Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Sometimes when you finish a project or in my case a piece of jewelry, you just want to show it to someone.   So I took my just finished necklace, bracelet and earrings to show my friend, Kim, at Bead-It here in Prescott.     This group of jewelry was my experiment into using sheet metals with eyelets and rivets.     She had asked earlier if I wanted to teach a class in cold connections and I agreed.   Cold connections are ways to connect individual parts and make a piece of jewelry without soldering or using a kiln.   I’ve learned many techniques at the classes I’ve taken in cold connections from some of the best teachers – Susan Lenart Kazmer and Deryn Mentock .   So I thought why not? Well, Kim was as excited about my new pieces as I was and so I will be teaching how to make this necklace.   In order to teach a class of 4 to 6 people, I need to be organized!   So I’ve started a syllabus with a list of materials needed and how much the cost of materials will be.   I have an outline o

I have several pieces and parts of old jewelry and I’m always on the lookout for more.   The thrift shops, second hand stores and interesting boutiques are places I tend to seek out.   I also am very fortunate to have had a mother who loved jewelry and old things.   I’ve had a wonderful time going through her jewelry and remembering the best of times with her.   Going through the jewelry box, I found this beautifully painted porcelain cabochon of two lovers set in a brass triangle.   It had been a brooch at one time and the clasp was broken.   Of course, I used it in a necklace.   Vintage brass and pearl chain combine with pearls and crystals to make quite a charming necklace! Another day, I attended a trunk show at Bead-It in Prescott and purchased a vintage belt buckle with rhinestones.   I used half the buckle; wire wrapped a vintage rhinestone button on the bar and made a sparkling pendant with matching earrings for the holidays!   I found this piece of decorated square silver

Do you find yourself drawn to thrift shops, second hand stores, recycle shops, antique shops and estate sales?   No matter how I try to avoid them, an invisible magnate pulls.   Why do I try to avoid them?   Well, there are so many possibilities for all the things I see.   And I tend to keep things until I’m inspired to use them.   That means there are boxes under beds, in closets, and stacked in corners waiting …waiting … waiting!   One of my goals for this next year is to make a glorious piece of jewelry once a month that uses one of the treasures I’ve found; something that creates a story and connects the now with the past.   Being in a new town, Prescott, with so many intriguing places to explore is similar to being in Wonderland.   Looking in, around and under the items encourages me to make up stories about who made something, what the owners lives were like, and inspires me to combine the old with the new.   I’m sharing a few of the pieces I’ve made and will share more in the fu

When something piques my interest, I seem to dive right in.   What? Me try to do just one and see if I like it?   Oh not me! Exploring in depth is more my style.   I love vintage hats, hatpins, perfume bottles and ribbon flowers.   My mother-in-law gave me some very old family heirlooms – tiny ribbon flowers.   I treasure them.   So when my friend, Jay, asked me to go to a class with her and learn to make ribbon flowers, I just had to do it.   Jay is an accessorizer extraordinaire - http://www.plant-effects.com .     The class was held at http://www.askrenandsons.com a floral warehouse business in Tucson and I came home with lots of gorgeous silk wired ribbon.   I had such a good time with Kathy Askren (instructor) that I bought several books and kept learning different techniques.   After several months, I also had lots of flowers!   They were used on beautiful packages as part of the ribbons and worn on dresses and coats.   They went on hats and in hair and I made a spectacular flo

I love going to the market and seeing all the colors and shapes of vegetables and flowers and people.  Usually I take my camera and capture whatever catches my eye.  But today I decided to just enjoy everything with my friend and buy some tomatoes and and flowers.  Of course I took a large bag and before my trip was over I had 3 bags full.  I knew that would happen didn't you?  As I turned a corner and went up another aisle, I was stopped by a cabbage with the largest ruffliest leaves I have ever seen.  I said, 'I want that!  I want to take a picture of it.'  Remember, I had no camera!  The lady in the stall offered to take off the big outer leaves so I would have a normal size cabbage.  I almost grabbed it out of her hands!  'No!! Those leaves are why I want it!"  So she carefully handed my the cabbage and I got it into a plastic bag.   We left soon after that with my bag full of tomatoes, squash, 6 large sunflowers and my ruffled cabbage!  On the way home I ima