An introduction and more..

I will begin this blog with my "About Me" information. Future posts will be shorter and more concise. Thanks again for visiting and I hope you like what you've found!

Lapisworks Vintage Artisan Garden is both a web based garden of delights as well as a nomadic dreamer selling her wares. Most times there is a companion with me, whether it is my husband, mother or a friend, they share the same ideals regarding life and our planet and the focus of what Lapisworks is. I strive to beautify my customers while leaving a smaller footprint upon our wonderful Mother Earth. Although I do use some new materials in my jewelry pieces, many of the beads and some components are living a second life in my jewelry pieces. Some are pieces that only needed restrung with stronger materials now available, while others have been taken apart and spread amongst many pieces dependant upon where the vision goes. The whole philosophy is breathing life back into these marvelous works of art that have been left behind.

It all began one afternoon when I looked in my desk drawer at home and noticed a piece of costume jewelry my mom had given to me to tinker with. I’ve been dabbling with making jewelry for over 15 years. Of course, I had not yet touched it, but at that moment, seeing the amazing oranges and greens used and the sunlight dancing off these rhinestones, I could not fathom the thought that this piece was no longer valuable as far as art was concerned. Money-wise, sure I can understand it was missing a few stones and the clasp was loose, therefore mostly worthless, but there must be some use for it! So my mind began to wander. What could I do with all this broken and unwanted jewelry that was floating around at yard sales, flea markets, eBay, even Etsy? How could I mix these pieces with another interest of mine that would be different than everyone else? How could I help to keep these items out of the landfills and increase beauty for others?

I can’t call myself a gardener, but I love to play in the dirt and plant things. It was mid-spring while I was thinking this over, so you can imagine the amount of dirt caked underneath my fingernails and the sunshine that had been sparkling over me. Could I possibly meld the love of gardening with the love of lost and broken jewelry? Could I make something that I could actually sell and people would buy it? I won’t go into complete detail about the future of what will be available, but this winter will be an exciting time for Lapisworks. As I stated before, I’ve been making jewelry for over 15 years. I also currently have catnip toys made from recycled fabrics (old neckties, and other oddball funky fabrics found at thrift shops and yard sales) with the best organic catnip! I have never seen cats react to catnip like my three have with this stuff, they go bonkers over it. Soon I will have tooth fairy pillows made from organic fabrics and fill, and nifty little change purses also made from recycled fabrics. Every once in a while I run into something brand new or vintage that I can not pass up at a yard sale or a thrift store and I will pick that up and offer it on the web site. There’s also the vintage jewelry that I’ve acquired over the years that is in wearable condition or that I’ve repaired at very reasonable prices.

“Lapisworks Vintage Artisan Garden” best describes my vision for the future. Lapisworks has been my eBay user name for over 5 years, Vintage because there is a vintage flare to the jewelry and clothing articles, Artisan because these are original one of a kind pieces handmade by me, and Garden because there will be items soon available for your garden as well as the hodgepodge of items that are available, think of the web store as a garden you can stroll through and enjoy at your leisure. I hope you stop by and take a look around. The store is still in its infancy, but promises to grow.