Swell Christmas

Dear friends,

Just a quick one to say:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I look good with a beard, right?

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and that you get all that your heart desires and more!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell saints

Hello again!

So it's Monday...two days until the teeth come out. To be honest, I wasn't that worried at all until I started reading the literature the hospital sent me. My favourite part?

Specific complications of this operation

• Dry socket - bit gross, but nevermind...
• Retained root - no biggie...
• Damage to nearby teeth - hmmm...
• Sinus problems - fine...
• Broken jaw - ...sorry, what?!

Broken jaw! COME ON! Don't tell me stuff like that! I know they over-inform you so you can't sue anyone if it goes horribly wrong, but can't they be a bit more vague and fluffy? There's a lot to be said for the blissful ignorance of fluff...

ANYWAY, enough tooth talk - I made a new piece this weekend:

Hail, Mary. This necklace is part of my "Guide to Recognising your Saints" collection. This necklace is made from a vintage pendant, hung on vintage chain and adorned with vintage faux pearl.

So what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also, if you have any advice for staying in hospital, that would be great. I've never done it before, and I need all the help I can get!

I probably won't be around for a little while, but I promise I'll be back as soon as the Swelling (pun intended) has calmed down.

See you on the other side!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell quickie

Hello lovely people!

This post is going to be a quick one to say:

1. I love you.
2. I miss you.
3. I made a new bracelet today

The Green-eyed monster. This bracelet is made from a vintage brooch, linked on vintage chain and adorned with vintage faux pearl. What do you think? I'm quite pleased with it.

In other news, I'm having ALL FOUR of my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday 9th December. Apart from being absolutely terrified (I've never had an operation or stayed overnight in a hospital before - help me!!!!), I'm also going to be very busy. I have so much to do before then as I'll be out of action for the four days after. Wish me luck, please!

I hope all is well with you, and that you had a bloody brilliant weekend.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Just Swell

Hello hello!

How are you, my lovely friends? Did you have a brilliant weekend? I certainly hope so.

This weekend has been a good one for me. I managed to make not one, not two, but THREE new pieces! These will all be available to buy through my fancy new web shop, hopefully going live in the next couple of weeks. Wanna see? Oh, go on then!









I'm really pleased with how these have come out. I must confess, I've been a bit rubbish with making new pieces recently - BUT NO MORE! I'm also going to start work on a *new* collection for an exciting new stockist in Sweden! But more on that later....

So what do you think of my new pieces? All or any feedback is greatly appreciated please!

I hope all is well with you. Thanks for taking the time to read this. You've made my day.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell trip

Hello again, lovely readers of my blog!

So you may have noticed the severe lack of posts recently - sorry about that. I've been extraordinarily busy in recent times, which is very odd for me because normally I try my best to do as little as possible. However, the good news is that there are some very exciting things in the pipeline. Please keep your fingers/toes/arms/legs etc. crossed for me!

Last weekend I went for a little trip to Edinburgh, which was just brilliant. Edinburgh is easily one of my favourite cities, not just because it's beautiful and has an incredible history, but also because a wonderful boutique there called Trinket sells my jewellery. It was a very strange experience to go in and see my goods on display underneath a little card with my name on it! Very strange but very exciting.



If you're ever in Edinburgh, I highly recommend that you swing by. They have so many pretty things for sale I could happily bankrupt myself!

I've also been getting a lot of commissions recently, which is great. I love working on truly special pieces that hopefully people will love and cherish. I just finished one today that I'm really pleased with, but I won't post any photos yet as it's a secret gift for someone! Shhh...

That's all for now, my dear friends. Keep your eyes peeled for a newly improved website and other fun soon. Thanks for reading! You complete me.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell bloom

Hello everyone!

How have you been? I hope you've had a lovely week. Mine has been ever so busy!

On Monday I went to The Sartorialist book signing with the wonderful Reena of Fashion Daydreams - it was absolutely insane! Never have I seen so many immaculately turned out people in one room. Nor have I seen so many people queuing for a book signing! It goes to show how powerful and influential members of the blogging world can become. He signed my book to "Franke", which I thought was rather amusing!

My very clever friend Mark Pavey also popped over to show me the features of my soon-to-be live, newly improved version of my website! It's looking really, really good, and I can't wait to show you all. I'm even going to have my very own web shop, which I've very excited about. If you ever need any design work done, I highly recommend Mr Pavey. He's a bloody genius.

I've also been working on some new pieces recently. Here is one of my latest ones:




This corsage bracelet is made from a vintage brooch, linked on vintage chain. I'm really pleased with how it's come out - it's pretty bold, but so easy to wear. I've also found a great new place to photograph my jewellery in my flat! My housemate has this amazingly huge chinese cabinet, which is so easy to hang pieces from. I love the rustic background.

Oh, and I apologise for the extreme paleness of my skin. The sun is definitely not my friend.

Lastly, speaking of my flat and the sun, there was the most incredible sunset tonight:


I love living in London.

So what do you think of all of my pictures? I'd love to hear.

Until next time, my lovely friends! Have a great week.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell minx

Happy Sunday, one and all!

I hope you've had a lovely weekend. Mine has been very pleasant, made all the more enjoyable by an interview with me going live on The Sassy Minx!

This interview was so much fun to do, and the lovely Lisa of The Sassy Minx was ever so kind! I feel thoroughly honoured. If you fancy having a read, click here or on the image below.


Incidentally, this is one of my favourite photos from the shoot I did a little while back. Rosey looks absolutely amazing in this striking Mint Siren number, and the pocket watches look pretty cool too! You can buy the gold tone one from mygreenlipstick.com, and the silver tone one from my etsy shop. Don't forget, the amazing photography was done by the wonderful Joanna B.

I've got some exciting stuff coming up, including a little makeover of my website (Mark Pavey is a bloody genius). I will tell you all about it very soon!

Anyway, enough about me. How are YOU?

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell lipstick

Hello again, my dear friends.

Have you had a good week? I hope so.

This one has been extra good for Swell Vintage - we've got a new stockist! mygreenlipstick.com is a brilliant website that encapsulate effortless chic and modern elegance while supporting a more sustainable lifestyle, and I'm not just saying that because they're now selling Swell Vintage. You can find all sorts of wonderful ethically-produced goodies there, including work by designers such as Jo Wood and Enamore.

I have done four exclusive pieces for mygreenlipstick.com, all of which are one-of-a-kind. You can browse these in the Swell Vintage section of the website. My personal favourites are:


It's about time! A vintage pocket watch reworked as a necklace, hung on vintage brass chain & adorned with vintage faux pearls.



Chain of Fools! Varying lengths of differing vintage chain, adorned with a vintage prism & freshwater pearls.

So what do you think? It would really mean a lot to me if you popped over to mygreenlipstick.com and had a look. It really is a great website, and I'm so happy to be working with them.

How was your weekend? Tell me lots of exciting stories, please.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell shoot

Hello again!

How are you all? Have you had a lovely week? I do hope so.

So the other night I went to my lovely friend Joanna B's house and she took a few photos of me wearing my jewellery. Being in front of the camera rather than hiding far, far behind it was pretty weird experience. It's given me an insight into how hard "modelling" actually is! When the camera started shooting I froze up and hardly moved at all! I don't know if I'd do it again, but it was lots of fun. It was so nice to catch up with Jo and to finally meet Jo Saville, who kindly did my make-up. They are both such wonderful and talented ladies.




So what do you think? I'm definitely no model, but I'm really pleased with how the photos have come out. I can't thank the Jo's enough - thank you, ladies!

In other news, I saw The September Issue last night - have you seen it yet? I really enjoyed it. Initially I thought that it was going to be a fluffy Disney-style look at Vogue, attempting to lay the "Anna is an Ice Queen" stigma to rest, it was actually extremely honest. Anna Wintour is such a fascinating (albeit terrifying) creature, but it was actually Grace Coddington that really stole the show for me.


The shoots she styled were out of this world, and her feisty 'no-nonsense' attitude shows just how strong you need to be to survive in the Vogue universe. She truly is a flame-haired inspiration. What did you think of the film? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

That's all for now. Let's all go outside and enjoy the Sunday sunshine!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell days

Hello there, lovely readers of blog!

How have you been? Things have continued to be pretty busy for me, but the good news is I've actually managed to be more productive recently. I even made two new pieces last night, which was a lot of fun. I'll get some pictures on here soon, as I always love hearing what you all think of them.

The main reason for this blog post is to talk about an interview I did recently for the wonderful Queens of Vintage. I had the very (very very very) great pleasure of interviewing the devestatingly handsome Joseph Gordon-Levitt, star of the brilliant new film 500 Days of Summer!


I was always a big fan of Third Rock from the Sun and I loved Brick, but I had no idea just how well he'd grown up! The interview was a lot of fun and he was a joy to talk to. It's a miracle I managed to get through the whole thing without visibly dribbling or begging him to marry me out of pity.

If you'd like to read the interview, you can! It is now live at QueensofVintage.com. Click here to check it out!


So what do you think? This is my first proper big celebrity interview, so any feedback or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated - I want to learn!

500 Days of Summer is out tomorrow (2nd September), and I highly recommend it. It's definitely my favourite film of 2009 so far, and I defy anyone to see it and not fall in love with it. That's right - DEFY.

That's all for now! Enjoy the rest of your week and have lots of fun, ok?

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell apologies

Hello hello!

Right, my lovely friends - I'm going to start this post with a massive apology. It's actually more of an apology to Swell Vintage than anything else, as I have been MASSIVELY slack with making new pieces since moving to East London. I've also gotten ever so far behind with my blog roll, so if you've been wondering why I haven't commented on your blog recently, it's because I've been rubbish. So here comes the apology, as promised:

I'M SO SO SO SORRY!!!

But I'm also going to make a promise to sort my life out and start giving Swell the time it deserves. I've come to realise just how important Swell Vintage is to me, and how much I enjoy the world of blog, so expect much much more in the coming months. And if you see no difference in my behaviour, you have my expressed permission to give me a swift kick in the shins.

In other news, there is now a Swell Vintage facebook page! I debated whether or not I should make a facebook page because I was worried that no one would become a "fan", but fortunately everyone has been really great about it! I now feel a fool for not doing it sooner. If you want to get involved, here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/swellvintage.

Also, as mentioned in a previous post, I am now getting more involved with the brilliant Queens of Vintage. In fact, I am currently covering for Lena as acting editor of the whole site! It's a little bit terrifying, but fingers crossed I don't break the website in her absence. I'm really enjoying my work with them so far. I even get to go to a screening of 500 Days of Summer tomorrow, staring my current girl crush Zooey Deschanel. I also might be doing something VERY exciting on Friday....but more on that later.

I also want to say a BIG thank you to the wonderful Dream Sequins for featuring one of my necklaces in her Wishlist Wednesday: Statement Jewellery post.


This is my 'Shielded' necklace, and it's currently for sale on the Swell Vintage etsy shop. It really is such a great blog, and I'm over the moon to have been featured! If you fancy checking it out, click here.

So I think that's all for now. Thanks for reading, it means more than you could ever know to me.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell bridal

Hello there, my lovely friends!

So I've been massively slack on the blog front - sorry about that. But the good news is that things are going really well at the moment. I will reveal more when all is 100% confirmed, but let's just say that the Swell Vintage word is spreading nicely. I am very excited about it all. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! I have big plans.

In other news, I recently worked on a commission for a friend of mine who wanted something special for his bride to wear on the big day. I really like doing bridal pieces, and you may well see a Swell Vintage eco-bridal range coming soon!

Here are photos of the bracelet I made for him:



This bracelet is made from freshwater pearls and features a vintage faux-bone rose. As with all of my pieces, it's one-of-a-kind. I'm really pleased with how it came out, and so is my friend - everybody wins!

I apologise for the very short post. I promise I'll be back with a vengeance soon!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell Queen

Hello my dear friends,

How has your week been? Mine has been good thanks. I've had a few commissions come in, including a bridal piece which I'm really excited about. I'm thinking lots of pearl and a special vintage centre piece....but more on that soon!

I've got some more exciting news to report. As you may already know, I've been a contributor to the wonderful Queens of Vintage for a while now, so I was over the moon when they asked me to be an Editorial Assistant! I really enjoy writing for the Queens, so I'm really excited about getting more involved.

Here's a photo with me and the brilliant editor, Lena:



If you haven't visited the Queens of Vintage before, I highly recommend that you do (and not just because I work for them). You'll find all sorts of interesting articles and exclusive competitions. It's getting bigger and better all the time! If you fancy having a read, click here.

Also, thank you so much for your amazing comments on my photoshoot photos. I've nearly got them all now, and they look great. I'll post some more up soon, perhaps at the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by. You stay classy, world wide web.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell shoot

Hello, my lovely friends!

See, I told you I'd be back, posting regularly again. How have you been?

I've been very good thanks, especially because the final photos from the first ever Swell Vintage photoshoot have been coming over from the wonderful Joanna B! She is such an incredible photographer, and I really can't thank her enough for all of her hard work.

To tell you the truth, I was so nervous about this photoshoot. I felt like my pieces weren't good enough, and that I was totally out of my depth working with such talented people. But when I got there, the team was so lovely and welcoming, and I instantly felt at ease. It turned out to be a really fun day, and I absolutely love every single image I've seen so far. I still can't get over how well my jewellery went with Mint Siren's incredible lingerie!

Fancy a little taster? Here are a few of my favourite pictures so far:





I think you'll agree, Rosey and Skye look absolutely stunning in these photos, and the hair by Amber-Rose Peake and make-up by Maria Papadopoulou fits the vintage style aesthetic perfectly.

What do you think of the pictures then? Any thoughts or feedback will be greatly received and appreciated. Would you like to see more pictures from the shoot? Let me know.

In other news, sales of my collection in Edinburgh have been going really well and Trinket have requested six more pieces! I'm over the moon that this collection is doing well, as I was worried it was a bit too extravagant! Thank you, lovely people of Edinburgh.

I've also had some very exciting news regarding Queens of Vintage. I'll tell you more when things are more concrete...

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. Did you get up to anything fun?

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Return of the swell

Hello, my lovely friends!

It's been a LONG time! I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. How have you all been? I've missed you ever so much!

So much has been happening in the little world of Swell Vintage since we last spoke. I don't want to bore you with an insanely long post, but I will break it down into easily digestible bullet points:

• First things first, I moved house! I now live in sunny East London, and I'm loving every minute of it. It's so nice to live near civilisation and to be near my friends. My flat is also rather lovely (I will post pics one my room is finished).
  
  
• I had the first ever professional Swell Vintage photoshoot! It was such a brilliant day, and I'm so grateful to my friend Skye for organising it for me. We collaborated with the amazing Josefine of Mint Siren, who provided us with the most incredibly gorgeous vintage-style lingerie. I'm starting to get the finished photos over from the wonderfully talented Joanna B, and they're looking amazing. I'll post them when I have them all, but for now here's a sneaky peak from behind the scenes.

Here is the beautiful Rosey, being snapped by Joanna B.

All hands on deck! Skye has her amazing hair done by the lovely Amber-Rose Peake and her make-up by Maria Papadopoulou.

A perfect match! My jewellery and Mint Siren lingerie - I don't think we could have matched the colours better if we tried!


It was so much fun! Thanks for a great day, ladies!

You can see the rest of my photos on my Flickr, but watch this space for the final shots!

• I did my first ever fair! As mentioned in previous posts, I attended the Winchester Handm@de fair on Sunday and it was so much fun! Everyone there was so nice and welcoming. I love the community aspect of doing what I do, and it was great to step out from behind the computer screen and meet real people for a change! Here are some photos of my stand:

I had so much fun at the fair. I sold a few of my pieces, and I also got offered a very exciting opportunity - yay! I'll definitely consider doing another fair, especially a Handm@de one. There was so many talented people there. I could have easily spent all of my profits!

• I've sent off my second collection to Trinket in Edinburgh! It's definitely my most extravagant collection ever, so if you live locally why not pop in and have a look?
  
  

• It turned 23 the other day! It's a pretty insignificant age, but I had a truly amazing time and celebrated with some great people.
  
  

I think that's more than enough for now! Now that I'm settled in my new place I'll be blogging regularly and posting pictures of new pieces, as normal.

Thanks for reading, and please stop by again soon!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell moves

Hello my lovely friends!

I hope you're having a brilliant weekend.

This is going to be a very quick post as I am moving to East London today! I can't believe it's finally moving day, but I am really excited.

I'm not entirely sure when the internet in my new place is going to be sorted, so this could be my last post for a long time. I apologise for the lack of comments from me on all of your lovely blogs in advance, I will miss reading them. However, I do look forward to catching up on them when I'm back on line!

I haven't got much else to say, expect that the beautiful Rebecca of The Clothes Horse (one of my most favourite bloggers) recently bought one of my cuffs and has posted about it on her brilliant blog. The cuff is made from an antique drawer pull, and it looks beautiful on her! I'm so pleased that she likes it.

(Photo courtesy of The Clothes Horse)

If you'd like to read the post, click here. If you're not a regular reader of her blog already, you should really add it to your list. Rebecca's style and stunning photographs make for a truly original read.

Well, I guess I better pack my laptop up now! Thank you for reading, my dear friends. I will hurry back to you as soon as I can.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell improvements

My dear friends,

How are you today?

I am good, but ever so busy preparing for my move. I can't believe that next Sunday is the big day! I'm ever so sick of boxes, and now realise I have far too much stuff. Oh well.

One good thing that has come out of my packing is that it has given me a chance to review some of my past pieces. Sometimes coming back to something with "fresh" eyes allows you to see where improvements can be made, and this has definitely been true for me. I've made a few little tweaks, and I am much happier with these pieces now.

Not only that, but I have also reviewed the photography of my Swell Vintage etsy shop. When I first started photographing my pieces, I was just...awful. This was because of a combination of things, ranging from the fact my camera was a bit rubbish to my poor lighting skills. However, as time continues to go by, I think I am slowly improving (my new camera has certainly helped), so I've had another crack at the pictures I wasn't too happy with. And here they all are:


Bedrock bling! This necklace is made from vintage faux silver pearl chain, and it's a real beast! It closes with a vintage "hook and eye" clasp, and is adorned with some cheeky rhinestones.



Grecian goddess! This necklace is made from an antique drawer pull, hung on vintage brass chain and is adorned with vintage faux pearl. I like the Grecian feel of it, and how bold it is - definitely not for the faint hearted!




This necklace is made from an antique drawer pull and a vintage faux pearl, linked on three strands of vintage chain. I love the rich brass colour of the chain. It reminds me of "capelli d'angelo", which means "angel hair".



The blue bird! This is one of my favourite pieces, and it's also one that I have made a couple of tweaks to. This necklace is made from a vintage brooch, hung on vintage silver plated chain and is now adorned with a freshwater pearl. Who's a pretty boy then?

So what do you think? I would really like some feedback on these pieces and also my photography. I'm always looking to learn and improve, so any advice you will have would be extremely useful!

Thank you so much for reading, and I apologise for the lack of new pieces. Once I've moved and am settled in, I promise to start keeping things current and (hopefully) more interesting. I'm also sorry for not keeping up with my blog reader! I know I've been missing out on some great posts, but hopefully I'll get caught up soon.

Thanks again, my lovely reader.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x