Pendant approx. 1"
"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn."

-Henry David Thoreau

American china with bird motif
Bluebird China

'Bluebird china enjoyed a brief but spectacular history, first appearing in the late 1800s, reaching its zenith in the early to mid-1920s, and was almost entirely gone by 1930. China decorated with the bluebird motif was produced by over 50 different American companies including Anchor Pottery Company, Atlas China Company and Atlas-Globe China Company, Chippendale China, Homer Laughlin China Company, and Steubenville Pottery Company to name just a few.'

-Excerpt from the book Bluebird China (Schiffer Book for Collectors), above, which can be found Here

Classic Homer Laughlin "Fluffy Bluebird" Pattern

Homer Laughlin Fluffy Bluebird pattern china

Necklace pendant

Necklace Pendant

Bracelet made from a broken tea cup

Broken china mosaic heart with bluebird
Bluebirds of Happiness
'The mythology of the bluebird of happiness has deep roots that go back thousands of years. Indigenous cultures across the globe hold similar myths and beliefs about the bluebird. It is a widely accepted symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, prosperity, hearth and home, good health, new births, the renewal of springtime, etc. Virtually any positive sentiments may be attached to the bluebird. ' -Excerpt from Bluebird of Happiness, which can be found HERE in its entirety.
Other Bluebird China Patterns

Vintage Lovebirds — Unknown pattern
Some examples of a few less common American bluebird china patterns:

Necklace with freshwater pearl and Swarovski crystal

Necklace Pendant

Pin brooch with freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals

Bracelet displayed on the plate it was made from

Link bracelet
How about these sweet little birds? Looks like they've made their nest in a basket.

Necklace pendant, vintage American china

Necklace pendant
Entry May 18 'Your words are born not spoken. Dimensional soft-vowelled words palpable to the eye or to the fingertip. Exquisitely curved as the young that flowers conceive. Often I have watched your lips shape words... and your tongue nudge them out like small birds not wholly certain of their wings. Your sweetest words are those shaped ovally like plums or wild birds' eggs. And the long bright ribbons you laugh, the multitudes of hyacinth and bluebells.'
-Walter Benton, This Is My Beloved

Pin brooch with freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals
An older, unusual bluebird china pattern, probably circa 1920:

Necklace pendant

Pin brooch with freshwater pearl and Swarovski crystal

Necklace made with Amazonite, Rohodonite, and sterling wire

Necklace

Necklace, unknown pattern
Mount Clemens Robin pattern

Heart Pendant

Heart pendant

Pendant

Pin brooch with sterling beads and Swarovski crystals

Heart pendant

Charm bracelet with pearls and various crystals and gems

Silver spoon bracelet

Silver spoon bracelet

Silver spoon bracelet

Pin brooch with crystals
Another unusual American bird pattern. These look like lovebirds or budgies. Notice the motif surrounding the heart design in the second photo below.

Necklace pendant

Pin brooch
Bird of Paradise & Pheasant Patterns
"The bird of paradise alights only upon the hand that does not grasp."
-John Berry

Unusual, ornate pattern. Pin brooch with Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls.

' The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species in this family are found on the island of New Guinea... with a few species occurring in the Moluccas of Indonesia and eastern Australia. The family has forty species in 13 genera. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of most species, in particular highly elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings or head. For the most part they are confined to dense rainforest habitat.' -Excerpt from Bird-of-paradise, which can be found HERE in its entirety

Antique pattern. Pin brooch with heart-shaped coin pearl and crystal.

Heart charm, approx 7/8"

Pin brooch

Beautiful colors! Pin brooch with Swarovski crystals

Pendant
Parrots & cockatoos

Art deco china pattern with parrot motif, American china

Same pattern as above. This pin brooch was made from the design on the center of the plate.
This Parrot pattern is from England:

Pendant

Pin brooch

English china, necklace pendant
Blue Willow birds:

Pendant

Blue willow porcelain from Japan. Necklace made with glass beads, glass pearl beads and sterling wire.

Necklace
A few other bluebird and bird china patterns:

Pendant

Pin brooch

Silver spoon bracelet with 7/8" heart charm

Bluebird china earrings

Heart charm approx. 7/8"

Shelley fine bone china. Flow blue bird motif with gold overlay.
"One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Pin brooch with amethyst briolette drop. Newer porcelain.

English transferware with swan motif. Pin brooch

Heart charm, approx 7/8" English transferware

Vintage American pottery with doves motif. Pendant
Birds are flyin' south for winter.
Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes it's kind of nice
To be the only bird in town." -Shel Silverstein Weird-Bird

Birds are one of my most requested china patterns for jewelry. Because they can be hard to find, sometimes even rare, my finished jewelry pieces made from these patterns on average cost a bit more than other patterns. I hope you enjoyed this look into the world of vintage bird china! No matter how often I look at these patterns, they are still delight me each time I see them! -Laura (all jewelry shown above was made by me!)

Recycling, Repurposing, Upcycling ' what's the difference? 'and what exactly is Upcycling?

We all know what recycling is. A plastic bag is used to carry home groceries then is later reused by the owner who uses the bag a second or third time, perhaps to again carry groceries or store items. The bag has been recycled by its owner. The bag is being reused but the value of the bag remains the same.

In upcycling, the item is often no longer being used for its intended purpose but is repurposed ' given a new purpose ' and along with this new purpose it is also given an increase in value (usually both aesthetically and monetarily) It is worth more in its new form.

Recycled ' used again and value remains unchanged

Repurposed ' used again but with a new purpose

Upcycled ' used again, with a new purpose, and with greater value than its original state

Why are upcycled items so desirable?
They are created with innovation and creativity!

Necklace pendant made from broken Shelley Blue Rock teacup

Wisegeek said it best:

Belt buckle made from a broken plate

Imagine my thrill when I was gifted with this fancy-schmancy sandblasted Fiestaware plate from a Homer Laughlin Fiesta Collector's Association!

It's perfect!

Is this not the cutest thing ever?

I had already been making my jewelry from broken plates and pottery for quite a few years when one day I was approached by a Fiesta collector to enter a contest in which artists create something from broken or damaged Fiesta. Of course, now I cannot find a photo of my winning piece, but it was a piece of jewelry, a heart pin brooch with fancy edges and so pretty! Here are a few photos of some other things I have created with broken Fiesta over the years.

Pin brooch (sold '02)

Mosaic teacup plaque. Doubles as the most awesome bird feeder ever. (sold '03)

Backstamp pendant (sold '04) (approx 1.25")

Bracelet

Love these earrings!

Another necklace pendant (approx 1.5")

Mosaic heart — perfect for the Fiesta kitchen! (approx 6")

Earrings with Swarovski crystals and Czech glass pearls (1/2" by 1 & 1/4")

Read on for some interesting history about Fiesta ware colors:

'At its introduction in 1936, Fiesta was produced in five colors: Red (orange red), Blue (cobalt), Green (light green), Yellow (deep golden), and Old Ivory (yellowish cream). By 1938, two years into production, a sixth color was added: Turquoise ( robin 's egg blue). With the exception of the Red, this color assortment remained in production until approximately 1950. The original Red had been discontinued before 1944 (see below).

The lack of this vibrant color, plus the general changes in society due to the United States' participation in World War II, had caused a slump in sales of the larger serving pieces from the early 1940s. Prior to this reduction in the number of shapes offered, only one or two very specialized shapes had been discontinued and those by 1938. Later items which were discontinued, such as covered onion soup bowls in turquoise glaze and mixing bowl covers in any color, are scarce and highly prized by collectors.

By 1950, home decorating styles and colors had changed. The Homer Laughlin Company discontinued some original glaze colors and replaced them with four new colors. The original Blue (cobalt), the original Green (light green), and the original Old Ivory (yellowish cream) were discontinued, replaced by Rose (pinkish-brown), Gray (medium), Forest (dark green), and Chartreuse (bright yellowish green). Two existing glaze colors, Yellow and Turquoise, continued in production, so the company continued to offer six colors through the 1950s.' Excerpt from the article 'Fiesta (dinnerware)', which can be found HERE in its entirity

One of my later designs, about 2006 (1/2" by 1")

I will have some new jewelry in these and similar designs up for the holidays so be sure to check back!

-Laura