Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Mountain Majesty

(approaching Steven's Pass, east of Seattle)

Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.

~Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You'll Go!

New at Bumbershoot Designs. Earring Designs Featuring Vintage Glass Cabochons

This week I've added to Bumbershoot Designs some new earring designs featuring vintage glass cabochons.  Building on last Friday's "New at Bumbershoot Designs" post, this one of a kind design features contemporary clip earring findings, for a modern-vintage feel. These are absolutely gorgeous vintage Japanese glass cabochons, made to mimic natural turquoise.  They are a splendid robin's egg blue.

I can't see anything but owls when I look at these cabs. These are from my personal stash, and in all my supply-hunting travels for Bumbershoot Supplies, I have never seen any like this. Beautifully molded, with really sharp and clean lines and a mother of pearl-like luster, I've paired these cabs with a vintage brass flower charm, found in a large lot of vintage brass that I am still sorting.  A very limited edition earring design.

I love it when I find interesting earring findings.  Beautiful rose findings and spectacular vintage Japanese glass cabochons in that shade of green that the Japanese did so well - that's all you need for a splendid, one of a kind earring design.

All of these earrings are currently available in the earrings section of Bumbershoot Designs. If you are interested in them and can't find them, as always, just contact me and I'll be happy to help you out.

Best wishes for a great weekend!

New at Bumbershoot Supplies. Vintage Glass Cabochons

We carry a lot of vintage glass cabochons at Bumbershoot Supplies. You will find them in the vintage glass cabochons section of the shop.  The one shown above, a spectacular vitrail starburst with a faceted high dome, is back in stock this week - last seen at Bumbershoot Supplies over 6 months ago.  My inventory of these cabs is small, so get 'em while they are available!

Also restocked this week are these very special vintage glass cabs from occupied Japan, floral ovals in what is commonly referred to as a "carved" effect, although the carved-looking glass cabs are molded.  These are a most unusual demin color with a bit of mottling of white glass throughout.  Really, really pretty.

And although not all new, I want to draw to your attention the large number of really small vintage glass cabochons and vintage flat backed rhinestones available at Bumbershoot Supplies.  I was originally drawn to these tiny bits of glass for use in my paper, fiber and mixed media creations. That's an inchie in the photo - a mini piece of art 1 inch square, so you can see the small size of these beautiful glass leaves.

As well as the jewelry applications, these beautiful tiny bits of vintage glass add a special and unique touch to these other art forms. If you decide to try some out, I'd love to see what you do with them!

Happy Birthday Party. Wednesday Stamper

We are partying as you read this because today is my daughter Emma's 16th birthday! A very special day for me, since she is my firstborn, and it marks the day I became a mother.

This artist trading card (ATC) is my entry for this week's theme of "party" at
Wednesday Stamper.

It uses a beautiful swirly stamp from the Michelle Ward series, just like ribbon party streamers. I've added stamped circles using a handmade stamp, made from foam pieces. I've also stitched and embellished with transparent flower confetti, sequins and glitter.

Studio Snapshot. Stacks of Jewelry Findings

Waiting to be made into something beautiful...

I have learned that I need to be able to see my options, quickly, in order to create optimally.  These trays work really well for me. Plus I can turn over the tray and see the stock numbers and costs, which I write on masking tape on the bottom of each little jar.  It makes the dreaded paperwork associated with making every jewelry piece a little bit quicker and easier.

Three Muses. Legs. Kitten Art Quilt.

This is my entry for this week's theme of "legs" at the Three Muses.

For over 8 years now, we have fostered kittens for the Seattle Animal Shelter.  We do not do this all year round, just during kitten season.  I thought I would honor all the four-legged creatures who have passed through our home and blessed us with their presence.

Hand dyed fabric, photo transfer, vintage charms, stitched transparencies, stamping.

It's so much fun to watch the really tiny kittens find their sea legs. Their legs are so tiny that we have to teach them how to use the litter when it is in an old cookie sheet on the floor - they can't handle anything higher. The bottle babies have to practice just walking at first.  And they walk through everything, litter, food, water, it's pretty messy for a while. Pretty soon, though, they figure it out and start tearing around the room we reserve for our fosters, and then it's just crazy fun to watch them slip and slide on the hardwood floors.

Our family came to this choice after losing our 17 year old brown tabby, Alu. She was really my cat - I got her when I was in graduate school. I really did not want another animal, but my children really did want a pet, so we compromised and decided to try fostering, and it has worked out wonderfully well for us. To see one of our foster babies, see this Monday in Seattle post.

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Foster Kitten Baby

(one of our foster kittens, named "Baby")

Kittens are angels with whiskers. ~author unknown

New at Bumbershoot Designs. Screw on Clip Earrings. Using Vintage Components in Jewelry Design

I have been venturing yet further into vintage components involved in jewelry making and have been experimenting with earrings using clip and/or screw on findings.  This week, new at Bumbershoot Designs are 2 earring designs for non pierced ears, although those of us with pierced ears can wear these also.

Part of my reason for providing such designs is personal - my lovely daughter Emma does not have pierced ears, and I love to make things for her.  It's a lot of fun to experiment with styles she can wear.

I've had to purchase and discard many, many different lots of earring findings in order to find clips and screw backs that are both beautiful and comfortable to wear.  Most often I find, whether they are contemporary or vintage, clips are far too tight for Emma or I to wear comfortably.

I have found a few, however.  I am particularly fond of the combination clip and screw on.  This style allows the earring to go on the lobe easily, with the clip, and then you can personalize the tightness with the screw.  It seems to work very well.

And sometimes I have been lucky enough to find components that are signed, which is really exciting!

These earrings are currently available in the earrings section and in the vintage pearls section of Bumbershoot Designs, with more designs completed and coming to Bumbershoot Designs as soon as I can get them photographed. If you are interested in them and can't find them, as always, just contact me and I'll be happy to help you out.

Best wishes for a great weekend!

New at Bumbershoot Supplies. Shabby Chic Vintage Metal Tiny Enamel Flowers

Have you seen the new publication, Jewelry Affaire, by Stampington?

On page 116, you will see Sugar Post Earrings by Pastel Petals, featuring enamel flowers just like these, offered in the vintage findings, charms section of Bumbershoot Supplies.

These flowers are really beautiful and versatile.  One swift smack with a hammer on my bench block and they were completely transformed, now two dimensional and ready for a different type of jewelry application and also perfect for paper arts in which a 2 dimensional presentation may be required. 

We also offer flowers with tiny stems, which don't hammer precisely flat, but are wonderful for creating miniature bouquets and unique charms.  See my vintage envelope locket necklace for an example of how you can use these. 

And if you are like me, you may not restrict yourself to 2 dimensions when working in the paper and fibre arts. I love to add unique 3D embellishments to my designs, and dangles on tags or bookmarks, for example, are another use for these lovely petite flowers. And in case you are wondering, the vintage pearl headpins are also available at Bumbershoot Supplies, in the vintage beads section.

I invite you to let me know what you're doing with these lovely flowers, I'd love to see!

Vintage Beads. Works of Art With Provenance

Provenance, definition from the online Miriam Webster Dictionary

Main Entry: prov·e·nance

Etymology: French, from provenir to come forth, originate, from Latin provenire, from pro- forth + venire to come — more at pro-, come

1 : origin, source

2 : the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature

In April, Bumbershoot Supplies expanded our vintage glass West German beads stock, and I want to share a bit about the history and provenance of these beads. We strive to find the best possible vintage components for your art, and I hope you enjoy hearing a bit about their history.

The concept of provenance is usually applied to great works of art, but the way I see it, it can also be applied to vintage beads.  Clearly, these gorgeous vintage bits of glass, lucite, mother of pearl, etc. are definitely valued objects and works of art in and of themselves, at least that is how I think of them.  But we also think of provenance as conveying a sense of time and place, history and ownership.  In art circles, the better the provenance, the more information we have about a piece of art, and the more confident we are that we understand its history and that it is what it is thought to be.  

Of course, beads are not of the same monetary value as a putative Cezanne, or Picasso, or Van Gogh, and they are a different type of art object entirely.  Much of the time, their provenance is quite murky, and we must rely on scanty information and expert opinion (just as in the art world) to understand where they came from and how old they really are.

However, sometimes you can really luck out!  Most of the vintage glass West German beads currently offered at Bumbershoot Supplies have a clear provenance. They were made in Kaufbeuren, in southern Germany, southwest of Munich. 
They were made in the 1950’s and remained in a warehouse there for decades, until the warehouse was closed and the contents of the warehouse were purchased by the supplier who provided the beads to me. Not too many steps involved, and a clear provenance.  Sweet!

At Bumbershoot Supplies, we usually know the decade and country of origin of the supplies we offer, because we choose our suppliers and products very carefully. We deal with reliable suppliers who can answer our questions about the origin of the supplies. We research our supplies in various ways, both online and through hard copy resource books and materials. We purchase as close to the source as possible. And we are constantly learning. The vintage West German glass beads are a real treat, since we know details about them, and that makes them special.

As we continue to bring in new vintage delights, I'll continue to share information about our supplies and what we have learned about them, in the hopes that this information enhances your experience of working with these remarkable vintage treasures.