Vintage jewelry on Etsy

I was looking through the items in my shop on etsy today and I thought I have quite a lot of vintage jewelry so I thought nI would write a blog post about it.

I love vintage anything really though you wouldn't tell to look at me. I am not one of those chicks that looks as though she has just stepped out of a 1940's ad for washing detergent with perfectly rolled and curled hair, ample bosom and a  fabulous dress.

When I go to the brocantes and second hand markets I am always on the look out for something really cool from a bygone era. But as I am such a magpie I can't ( not allowed) to keep all of it. I get almost more pleasure hunting for others than I do myself.

So I thought I would share a few of the lovely vintage pieces I have found over the past few months.

This is a fabulous vintage millstone bracelet, also known as french bakelite or Galalith. It is a plastic that is made from milk solids and I believe originates from France. This bracelet has been made to mimic ivory with its wavy grain




This is a genuine bakelite bangle estimated from around the 1940's This butterscotch color is quite common but still really pretty. Though be aware that there are a lot of fakelites on the market apparently coming in from china, but mostly the more outlandish designs of the day, which are rarer. I am by no means a bakelite expert but be sure to look for signs of age, little nicks and scratches, if it is totally perfect perhaps you should be asking yourself some questions.

When I saw this one it was in a job lot with some other necklaces, I admit it wasn't love at first sight but it does look fabulous on.  I am estimating this to be a Murano piece. The long tubular beads have been hand blown and are exquisite. They are each different and are ever so slightly wobbly which I love. Murano glass comes from Italy and doesn't really refer to one maker but an area where a collective of glass and bead makers originate from.

Staying with Murano, here is another example. This type of bead is known as scottish agate as they have been made to resemble real stone. Scottish agate necklaces usually are seen with many different colored beads strung together, rarely just one color is found throughout the entire necklace. This is the only one I have ever come across like this with its tiny uniform sized beads that look like blood stones interspersed with small gold tone spacer beads which I believe also to be glass not metal as I had first thought. I think this would be 1920-1040c at a guess it is very long and would fit well with the era.

This is an example of the type of scottish agate more commonly found. As you can see there are many different colors strung together. I adore these beads the shape the finish and mostly the pattern as no two beads will ever be the same. I think the shape of the beads is so art deco and again each one is every so slightly different. I say these are more commonly found but I have to confess that these rectangle shaped beads are not as common as the ovals.

Moving on from Murano, I give you this little beauty. I know next to nothing about it other than it is a stunner! I bought it from someone who said it was bakelite, but after testing it with polish it did not pass the test. I think it is probably celluloid ( bakelite's predecessor ) or lucite. These beads are so much fun. it is clear that they have been hand carved as the spots on each bead are different sizes. I have searched and searched to find information or even a necklace that looks a bit like this one but to no avail. So my guess is 1940's-50's I can see this necklace on one of those buxom pin ups in her A line house dress making dinner for her husband.

All of these pieces can be found in my etsy store where I am struggling with my identity. Do I sell beads do I sell vintage? One day I will split them up but for the time being look in the vintage finds section for vintage otherwise it's beads. I hope you enjoyed my post if you love vintage jewelry please let me know what you think and if you have any information about my pieces that I have missed I would love to know more, so please comment.

Buying beads in Bangkok

So if you have read my last post you will know that I have not long returned from a trip to Thailand. I adore Thailand it's just so easy to navigate, with great food and great people and not to forget great shopping.

So if you are any kind of crafting magpie like myself and you have a trip to The great and awesome Bangkok here are a few tips.

Buying beads: There are 3-4 main places that I found.

1/ The weekend market section 24-26. This is great if you have limited time for shopping in bangkok as here is unfathomably the best place to shop in the world ever! For beads it's not bad. Set aside the whole day if not two and wear comfy shoes. If you like it buy it and if you really like it buy three as once you get back to the city shopping malls it's no where near as cheap. Sky train to Mo Chit station…follow the crowds!

2/ 555 Palladium world shopping Mall ( formally called the Pratunam center) It's right across the street from the platinum fashion mall. go to the basement floor and there is a plethora of bead shops selling mostly stone,crystal and pearl beads. Not so much glass or lamp work. This is where I bought most of my beads. I went specifically to Apple wholesale shop number 318-319

3/ Pahurat fabric market: You will find a number of shops selling mainly crystal and pearl beads here, I would go here specifically for beads but if you are wanting fabric too then why not! refer to my last post for details on how to get there.

4/ Charoen Krung rd (Ban Mo jewelry st) unfortunately I didn't get to go to Ban Mo as my feet were killing me and my husband was beginning to grumble. But we accidentally got off the boat a stop early so ended up having to walk a good stretch of Charoen Krung st and there were a lot of bead sellers though they looked more expensive and I did not go inside as I had already filled my boots at the palladium mall.

!6mm coin pearls from Palladium mall with the most fantastic rainbow shimmer i have ever seen.

14mm faceted red agate

here are just a few of the beads that I bought. if you are not going to Bangkok and really can't be bothered with traipsing round the markets check out my etsy store. or for French or European buyers look for samanthatenn on www.alittlemercerie.com 

Dawanda and A Little Mercerie

So ages ago i wrote a post on ETSY vs DAWANDA and I have to say that Etsy won hands down. Though I think the enormity of etsy is sometimes its down fall it is most definitely also a big plus.

I found dawanda to be a little clunky not as easy to navigate and not as easy to promote my items, I felt like I just had to sit back and twiddle my thumb  and hope someone would come to me.

Any way this is not a post about etsy v dawanda rather a post on what am I doing to try and expand my own online presence.

I have recently within the last 12 month started to move away from selling jewelry but rather sell to those that make jewelry. I now sell supplies and vintage items on etsy at www.allthatglittersbeads.etsy.com 

For all you Europeans out there I also sell beading supplies and vintage fabrics at www.allthatglitters.dawanda.com

And for those Francophones I sell beading supplies and vintage fabric at www.alittlemercerie.com/boutique/samanthatenn

Now for those of you living States side and everywhere else in the world these two sites are certainly worth a look too as shipping can be very reasonable and you might find some really funky European items that you wouldn't necessarily  find in your home country.

So why not broaden your horizons and have a look at these two sites you never know they might surprise you

Vintage Finds

Well it has been nearly a year, I have been neglecting my blog there is no question. It is a sad state of affairs when your day job takes over your life leaving little time for the fun stuff!

Well it's winter and not many people in Chamonix want their houses decorating during the winter months so I'm back to show off what I have been up to.

I have become a vintage- aholic and I hear that it is an easy illness to contract... lol Here are some of my recent finds which you can find for sale on ETSY or on e bay.

SO my first find:

This little clock I think dates to about 1942, it is French made in Paris by a company called Jaz. It is such a charming little alarm clock. When I bought it the man who sold it to me said it didn't work... but it does! and so does the alarm and believe me you will never sleep through this one.

I absolutely adore this necklace and I am quite happy that no one has bought it yet. The beads are so unique I have never come across beads like them. They are very geometric in shape and it harps back to the art deco period. The beads are cut crystal glass and are just fabulous!

Again I adore this table cloth but I am such a mucky puppy I could never use it. It is an enormous great thing measuring 99/65 inches! plenty big enough for a thanks giving table. It has the most exquisite cross stitch embroidery and cut work all over it and it comes with... wait for it... 12 matching napkins! I couldn't believe the condition of the table cloth or the napkins when i got them home and unwrapped them.

Lordy Lordy how pretty is this one! A 15 piece intact 1940's Japanese tea set marked Kutani Hayasi. Kutani is the region in Japan it means 9 valleys and I assume that Hayasi refers to the design of mount fuji and pagodas. The pretty design has been hand painted and is just stunning. The little cups each have a lithophane of a geisha in the bottom so when you hold them up to the light her charming face smiles back at you.

And finally for this post anyway:

When I first saw these dainty little tea cups I honestly spent at least 5 minutes trying to decide if they were plastic or not because my brain would just not accept that they could be porcelain as they were so thin and delicate. I have practiced pottery myself and the thought of making anything this delicate gave me the shivers. They also date from around 1940, though trying to find any other information on these ones has been difficult to impossible. I know they are from before the 2nd World War as they are not marked made in occupied Japan. Not all the cups or saucers are marked but the larger cup in the center does have the most amazing lithophane. These are also thought to be from the Kutani region of Japan.

Well that's all folks for the moment anyway. Please if anyone out there has some more information on my blue and white tea cups I would love for you to leave a comment and tell me what you know about them. And actually I would love it if anyone commented on anything really. So until next time.

Cultivating the creative spirit

I wrote a post ages ago about being creative healthily. I touched on many things like remembering to eat remembering to drink, going to the toilet when we have to and not hold it.

 A lot of us creative types spend hours and hours alone making what ever it is we make, not speaking or moving very much, we are so into what it is we are creating that simple things like eating and drinking get left by the wayside.

I think that to cultivate our creativity even further exercise is essential. It may only be going for a brisk walk a few times a week if that is all you can manage, or have time for as long as it increases your heart rate and maybe even gets a bit of a sweat going.

Exercise creates endorphines in the brain which is what makes us feel happy, This extra blood flow too I believe helps creativity.

I have recently started Yoga after a long time of not doing very much and I love it it is hard and Im not super good at it yet but I feel a release in areas that have been really tight for years. I get up at 7.30 go about my daily chores a lot more energized and find my creative mind buzzing with ideas.

You don't have to be a vegetarian or a hippy or a gymnast to enjoy yoga or any other exercise for that matter. It is important though to remember an active body in turn has an active mind.

Table displays at craft fayres

Happy new year to everyone first of all, I hope last year was a good one and I hope this one will be even better!

I am sure that many of you like me are crafty addicts and partake in the odd craft fayre or market from time to time. As much as I adore making the things I make I find selling them rather more difficult. I find it confrontational and awkward.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask for some advice on table display as this is one of the things that stresses me out at these events.

I always feel like my individual items look awesome on their own but put all together the table looks a bit like a jumble sale.

I don't usually have this many different types of product it's usually just jewelry and felted brooches but I wanted to try and de stock a bit at this one.

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I always feel like my table looks very amateur and I covet that of my friend though she has one main product and it is much easier on the eye.

Any help would be very gratefully received. Don't be shy I am a big girl...lol

Trunkt rejection

Yeah it's true. But funnily enough i truly am not bitter and this from me is an achievment i mean no one likes being rejecte from anything right?

I wasn't even sure i was going to submit to trunkt after having a look around the site and after reading some old etsy forum posts about it. At least i have the comfort of knowing i'm not alone out there. I think a lot of people think it to be a little pretentious. I'm inclined to sit on the fence on this one. I totally understand why I was rejected, i believe it was for the very same reason i was hesitating to submit in the fist place. They require artists to have a tight focused collection with impeccable photography. Now i had already been critisized about my photography earlier in the week so what was i thinking? So then I got to thinking and this is something that has been on my mind for ages and i would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

FOCUSED COLLECTION V'S VARIETY

After my last jewellery party a lot of my customers commented that there was almost too much choice therefore in fear of making the wrong choice they made no choice at all and didn't buy anything. I vowed then to try and focus my self and limit what i put on display which i will do for my next party.

But my question is does a focused collection mean that everything looks the same just with slightly different colours or dangly bits?

I love exploring and experimenting and seeing what new stuff my suppliers have got. I'm afriad that focusing too much will lead to stagnation and boredom and variety is the spice of life after all. I don't really like making lots of the same thing. I guess the plain truth is i can't help myself when I'm buying beads and then once i've got them i can't seem to stop myself from making something and before you know it it's in my etsy shop. So for the Trunkt people i understand, I'll not send out the hit men just yet.

But what do you think?? Please comment i really would like some input