Look What I Found. Vintage Flower Pins, Klutch-ettes

At Bumbershoot Supplies, we offer a lot of hand painted vintage celluloid flower cabochons and charms.  Our celluloid flowers were made in Japan in the 1940's to 1950's. I have often wondered how they were used back at that time.  Many would be perfect for mixed media and embellishing paper arts, indeed I once heard a rumor that some of these flowers were used for embellishing Valentine's cards.  Today, designers frequently use these vintage celluloid flowers in vintage-inspired jewelry designs. I regularly do research to learn how our vintage supplies were originally used, but in my travels, I have found very few examples of vintage jewelry using these celluloid flower cabochons. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to find a child's set in a Seattle antique store, I posted about it here.

Happy day, I found another! These are Klutch-ettes, three vintage celluloid flower cabochons, embellished with rhinestones, on the original card. They have pin backs for wearing on your lapel, sweater, scarf, perhaps even a hat? These are dusty, as you would expect, but the rhinestones are just as clear and sparkly as can be. One of the flowers was originally hand painted on the edges of the petals with blue which is fading in the most charming way.

Perfect for Spring!

Look What I Found. Vintage Handpainted Japanese Kiddy Jewelry Set

If you have visited Bumbershoot Supplies, you know we carry a lot of vintage Japanese handpainted flower cabochons and embellishments, ranging in age from the 1940's to the 1960's.  I have never met a handpainted vintage flower cabochon that I didn't like :) and I'm convinced you can never have too many flowers of any kind in your life.  Imagine my delight when I discovered this handpainted "kiddy set" in a Seattle antique store I visited for the first time last week.

This charming set consists of a bracelet, ring and flower basket pin, all painted in soft colors that have faded perfectly with time.  The bracelet is exquisite, with roses, daisies and lily of valley curving around the sides. These pieces are tiny - this set was designed for a very little girl. Remember playing dress up way back when?  Perhaps you still do sometimes :)  How wonderful it was to have a matched set of jewelry - these 3 pieces would make it a "demi parure" in costume jewelry jargon. Very special.

Emma and I still enjoy playing dress up sometimes. Indeed, we were at the antique store looking at some vintage dresses for Emma.  She found a wonderful 1950's - 1960's navy with white polka dot dress with matching jacket.  It came home with us and looks fabulous with her vintage white gloves and the navy hat in this blog post.

Featured Artist. Jeanne van Etten of The Nantucket Mermaid, on Nantucket and Etsy

Tell me, who can resist a shop with the name "The Nantucket Mermaid"?  As the last days of summer wind down, I'm not at all sure I've had enough of the season, so I'm doing what I can to hold onto sunshine and warm weather and beaches for a bit longer. 

 It is with pleasure I go 30 miles out to sea to Nantucket to share with you the work of

Jeanne van Etten, The Nantucket Mermaid in Nantucket and also on Etsy.

I regularly lurk on Jeanne's blog.  I love to see the photos of her shop, which looks like it is absolutely crammed with things I'd love to have :)  I am so inspired by Jeanne - she does everything! She makes jewelry from vintage components, which is how she ended up at Bumbershoot Supplies, and how I came to know of her work.

Look carefully, there are lots of pieces in this cabinet using our vintage Japanese hand painted flower cabochons.

And a bracelet around the stone mermaid's neck using more of the same vintage handpainted flower cabs.

Jeanne also makes dolls....

Beautiful candles and other tempting trinkets for her shop....

And also she paints...

...and paints...

...and paints...

I am in awe of Jeanne's diverse creativity and the hard work I know she must put out in order to stock her shop with her own hand crafted items. It's really inspiring for those of us who like to try different media, and who like to make all kinds of things.

If you are looking for a bit of summer any time, I recommend a visit to Jeanne's blog and Etsy shop. Also, if you contact Jeanne, I'm betting she can get you fixed up with your own bit of Nantucket summer to hold onto.

New at Bumbershoot Supplies. Vintage Buttons and Handpainted Flower Cabochons Continued

This week at Bumbershoot Supplies, I continue to list more vintage buttons and vintage handpainted Japanese plastic cabochons from a large order that recently arrived.  Here are a few of the new items....

In buttons: Some gorgeous vintage mother of pearl from Japan, about 60 years old...

In cabochons: puppies, cherries, sweet peas, orchids, the biggest long stem roses I've ever seen, plus daisies in two types.  Sweet peas and one of the daisies shown below...

And in this delightful combination of both button and cabochon, these vintage buttons with metal loop shanks, made from vintage plastic cabochons.

Plus these great ladybug buttons, for which I also have cabs available.

You will find all the vintage handpainted Japanese cabochons in the "vintage plastic cabochons" section of Bumbershoot Supplies.  Buttons are located in the "vintage buttons" section.  I hope you enjoy these vintage treasures.

Best wishes for a great weekend!

New at Bumbershoot Supplies. Vintage Japanese Hand Painted Flower Cabochons

New this week at Bumbershoot Supplies, some already arrived and more to come... Several new vintage Japanese flower cabochons have been listed in the shop and more are coming soon.  These sweet plastic embellishments were made in Japan many decades ago.  Our selection dates to 1950's to 1960's Japan and includes a wide variety of flowers and birds, most of them hand painted.  Just think of that - hand painted.  Pretty amazing.

These are wonderful embellishments for mixed media, fibre and paper arts as well as for jewelry applications.  You will find our selection at Bumbershoot Supplies in the "vintage plastic cabochons" section of the shop.  Feel free to contact me with any questions or requests.