Beach in a bottle

the deep blue sky the sand the driftwood and the fresh salt air.......
a West coast girl I am, and a West coast girl I will always be......

The sea is almost as old as the earth....oh, about 2 billion years old. The sea hasn't stayed in the same places we see it today........it has moved over and covered all the continents at one time or another.......and again and again and again......
This is why there is limestone, and fossil fish and shells, far inland in our era, the Pleistocene. The sea is salty because of dissolved minerals from the rock on the continents,igneous rocks and the crumbling of mountains, the ocean's own floor, and all the gas and the volcanic smoke and vents all over the earth.

I gather shells, and pebbles and sand.....as I'm at the edge of the continent and the sea on the Left Coast.
sea tumbled beach glass, bit of broken pottery and dishes, busted bottles.....technically human-tossed garbage.....but hey! Let's reuse it ....because it is all so pretty.....
here's my latest collection of beach jewelry.......Beach in a bottle (c).....

some have.....Beach glass.... Anchor charms..... Fish bones.... green glass..... sea blue shells... blue glass....tumbled pebbles......gritty sand......little shells......Chinese hat shells....mussel shells.....clam shells.....some are contained in little glass bottles .... little  ocean charms like anchors, starfish, and big fish and little fish.......
All of them are in my that yountville girl shop on etsy....


tiny bottle necklaces......the beach in a bottle!! 

This is a salvage assemblage necklace with a pottery shard......

a big piece of frosty sea glass and a jade fish charm

this bottle necklace has a tiny alligator charm...

brass circle and patina rings, all vintage, paired with a real clam shell with a natural hole....

All the shells, the sand, the pebbles and the tumbled beach glass...are hand gathered.

I don't fake-tumble glass or the pottery shards....they are the real deal! The  tiny glass bottles close with a cork, and hang from vintage beading wire, and 2 silverplated rings.
Remove the necklace when swimming or bathing...the cork can be removed.

The starfish, fish, anchor charms and the rings, and the necklaces are all lead free, and some are vintage. Most of the findings are made in the USA, so I'm happy about that. The silverplated or the brass chains close with a lobster style clasp, each is 24" long, and the necklaces hang about 14" -  16". 3 hours of ocean.......

Handmade goods......

I make things....and sell vintage stuff and I've have always blended them into one big funkoma soup...yummmmy.
But, recently ....I sent the handmades to their own shop on etsy...
that yountville girl
...is the name of the things ...like I say at my etsy shop......
"It's made by hand, designed by me in my workroom. All things..that yountville girl..are cute & quirky, tough & sturdy, and created by me..Cashmere knit lingerie & armwarmer mitts...are coming real soon!"
What do you make? Well, thanks for asking...I make clothes, fabric bags, small totes, assemblage jewelry, tiny sculptures, pesky art in a frame or at least glue things in a very provocative and adorable manner....sometimes I call it...
home decor ....like this ---

handmade trees made of vintage barkcloth....my tree shapes, and buttons and spools.

fabric apples....of vintage calico.....from my imaginary fabric farm....

This assemblage pin was featured on papercakes blog.. wow, that blog is so pretty....

 this that yountville girl  --->> Baby Columbia kitschy horror pin is Chelsea Ling's  Halloween pick.....Spooky!

and well...click and take a look!

Other people have a drug problem....others a gambling problem....I have a Crafty problem......Except !
It isn't a problem!
I love making stuff...I really love the challenge of coming up with my own ideas and patterns.
My limited collection of purses and tiny totes...all my collections and projects are limited because I have small amounts of calicos, barkcloth, burlap, lace, vintage textiles and practical fabrics, pretty laces, vintage buttons,metal loops, & what ever....that inspire me to make something that will look Fabulous ! with just the right mix of uh, what ever inspires me...etc.

frinstance------
I had this vintage sheet with a road trip vacation theme.....It reminded me of all the fun family vacations I took with my kids over their growing up years..

It also made me think of ...traveling as a philosophy.....moving on as we move through life.....

These bags, my own pattern and idea,have a convertible strap! Go from a cross-body messenger style bag to a handbag tote simply by buttoning and unbuttoning some big vintage buttons.
yeah.

They have a lot of pockets, they button closed and they're made of a mix of vintage fabrics.....calico, mattress stripes, osnaburg, lace, old jeans, crochet doilies....oh my.

See, re-button the strap shorter....and now it's a sturdy tote or shoulder bag.
I made 4 bags and they'll all be added to the new shop. I made 8 small totes, and they're on their way....to thatyountvillegirl

And the tiny totes....I like to be organized, or like to appear to be organized ! what ever ....
So the makeup and lip gloss and hankie go in one....some pens and change and business cards in another.  Or you modern people....it can hold an ipod or a cell phone and still have room for a kleenex or 2.

Tulsa Time, Mojave Desert....

Next collection?


I'm full on into fall

 .....expect wool, and burlap with hardware.......and lots more vintage buttons to make the convertible bags....
Cute As a Button....
yeah.....