After floating around in the clouds for a while after I received my copy of Artful Blogging, I figured it was time to get back to work, so I decided to take a little trip to the Nashville Flea Market for some inspiration and supplies.
Well…it was kind of a work/play day.
These cool bars made out of vintage truck grills were created by the guys at Rusty Rats Antiques & Vintage in East Nashville where you can find some of my jewelry creations made from vintage hardware and other up-cycled finds. 
You name it, you can find it there!
I scored big on some beads! Mostly, I was interested in finding the vintage, pressed glass African trade beads and also some earthy stone beads that you can’t find locally. There is a bead supplier from Alabama that I always find a lot of interesting treasures in their booth. I had to search to find a few vendors with the more interesting trade beads though.
Then back in my studio, I started experimenting with some new methods of sand casting. I brought home some beautiful, white sand from our recent trip to the Gulf coast. Mixing it with a couple of other ingredients provided a pretty good medium to cast in. I tried some of my own designs and also cast some seashells I had collected from previous trips.
Combined with the trade beads and other wooden and glass beads, I was aiming for an earthy, Bohemian look for the completed pieces.
I’m very pleased with the way they turned out and excited to find new ways to cast focal pieces that are one of a kind.
These pieces will be available locally, but if you are interested, please leave a comment and I can create a custom Etsy listing for you in my shop.