Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Book Review: Liberace Extravaganza!


Our latest addition to our bookshelf came about when we purchased thousands of vintage rhinestones from long time Las Vegas costumer Jan Jewett. She and Connie Furr Soloman wrote this book, Liberace Extravaganza! and Jan was kind enough to provide us with a signed copy.
 
Authorized by the Liberace Foundation, this book explores not only Liberace's life story, but the people and clothes that helped him craft his signature image. In fact, you might want to skip to the back of the book when you first get your hands on it. It is there you will find spectacular full page close ups of his costumes, organized by the decade during which the costume was created and worn. Thousands and thousands of rhinestones, sequins, glass and acrylic pearls, seed beads, mirrored cabochons, and crystal beads adorn everything from boots to lace cuffs.
 
Once you're done oohing and aahing, be sure to go back to the beginning of the book and read about the lives of the people who made it all happen.
 
Similar to when we visited Mary Wilson's Supremes costume exhibit, it is exciting to see some of the beautiful items we stock at Bumbershoot Supplies in action in these outlandishly marvelous clothes. This book is a phenomenal inspiration for anyone who loves costuming or beading or who just loves rhinestones, glitter and glam.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Book Review: Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box


When serving the Clinton administration as Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright became known for her use of pins and brooches as a communication tool during her diplomatic duties.  This book, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box was written in 2009 to accompany a touring exhibit of her pins.  I read the Kindle version of the book on my iPod, probably not the best format for viewing the pins.  However, while there were some unique and interesting contemporary and vintage pieces, most interesting to me were the stories about how Albright came by her collection, and how she used her jewelry to communicate specific messages in a subtle but very public way, highlighting a creative and very female approach to diplomatic negotiations.  This is a light and easy read, with lots of pretty pictures.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Beach Reading: On Our Bookshelf


Looking for some crafty inspirational summer beach reading?
Check out On Our Bookshelf on the Bumbershoot Supplies website, where you will find recommendations for books about the history of beads, vintage costume jewelry, and books of vintage beading inspiration. We’ve just added a section about the Business of Art and Craft.
Enjoy!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Book Review: Miriam Haskell Jewelry



The bottom line on this book: Miriam Haskell Jewelry by Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff is THE resource if you are interested in Miriam Haskell jewelry.  Gordon and Pamfiloff discuss the history of the Haskell company and include valuable information on identification and dating of Haskell jewelry pieces, such as how the jewelry was constructed, how it was (or was not) signed, the types of clasps that were used, and so on. The book then dedicates several chapters to examining the work of key Haskell designers, organized in chronological order so you can see the progression of the company’s designs over time. 
This book is an incredible resource for learning about Miriam Haskell designs, and is also a wonderful resource for jewelry design in general.  We turn to it all the time to learn more about the vintage Haskell metal components, beads, and vintage glass pearls we offer at Bumbershoot Supplies. Highly recommended!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

On Our Bookshelf: New Vintage History Resource On Bumbershoot Supplies Website


We are often asked about this history of the supplies at Bumbershoot Supplies and as time permits, I’ve been sharing tidbits about specific vintage supplies in the History and Provenance section of this blog.  For a long time, I have also wanted to share various text resources we find useful and inspiring so I am very happy to announce that Jim has created a new web page on the Bumbershoot Supplies website called “On OurBookshelf”. 

On this web page you will find links to books about the history of beads, books about vintage costume jewelry and books of vintage beading inspiration.  All of these books are in my personal library.  As time permits, I will continue to increase the number of books on the shelf, and I also hope to expand the basic information to share how I use these books and why I like them.

For now, we are providing a link to each book on Amazon.  We are not affiliated with Amazon and do not benefit from this link, we provide it as a convenience for you, so you can easily locate the publication date, ISBN, reviews, and other pertinent information you may find useful.

This is just a start. Our bookshelf is continually growing and evolving. I hope you will find this to be a helpful resource.  Feel free to share any of your own recommendations, too!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Three Muses. Maps.


"Maps" is the challenge this week at the Three Muses challenge blog - Incorporate maps into your piece.  Here is a book I have made - the base of the book cover is a map of one of our favorite vacation destinations, Seaside Oregon. Over the map I have collaged bits of paper and hand dyed thin papers and metallic threads, so the base map peeks through the layers. 


Then I stitched, stamped and embellished in an ocean theme, with starfish stamps and vintage beads that remind me of iridescent bubbles. 


 Inside this book is an eclectic collection of my handmade papers and paper experiments. I've sewn a seam down the center of the book to hold all the pages together.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010