New stuff from the house of Swell

...although I actually live in a flat!

Although I've been busy with a good few Christmas jewellery commissions recently, I've also made some new pieces that I really want to share with you. As always, I'd be grateful for any feedback or thoughts you may have about the pieces, so please sock it to me. All of these pieces will be available from Swell-Vintage.com in the new year.

This is my Queen of Hearts necklace. It's made from a vintage brooch, hung on vintage chain and is adorned with freshwater pearls. I am really pleased with it's simple beauty - so much so, in fact, I might even wear it to my Christmas party tonight! Turns out I'm very indecisive...

The Luck be a Lady bracelet is a bit of a bold beast, but it still has an air of elegance about it. It's made from a vintage brooch, linked on vintage chain and is, of course, adorned with freshwater pearls. I do so love a bit of wrist bling.

Inspired by everyone's favourite Quality Street treat, this is The Purple One. I do have a confession to make - this is not a new necklace. I made it a long time ago, and it was for sale in a boutique in Edinburgh. Unfortunately that boutique has now closed down, and although I am very sad about it I am very happy to have this necklace back.

So what do you think? Which piece is your favourite? What would you wear them with? Tell me what's on your mind.

Also, it's nearly Christmas! I am so overly excited about it, and I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with friends and family. What are your plans for the festive period?

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Just shoot me

I'm always incredibly flattered and honoured when people say they like my jewellery. So, if ever a stylist or photographer asks to borrow pieces for shoots, needless to say I'm overwhelmed.

Recently, the very kind Murad Rm got in touch to ask if he could borrow a selection of necklaces and bracelets for a beauty shoot he had coming up. After seeing his pictures, I was definitely keen to get involved - especially when I found out that Melissa Walton, aka Loretta from Hollyoaks, would be one of the models!

Fancy a look at some of the shoots? Oh, go on then...

Melissa in The Sparrow's Pearl necklace

Melissa loves the Princess Pearl necklace

Stephanie looks stunning in the Times, they are a-changing necklace

Models: Mellisa Walton & Stephanie Tripp
Make up: Hannah Serjeant & Sally Watterston
Hair stylist: Tasha Goodhand-tait
Jewellery: Swell Vintage

What do you think? Personally I think Murad and the whole team have done an incredible job, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them for making my jewellery look so beautiful. Thank you, kind folks!

In other news, my next post will be my 100th! Wow, doesn't time fly when you're having fun?!

To celebrate, I will be running a little competition where you could win a special piece of Swell Vintage jewellery. If you'd like to know more, come back next week and I'll tell you all about it.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Swell spring

Hello everyone!

How are you? Did you have a lovely Easter holiday?

I spent my Bank Holiday Monday beavering away, making some new pieces that I'd love your feedback on:


Apologies for my terrible photography! This necklace is made from a vintage brooch, tweaked and altered with vintage faux pearls, hung on vintage chain with freshwater pearls. It took a looooong time to link all of those pearls individually on sterling silver wire, although it was a labour of love!

This is one of my simpler necklaces, made from a vintage pendant and hung on vintage chain with freshwater pearls.



This necklace is made from a vintage brooch, mounted on a vintage brass locket and linked with vintage chain and freshwater pearls.


So what do you think? These pieces are part of my collection for Fru & Fröken Kellerman, a wonderful boutique in Stockholm, Sweden. I love to hear your thoughts, so please let me know!

Also, I know have one of those Formspring account thingies. If you don't know already, Formspring allows you to ask questions anonymously (or you can be named - it's up to you). You can ask me anything! Just hop on over to the Swell Vintage Formspring profile page.

Anyway, that's enough for one evening. Have a good week, lovely people!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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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

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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 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

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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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Swell bits

Another Sunday has come and gone - where does the time go, eh?

Hello, lovely people! How has your weekend been? Have you got anything exciting planned for the week ahead?

I did manage to get out and enjoy the sunshine, and even to frolic with friends around London town. However, I did also manage to make a few new bits. What do you think of these?



Looking at these photos again, I can't help but think, "Frankie, turn off The Tudors!" However, I quite like this necklace. It's made from a vintage compact, hung on vintage chains and adorned with a line of freshwater pearls. The compact is still intact and comes with the original puff! It has that amazing powder smell too...if only this blog had a "scratch'n'sniff" facility.



People seemed to really like the cuff I posted last week, so I thought I'd have a go at making another (Cuff II - Antique Boogaloo). This cuff is made from an antique drawer pull, linked on vintage chain and adorned with a vintage faux pearl. The drawer pulls came as a pair, so I can even make another if you all like this one! Lovely.


I've been wanting to do something with this vintage brooch for a while now, and today it finally felt right to use it for a bracelet. I like it because it reminds me of grapes. I mean, everyone loves grapes...don't they?

So, as usual, I would love your feedback on these, please! I find it really helpful, and all of your support means a lot to me.

Speaking of lovely support, the wonderful Clandestine Chick (aka Sheena) of Observations and Musings was kind enough to feature some of my jewellery on her blog. It's a really great post, although I can't help but feel like a total fraud - the other jewellery she has included is so much nicer than mine! Click here to have a read.

Also, I just want to take this opportunity to mention another person who is far more talented than me. The lovely and brilliant Sian of Siansburys specialises in sock monkeys (among many other things), and I recently asked her to make me a Poirot one (if it's not The Tudors, it's Poirot - I need to get out more). Don't get me wrong - I knew that Sian was talented, and I knew she made amazing monkeys, but I was TOTALLY blown away when Poirot arrived. Sian's attention to detail, both on the monkey itself and the packaging he arrived in, was just perfect, and he is so well made. I am now in love, and can't wait for him to take pride of place in my new flat. Here he is with just some of my Poirot-related merchandise:



Isn't the likeness uncanny?! To see more of Sian's wondrous creations, visit her website at www.siansburys.net.

Well, I think I've rambled on for long enough - it's off to bed I go! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I hope the monkey made up for the poor quality of my writing.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Swell doings

I can't believe how quickly the weekends seem to fly by. Sunday already?! Surely not...

...and how was your weekend, my lovely friend? What did you get up to? I've been surprisingly productive, and managed to get a fair bit done.

For example, I finally got round to sewing pin backs onto the corsages I made ages ago:


I'm really pleased with how these have come out, but what do you think? If people like them, I'll definitely look into making more with a variety of vintage fabrics and brooches. I've just ordered myself a little sewing machine, so I can't wait to have a play and expand Swell Vintage into more than just jewellery.

I also made a few new pieces. As always, your feedback will be welcomed and appreciated:



My dear Mother commented, "That's very Anne Boleyn!" when she saw it - perhaps I'm watching too much of "The Tudors" these days? Anyway, this necklace is made from a vintage locket, adorned with a vintage pendant I found in a charity shop and is hung on vintage chain and faux pearl. I've put some of my cheeky floral inside the locket, but that can be removed and replaced with personal photos, or even Henry VIII portraits!


This cuff is made from an antique drawer pull that I have molded to fit around the wrist. It's linked with vintage chain, and adorned with a single vintage faux pearl. It's definitely a striking piece, but it's also comfortable to wear. Not to mention durable!


This necklace is made from vintage chains and vintage faux pearl. I'm really in love with the vintage weave chain that makes up the shorter part of the necklace (is it weird to be in love with chain?!), and I like playing with different textures within pieces. It's one of my more simple pieces, but I quite like it. What do you think?

I think that's enough for now, so I shall stop prattling on. I hope you've had a lovely weekend, and that the week ahead is even better!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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