A Charming Time.....

For the past twenty years I have made vintage glass charm bracelets.  Today, as Molly and I were preparing to make up a handful of new kits, she asked me how many bracelets I had made over the years.  I said hundreds....but really it's probably closer to hundreds of hundreds!  Ever since I got hooked on jewelry making, back in 1990, I have been linking old glass beads together with chain and adding in vintage glass cabochon charms.  You would think that I have exhausted the amount of color combinations and themes that a charm bracelet can handle...but oh no...I can somehow always come up with another.  I've had some students come in and tell me that they collect every jewelry kit I design...they don't necessarily make every kit, they just stow it away for a rainy day...and someday they plan on making all of them.  Every once in a while a customer calls and wonders why we leave our kits up online even though they are sold out....and I have to explain we leave them up as a reference for people who have collected the kits but haven't made them up yet.  Frustrating, yes - practical, not really.

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I still own a ton of vintage glass, so I think I will keep on making vintage glass jewelry kits for a while...I even think it might be time for another monthly kit - the necklace and earring kit club! Meanwhile, here are five new kits that we have made up for Spring, all filled with vintage glass beads, charms and findings.  Each kit comes with everything you need to make up a bracelet, you will just need a bit of glue and a jewelry tool or two. A picture card of each bracelet is included with each order, as well as a small how-to booklet on making up the French General Jewelry Kits.  Have fun and let me know if you enjoy making up our kits!  Merci!

Meet Me in Boulder!

I'm off to Boulder next month to teach at the historic Colorado Chautauqua for The Makerie.  This three day creative event is all about sewing and features such talented friends like Heather Jones, Amy Butler, Jenny Hart and Liesl Gibson.  The Makerie has just announced that they are opening up the day passes which will allow people to come in for the day and take a class or two.  This is the perfect way to study with one of your favorite teachers if you have a limited amount of time and money!  I'll be teaching a natural dyeing workshop featuring the shibori stitching and binding techniques to create beautiful textile designs.  For more information or to sign up, please visit The Makerie.  I don't know what I am more excited about, teaching a new workshop or teaching at the historical Colorado Chautauqua!  Hope to see you there!

Show us Your French General!

Beat-up, old chair found on Micheltorena Street in 

Silverlake, CA 

In need of some tender. loving care!

Spanking new chair! Re-upholstered with Toulouse ticking from

 French General's new collection with Fabricut

We've got a really fun contest up our sleeve...or between the cushions! 

 Now that our French General / Fabricut Collection of home fabric and trim has arrived, we want to see how you would like to use it in your home.  Dig out that old piece of furniture that could use a makeover.....take a picture and post it on instagram with the tag @FGFabricut and #fabricut - you can also choose the fabric you would like to use for your furniture or window makeover.  Look over the new fabric collection at www.frenchgeneral.com or www.fabricut.com

This could be your chance to finally get that old chair out of the attic and have it re-upholstered!
Contest runs March 1st - March 31st, 2013
Bonne Chance!


click on image to read the fine print

The Felted Rose and the Paper Pansy

Arlene Baker

This spring we are offering two beautiful flower workshops...Arlene Baker is returning one again, this time to teach her Felted Flower Workshop and Robert Mahar will be here for the first time to teach his

Paper Pansy Workshop.

If you have ever taken one of Arlene's flower making classes before, you know that they are full of creative flower making techniques and you walk away with more information than you knew was possible!  Robert has the honor of being the first male to ever teach at French General, and we are over the moon excited!  Robert brings years of craftiness and design to the table and we just know this will be the first of many workshops he will teach at French General!  Please come by the shop to see the samples up close, or sign up today to reserve your seat for one or both of these classes.  Class size limited.

Robert Mahar