Mozo's Antique Search and Rescue

 

My friends Moe Munroe and Lisa Brady just opened a hip new antiques store (no, that's not an oxymoron!) called Mozo's Antique Search and Rescue in my neighborhood.

 

 

This place is not your grandmother's antiques store, as their business cards clearly indicate.  'If you enjoy shows like... American Pickers, Oddities... Pawn Stars, this is the store for you!', the cards accurately exclaim!

 

 

Here is Lisa in front of the store's original safe, and behind the uber cool antique cash register.

 

 

On offer are fabulous old typewriters,

 

 

painted screens and equestrian fare,

 

 

religious icons,

 

 

decorative mirrors,

 

 

an old doctor's bag,

 

 

kitchy Lucy and Ricky statues,

 

 

 

ship models and nautical knick knacks,

 

 

some French accessories (mais oui!),

 

 

jewels(!),

 

 

marble grapes,

 

 

compasses, doorknobs, seltzer bottles,

 

 

creepy anatomy charts,

 

 

mannequins wearing Moe's cashmere gloves,

 

 

or pink wigs and vintage hats,

 

 

an original mosaic sculpture of Moe's,

 

 

pop art,

 

 

and much, much more!  This back room currently serves as a warehouse, but will soon be staged for shopping and Lisa's interior design business.

 

 

The light in here is magical!

 

 

Happily, Mozo's will soon be carrying some of my jewelry designs, so I'm excited to bring them some of my edgier pieces!

 

I will also be listing new items in both of my Etsy shoppes tomorrow, so please stop by The French Circus for my hand assembled jewelry, and The Paris Carousel for your vintage jewelry and supplies needs.  I think there's a little 'search and rescue' in us all!  ;)

 

 

Summer Breeze

 

 See the curtains hangin' in the window
 

 

In the evening on a Friday night

 

 

A little light a-shinin' through the window

 

 

Lets me know everything's alright

 

 

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

 

 

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind.

 

 

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom

 

 

July is dressed up and playin' her tune

 

 

See the smile awaitin' in the kitchen

 

 

Through cookin' and the plates for two

 

 

Feel the arms that reach out to hold me

 

 

In the evening when the day is through

 

 

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

 

 

Blowin' through the jasmine in mind.

 

 

(Lyrics by Seals and Crofts)

 

Tuturial 301: Wire Wrapping a Briolette

 

I hope everyone is enjoying a long holiday weekend!  In case you have a little extra time on your hands and need a simple jewelry project to keep you busy, I wanted to offer my third tutorial:  wire-wrapping a briolette and making a pair of earrings!

 

To begin, you will need these basic tools and supplies:  round nose pliers, flat nose pliers, wire cutters,

 

 

26 gauge wire, fleur de lis connectors (available at The Paris Carousel), briolette stones (I've used London blue quartz), and a pair of ear wires (please see my Tutorial 201 for how to oxidize sterling silver).

 

 

First, cut a piece of wire approximately 1-1/2 inches long and slide it through the hole of the briolette. There should be about 1/3 of the wire on one side of the briolette, and 2/3 on the other.

 

 

Twist the wire to form a little triangle over the briolette.

 

 

Grip the triangle with your pliers.

 

 

Twist the shorter end of the wire over the longer end one full time.

 

 

A closer look...

 

 

Cut the shorter tail off as closely as possible.

 

 

Your wire should now look like this.

 

 

With your round nose pliers, create a little dip in the wire, close to the briolette.

 

 

It should like this.

 

 

Slide the bottom end of the fleur de lis connector onto the dip.

 

 

Form a loop and wrap the wire around one full time.

 

 

A closer look...

 

 

Cut the tail of the wire off as closely as possible.

 

 

With your flat nose pliers, open the loop on your ear wires

 

 

and slide top of the fleur de lis connector into it.

 

 

Squeeze closed with flat nosed pliers.

 

 

Voila – your finished earring!

 

 

Repeat the process and you will soon have a pair!

 

 

As always, I hope this tutorial has been fun and informative, and welcome your feedback or suggestions!  I'll leave you with a sneak peek at my latest necklace designs, coming to The French Circus tomorrow!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, mes amis!  :)