Bumbershoot Designs and Supplies February 2015 Special for Newsletter Subscribers

Vintage Beaded Earring Kit, free with purchase – Our gift to newsletter subscribers during this February is a new earring kit featuring wonderful vintage Czech glass beads in amethyst and our own antiqued brass findings with flower charms! February's birthstone is amethyst and this kit would make a lovely gift for February friends. Use this kit to make up a quick gift, or gift the kit, or create a treat for yourself. During February, we will send all necessary components to make the earrings shown in the photo above.

Our newsletter subscribers can receive this kit, free with any purchase at Bumbershoot Supplies or Bumbershoot Designs.  See your February 1 and February 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 earring kit 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!
 

May's Birthstone: Emerald

Emerald Vintage Shield Glass Rhinestone Jewel.

May's birthstone is the emerald.

We have a large selection of gorgeous emerald colored and faux emerald stones at Bumbershoot Supplies and Bumbershoot Designs. 

Emerald Green Vintage Swarovski Rhinestone Pear.

Emerald Green Vintage Tiny Glass Cabochon Deco Fan.

Emerald Vintage Rhinestone Necklace Swarovski in Gold.

Emeralds can be found in locations all over the world and have been mined since ancient times. While many gemstones come in differing shades and colors, emeralds are only green. In fact the root of the word emerald means green.

Emerald Vintage Swarovski Crystal Oval Rhinestone.

Emerald Green Vintage Glass Grooved Cabochons.

Emerald Green Vintage Glass Triangle Cabochons.

Emerald was also the Pantone color of the year for 2013. To see more emerald hued inspiration check out our pinterest board!

Emerald Vintage French Sequins. 

Emerald Vintage Lucite Flower Cameo Cabochon.

Emerald Vintage Rick Rack Ribbon Trim.

In 1870 Tiffany & Co. published a birthstone poem in one of their pamphlets. The May poem goes like this:

"Who first beholds the light of day
In spring's sweet flowery month of May
And wears an emerald all her life

Shall be a loved and happy wife."

Emerald Vintage Swarovski Crystal Rhinestone Chain.

Emerald Vintage Rhinestone Starburst Teardrop Jewels.

Emerald Swarovski Prong Set Navette Rhinestones.

For some sweet inspiration this May, we invite you to browse our vintage faux emerald collections at  Bumbershoot Supplies and Bumbershoot Designs.

April's Birthstone: Diamond

Vintage Rhinestone Earrings Crystal Jewel Emerald Cut.

April's birthstone is diamond.

Of course we don't sell any real diamonds at Bumbershoot Designs and Supplies! But we do have a dazzling collection of clear crystals, cut and faceted to simulate diamonds at Bumbershoot Supplies. 

 

Swarovski Rhinestone ss20 Crystal Clear.

Vintage Swarovski Crystal Clear Octagon Rhinestone.

Diamonds come in many different shapes, sizes and colors, the most popular being colorless or white diamonds. Diamonds are also one of the hardest substances on earth making them ideal for all sorts of uses beyond decoration. 

 

Vintage Rhinestone Necklace Crystal Jewel in Brass.

Vintage Swarovski Crystal Rhinestone Clear Square Jewel.

Vintage Swarovski Crystal Clear Rhinestone Navette.

In 1870 Tiffany & Co. published a birthstone poem in one of their pamphlets. The April poem goes like this:

"She who from April dates her years,
Diamonds shall wear, lest bitter tears
For vain repentance flow; this stone,

Emblem of innocence, is known."

Vintage Rhinestone Earrings Crystal Antiqued Brass.

Vintage Rhinestone Crystal Clear Flower Jewel.

For some bright and sparkling inspiration this April, we invite you to browse our vintage faux diamond collection at  Bumbershoot Supplies.

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Crocheted Scarf With Vintage Crystal Glass Beads

crocheted scarf, glorious Noro yarn paired with

vintage Japanese crystal beads, shaped like little fir trees

In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette,

which provides the meaning of life and art.

 It is the color of love.

~Marc Chagall

 

The Supremes. Vintage Rhinestones, Beads, Glass Pearls, Part 1

At the Experience Music Project, a music museum in Seattle, there is currently a fabulous exhibit for those of you who love vintage glass bits, baubles, rhinestones, pearls, costumes, and the Supremes.  It is called Reflections: The Mary Wilson Supreme Legacy Collection. 

Mary Wilson of the Supremes loaned her collection of 1960's and 1970's Supremes costumes and gowns for this exhibit. I visited the exhibit today and was IN AWE of the amazing costumes and of all the vintage embellishments.  It was a great opportunity to see the use to which many of the baubles available at Bumbershoot Supplies were put - kind of like seeing them in nature, in the wild... :) This is the first of 2 posts in which I will share what I saw.

The dresses above were worn in a command performance for Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother in 1968.  They are a lattice of glass pearls and crystal aurora borealis rhinestones, set in metal settings, everything individually sewn onto the fabric.

Photographic quality is limited since we could not use flash and we had to stand a distance away, but I am really grateful to be able to get some photos of these amazing gowns.

The bodices of the gowns above were encrusted with rhinestones, seed beads and lots of turquoise lucite beads and pendants.

This amazing coat is covered with rhinestones, sequins, bugle beads, and some really large glass beads around the edges, probably 10-12mm in size. The size of the beads surprised me. The huge emerald rhinestone buttons are absolutely gorgeous.  And notice the big emerald sew on glass teardrop at the neckline of the gown. Overall in the gowns I saw, there were more glass embellishments - lucite was not used very frequently.

Dark emerald rhinestone straps, emeralds set into metal settings, then sewn onto fabric.

I was really glad to hear from one of the museum staff that the alarms around the costumes had been turned off. Apparently everyone was doing exactly what I was doing, leaning in as close as possible to the gowns to get a really good look at them, and holding their cameras as close as possible. This was triggering the alarms constantly. Plus, when the alarms went off, some folks were so startled that they even fell into the exhibits! All in all, the decision to add extra staff instead was a great choice from my perspective, since I could get a really good look and these photos.

This dress features big 25x18mm crystal rhinestones sewn onto the back of this red velvet number...

Part 2 coming shortly...

New at Bumbershoot Designs. A Little Sparkle. Swarovski Crystal Jewel Earrings

Sometimes you just need a little sparkle. 

Do you know what I mean?

Today, it's a cool and rainy and quite grey day in Seattle.  A good day to make something sparkly.  

I have such a wonderful time making these earrings. The crystal by Swarovski glitters like nothing else, and even on the darkest, rainiest days in Seattle, I can feel my spirits lift as I work with these gorgeous vintage jewels.

At Bumbershoot Designs, you will find vintage rhinestone earrings in many colors and shapes. 

I am particularly attached to these smaller sized rhinestones, since they are so versatile and suitable for just about any occasion where you need...

...just a little sparkle.

Wishing you a fabulous, sparkling weekend!

New at Bumbershoot Supplies. New Vintage Glass: Cabochons, Rhinestones, Crystal

New at Bumbershoot Supplies this week, lots and lots of vintage glass.  There are certainly some truly lovely vintage plastics, and we do offer many at Bumbershoot.  But I must admit to a particular fondness for vintage glass.  It has something to do with the way it captures and holds the light, and the substantial feel in your hands, how it can look so fiery and feel so cool at the same time, how it is solid but can seem to have movement...  Yes, I love the old glass :)

There are several new vintage glass cabochons, two featured here are fleur de lis shaped, with topaz glass (top) and above, a color of glass called cuban, which is a mix of topaz, jonquil and siam red. 

Technically not glass, but crystal, are the stones in these vintage rhinestone bead balls.  These are 1950's by Swarovski from Austria, and so they have that trademark sparkle you would expect. We have them in gold metal (above)....

....silver metal...

...and these peridot stones prong set in a white enamelled metal.  These are really striking.

Finally, we are starting to expand our pointed back rhinestone offerings and we have two stunning additions to offer, new this week:

Both emerald green and both with lustrous finishes on the surface of the glass, these navette shaped rhinestones are a wonderful find.

I love to work with nature themes in my art, so I was delighted to find these gorgeous leaf rhinestones, and in pristine condition too! 

Come and visit Bumbershoot Supplies, see what else is new. Window shoppers welcome!