Houston, TX... our new adventure :)

Hello from Houston, TX... our new home!

Thanks for your business and we hope that you are enjoying your purchases!

 

Now that we've arrived on Texas soil, there's so much to get used to... like having a car :)
We never needed to own a vehicle in NYC... subways, trains, buses and if we needed a vehicle, we had access to HertzOnDemand and could walk up to any type of car we wanted to rent!   Another large change is the climate... we left cold, snowy NYC and arrived to swimsuit and flip-flop weather!

Many opportunities have presented themselves in the short time we've been here... exciting new venues to show at... stay tuned...

Our upcycled furniture creations will be so much easier to do in Texas... more room for sanding, painting and waxing the pieces... dedicated space for our shipping department and for mendlbarr jewelry, too! 

 

 

 As always, you'll find everything we've created in our Etsy, Artfire and eBay shops.   Take a peek... we are creating new items just for you!

Handmade... because you're worth it!

"apple cider vinegar" health drink :)

Wow!  We've been so busy lately that I haven't posted in a while.

About to write out this wonderful recipe for a friend and then thought it best to share here... it's so much easier to reference in cyberspace... LOL! :)

We moved into this old building four years ago and I suddenly developed asthma???  Yes, I suspect it's the old heating mechanisms that are host to 60 yr old grime and dust... also this 16 story building has air vents that were recently cleaned (so I'm sure they also hosted unhealthy stuff).

We have two large air purifiers and I still needed Advair and Singulair to cope with my breathing problems.  Not sure how I stumbled across "apple cider vinegar" but we started drinking it and I no longer need my asthma meds... woohoo!

The PH balance of our bodies can affect how we feel and how we deal with many diseases.  Just look up the many startling benefits of "apple cider vinegar"... really impressive!



click here for "An Apple Cider Vinegar a Day" by Patricia Bragg

So, since I am a Dasani water addict... my recipe includes this type of bottled water... you can use whatever water you choose... just remember the better the ingredients, the better the drink :)

A neighbor in our building sells her sister's fresh honey... again, use the best you can find... raw, natural honey is best!

click here for the Champlain Valley Apiaries website

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is the original manufacturer of "with the mother" raw, unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar... this is the only type we've used :)


click here for the Bragg website

Mix equal parts honey and apple cider vinegar... if you want it weaker or stronger, just adjust the amount of water.

2/3 cup Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
2/3 raw natural honey
5 bottles Dasani water (16.9 oz)
****Mix together in a large pitcher and enjoy! 

Since we both try to drink this twice a day, I like to make several pitchers at a time...

You can see that our fridge is also filled with prepared bottles... makes it easy to grab and go!

Enjoy!  May you also experience the benefits of this healthy drink :)

FRENCH BOUDOIR ART DOLLS... ooh laa laa



handcrafted and handpainted



romantic details



gorgeous profile 

"Unlike most dolls from the mid 20th century, which were made for children, boudoir dolls were made to grace the beds of grown ladies. The dolls today are sought after because of their classic artistic styling and, often, their art deco look." 

As we unpacked boxes of treasures from days gone by... we came across our wonderful two French Boudoir Art Dolls that were handmade by an elderly French gentleman in the early 1980s.  One-of-a-kind and definitely art pieces for the collector. 

Our 34" cloth boudoir dolls were extremely expensive 30 years ago and have seemed to become more valuable since this type of craftmanship is hard to find. 

"These are generally large dolls, made to sit on their owner's bed. You can find dolls as small as 20 to 24 inches, although the vast majority of the dolls are over 26 inches in size. Boudoir dolls in the larger sizes seem to be in favor with collectors."

Here are some pictures of our second doll, with her "school marm" look... she appears bolder and more confident than her elegant counterpart.

hand sculpted features

 

soft cloth construction

 

period clothing with petticoat

This particular doll designer lived in France and started his career as a tailor before finding his true calling as a boudoir art doll maker.  We eagerly seek more information and welcome any tidbits you may have...

These dolls are available for purchase.  If you're interested, please click on any of the photos for more information :)

steampunk key necklace/ lariat...

Our first creative endeavor was Renaissance Rags... about twenty years ago... where we would bring new life to vintage/antique items that had lost their way! 

Purses, skirts, vests and jewelry were repurposed into "one-of-a-kind creations" using found treasures at wonderful shops throughout Texas... and now we've made full circle with our "steampunk collection"...



it started with two antique keys...
 



discovering vintage chains and treasures...





jewelry box full of history... hand selected and crafted...

yes...

 it's handmade...

 because you're worth it...



Aussie Jingle Bells - Colin Buchanan

fell in love with this pic and i knew it wasn't Padre Island i've longed for...

 

then i saw this one and i loved it, too...

 

okay, now i know it was Australia that was calling me :)

It's snowing outside but I've been thinking of Australia alot this year and thought I'd share my vision of Christmas down under... ya never know what the future brings :)

click on picture to hear this cute Australian classic...
 

Now off to enjoy some movie watching time with the hubby and wait for the snow to pile up outside

and...

 

 to remember "Jesus Is the Reason for the Season"... Amen!

GERDA LYNGGAARD and NIKOLAI MONIES... Danish jewelery designers

The 1980s were full of gorgeous jewelry designs!

I've learned so much lately about our unpacked treasures from that time!  Today we uncovered Danish beauties by Gerda Lynggaard and Nikolai Monies... stunning runway pieces that seem as relevant today as they were back then!

Gerda Lynggaard/ Nikolai Monies studio in Copenhagen

bright yellow, turquoise and fuschia... nothing better!

 

 

Gorgeous, creative and natural... designs that are timeless!  We are inspired to do the same with our mendlbarr creations...

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!

inspiration from creative blogs... love the internet :)

It's no surprise that I can spend hours on the internet... :)

Now my recent discovery has my mind fluttering with even more creative ideas!  And of course, I had to share them with you, too!

clever seating arangement idea...




There are so many wonderful bloggers out there... Pink Postcard and Creative Home Expressions gave me these two ideas!  Now off to hunt for the treasures to try them myself... enjoy!

 

 

heading home with the perfect tree...

 



An ornament to remember your furry baby...

Each year we pick an ornament to add to our collection... part of the mendlbarr Christmas tradition!

Last year Dave found a wonderful bisque porcelain set of wings to have in memory of our "Max"! He loved Christmas... many times we would find him asleep under the Christmas tree :)

Max loved the magic of the Christmas tree...





Monte and I playing in the snow...



Dave and Max soon after we moved to NYC...


This year we lost my "Monte"...
we decided to find another set of wings as our Christmas ornament for 2012.
We found a wonderful set at Target and for only $4!

We added Monte's tag to it... perfect!

We've started a new tradition... when our furry/feathered babies cross the Rainbow Bridge we will remember them with a set of wings... our cup runneth over :)

 



Merry Christmas to you! 

May you remember the reason for the season!

 

1991... our first necklace inspired by a movie...

 

Found a picture of the necklace Patricia Wettig wore in "City Slickers"!  I'm shocked... who would have thought it would be so easy... I was ready to rent the movie and take stills off the television.  The internet is awesome! 

 

Back in 1991, I had to rely on my memory to design a necklace like hers.   Now that I see what it originally looked like, I am amazed at how similar it turned out... I didn't remember the length quite right as mine is not long enough... LOL!

Funny how things come back to us in time... I now know how our jewelry business began!  Inspired by a necklace in a movie... it's the little things...

inspiration from pieces you already own...

Remembered the other day how this all started... I had something in mind and I couldn't find it anywhere!  So I thought of making it myself :)

It's 1991, we're in a movie theatre watching "City Slickers" and I fell in love with this blue beaded necklace that Patricia Wettig was wearing... I ended up making one for myself... Oh boy!  The power that I realized I had... I was able to make myself anything I wanted!   So liberating! :)

I will try to locate a picture of that necklace and post it for y'all...

So with that in mind, I wanted to show you these earrings we designed to match two rings I purchased at ABC Carpet and Home in NYC many years ago.  I kept looking for the perfect earrings to compliment them but even in this large city, I never came across the right match! 

Take a peek at what I had in mind... they have now come to fruition!




picking the stones...

hand selected and ready to create...





the perfect match...

 

the ring is happy now...

 

If you have a piece that needs a mate-  we can create the perfect match just for you.

Handmade... because you're worth it!