New Tunes in Stock

Good morning music box crafters and artists, I have some new tunes available for you today at Tuned Teeth.

You can now find:

• Close To You
• The Fascination Waltz
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (finally!)
• Tea For Two (adorable)
• Fly Me To The Moon (classic)
• Swan Lake
• and Ode To Joy

My personal favourite is Close To You by the Carpenters (click to listen). As always you can hear many of the clockwork tunes I carry here: Listen To Them Play.

The True Story of Elayne and Roz, and a Marvellous Package

Brown paper packages tied up with string

these are a few of my favourite things

 Now, first things first – if you like what you see in this post, then GET THEE to Roz and Elayne’s Etsy shop for more. This story begins this morning when one of my favourite things happened – a package came for me in the mail. I participated in a Shop Swap this month, so I did expect it, but I was surprised to see not one, not two, but THREE shimmering burgundy organza bags in the envelope, all filled with works from the crafty hands of Elayne Teitelbaum.

Elayne says: Chez Chani is the mother daughter team of Roz and Elayne. Both driven by the need to craft, eventually we each ran out of room for all the finished pieces, and out of money to create more.

Thus we turned to Etsy to sell our wares. While I (Elayne) would love to do craft shows, there are not an abundance of them in Las Vegas, plus my work as a Poker Supervisor gets in the way...

When I first started jewelry making, I did simple strung beads. After a class in Peyote stitch at the local bead store, I was hooked. It was only Peyote for the next 1-2 years. Then recently I became intrigued with the many possibilities offered by resin. I'm just growing in that area while still finding time to do some stitching. I don't know what the future holds, I just wait for something else to catch my eye.

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So, what was in my exciting package? This story ends with, lucky me, flaunting a matching three piece set all handmade by Elayne – first, a clever black resined scrabble tile with the initial “O” on a silver bail with a vintage effect. Second, a black glass seed bead ring, (which amazingly fit me perfectly, is very smooth to touch and is comfortable to wear- this comfort point is so important to me when it comes to rings. I have a phobia of rings that crush or pinch or rub the wrong way, so I was super pleased to wear this one). And three, a black and white glass bead bracelet, made with what I believe is a Peyote stitch. It is a famously intricate stitch that can take many hours. I am so pleased to say this beaded bracelet is very well worked and fits beautifully. My favourite detail of this bracelet is the large button that fastens the piece to my wrist.               

a happy matching trio

So of course I eagerly went over to Elayne and Roz's shop to see what other intricate delights are available from them - and you can too

http://www.chezchani.etsy.com - Etsy Shop
http://www.chezchani.blogspot.com - Blog
www.twitter.com/chezchani -Twitter
http://www.facebook.com/ChezChani - Facebook fanpage

Fascination

These are two little music box pendants and a musical brooch that will be part of my Fascination Series. They are almost ready to leave my studio and have adventures of their own.

It's a spectacularly busy time in the Plucked Pins studio - I see a lot of crafter-types are in the same situation as me - all of us are preparing our goodies for our upcoming holiday shows. I'm also finishing up some custom work and a gift for a new friend in Las Vegas. In between work and family I've been dreaming of mountains.

Oh! I almost signed off without mentioning - my music box pendants are now available on the Tuned Teeth sibling site, Clockwork Fantastica!

And I almost signed off without thanking my friend Mary Goldman for sharing some secrets for enjoying Der Rosenkavalier with one's future-parents-in-law (which is where I've been this past week, visiting my beau). There's always room for learning something new when it comes to music.

Hah, what a topsy turvy entry, for a tospy turvy day.

Mystery Solved

A very kind woman from the UK recognized the Stratton music box tune - it's the song "Where Is Your Heart" from the 1952 Moulin Rouge. This song is a romantic dream. Pretty. This song is your grandparents in their twenties, played by Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, dancing and falling in love.

The Mystery of the Red Rose Stratton Musical Compact

I just put a vintage Stratton Musical compact up on Ebay, but I don't recognize the tune it plays. I'll post it here just in case any passing Reuge buff can recognize it.

(p.s. I made the recording VERY loud you might want to adjust your volume before clicking play)