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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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

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Swell stuff

Happy Bank Holiday Monday, one and all!

Have you had a nice long weekend? Mine has been rather pleasant, as I finally got the time to have a play on my new sewing machine!


This is the beast. It's small, but it's perfect for someone like me who has no real idea what they're doing. I'm really enjoying practicing, and I plan to make some nice little pouches for my jewellery from vintage fabric. I'll be posting some pictures soon!

I also made a couple of new jewellery pieces:

This necklace is made from a vintage brooch, hung with freshwater pearls and vintage chain. I like making fan necklaces. There's something quite regal about them, I think. What do you think? I'd love to know.

She sells sea shells...this necklace is made from a vintage shell, which I've adorned with a freshwater pearl and hung on vintage chain. This is one of my daintier necklaces, but I quite like its simplicity. What do you think? Do you prefer a bolder necklace, or something more simple and delicate?

I've just about finished my new collection for Trinket in Edinburgh, so now all of my focus will be on finishing up and preparing for the Handm@de fair in Winchester on 5th July. If you happen to be local, it would be ever so lovely to see you!

Wow, this post has been quite boring, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I might go and do more sewing now. Thank you for reading and leaving your lovely comments. They never fail to make my day/life.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Just swell

Hello! This is going to be a quickie, as I'm rather sleepy and have work tomorrow, but I just wanted to write a little something. Apologies for any terrible spelling mistakes or grammatical errors - I'm pretty much ready for bed!

I had my mysterious meeting recently, and it went pretty well, I think. I'm not going to say too much at this stage in case I jinx it, but I will say that I could potentially get some great experience. Fingers crossed for me, please!

Today I made a new necklace. I'm pretty pleased with it, and it's nice to work with silver for a change. I've used this great silver plated chain, so this one's a bit special:



You can't really see the vintage broach I've used very well in that picture, so I've tried to capture it better in this one:


I really am a terrible photographer...

My sister really wants this one for Christmas. What do you think, lovely reader? Shall I be generous?

Also, all of my past pieces are now on their way to Trinket in Edinburgh! It's all very exciting, and I really hope the people of Edinburgh like them. I know that they are holding special Christmas shopping evenings there on 26th and 27th November, so if you're in the area why not pop in? I'd love to know how much jewellery looks there!

I made some big price reductions on my etsy shop today. Please visit Swell Vintage at http://swellvintage.etsy.com and let me know what you think!

Once again, thank you for reading. You are my everything.

Much love,

Frankie

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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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Swell Trinkets

I've had some very good news this week! Very good, and very exciting. I'm not going to disclose too much at this stage, but here's a hint - Swell Vintage retail?? Needless to say, I have a lot of work to do!

I've been hunting for more lovely vintage parts this week, and have found some rather interesting bits and bobs that I can't wait to play with. My mannequin arrived yesterday, and she is beautiful! I have named her Edie, and she and I are going to make beautiful jewellery together!

In other news, have you seen Dr Horrible's Sing-a-long yet? I've got the episodes AND the soundtrack on my ipod, and I'm totally addicted:

If you watch this, I guarantee you'll love it. And if you don't...then what's wrong with you??

That's all for today!

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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