New on Pinterest: When Irish Eyes are Smiling

As we say goodbye to February and enter March, our minds and crafts turn to the greenest of holidays, St. Patrick's Day! This is a holiday that is just so great to celebrate with a vintage flare. There are tons of fun Victorian Irish-themed greeting cards, pretty little rhinestone clover brooches, and lots of gorgeous kelly green to help you get a little closer to the old country. We've started reveling already on our "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" Pinterest board. Check out some of our favorite images and read more about our family's connection to the Emerald Isle here:

Source: etsy.com via Bumbershoot Designs & Supplies on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Bumbershoot Designs & Supplies on Pinterest

Source: mariedeflor.tumblr.com via Bumbershoot Designs & Supplies on Pinterest

Sequins Through the Ages

We have some really great sequins at Bumbershoot Supplies, like these vintage French metal sequins shown above, see also the last photo. I’ve been looking into the history of sequins, and recently found an interesting blog post on the topic.

Threaded, a historical fashion blog by the Smithsonian, provides an overview of the history of sequins from King Tut’s tomb (where gold discs were found sewn onto garments) to Leonardo da Vinci’s sequin punching machine, to the gelatin sequins of the 1930s (you can see some above and below, found at BumbershootSupplies) to today’s vast array of contemporary sequins.

I was fascinated to learn that gelatin sequins were introduced as a less expensive alternative to metal sequins, but were abandoned because they were not robust. They collapse into a rubbery blob in water (yes, I have tested this), and a dancing partner's hand on your back could melt them.

Check out the Threaded sequin post here for more tidbits of sequin history. For contemporary sequin inspiration (and a bit of glitter too), I invite you to visit our Pinterest board, All That Glitters.  So many sequins, so little time…