J. MILLER DESIGNS

ROGERS NICKEL SILVER

2012-02-28T21:07:00.003-05:00

These are some of the bracelets I made out of the beautiful silverware pattern I found the other day. I always buy silver plate and as I was cutting these I noticed that they said Rogers Nickel Silver on the back, I keep looking on line for the name
of the pattern and every picture I find says the same thing-pattern unknown, its hard to believe that on the world wide web there isn't one site that has the name and the year this was made. I've spent many hours searching, I am not giving up, if anyone out there knows this pattern please let me know.

2012-02-22T22:14:00.000-05:00

SILVERWARE SHOPPING

Every other Wednesday I take a ride to see my
silverware guy. He is a retired antique dealer
and still sells all sorts of things. Today I spent two hours rooting through twenty boxes of vintage silverware and came home with 158 pieces, 14 of them were of this pattern. Of course I couldn't find the pattern in my sixty-five page bible, there are quite a few that are very similar but not exact. Tomorrow I will
begin to clean them up and transform them
into something beautiful. Pictures to follow! twitter.com/jmillerdesigns

2012-02-17T22:14:00.002-05:00

WILLIE WONKA'S GARDEN
This is a picture of the entrance of Willie Wonka's Garden at the NJ Flower and Garden Show which is going on right now at the Convention Center in Edison, hosted by Mac Events. All of the gardens are so beautiful and there are vendors throughout with really unique items. So stop in tomorrow from 10 to 8 or Sunday from 11 to 6, you'll love it!

2012-02-13T23:14:00.001-05:00

IT'S TIME!

Time, that is, for the 10th Annual New Jersey Flower and Garden Show, February 16 through 19, 2012 at the Convention Center in Edison, hosted by Mac Events. So to make sure I'm on time tomorrow to go over and start my setup I figured I'd pair watch faces with vintage spoons.
They are battery powered Geneva Quartz watches and really are fabulous with the bands made from old silverware. Stop in to the Flower show for a fresh breath of spring!

2012-02-10T23:13:00.001-05:00

VINTAGE COCKTAIL FORKS

I am always searching for vintage coctail forks, when I found these
I was more than excited. They were manufactured by Nils Johan
Sweden, I haven't been able to find the date they were made and I've been searching for info on the company with the hope of finding out the name of this pattern. The Art Noveau floral design on the handle is stunning. Cocktail forks are so light in weight that they make perfect earrings, and of course I think it's a better use for these beauties.
twitter.com/jmillerdesigns

2012-02-09T11:25:00.002-05:00

                              RADIANCE

This is one of my very favorite silverware patterns and up until yesterday I never knew it's name. It is called Radiance and was made in 1939 by the Crown Silver Plate Company. The detail intrigues me, all the beautiful little flowers. When I sell a piece at a show the client always asks what the pattern is and most of
the time I don't know. I've gotten info on some pieces from the Restoration site but not enough and have never been able to find a book. Yesterday I continued my search online and typed in yet a different search term and -YAY-found a site that had 65 pages with pictures of every piece I've ever seen and hundreds of others that I've never seen but will be on a quest to find.
                     twitter.com/jmillerdesigns

2012-02-08T11:18:00.000-05:00

JACKPOT!!!

When I come home after shopping for vintage silverware I have a system, I go through all of the brown paper bags that hold 20 each and lay them out in 2's, each of these pairs will be cut for a bracelet, when I'm finished sorting, all the other piles, for necklaces, rings and earrings go in a half box, the kind that you would get six packs in and they are stored in my downstairs studio (my half of the garage). So as I'm prepping for this 4 day Flower and Garden show and realizing that I'm out of pairs for bracelets and have no time to shop for them I figure Oh well, it is what it is. Last night while straightening up my upstairs studio (the converted extra bedroom) I come upon a large plastic shopping bag that I had shoved on a shelf, well low and behold there were 143 pieces of silverware in there! I love it when I do something out of context and it turns out to be beneficial! twitter.com/jmillerdesigns

2012-02-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

CRANBERRY SAUCE SPOONS I just love these serving spoons! My antique guy Alex told me that this spoon was used to cut and serve cranberry sauce, the premise being that the juice would drip through the cutouts and not get your other food wet. After doing some research on William Rogers Manufacturers I found out that these spoons are actually Tomato servers or Casserole spoons depending on the pattern. Interesting! I have been turning these into beautiful pendants that are certainly a conversation piece and just look stunning on anyone. They are not easy to come by but I keep Alex on the hunt for me and I'm always delighted when he finds me one with a different look.

twitter.com/jmillerdesigns

2012-02-06T19:55:00.001-05:00

10 DAYS until the NJ Flower and Garden Show. I am working feverishly to make as many bracelets as possible. I love the finished product, it takes a lot of work to get there but after every step the spoon or fork handles look less and less like vintage cutlery and more like something that should be adorning your wrist. So if you're near the Convention Center in Edison between February 16 through the 19th stop in and see me at booth #530.

2012-01-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

The concept of the Tree of Life, a many branched tree that dwells in three worlds. with its branches reaching into the sky, and roots deep in the earth, it links heaven, earth and the underworld, uniting above and below. The tree has many different meanings in many different religions. A new batch of these pendants just came out of the kiln and look wonderful with your favorite sweater or a tee shirt in the summer!

2012-01-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

I'm cutting every vintage knife I can find to make as many lapel pins as I can for the New Jersey Flower and Garden Show in February. These pins will have greens and baby orchids or roses in them and will look wonderful on a blazer or you can pick one up to give to you mother, sister or best friend.
The show will be a breath of spring in the middle
of winter. With all of the plants and flowers for
sale and beautiful statues and fountains to put in
your yard or garden it will most certainly make us
all long for spring.

Pendants made from Relish Spoons

2011-11-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

I don't ever remember my mother or either of my grandmothers having relish spoons. I was thrilled when I found these beauties. The idea is that the juice falls through the dugouts in the spoon and it so it doesn't get your into the rest of your food. They are simply too pretty to use for only that, they look much better as a necklace. So the hunt is on, I'm hoping to fine many more of these!

Tussie Mussie's

2011-10-18T19:10:00.001-04:00

These are the lapel pins I'm making from the vintage knife handles, they look wonderful on a blazer or a denim jacket or a tux for a wedding. Put a fresh flower in when they are in bloom or a piece of holly during the winter months. I love recycling or I should say upcycling old vintage silverware into wearable art. Back in the day these were called Tussie Mussie's. The gentleman with the pin on his tux was dressed for Victorian Days in Belvidere. It is held every September and the entire town comes out in full Victorian dress. Plus they hold an Antique Car Show and Victorian House Tours. It's quite the celebration!

Shows, Shows and more Shows!

2011-02-25T17:01:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday was a show in Leonia, small show put on by the Craftique people, they are so good at what they do. I sold lots of rings so I've been working on a new batch this week. They are so hard to bend into such a small circumference but after I shine them up, I love them. This Saturday I am at Harmony school in Middletown from 10 to 3. If you're in the area stop by and say hi.

2011-02-14T08:47:00.000-05:00

Olde Lafayette Village sponsored a two day show this past weekend, the weather was perfect and there was a really nice array of fine arts and crafts. I met some wonderful people and had some of my faithful clients show up to purchase my new designs. It was a very enjoyable show. I am looking forward to the Leonia show next weekend, Hope to see you there!

Happy 2011

2011-01-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

Well a new year is upon us and it's time to start working after my week of lounging around and reading, I loved it! I sprained my wrist a few weeks ago and haven't been able to work on spoon bracelets. I will start again tomorrow and hope it doesn't bother me. My new show list is here, just starting to sign up. Keep checking, I'll be adding shows weekly!

Need more time!

2010-09-20T11:02:00.000-04:00

There should be 48 hours in every day, I need more time. I can't make these spoon bracelets quick enough. I'm working on spoon rings now but don't want to put them out until I have at least 50 to show. Working with silverware is labor intensive but I absolutely love it! Thank you to all of you that have purchased pieces from me, I hope you are enjoying them!

Been away so long!

2010-07-07T15:32:00.000-04:00

No time for blogging, here is a picture of the bracelets I have been making from old vintage silver plated spoons, they are very cool and i can't seem to make them fast enough. you can go to twitter.com/jmillerdesigns for daily comments.

The New Kiln

2010-02-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

So I finally bought my own kiln and was able to return the one I was using to the person who was kind enough to lend it to me. This is a Paragon Fusion 7, not that it means anything to any of you. I just love it. When it was delivered the box was damaged, now remember this box weighed 100 lbs, so the USP guy and I peered in the hole an figured everything looked OK, well WRONG! What I didn't know and will always remember is that no matter the size of the package if the box is damaged don't accept it. Turns out that the controller was broken off the kiln, long story short, Paragon sent me a new one and I replaced it and Thank you God, it works perfectly. It fires quicker than the one I was using (thats a good thing) and the pendants are coming out absolutely beautiful!

Memories

2010-01-28T15:12:00.001-05:00

Where would we be without memories. Today is 19 years since my wonderful mother passed away. I think of and miss her every day. I have so many wonderful things to remember about growing up. she was my best friend and always there for my brother and I. This picture is my mom and dad at my wedding, they were such a happy couple. Cherish your family while you have them!

Wire Wrapping

2010-01-25T11:51:00.000-05:00

When it is torrentially raining and windy like it is today its so hard to get motivated. I have all of this great copper wire in so many colors so I'm wire wrapping to form beads, add a few Swarovski crystals and you have a funky pair of earrings that will go with any outfit.

The Kiln

2009-11-19T09:34:00.000-05:00

This is the very first batch of pendants that I am about to fuse in this brand new Evenheat Hot Shot Kiln. Hopefully they will come out beautifully. I'm intimidated by the size of this kiln and all of the settings, so we shall see.

Fused Glass

2009-11-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

I started making fused glass pendants. It's like putting together a little puzzle with glass, of course you have to create that puzzle first, cut all the pieces, fit them together so there are no gaps, glue them down, then fire them in the kiln. There are a few from my 1st batch of 5. Two of them were quickly scooped up at my show yesterday. I am now firing three new ones in my own kiln at home, I've never fused glass in it so this is a new experience.

Brrrrrrrr!

2009-10-16T08:26:00.000-04:00

So cold! The I did atwo day festival in Milford PA. Saturday was wonderful except for the 34 degree temperatures. It did warm up later on in the day but never hit 60. The mornings were brutal. Luckily people still came out. Driving up there a black bear came darting out of the woods and ran across the highway and again I saw one on Sunday running across the road. Boy, they're big! I guess they are on the hunt for food before hibernation. I started doing chain maille. Only earrings, in the beginning I realized I had two left hands but after about an hour I got the hang of it. Lots of fun and people loved them.

Alba Winery

2009-10-08T10:12:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I was at a two day festival at Alba Winery. What a beautiful place. The vines were ripe with grapes and the bee's were out in full force. There were two great bands that played both days and I met lots of new wonderful people who loved and purchased my jewelry. The wine festivals are only 5 hours a day. It's twenty dollars to get in and you get a wine glass, a list and a pencil and can taste all of the different wines from the 20 or so wineries that are there. Then go back and buy your favorite bottles. The smart people come in large groups and rent a bus to take them to and from. It's like a party with a thousand or so people. And a good time was had by all!