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.

Featured Artist. Alexandra Duelm of Mirabee on DaWanda

I'm happy to share with you the work of Alexandra Duelm of Mirabee on DaWanda. One of the really neat things about Bumbershoot Supplies is that our customers come from all over the world. I love the international aspect this brings to my days and it means I am always learning. Alexandra, for example, has introduced me to DaWanda, which she describes as "the European Etsy".

Alexandra recently purchased some gorgeous denim blue vintage glass cabochons from occupied Japan.  I really love these cabs, and I wanted to see what she was doing with them.

Aren't these lovely pieces? Plus, Alexandra's jewelry is so beautifully photographed that I feel as if I could touch it.

Please don't let the language barrier stop you from visiting or asking questions or even purchasing, because with Alexandra there is no language barrier :) She will be able to help you navigate her shop and understand the Euro prices. And, when you are at the shop, use the Google Toolbar to translate the page from German to English. It works really, really well. 

Alexandra's work uses many vintage items, such as cabs, lockets and beads. I encourage you to visit her shop for beautiful designs, great photos and much inspiration.

Sudio Snapshot. Natural Inspiration

Some of the many inspirational bits and pieces I collect to bring nature into my studio...

Seeing Stars in Seattle. Artist Trading Card (ATC). Three Muses

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge this week, "Seeing Stars".  It is an artist trading card (ATC) made with my hand dyed fabric, sun printed with stars, stitched and embellished with handmade paper, vintage dictionary paper, sequins and my latest vintage delight, rose montees - tiny crystals set in metal settings that can be glued, or wired or sewn through the channels on the back of the setting.

I am always astounded at how many stars we can see in Seattle, just from the back porch. You'd think that the lights of a big city would wash out the night sky, but (when it is not raining!) I see lots and lots of stars. It always makes me wish to be somewhere well and truly dark, where the city light would be removed, like a curtain lifted, and the true radiance of the heavens revealed.

Mothers. Mama A Rainbow. Mixed Media Monday

This is my entry for this week's Mixed Media Monday theme of "mothers".  This art quilt is my attempt to capture a very special moment in my life, a unique Mother's Day present from my son Eric. We're not big on Mother's or Father's Day, we basically try to approach every day as Mother's Day and Father's Day and Children's Day. So it was a real surprise when Eric sang me this song (lyrics below) on Mother's Day a couple of years ago... I still get a bit teary every time I read these lyrics as I hear his incredibly beautiful clear boy soprano singing this song for me.  I deeply value my role as a mother to Eric and my daughter Emma, and I can't think of anything that has blessed me more in my life than the presence of three very special people, Emma, Eric, and my husband Jim.

Hand dyed fabric, ribbon, transfer of Eric's heart drawing, then stitched, photo transfer, stamping, crystal, vintage rhinestones.

Mama A Rainbow 

~Jim Nabors

What do you give to the lady who has given

All her life and love to you

What do you give to the reason you are livin'

I could window shop the world

Before I'm through

Mama, a rainbow

Mama, a sunrise

Mama, the moon to wear

That's not good enough

No not good enough

Not for Mama

Mama, a palace

Diamonds like door knobs

Mountains of gold to spare

That's not rich enough

No not rich enough

Not for Mama

Mama, a life time crowded with laughter

That's not long enough

Not half long enough

What can I give you

That I can give you

What will your present be

Mama, young and beautiful

Always young and beautiful

That's the Mama I'll always see...

That's the Mama with love from me

What can I give you

What will your present be

Mama, young and beautiful

Always young and beautiful

That's the Mama I'll always see...

That's the Mama with - love - from - me...

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Rhododendrons, Japanese Garden

(beautiful rhdodendron, Japanese Garden)

...I thought of you in a clearing

green and sunlit, bordered by four

tall trees and the dusky spaces

between them where barely

discernible rhododendron

start the process of shadows...

~Elizabeth Morgan

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 Designs. Envelope Locket

New at Bumbershoot Designs this week, this vintage locket, in the shape of an envelope, is ready for a note, a photo, a lock of hair, a few tiny trinkets, whatever  you want to wear close to you.  Everything but the toggle clasp is a vintage component, and it uses some of my favorite flowers and glass pearls.  The tiny little glass pearl in the center of the flower is from the late 1940's - divine.

But one of the things that makes this design really special is the participation of the wearer.  The design becomes elevated by the meaning the person wearing it chooses and the trinkets they place inside. I love designs that truly come alive in this way.

This very limited edition necklace is currently available at Bumbershoot Designs.  If you click on the link and it has sold, just contact me.