Photo booth Beauties Revisited

One of my all-time favourite themes for my designs is vintage photo booth photography. These tiny little photos let you have a glimpse of the past and the mood of the person posing for the picture, but in a way that is so much more interesting that today's selfies...don't you think? I have collected quite a few and every time I look at them I wonder about the person on the photo...some looking confident and fierce,some hopelessly shy or just giggly having fun with friends or a loved one. Now and then I seem to recognize a look or a smile that reminds me of a person I know today and I wonder what people will think of our photo's in 60 or 100 years from now and if they in turn will recognise themselves in a cheeky smile or a distracted glance. I have been using these old photos as a theme my for vintage restyled handbags and with success, as they have become a very popular item at Things British shop in London. 

I wondered if there was a way to take the theme to the next level and perhaps create a jewellery collection that could connect with the handbag collection. I wanted something light and fragile, something that could bring back that feel of the little piece of photo paper that captured that instant moment of happiness, sadness or shyness so many decades ago.
I think I might have found it.

I used vintage puzzle pieces and transformed them into vintage photo booth picture frames. I embellished them with embossing powders and then I tied them up in very fine metal wire decorated with beads, rhinestones and other small findings. The result is a unique piece, elegant and shimmering (a lot more than you see in the pictures) and almost ephemeral...so light it might vanish into thin air in front of your eyes. I am so pleased with the results and will include pendants, earrings and bracelets in this new collection. It will be possible to request custom made pieces with vintage pictures of your loves ones. To find when this collection will be available, please favourite my etsy shop.

Alice, I'm falling, I'm falling....

Help, I'm falling for it too! Ever since I saw the interesting trailer for the movie I wanted to do something with this theme. While I haven't seen the movie (yet) and I like to stay away from the next big trend I couln't help getting caught up in the whole Alice hysteria. While a few people told me they never liked the story as a child and found it creepy, I have always loved the illogical twists in this magical story. I do admit I was scared of the Queen of Hearts, though. So, one rainy afternoon I made my own Alice drawing: she's holding the magical potion and contemplating whether to drink it or not. I transferred it to fabric appliques and matched it with vintage embroidered and lace trims. The result : a new fun and quirky jewellery line for the Alice in Wonderland fan. And please excuse me now, time for tea!

New ring design

I have many of these sea shells, but never really knew what to do with them. I wanted to make pendants, but somehow that didn't look right, just silly. I had already drilled a hole for a pendant so i just made another one of the other side, patiently glued on the rhinestones one by one and turned it into a ring. When i make something for the first time i always have to test it to see if if doesn't fall apart after half an hour, so i've kept this one for myself and have been wearing it for a week. Sofar it has been comfortable to wear, hasn't cracked or fallen apart and i'm getting a lot of interested and positive reactions! Maybe it's time to make some more?

I love kitchen ware!

Noooo i haven't lost my mind, i'm not going crazy over spoons and forks but my latest addiction is the hunt for perfect mold...in the kitchen wares section of my favourite thriftstore! I'm not too fond of the traditional resin molds that are for sale on e-bay or other shops that specialize in resin supplies, they seem too generic or just plain boring most of the time. The kitchen ware section of my thrift store is another story because here i find my treasures : egg holders for the fridge, old fashioned ice cube trays, other trays for i-don't-know-what-goes-where for the kitchen, the shapes and possiblities are endless. More than once i've been greeted with a frown when i walk to the till with an arm full of used ice cube trays, happy about my new thrift store treasures. Seriously, i must be the only person buying these things because some of the trays ( the ones i really don't like) have been sitting there for months. My latest mold is the best i found sofar: an ice cube tray for diamond shaped, faceted ice cubes. I think it is just perfect for making ring charms and i've been trying out some new designs:

Matryoshka in Space

Floating Flowers:

Frozen Diamond:

Mirror Mirror on the Wall - Valentine's Edition

I finally found a use for the brass wire hearts that i bought on my last trip to Syria! I love how an idea can just pop up while cleaning up the crafting boxes and stumbling upon my forgotten treasures. I found these hearts in a little shop right outside the Souk of Aleppo. It wasn't even a craft or supply shop, they were selling bolts and hammers and then i saw these beauties in a box in the corner. I think the shop owner didn't even know why he had them there...they looked like they had been in that corner for the past 100 years. A good reason for me to buy most of his brass shapes inventory! Right in time for Valentine's :)