idea of what they look like.

I'm not sure I can even tell you how many crystals are in this bracelet--the enameled flower (which, like the other crystal-carrying pieces I believe is a repro using vintage molds rather than actual vintage) has a dazzling red AB crystal at the center and 2 pinks in the leaves: the "butterfly" pieces each have a large sparkly pink crystal in the middle, with 2 frosted purple stones going out to the sides and 4 little clear AB crystals around the edges; and the endpieces each contain a purple crystal cube. Altogether a lot of glitz and glitter, set off by two Tibetan silver flowers, a pretty silver clasp, also with flowers (plus a chain for size adjustments), and matte transparent Japanese purple AB cubes and Czech purple seed beads. The whole piece is about 6 1/2 inches plus the clasp, which can hold it from a bit over 7 inches to at least 9 1/2.

This is one you really have to see--I had a terrible time getting any photos to show accurate color, but it's mostly purple--and of course much prettier than the photos!

Thanks for visiting The Creative Block, and please do take your time to look around at the various works shown here. And if you make your own jewelry, you may want to visit our second etsy store, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com
where you will find some of the components used in these bracelets, and lots of other goodies, to accent your own work.

GoofyGuy with handblown beads--one of the BDs

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:19:50 -0500

$35.00
This fellow's arms & body are beads handblown by Judy Richardson, who sells on ebay & justbeads & has had her work published in various places. His head is lampworked glass from China, his legs are Czech glass beads, & he hangs from a vintage silver bow pin.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Fused Glass Pendants--take your choice

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:05:43 -0500

$15.00
I'm still pretty new to glass fusing, but the response to the pendants I've sold (and the ones my kids and their friends have run off with!) has been positive enough to convince me to list more.

These are made of recycled glass scraps from glass blowers and stained glass artists, which lets me work with more colors and finishes than if I had to start from scratch, and also, of course, keeps costs down a bit.

The fusing is done is a little kiln that looks sort of like a wasp's nest or an igloo and lives on my kitchen counter. It runs on regular house current, can do a firing in about 45 minutes (as opposed to the big one in the garage, which takes about 24 hours and heavier wiring), but it's only 6" square, so production's still pretty limited.

I'm trying a slightly different way of listing here: I'll post photos of 5 pendants at a time, and as one is chosen I'll replace it with another.

All of these pendants are fused glass, all but two are shown on dilky ribbon and cord necklaces. The green one is on stainless steel and one of the ones with wings is on a black rubber cord. These are fairly unisex, but I thought they might appeal more to guys with something other than the ribbon. If you prefer steel or rubber on one of the ones I'm showing with ribbon, I'll be happy to switch.
If you have questions or want more than one of these, please convo me.

The bails are all sterling-plated Aanraku bails.

I hope you'll enjoy waering these as much as I do making them!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Fused Glass Pendant and Earrings--your choice of two sets

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:53:10 -0500

$25.00
I'm still pretty new to glass fusing, but the response to the pendants I've sold (and the ones my kids and their friends have run off with!) has been positive enough to convince me to list more.

These are made of recycled glass scraps from glass blowers and stained glass artists, which lets me work with more colors and finishes than if I had to start from scratch, and also, of course, keeps costs down a bit.

The fusing is done is a little kiln that looks sort of like a wasp's nest or an igloo and lives on my kitchen counter. It runs on regular house current, can do a firing in about 45 minutes (as opposed to the big one in the garage, which takes about 24 hours and heavier wiring), but it's only 6" square, so production's still pretty limited.

These are my first two sets of a pendant and earrings.

The set with the green ribbon has lever-back wires for pierced ears--they are silver (maybe sterling?) plated and supposed to be lead and nickel free.

The set with the pink ribbon has unpierced vintage leverbacks, and I can't honestly say I know what is in them--they don't go through your ear, which is a plus in this case, but if you're terribly sensitive to some metals they may not be the pair for you, though they're awfully pretty.

The bails are all sterling-plated Aanraku bails.

I hope you'll enjoy waering these as much as I do making them!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

GoofyGirl, blue and green--one of the BDs

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:59:29 -0500

$20.00
She's so timid--looks like she's just learning to walk on those heels! Somebody needs to hang her somewhere before she falls on her face!

This BD is a bookmark, but can easily hang from a lampshade, curtain rod, or other convenient spot to keep you company. She has a lampworked dlass head, Czech glass beads, metal hands & filigreed body, & enameled shoes.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Freeform golden peyote stitch bracelet

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:00:50 -0500

$45.00
This is one version of a design I've been working on and intend to teach. It's fairly simple, but always draws compliments. About 7 inches, plus the clasp, it's comfortable to wear, very sparkly, and would make a great gift.

Necklace with interesting vintage enamel piece

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:15:17 -0500

$75.00
This is another of those gallery pieces. It's made up of earth-colored Indian ceramic beads, all different, each a miniatiure handmade artwork; a Czech glass mix of small blue, green, and purple beads in various shapes; and an unusual enameled piece in what I'd call black. copper, and gold, with a stamp on the back that says "Handcrafted" (took a magnifying glass to read that part!), then something like a 9, and USA. If someone knows something about this, please share it!

The necklace is about 16 inches or a bit more back to front, so maybe 32-33 around. There's no clasp, so the enamel piece can be worn wherever you like it.

It's an interesting and unusual piece, but one that will go with practically anything. Maybe it's meant for you.

Alien Cheerleader Art Doll EGADS

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:15:17 -0500

$45.00
I found this great fabric and dolls just started crawling out! This little one (only 4 inches tall from head to toe, but 8 from pom pom to pom pom)is embellished with beads, paint, yarns, and glitter, and has sewn joints at hip and shoulder.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California. We hope you will enjoy seeing and owning them, and will also take a look at Leslie’s other items.

WORKING Vintage 1940s-50s-Chicago Roller Skates--Betty Lytle by Hyde--white boots- FREE US SHIPPING etsyTrashion Team, etsyMOMS, etsyChai Team

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:44:50 -0500

$75.00
I knew these were cool when I saw them, and my vintage consultant confirmed that, but said she's not an expert on skates, so I set out to see what I could find.

From something called "Old Newark Memories", "1940's Memories of the New Dreamland Arena Roller Rink"
by Nat Bodian

The professional staff, from opening day, was headed by Betty Lytle, 2 recognized as America's top professional roller skater.

2. Betty Lytle was a great celebrity in the world of roller skating and the Chicago Roller Skate Company came out with a special pair of "Betty Lytle Shoe Skates."

Then I found this interesting article, primarily about Earl & Inez Van Horn, places Betty Lytle in roller skating history.
http://www.rollerskatersgazette.com/pioneers.html

About the skates themselves:
From The Perfect Sk8s.com
SOLD!!!HYDE BETTY LYTLE MENS 9
Item# hyde-betty-lytle-mens-9
Sale price: $200.00
This item is currently out of stock!
Product Description
THIS BOOT IS A FAVORITE OF CHICAGO SKATERS . RARE AND NEAR NEW CONDITION. BOOTS ONLY.

Well, we have the boots WITH the skates AND the keys & wrench & whatever other doodads were required to make these things run.

These skates are probably from the 1940s, maybe '50s.
They're very pretty, and look very functional--they're polished, but the polish has some rubs--I'd get some of that sneaker cleaner for white leather, clean up & re-polish, I think, if I wanted them to look almost new--but on the other hand, there's a certain cachet in having them look broken in.

The wheels actually look good, the leather looks well-cared for, they have those cool speed-lace hooks on the upper part of the boot and they look fine--the only damage I can see is a bit of wear on the foam padding in the boot tongues (see pic). And you might want to replace the innersoles if you were actually going to skate in these beauties.

The foot is about 10 1/2" long, but pretty narrow. The boots say "6", but are close to the length of my size 9 foot, though I can't put them on.

If I were a skater, and they fit, I think I'd use them--they're just so cool looking. On the other hand, they'd be cool in a memory shrine (the original metal case we have here would be good for that, too) or as a trophy of some sort--or even totally repurposed in some other way.

At any rate, I'm not asking $200- for just the boots.
This lot includes the skates with boots, the case, the tools, and FREE shipping for $75-USD

Wouldn't these just light someone up as a Hanukah or Christmas present?

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Enter the Dragon Necklace-

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:13:44 -0500

$125.00
Another from the gallery series, this piece could be worn by either a man or a woman. Its centerpiece is an antique Chinese dragon with lapis eyes and a lapis or jet mouth, and it's strung in red, white, and blue with more lapis, chunky millefiore beads that may be from the African trade, feather beads, lots of other glass beads, old and new, and a pewter clasp.

Quite an impressive piece, just about a foot from clasp to dragon, so about 24 inches around, perhaps perfect for the dragon lover and/or patriot (in a not too obvious way) in your life.

Cheerful little red and orange freeform peyote stitch bracelet

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:00:06 -0500

$45.00
This bracelet is woven in freeform peyote stitch, using mostly Miyuki Japanese delica and cube beads, with a few larger glass beads for accents.

It is strung on dark red Gudebrod polyester thread, and fastens with a spring-loaded clasp.

It's fairly long--about 8 1/4 inches clasped--and you can see how it hangs on my 6 1/2 inch wrist in the photos.

It sparkles and catches the light, and makes me smile when I see it on a cold gray day.

Thanks for dropping by and feel free to browse around The Creative Block. You may also want to visit my second etsy store, Findings, for components to use in your own work.

Peruvian 1--one of the BDs

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:37:42 -0500

$20.00
His head's from Peru, his body's from India, arms & legs are Czech glass beads, hands & boots are metal charms, & he hangs from a vintage silver bow pin. & you thought YOUR background was international!

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

August EGADS

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:49:13 -0500

$60.00
Some years ago I went dancing at a gay bar in San Francisco with a friend. When the place closed, we went to an after-hours club to get some coffee for the longish drive home.

Shortly after we arrived, a short, hairy man in a lacy dress and hat climbed up on the bar (this was one of those long wide old wooden ones), & began to dance & sort of loosen his clothing (his dress was pretty short anyway & opened in front) for more visibility, whereupon several voices chorused, "Oh, not August again!" I was reminded of August recently when I saw a 5-year old with the same name who happened to be wearing a dress (though a much less revealing one, and over jeans). So here is August in all his tawdry glory. He is about 11" from the top of his hat to the bottom of his bootheels.

August's body is made of furry fabric given to me on condition that I use it for something less predictable than a teddy bear or monster. His boots are from a vintage, but unused, set of key chain dangles. His "dingle-dangle" is a bit of beaded fringe, his belt & boot tassels also fringe, his hat a silk & lace combo decorated with ribbon roses, all vintage. His face is a polymer cab made by Griselda Tello. His hands are plastic buttons. His dress & the top of his hat are an almost-see-through silky hairy fabric. He'd really love to sit on or hang over someone's bar.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California. We hope you will enjoy seeing and owning them, take a look at Leslie’s other items here, and cruise on over to our second etsy store, Findings, for cool stuff to use in your own creations.

Perfect pair of deco-ish vintage pink crystal and marcasite tulip earrings marked Avon to wear, give, or recycle etsyTrashion team

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:41:49 -0500

$10.00
As happens sometimes, several lots of vintage junque have suddenly found me. The smallest one is mostly stuff with rhinestones/crystals; one is really nice “new vintage” findings for setting crystals or stones; one includes a bunch of old link belts begging to be repurposed; one has some sort of modern/deco elements; one is all watches (some of which might work with batteries) watchbands, & watch parts; and one is just over 10 lbs. of mixed, well, junque!

I will be listing most of it (minus some bits for my own use, of course) at Findings, our second etsy store (see link below) and some odd bits here, in lots that I hope will make some sort of sense. As always, I will keep the prices as low as possible and divide things up to give lots of people the chance for a piece of the pie.

But this is a one-time buy, most of the stuff is vintage, so there’s no back stock—if you see something you want, grab it while you can!

This listing is for some of the prettiest earrings I've ever seen--in fact, if I could wear posts (or if one of my daughters had happened by before these were listed) they wouldn't be available. They somehow manage to be loaded with bling without being splashy, and the pink crystals and marcasite set off the tulip and ribbon design perfectly. These would be just the thing for Easter, as well as any other time. Of course, they could also become part of a more complex jewelry piece or assemblage, but even with my penchant for recycling I think I'd keep these as they are.

They are vintage, they are marked Avon in tiny letters on the ribbon back, and they are perfect except that one earring back (generic) is missing. Don't miss these!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Fan necklace with two lampworked beads by Karen Ovington

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:18:22 -0500

$200.00
This lovely necklace, about 16 inches long from clasp to midfront, or about 32 inches around, takes its turquoise and amber color theme from the exquisite beads by artist Katherine Ovington, more of whose work you can see at
http://www.ovingtonglassstudio.com/Custom_Beads.html

The fan beads are vintage as are some of the other Czech glass beads in a variety of shapes and shades, and closed with a handcast silver clasp from Bali.

This is another necklace I removed from a gallery before we went to teach in China, and haven't placed in one since.
Again, the price, while not low, is based on pre-2000 prices for materials, making this a bargain for some lucky person, whether wearer or giver.

Faceless kimono goddess

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:18:22 -0500

$25.00
They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

This pretty pin, just over 5" long, takes its name form the center green besd, which I've always thought looks like a piece of kimono fabric encased in glass. The bead is old--from at least the 1950s, maybe 40s or 30s. The bottom piece is lampworked glass, silver with gold spots & a green stripe. Pin is vintage, "ladder" is alpaca silver from Peru, non-face is a square of rainbow Fluorite, arms are Czech glass beads, & findings are base metal.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

GoofyGuy with silver limbs--one of the BDs

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:15:28 -0500

$25.00
Four different silver arms & legs, a lampworked face, & several different kinds of Czech glass beads, as well as the vintage silver bow pin, make this guy special.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

The Colors of Water Dolphin Necklace and Earrings

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:15:28 -0500

$60.00
When we go to a bead store there are always certain colors I ooh and aah over, and my daughter smiles a knowing smile and says, "the colors of water, Mom."

This necklace, I think fittingly, is named for those colors, and for the five gray, black, and white Peruvian ceramic dolphins frolicking around it.

Aside from being fun to wear, it's a very pretty piece, with soft blue-green and glowing transparent glass beads
forming two strands at the front and running together to a
barrel clasp at the back. The dolphins swim in hoops of surgical steel, which also makes up the French earwires.

A delight for dolphin lovers!

Cats Necklace and Earrings, dark

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:35:40 -0500

$75.00
Five charming Peruvian ceramic cats, orange, gray, and black, hang from loops on a necklace of mostly vintage mostly black mostly glass beads (the 2 amber-colored ones are probably horn) with a barrel clasp.

The earrings are surgical steel French hooks with protective plastic stoppers, and a cat hangs from a loop on each of those, too.

Fun to see, fun to wear, a great gift for a cat lover.

Little GoofyGuy with big pink shoes--one of the BDs

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:35:40 -0500

$20.00
Well, they're not really pink shoes, they just have pink bows, but you can see this guy is tickled pink about having them.

He has a lampworked head, a bunch of Czech beads, metal hand charms, a vintage silver bow pin, &, or course, those ceramic shoes with the pink bows. He's hoping someone else would love to wear them with him.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Fairy leaf earrings

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:35:40 -0500

$45.00
More leaves, but these are subtle--sort of like frost or icicles with glints of color, silver, and gold.

The beads are lampwork, the lovely sterling earwires were made by etsy's own Jessica at The J Stop--aren't they pretty--and it's all held together with sterling chain.

Despite my best efforts, you can't really see how gorgeous the leaves are from the photos--you'll just have to take my word that they're even prettier in person--unless, of course, you buy them and can see for yourself.

Thanks for dropping by The Creative Block. Please feel free to look around and enjoy the photos.

Pearls, spikes, painted glass--happy bracelet 4--

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:35:40 -0500

$25.00
We returned from a trip to Europe just in time to vote, and after I got some sleep I looked at the supplies that had come in just before we left and while we were gone and made four of these happy bracelets--all different, of course, but relsted, and obviously expressing how I felt about the election results.

The common element in all four bracelets is real but dyed purple pearls in various shapes, some pretty spiky. Numbers 3 and 4 incorporate hand painted square and round glass beads in a range of wild metallic colors, and this one also has silver spikes, both available from Findings, our second etsy store, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com Because they are strung on memory wire, they can fit just about anyone. This one's unstretched inside diameter is less than 6", but its total length of about 15" means it can be worn on a much larger wrist, over a garment or wrist brace, or on an upper arm.

Altogether a lot of glitz and glitter in a small package.
I hope it will make someone smile!

Thanks for coming to The Creative Block. Do come back soon, and check Findings for the special items you need for your own creations.

No Stress Art Doll EGADS

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:15:09 -0500

$45.00
It was the fabric--the dolls just appeared! This one, named by my daughter, is almost 9 inches with the feather headdress, only about 5 without. It is heavily embellished with paint, beads, and metal flakes, and seams are on the outside, giving a shaggy edge. A nice size to hold and feels good in your hand--maybe it can relieve your stress.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California. We hope you will enjoy seeing and owning them, and will also take a look at Leslie’s other items.

PrettyGirl, Purple--BD series, pin doll, OOAK

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:15:09 -0500

$20.00
"Talk to the hand", says this PrettyGirl.
She has a lampworked glass head hung from a vintage pin, metal hands, feet, & body, Czech glass beads on arms & legs.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Silly Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Bearing Gifts--Small Spirit Art Doll Pin--EGADS

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:02:02 -0500

$65.00
The small spirits’ leather bodies are about 3 inches tall and 3 inches wide. They are made in two layers, so things can be attached between, and are backed with pins held on with additional strips of leather. They are semi-abstract, intended to evoke archetypal images that flow across cultural boundaries. They are held together with stitching, beading, & glue. They generally incorporate vintage, and sometimes antique, components.

Holding a vintage ivory or bone rose and an equally vintage golden ball, as well as a purple perle cotton tassel, adorned with Czech glass beads, and with a quizzical turn to its vintage button "face", this little spirit is a charmer appropriate for any occasion--a gift bearing gifts.

Turquoise BD earrings EGADS EBTW--Totally Turquoise

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:35 -0500

$35.00
They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

These little people are the first earrings listed. They are mainly matte transparent beads, which are lovely in person, & they have very cute little faces on chevron-design heads. They are lightweight, a lot of fun to wear, and would enjoy dancing below your ears.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Nouveau Cubisme Art Doll EGADS

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:04 -0500

$60.00
These dolls crawled out of the fabric knowing who they wanted to be! This one is embellished with paint, glitter, metallic flakes, feathers, and flocking. Not quite one foot tall from feather top to toe tip.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California. We hope you will enjoy seeing and owning them, and will also take a look at Leslie’s other items here at The Creative Block, then visit our second etsy store Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com
for all sorts of special finds to enliven your own creative efforts.

Vintage perfume, or poison, or potion, or photo locket RING, made in the USA etsyTrashion Team, Team ESST, , paganteam, etsyMOMS Team, etsyChai Team

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:56:49 -0500

$5.00
I've been keeping my eyes open for perfume bracelets or lockets, but what I found was these rings. Not only are they vintage, maybe antique, made in the USA by or for Stanley Home Products of Westfield, Mass., but they are attractive, sturdy, and amazingly cool.

The ring backs are adjustable, but not just a cut piece of metal--no, the adjusting bit is sort of a tongue-and-groove arrangement with a piece from one side sliding between 2 pieces from the other. The band is not soldered, but riveted to the locket piece, and solidly enough so that it doesn't swivel. And the locket itself, asode from the filigree on the front, is etched all over in a sort of geometric pattern. The ring sits in what appears to be actual an off-white velvet covered (not just flocked) slanted cardboard display base inserted into the black bottom half of a hinged plastic cube--the top, of course, is clear so that you can see the ring. The cube comes packaged in a cardboard sleev with the item info on one side and instructions on how to use the ring on the other.

These little perfume lockets apparently go fairly far back in history, having been used to mask unpleasant scents in times when personal hygiene was lacking. They enjoyed a revival sometime in the first half of the 20th century--maybe right after WWII, when things like perfume again became generally available? (Even I am not old enough to remember this, but have heard it mentioned.)

Anyhow, the way they work is that a small piece of sponge or pad of fabric is cut to fit the inside of the locket (the sponges in these were apparently disintegrating and have been removed), and a few drops of perfume are added.
The open filigree on the front allows the scent to escape--in this case, when you wave your hand or hold it close enough to your nose--I suppose you could wear one of these to good effect if you expected your hand to be kissed, as well.

Of course perfume is not the only thing these rings can hold--I've suggested a few others in the title, but left out a lock of hair (perhaps perfumed), smelling salts, lip gloss, and who knows what other goodies? Use your imagination!

As usual, my supply of these is limited, and I think my supplier's is too, so get 'em while you can.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Vintage lion pendant, 10 percent off during Miracles of Hanukkah Sale, etsyChai Team, etsyMOMS, etsyTrashion Team

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:26:24 -0500

$7.50
The cameo in this pendant is probably resin, though it might be bone (I didn't want to try a burn/melt test), and the chain is very lightweight, though nicely textured and about 24" long. The pendant itself is fairly haevy, and the back (no pics--sorry)--has an interesting engraved(?)pattern of alternating striped and plain wedges. The cameo surface is quite textured, and I was thinking about rubbing it with metallic wax of maybe a paintstick, then wiping it off--I think the texture would highlight nicely. The lion, sun, and palm tree may be a decal--it's unlikely they'd be handpainted on this surface with that much detail.

I'm guessing 1980s or maybe '70s for this, but it's a guess.

I'm not quite sure why, but it has a certain charm that's kept me from even considering major alterations. However, I think highlighting the design and maybe combining it with other elements would work well. And mt teen son says he'd wear it, so there you are.

During the Miracles of Hanukkah sale, which ends November 22, this piece is 10% off--convo me to reduce the price before you pay for it!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Purple-faced GoodTimer with green glass flower

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:32:23 -0500

$32.00
They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile.
Theyâre the GoodTimers, fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California, and each of their faces is a working watchâwho says your watch needs to be on your wrist? Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar. Let a Goodtimer help you navigate your day!

This lovely piece has a new face colorâpurple!âand a lovely lampworked green flower in a clear glass pendant, complemented by green-&-purple Czech crystal beads. The pendant, especially the neck, is reinforced with brass wire, the hands & some findings (including the tiny butterflies on her left hand) are goldtone, the watchface & filigree are silvertone, & the pin itself is vintage brass. The watch, of course, keeps time.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the GoodTimers & their relatives, the BDs and Reborn Rubbish. Please donât miss seeing Leslieâs other items.

Bees and Flowers Necklace and Earrings

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:31:33 -0500

$75.00
One of my favorites--charming and slightly funny.
Handmade Peruvian ceramic bees circle a flower on a necklace of black, white, and yellow mostly vintage glass beads ending in a barrel clasp, and with 2 additional sprays of small yellow flowers hanging from the sides.
Bees also hang from silvercolored hoops attached to surgical steel earwires with little plastic stoppers.

Fun to look at and fun to wear--add a little sunshine to a winter day!

GoofyGirl with flowers--one of the BDs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:50:31 -0500

$20.00
She has a lampworked head, with flowers under her chin & on her enameled shoes. Filigree metal body, metal charm hands, & Chezch glass bead arms & leg. Hanging from a vintage silver bow pin, she's ready to lighten up your life.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

GoofyGuy with purple kicks--one of the BDs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:48:47 -0500

$20.00
This shy guy has his athletic shoes on & is standing with hands pressed against a wall, hoping someone will choose him to play. How about you?

He has a lampworked glass head, silver metal arms, hands, & bookmark clip (which can clip on lots of other things, too), & Czech glass beads form his body & legs.

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items, and check out our new etsy store, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com
for things to use in your own creations.

Reborn Rubbish--Watch Me Trashion Team EGADS

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:10:16 -0500

$12.50
Have fun, be fashionable, & help the environment at the same time—wear Reborn Rubbish!

Reborn Rubbish pins and magnets are playful little guys happy to have been rescued from garbage cans & landfills. Reborn Rubbish dolls are similar, but too big to wear. They can, however, hang out in your house, demonstrating your exquisite taste as well as your concern for the environment.

They are all one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California.

This piece is parts of 2 old watchbands, a polyclay face (made by Leslie) & a pin back. A nice leather trim for a wool jacket!

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning Reborn Rubbish & their relatives, the BDs and GoodTimers. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Amazing Expanded African Necklace With Bone Carvings and Pearls

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:05:02 -0500

$225.00
This is another gallery piece. It sterted with a much simpler very old African necklace, which included the 3 carvings you see here with their wound brass connectors, the brass clasp, and I think wood, brass, and maybe a few shell beads.

It has evolved into a spectacular piece. The outside strand is light-colored bone, plain and carved (Chinese), punctuated with horn discs. The middle strand is shell and tiny bronze Chinese rice pearls, interspersed with a variety of horn beads and heishe. The inner strand is older and darker Chinese bone rings in two thicknesses, accented with two large decorated African bone beads and more horn.
All 3 strands run through the full-body center carving and are connected to the face carvings on each side by the original brass connectors. From the back of the faces a single strand of slightly variegated creamy brown round stone beads separated by horn heishe and a few small fossil beads continues into the clasp. From the clasp to the top of the carved heads is about 7 inches, from there to the bottom of the full figure carving is another 12 inches, so around 19 inches long overall.

The earrings are original African decorated bone and brass, including the earwires, which I will be happy to replace with surgical steel on request.

A truly spectacular set, which will garner attention and compliments whenever and wherever it is worn.

Red Swan--one of the GoodTimers A working watch pin brooch

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:04:15 -0500

$25.00
They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile.
They’re the GoodTimers, fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California, and each of their faces is a working watch—who says your watch needs to be on your wrist? Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar. Let a Goodtimer help you navigate your day!

This little GoodTimer is only about 4" to the bottom of her tummy ball, abt. 4 1/2" to the ends of her silvery fingers. She hangs from a vintage silvery bow pin, her face is a working decorative silver watch, her arms are Czech glass beads ending in those cute little hands (which say "hnad made"), & her body is a ball of little bits of red celluloid? plastic/ resin? from the 50s or 40s, hanging from its origianal cone. Vintage materials can't be duplicated, so when this one's gone, she's gone.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the GoodTimers & their relatives, the BDs and Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Claims Related to Bast EGADS

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:03:33 -0500

$65.00
I don't know what to call this doll--she INSISTS that she's related to Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess, but I have my doubts. First of all her face (from a polyclay cab by Griselda Tello, but with ears I added) doesn't look Egyptian. Second, if you look closely at her headdress (a piece of vintage jewelry) you'll see that there's a little maybe Aztsc or Mayan in there, probably running the show. But, as a dollmaker, you eventually learn that it doesn't pay to argue: you have to give them what they want or they'll simply refuse to be finished & sit on a shelf staring (glaring?) at you until you give in. So OK, she's built on a wooden textile bobbin, her underdress is cut from a vintage hand-embroidered linen napkin in what might be sort of a lotus pattern, and her outer robe is blue velvet. Around her waist she wears a gold chain holding a very old key. Her neckpiece is a silky purple, overlaid with a vintage gold-braid-and-sequin strip that she INSISTED on having, KNEW was somewhere in the house, & REFUSED to do without. It took me 3 days to find it, & then she had to have a bee (some Bast connection) & said she was finished. Her clothes are not removable. She's just about a foot high, & not terribly pleasant to live with--too demanding. However, if you feel a need to add someone regal to your environment, she's just it.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California. We hope you will enjoy seeing and owning them, and will also take a look at Leslie’s other items.

Blue butterfly flower fairy EGADS

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:03:06 -0500

$23.00
beaSome time ago I discovered a very old flower fairy ornament. Her body was entirely flowers, her head a very nice ceramic bead, and her arms and legs beaded as well. She was strung on wire, so she posed but didn’t dance. I loved the idea, but wanted to adapt it a bit—she was a bit big and clunky, I’d need different faces than I’d been using on the GoodTimers and B.D.s, and so forth. So I hung her near my beading space and waited.

Then, recently, I was lucky enough to find a batch of these wonderful enameled flower faces—just the thing I needed to make the design work.
Some of mine have a vintage raw metal butterfly pin as an upper body—I’ve painted, beaded, & otherwise decorated these to go with the flowery theme. Others have a bead upper body, and there may be other differences as I finish the series, which is limited to 18 by the number of faces available.

They all have skirts of flowers and/or leaves and beaded arms and legs, but the resemblance ends there. Some are dancers and some can be gently posed. They come in many different colors and combinations. And of course, they can be hung from a pin, a badge clip, or a cord. They do need to be protected from seatbelts, purse straps, and possibly samll children and pets. They can be repositioneded, gently, but not too often. Given this level of care, they will delight you for years.

I am delighted with these little people—they bring warm happy thoughts of summer and dancing in soft breezes. I hope they will also make you smile as they come to dance with you.

This little beauty measures just 3 1/2 inches from gold-wired topknot to beady feet. The butterfly wings on her upper body have been painted metallic turquoise to match her flower head, & the pink on the butterfly body complements the pink in her cheeks as well as the pink Swarovski crystals decorating her wings. Her skirt is layers or fabric flowers, her arms & legs beaded wire.
Just look how ready she is to fly onto your blouse or coat collar!

Cowgirl Flower Fairy Pin EGADS

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:54:29 -0500

$23.00
Some time ago I discovered a very old flower fairy ornament. Her body was entirely flowers, her head a very nice ceramic bead, and her arms and legs beaded as well. She was strung on wire, so she posed but didn’t dance. I loved the idea, but wanted to adapt it a bit—she was a bit big and clunky, I’d need different faces than I’d been using on the GoodTimers and B.D.s, and so forth. So I hung her near my beading space and waited.

Then, recently, I was lucky enough to find a batch of these wonderful enameled flower faces—just the thing I needed to make the design work.
Some of mine have a vintage raw metal butterfly pin as an upper body—I’ve painted, beaded, & otherwise decorated these to go with the flowery theme. Others have a bead upper body, and there may be other differences as I finish the series, which is limited to 18 by the number of faces available.

They all have skirts of flowers and/or leaves and beaded arms and legs, but the resemblance ends there. Some are dancers and some can be gently posed. They come in many different colors and combinations. And of course, they can be hung from a pin, a badge clip, or a cord. They do need to be protected from seatbelts, purse straps, and possibly samll children and pets. They can be reposed, gently, but not too often. Given this level of care, they will delight you for years.

I am delighted with these little people—they bring warm happy thoughts of summer and dancing in soft breezes. I hope they will also make you smile as they come to dance with you.

I saw by her outfit that she was a cowgirl---just check out the boots! She's still under 4 inches with heels and all, but she's ready to ride the range with you any time.

Judaica Bracelet for Chanukah --etsyChai Team, estyMOMS, JET, etsyBead

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:49:31 -0500

$35.00
I wanted to make a bracelet with Jewish symbolism, but not like anyone else's.

I wanted it to be both fashionable and unique, so someone's first take would be "What a cool bracelet!" but if they looked more closely the Jewish symbolism would be obvious.

So I used a chunky textured vintage goldplated bracelet blank, handworked brass wire rather than commercial headpins and jumprings, and an assortment of beads and charms, some vintage some new, in a mixture of metals.

It occurred to me as I was making this bracelet that if someone were getting married and you lent it to them, they would have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue all in one place!

On the bracelet are two vintage "chai" ("life" in Hebrew), one in silver filigree, one on the small goldplated and enameled red star; 3 vintage stars of David (the Jewish star)--in addition to the red one there's a sort of woven brass one and a diamond cut one that looks copper but might polish to brass color--I like the copper, so I left it; 4 new small hamsa (the hand of Miriam for Jews, Fatima for Muslims, G-d for everybody--a powerful protective symbol)2 silver and 2 gold, each holding a small Swarovski crystal and strung with glass beads, crystals, millefiori beads, and cubes, all in shades of blue; and, finally, a silver lion. The contemporary charms are all Tibetan silver.

The bracelet itself is about 7" long, and it and most of the charms are available at Findings, our other etsy store, if you want to make your own.

I'm very happy with this bracelet and hope you will be too.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Water Dancer EGADS

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:09:48 -0500

$20.00
They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

And this pin is really one of those "no category" pieces.
I'm putting it under BDs because the beads are an important part--they give the appearance of flowing water when it moves. However, this piece is built on a premade silk body & has no moving parts. Most of the effect is tiny transparent glass beads over Lumiere fabric paints, the head is an African bone mask bead, also painted with Lumiere, & there's a Czech glass leaf on the chest.
The pin back is glued on & covered with leather, also glued.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Alternates to this year's must have earrings--Version 3 JET, etsyBead Team, paganteam, freethinkers, etsyMOMS, etsyChai Team--FREE SHIPPING with another item

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:57:40 -0500

$15.00
Bead magazines and major suppliers have been touting "this year's must-have earrings". There's some variation--they can be green or clear AB, & they may have a slightly different bead at the top or bottom, but basically they're a sort of conical tree shape made of 4 Swarovski rondelles with a tiny usually red bead at the top and a tiny bead or sometimes a square base at the bottom.

The first time I looked at them I thought "pretty, but a little obvious--maybe a good project for kids or beginners".
Then I kept seeing them, and now at least one major bead retailer is advertising a kit (at $9.95) and an online video how-to.

I'm having visions of standing in line for the ladies room at the Nutcracker or New Moon, and seeing these earrings on at least half of the women there.

I don't want to be one of them, and, since you're shopping here, you probably don't either. Not to mention that I like my earrings to work for multiple holidays, as well as other days, and these will.

So in the interest of individuality, diversity, artistic expression, and avoiding ennui, here's the third of three pairs of alternative, somewhat abstract, but blingy as you please holiday tree earrings, for which most if not all of the components are of course available at Findings, our etsy supply store.

This pair got pretty far from the conical tree concept, though it does get larger from top to base. Actually, it looks more like a stack of presents than a tree, which of course makes it adaptable to lots of holidays. On the other hand its angular abstraction can be related to the concept of a tree as well as seen on its own without relation to any specific object or holiday.

So what's on these headpins is a stack of those wonderful handpainted square beads (and yes, you can get some at Findings)in pinks and purples with slashes and swirls of metallic turquoise, gold, and even a little red. At the top and between each square block is a tiny glass bead in the same colors, and at the very bottom, sort of like a base, there's a red flower shape overlaid with a silvery coating.

All of that is then attached to a large lever-style ear wire. I'm assured that this is lead-free and I think it's nickel free. I stuck one in my ear (I'm sensitive to nickel) and left it for 24 hours--I'm not swollen or itchy and the post isn't turning green or covered with yuck, so I think it's OK. The whole thing on these backs is about 2 1/2", but the actual beaded piece is a bit under 1 1/2". These are a nice large blingy earring without much weight, but if you'd prefer a regular French earwire, a sterling kidney wire, or even a post, I can change these--just convo when you order.

These would make a nice gift and, as with all our handmades, come in a pretty little fabric bag.

The last photo is, of course, all three pairs of earrings currently in this series.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Alternates to this year's must have earrings--Version 2 JET, etsyBead Team, paganteam, freethinkers, etsyMOMS, etsyChai Team--FREE SHIPPING with another item

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:38:11 -0500

$15.00
Bead magazines and major suppliers have been touting "this year's must-have earrings". There's some variation--they can be green or clear AB, & they may have a slightly different bead at the top or bottom, but basically they're a sort of conical tree shape made of 4 Swarovski rondelles with a tiny usually red bead at the top and a tiny bead or sometimes a square base at the bottom.

The first time I looked at them I thought "pretty, but a little obvious--maybe a good project for kids or beginners".
Then I kept seeing them, and now at least one major bead retailer is advertising a kit (at $9.95) and an online video how-to.

I'm having visions of standing in line for the ladies room at the Nutcracker or New Moon, and seeing these earrings on at least half of the women there.

I don't want to be one of them, and, since you're shopping here, you probably don't either. Not to mention that I like my earrings to work for multiple holidays, as well as other days, and these will.

So in the interest of individuality, diversity, artistic expression, and avoiding ennui, here's the second of three pairs of alternative, somewhat abstract, but blingy as you please holiday tree earrings, for which most if not all of the components are of course available at Findings, our etsy supply store.

When I made these I was playing with some shaped red Czech glass beads from my personal stash plus some little millifiori rondelles, along with all but the black discs from the first set in this series.

So it starts at the top with a tiny faceted red and gold bead, followed by a small silver ring set with Swarovski AB, then a sort of dome shaped red glass bead with bluish overtones on top, a mostly red with some yellow millifiori rondelle, another silver ring set with multicolored crystals, a clear rondelle, and, finally, a square yellow glass bead handpainted with red metallics, and a little loop at the bottom to keep it all together. Still pretty much a conical tree shape with a base, but the colors have taken off in a new direction.

All of that is then attached to a large lever-style ear wire. I'm assured that this is lead-free and I think it's nickel free. I stuck one in my ear (I'm sensitive to nickel) and left it for 24 hours--I'm not swollen or itchy and the post isn't turning green or covered with yuck, so I think it's OK. The whole thing on these backs is about 2 1/2", but the actual beaded piece is a bit under 1 1/2". These are a nice large blingy earring without much weight, but if you'd prefer a regular French earwire, a sterling kidney wire, or even a post, I can change these--just convo when you order.

These would make a nice gift and, as with all our handmades, come in a pretty little fabric bag.

Pretty much as always with bling, the pics don't do these justice, but do give you an idea. The last photo is, of course, all three pairs of earrings currently in this series.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Alternates to this year's must have earrings--Version 1 JET, etsyBead Team, paganteam, freethinkers, etsyMOMS, etsyChai Team--FREE SHIPPING with another item

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:33:34 -0500

$15.00
Bead magazines and major suppliers have been touting "this year's must-have earrings". There's some variation--they can be green or clear AB, & they may have a slightly different bead at the top or bottom, but basically they're a sort of conical tree shape made of 4 Swarovski rondelles with a tiny usually red bead at the top and a tiny bead or sometimes a square base at the bottom.

The first time I looked at them I thought "pretty, but a little obvious--maybe a good project for kids or beginners".
Then I kept seeing them, and now at least one major bead retailer is advertising a kit (at $9.95) and an online video how-to.

I'm having visions of standing in line for the ladies room at the Nutcracker or New Moon, and seeing these earrings on at least half of the women there.

I don't want to be one of them, and, since you're shopping here, you probably don't either. Not to mention that I like my earrings to work for multiple holidays, as well as other days, and these will.

So in the interest of individuality, diversity, artistic expression, and avoiding ennui, here's the first of three pairs of alternative, somewhat abstract, but blingy as you please holiday tree earrings, for which most if not all of the components are of course available at Findings, our etsy supply store.

This pair of earrings is perhaps closest to a "tree" model--it's a conical stack with a tiny green bead at the top, then a black rondelle with green irridescence, a silver ring set with Swarovski AB, another irridescent black rondelle, a clear rondelle, a silver ring set with multicolor crystals, a final irridescent black rondelle, and last but not least, as a sort of base, a square handpainted bead in mostly pink and metallic turquoise.
The beads are all glass except the settings for the crystals, and are strung on a headpin with a little squiggly spiral at the bottom. Of course the general shape is gentle cone plus a base.

All of that is then attached to a large lever-style ear wire. I'm assured that this is lead-free and I think it's nickel free. I stuck one in my ear (I'm sensitive to nickel) and left it for 24 hours--I'm not swollen or itchy and the post isn't turning green or covered with yuck, so I think it's OK. The whole thing on these backs is about 2 1/2", but the actual beaded piece is a bit under 1 1/2". These are a nice large blingy earring without much weight, but if you'd prefer a regular French earwire, a sterling kidney wire, or even a post, I can change these--just convo when you order.

These would make a nice gift and, as with all our handmades, come in a pretty little fabric bag.

Pretty much as always with bling, the pics don't do these justice, but the slightly blurry one does give you an idea. The last photo is, of course, all three pairs of earrings currently in this series.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Vintage enameled cufflinks with spots to wear, alter, deconstruct, reconstruct, upcycle, add to, or build an ensemble around etsyTrashion Team, Team ESST

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:33:24 -0500

$5.00
As happens sometimes, several lots of vintage junque have suddenly found me. The smallest one is mostly stuff with rhinestones/crystals; one is really nice “new vintage” findings for setting crystals or stones; one includes a bunch of old link belts begging to be repurposed; one has some sort of modern/deco elements; one is all watches (some of which might work with batteries) watchbands, & watch parts; and one is just over 10 lbs. of mixed, well, junque!

I will be listing most of it (minus some bits for my own use, of course) here, in lots that I hope will make some sort of sense. As always, I will keep the prices as low as possible and divide things up to give lots of people the chance for a piece of the pie.

But this is a one-time buy, most of the stuff is vintage, so there’s no back stock—if you see something you want, grab it while you can!

What we have here is a very nice pair of vintage enameled, maybe even cloisonne, cufflinks, suitable for people of any gender. Navy and terra cotta are not mycolors, but I like these so much that I had to remind myself I had nothing to go with them in order to get them listed. They're simple, but not boring.
I could see adding crystals or stones, or maybe adding another backing. But what I really see is building a whole ensemble (necklace, bracelet, earrings; or tux cummerbund, tie, tie tac, maybe an earring; or a blouse collar and cuffs or painted scarf; or...) around them. Yes, I like them that much, and so will the lucky person who takes them home.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Leafy autumn bracelet JET, paganteam, EAST, etsyBEAD

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:29:18 -0500

$55.00
This bracelet (probably obviously) is yet another manifestation of my continuing fascination with leaves.

These leaves are vintage pressed Czech glass, which recently resurfaced in my ongoing effort to organize my work space. They are hung, charmwise, from handmade brass wire loops attached to commercial jump rings. The loops are not symmetrical, letting the leaves hang at different lengths and in different groupings, as they might on a tree.

The wristband part of the bracelet, strung on tigertail and closed with one of my lovely new Tibetan silver "moon" toggles, is made of newer squarish beads and old (but not exceptional) seed beads, all Czech glass.

My tape measure says the bracelet is about 7 inches around, closed. The pictures show how it looks on my 6.5 inch wrist.

Fun to make, fun to look at, fun to waer.

Thanks for dropping by, and please check out my other work here on The Creative Block. If you make things yourself, you may also like the findings and components at my second etsy store, Findings.

Opalescent White and Black Mushroom Necklace with Leaves and Hedgehog EAST, paganteam, JET, etsyBEAD, etsyMOMS

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:28:08 -0500

$75.00
A long necklace, about 24 inches, with mushrooms, leaves, and hedgehog dangling. The mushrooms have been assembled from 2 separate pieces and are all different, the leaves are a grayish blue, and the hedgehog is a pewter charm.

A go-with-anything necklace for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, or any other occasion.

Carved Leopard Skin Jasper, White Jade, and Wood Jasper Intarsia Goddess Pendant, EAST, paganteam, Team ESST

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:29:36 -0500

$35.00
As more of the jasper I’ve bought arrives, I’m increasingly amazed and delighted by its colors and patterns, so I decided to find out a bit more, and also to list a few pieces here. To see more, check out our second store, Findings, www.leslietsy.etsy.com

Here’s some of the info I gleaned from Wikipedia:

“Jasper, an opaque rock of virtually any color stemming from the mineral content of the original sediments or ash, is known to have been a favourite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Hebrew, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Latin.[5] On Minoan Crete within present day Greece jasper was carved to produce seals circa 1800 BC based upon archaeological recoveries at the palace of Knossos.[6]

Picture jaspers exhibit combinations of patterns (such as banding from flow or depositional patterns (from water or wind), dendritic or color variations) resulting in what appear to be scenes or images, on a cut section. Diffusion from a center produces a distinctive orbicular appearance, i.e., Leopard Skin Jasper. Healed, fragmented rock produces brecciated (broken) jasper.”

There’s more, including information on the varieties of jasper and the difficulty of assigning accurate labels— at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper

Here’s another interesting site for information which includes jasper’s alleged metaphysical and healing properties, lots of photos, and much more: http://www.mineralminers.com/html/jasminfo.htm

The most interesting bits I gleaned there are that jasper is a form of quartz, and also that ocaen jasper is not really jasper but a form of chalcedony.

Hoping you’re still with me, take a look at this piece. Doesn't it look as though it should hang in a museum (or a dollhouse, considering its size)? The main stone is leopard skin jasper from Chihuahua, Mexico, whose natural patterns in mauves, pinks, reds, browns, greys, honey and cream have been beautifully integrated into the carving of the torso. The overall dimensions of the piece are 52x31x11mm, or just over 2" tall and maybe 1 1/4" wide. The total weight is 29 grams and it has a Moh hardness of 7. I am not allowed to list this as handmade since I didn't do it personally, but it obviously is, and sensitively and beautifully done. See the pics, but prepare to be amazed when you open the box.

All the stones from this source are 100% natural--no dye, stabilization, heat-treating, whatever. They are carved using the stones' own individual characteristics, diamond polished (which sometimes makes them so reflective they're really hard to photograph), and of course are one of a kind.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Hearts and Flowers bracelet--vintage glass beads with sterling silver chain and clasp JET, etsyBead, EAST, etsyTrashion Team

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:56:45 -0500

$65.00
Colorful, pretty, romantic, stylish, and oh! so sweet! this chunky bracelet is made up of many vintage pressed glass flowers and lampworked glass hearts with even more flowers on them, carefully and individually attached with headpins and Czech seed beads to a sterling silver chain and fastened with a sterling clasp.

The bracelet is just about 8 inches long and has, as you can see from the photos, some of just about every color--thus it goes with everything. The beads, which I believe are at least 50 years old, are in wonderful condition--what we call "new vintage"--they haven't been used before, just stored. I saw no cracks or chips while assembling the bracelet. The colors are a bit different than those in common use now, but that only adds to its charm and uniqueness.

You may be terribly tempted to keep this bracelet for yourself--to tell the truth, I am (except that my daughters and granddaughters would "borrow" it), but it would also make a lovely present for graduation, a birthday, or any other special occasion.

Walk Like an Egyptian, BD series, pin doll JET, etsyBead, etsyMOMS, etsyTrashion Team

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:22:33 -0500

$25.00
This pin's head is Russian gold plate, a high-end costume jewelry technique from the 40s, He also has a vintage glass & copper snake cameo, other vintage jewelry elements, a gold-plated pin, & faceted Czech glass beads on his arms. Quite a dandy!

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Silly Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Extremely wild and strange leafy bracelet--partly vintage and recycled etsyTrashion Team, paganteam, EAST, JET, etsyBead

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:47:02 -0500

$45.00
I've fallen in love with glass leaves, and have been experimenting with different ways to use them. This bracelet is a result of my digging through pieces of jewelry I've separated for future use and wondering if an idea would work. I think it does, though this piece is definitely not for everyone. It is wearable, not too heavy, not too clunky-feeling, and a lot of fun.

It's difficult to measure, but fits loosely enough to go on and off one handed on my wrist, which measures around 17cm., or a bit over 6 1/2 inches, though it would have been easier to have someone else work the clasp. See the photos--they'll give you an idea.

The components in this bracelet are multicolored pressed glass leaves from Czechoslovakia; 2 very light base metal swirly pieces, one with 3 loops, one with 4, possibly old enough to be vintage; a heavier base metal pretty positively vintage piece; some bits of metal chain of undetermined age; a definitely modern green metal clasp; a bunch of brass wire; and a spirit of fun. I hope you'll enjoy wearing this one as much as I did designing it (don't ask me about actually putting it together so it would work--that was not the fun part!).

I think obviously, this is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) piece that never can or will be duplicated, and of course is politically and ecologically correct in giving new us to old "junque".

Daffodil Flower Fairy Badge Clip EGADS, etsyTrashion Team, paganteam, JET, etsyBead

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:10:33 -0400

$23.00
Some time ago I discovered a very old flower fairy ornament. Her body was entirely flowers, her head a very nice ceramic bead, and her arms and legs beaded as well. She was strung on wire, so she posed but didn’t dance. I loved the idea, but wanted to adapt it a bit—she was a bit big and clunky, I’d need different faces than I’d been using on the GoodTimers and B.D.s, and so forth. So I hung her near my beading space and waited.

Then, recently, I was lucky enough to find a batch of these wonderful enameled flower faces—just the thing I needed to make the design work.
Some of mine have a vintage raw metal butterfly pin as an upper body—I’ve painted, beaded, & otherwise decorated these to go with the flowery theme. Others have a bead upper body, and there may be other differences as I finish the series, which is limited to 18 by the number of faces available.

They all have skirts of flowers and/or leaves and beaded arms and legs, but the resemblance ends there. Some are dancers and some can be gently posed. They come in many different colors and combinations. And of course, they can be hung from a pin, a badge clip, or a cord. They do need to be protected from seatbelts, purse straps, and possibly samll children and pets. They can be reposed, gently, but not too often. Given this level of care, they will delight you for years.

I am delighted with these little people—they bring warm happy thoughts of summer and dancing in soft breezes. I hope they will also make you smile as they come to dance with you.

This little lady insisted on a badge clip. She says her purpose is to help lighten things up at someone's office.
I didn't argue--it never pays. So here's 5 inches (from top of badge clip to toes of flowered sandals)of sunshiny
playfulness to make your workplace brighter.

While you’re here, please look around the rest of The Creative Block, and then you may also want to visit our second etsy store, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com to look for pieces to use in your own creations

GoofyGuy jumper--one of the BDs EGADS, JET, etsyBead

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:14:38 -0400

$28.00
This fellow has a head lampworked in China. The orange beads in his middle are made by an artist in the US who sells on JustBeads, but I've lost her name (so sorry!).
The green beads are all Czech glass, his hands & feet are metal charms, & he hangs from a vintage silver bow pin.
Wonder what he's vaulting?

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Carved tigereye KwanYin or agate Buddha with vintage chain and connector --your choice Team ESST, etsyMOMS Team

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:15:21 -0400

$17.00
Another fortuitous purchase of carved semiprecious stone pieces. I'm listing these here because they need no more than a chain and bail or jump ring to be worn, but more will be at our second etsy shop, Findings, www.leslietsy.etsy.com In addition to the little skulls, both pendant and sitting, and the pendula and crystal and other stone balls already there, I'm adding a buch of stone goddesses and trying to get enough time to do a bead mix and a copper link mix---we have some amazing stuff just crying to be used.

These wonderfully carved little pieces are just $17- each, including a vintage chain and connector in your choice of steel, copper, brass, or gold plate in various available lengths between 13 1/4 and 30" --just convo me to choose from what's available.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Emma--a spirit from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire etsyChai Team, EGADS

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:33:01 -0400

$75.00
When I picked up the wooden bobbin that forms Emma's body, a poem wrote itself in my head (OK, it's doggerel, but you don't just ignore that sort of thing) & I rushed to get it on paper before I lost it--here it is, & here's Emma, who was made to illustrate it.

Who is this with the straggly hair
And the keys she drags along everywhere?
A ghost of a girl from Triangle Shirt
With a sooty blouse and a half-burned skirt--
Dragging her keys from another time
When women died, who committed no crime
Except to be poor and need the work
That they could find at Triangle Shirt.

There they worked, in the dust and roar,
In the noise and heat, on the very top floor.
The needles whirred, the bobbins spun--
At last the long day was almost done.

Then suddenly, somewhere, something broke.
A spark sprang up, filled the lofts with smoke!
They ran for the doors, which were bolted fast:
They broke the high windows and looked, aghast,
At a nine-story jump to a cold hard street
And probable death--but the fire's heat
Now came behind them in waves that burned--
Death was approaching, wherever they turned!

She was one who jumped on that fateful day
And her life was saved by her friends who lay
Moaning and dying on that cold ground.
Her head still rings with that awful sound!

To unlock the doors would have set them free
She'll have no rest 'til she's found each key.
So she searches for keys and she tries each door
In a quest that goes on forevermore.

Emma's body is a wooden textile bobbin, & her head a wooden finial, perhaps from a bannister. Her hands are polyclay, made by Leslie, & one thumb has been broken & reglued (those keys are HEAVY!). Her skirt is vintage dark blue cotton with a twill binding, taken from an old vest, & has holes burned in it. Her Gibson-style blouse is unbleached muslin rubbed with ink to resemble soot. Her belt is a strip of leather, & her hair is some fleece from a sheep that I was given. Her keys are old, though not all from the same era, & she has a bunch of them. She could stand in a container or be supported by a doll stand, but she could also be hung by a loop sewn to the back of her neck. She is about 16" tall. Her clothing is not removable.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California. We hope you will enjoy seeing and owning them, and will also take a look at Leslie’s other items.

Goodtimer--black and silver EGADS, etsyChai Team, etsyMOMS, JET, etsyBead

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:35:42 -0400

$25.00
They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile.
They’re the GoodTimers, fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California, and each of their faces is a working watch—who says your watch needs to be on your wrist? Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar. Let a Goodtimer help you navigate your day!

This one seems like a mime to me--half black, half white/silver, with a black face in a silvertone case.
Hung from a vintage silvertone bow pin, & with silvertone hands & feet, the body is a vintage silver glass bead & arms & legs are Czech glass beads. Obviously this is a go-with-everything piece--I see it attached to the strap of a black bag.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the GoodTimers & their relatives, the BDs and Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Tiny fused glass pendant--etsyTrashion Team, JET

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:32:58 -0400

$10.00
These pendants were fused in my little kiln at about 1600 degrees F. They are interesting glass, mostly made of radium or dichroic scraps I upcycle from folks who do large stained glass pieces, but very hard to photograph adequately, so some of the colors, and especially color shifts, don’t show up in the pics.

People who see them in person, however, are enthusiastic, so I’m posting some here.

This first batch has official Aanraku sterling-plated bails, which I’m told won’t tarnish. I like it that the big ones let me thread the ribbon-and cord neckbands (16” with a 2to 2 ½” extension, and of course available at Findings, our second etsy store) through easily. I think the colors bring out the ones in the glass, but if you’d prefer a black rubber neckband, just let me know.

This little pendant is just under 1" high including the bail, and just over 1" wide. It's strung on a very pretty sort of spiral 16" silver-plated chain with a lobster clasp (there will be some of these at Findings if I ever get finished listing everything!. The top piece is mostly black with subtle rainbow reflections, the bottom goes from silver to gold with flashes of other colors--I hope you can see that in the pics.

I’m having a lot of fun both making and wearing these, and hope you will too.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Square fused glass pendant with lines and dichroic jewel--etsy Trashion team, JET

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:03:31 -0400

$10.00
These pendants were fused in my little kiln at about 1600 degrees F. They are interesting glass, mostly made of radium or dichroic scraps I upcycle from folks who do large stained glass pieces, but very hard to photograph adequately, so some of the colors, and especially color shifts, don’t show up in the pics.

People who see them in person, however, are enthusiastic, so I’m posting some here.

This first batch has official Aanraku sterling-plated bails, which I’m told won’t tarnish. I like it that the big ones let me thread the ribbon-and cord neckbands (16” with a 2to 2 ½” extension, and of course available at Findings, our second etsy store) through easily. I think the colors bring out the ones in the glass, but if you’d prefer a black rubber neckband, just let me know.

One inch square, this piece is hung from a corner, making it about 1 1/2" high including the bail, and about 1 1/8" wide. The base has random stringers forming lines which run into and out of the slightly off-canter "jewel", glowing with orange, yellow, blue, and green, and set off by an orange ribbon and cord neckband which adjusts from 16" to about 18" with a chain and lobster clasp fastening. See the pics!

I’m having a lot of fun both making and wearing these, and hope you will too.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Midnight Garden Brooch Pin--Carved Plum Blossom Jasper Flower, Nepalese Brass Spider, Rainbow Topaz, and more--JET, EAST, paganteam

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:23:36 -0400

$50.00
As you may have gathered if you’ve been shopping here, I love handmade elements, ethnic art, craftsmanship that produces one-of-a-kind items even when the pattern or design is the same, and pieces using time-consuming processes requiring mostly-forgotten skills.

So I was delighted recently to stumble on a new supplier from Thailand making gorgeous brass castings, including the spider in this piece, andone from China with fabulous carved and sometimes inlaid jasper (see the goddess figure in leopard jasper and the jasper skulls listed here, and check out our other store, Findings, www.leslietsy.etsy.com for more goodies.)

Here’s a little info on jasper from Wikipedia:

“Jasper, an opaque rock of virtually any color stemming from the mineral content of the original sediments or ash, is known to have been a favourite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Hebrew, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Latin. On Minoan Crete within present day Greece jasper was carved to produce seals circa 1800 BC based upon archaeological recoveries at the palace of Knossos.

There’s more, including information on the varieties of jasper and the difficulty of assigning accurate labels— at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper

Another interesting site for information which includes jasper’s alleged metaphysical and healing properties, lots of photos, and much more: http://www.mineralminers.com/html/jasminfo.htm

So, without further ado, (drum roll please) let me present the Midnight Garden Brooch. The flower is handcarved (I can't say handmade because I didn't do it myself) plum blossom jasper, mysteriously spotted and beautifully detailed. The dewdrop falling from its center is a faceted rainbow topaz. It is attached to a simple oval vintage gold-toned brass frame with a pin back. And suspended on the other end of the vintage brass chain that holds the topaz is a handcast, exquisitely detailed and beautifully finished (can't say handmade, etc.) Nepalese brass spider holding her own handmade (I DID do this one) bead and brass wire bug.

All the stones from this source are 100% natural--no dye, stabilization, heat-treating, whatever. They are carved using the stones' own individual characteristics, diamond polished (which sometimes makes them so reflective they're really hard to photograph), and of course are one of a kind.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

It was fall, and this flower fairy found that she was pregnant --doll pin brooch with locket EGADS, etsyBead Team, paganteam, EAST, JET

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:55:44 -0400

$25.00
She was very happy, thinking of the new little winged seedling who would be born in the spring. She even found a tiny heart-shaped locket for her little sprout's first photos.

This flower fairy measures just about 3 1/2 inches from the tip of her antennae to the golden beads on the bottoms of her feet. So far she's the only flower fairy with antennae, but who knows what the future may hold? Her face is is a cloisonne effect enameled metal bead, her upper body is a vintage metal butterfly pin finding enhanced with gold paint and tiny holeless beads, her pregnant tummy is a lovely chunk of drilled red agate topped with a green plastic flower cup, and her skirt is two layers of autumn-colored flower petals.
Her arms and legs are vintage brass spring-wound findings ending in glass beads in a coordinating rusty-red color.
The locket she holds really opens and has space for two small photos.

Altogether a charming fantasy piece and a unique and wonderful gift for that expectant mom on your list.

Pumpkin-headed person pin without a care in the world BD Ofrenda JET, etsyBead, paganteam, EAST

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:16:42 -0400

$25.00
Autumn isn't really here yet, but you can tell it's coming--a nip in the air at night, lots of sales on school clothes and supplies--so even though the leaves are still green I've been thinking about it.

Autumn is a time of transition, a time when the ancients worried about the sun dying as the land seemed to be. In every northern culture there are rituals both to honor and propitiate the ancestors and to beg the sun to return. As the world turns colder and darker around us, most of these rituals involve fire in some form, along with effigies of the dead, often in the form of skulls and/or skeletons and sometimes supplies for their existence in the afterlife. In addition to honoring the ancestors, many of the celebrations, in the tradition of the ancients, mock death itself, regarding it not as an end, but, like winter, as a transition to another life.

About halfway between the fall and winter equinox in Europe and the Americas we find Samhain, Guy Fawkes Day, All Hallows’ Eve/Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and El Dia de los Muertos. China has the Full Moon Festival, when lanterns are everywhere and farmers still burn their fields. In Japan, Bon Odori honors the dead with candles floated on rivers and lakes. In India, Pitrapaksh, honors ancestors, Durga Puja celebrates a mythical victory of good over evil, and Diwali, the new moon day in October or November is a festival of lamps and firecrackers. And this is just the stuff I know about---I’m sure there are many more.

So, in the spirit of the upcoming season, I’d like you to meet some of my latest creations, Ofrendas. These skeletons, crones, and other seasonal characters are full of life while reminding us that it is only part of the cycle.

This happy fellow, like the previous one, makes me smile whenever I happen to glance his way. He's similar, but not identical, to the piece just listed--a smidge taller (barely over 4" from bow top to foot bottom, with a vintage black-and-white striped glass bead body and leaves in slightly different arrangements. He does have a similar ceramic pumpkin head and black beaded arms and legs with leafy hands and feet, but his legs are strung a bit differently and don't move quite so independently. But his personality is very similar--he's a happy-go-lucky guy without a care in the world, whose only desire is to make someone's life--maybe yours?--a little brighter.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Carved Picasso Jasper Skull Team ESST, paganteam, EAST

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:12:19 -0400

$15.00
As more of the jasper I’ve bought arrives, I’m increasingly amazed and delighted by its colors and patterns, so I decided to find out a bit more. Here’s some of the info I gleaned from Wikipedia:

“Jasper, an opaque rock of virtually any color stemming from the mineral content of the original sediments or ash, is known to have been a favourite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Hebrew, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Latin.[5] On Minoan Crete within present day Greece jasper was carved to produce seals circa 1800 BC based upon archaeological recoveries at the palace of Knossos.[6]

Picture jaspers exhibit combinations of patterns (such as banding from flow or depositional patterns (from water or wind), dendritic or color variations) resulting in what appear to be scenes or images, on a cut section. Diffusion from a center produces a distinctive orbicular appearance, i.e., Leopard Skin Jasper. Healed, fragmented rock produces brecciated (broken) jasper.”

There’s more, including information on the varieties of jasper and the difficulty of assigning accurate labels— at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper

Here’s another interesting site for information which includes jasper’s alleged metaphysical and healing properties, lots of photos, and much more: http://www.mineralminers.com/html/jasminfo.htm

The most interesting bits I gleaned there are that jasper is a form of quartz, and also that ocaen jasper is not really jasper but a form of chalcedony.

Hoping you’re still with me, this is C21930, skillfully carved (I can't say handmade because I didn't do it) from Picasso jasper and quite ready to come to your house and enchant people or creep them out, as the case may be.

Obviously this guy can stand alone (or with friends) as a decoration, but he could also be part of a shrine or nicho, or, with some wirework (did you notice that nice bottom groove?) even be incorporated into jewelry. It's up to you.

All the stones from this source are 100% natural--no dye, stabilization, heat-treating, whatever. They are carved using the stones' own individual characteristics, diamond polished (which sometimes makes them so reflective they're really hard to photograph), and of course are one of a kind.

If you want to read more about autumn, turning seasons, death, rebirth, skulls, and so forth, check out some of my other autumn items--that plus the jasper was just too much for one description!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Skeleton 2--one of the BDs JET, etsyBead, paganteam, freethinkers

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:38:13 -0400

$20.00
A small skeleton, made of "opal sea glass" & other Czech glass beads & hanging from a stickpin, which can be exchanged for a regular pin or black rubber neckcord on request. Can you resist that grin?

They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Espiritu de Maiz--Corn Spirit--Small Spirits Art Doll Pin--EGADS, etsyBead, paganteam, JET

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:23:38 -0400

$65.00
The small spirits’ leather bodies are about 3 inches tall and 3 inches wide. They are made in two layers, so things can be attached between, and are backed with pins held on with additional strips of leather. They are semi-abstract, intended to evoke archetypal images that flow across cultural boundaries. They are held together with stitching, beading, & glue. They generally incorporate vintage, and sometimes antique, components.

Green for spring and fertility, with tassels trailing to 8 inches and a green button "face" at least 50 years old, this little spirit is stitched of truquoise and black leather, adorned with spotted and fluffy brown feathers, and holds a handblown glass ear of corn.

The obvious nature/fertility connections also extend to areas such as creativity and new undertakings, and would make a great gift as either encouragement or congratulation.

Ofrendas--Black Cat badge clip JET, EGADS, paganteam, etsyBead, etsyMOMS

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:31:48 -0400

$20.00
Autumn is a time of transition, a time when the ancients worried about the sun dying as the land seemed to be. In every northern culture there are rituals both to honor and propitiate the ancestors and to beg the sun to return. As the world turns colder and darker around us, most of these rituals involve fire in some form, along with effigies of the dead and sometimes supplies for their existence in the afterlife. In addition to honoring the ancestors, many of the celebrations, in the tradition of the ancients, mock death itself, regarding it not as an end, but, like winter, as a transition to another life.

About halfway between the fall and winter equinox in Europe and the Americas we find Samhain, Guy Fawkes Day, Halloween, and El Dia de los Muertos. China has the Full Moon Festival, when lanterns are everywhere and farmers still burn their fields. In Japan, Bon Odori honors the dead with candles floated on rivers and lakes. In India, Pitrapaksh, honors ancestors, Durga Puja celebrates a mythical victory of good over evil, and Diwali, the new moon day in October or November is a festival of lamps and firecrackers. And this is just the major stuff---I’m sure there are many more I’m not aware of.

So, in the spirit of the season, I’d like you to meet some of my latest creations, Ofrendas. These skeletons, crones, and other seasonal characters are full of life while reminding us that it is only part of the cycle.

By the way, any of these pieces can be easily changed from a badge clip to a pin, a pin to a pendant (which can have a cord added), etc. Just ask.

This handsome fellow measures just over 5 inches from the top of his clip to the tips of his paws. He's a dancer and a charmer, as I'm sure you'll agree.

New Skeleton in my closet--BD Ofrenda Pin Brooch EGADS, etsyBead Team , JET, paganteam, etsyMOMS

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:30:41 -0400

$35.00
Autumn is a time of transition, a time when the ancients worried about the sun dying as the land seemed to be. In every northern culture there are rituals both to honor and propitiate the ancestors and to beg the sun to return. As the world turns colder and darker around us, most of these rituals involve fire in some form, along with effigies of the dead, often in the form of skulls and/or skeletons and sometimes supplies for their existence in the afterlife. In addition to honoring the ancestors, many of the celebrations, in the tradition of the ancients, mock death itself, regarding it not as an end, but, like winter, as a transition to another life.

About halfway between the fall and winter equinox in Europe and the Americas we find Samhain, Guy Fawkes Day, All Hallows’ Eve/Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and El Dia de los Muertos. China has the Full Moon Festival, when lanterns are everywhere and farmers still burn their fields. In Japan, Bon Odori honors the dead with candles floated on rivers and lakes. In India, Pitrapaksh, honors ancestors, Durga Puja celebrates a mythical victory of good over evil, and Diwali, the new moon day in October or November is a festival of lamps and firecrackers. And this is just the stuff I know about---I’m sure there are many more.

So, in the spirit of the season, I’d like you to meet some of my latest creations, Ofrendas. These skeletons, crones, and other seasonal characters are full of life while reminding us that it is only part of the cycle.

This little skeleton is, except for the jasper bead forming his "body" and his carved oxbone skull, totally made of the wire-wrapped bones of small creatures from cleaned owl castings. I don't know exactly which bones are from which creatures, and what looks sort of like a beak on his head may be someone's upside-down jawbone, but, far a skeleton, I think he looks pretty together. He's not quite as fragile as he looks, but will probably take some extra-careful packing and should be kept out of reach of children and pets. He's just over 4 1/2" hanging from a vintage pin, but could easily be moved to a black rubber cord at no extra cost of a vintage chain (convo for lengths and prices) if you prefer.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Dancing Jack-o'-Lantern Headed Doll Pin--BD--Ofrenda JET, etsyBead Team, paganteam, etsyMOMS

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:29:22 -0400

$25.00
Autumn is a time of transition, a time when the ancients worried about the sun dying as the land seemed to be. In every northern culture there are rituals both to honor and propitiate the ancestors and to beg the sun to return. As the world turns colder and darker around us, most of these rituals involve fire in some form, along with effigies of the dead, often in the form of skulls and/or skeletons and sometimes supplies for their existence in the afterlife. In addition to honoring the ancestors, many of the celebrations, in the tradition of the ancients, mock death itself, regarding it not as an end, but, like winter, as a transition to another life.

About halfway between the fall and winter equinox in Europe and the Americas we find Samhain, Guy Fawkes Day, All Hallows’ Eve/Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and El Dia de los Muertos. China has the Full Moon Festival, when lanterns are everywhere and farmers still burn their fields. In Japan, Bon Odori honors the dead with candles floated on rivers and lakes. In India, Pitrapaksh, honors ancestors, Durga Puja celebrates a mythical victory of good over evil, and Diwali, the new moon day in October or November is a festival of lamps and firecrackers. And this is just the stuff I know about---I’m sure there are many more.

So, in the spirit of the season, I’d like you to meet some of my latest creations, Ofrendas. These skeletons, crones, and other seasonal characters are full of life while reminding us that it is only part of the cycle.

This infectiously cheerful little fellow makes everyone smile. He'd laugh at death or anything else--probably even a prankster smashing his jack-o-lantern head. Just about 4" from the top of his vintage silver bow pin to the bottom of his leafy feet, he's a body in motion. His head is ceramic and his body a glass bead in changing autumn hues. His arms and lega are a variety of black beads and bright fabric leaves on headpins which can move freely. His grin is irresistable and he'd love to come to your house to brighten up the dark fall mornings we all know are coming.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Two handcast porcelain doll/Pierrot faces/magnets with funky faux antique finish EGADS, Team ESST

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:08:14 -0400

$15.00
These faces, and similar ones, were cast in molds—either old ones meant for ceramics or new ones made by Leslie from antique handmade dolls.

They are unique in the sense that, being handcast and handpainted, no two will ever be alike, but they are a series in the sense that the molds used to make them have been used more than once.

The “Pierrot” faces are about 2 ½” high by 1 ½” wide, with the porcelain ones slightly smaller & generally more concave than those made of polyclay.

The German faces are just over 1 ½” tall without the neck projections, & range from about 1 ¼” to almost 2” wide.

These 2 "Pierrot" faces are cast in porcelain and kiln fired. The faces and the dotted hat are painted with a heat-set acrylic that's brown with green glitter, and the swirly hat is painted with a "patinated" copper. This gives them a kind of "antiqued" but sparkly look.

Each has a magnet strongly glued inside the concave back.
They can hang on your refrigerator or file cabinet, or can be a doll face or mask--either glued to a fabric head or
just attracted to a piece of metal inside the head and removable to reveal a "real" face or attach another mask.
What fun!

Color shemes and finishes for all the faces come from the hands and brain of Leslie Sirag, working from her home in Olympia, WA.

We hope you will enjoy seeing, and owning these faces, & possibly using them in your own work, and that you will take this opportunity to have a look at Leslie’s other items.

01

Simply sweet necklace etsyBead Team

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:51:47 -0400

$35.00
I bought these flat gold beads temporarily strung with some smaller clear ones. I liked the look so much that I simply substituted gold-lined clear (but slightly irridescent in certain lights) small Czech beads for the original spacers and added a pretty silver clasp.

This revised version is just under 16" long (not tight but lying close to my not-skinny neck) and much nicer than the photos.

Unlike a lot of my work, this piece is subtle--it would look great in the round neckline of a simple blcak dress, but could equally set off something with a gold metallic print. And it's reflective enough to change colors with its surroundings--looks stunning on the deep pink sweater I'm wearing as I write this, for instance. Versatile without being flashy.

This could be a first "grown-up" necklace for a tween starting to care for and keep special things, a mother (or grandmother)of the bride or groom necklace (or even a bride's going away necklace) for a wedding, a good luck piece for an interview or first day on a new job, and on and on. It's almost infinitely adaptable and will never go out of style.

Is it the right necklace for you or someone you care about?

Thanks for looking at this necklace, and I hope you'll enjoy browsing the rest of my shop!

Vintage Pet Milk can and filigree earrings, JET, etsyTrashion Team, etsyMOMS Team, etsyChai Team

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:32:17 -0400

$15.00
I acquired a bunch of these cute little Pet Milk cans a while ago, and just got time to make earrings of them.

I don't know about you, but looking at these takes me right back to the kitchen of my childhood with my mom whipping the Pet Milk and incorporating it into Jello for a special dessert of which I can't recall the exact name at the moment, but I think it was something exotic.

Anyway, these cute little dangles have metal tops and bottoms and rotate on a solid little loop, with which they are maybe 1/2" tall. This pair features a pretty litle filigree piece between can and hook, bringing the total wire-to-bottom length to about 2 3/4" of weightless charm and retro/shabby chic.

And no, my Judie Bomberger coffee cup is not for sale, but you can find one for yourself by using your browser.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Vintage Pet Milk earrings, plain and simple JET, etsyTrashion Team, etsyMOMS Team, etsyChai Team

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:20:27 -0400

$10.00
I acquired a bunch of these cute little Pet Milk cans a while ago, and just got time to make earrings of them.

I don't know about you, but looking at these takes me right back to the kitchen of my childhood with my mom whipping the Pet Milk and incorporating it into Jello for a special dessert of which I can't recall the exact name at the moment, but I think it was something exotic.

Anyway, these cute little dangles have metal tops and bottoms and rotate on a solid little loop, with which they are maybe 1/2" tall. Really all I've done for this pair (designed for the minimalists among us) is attach them to circular flattened silver earwires. Total retro/shabby chic.

The last pic is of slightly fancier earrings listed elsewhere in the shop, and no, my Judie Bomberger coffee cup is not for sale, but you can find them by using your browser.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

One gold or silver plated bangle with a screw-off end--takes pandora style beads without coming apart Team ESST, JET, etsyMOMS

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:42:56 -0400

$5.00
These are cool!

They're a simple but very attractive bangle with one screw-off end, and will take beads with holes sized for pandora or somewhat smaller, charms on jump rings, and who knows what else. They come in your choice of gold or silver.

They get a thumbs up from all the teens and twenties around here and this grandma likes them too.

The price is for one--if you need more, convo for a custom listing.

We have a very limited supply and no more on the horizon at this price so far, so don't wait.

And by the way, we do have not only these but some screw-on safety beads for those other pandora-style bracelets listed at our other etsy store, Findings.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Circle of Light Necklace---etsyMOMS Team, JET, etsyBead Team, etsyChai Team

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:01:14 -0400

$60.00
This necklace will be a kind of loose choker on anyone's neck, because it's strung on memory wire, which holds a circular shape.

I did it this way because I wanted the angels to look like a choir, and a looser drape wouldn't work.

The necklace is very simple--just a bunch of chunky Czech glass beads and crystals, mostly clear with rainbow overtones, and these charming multiethnic ceramic angels, made in Peru, each one ever so slightly different.

The necklace is fun to wear--it sits nicely and doesn't get in the way, and of course shows a positive view of diversity. Lovely to wear for the holiday season, or perhaps as a gift to your favorite clergywoman or personal "angel".

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Magical leafy earrings--etsyBead Team, JET, etsyChai Team, etsyMOMS Team, paganteam

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:52:47 -0400

$45.00
I didn't find these earrings hanging from a flower in the woods at that hour of the morning when the birds and frogs begin to chirp and the light is still cool, but I think I could have. They really are magical!

Hung from sterling hooks made especially for them by the J Shop stcarnamedwant.etsy.com, and on a sterling chain, they are made of silvery lampworked glass leaves in pale colors, a smaller Czech firepolished pressed glass leaf, a blue lampwork seashell, and a round pale pink glass bead. But maybe they're really spun from morning mist and fairy lights--who knows?

About 2 1/2 inches long from the top of the hoop to the silver stop bead below the shell, these earrings will make you feel that magic is all around. Enjoy them!

Also please take a look at my other work here, and, if you also make jewelry, at my new etsy shop, Findings, leslietsy.etsy.com Thanks for stopping by!

Steampunkin bracelet or cuff with watchworks, locket, and other vintage embellishments etsyTrashion Team, paganteam, JET, etsyMOMS

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:42:48 -0400

$35.00
I've had this old handmade belt I thought would make interesting bracelets/cuffs for awhile, and finally got enough time to put this one together.

As I often do with something new, I wore it for a few days to make sure it stays on and together, is comfortable, etc. and can report that it's fine EXCEPT that I made the mistake of waering it with a loosely embroidered Mexican blouse and it kept catching the threads. It was fin with everything else, though I'd be careful with something like a bulky knit sweater. Oh, and it's a little tricky to fasten with one hand.

Aside from that, it was fun and very comfortable to wear and got lots of positive comments.

So here it is--a nice piece of leather, well aged but stiff, with vintage pewter hand-shaped buttons, old watchworks, a vintage butterfly-shaped copper locket, vintage filagree circle with a vintage black resin rose cabachon, vintage sun with sunglasses repurposed from an earring, silvertone, copper, and brass wirework, and a big decorative link and equally decorative toggle in Tibetan silver.

I'm actually iffy about listing this one--I like it a lot!
--but I hope someone else can enjoy it and know that I'll make another when it's gone. Art is a funny business!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Tin Can Man EGADS etsyTrashion Team EAST

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:52:29 -0400

$15.00
Have fun, be fashionable, & help the environment at the same time—wear Reborn Rubbish!

Reborn Rubbish pins and magnets are playful little guys happy to have been rescued from garbage cans & landfills. Reborn Rubbish dolls are similar, but too big to wear. They can, however, hang out in your house, demonstrating your exquisite taste as well as your concern for the environment.

They are all one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, now working from her Washington studio,whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California.

Tin Can Man is cut from a Pellegrino Limonada can (such lovely colors!), assembled with coordinating yellow brads, & sports a face that was once part of a watch, with just a little paint for emphasis. He's mounted on a magnet & would just love to hang on your refrigerator, file cabinet, or lamp base.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning Reborn Rubbish & their relatives, the BDs, the Makin’ My Own Kind of Music series, and the GoodTimers. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Extremely Freeform Scrumbled Beadwoven Bracelet--etsyBEAD Team, JET, etsyMOMS Team, etsyChai Team

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:58:37 -0400

$65.00
Scrumbling is a term used in freeform crochet to describe making something in small pieces, then arranging those into one piece, and that's how I did this bracelet.

It was mostly done sitting in hospital waiting rooms at night--there was a period of several weeks when our teen son couldn't stop vomiting and had to be rehydrated and given IV drugs a few times a week. One way I retain some semblance of sanity and centeredness in circumstances like these is to carry a small bead kit and think positive and healing thoughts while I work. This time I wasn't together enough to make a whole project flow, so I just made some pieces, which I later joined to each other and to a sort of strap to make a bracelet.

It's very colorful--what we call "bead soup" --and very lightweight, since most or all of the beads are #11 Delica seedbeads. The clasp is a very simple toggle, and the actual thread used was Gudebrod polyester.

A cheerful piece that will go just about anywhere with just about anything!

Thanks for visiting, and please take a look at the other work in my store while you're here.

Black and Clear Glass Mushroom Necklace etsyBEAD Team, etsyMOMS Team, JET, paganteam

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:26:22 -0400

$60.00
A long necklace, about 24 inches, with mushrooms dangling. Each mushroom has been assembled from 2 separate glass beads and they are all different.

A go-with-anything necklace for any occasion, from a beach picnic in jeans to a dressy evening.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Dem Jumpin Bones mini wall quilt freethinkers, paganteam, etsyMOMS, etsyBead Team

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:24:08 -0400

$100.00
Autumn is a time of transition, a time when the ancients worried about the sun dying as the land seemed to be. In every northern culture there are rituals both to honor and propitiate the ancestors and to beg the sun to return. As the world turns colder and darker around us, most of these rituals involve fire in some form, along with effigies of the dead and sometimes supplies for their existence in the afterlife. In addition to honoring the ancestors, many of the celebrations, in the tradition of the ancients, mock death itself, regarding it not as an end, but, like winter, as a transition to another life.

About halfway between the fall and winter equinox in Europe and the Americas we find Samhain, Guy Fawkes Day, Halloween, and El Dia de los Muertos. China has the Full Moon Festival, when lanterns are everywhere and farmers still burn their fields. In Japan, Bon Odori honors the dead with candles floated on rivers and lakes. In India, Pitrapaksh, honors ancestors, Durga Puja celebrates a mythical victory of good over evil, and Diwali, the new moon day in October or November is a festival of lamps and firecrackers. And this is just the major stuff---I’m sure there are many more I’m not aware of.

So, in the spirit of the season, I’d like you to meet some of my latest creations, Ofrendas. These skeletons, crones, and other seasonal characters are full of life while reminding us that it is only part of the cycle.

I was given a scrap of this fabric a few years ago and knew I wanted to use it. Recently I was able to buy a yard someone had squirelled away and used a piece of it for this quilt.

The quilt is a little over 1 foot square, and consists of the face fabric quilted to a (quilted) backing with a machine stitch that looks like extremely tiny careful feather stitching. I have attached real bones (from cleaned and sterilized owl castings), usually with both glue and beading, over some of the bones in the skeletons. I have added fabric flowers to some heads. I have also added metal, glass, ceramic, & carved Tibetan bone skulls over some of the skulls. And the words Dem bones, oh dem bones, oh dem jumpin bones are spelled out with little plastic domed letters on the left and bottom of the quilt, with the word baile, Spanish for dance on the top right in metal letters secured by colorful brads.

A lot of fun to make, a lot of fun to see and display--oh yes, there are two braided thread loops on the back for hanging. Enjoy!

While you’re here, please look around the rest of The Creative Block, and then you may also want to visit our second etsy store, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com to look for pieces to use in your own creations.

Red and Yellow Gemstone Skull to help celebrate the seasonal cycle and autumn holidays Team ESST, paganteam, etsyMOMS

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:07:50 -0400

$15.00
As more of the jasper I’ve bought arrives, I’m increasingly amazed and delighted by its colors and patterns, so I decided to find out a bit more. Here’s some of the info I gleaned from Wikipedia:

“Jasper, an opaque rock of virtually any color stemming from the mineral content of the original sediments or ash, is known to have been a favourite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Hebrew, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Latin.[5] On Minoan Crete within present day Greece jasper was carved to produce seals circa 1800 BC based upon archaeological recoveries at the palace of Knossos.[6]

Picture jaspers exhibit combinations of patterns (such as banding from flow or depositional patterns (from water or wind), dendritic or color variations) resulting in what appear to be scenes or images, on a cut section. Diffusion from a center produces a distinctive orbicular appearance, i.e., Leopard Skin Jasper. Healed, fragmented rock produces brecciated (broken) jasper.”

There’s more, including information on the varieties of jasper and the difficulty of assigning accurate labels— at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper

Here’s another interesting site for information which includes jasper’s alleged metaphysical and healing properties, lots of photos, and much more: http://www.mineralminers.com/html/jasminfo.htm

The most interesting bits I gleaned there are that jasper is a form of quartz, and also that ocaen jasper is not really jasper but a form of chalcedony.

Hoping you’re still with me, I bring you C21954. I use these numbers because that's the label they arrive with, and it makes it easier for us to make sure you get the actual item you've bought, Anyway, C21954 is apparently not made of jasper, but of "red and yellow gemstone", whatever that is. He's actually mostly kind of a pinkish/grayish/tan--quite an appropriate color for a skull.
And like his friends, he's quite cute and friendly-looking and will be happy to become whatever you ask of him.

Obviously he can stand alone (or with friends) as a decoration, or hold down a prominent spot in a dollhouse curio case--he is only about 1" high--but he could also be part of a shrine or nicho, or, with some wirework (did you notice that nice bottom groove?) even be incorporated into jewelry. It's up to you.

All the stones from this source are 100% natural--no dye, stabilization, heat-treating, whatever. They are carved using the stones' own individual characteristics, diamond polished (which sometimes makes them so reflective they're really hard to photograph), and of course are one of a kind.

If you want to read more about autumn, turning seasons, death, rebirth, skulls, and so forth, check out some of my other autumn items--that plus the jasper was just too much for one description!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Steampunkin Patch Earrings--etsyBead Team, JET, paganteam, etsyMOMS, EAST

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:46:46 -0400

$35.00
Even though it's summer and we're just coming out of a heat wave, autumn is coming, and with it the cyclical festivals for which many of us make art.

Autumn is a time of transition, a time when the ancients worried about the sun dying as the land seemed to be. In every northern culture there are rituals both to honor and propitiate the ancestors and to beg the sun to return. As the world turns colder and darker around us, most of these rituals involve fire in some form, along with effigies of the dead, often in the form of skulls and/or skeletons and sometimes supplies for their existence in the afterlife. In addition to honoring the ancestors, many of the celebrations, in the tradition of the ancients, mock death itself, regarding it not as an end, but, like winter, as a transition to another life.

About halfway between the fall and winter equinox in Europe and the Americas we find Samhain, Guy Fawkes Day, All Hallows’ Eve/Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and El Dia de los Muertos. China has the Full Moon Festival, when lanterns are everywhere and farmers still burn their fields. In Japan, Bon Odori honors the dead with candles floated on rivers and lakes. In India, Pitrapaksh, honors ancestors, Durga Puja celebrates a mythical victory of good over evil, and Diwali, the new moon day in October or November is a festival of lamps and firecrackers. And this is just the stuff I know about---I’m sure there are many more.

Which brings us to these little Steampunkins. Ever since I heard the term Steampunk, and especially since I realized that I often work in that general area, I've been waiting for the right season to make actual steampunkins. If you've seen the earrings listed just before these, you may be amused at the similarities and differences. They both started with the stone pumpkin (now there's another theme!) beads, both have the aged copper beadcaps, black steel earwires, and de- and reconstructed spring finding vines, but the resemblance ends there. The Pumpkin Patch earrings are sweet almost to the point of being (gag!) cute: these, with bent copper pins rather than chains as connectors and dark toothy watch parts replacing leaves are almost menacing in a sort of amusing way. I think they're a kick and intend to make myself a pair--not identical, of course, but similar--in time for all the autumn celebrations. I hope you'll fwwl the same way and decide that these are the earrings you absolutely MUST have.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Macrame Mummy Pin--one of the BDs Lillian Haskell vintage Russian gold plated Egyptian mask, waxed linen thread macrame, turquoise paint accents etsyBead Team, EAST, paganteam, JET, etsyMOMS

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:45:45 -0400

$25.00
They shimmy. They shake. They wiggle. They dance. They make people smile. They’re the BDs (pronounced “beadies”), fresh from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been exhibited in shows & galleries from New York to California. Now working from her home in Washington State, Leslie produces these little charmers one at a time & each is an individual character who will never be duplicated, although the nature of the materials does mean that some pieces will be similar.

Most of the BDs are pins, though some are bookmarks or magnets. (All but the magnets can easily be converted to pendants if desired.) They can be worn, hang outside a book, or decorate a refrigerator, but can also easily hang from curtains, lampshades, metal file cabinets, or anything else metal or with a knob or clip. They range in height from about 4 to 6 inches, & most of them fall into groups Leslie calls the Goofy Guys, the Pretty Girls, & the Ethnic/Cultural bunch, although a few don’t seem to fit any category.

I was lucky enough to get several of these Russian gold plated "Egyptian" heads, & every so often one tells me what it wants. This one asked for linen & turquoise (the color, not the stone). So here we have the gold mask hanging from a gold pin, with a piece of vintage "gold" jewelry & a turquoise stone, some tiny turquoise Czech glass beads all held together by macramed linen cod & painted with Lumiere fabric paint. Please don't tell him he's not REALLY Egyptian!

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning the BDs & their relatives, the Goodtimers and the Reborn Rubbish. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Sister Mary Inocencia EGADS Freethinkers etsyTrashion Team EAST

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:45:45 -0400

$60.00
Sister Mary started with a vintage sprinkler head that reminded me of the headpiece of an old nun's habit--I think maybe Flemish--but she evolved into quite a character. She's made of (besides the sprinkler head) a vintage textile bobbin draped with some filmy white fabric, then with some black suede-cloth type stuff. She wears a vintage rosary of wooden beads & brass chain, finished with a wood & silver crucifix, around her waist. The crucifix has writing on the back, but I can't make sense of it--maybe a name?
She also has a (probably vintage) medal with a cross, a kneeling woman, & the words "The Matrix" on the front and 2 hearts on the back, a medal with the Virgin Mary on the front & someone carrying a cross on the back, an old key, & a 1998 "vaccinated against rabies" tag--don't ask me why--she insisted! The crucifix & all the medals are vintage. She's just a bit over 13" high. She says she's a member of the Little Sisters of the Poor chapter of the Sisters of Mercy, whose ministry consists of giving themselves to the poor. Figure it out for yourself--I only work here! Her clothes are not removable.

This doll is one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Color-blind hummingbird finds nectar in dark blossoms--mostly recycled necklace- --etsyBead Team, etsyTrashion Team, paganteam, JET, etayMOMS

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:03:45 -0400

$35.00
We all know that hummingbirds prefer red flowers, but have you ever considered the plight of a hummingbird who doesn't see red? Well, this little fellow has managed to find sweetness anyway, making her or him an inspiring example of overcoming adversity, using what's available, and other platitudes.

As you can see elsewhere on The Creative Block, I like working with leaves and flowers. However, I've been hesitant about using plastic or resin until recently, when I found some I just couldn't resist. It started with these pink and blue resin dangling leaves, originally on a bracelet I wanted for something else, but too pretty not to re-use. Then I found these wonderful flowers (on etsy, of course) and was considering layering some with glass or metal when I stumbled on the black ones (if you want some, search for "midnight garden") and I was hooked.

The hummingbird is pewter, one of a bunch of charms I picked up somwhere and figured I'd use sometime (how much stuff like that is around your house?): the filigree ring, which has a few little dings and dents, is from a bunch of vintage, maybe Victorian, maybe earlier repro, findings: the chain is new-old, but the hook and loop are just old (and do stay hooked when worn, though not when just lying around); and the very bottom dangle is a vintage black glass leaf with black and green glass beads, plus some glittery little faceted plastic crystals harvested from a batch of old earrings (some of which are listed at Findings, our second etsy store--link below). I put it all together with eyepins, headpins, bits of chain, and a little wirework. I like it a lot, and hope you will too.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Brooch with vintage repousse cab depicting the angel Gabriel telling Mary she is pregnant with Jesus--and no one asked either of them how long thay'd been off their meds Freethinkers Team, etsyTrashion Team, JET, etsyBead Team

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:03:22 -0400

$35.00
The enamelled cabochon in this piece was sold to me as part of a guilloche lot, but it's definitely not guilloche. I think, however, that it's repousse work (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repouss%C3%A9_and_chasing )
in that it appears to have been raised from the back (in this case perhaps with a stamp? the metal looks minimally worked) and then enamel was added to the front to complete the piece.

My guess is that the figures are just the raised metal and that the blue was added around them, then the whole thing was covered with a layer of clear enamel to preserve it and make it glow--and it does glow, especially the raised figures. Please ignore the black speck that shows up on the cab in the pictures--it must be some sort of reflection and doesn't actually exist.

We think this is a depiction of the angel Gabriel appearing to 14-year-old Mary to tell her she is pregnant with Jesus.
As mental health professionals, as well as parents of teens and adults, we've been talking about how this might play out today: Mary comes in from school, eyea big as saucers, and says, "Mom, this guy came up to me at the bus stop and said I'm going to have G-d's baby!" "How many times have I told you not to talk to those bus stop crazies? And just what have you been doing with that boyfriend of yours, little missy?" "Just kissing, Mom, honest! But this guy was like, for real. Could G-d make me pregnant?" (These folks are Jewish, remember, and Jews neither say nor write the actual full name of G-d.)

Mom, faced with this deep theological question, goes to the rabbi, who opines that G-d, being omnipotent, could probably do such a thing, but why would He lay such a heavy burden on a 14-year-old?

So Mom takes Mary to her gynecologist, who confirms that she is, in fact pregnant, and who suggests a visit to a psychiatrist when Mary keeps insisting that G-d must have done it, since she's never had intercourse.

Not only does Mary end up on psych meds, but the police round up Gabe and take him to a psych ward, where his dosage is adjusted--but he's moved to a long-term facility because he keeps insisting that G-d told him to talk to Mary.

And the baby? He's placed for adoption--Mary's not old enough to marry Joseph (who doesn't appear in this story anyway) and certainly not old enough to be someone's mother.

Be that as it may, this piece includes the vintage enameled cab in a "new vintage" goldtone frame, with a heart-and-bead dangle from a vintage earring (the beads appear to be metal, wood, and plastic) to which a small rose, probably polyclay, recycled from a bracelet, has been added (She insisted on the rose, and the phrase "Rose of the World", from a Yeats poem which may or may not refer to her, was stuck in my head until I added it.)

In spite of (or because of) all this, this is a pretty as well as interesting little re/upcycled vintage piece.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Revised cloisonne and guilloche enameled butterfly bracelet with watch parts--steampunk light etsyTrashion Team, JET, paganteam, etsyMOMS, etsyBead Team

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:08:54 -0400

$35.00
I’ve recently fallen in love with guilloche (gwee-oh-shay—don’t know how to get the accent over the final e), a process in which a metal plate is engraved with a design (according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “intersecting curved lines or a pattern composed of curved lines”, though I think it’s used a bit loosely at times). Some lovely examples are found on the works of old watches, but the most usual use at present appears to be in the context of guilloche enamel, where those patterns are overlaid with a transparent layer of baked-on color. This is often combined with cloisonne (cloy-son-nay), an enameling process characterized by wires forming sections of a pattern in such a way as to separate sections of the design and keep enamel colors from running together.

This stuff is mostly vintage or older, as you can imagine if you think about the work involved. Some cloisonne is still coming out of China, although it seldom matches the quality of older work, where the cloisons may be barely visible and certainly not felt as obvious surface ridges—the standard calls for adding multiple layers of enamel until its height just equals that of the ridges, not the case on most recent work.

The original bracelet this piece was built on was sold to me as vintage guilloche. There is some of that, though I'd call it more cloisonne, and the enameled pieces were just stuck on a bracelet which may or may not be vintage but is definitely neither guilloche or cloisonne.

It is, however, a nice solid brass cuff, with a working clasp protected by a safety chain, which inspired me to add a few more chains just for fun. Then I thought the brass looked too raw, so I added some green paint. I also removed a few enameled elements and added a pink watch dial, a watch case holding some watchworks, some butterflies outlined in brass which I've filled in with a purple-tinted resin, a vintage but repro Victorian-style heart finding, and a few smaller oddments. After much glueing, rearranging, painting, rearranging, adding, subtracting, and rearranging, I think it's ready for a new home.

I call it steampunk light--it has the right elements, but it's a little sweet to be atraight steampunk. Our teen son and his girlfriend both give it 2 thumbs up, which must mean something.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Gold Butterfly Flower Fairy Pin EGADS, etsyBead, JET, paganteam, etsyMOMS, EAST

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:20:00 -0400

$23.00
Some time ago I discovered a very old flower fairy ornament. Her body was entirely flowers, her head a very nice ceramic bead, and her arms and legs beaded as well. She was strung on wire, so she posed but didn’t dance. I loved the idea, but wanted to adapt it a bit—she was a bit big and clunky, I’d need different faces than I’d been using on the GoodTimers and B.D.s, and so forth. So I hung her near my beading space and waited.

Then, recently, I was lucky enough to find a batch of these wonderful enameled flower faces—just the thing I needed to make the design work.
Some of mine have a vintage raw metal butterfly pin as an upper body—I’ve painted, beaded, & otherwise decorated these to go with the flowery theme. Others have a bead upper body, and there may be other differences as I finish the series, which is limited to 18 by the number of faces available.

They all have skirts of flowers and/or leaves and beaded arms and legs, but the resemblance ends there. Some are dancers and some can be gently posed. They come in many different colors and combinations. And of course, they can be hung from a pin, a badge clip, or a cord. They do need to be protected from seatbelts, purse straps, and possibly samll children and pets. They can be reposed, gently, but not too often. Given this level of care, they will delight you for years.

I am delighted with these little people—they bring warm happy thoughts of summer and dancing in soft breezes. I hope they will also make you smile as they come to dance with you.

With a flower bead on her head, another at her neck, and a third topping the petals of her skirt, this little cutie would be 4 inches tall if you could convince her to point her legs straight down. She's made with a different combination of purple and green beads than her sister, and her gold butterfly top is decorated with pink and yellow-gold beads. With her flower-faced smile, she's ready to fly right into your heart and home.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Steampunkin bracelet with guilloche enamel rose and lots more--etsyTrashion Team, JET, etsyBead, paganteam, etsyMOMS, EAST

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:49:36 -0400

$35.00
I’ve recently fallen in love with guilloche (gwee-oh-shay—don’t know how to get the accent over the final e), a process in which a metal plate is engraved with a design (according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “intersecting curved lines or a pattern composed of curved lines”, though I think it’s used a bit loosely at times). Some lovely examples are found on the works of old watches, but the most usual use at present appears to be in the context of guilloche enamel, where those patterns are overlaid with a transparent layer of baked-on color. This is often combined with cloisonne (cloy-son-nay), an enameling process characterized by wires forming sections of a pattern in such a way as to separate sections of the design and keep enamel colors from running together.

This stuff is mostly vintage or older, as you can imagine if you think about the work involved. Some cloisonne is still coming out of China, although it seldom matches the quality of older work, where the cloisons may be barely visible and certainly not felt as obvious surface ridges—the standard calls for adding multiple layers of enamel until its height just equals that of the ridges, not the case on most recent work.

This bracelet has a small guilloche rose centerpiece that is probably vintage. The bracelet itself may be "new vintage" (previously unsued old stock) or more recent.
In any case, it's a pretty and gracefully shaped piece, and comfortable to wear.

I've added clock parts, beads, findings, dangles, and a bit of green and bronzish paint--the brass part around the rose was just so raw it hurt my eyes. There are soft metal Victorian findings wrapped around the side parts of the bracelet--even though I've sanded the edges, they feel sharp when yourun a finger over them, but are quite comfortable to waer. The bracelet is snug but not tight on my approximately 6 1/2" wrist, but could be tightened or loosened a bit without damage.

Another hit with resident and visiting teens, and also with their parents. Except for the watch parts, this piece would fit as well into a renaissance fair as a club dance.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Junkyard Angel, Skating on Thin Ice EGADS, etsyTrashion Team, EAST, paganteam, JET, etsyBead Team, etsyMOMS

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:04:47 -0400

$35.00
Have fun, be fashionable, & help the environment at the same time—wear Reborn Rubbish!

Reborn Rubbish pins and magnets are playful little guys happy to have been rescued from garbage cans & landfills. Reborn Rubbish dolls are similar, but too big to wear. They can, however, hang out in your house, demonstrating your exquisite taste as well as your concern for the environment.

They are all one of a kind, springing from the hands & brain of Leslie Sirag, whose art crafts have been shown from New York to California, and who now works from her Washington studio.

Junkyard Angel started with a rusty spring & a bit of macrame, to which were added a button for a face & ice skates, also buttons. The mother-of-pearl hands just HAD to be wings, & there it is! There's a heavy-duty ceramic magnet on the back (I'm loving this piece on my lamp stem)& also a hook on the top which could be used if needed.

We hope you will enjoy seeing & owning Reborn Rubbish & their relatives, the BDs, the Makin’ My Own Kind of Music series, and the GoodTimers. Please don’t miss seeing Leslie’s other items.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Classy Tibetan silver tube necklace with 3 million year old ammonite fossil points-- JET, etsyBead Team, EAST, paganteam, etsyMOMS

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:18:49 -0400

$45.00
This piece was made using some of the findings from our second etsy shop, Findings, http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com
with a few additions.

I've just added these gorgeous Tibetan silver (lead and nickel free) curved tubes with a rotating ball in the middle, and I think the sleek contemporary silver-plated foldover magnetic clasp complements it really well. The silver plated chain is not from Findings (I think I got it at a local graft store), but slides nicely through the tube and supports the fossils (also not from Findings, although the lovely Bali-style Tibetan silver headpins I've used to loop them to the chain are).

The whole thing makes quite an impressive necklace, one that a man could certainly wear. The fossils are about 2 1/2 inches long, and the chain, including the clasp, is about 20 inches. Quite unusual.

As is so often the case, the pictures don't really do justice to the shiny silver lf the tube and clasp, or the amazingly detailed trilobites.

If you want to know more about Tibetan silver, several of the listings at Findings go into more detail. If you want to make something similar, the tubes, clasps, and headpins are available.

I was on a roll, and made more pieces with these tubes, which I will be listing shortly, so please stay tuned!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Winging it bar necklace-- JET, etsyBead, paganteam, etayMOMS

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:17:38 -0400

$40.00
I was counting and packaging findings for our second etsy store, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com the other night when I decided I just had to USE some of the great stuff we've been getting in.

So I took one of these gorgeous curved tubes with the ball in the middle, slid a silver-plated chain (from a local craft store) through it, added one of our flower-etched square magnetic clasps, and topped it off with a couple of large silver wings. Simple and quite elegant--not only would I wear it, but so would a visiting 19-year-old--a good sign, I think.

The wings are about 50mm, or 2 in. long, and the necklace itself is about 20 in. around.

If you want to know more about Tibetan silver, several of the listings at Findings go into more detail. If you want to make something similar, the tubes, wings, and clasp are available there.

I was on a roll, and made more pieces with these tubes, which I will be listing shortly, so please stay tuned!

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

Faux-Artifact Polymer Clay Pin Brooch With Real Fossil Imprint JET

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:56:06 -0400

$15.00
This little pin is in a mix of colors and brands of polymer clay that gives it a feeling of antiquity. It could be an artifact from an archeological dig or even a stone that has grown around a three-million year old seashell.

But in reality, it's just some clay I mixed up trying for an ancient metal effect, made into a slightly concave shape (sort of like a clamshell), impressed with a small fossil shell, and backed with a bit of fabric glued over a pin back for security. It's not quite 1 1/2" by about 1 1/8" (I've been listening to my 5'2" daughter about making smaller jewelry from time to time) and the sort of tarnished bronze color could go with just about anything.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.

She'll Open Her Heart For You and He Has Connections----- Your choice of a people pin brooch or a bookmark, lamp or curtain adornment, money clip, or a fix for whatever you need connected JET EGADS etsyBead Team

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:02:05 -0400

$21.00
These tww aren't quite BDs, though they may be their slightly more uptight cousins. They do have beaded arms and legs strung on wire so that they can be gently posed.
She does have a pin and he a clip to connect him to aomething (right now he's holding my September calendar page). They're both colorful--in fact, he could be sort of an abstract Green Man and no one would question her as a dancing sprite. However, they don't shimmy and shake, or move on their own at all.

These two both have bodies of polymer clay in my own mix of colors and probably brands. They both have arms and legs beaded with the wonderful handpainted beads tou can find at our other etsy store, Findings. She's fairly smooth, he's sort of bumpy. He has yarn hair and watch-gear eyes, she has none. But she has a heart--actually a locket imbedded in her chest, and you can open and close it and even add your own photo or flower or (very) small memento. She is about 3 inches tall, he's just over 4!/2". His eyes and her heart are vintage brass.

You have your choice of these two delightful characters, or take them both home and get free shipping--just convo me before you pay! Update:He Has Connections is no longer available.

Thanks for joining us on The Creative Block. We’re happy to see you shopping or just browsing here any time, hope you’ve found something you love and/or gotten new ideas, and would love to hear from you. And when you’re done,, do check out our second etsy shop, Findings, at http://www.leslietsy.etsy.com for useful and interesting components for your own creations.