Bumbershoot Designs and Supplies June 2014 Special for Newsletter Subscribers

Vintage Czech Glass Pearl Buttons, free with purchase! – Our treat for June for our newsletter subscribers is two of these simply gorgeous vintage Czech pearl buttons adorned with rhinestones. Pearl is the birthstone for June and these buttons would be a wonderful feature in any of your June creations. They would also look lovely sewn onto your favorite blouse or maybe even your wedding dress, or used as a bracelet clasp.

Our newsletter subscribers can receive these buttons free with any purchase at Bumbershoot Supplies or Bumbershoot Designs.  See your June 1 and June 15 newsletters for details and the coupon code.

Also, don't forget your 1-time free shipping offer that you received when you signed up for our newsletter.

And YES, you can combine specials. So you can have the buttons plus the free shipping code you received upon signing up for the newsletter in the same order!

Not yet a newsletter subscriber? You can read past issues and you can sign up right here and get your free shipping and earring kit at your next purchase!
 

Vintage Design Inspiration Board #15 with Creativity Quote

Life is haphazard and full of beauties which I try to catch as they fly by, for who knows whether any of them will ever return?

~Margot Fonteyn

Inspiration Board #15 features:

vintage millinery glitter stamens (West Germany, wrapped with hand dyed twine)

vintage glass mirror button (US Zone Occupied Germany)

vintage coral glass beads, whole and halves (Japan)

vintage glass pearl drop (Japan)

vintage turquoise glass bead links (Japan)

vintage plastic flower cabochon (Japan)

lace, hand crocheted with antique crochet cotton (USA) and vintage orange lustre glass seed beads (Czech)
kanzashi flower made from Tracie Lynn Huskamp Nature Inspired fabric, embellished with vintage glass pearl button (Japan)

vintage paper  button tag (Austria)

vintage rhinestone earring component

vintage ivory flower buttons

additional scraps of Nature Inspired fabric

antique embroidery floss

vintage linen tea towel

mounted on 4x5 inch gallery wrapped canvas base

Vintage Rhinestones, Vintage Beads, Vintage Buttons and More from the US Zone of Occupied Germany: Date and Location

A lot of the vintage glass at Bumbershoot Supplies, including vintage beads, vintage cabochons, vintage rhinestones and vintage buttons, comes to us labeled “Made in Germany US Zone”. This tells us that the item was made in Germany during the time the country was occupied by Allied Forces immediately post WWII. Here’s the history…

This map is from http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/map.cfm?map_id=525

This map shows the Allied zones of occupation in Germany. The division into these zones was in place by July 1945, after a period of negotiation by the Allies and subsequent troop movement. The Soviet zone is in pink, the French zone is in blue, the American zone is in bright yellow, and the British zone is in the softer yellow. At first, each occupying power had authority in their respective areas. Eventually the three western zones were combined to form the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1949, with the Soviets forming the Germany Democratic Republic (GDR), also in 1949. 

Allied occupation of the Federal Republic of Germany continued until 1955, but the “zones” disappeared with the formation of the FRG in 1949.  “Western Germany” and later “West Germany” were the common English names used for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), which existed from 1949 until the reunification of Germany in 1990. Soviet control of the eastern zone of Germany, commonly referred to as “East Germany”, continued from 1945 to 1990, first as the USSR Zone (1945-1949) then as the GDR.

Who knows how long it took for new packaging materials to be printed for glass baubles and beads, stating their origin as “US Zone”?  And who knows how long it took for packaging material to switch subsequently to “Made in Western Germany” or “Made in West Germany”? In any case, the “Made in Germany US Zone” marking is understood to encompass most of southern Germany as shown by the map and covers the time between the end date of WWII and the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany, i.e. 1945 to 1949.

Christmas in July. Stamped Cards with Vintage and Antique Embellishments

I had a bit of time during the July 4 weekend to play in my studio, and inspired by the "With One Stamp" feature that Stampington publishes in Somerset Studio magazine, I decided to use one stamp and many different vintage embellishments from Bumbershoot Supplies and my personal collection to make a series of Christmas cards.

Each one is unique, but for every card, the stamp, colors, and and basic layout are the same. That made it easier for me - I felt my time was limited and I wanted results and I wanted them quickly!

I like this approach, since each card is as unique as each recipient, and I very much enjoy using the vintage supplies for purposes other than jewelry.

The stamp is Thicket Birds by Memory Box. I love this stamp, it looks just like my favorite place to walk, Discovery Park, Seattle, in the winter.  I purchased the beautiful thick creamy watercolor paper sheets years ago from Impress. For each card I used brown and red markers to ink the stamp, foil highlighting in red, gold or silver, brown striped fabric tape purchased from Stampington, and stitched in red thread with my sewing machine. These components formed the foundation of each card.

And then I added lots of different vintage embellishments.

Because life always seems so full, to make these cards I had to break the process down into very small steps.  Ink and stamp. Pick some orders. Stick on fabric tape. Answer emails. Pull out and audition embellishments. Do some data entry. Stitch each card. Talk with suppliers. Glue embellishments. Wrap up designs for shipping. Add foil highlights.... You get the picture!

There are lots of different vintage embellishments used in these cards, some you may recognize from Bumbershoot Supplies and some are perhaps less familiar. I love to use the original packaging materials whenever possible, so there are paper and strings that are from the 1940's and 1950's and were used to wrap buttons and rhinestones and cabochons.

We like to make as many Christmas gifts as possible, and now I feel great because I have made a good start on my Christmas crafting and I am emergized to continue! 

New at Bumbershoot Designs. Old Favorites Restocked: Vintage Boot Buttons, Vintage Rhinestones, Vintage Glass Cabochons

We have listed many more new vintage rhinestones and vintage cabochons at Bumbershoot Supplies over the last week.  I'll describe them more in our upcoming June 15 newsletter, and you can always see the new arrivals section at our website.  But today I thought I'd mention some of our popular items that I have been able to restock in small quantities, always an exciting event, since with vintage supplies, restocking is never a sure thing. In addition to the cabochons above, here are some more supplies that have been restocked this week...

I hope you enjoyed seeing these returning vintage treasures! Until next time, wishing you a happy and art-filled weekend!

Featured Artist. Fiona Carson of Baba-dee Productions on Etsy

I have recently become very interested in the art of hana tsumami kanzashi, traditional Japanese fabric flowers. These flowers were worn by maiko (geisha in training) and geisha as hair pieces, and there are many customs associated with their use as adornment. 

Just as I was beginning to learn about this ancient art form, I was excited to discover Fiona Carson's kanzashi-style  flowers, available at her Etsy shop, Baba-dee Productions.

Fiona purchased some vintage glass buttons from Bumbershoot Supplies and with her feedback left a photo of a beautiful flower featuring one of the buttons (see the first photo above). Since I had just begun teaching myself how to make these beautiful flowers, I immediately asked her if I could feature her work.

Current kanzashi flowers have their design roots back in the 1600’s in the Edo period in Japan, when women shifted from wearing their hair long and straight to elaborate coiffures. There are currently only 5 tsumami kanzashi masters left in Japan, and one traditionally trained tsumami kanzashi artisan here in the United States.  

Fiona is passionate about her flowers and she has taken elements of the traditional tsumami kanzashi process and made it her own.  She uses beautiful silks, usually 2 layers to provide stability and enhancement of the main color.  She sews and individually glues each petal, often in the evening when her two young children are in bed.  Fiona also is passionate about vintage buttons, and her two loves come together beautifully in her flower pendants. With her design sense and her care and attention to detail, she is keeping alive the spirit of this ancient art form.

Fiona attends a local monthly market in Perth, Western Australia, so if you happen to be in the vicinity, you can see Fiona’s flowers in person – just contact her for details.  Otherwise, I hope you will enjoy a visit to Fiona’s Etsy shop, Baba-dee Productions to see Fiona’s beautiful interpretation of the ancient art of hana tsumami kanzashi.

New at Bumbershoot Supplies. New Vintage Treasures in Stock

A quick post to show you just a few of the new items at Bumbershoot Supplies this week, and then I will return to Emma's birthday festivities...

Now, off to get some cheesecake!

Wishing you a great weekend!

Featured Artist. Elizabeth Wise of 3elizabeths on Etsy

Want to brighten up your day?

Pay a visit to Elizabeth Wise's shop, 3elizabeths on Etsy.

Elizabeth sews market bags, wristlets and tiny bags out of the most colorful, eclectic and quirky fabrics imaginable.

She describes her fabric art pieces as “unique, one-of-a-kind confections”.

Elizabeth embellishes many of her bags with vintage crystal and rhinestone buttons from Bumbershoot Supplies - that is how I came to learn of her work.

I love the sense of fun and playfulness that Elizabeth communicates with these designs. The cheerfulness of these bags spills over into how they are presented. I don’t know what those eyes are but they make me smile. And take a second look.  So do the penguins.

I've focussed on her smaller bags in this blog post. In addition to these bags, at 3elizabeths you will also find handmade aprons, bows, collages and collaged blank journals. So for a pick-me-up and some wonderful design, color and pattern inspiration, consider a visit to 3elizabeths on Etsy. Say hi to Elizabeth while you are there!

New at Bumbershoot Supplies. Beautiful Vintage Buttons!

I have been looking forward to the opportunity to share more of the vintage buttons we have sourced for you and the time has come! New at Bumbershoot Supplies this week are several glass vintage buttons (with more waiting for their photos). Here are some of them, available at both Bumbershoot Supplies and also Bumbershoot Supplies on Etsy...

Hope you like them!

Best wishes for a great weekend!