Catching Up

It HAS been awhile since posting.  There have been so many things that have gone on in our lives the past few months.  I suppose some catching up is in order.   This cannot be done all in one day or even in one week...that would be too overwhelming for us all, really.  So, I will start in little bites.  First of all, I'll share some crafts that have been completed lately.  I've tried my hand at a few cuffs.  What a lot of work! 

 

This one I loved seeing go together.  I had purchased these pretty vintage metal roses and couldn't wait to use them in a big way.  This cuff/bracelet turned out really well.

 

 

Then, this bridal one took forever to finish--many hours of embellishing.  The white embroidery on it ended up looking almost like lace.  With its pearly accents and glass beads, it shimmers and shines--perfect for a wedding day.  They are both in my Etsy shop.  These took so long to do, however, that I've moved on to some other felt projects.  Those will be in another post though.  Hope you like these.

Sandal Clips Custom Order Done

It was a great opportunity to work with a lady who asked me through my Etsy shop to do a special order for her.  She had some white sandals (t-straps with a toe strap as well) that she wanted me to hand bead clip pieces for.  I'm assuming these are for a wedding, but I'm not sure--a special occasion at least.  She was just super to work with in every way.  How nice it was to work with someone not only very, very pleasant but also quite clear in what she wanted. 

I was able to buy some sweet little vintage, faceted, tangerine-colored nailhead beads and some pretty, light orange freshwater pearls (oh, and the actual clips) from fellow Etsy sellers.  I love to support other Etsy shops when the chance arises.  I already had the vintage rhinestone beads from an estate sale as well as the rhinestone and leaf vintage jewelry bits. These beads and jewelry pieces were sewn onto silvery strips--triple and quadruple stitched for security. One of the hard parts for me was not to over-embellish--you know how I like to embellish sort of "over the top".   

I then finished the underneath parts with the small clips and a piece of felt for comfort should the pieces overlap the sandals at all.  These certainly do sparkle and are trendy.  It was a fun challenge, and I'm thankful to my customer for the chance to work with her on this. 

Gifts I Made for the "Something Old" Swap

As promised here are pictures of what I sent to Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms for the "Something Old..." wedding themed swap hosted by Linda from A Swap for All Seasons. I know she has received her package, so I'm safe in posting the pictures. It was such great fun to do.
We had to include a wedding picture of some sort, so I made a hanging ornament out of a picture of my husband's maternal grandparents. I have always liked the picture...his grandmother looks just beautiful, I think. I added an embellishment and a rhinestone and put a white organza ribbon tie on it.
The "Something Old" was a vintage hankie.
For the "Something New" I made Cathy a brooch with my favorite pink flower beads and added two Swarovski crystal butterflies.
The "Something Borrowed" was a vintage piece of lace with an old pin stuck in it to secure it.
The "Something Blue" took me the longest to do. I embellished a perfume bottle with clear and blue rhinestone vintage jewelry bits and "pearls". The settings were all silver tone metal to match the silver on the stopper top. It certainly had lots of sparkle.
Oh, and this was the packaging. I wrapped the gifts in some greenish turquoise tissue paper then put ivory netting over that and tied the gifts with sage green ribbon. The tags identified the different parts of the saying and what to expect inside each gift. The tags were made of some very pretty paper I found...and the colors tied the whole gift packaging together.

Rhinestone Brooch Bridal Bouquets

Since I tend to gravitate to sparkly rhinestones...and especially to brooches...when I go to antique shops and estate sales, I guess it was a natural thing for me to notice the trend of rhinestone bridal bouquets. Now, I was very pleased with my bouquet when I got married 20 years ago. It had dried roses that my husband had given me (that I saved) and other dried flowers to fill it out. My mom did an excellent job on it, and it was gorgeous--very romantic and it held a lot of meaning. I liked the idea that I could save it (I was on the edge of the new idea of preserving floral bouquets) for always, and I still have it today stored away. Also, there was a Victoria magazine article--one of the first issues of the "new" Victoria, as I remember, though I can't remember the issue--that had bride's maid dresses with sashes. On the backs of the sashes the bride had purchased beautiful vintage rhinestone brooches for her attendants to wear. They added beautiful sparkle to the dresses for the wedding and were her gift to her ladies for being her attendants.
With those thoughts in mind, I have greatly enjoyed seeing the progression of the bridal rhinestone brooch bouquet. I like the idea of putting the rhinestones into, say, an organza or silk flower to add sparkle to the centers, or to simply make the whole bouquet one beautiful sparkling wonder. I love the fact that these bouquets are one-of-a-kind and keepable. Below are three of my favorite creators. Each has a different style and look...but I love them all.
One is Hair Bows Wonderworld on Etsy. Her creations are beautiful and very elegant. Here are a few of her stunning bouquets.
Another favorite Etsy creator (and fellow Wisconsinite, by the way) is Very Tres Chic by Paula Stanton. Her brooch bouquet has a definite "wow" factor to it and has lots of gorgeous, sparkling color. For anyone planning a vintage wedding, her shop is a must visit. Here is one of her creations.
The last Etsy shop is Croska which offers bridal bouquets with sparkles nestled within the bouquet for a unique look.
Whether you are looking forward to the big day yourself soon or know someone who is...or, if you are like me, and can't help just looking at beautiful, sparkly pieces created by very talented people, I'd like to suggest these three shops and the consideration of their handiwork. I can imagine a bride placing a favorite lady relative's brooch (perhaps the relative has passed away) inside her bouquet as a remembrance of her on the wedding day. Perhaps the groom gives his bride a special brooch that is then incorporated into the bouquet. The romantic and nostalgic side of me just bursts with thoughts of what could be done with these beautiful bouquets.