My parents wedding June 18,1949.
Wedding season is upon us, and that means picking out everything amazing for your special day. I like to remind Brides that, quite likely, your jewelry is the only thing you will wear again after the wedding. For that reason, you really want to take your time and find that perfect necklace, earrings and/or bracelet that you are absolutely in love with and will want to wear over and over again. If you are sentimental like me, you will enjoy wearing your wedding jewelry for anniversaries when you celebrate the day you declared your undying love and commitment to each other.
Consider the family heirloom you will have to pass down to your own daughter some day. I still own the strand of pearls that my mother wore on her wedding day. Over the decades it became worn out and thread bare. The coating on some of the pearls wore off. Eventually the string broke and Mom asked me to re-string it for her. Some of the tiny pearls at the back were lost, making the strand too short. In order to lengthen it, I needed to add more. Since I am the Queen of Nostalgia, I felt it was important to always know which of the pearls had actually adorned my mother's neck as she walked down that aisle to my waiting father. She was a beautiful bride, wearing an elegant silk gown and floor length, trailing veil and the tiara I loved to play with as a little girl. My solution was to add clear seed beads to the back by the clasp instead of adding more pearls, so that Mom would be able to tell where her pearls began and ended. In her later years, Mom gave that strand of pearls to me and I cherish it more than words can convey. I hope that, in sharing this you are able to capture the vision of what your jewelry will one day mean to your own daughter.
Mom wearing her pearls on their wedding day
Some brides have gone so far as to purchase their jewelry first and find what they absolutely love! They then took it with them dress shopping and built the rest of their bridal attire around the bling.
Stunning bride wearing bracelet and earrings by Vintage Bling
Make sure you don't save your beautiful, timeless jewelry for only dress up occasions. The more glamorous your bling is, the more fantastic it looks with your shredded jeans, little black tank top and a great pair of shoes! You will get lots of opportunities to wear that keepsake jewelry and when all those complements come your way (because you will turn heads every time you walk in a room) you will be able to explain that is is your wedding jewelry, amid visions dancing in their heads of how glorious and radiant you must've looked!
Wearing earrings by Vintage Bling
Jewelry is also a very popular gift for bridesmaids, flower girls, candle lighters, guest book attendants and mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom. I will work within your budget so you are able to show your deepest appreciation in a way that they will also cherish forever.
Lovely Bridesmaids wearing earrings by Vintage Bling
Bracelets by Vintage Bling
So pretty!
Mother of the Bride wearing necklace by Vintage Bling
Mother of the Groom wearing bracelet by Vintage Bling
Guest Book attendant wearing ring by Vintage Bling
September 2014 marked ten years since Vintage Bling took it's first breath and I think we need to CELEBRATE!! I thought you might enjoy hearing how it all began:
The very first piece of jewelry that I made was a stretchy beaded bracelet. However, not just any beads would do for me. This girl started collecting vintage jewelry as a teenager. I always loved the look of these old treasures, even in my youth, and would never shy away from wearing a brooch or necklace no matter if it had imperfections due to age. Back in the 70's and 80's, vintage jewelry was tossed into yard sales by the baggie full. I could never leave it behind, even though I didn't know what I would do with it all. I was way ahead of my time, embracing the nostalgia of bygone eras long before it became so popular. As a result, by the time I decided to make my bracelet, I had amassed quite a collection of vintage beaded necklaces and rhinestone studded bling. There was no running to the bead store for me. I was immediately drawn to the glorious vintage beads adorning the multi-strand necklaces in my collection. These are not beads you can buy in a craft store.
My friend Jane had started making stretchy bracelets and that is what inspired me to try making my own. My vintage beads and I went to her house so she could teach me how to make them and I was pleased as punch with my creations! As you can imagine, when I wore my bracelets to work they drew a great reaction from my co-workers. Everyone commented and wanted to know where I got them. Immediately I was hooked on creating these bracelets and set to work making myself an extensive array of colors with a variety of beads. I loved stacking them and wore multiple combinations every day. It wasn't long before the girls at work were asking to buy them. Some days I sold them right off my wrist and came home after work with none left. Oh well, that just meant I got to make more. It was these girls from work who encouraged me to find a way to market my wares.
Here are some of my earliest stretchy bracelets.
This is my first work studio. A tiny little corner in a tiny little bedroom. I have seriously outgrown that space. VB now occupies two rooms in the next house we moved into.
So much pretty bling to play with. This is some of my current stash.
Around this time the term "bling" was becoming popular in our culture. Myself and 2 girlfriends started calling all my vintage jewelry "vintage bling" and it became our catch phrase. Ironically, when I decided to try my hand at selling jewelry, I asked Laurie and Denise for suggestions of what to call my line. They just looked at me as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and both blurted out "Vintage Bling"!
And that, my friends, was the inception of Vintage Bling. The first bracelet I made was 10 years ago. I'm excited to have reached this milestone! In the past decade, Vintage Bling has certainly evolved and come a long way from the original stretchy bracelets. I still run into the girls I worked with back then and they are still wearing their bracelets. Those beautiful vintage beads are so timeless.
Vintage Bling would not be where it is today without you, my peeps. Thank you so much for being loyal followers and customers, as well as my encouragers. I do it all for you! ... well, maybe for me too. After all, it is my happy place. ...but mostly for you.
My way of saying THANK YOU is to offer you a 30% discount on any purchase of Vintage Bling jewelry from the website, Exchange Uporium or in Studio. So shop on line and enter 10YEARS into the coupon code spot at check out, or hop on down to the Exchange Uporium where the discount will be applied at check out, or book your personal shopping appointment with me in the Studio, OR do all of the above. The Anniversary sale is a limited time offer, running from Oct 20 - Nov 3, 2014.
My thanks to YOU! HAPPY SHOPPING!!
Jewelry images by Vintage Bling. Model images by Sabrina Naayen Photography . Graphics by Ayoko Design Inc