Blackbirds & Bumblebees

Martha Stewart American Made Nominee

2015-08-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled my shop, Red Truck Designs, is nominated for Martha Stewart's American Made.

Voting starts Sept. 21st.

Need a gift for a guy?

2015-08-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have lots of unusual tie pins featuring unique and fun creatures.
These quirky pins make fantastic groomsmen gifts or a special gift for dad!

Western style horse pin perfect for any cowboy!
Horse.

Cute dinosaurs.

Stegosaurus tie pin.

Bumblebee pins.

T-Rex!

Dinosaurs.

A fun little fox perfect for a nature inspired wedding.

Fox pin.

Summer time cicada pin. Quirky and bold.

Cicada pin.

Dapper Wedding Cake Topper

2015-08-21T23:13:00.004-07:00

I found the most adorable vintage porcelain couple. This sweet figurine looks like it's from the 1930's.

This fun piece would make a fantastic cake topper. A one-of-a kind piece.

I have this vintage piece available in my shop here.

Moonrise Kingdom

2015-07-19T11:27:00.002-07:00

I love Wes Anderson movies and Moonrise Kingdom is a fantastic summertime film.

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness.

As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore -- and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.

Lots of fantastic actors in this fun movie. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl's parents.

The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman, Sam (the boy) and and Kara Hayward, Suzie (the girl).

Suzie gets her ears pierced so she can wear green beetle earrings.

In my shop,I have some fun green beetle earrings, like Suzie's.

Jewelry Affaire Summer 2015

2015-07-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled that the new issue of Summer 2015 Jewelry Affaire magazine features some of my bee inspired jewelry. I love seeing my work published and this magazine has so many wonderful jewelry tutorials. There are lots of fantastic easy-to-make designs in this magazine.

This issue of Jewelry Affaire has everything from bohemian to vintage chic.

These honeycomb bee earrings are featured in this article. You can purchase the magazine here and learn how to create these earrings. Or if you wish, you can purchase the earrings from my shop here.

This golden bee and honeycomb necklace is also featured in this magazine with information on how you can create this necklace. You can also see it in my shop and purchase it here.

Want to see more bee inspired jewelry?

Check out my shop here.

Frida Kahlo Ring

2015-05-27T06:39:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite artists is Frida Kahlo.

If you don’t know, Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter who is probably best known for her self-portraits.

I have a new ring in my shop that celebrates this amazing artist. This brass ring highlights a couple of self-portraits by Frida Kahlo.

A great bohemian style ring, perfect for a guy or gal.

Marie Antoinette Wedding

2015-05-21T10:07:00.001-07:00

Wedding season is upon us. I love the idea that there are no rules today for wedding themes. There are so many creative and beautiful ideas to make you wedding special and perfect.

I found this adorable vintage 1940’s Marie Antoinette style porcelain figurine on one of my treasure hunts. This little bride and groom would look fantastic on a Marie Antoinette style wedding cake. This sweet couple is available to purchase in my shop here. You could use it to create your own French inspired wedding.

Marie Antoinette is infamous for her decadence and love of all things luxurious. The colors and style of this period are amazing and make a fantastic theme influence for a wedding.

Sophia Coppola’s movie Marie Antoinette is beautiful. If you haven’t seen it, you should because the costuming is amazing. Marie Antoinette is a 2006 historical drama film directed by Sofia Coppola. It is based on the life of the French Queen Marie Antoinette in the years leading up to the French Revolution.

It won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

Layering Necklaces

2015-05-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

The long layered necklaces are a fun way to add some interest to your wardrobe. These bohemian style pendants look fantastic by themselves or layered with other necklaces.

Fashionable Entomologist

2015-03-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have lots of fun insect jewelry, in my shop, perfect for any entomologist. These beetle earrings make quite a statement.

A golden cicada tie pin.

Big cicada earrings.

Ocean Breeze

2015-03-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about tropical beaches and a turquoise blue sea. As usual, our weather has been grey and wet here in the Pacific Northwest. Although, I can't complain about this winter. We've had a mild season and we have seen the sun at times. Our winter has been nothing like many areas across the USA where they've had awful winter weather. So thinking about sunny beaches and warm weather I was inspired to create some ocean inspired jewelry.

This beautiful sea shell hair comb is perfect for resort vacations and beach weddings.

How cute are these coral pink and aqua blue charm necklace. They are perfect for bridesmaid gifts and I offer a discount when you purchase four or more.

The color of this pacific blue opal rhinestone is gorgeous in this sterling silver ring.

Pillow Talk

2015-03-04T20:39:00.001-08:00

I've been away from my blog for a while. I've been busy designing and creating lots of new things. I will be sharing my new items here with lots of pretty photos. Here are some of my festive new pillow covers. The pretty pillow covers have my original photography and art printed on the front as well as the back of the cover.

They look so pretty on a bed or couch. These pretty pillows are affordable and come in three size options.

They make fantastic housewarming gifts and are wonderful for a dorm room.

The colors are vivid and the images are so romantic. What a fun way to add some art to your room.

You can find all of my original art pillows for sale here.

You Can Go Your Own Way

2014-08-29T08:23:00.001-07:00

Arrow inspired jewelry!

All of these tribal inspired arrow jewelry pieces can be found in my shop here

Romantic Earrings

2014-07-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

I've added some pretty new earrings to the shop. Here are some examples.

You can find these earrings and many more in my shop here

Giddyup

2014-07-17T14:53:00.001-07:00

I was one of those girls who just LOVED horses. I lived in the suburbs and we definitely didn't have room for a horse. But my love of horses led me to collect Breyer toy horses. I had these horsed lined up on a book shelf. Many years later, I have found some vintage Breyer horses like the ones I use to collect. I have updated them using white and gold paint giving them a fun new look.

This is a fun DIY if you have some vintage plastic horses.

First I spray-painted the plastic horses with white gloss paint. I lightly spayed the paint on the horses.

I did about four coats of paint and let the paint dry between each coat.

Then I painted the hooves and part of the leg with liquid gold leaf. I was able to just dip each leg into the bottle of paint. I only needed to do one coat of the gold paint.

I think these horses look updated and have a fun modern style. This is an easy DIY project you can do yourself. Or you can purchase this set in my shop here.

Tassel Charm Necklaces

2014-07-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

These tassel charm necklaces are fantastic layered with other necklaces. The bright neon tassels and beaded chains are perfect with your summer time wardrobe. You can find these necklaces here

Garden Flower Hair Combs

2014-06-01T22:31:00.001-07:00

These beautiful garden inspired flower hair combs can be found in my shop.

Romantic hair combs perfect for a summer wedding or party.

Summertime STAR Gazer

2014-05-07T08:26:00.001-07:00

You can find this fun brass SPY GLASS Necklace in my etsy shop.

This antique style brass spy glass really works. It's about 4 inches long when extended and it collapses to a length of about an inch. A brass star charm adds to its fun. Enjoy the summer night sky looking at constellations with this star-gazer spyglass pendant.

Colorful Quartz Necklaces

2014-04-28T13:30:00.002-07:00

AGATE Druzy NECKLACE Beautiful Colored Stone Quartz you can get these lovely necklaces in my Etsy shop

These natural agate stone pendants look fantastic alone or layered with other necklaces.

These beautiful stone pendants would make fantastic Mother's Day gifts!

Mermaid Wedding

2014-04-25T05:39:00.005-07:00

Beautiful Bridal HAIR COMB with Sea Shells & Rhinestone Starfish get it from my Etsy shop

This one of a kind hair comb has beautiful rhinestone starfish, real shell that I collected on the beach and pearl beads.

This hair jewelry would be perfect for a beach wedding or a special event. What a fun piece for your tropical vacation.

Channel you inner mermaid with this one-of-a-kind sea shell hair comb.

Siamese Kittens

2014-04-21T09:23:00.003-07:00

Vintage Siamese Kitten Figurines in the Retro Hagen-Renaker Style get them from my Etsy shop

How adorable are these little vintage porcelain kittens? These cute cats are probable from the 1950's.

The look like the popular ceramic collectibles made by the Hagen-Renaker company.

Hagen-Renaker collectibles became so popular they were often copied by Japanese companies.
I do believe these are 1950’s Japanese copies. They are such fun retro kitties perfect for a "cat lady."

Springtime Bicycle Ride

2014-04-15T11:48:00.001-07:00

Original encaustic painting

10 x 5 inches on wood - get it from my Etsy shop

Spring has sprung! The birds are singing and the flowers are in full bloom here on my island. I've created this fun original bicycle painting to celebrate this lovely season.

This painting is painted on wood panels and can sit on a shelf or it can be hung it on the wall. If you like this piece you can purchase it from my Etsy shop.

Grumpy!

2014-03-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

How adorable is this vintage porcelain rhino. The expression on his face is wonderful. He really looks quite "grumpy."

This rhinoceros was made in Japan probably in the 1950's. He's in wonderful condition and would be a great piece for your menagerie.

Nature Study Butterfly Box

2014-03-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

https://www.etsy.com/listing/180655254/butterfly-collection-locket-pendant?ref=shop_home_active_2&ga_search_query=butterfly

This is a fantastic nature inspired shadowbox necklace. A vintage style print of butterflies along with a hand painted butterfly charm are captured in this glass and brass locket. A fun locket pendant for spring.

Classic Rhinestone Earrings

2014-02-25T22:08:00.001-08:00

I have these lovely rhinestone earrings in my shop here. These pretty earrings come in green, pink, aqua and clear crystals.

Looks Like We're in for Some Stormy Weather

2014-02-20T22:38:00.002-08:00

I love the rain and that's a good thing since I live in the Pacific Northwest.

These fun post earrings celebrate my love of stormy weather.

These mismatched earrings are perfect for a guy or gal.

Lightening, raincloud and umbrella earrings are such fun jewelry for spring and are available in my shop here.