Monday, April 11, 2011

meet mae fern

A couple of weekends ago our family spent an afternoon at a small outdoor festival held by Ecole Bilingue.  A French bilingual school here in New Orleans.  The festival was free and kid-friendly,  delicious food, games, and fun.  It was a very hot day and being the baby that I am in the heat, I retreated to a nice shaded spot under a tree where some crafters were displaying their goods.  This is where I met Mae Fern.  

She had a beautiful display of necklaces like I have never seen before.  I didn't have enough money on me and I hate buying impulsively anyway, so I took her pretty hand drawn card and tucked it into my bag. 

I have been trying to come up with something special to give away here on my blog.  A little gift from New Orleans, a thank you for all of the nice comments and inspiration shared by so many of you on a regular basis.  Our time here is nearing its end and I'm feeling a bit sentimental.

The perfect gift came to mind, a lovely hand crafted necklace.  I emailed Mae asking if I could see the necklaces again.  She warmly invited us to her old Creole house that was once part of the Delachaise plantation.  I have fallen in love with the architecture here so I was very excited to see the inside of her home.  It was more lovely than I imagined.  
Mae and her husband did most of the refurbishing themselves.  Some walls were painted while others left to expose rich texture and age.  I'm guessing close to 200 years old.  I forgot to ask. She was so kind as to let me take a few photos around her home.











Mae has a 5 year old son and happened to have two toys zebras to give to my kiddos.  That kept them happy and busy while we talked.  During our conversation I learned that Mae has many artistic talents, jewelry making is just one of them.  She has a fine eye for detail and uses new and vintage supplies, some acquired from her travels or from the travels of friends.





The flowers are made from a metallic ribbon that was found in Paris along with the silk cord.  The beads in the center are vintage.





This necklace I found to be my favorite.  Like the others it is practically weightless and so beautiful in it's delicacy.  The beads in the center are steel cut and are either French or Czech, that mystery will remain, and were purchased in Ohio.  This is the necklace I'd like to give away.







If you have an appreciation for Mae's creation like I do, please leave a comment.  On Friday I will randomly choose a winner amongst the commenters.

Feel free to email her and inquire about any of the other necklaces.  Except for the purple one.  I bought that one, too.



I wish I could give a necklace away to all of you, I really do!  

On another note, please stay tuned for this weeks drawing challenge.  I have yet to come up with a theme.  I believe it will come to me in my sleep.  

Goodnight.


21 comments:

nadine paduart said...

i am wishing you a good night's sleep already, miss!
but thank you too, for generously showing us round may fern's premises. your photos do her proud, i'm sure. i like the necklaces, for their intercontinental match as much as for how fragile they look.
you were only too right by thinking these are special.
oh, and you are a generous soul...! fancy doing a giveaway for leaving a place you have loved so much.
grand!
n♥

Ariane Reichardt said...

Dear Rachel,
your act about Mae Ferm is just gorgeous! Thank you!
Her house, the necklace...your story and the photos...marvellous. Great job.
x Ariane.

Misha Lulu said...

Her work is exquisite! Beautiful house too!!!!
Thank u for the giveaway!
I love the way you wrote the story.

Anonymous said...

very nice and delicate necklaces and I also love the tag. It's a nice idea to use vintage beads, I have some and the colors are wonderful.

Deborah said...

What a beautiful find!

Maria said...

I like them so !They are like poems..lovely!
Thank you for these beautiful pictures and words here
maria

Color Land said...

Lovely, the necklace, the pictures, the house, the story, everything it's amazing so delicate!
Thank you for tHe giveaway!

Sara said...

Her pieces are gorgeous. Love the simplicity and ornate detail. And you are so sweet to do a giveaway to your readers.

I love these kinds of posts - glimpses into other people's fascinating lives. Mae's home looks so welcoming. Thanks for sharing.

Peggy Ray said...

Fantastic... but no comment! Give the present to your great group. Love the photos and the story... but please, where's Greta and Hen???? Gramma must see them EVERY day!

Unknown said...

im glad i came back - i already left a long swooning comment but see it hasn't made it!
so here i am again.
I want you to imagine me: my hand raised high, eyes closed, fingers crossed, lips muttering prayers of gratitude for the chance of winning that beautiful necklace!
New Orleans peely old French mystique makes me swoon. so beautiful. thank you for taking us along on your adventures. mae fern is a keeper!
xo stephanie

Unknown said...

im glad i came back - i already left a long swooning comment but see it hasn't made it!
so here i am again.
I want you to imagine me: my hand raised high, eyes closed, fingers crossed, lips muttering prayers of gratitude for the chance of winning that beautiful necklace!
New Orleans peely old French mystique makes me swoon. so beautiful. thank you for taking us along on your adventures. mae fern is a keeper!
xo stephanie

Anonymous said...

i love the neclace. So sweet. olsonjolene@hotmail.com

kim said...

Just stumbled onto your blog, but I love the necklace and your posts are right up my alley--a bit random and a bit about fun stuff.

squindia said...

I found you by way of Sweet Juniper! Gorgeous drawings and thank you for sharing Mae Fern's creations!

Jessica said...

Oh my. I'm so happy that the Sweet Juniper blog pointed me your way. Your style and writing are right up my alley! These necklaces have so much soul. Thanks for sharing.

oma said...

i found you through sweet juniper, too, and i have a feeling i'll be coming back often for beautiful photos and stories.

velocibadgergirl said...

Wow, those necklaces are lovely! I really enjoyed the photos, too.

Jennifer said...

I found your lovely blog through Sweet Juniper. I immediately added you to my favorites and my next stop is your etsy shop. Thank you for the chance to win a very pretty necklace.

hanna-happenings said...

hi happy necklace :)

beyond said...

found you via sweet juniper also. LOVE the necklaces, am keeping my fingers crossed for the giveaway...

Nora said...

Oh, that house!