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

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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

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Swell menagerie

Hello hello hello!

So it's the Sunday before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
...except for the animal-themed necklaces I made this weekend!

Wow, that was really bad, wasn't it?

Anyway, I made two necklaces this weekend: one was for a commission, and the other will be on sale at my etsy shop in the new year. Wanna see? Ok!

My dear friend Ruth asked me to make a necklace for her Mum. Ruth has been extremely supportive of all my jewellery-related work, and the only real instruction she gave me for this was, "Make it big enough so she can get it over her head without having to faff around with clasps!" Creatively she's trusted me to do whatever I like, but I did check that she wouldn't mind a spider....so here it is:




It's made from a vintage spider broach, linked on vintage brass chain with pearl. I'm really nervous and hope she likes it! What do you think of it? Honest opinions will be welcomed, please!

This necklace is made from a vintage bird broach that I got in Edinburgh (oh, how I miss that city), linked on vintage silver plated chain. Oh, and what's he got there? A vintage faux pearl in his claw!




I'm quite please with how this one has turned out, but I'd love to hear what you think. Should I make more animal-themed jewellery?

I can't believe it's nearly Christmas already! I can't wait to eat lots of amazing food, watch lots of ridiculous television and have many, many lie-ins. All I want for Christmas is the Poirot DVD box set (yes, I am massively geeky). What have you asked Santa for this year?

Merry Christmas, lovely lovelies!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Swell happenings

Right, so I'm finally ready to tell you all about where my jewellery is going! I didn't want to jinx it by telling people too early on, just in case my collection wasn't up to scratch, but it all seems good to go now! Hooray!

My jewellery is going to be on sale in a shop!!! Not only that, but it's a BEAUTIFUL shop! It's called Trinket, and it's in Edinburgh, Scotland. I've blogged about it before, not because of this, but because I visited the shop when I was on holiday there and genuinely loved it. It's a really gorgeous mix of vintage and contemporary pieces, and has some really unique jewellery and accessories. I spent a small fortune in there when I went! I'm so so excited that I've been given this opportunity, and Jan (the lovely lady who owns Trinket) is been so understanding and helpful. I will be shipping my jewellery off to her over the next week or so, just in time for Christmas. I will miss my pieces terribly, but hopefully they'll be going to a good home!

In other potentially exciting news, I have been given the chance to meet with a very brilliant and very talented jewellery designer. I won't name names at this stage, but even if it's just a meeting, I'm sure it'll be a great experience. Fingers crossed for me, please! I'm really going to have to attempt to contain myself, as I'm a really big fan of his work!

Also, I've had my first Etsy sale - woo! If you have a spare minute, please stop by my shop, Swell Vintage - http://swellvintage.etsy.com. I'm really looking forward to making more jewellery so that I'll be able to sell some online too. I need more free time, please!

So I think I've written more than enough for now! I will leave you with a photo of one of my favourite vintage scarves that is on sale in my etsy shop:



I LOVE the pattern!

Thanks for reading! You are brilliant.

Much love,

Frankie

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My first time...

Hello there!

I can't imagine who'd actually be reading this (apart from YOU, Ruth Beedle), but welcome to my very first ever blog! It's all very exciting.

Ironically, I don't actually have anything particularly exciting to say. I'm hoping to finally launch my little etsy shop in the next couple of weeks, so I guess I'd better crack on with the jewellery making. I got back from a week in Scotland on Saturday (Edinburgh, to be precise), and I spent a bloody fortune on vintage treasures! If you've never been to Edinburgh, I strongly recommend that you visit, especially if you're into history and curios like me. The shopkeepers there are all really nice and friendly, and are more than happy to tell you other places to find great vintage.

Here are the shops that I recommend:

• Trinket 18 William Street, Edinburgh
  http://www.trinketjewels.co.uk/
  This shop maybe small, but it's got some real treasures. A stunning array of broaches and handbags, as well as compacts that are in excellent condition. Not only that, but the shop owner has cleverly filled these compacts with brand new Max Factor face powder, so they're practical as well as pretty! The ladies that run Tricket are also lovely and extremely helpful. Definitely stop by if you can!
  
• Godiva The Grass Market, Edinburgh
  http://www.godivaboutique.co.uk
  I read about this shop in i-on magazine (VERY handy for finding where the good shops are, plus it's FREE in most shops! - http://www.blogger.com/www.ionmagazine.co.uk), and it didn't disappoint. The shop has a reasonable size vintage collection, but also boasts designs by fashion students and local designers. I got a really nice vintage tweed jacket that has been customised by a Spanish designer. I can't work out her name unfortunately, as the label is faded, but I've had nothing but compliments on it. They also offer a 10% discount for students! Definitely worth a look.
  
• Cavanagh Antique Shoppe 49 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh
  Unfortunately, this shop doesn't have a website, but that's because it's a very small family-run business. And yes, it is as adorable as it sounds! The shop has been owned by Mr and Mrs Cavanagh since the 70s, and is still run by them today along with their son, Simon. Having been in the 'Old Town' of Edinburgh for a good while, they've picked up some lovely antique pieces, and have a fantastic range of costume jewelery that is extremely well-priced. Their broaches are particularly lovely. If you're near the Royal Mile, pop in and see them. They're a lovely family, and you won't be disappointed.
  
• Richard Wood Antiques 66 West Port, Edinburgh
  Another very small antique and curios shop, but that is not to say they don't have a fantastic range. I was shocked at the reasonable prices too, as I was able to pick up some Victorian perfume bottles for roughly £10 each. Apparently these guys travel far and wide (to France, the man told me) to get good quality pieces to sell at a decent price, and it definitely shows. They also have a huge collection of books, so there's something for everyone.
  
• Barnardos Vintage 116 West Bow, Edinburgh
  www.myspace.com/barnardosvintage
  This was an excellent find; a charity shop that specialises in vintage! Moral, guilt-free vintage shopping? What could be better? This shop, although small, has an excellent range of retro clothing, as well as an impressive range of sunglasses! They also sell all sorts of bits and bobs, all of it in brilliant condition. I found two skirts in there, including a rather special vintage kilt that I can't wait to give an airing. Also, because it's a charity shop, the prices are very, very good. Definitely pop in if you get the chance!

And that's about it for now. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to visit all of the places suggested to me by the lovely ladies in Trinket, but I'll definitely be back to hunt for more goodies! I've already made a start on some jewellery with the pieces I picked up in Edinburgh, so perhaps I will upload some photos soon.

Thanks for reading, anyway. I will be writing again soon, so please come back! Please?

Byeee!

Frankie

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