Lala's Fleamas Necklaces - A Very Special Custom Order

Custom orders give me a unique opportunity to connect with family artifacts and histories. Earlier this winter my friend Dorna, the Library Media Specialist at my school, asked for my help with a special project. Her family has a much-loved holiday tradition that was started about 30 years ago by Thor Persson, Dorna's father-in-law. This talented man of Swedish descent was known for his fine woodwork and pieces created out of repurposed wooden crates. His handcrafted furniture was always the most coveted gift of the holiday season by the Persson clan. In the spirit of repurposing and Thor's love of flea markets, the holiday of "Fleamas" was born. 

This annual Persson family tradition pulls together Thor's passion for turning the old into new and traditional Swedish food and song. Though Thor passed several years back, his tradition continues strong with the Perssons. Each year, family members bring a handmade gift for an assigned family member. Gifts range from silly songs, poems, and stories to beautifully made gifts with meaningful family connections. When a gorgeous bag of costume jewelry from Thor's sister Lala was recently handed down to her, Dorna thought that Fleamas would be the perfect opportunity to turn Lala's gems into new necklaces for her family members. When Dorna shared with me two large bags of colorful beaded necklaces and vintage brooches, I knew this was going to be an exciting project!

Lala's lovely brooches

Lala's beaded necklaces

My eyes were first drawn to three beaded glass necklaces made in different shades of blue. I removed the beads from their strings and rewired them to make a triple strand bead chain necklace. To complete the gift, I mounted the necklace atop a collage with a children's picture book image and Swedish stamps. The stamps came from my college semester abroad in Sweden (over 15 years ago!). I picked them up at a flea market in Stockholm so I knew they just had to be used with this Fleamas gift. I called the final piece, "Scandinavian Blue."

Scandinavian Blue

custom made collage for Scandinavian Blue - including Swedish stamps

Scandinavian Blue by Twitch and Whiskers

The second necklace was made out of three gold-tone brooches. I carefully removed their pins, sanded down rough spots, and fixed them together in a bib-style necklace. This piece was also mounted on a collage. The faded pink letters came from a vintage board game. I named this piece "Lala's Laurel" because of it's garland-like shape.

Lala's Laurel

custom made collage for Lala's Laurel

Lala's Laurel by Twitch and Whiskers

I presented the final necklaces to Dorna and she wrapped them in the Sunday comics (the traditional Flea wrapping paper, of course!). According to Dorna, the necklaces and presentation cards were a big hit with the family. I was proud to be a part of Dorna's Fleamas this year and adored every moment of creating a new family heirloom out of Lala's old treasures.

I am always up for designing custom pieces out of family keepsakes. Contact me if you're interested. Want to see a few more Twitch and Whiskers custom designs? Check out these past blog posts.

There are two more chances to catch Twitch and Whiskers in person this winter. You can find me at the SoWa Winter Market in Boston on March 1st and April 12th. There's always a great line up of designers and vintage vendors.

As always, you can pop by my Etsy shop and Facebook page to check out new creations. My spring and summer show schedule show will be coming soon!

A New Moon - An Upcycled Necklace for Roni

Roni was the winner of my New Year Scavenger Hunt Contest. For her prize, she wanted me to upcycle a favorite keepsake into a bolder piece. Roni presented me with a petite scrimshaw moon pendant. She rarely wore it because it was too small for her taste. She wanted to add interest to the pendant and display it on a bigger chain.

the original moon pendant on a thin silver chain

I shared a variety of interesting metal components with Roni. After she poked through the filigree stampings, keys, escutcheons, and other hardware, she found a round, silver-tone stamping that she was very happy with. Her moon nested perfectly in the center of the piece. Next, she chose a chain with large loops to compliment the roundness of the pendant.

decisions, decisions

chain choices

the perfect fit

The old bail was removed from the moon and a new bail was fastened to the silver-tone stamping. After a lobster clasp was attached to the chain and the pendant was connected, Roni's new necklace was complete! Just a few small changes turned Roni's old keepsake into an updated piece. Now her keepsake will see the light of day, instead of being worn only once in a blue moon.

a new moon

Roni's necklace in its new phase

If you have a treasured piece of jewelry that you would like to give a second life to, contact me and we can make the magic happen!

Something Old, Something New - A Tale of Two Necklaces (Part 4)

(continued from part 3)

On October 8, 2011, Abby and Brian took the big leap and said, "I do" with Lighthouse Point as the beautiful backdrop. It's no surprise that this couple had unique finishing touches to match their quirky and fun personalities. A carousel, local food trucks, and breath-taking feather details in Abby's hair and on her dress were just a few of the details that made their day a stand out. 

Abby and Brian - never a dull moment!

bride on a ride

I was proud to be a small part of their wedding day. Abby wore my very first customized bridal piece. The necklace was upcycled from her mother's and grandmother's vintage jewelry. It was Abby's loving tribute to two special women and I felt honored to have played a part. 

OOAK necklace for a OOAK gal

Down the aisle in style

awwww...

I wish the couple a lifetime of love, laughter, and happiness! To read more about the process of making Abby's necklace, click here. If you would like to transform your family heirlooms or vintage jewelry into a customized, one-of-a-kind piece, contact me, and together we can make the magic happen! 

You can also visit me at these upcoming shows:

November 1 - Hot Cup o' Handmade, Evening Trunk Show - Molten Java, Bethel, CT

November 11 & 12 -  Twist 7 - Holiday Fair - Northampton, MA

November 19 - The Wellesley Marketplace - Holiday Craft Festival - Wellesley, MA

Something Old, Something New - A Tale of Two Necklaces (Part 3)

(continued from part 2)

When Abby contacted me to upcycle a piece for her wedding, I felt incredibly honored and excited. Before meeting up she sent me a link to her engagement pictures from TAB Photographic. After viewing her kitschy 50's style photo shoot,I felt even more excited to be working with someone who had an eye for vintage and a great sense of humor. 

hands down - a great couple

She presented to me three meaningful pieces: A heart-shaped charm with her baby picture connected to a bracelet, an angel charm inscribed with her birthday on a flat link necklace, and a blue beaded birth bracelet with her mother's last name spelled out on lettered beads. The items could cover both the "something old" and "something blue" on her wedding day.

Abby's original pieces of jewelry.

One of the first things I asked to see was a picture of her wedding dress to get a feel for the neckline. Her dress had a V-shape in the front, lots of pretty ruching, and would be gathered up on one side. Abby planned on adding feathered detailing on her dress and wearing a feather fascinator in her hair. We talked a bit about her wedding colors and how her other accessories would factor into the final design of her necklace. I loved hearing about her DIY details such as hand drawn save the dates, specially designed favors, and local food truck catering. I knew it was going to be a very memorable wedding for her guests.

beautifully hand drawn "save the date" cards

When Abby tried on her dress at the bridal shop, they accessorized it with a simple necklace. It had a small pendant and a drop detail down the back. Abby said she liked the simplicity of the front and the detailing in the back. The necklace I designed also needed to be simple yet have some interesting accents to reflect Abby's unique style.

necklace from bridal shop

There were two possible focal points for her necklace: the heart charm or the angel charm. Wearing both might take away from the  beauty of her dress so Abby decided to use just the heart charm. Though the angel charm wouldn't be used in the necklace, we both agreed that it could be easily incorporated into another part of her wedding (garter, bouquet, memory quilt, etc.). 

chain from angel pendant and Abby's adorable baby pic in a heart charm

Abby liked the idea of creating a rosary chain out of her mother's birth bracelet. I took the beads off the string and wired them to make links. I also connected the letters of her mother's last name in the same rosary style.

snip 'n' twist

linky dinks

Once all the elements were in place, we met up to piece everything together over drinks and snacks at Starbucks. It was great to catch up with Abby after not seeing her for a while. She showed me the feathers she purchased for her headpiece and dress. Though they were the colors she wanted, she was hoping they would be bigger. Anybody out there know where to find a good selection of feathers?

desperately seeking bigger feathers

I brought many boxes of supplies for Abby to poke through for inspiration. While tag saling a few weeks prior to our meet up, I had found a flat linked chain similar to the one that hung the angel pendant. The only difference was that mine had a "c" clasp in the back while hers had no clasp at all. This came in handy later on. 

my partner in design

We got down to business and tried different layouts. Abby decided she wanted to scatter a few blue rosary links in between the flat links of her chain. We tried different configurations and lengths until it was just right. We brainstormed ways to incorporate the letters of her mom's birth bracelet in the necklace and had an "aha" moment. We split the letters in half and added a clasp in between so the name could go around the back of her neck. And can you believe that her mom's last name sits perfectly above a tattoo of her first name? How serendipitous is that?

the glowing bride-to-be

includes elements from the 3 original pieces

just a touch of blue

much love to Linda

I tried several lobster clasps in the back but everything I had with me was too shiny and new looking. We were about to poke through the clasps on all my vintage chains when we remembered my spare chain that was just like hers. We took the clasp off the back and it matched the metal on her chain perfectly! The finishing touches were two blue beads near the clasp and it was done!

something old AND blue

From the moment Abby contacted me about upcycling her jewelry to the instant her piece was finished, I enjoyed every part of the journey.  I got to piece together heirlooms from Abby's past that would eventually walk down the aisle with her. I give a heartfelt thanks to Abby for trusting me with her treasures, sharing her memories (and many laughs), and being open to so many ideas. New necklace...new friend...who knew?

Interested in having your jewelry upcycled into a new piece? Contact me!

Something Old, Something New - A Tale of Two Necklaces (Part 2)

(continued from Part 1)

Once at home with my box o' jewelry from Allie and Abby, I spread everything out on my table and started to play. The first necklace I got to work on was Allie's.

All of Allie's original pieces from our initial meet up.

Allie gave me a great variety of materials to work with. She wanted me to construct a multiple strand necklace using as many pieces of her jewelry as possible. I asked her which pieces were the "must haves" since there was a lot to choose from. She chose her bird brooch, a silver flower brooch, and a white enameled chain. The chain was interspersed with gold barrel links, that she hilariously described as very "Mrs. Roper." She wanted me to remove those gold links and reconnect the chain into one continual piece. Allie also liked the white daisies on her gold mesh bracelet and wanted to see if they could be removed and incorporated into the final necklace. Her pieces held so much potential and charm.

Sorry Mrs. Roper...

Having the bird brooch and silver brooch as the two main pieces to flank each side was a great start. Loops were fastened to each brooch for chains and Thom (my oh-so-creative and helpful husband) un-soldered the daisies from the mesh bracelet for me. I fastened them to the silver floral brooch for added interest. I added some of my own silver toned chains to drape across the front.

A mix of Allie's jewelry and mine. Gold daisy bracelet, white chain, floral silver brooch, and bird brooch were used in the final piece.

Several gold "Mrs. Roper" barrel connectors were removed from the white chain. The two silver chains neighboring the white one were also used.



Bird brooch with some chains attached.



Silver flower brooch with daisies attached.

During the whole process, I emailed Allie with updated pics for feedback and to make sure I was going in the right direction. At one point, we decided the necklace needed a little more color, so I ordered a vintage red enameled chain online. Allie also mentioned liking rosary chains around the neck, so I took her blue beaded necklace, removed the beads from the string, and wired them together in a rosary chain. 

First draft of the necklace before the red enamel chain and blue rosary chains were added. Dig the blue twist tie closure? 

After a few more revisions, we set a time to meet up for a final fitting and to add the clasp. We chose the IKEA cafeteria in New Haven. Allie was a real trooper coming in that day, with a relentless cold. It was great seeing her after all our emails and I was anxious for her to see the nearly completed piece. Soon after sitting down, Allie noticed that we were both wearing very similar scalloped Bakelite bracelets from the 40's (hers was off white...mine was green). We couldn't help but be amazed by the coincidence!


Wonder Twin powers activate! Form of...a Bakelite bangle!

 I forgot to bring one important thing on my trip...a mirror. We improvised by using my camera. Allie would hold up the necklace, I would snap a picture, and she would look at the pic (and repeat). Sure, sure I know what you're all thinking: "You're in IKEA! Go grab a mirror!" Of course we didn't think of it at the time but I have to say that our creative solution provided us with a few laughs.


One of our mirror shots in the cafeteria.

 With Allie's input, we tweaked a few things. The red enamel chain was draped the front of the necklace and the rosary was attached to wrap around one side of the necklace. Since the handmade rosary chain was so delicate, it was anchored to a silver toned strand for support. It was so nice to have an extra set of hands across the table to help me manipulate this complex piece and only took a few attempts to get the chain lengths correct. Once happy with the final composition, I added the clasp and it was finally done. Allie looked amazing draped in her new necklace! We took advantage of the cool backdrops at IKEA and snapped some shots of her in different living rooms.


Allie looking gorgeous in her Scandinavian surroundings.



Completed piece with red chain and blue rosary chain up the right side.

Being my first personalized upcycling project, I had no idea what to expect when I began. From start to finish, I enjoyed working with meaningful heirlooms and getting to know the amazing women behind them. Allie's final necklace linked pieces of her past with the person she is today. As we parted ways, I felt proud to have played a role in creating a new family treasure and having connected to a new friend.

(read here for part 3)

Something Old, Something New - A Tale of Two Necklaces (Part 1)

Back in December of 2010, I had a table at the Indie Craft Extravaganza in Hamden, Connecticut. It turned out to be a non-stop day, full of enthusiastic customers, interesting wares, and new connections. Shortly after, I was contacted by a friendly gal named Abby who purchased my “Bam! Pow! Zap!” Batman-themed necklace. She emailed me to ask if I would be interested in taking some pieces of her family jewelry and upcycling them into a new piece for her wedding.  She also asked if her friend Allie could join us with some of her special family heirlooms. The email was such a wonderful surprise; I told her I'd love to get together with both of them. 

Bam! Pow! Zap!

The day of the big meet up, I hopped in the car with my camera and a small sketch book and headed toward Starbucks to meet Abby and Allie. I was greeted by two smiling faces and a warm cup of tea. After chatting for a few minutes, and finding we had a lot in common, I felt like I was just hanging out with a bunch of friends I hadn’t seen in a while. Any nervousness that I had about starting up this new project quickly melted away upon meeting these two funny, quirky gals and I felt instantly energized by their creativity and warmth.

Abby's Treasures

The moment Abby and Allie took out their jewelry, I felt a connection to their pieces. Their carefully selected family heirlooms showed me that they too love color and vintage design. They were beautiful pieces I would be proud to have in my own jewelry collection. Each item held special meaning: a mother's birth bracelet, a baby's charm, a whimsical bird brooch and floral bracelet that belonged to a beloved aunt. They held family memories and  anecdotes from the unforgettable women that once wore them. With each family story shared, I could visualize the pieces of the past coming together to form new pieces of jewelry for Allie and Abby.

Allie's Heirlooms

Our gathering was sprinkled with laughter, sharing, and the seeds of new friendship. Over two hours melted in what seemed like minutes. As we parted ways, I felt honored and inspired to be walking away with what would eventually become a wearable family tree and a traveling memorial. 

Read here for part 2!