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 start

Hello again, my dear friends.

How have you been? I hope you've had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.

Today for the first time in bloody ages, I have had the chance to make some new pieces. As mentioned in previous posts, I am going to be exhibiting at Handm@de Winchester on 5th July, so am starting to build up my stock. I've used some of my Brighton finds - what do you think?


Emerald city joy! This necklace is made from a vintage brooch, adorned with freshwater pearls and hung on vintage chain with a bit of asymmetry thrown in for good measure.



The weirdest looking ID bracelet of all time? Probably. I found this vintage ID bracelet and adorned with a vintage brooch to make it more feminine. I think it has a rather steampunk feel to it, but I quite like that.


I think perhaps I've been watching too much of The Tudors (I really love that show), but I think this necklace has a real Catherine of Aragon feel to it. It is made from a vintage broach, adorned with a freshwater pearl and hung on vintage chain. Definitely a statement piece!

So what are your thoughts? As always, I welcome any feedback that you may have for me. I won't be adding any new pieces to my etsy shop for a little while, but if you see anything you'd particularly like here, please feel free to email me at frankie@swell-vintage.com.

Thank you, again, for reading. You are my world.

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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