Moonshine Vintage Silverware Assemblage Necklace

Oh how I struggled with this. Originally I made the moonshine silverware knife handle to be a liquor bottle tag or charm. 

And like so many things I create, I got so far with the idea and then set the unfinished focal piece aside, waiting for it to reveal what it was really meant to be.

It didn't want to be in some dark bar, it wanted to be seen in the sunshine and under the moon & stars.

Moonshine $115.00

Happy moonshine Monday to you~

A Belated Thank You

April 22nd was Earth Day. I always get inquiries around this time because I'm into it and most of my work is "upcycled".

I like to change my banner out during this time and use this one below.

Can you imagine how thrilled I was when a gal from Amy's Kitchen contacted me for a bulk purchase of rustic garden markers for a week long Earth Day giveaway they were promoting on Facebook?

I buy Amy's Kitchen lasagna in bulk at costco for my lunch!

Pinch me, really :) We quickly hammered out the details.

Off to Amy's Kitchen! 7 sets of three ~

And here they are as part of the "garden bag giveaway" and a BIG THANK YOU from Anvil Designs!

Amy's Kitchen Facebook Link

Wine, Weddings, Custom Orders and More Wine

Once again I have been challenged by a wonderful new customer! 

She wanted a couple of personalized wine tags similar to this one she found in my Etsy shop.

Cabernet

She wanted one personalized with a last name, no problem there. 

Here is the finished product.

Then she asks if I can do coordinates on a wine tag? 

BUT, she doesn't want a rifle casing like this listing...

Coordinates Key Ring

She wants the coordinates on a knife handle. 

Pssst, here comes the challenge. I was about to tell her one doesn't have the room for that on a knife handle... 

Perhaps it was because I was drinking wine but I told her I would make it work somehow. I must confess I had no idea what I was going to do. None.

I looked through about 293 vintage knives and nada, zip, nothing.

I was coming close to a panic. Think! Frankly I needed a glass of wine about this time. After the first glass I was feeling better and it came to me I should look through my butter knife stash.

Vino' viola! I found a Rogers Bros. circa 1904 "Vintage" pattern master butter knife that was perfection.

In Vino Veritas

Throwback Thursday & 5th Anniversary Etsy Promo

We are so excited to be celebrating our 5th anniversary! 

We did a gift with purchase on Jan 24th & now, for a limited time we have brought back the first listing we put on Etsy! 

A "throwback listing" if you will.

Promo Listing

This was not only our first listing it resulted in our first sale!

We are offering these rustic vintage spoon markers for our original listing price of $5.00 each ~

You "pick" from the following 5 Styles:

BASIL
HERBS
MINT
SAGE
THYME

For fun I included a photograph used in our very first listing

I can't believe I used Papyrus font! LOL

Now I know the title here says "Throwback Thursday" and today is Friday... this post was scheduled to be published yesterday but things happen.

A day late and a dollar short. Have a great weekend ~

Anvil Designs 5th Etsy Anniversary January 24, 2015

Anvil Designs is celebrating our 5th anniversary on Etsy!

~also known as Etsyversary~

*We want you to celebrate with us*

Gift with purchase January 24, 2015 only.
**one per customer** 

One of three styles representing our best sellers will be tucked in with your purchase. Basil, Thyme or Herbs.

Hand stamped, rustic, vintage spoon.

Looking forward to the next 5 years!

~Thank you~

Antique Reed & Barton Mystery Knife

Reed & Barton Victorian Era Mystery Pattern 

I'm looking for help identifying this Reed & Barton pattern. 
It looks Victorian to me and I have tried the following sources without any luck. 

Reed & Barton

Replacements.com

Silverpattern.com

I did find some info on Reed & Barton purchasing blank stock from Rogers Bros so I researched their patterns as well. 
Still no luck.
It almost looks hand chased, it's so gorgeous~

Detail

Thanks in advance if you can identify this pattern!

A Few New Fall / Halloween / Thanksgiving Items

Available now in the Anvil Designs shop~

Halloween Set

~

Harvest ~ Thanksgiving Set

Fall is upon us, happy harvest!

Inspiring Client Follow Up Post

As a follow up to this post Inspiring Client~ 
I wanted to share a couple of shots of all four pieces I did for my most awesome client JR. The original post shows the first piece a created for him as a memorial to his beloved Grandmother who had recently passed away. Her name, Rosemary :)

I was in such a hurry to get them off to him I didn't realize I hadn't taken the best shots possible and I was working with a brand new camera to boot. So apologies for the photo quality!

Happy gardening~

The name "rosemary" derives from the Latin for "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea".

Using Every Little Scrap~

I love to use every piece I can when working with the vintage silverware. Sometimes you make a mistake when stamping or bending and end up with odd pieces. I have been or will be turning these odd pieces into beads, buttons, guitar picks, toggles and anything else I can think of so nothing goes to waste.

To that end here are 2 new listings of items I have made using every little scrap~

I Pick You (sold)

This pick was hand cut from a 1930's spoon bowl I flattened. It is silver-plate over brass & it does show some wear from it's previous life as a spoon. I have filed the edges so smooth it's like butter. I drilled a small hole off center so it could be used as a charm if you don't want to use it to play.

 It's truly one of a kind ( OOAK ) if you like food and music and want a pick with an 80 + year old vibe rather than some mass produced blank from overseas, look no further. This is a no waste, upcycled product.

I Pick You had only been listed for a few days with 2 views when it sold!
I consider that real success! I already had another one I was working on and decided to show a before and after. 

Next time I'll have to do some progress shots as well~

Music Is Life

This pick was hand cut from a 1916 era spoon bowl I flattened. Holmes and Edwards Silver Inlaid Pat 04 ~ Jamestown Pattern circa 1916. I tried purposely to leave as much of the original patina on this one as possible. The back side has a lot, the front lost a lot! The soul of this pick is almost 100 years old~

I almost always listen to music when I'm creating whether it's my art or cooking. Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of my favorites to cook with and create by.

Here is a rare video of SRV