Some Music

This is a great new CD by Loreena McKennitt. It is as beautiful as her previous music. It is perfect for the holiday season. Visit the website and listen to her music at www.quinlanroad.com

Rennisance Lady

I just posted some of my jewely on my etsy store www.retrorose.etsy.com
Here is a pendant I made in one of Susan Lenart-Kazmers frames. I like how it turned out.

Winter Scene

This never happens here, on this island, but about every 10 years we get a nor'eastern coming out of Canada, and we get a deep freeze. We love it for a while and then start worrying about things like pipes freezing, roads icing, and tree branches over power lines which mean we sleep in our studio because the house doesn't have a wood stove. It is a special treat when it snows first then the cold comes in and the snow stays for a few days.. Normally it snows and melts in about an hour.
I have had time to post new jewlery on my other blog www.retrorosedesign.typepad.com check it out!
I took this picture of a tree in our front yard.

This is just a small portion of my, as I call it, my blessed mess! I love my mess. I am trying so hard to share with others! My life, my mess, my interests, love, time, and stuff I know. Maybe tomorrow I will reveal more.....R

Bad Day Beautiful

Sometimes the best thing to do on one of "those" days is to hike or explore or visit one of your favorite places. This is San Juan County Park. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. This is where I go to make a bad day Beautiful.

Wire Mannequinns and Eiffel Towers

I just posted some wonderful wire mannequinns on my etsy store at www.retrorose.etsy.com. Check them out. I will be posting some Eiffel Towers once my camera recharges.
R

Found Objects Cont

Found Object Art

So what constitutes a found object? Is it some rusted piece of tin or a smashed brass button, one mitten? Or, is it wonderful like these old treasures I found at a tag sale? Maybe it is some other amazing thing found in the bottom of an old wooden crate or the corner of a jewel box?
Here are some pictures of my newest, old found objects.

Art and Soul

Here are the jewelry pieces I made in the workshops I took at Portland's Art and Soul Retreat. My classes were Susan Lenart-Kazmer's New Works in Wire (bracelet) and Sharilyn Miller's Wire Basket Ring.
I am highing recommending these two teachers.

Tin Pins and Work

These are some of the fun pins/brooches I have made from tin. I am so anxious and excited to be putting tons of have to do things behind me
and now can focus on up coming shows and get my studio straighten up and back to creating. I have taken a part time job with the school district and have finally adapted to the change in my schedule. Work actually causes me to be more organized with my time so I get more done at home and at The Studio.
R

Tin Can Art

I really love working with tin cans and re-using old found items to create one of a kind pieces of art jewelry.
This necklace is cut from a vintage tin era 1930-1940 made in Holland. It at one time held either toffee or tea. I am not quite sure which.
I used swavorski crystals and moonstone beads to give it the sweet retro look.
If you like this check out my web site
www.retrorose.com
R

Charmed

My season of selling at Roche Harbor has come to an end. I am building up my jewelry reserves for the holiday season. Here are some charms I have made with PMC (Precious Metal Clay). They are made from molds taken from vintage jewelry and other old and funky things. The rosary type charm is made from an Omar Pearl Tag that was on some pearls from the 1890 to 1920 era.

Peace,

Rhonda www.retrorose.com

Danielles Necklace

This Danielle Dean in her wedding necklace. She hired me to design and make it for her. Check out her web site at www.danielledean.com she is a great photographer with a wonderful ablility for mixed media art.

Do Not Fold Spindle or Mutilate

The Museum of Art and Science, The Washington pavilion http://www.washingtonpavilion.org/ is having an Art opening on July 28th. There be be a virtual tour. The museum sent out invitations to one of the Yahoo groups I belong to for submissions of art work altering a old punch card any way the artist wanted to.
I titled my piece hanging chad. I first cut over 100 tiny copper pieces, then adhered the tiny numbers onto the copper with acrylic matte medium. Then I drilled and saw out approximately 30 of the numbers, with the action of the saw it caused some of the light weight cardboard punch card pieces to dangle off the copper piece, thus hanging chad.
If you are in Sioux Falls South Dakota this July 28th through Sept check out this very interesting exhibit. I think it is time I take a road trip.
Let me know what you think .

My Dad

My Dad's name is Eugene Anderson. He is the best dad a girl could have. He always gives me the best advice. He's 72 now and more active than I can remember. He is Norwegian and proud of it. He's almost a pure Norwegian with only 1/8 Danish. He loves restoring classic foreign cars and golf and travel. He loves my mom and has been married to her for 52 years. He has always been a stable rock with very practical and loving advice. HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD, I LOVE YOU!

Trims

This is where I would like to be this Friday morning. I discovered this wonderful booth of beads, trims, tassels and lace. It was early and I was just wandering through the flea market in Paris. I loved the colors and patterns and the way this woman's booth was set up. The visual delight of this booth stunned me and all I walked away from her booth with was this picture. I want to go back to Paris.
Rhonda

Vital Elements Sign

This is the open sign I made for Vital Elements. I had a vision, what can I say? I kept it of course and it hangs on the wall in studio.
R

This wonderful illustration is my moms artwork. She loves drawing animals and fairies. This is a whole set called "Wedding in the Northwoods. It consists of about 20 animals and their clothes. She has always as long as I can remember, taken her time to do her art. When I was young she would sit with a crow quill pen and a bottle of Black India Ink. For extra pin money my mom would hand illustrate and ink, then frame wedding invitations. She used this extra money for underwear and socks for us her children and for rummage sales and the Goodwill.
I can remember the Goodwill in Portland when I was young. There were stacks and stacks of depression glass plates, salt and pepper shakers. If I was good my mom would give my sister and I either a quarter or a dime to spend. My sister and I would head towards the back of the "better goods" department and pick from the boxes of beaded, metal mesh, and embroidered purses. Usually we had a dime and bought a beaded purse.
I was the youngest of three and when in afternoon kindergarten, so I would go with my mom to the As Is section of the Goodwill and wait for it to open. I remember once when the as is had a whole bin of dolls, my mom said "Rhonda, when the doll opens run in and pick up as many of the china dolls as you can" I became the artful dodger that day and loved doing it. We never saw as many dolls as there were that day, again.

Mothers Day in Retrospect

I was trying all day Mothers Day to post a message but alas, my mom was here and the time just slipped away.
My Mom knows me better than anyone, most moms do know their daughters and have a connection that is unexplainable.
As we were cleaning up from a simple breakfast of homemade blueberry muffins, orange juice, and coffee, my mom who is visiting for a week, handed me a precious scuffed green book cloth journal. Speaking the words I have heard often that accompany a special found gift she said"I have had this for so long and loved it, I bought it at some tag sale a long time ago and thought is was time to pass it along" As I open the aged cover of the journal and stared in wonder at the beautiful age-stained manilla pages I let low key "Oh mom this is so cool" There gracing the pages, were pencil sketches from 1910-1920 France . The sketches were jewelry rendering (drawings) done by a French woman with meticulous and loving care.
I am posting a picture to share with you the special gift I received.
R

Cob Web Cards

About a year ago there was a huge paper toy auction in the mid-west. It was also posted on eBay. This is one of the images that I saved. It is called a cob-web or a spiderweb card. I may have that name wrong, I do forget a lot lately. Hmmm. Maybe it is called a honey comb card. That could very well be the right name.
Anyway it always give me pause to reflect on the time and care given to create the seemly simple things. When at a closer look you see how complicated they really are.

Honoring my mom

This week just seems to be a week of honouring my Mother. She is a wonderful talent artist and a very ecentric woman. Her imagination is whismical and her sense of humor is fantastic. She is a collector extrodiare. She once tried to count her collection, to make a list. She gave up and just said "Well, I guess I collect collections." I am posting a picture of what she calls her religous wall.
She has kept a journal, an art journal for ever, not daily entries, just ideas that come to her, quotes she likes, web-sites for me to look up and things she feels and learns. She once wrote a Soap Opera in her journal and recently told me about it. This will be read only after she passes on. She told me to not judge her by what she wrote, then she said it was pretty good stuff!

I think that this , of the photographs I have taken, is one of my favorites. It represents a life goal accomplished, both for myself and my mother, as well as my sister. As we were leaving the elevator after going to the top of the Eiffel, with my parents waiting for us, I saw this bird, framed beautifully by the ornate iron of the Eiffel Tower. My sister and I walked across the bricked courtyard, laughing and realizing where we were, while my Mom was crying from one of the bases of the tower. She was so happy her daughters had made it to France, and with her.

I named this blog after my store Vital Elements. I closed the doors about 3 years ago. The name was hard to create for me. My store had nothing vitally elemental to live your life, it had things vital to your heart and soul.
I had beautiful candles with names like Madagascar spice and ocean breeze from a company called Pacifica out of Portland. I had the most gentle Japanese incense and also some from France. The best line of soaps from France and Italy. There was always just the right pillow, or picture frame to use in your home. I had wonderful cards and a case of very special blown glass writing pens from Italy and journals from around the world to share your thoughts in . Four cases of the beautiful jewelry from Moose Creek, Silver Seasons, and me Retro Rose Designs. There were beads and little boxes and a whole rack of special small things that were very affordable. My staff was wonderful, I had the best. Ironically all our names started with Rachel, Robin, Renee, and me Rhonda. When they were filming Practical Magic, Adian Quinn was a special customer as was Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConahey. The set designers came in and bought special papers for a book to be given to the director. I was luck enough to visit the set and get a tour of the amazing greenhouse that still is one of my favorite movie places, the kitchen and living room where all beautifully decorated. It was a fun time in my life. But, the best of the best about VE were the customers that supported me for 5 years, they shared their lives, loves, and losses with me. There were tears and hugs and laughter.
I have never written much about my shop. I loved it. It was a goal, a dream realized, lived and said goodbye too.
And now another business is gently nudging its way into my life.
I do have another goal by 55. I manage to succeed when I write them down on paper.
If I can find pictures of Vital Elements I'll share them with you.

This is the beginning of another blog. I suppose I need this one to because I like the graphic layout better than livejournal. I have no idea how to create or to get people to link me from here. Oh my another journey.
R