Wednesday, January 10, 2007

a little do it yourself



antique malls and flea markets can turn up some great vintage brooches and pendants. some quirky, some gorgeous. a couple of years ago, i made necklaces featuring my vintage finds and had a few trunk shows to sell them. this is an easy, but sometimes time consuming project. it is fun to find the vintage pieces and the bead shows are amazing. tables and tables of sparkly semiprecious stones. if you look, you probably have something in your jewelry box just waiting to be restrung.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sooooooo beautiful. I am itching to do something creative today but can't put my finger on it. It is driving me crazy. Maybe I should string a necklace. Any ideas?

design dna said...

got anything to restring? if not there is always the altered book thing - i think that is too cool. i have the hankering to do a collage myself but i don't know how to do the really cool ones where the image seems like part of the paper. as if you had drawn ot painted it on. do you know how?

ALL THE BEST said...

LOVE the ivory and blue one. Did you craft these?? I love the way Kate Spade always wears vintage brooches and pendants. I especially like large vintage estate cocktail rings. Look at www.brucemagnotti.com/photos/jewelry/index.html

Ebay is a great source too for fun finds.

design dna said...

i did craft these and sold them in trunk shows around the dc area. the ivory one was the most expensive of them all because i cut up some vintage ivory strands and mixed them in with the bone and aquamarine. it was super gorgeous in person - it's so hard to get a photograph.

ALL THE BEST said...

Of course, figures, I like the most expensive one!! It’s a curse. It even happens at TJ Maxx. I’ll choose the handbag that has been marked down to $199.00 and out of my budget!

It really is a beautiful work of art! Nice job.

Your friend, Nancy said...

All of your bead work is gorgeous! I like your long, simpler strands too. Do you have any photos of those?

Anonymous said...

I just beaded my first necklace this week! Had old ivory beads from a necklace purchased when I was around 20 and through the years, it was choker, it no longer fit. I was able to find natural stones that closely resembled the ivory, adding them to the back on either side, knotting inbetween the beads, gave me the added length I need today, 40 years later! It was such fun and I plan on going back! Sort of like knitting, very relaxing!

design dna said...

hi loiuse! i have restrung lots of my own jewelry. it doesn't cost a million dollars (usually) and if you don't like it you can cut the line and try something else. i bet you have another project rattling around in the bottom of a drawer! i hope you have checked out carolyn bach's work (recent post). it's REALLY inspiring!