Sweet Bead Studio — Handcrafted jewelry by Cindy Wimmer

Look what the mailman brought…

by Cindy on September 17, 2009

Yesterday as I was rushing out the door to pick up the kids from school, I stumbled in to 2 boxes waiting for me on the door step. I had to endure the suspense because there was no time to open them until I got home.

My charms from the recent Chain Chain Chain swap arrived! Laurel Steven of Charmsters hosted this one…and she warned us that the tags were just as wonderful as the chain links. Just looking at all the charms together looked like one big colorful celebration. Not only did I see great chain ideas, but I really enjoyed all of the stamped tags ribbons & fibers that were used.

chain-charmsters-swap-2009

Here’s a close up of one of my favorites – I got a kick out of the vintage photo Keli Hansen used for the tag. Just visited her blog for the first time and WOW…what a great studio tour she posted a few posts back!

chain-charmsters-swap-2009_

And when I opened the second box…oh I enjoyed a few moments reflecting on the special treasures inside. Kerry has generously offered to keep an eye out for vintage finds when she’s out on her estate sale treks…and does she ever have GOOD ones up there in NY! She has an eye and knows exactly the kind of things I would hold dear. The vintage ledgers are from 1909 and the early 20’s. I really enjoy reading through the handwritten accounts and seeing old fashioned names such as Bertha and Emma. The old rosaries are rusted and some of the medals have an aged patina. I’ve already added one of the mother of pearl medals to a necklace that I’m working on. This box from my first online blogging friend sure made my day. Actually, we go back to my pre-blogging days. 🙂

old-treasures-from-ny1

Now that school’s in session, the birthday party invites are going to start rolling in. My 7 year old is going to his first party of the year tonight…laser tag. That’s a new one for me but I tell you he’s excited and his big brother is jealous. And speaking of which, my oldest son has a birthday around the corner himself…we’re busy planning his Magic theme party now. Making over 30 invitations the old fashioned way may not have been the best idea, but my husband helped me and even overcame his fear of glitter in the end.

magic-party-invites

Enjoy the rest of the week!

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What’s new

by Cindy on September 13, 2009

carpe-diem

Carpe Diem!

I tell you these copper spirals were fun to make…and with nice, thick 14 gauge copper wire. If these look familiar, the design is from Sharilyn Miller’s new book, Contemporary Copper Jewelry. This was my favorite piece out of the whole book. I love how the links flow seamlessly to the next. I wanted to make my own mark when recreating this piece, so I changed the clasp so that it could hook on to a stamped washer rather than another spiral link. I oxidized the copper and placed it in the tumbler for a reeeaaaalllly long time. Now it feels so smooth.

These earrings feature some pretty etched lampwork beads. The earwires are unmistakably Deryn Mentock’s style…straight from her wonderful tutorial here on the Objects and Elements blog.

lotsa-dots-earrings

Simple, faceted earrings with ornate bead caps and spiraled wire caps.

danielle-earrings

Thank you for stopping by!

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Fun = Family and Great Finds

by Cindy on September 8, 2009

Like many of you, today was a big back to school day around here! My oldest son started 3rd grade in his new school. I really underestimated the traffic compared to last week. Dropping off the kids at 2 different schools and fighting DC area traffic wasn’t the best way to start the day. But I better get used to it.

The weekend was really great. I took 3 days away from my computer and feel behind on my favorite blogs! I’ll be back to visiting and catching up to see what you’ve been up to too. Thank you for all of the kind comments you left after my last post…your positive feedback after posting the necklace made with vintage components was encouraging!

View of the Hillsville Antique/Flea Market

This vendor had a little bit of everything

We had a wonderful reunion with my husband’s side of the family. The kids loved seeing their Grandmother, cousins and Aunts again. We made it to the antique/flea market after braving serious back-ups and strolled around together. Just look at the crowds! And it was hot! But I won’t complain because it was so much fun. I have to say I’m surprised at how little I bought…but then again, there would be no way to bring anything big home anyway.

I had a nice conversation with a seller about his reluctance to sell his finds. He was a kind young guy…but I could sense the frustration that he felt towards people that do not understand or appreciate what goes on behind the scenes to find the pieces that he brings to the shows. I combed through his boxes of old ledgers and books from an estate in New Castle, PA. He went on to say how when people see the price of an old book, for example, they do not realize that it came from a special auction that he had to stand in line for 3 hours to attend. It was really an enlightening conversation…and I did buy an old book and ledger from him!

The best find of the day was this old jewelry box – from the ’50 or ’60’s? It’s the 3rd in my little jewelry box collection. I love the satin and velvet inside and thought they were the perfect place to store my vintage jewelry bits and bobs. What a steal for $3.00!

New blue jewelry box....the perfect place for old treasures

My husband wanted to take the kids to some of his boyhood hang outs during this trip…so we headed over to New River Valley (southwestern VA) and paid a visit to Wolf Creek. Randy has many fond memories here at this old swimming hole. It was nice going down memory lane until it started raining…then POURING!

My husband caught his first fish here by this tree with his Grandfather

On the drive home yesterday, we stopped in an old town called Strasburg. I knew there was a big antique Emporium there, so I finally had my chance to drop in. My husband had a keen eye and found some great things for me. Look at this great 1940 Ladies Home Journal ad. Now how could we pass up an advertisement about 4 messy boys??! This one will go great in a bathroom or the laundry room in our new house.

1940 Bon Ami ad

The best find of all…this 1865 journal from Baltimore. Just look at the leather cover and the beautiful script inside. My Dad’s side of the family is from Baltimore, so I just knew it was meant for me as soon as I saw it. And I just have a thing for old handwritten script. I’m going to enjoy reading through the contents of this one. Not to mention it will make a great photo prop for my jewelry – both the inside and out!