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

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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

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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

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Swell times ahead

Hello once again, my loves! Did you have a good Easter time? Did you eat your body weight in chocolate? I certainly hope so.

I've had such a nice and relaxing long weekend, but I probably should have used my time more productively as things are getting increasingly busy. I'm still working on pieces for the Handm@de Fair in Winchester on 5th July, and I'm also starting on my next collection for Trinket in Edinburgh. Not only that, but I'm moving to East London in about 6 weeks - needless to say, there's plenty to do!

However, I did manage to make a couple of things. This necklace, for example:


I really like this vintage perfume bottle. I've cleaned it up, replaced the flimsy chain it was found with with a stronger, more textured vintage one, added freshwater pearls and hung it asymmetrically. I also like that it is still functional - all you need to do is pull the cork (as below) and insert a small piece of fabric soaked with your favourite scent:

A necklace by any other name would smell as sweet!

This bracelet is made from a vintage faux turquoise brooch and is linked on vintage chain. One of the stones was missing around the center turquoise (oh no!), so I removed them all and (shockingly) replaced them with fresh water pearls. Now I think it looks a bit like a weird cake with a bird's egg in the middle.

So what do you think? I always love to hear what you think of my pieces, so any feedback you may have will be welcomed with open arms, and maybe even a cheeky kiss!

Also, I wrote an article on vintage satchels for the Queens of Vintage last week, which you can read here if you fancy it. Not only that, but Handm@de Winchester kindly posted a "Meet the Maker" interview with me on their blog, which you can read right here. There really are so many lovely people in the blogosphere!

Well, now that Easter is over, it's back to normality. I hope you have a really good week! I'm now going to watch Clueless and attempt to catch up on my (ever-expanding) blog reader.

Thanks for reading. It's been emotional.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Swell finds

Another Sunday, another blog post...

Hello, my dear friends. How are you, and how was your weekend?

Mine was very lovely, thanks. I visited my good friend Jamie Smart (http://www.fumboo.com) in Brighton. It was perfect weather to be beside by the seaside, and it was brilliant to fill myself with sea air and candy floss in equal measure. I also visited Snoopers Paradise - have you ever heard of it/been? Another good friend of mine, Mark Pavey (http://www.themarkpavey.co.uk) had been talking about it for a good while, so I decided to take a look.

Snoopers Paradise is a huge indoor market, full of vintage, antique and second hand bits and bobs. Basically, I was in heaven, and it was the perfect opportunity for me to stock up on vintage treasures to make some new pieces with.

Here are some of my finds and what I've done with them so far:

I really love this brooch - the black and gold is very striking. I can't wait to try and make something rather special with it.

I've already had a little go with this one. This brooch had a few stones missing, so I replaced them with freshwater pearls. It looks a little random, but I quite like that.

This brooch had horrible chipped faux pearls on it, so I pulled them out and replaced them with freshwater ones. I really like the shape of this one too.

This brooch has stones missing, too. I haven't decided what I want to do with it yet, but I really like the colours and how shiny it is.

This is a vintage ceramic perfume necklace. I haven't quite decided how I'm going to adapt this one yet, but it'll probably feature some pearl. Can you tell I quite like pearl?

Speaking of pearl, I wrote an article on vintage pearls for Queens of Vintage last week. Fancy a read? I'd love your feedback, if you'd be so kind.

Is it sunny where you are at the moment? The UK has been glorious over the last week. Let's hope it continues to last so I can wear my vintage sunnies constantly!

Thank you for reading my blog. It really does means a lot. You spoil me with your amazingness, you really do.

Have a good week! See you soon? Yes, please...

Many thanks,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Swell plans

Hello again, my dear friends,

How the devil are you? How quickly time is passing these days! I still can't quite believe that it's March already.

The good news is I've got some exciting events coming up. Some of you may have heard about The Affordable Vintage Fair that is due to come to London on 4th April. The Queens of Vintage will have a table there, and they have been kind enough to offer me some space to exhibit a few of my pieces! They really are such lovely ladies. So if you happen to be in London that day, why not pop in and see us? Who knows - you may even find some vintage bargains too!

The bad news is that sometimes it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day, especially as I have a full-time day job...but I'm sure if I keep focused, I'll be fine. Here is one of the pieces that will be for sale at The Affordable Vintage Fair:



This necklace is made from a vintage brooch, adorned with a vintage faux pearl and hung on vintage chain. I love the colour of the stone in the centre, and because it's so clear the pink will adjust slightly to whatever is worn underneath it. It's nice and shiny too - perfect for any vintage magpies out there!

Also, I wrote another article for The Queens of Vintage - this time about some rather gorgeous and unique vintage brooches available online. If you have the time and would be so kind as to read it, I would be most grateful for any feedback that you may have. You can find it here.

So what have you been up to over this beautifully sunny weekend? I don't know about you, but I'm so happy spring is finally here.

Thanks for reading my little blog - it really does mean a lot!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Swell websites

Hello my lovely loves!

How has your week been so far? Mine's been okay thanks. My little London holiday was lots of fun, but unfortunately I was struck down by a rather nasty lurgy on Sunday night (boooo). HOWEVER, I am feeling much much better now, so it is officially all good.

So I've been a little slack on making new items, which is very bad of me because I'm going to be exhibiting at the Handm@de Fair in Winchester on 5th July! Needless to say, I need to get a wriggle on, but I am very excited about it.

Also, the rather lovely Kitty of Vintage Shop of the Day wrote about me and Swell Vintage! I'm feel truly honoured, as I've been a big fan of her blog for a good while now. Fancy reading it? Oh, go on...click here.

I'm really enjoying writing for Queens of Vintage too. They are such a lovely group of ladies - they're so encouraging and allow me lots of creative freedom, which is just brilliant. In fact, I wrote an article about vintage lockets just last week, which you can read right here. I'm still pretty new at writing on specific subjects, so I'd love some feedback if you'd be so kind! What do you think? Is there anything you'd like me to write about it? I am open to suggestion.

I have no new jewellery pictures to show you - sorry about that! Instead, here is a hideous picture of my stupid pale face:


Thanks for reading! I love you! No, really...I do...I hope this hasn't made things awkward between us...

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Swell Queens

Happy Monday, all! Wait...is there such a thing?

Did you have a lovely weekend?

I had ever such a good time at the IFB London Fashion Week party - Mademoiselle Robot did such a fantastic job! It was lovely to meet her as well as many other wonderful people, including the wonderfully glamorous Jennine Tamm of IFB and The Coveted, the adorably sweet Reena of Fashion Daydreams, the brilliant Gemma of RetroChick, the Daisy Lowe-a-like Holly of Never Love You More and the hilarious and chic Fritha of The Fish Tank.



Thanks to all for a brilliant evening! (above: Reena, Jennine and Gemma).

I am also very pleased/excited/overjoyed/delighted to announce that I am now a contributor to the wonderful website Queens of Vintage! If you haven't heard of this site, I highly recommend you check it out quick-sharp, as it's a wonderful resource for anyone who is truly passionate about vintage.

I have written my very first article for the lovely Queens, which you can read right here. It's all about sourcing vintage and antique parts to customise your favourite vintage outfit with or to use however you please! I hope you find it useful, and maybe even a tiny bit entertaining(?)

I really need to follow my own advice and get out on the hunt for new parts - all my good stuff has dried up! So no new jewellery to show you this week...but here's one of the photographs I took for my website (http://www.swell-vintage.com/) that wasn't used in the end.

I'm off on a mini-holiday from Thursday till Monday (a long weekend in London with my girls - very exciting!), but I will try my best to post before then. My new internet-tastic phone is due to arrive before then, so perhaps I'll even be able to do it from there!

Have a good week!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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