a very mary design

Old is the New New

2011-12-11T15:44:00.001-05:00

Fabulously Faux

2011-12-04T23:50:00.001-05:00

not your grandmother's fake pearls...

Copper Candy

2011-11-23T08:55:00.001-05:00

Tie One On

2011-11-17T22:01:00.001-05:00

or tie three on...

Strange Bedfellows

2011-11-14T20:51:00.001-05:00

a vintage cameo.
a crystal bead.
an antique pocketwatch gear.
a loveworn metal buckle.
layers of brassy chain.

Vintage Inspiration

2011-11-12T09:14:00.001-05:00

feminine. flirty. entirely original and never to be reproduced.
Very Mary's jewelry doesn't come from a factory.
it comes from her heart and her inspiration
and her hands and her tiny studio wonderland.

please, buy handmade.

Innocence

2011-11-02T08:46:00.002-04:00

remember picket fences and borrowing tools from the neighbors and apple cider in autumn and knee socks and do unto others and hometown parades and picnic baskets and porch swings and church on Sundays and family dinners and Red Rover, Red Rover send Sally right over?

Hard Wired

2011-10-18T10:41:00.000-04:00

The Key to Her Heart

2011-10-07T09:19:00.001-04:00

Simply Rosie

2011-09-30T11:38:00.001-04:00

An Homage to Autumn

2011-09-26T18:47:00.000-04:00

Liberalism

2011-06-18T10:26:00.001-04:00

a wee twist on the classic pearl necklace...

Poppies & Paintbrushes

2011-04-26T11:41:00.000-04:00

Bohemian Rhapsody

2011-04-19T19:42:00.000-04:00

Let's Sing for Spring

2011-04-03T11:39:00.000-04:00

In Full Color

2011-03-20T08:57:00.004-04:00

In the midwest, something amazing happens in the springtime: color returns. During the winter, midwesterners might as well be living in a black & white movie.

This Wee Monster

2011-03-15T08:51:00.003-04:00

Ingrid loves sunny days. Flowers. Spinach salad with strawberries. And magic.

What do you like?

Waiting for Spring

2011-03-06T11:20:00.004-05:00

Just Charmed

2011-02-28T17:30:00.001-05:00

Very Mary would feel much more charming if spring would stick.

And you?

A Corner of Chez Very

2011-01-31T13:37:00.001-05:00

A Tisket, A Tasket

2010-12-23T11:47:00.002-05:00

now for a basket...

One Ringy Dingy

2010-12-15T20:16:00.003-05:00

Around This Neck

2010-12-13T06:07:00.005-05:00

Lately, Very Mary has been in jewelry-making mode. She hates to toss out old & broken jewelry, so she's been upcycling, reassembling, and creating.

In a White Room

2010-12-09T09:55:00.003-05:00

Sometimes a wee owl is all it takes to make Very Mary smile.

Lesson of the Day

2010-11-22T06:49:00.001-05:00

photo courtesy of here

Irony

2010-11-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

2004 flood in Marietta, Ohio

photo courtesy of Very Mary

The Boys of Summer

2010-11-10T04:54:00.002-05:00

Prevent Scurvy

2010-11-03T07:30:00.002-04:00

Just a wee public service announcement.

Eat your citrus.

Avoid scurvy.

That is all.

Simple Question

2010-10-27T09:37:00.002-04:00

Has anyone ever felt this amazing about underwear?

If so, please tell Very Mary where to purchase them, because she would love to feel like a million, toss her arms up in praise of cotton comfort, and possess no unsightly body hair. Thank you in advance.

Well Said

2010-10-21T17:27:00.001-04:00

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You must'nt lose it."

- Robin Williams

Latin Lesson for the Day

2010-10-20T20:02:00.003-04:00

"Dum spiro, spero." - Latin proverb

While I breathe, I hope.

Little Pink Houses

2010-10-18T17:39:00.003-04:00

Very Mary has recently been published in these linked-to issues of Somerset Holidays & Celebrations, Somerset Studio, and Jewelry Affaire.

A Very Mary Book Review

2010-10-07T10:18:00.003-04:00

Very Mary doesn't claim to be a feminist. She doesn't claim to be much of anything, actually, because she finds it easier to just be plain old ignorant about some of the heavy-duty social stuff. She's fine with that. She understands that she will never match wits with great political minds or stand alongside a group of others fighting for some cause or another with banners raised high. She's cool just blending in.

And Very Mary doesn't care if you want to be a stay at home mom. She doesn't care if you want to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She doesn't even care if you want to do both. Home birthing, home schooling, spiritual guidance, lesbianism, liberalism, conservatism - whatever, just do your thing. Very Mary likes choices, and she applauds all of the above if they're accomplished in the right spirit.

And then she read "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood and Whoa Nelly! She realized the value of choices. LOTS OF CHOICES. She can wear pants. She can have short hair. She can have a hysterectomy. She can read. She can hold a job and have a bank account and buy a house and choose a husband (or not). She has some mad choices - YOU have some mad choices.

Very Mary doesn't care if you're a feminist or not, she highly recommends this book. It's a Very Scary look at the future, a future without choices. A future where women have no say about who they are or what they do. A future where ovaries are valued, but intelligence is not. A future where women wear dresses, but also wear hats to hide their faces. A future where women are designated as wives, hand maids, kitchen help, or whores, but not as assets to society in any other way.

The women in this story certainly find small and subversive methods of rebelling, but essentially they're choiceless. Very Mary thinks this is a "must read" if you're feeling confined to your current life. Perhaps it will offer a little perspective about the bounty of choices women really do have and really can make. Really.

Oh Oh, It's Magic, You Know

2010-09-23T07:02:00.004-04:00

Very Mary sanded a salvaged plaque, added some black paint, and glued on all sorts of stuff from her stash: Fortunes. Magic. Old Game Pieces. A Compass. Add a quirky palm and a vintage chinese checkers tin. Vignette complete.

Girls Night Out

2010-08-23T12:37:00.002-04:00

Simple Pleasures

2010-08-14T08:46:00.004-04:00

Very Mary had the Very Lovely Pleasure of spending her Friday evening at Simple Pleasures selling her wares. Love, love, love this store.

The Link

2010-08-05T08:17:00.001-04:00

Very Mary is the link between the hand on the left and the hand on the right. She has a beautiful momma and an amazing daughter. She is Very Very Lucky.

Once Upon a Time in the Briny Sea

2010-07-25T23:29:00.001-04:00

lived an octopus necklace made by Very Mary. She might be in love.

Waistlines

2010-07-20T11:47:00.001-04:00

Very Mary is thinking that maybe she should start wearing dresses like these, especially if they're going to make her waist look so darn delicate.

Amen

2010-06-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

photo courtesy of here

Classic Beauty

2010-06-15T00:41:00.002-04:00

Even Mother Nature knows the beauty of classic black & white.

With Permission

2010-06-09T08:05:00.005-04:00

Many thanks to Caitlin Hawekotte, Marketing Assistant of Stampington & Company, for giving permission to post these images!

Wedding Day Bling is shown on page 30 of Somerset Studio Gallery, Summer 2010.

The collaged card trio Going Birding is shown on page 130 of Sew Somerset, Summer 2010.

Humbled and Grateful

2010-06-06T10:22:00.003-04:00

Very Mary always feels Very Tickled when her artwork is published! She has often tossed around the idea of her Very Own Book. What could/should/would she write about?

See the magazines here and here.

The Day Planner

2010-06-01T09:41:00.003-04:00

always something to do...

Moo Goo Gai Evil

2010-05-30T21:41:00.003-04:00

Very Mary doesn't know about you, but she really does prefer her Chinese Food to be Nice. And skip the duck sauce, please - she'd much rather season her Nice Food with glonous history.

and cultural.

Taking a Walk with Very Mary : Part Two

2010-05-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

And so we continue our walking tour of Very Neighborhood: a quaint little place with two streets for access. No throughway. Two streets to get in and get out. That's it.

Very Mary lives on one of the streets. Very Mary's cousin lives on the other. This flora is in her cousin's garden. In between the two main (term used loosely) streets are a few horizontal streets. Very Mary has never counted, but she's guessing there are fewer than 300 homes in Very Neighborhood.

There are, however, lots and lots and lots of trees. Good trees. Trees with funky trunks.

Trees that hang over the sidewalks, but are perfectly pruned at about 6.5' underneath so that passersby feel a bit like they're under a secret canopy of Mama Nature.

See? Secret canopy.

And just so you know, the people who comprise Very Neighborhood tend to be rather adorable and quirky. Very Mary loves quirky.

Did she mention that the folks in Very Neighborhood love them some gardens?

Along one of the alleys, Very Mary passes this interesting little cabin-esque place. Tis sadly run down. Very Mary imagines it would be entirely too much fun to transform this little travesty into a cottage. She sometimes spends her entire walk thinking about what she would do if she owned it.

Did she mention the quirky neighbors?

And the gardens? And how she totally popped her camera through a hedge to snap this photo? And how it's so secretive and delicious that it made her rather giddy?

FYI: folks really do still dry their clothes on clotheslines in smalltown USA.

And these same folks tend to use stuff for a long, long time. There's all sorts of great timeworn stuff where Very Mary lives. Patina is so underrated.

What's a walk without a little dog?

Or a Sweet Gum tree?

(And, by the way, did you happen to know that Sweet Gum oil is a highly coveted commodity? No? Yeah, Very Mary didn't either, but she's totally addicted to Google.)

Ah, and finally the return to Chez Very, which is Very Good. (Very Mary wore a sweatshirt when she left for her walk and, by the time she returned, she was boiling.)

One of the denizens of Very Neighborhood told Very Mary that houses have souls. She believes it. When the Very's bought this house, it was a rather sickly shade of pale-bridesmaid-dress-green. When the Very's found this color - La Fonda Olive Green, they sort of fell in love with it. And when they started scraping off the other paint? And the paint under that? And the layer under that? Underneath all the layers and years of paint? This? This was the original color of the house. From 1923. Very Mary belongs in this house forever and ever amen.

Taking A Walk with Very Mary : Part One

2010-05-25T13:10:00.006-04:00

Very Mary loves her small town. It's not incredibly small, but, well, yeah, it's small. And it's cozy, and it's safe, and it's mostly friendly, and it's nearly always quiet after 10 p.m. on school nights. And Very Mary's neighborhood tends to be all of these things only moreso. It's a good fit.

Very Mary has recently taken on a new walking regimen. For her *gags* health. 6 times a week, 20 minutes minimum. It's a good thing she loves her neighborhood. First, Very Mary leaves the comfort of her studio up there, at the top of her stairs.

Then she often stops to admire the delicious foliage on the bush separating her from her darling, genteel neighbor, Betty.

Very Mary loves living in the kind of place where folks are comfortable leaving a jug of sweet tea out in the sun all day while those folks are at work. Around these parts? People just don't poison one another.

Isn't this woodsy staircase a temptation?

This garden is, hands-down, one of Very Mary's favorites. Its owner has hundreds of species growing, and there's always something new in bloom.

Same garden, different view. The owner used to have a fish pond, but there are raccoons aplenty in this neck of the woods. Enough said.

Very Mary has ALWAYS loved this house. She is trying to convince her Very Good Friend to move here and this house? Is for sale.

And the yard? Is magnificent.

There's something comforting about a split rail fence. But Very Mary also enjoys the smell of fresh manure, so maybe she's a little nuts.

Once upon a time, a clothesline was hooked into this tree.

And this is the alleyway at the Very End of Very Neighborhood. It beckons, does it not? Dead center at the end of this lane is one massive tree.

It's not actually dead center. It's off to the left slightly. And it grows bigger every year.

And every time she passes this tree, Very Mary sort of wants to hug it.

It's awe-inspiring, the way this magnificent beauty has stood there through all that man and nature can throw its way. Despite a few war wounds, it's no worse for the wear.

In Very Neighborhood, people love their gardens. A lot. Very Mary totally understands. Join her tomorrow for Part Two. She'll finish the walking tour then...

Simple Treasures

2010-05-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

Sometimes an apron in a corner is all it takes to make Very Mary smile.

Flora's Secret

2010-05-18T00:31:00.001-04:00

Very Mary likes to hide stuff in her garden. You know, like concrete frogs and bleached turtle shells. Like that. Do you hide stuff in your gardens?

Put the Metal to the Petals

2010-05-13T09:04:00.002-04:00

Very Mary finally broke down and bought a metal stamping kit (or two). Don't worry, she isn't planning on beginning some huge new business venture, but she is excited to play with her new metallic toys! Yesterday, she made some tags for her herb garden.

She LOVES them! They make her feel all giddy and delighted!

If you happen to love them, too, pop over here for more photos and maybe how you can buy some for your own garden!

Because Very Momma Said So.

2010-05-11T08:37:00.003-04:00

Lately, Very Mary has been wondering whatever happened to the thank you card? Not the thank you text. Not the thank you email. Not the thank you facebook post. But the real, old-fashioned, handwritten thank you note.

When Very Mary was a kidlet, there was no choice about whether or not to write a thank you card, because Very Momma Said So. And maybe there was some grumbling under her breath and a fake plea of hand cramps, but Very Mary always wrote those thank you notes. And she still does. And Very Daughter writes thank you notes. And Very Mary's friends write thank you notes. But that's about where it ends. When did it become okay to not write a thank you note?

Here's what Very Mary would like : a thank you card revolution.

Buy some. Make some. Use a napkin or a scrap of paper. Anything. Heck, send a thank you postcard - it'll cost $0.28 and take about 3 minutes of time. Thank people through the regular old mail. Doesn't it feel good to be appreciated for what you've done? Very Mary loves a hearty pat on the back. And that's why she still writes thank you notes. A really real, tangible card to say thanks. It's easy. It's heartfelt. And to be quite honest, it's polite. If someone does something nice for Very Mary, the least she can do is thank that someone in a mannerly manner with real words written by her Very Own Hand.

Thank you.

Happy Momma's Day

2010-05-09T08:04:00.000-04:00

Made for Walking

2010-05-05T10:35:00.002-04:00

Mail Order Body Parts

2010-04-20T21:15:00.003-04:00

What does Very Mary do when her Very Good Friend has her kidney removed? She sends her a new one. Of course.

Perfecting the Neckwear

2010-04-19T09:49:00.000-04:00

Sew Tidy

2010-03-29T07:49:00.006-04:00

This? This has been the pathetic storage system for Very Mary's thread for a Very Long time.

Nothing stays tidy in a basket, she admits it. Directly behind Very Mary's sewing table, she had a beautiful blank wall.

Inspired by a vintage wooden game container she purchased about six Very Long years ago and stored in the basement for that whole time, Very Mary had a Very Clever Brainstorm.

With a few perfectly placed red shelves, Very Mary has a far more effective storage system.

Collective Obsessive Craftpulsive

2010-03-24T08:29:00.002-04:00

Goal Setting 101

2010-02-26T07:37:00.004-05:00

Spring is less than 30 days away. Perhaps Very Mary should shave her legs.

Wise Beyond Her Years

2010-02-24T08:18:00.003-05:00

Last night, Very Daughter and Very Mary were perusing a giant box of memorabilia - letters, photos, awards, movie stubs, hospital wrist bands - all those moments that make up the fabric of their lives. Within the plastic walls of the Rubbermaid tote, Very Mary found a letter that she wrote to herself 15 years ago, as she was embarking on the unknown adventures of adulthood. She asked Very Mother to send it to her when she thought it might be needed. One year after moving across the country to Phoenix, the letter showed up in Very Mary's mailbox.

click to enlarge and read! Who knew that the teenaged-self had so much valuable advice to offer the 30-something-self?

Never Enough Colors

2010-02-08T20:55:00.002-05:00

A Glimpse

2010-02-05T08:12:00.003-05:00

Be It Ever So Vintage

2010-01-29T07:38:00.001-05:00

Because a Digital Clock Just Seems So Wrong

2010-01-28T02:36:00.001-05:00

Dainty Darling

2010-01-27T06:35:00.003-05:00

Those Who Live with Glass Door Knobs

2010-01-26T05:34:00.001-05:00

Stolen from the Daughter

2010-01-25T04:32:00.001-05:00

Call Them Battle Scars

2010-01-23T07:31:00.001-05:00

52 Spools of Vintage Crochet Thread

2010-01-22T06:28:00.001-05:00

In Flight

2010-01-19T09:23:00.004-05:00

Citrus Limon

2010-01-18T01:08:00.005-05:00

"Do you know the land where the lemon-trees flower?"

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Click to enlarge this copyright-free image and use it as you like!

Thyme in a Bottle

2010-01-14T20:14:00.003-05:00

All year long Very Mary searches for glass spice bottles, usually finding sets of 10 or 12 for about $2 while thrifting. During the summer, she grows herbs - so much yummier than powdered store bought varieties. Once harvested and dried, she crushed them, added handmade labels, and ta-dum! Easy, breezy, delicious, homegrown gift giving.

Feeling Fruity

2009-12-21T08:38:00.003-05:00

For the Books

2009-11-30T02:55:00.008-05:00

You should really make some of these.

Simply get yourself some pre-cut floral wire (it's at your local craft supply store), thread on some beads, bend the wire into fun fleurishy designs and voila!

Pair a bookmark with a gift certificate to a bookstore (oh, please do get one at a locally owned establishment and avoid the big box stores - independent book dealers need some love!) and you have an instant gift!

A New Friend

2009-11-28T08:48:00.002-05:00

Very Mary loves making new friends.

Fishy Business

2009-11-09T08:38:00.001-05:00

You ain't nothin but a houndfish, swimmin all the time.

Imagination Station

2009-10-29T08:53:00.004-04:00

Inspiration Monday

2009-09-28T09:25:00.002-04:00

Assignment: what's the backstory to this photograph?

If She Owned a Moped...

2009-09-09T01:45:00.001-04:00

Very Mary would look like this every. single. day.

If She Were French...

2009-09-04T01:17:00.001-04:00

Very Mary would look like this every. single. day.

Love Is In the Air

2009-09-02T06:11:00.001-04:00

Is there a better reminder to be loving than a giant heart-shaped cloud above one's head?

A Little Birdy Said

2009-09-01T07:35:00.001-04:00

a chill is in the air, must be time to head south for the winter...

Mr. Locust Meets Ms. Spider

2009-08-31T07:45:00.001-04:00

National Geographic eat your heart out.

Oh Pear

2009-08-28T12:17:00.001-04:00

Creativity running rampant at Chez Very.

Zoology 101

2009-08-19T10:38:00.008-04:00

Whatcha Got Cookin?

2009-08-12T14:45:00.001-04:00

End of summer plans anyone?

Inspiration Friday

2009-08-07T17:33:00.003-04:00

Inspiration Thursday

2009-08-06T09:44:00.005-04:00

Inspiration Wednesday

2009-08-05T12:53:00.001-04:00

How does your garden grow?

Inspiration Tuesday

2009-08-04T10:11:00.006-04:00

What's inspiring you today?

Inspiration Monday

2009-08-03T11:46:00.004-04:00

Inspired by a quilt found in this fabulous book, Very Mary created this 4x3' canvas for the wall above her desk. She covered it in vintage french book pages, painted it, then added a quilt-inspired border, trees & birds cut from vibrant paper. For the orange trees, she used leftover orange wall paint!

Have you ever been inspired by one medium and then transferred it to another?

Quilted Sheets

2009-07-27T04:36:00.004-04:00

Using a handful of her coveted vintage sheets, Very Mary created this quilted little gem.

Yes, The Hardwood Floors are Original

2009-06-09T08:45:00.003-04:00

Summer vacation is on the horizon, and this is where Very Mary be spending most of her days and nights this summer:

The studio is finally done.

It should come as no surprise that Very Mary never. wants. to. leave.

Transformation

2009-05-18T08:36:00.003-04:00

Step A:

Step B:

Maria, Back from the Convent

2009-05-14T00:05:00.001-04:00

While continuing to box up art supplies for the move to the new studio, Very Mary rediscovered a few of her favorite vintage patterns. Oh those bob haircuts! Oh those frocks! Oh those white gloves! Oh those potential nuns! Wait. What?

That's right, it's Maria, back from the convent.

And now she can't help it: Very Mary is obsessed with Maria. Is this comment a jab or a statement? Did the owner of this pattern love/hate Maria? Did Maria ever really become a nun? Or did she return from the convent because she couldn't handle the heat of God's kitchen? Did she ever let her hair grow long? Did she ever fall in love? Did she have children? Go to college? Get a job? Drive a fast car? Ditch the white gloves? And, perhaps most importantly, did Maria make the right choice? Oh Maria, Very Mary understands.

Ladies in Waiting

2009-04-20T08:50:00.002-04:00

Just we gals. Hanging out. Waiting for spring to stick.

Screw Monday

2009-04-13T09:09:00.001-04:00

photo by Very David

Found in a Jar of Buttons

2009-03-19T00:32:00.002-04:00

Show and Tell

2009-03-12T07:59:00.003-04:00

Go here. Very Mary is Very Published. sweet.

Brooching the Subject

2009-02-23T10:11:00.003-05:00

What do you think? Should Very Mary make a few of these for spring?

Sweet Sweet Saturday

2009-02-21T09:32:00.002-05:00

It's Saturday and Very Mary is feeling all pink and fuzzy about it! How does Saturday make you feel?