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!

Rouge, Itching Powder, Salve, and a Litttle Elbow Grease - The Making of a Locket

It takes a lot of thought, effort, and sometimes even goo to get materials from Point A to a completed necklace. Making lockets out of vintage tins and rouge compacts is a real labor of love.

Light Hearted

insides

Open Upon Arrival

insides

It starts with sourcing carefully chosen materials from every place you can imagine. Finding old tins and compacts in great condition can be a challenge. Once I have a nice-sized batch of supplies, it's time to get messy.

a beautiful mess

The old containers come from the early 1900's to the 1950's. Along with them comes a bevy of intriguing contents including: old salves, rouges, balms, powders, cosmetics, antique ointments, mysterious smells, and goop of all sorts. Step one: remove contents. This is by far the messiest part. It involves carefully scooping, shaking, wiping, washing, scrubbing, rinsing, and repeating many times. Some materials even require extra polishing and a bit of repair before they are ready for the next step.

yucky bear

soaking

one of many washings

Miette is in charge of quality control.

Once all the pieces are squeaky clean, it's time to create!

lockets to be

Some tins get bails attached while others are mounted atop of vintage findings. Chains are carefully selected to match the locket.  And then, the magic happens. Tiny treasures like brooches, brass stampings, old toys, buttons, vintage ephemera, and cameos are carefully assembled to create miniature pieces of art inside each locket.

locket ingredients

What will become of these tins and compacts? You will have to visit me at The Brewery during Jamaica Plain Open Studios to see! Enjoy a lovely fall stroll while visiting studios during this family-friendly event. Click here for a map and more info.

Here are a few of my upcoming fall/winter shows. More dates will be added soon.

September 22 & 23 - Jamaica Plain Open Studios

October 6 & 13 - Greenway Open Market

December 8 & 9 - SoWa Holiday Market

Love, Love, Love: Vintage Tin Pinback and Tab Buttons

Poke around your jewelry box. Dig through your junk drawer. Look on your old favorite jean jacket or bag. I guarantee you have at least one in your home. Pinback buttons have been around since the late 1700's and continue to be a staple for political campaigns, bands, souvenir shops, and all sorts of advertising. For me, they are a new object of obsession and source of inspiration.

pinback buttons

1940's novelty pins

I came across an adorable lot of novelty pinback buttons last year and used them atop old garden faucet handles to make these upcycled necklaces. Their bright lithograph colors and kitschy imagery instantly drew me in and I have been on the lookout for them ever since. 

faucet handle and pinback button necklaces

See You Later Alligator

I also like to scout for tin buttons with fold over tabs (the kind you don at museums). Recently, I found these Sealtest Big Top TV Circus collection and am itching to make them into whimsical pieces soon. 

How could you NOT be inspired by these?

When paired up with plastic buckles, rhinestones, and brass stampings, these pins turn into tiny pieces of art. Keep a lookout in my Etsy shop, at shows, and soon at Vudu Micia Vintage and Handmade in New Milford for many new pieces that incorporate pinback and tab buttons. 

Mister Softee

Let's be Friends

Candy Colored Clown

Pretty Kitty Kelly

a work in progress

You have three more chances to catch me this summer (more dates coming in the fall/winter).

July 7th - The Greenway Open Market - Boston, MA

August 2 - Dogwatch Artisan Market - Fairhaven, MA

August 4 - The Greenway Open Market - Boston,MA

Like Twitch and Whiskers on Facebook for updates and promos. I can create custom jewelry out of your family heirlooms and vintage keepsakes. Contact me and we can work together to make the piece of your dreams!

On the Road - The Opening of the Greenway Market

Memorial Day weekend was meant for adventure. On Friday night, Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture and I hit the road in her new-used Volvo. Miraculously our two craft show set ups fit into her new vehicle better than her older, bigger car. You gotta love Volvos! We took off for Boston the night before the opening of the Greenway Open Market and had a smooth ride in. On Saturday, we were happy to be back at one of our favorite weekly Boston shows. It was a hot day but it didn't stop both locals and tourists from coming out in full force. The spray of the Rings Fountain and the shade of our tents kept visitors happy as they walked the green promenade.

The Greenway Open Market

Twitch and Whiskers at the Greenway

Often the best ideas come from utilizing materials in unconventional ways and Hoist Away Bags is the perfect example of this. The very clever Laura Cleminson gives a "second wind" to old and abandoned sails by turning them into one-of-a-kind, tote bags, handbags, and wristlets. These incredibly sturdy and unique bags use the original sail  grommets, lettering/numbering, and trim to add to the nautical flair of each piece. The bags feature draw string tops, bottle openers, pockets, and key chains to add further function to the beautiful form. My favorite part of each bag has to be the tag on the inside that gives a snippet of the sail's history. Laura's business is steeped in kindness and generosity. All the sails she uses are donated by others and she in turn contributes to the non-profit "Rocking the Boat." Visit Hoist Away Bags online and sail away with the perfect gift.

Laura Cleminson of Hoist Away Bags

stow away with a tote bag

get drawn in

the story behind the sail

Lately, when I've been complimenting fellow vendors on their lovely floral earrings and brooches, they've all responded the same thing: "Wendy Baker made these. You will love her jewelry and her!" Well, when you're right, you're right. When I came upon her Bendywho booth, I was in color wonderland. Wendy hand paints vintage metal flower components to make the most whimsical and joyful pieces you will ever see. Her layered petals, brightly hued beads, and mish mosh of baubles spoke to me on so many levels. After chatting with Wendy for a few minutes, I also loved the artist behind the pieces. Within a few short moments we were cracking up and chatting like old friends. I cannot wait to see her again at the Festival Fete Garden City show. You better go check her out too before I hoard all her pieces to myself.

Wendy Baker of Bendywho

not your garden variety necklace

earrings

I treated myself to a ring. How could I resist?

Midway through the steamy day, I took a quick gander to find some eats. Through the heat, I thought I saw a mirage. Was that really a food truck called "Mei Mei" (a childhood family nickname of mine) and did they really offer Chinese-American cuisine? Was this food truck plopped down at the Greenway just for me? I think it was because when I saw the menu, I found the perfect fusion of foods from both of my cultures. It was a hard choice but I finally ordered the savory bread pudding with scallions and cheddar. I could have sat down with a whole tray of the bread pudding - it was THAT good! Visit Mei Mei Street Kitchen's website to take a look at their other delish offerings and to learn more about the cool family behind the name.

Irene of Mei Mei Street Kitchen

Mei Mei Street Kitchen

well hello!

savory bread pudding with scallions and cheddar - bliss!

Now that outdoor show season is in full swing, I get to see so many of my favorite friends/artists. Carrie Wager of SepiaLepus was at the Greenway with her adorably illustrated, creature-featured art, prints, cards, pins, magnets, and new local maps. I have always admired her stuffed bunnies that dangle from tent and when I mentioned that my students would appreciate it, she donated one to the class. I cannot wait to share my new balloony bunny with my 2nd graders. Grace and I always enjoy each others' company on the road and we had fun chatting the day away. I loved her new red, black, and white Folk Couture dress with pugs and tear drop patterned skirt. Lots of lovely frocks went home to happy ladies, including a dress with a mama and baby polar bear. It made one mama very happy!

Carrie Wagner of Sepia Lepus

new Sepia Lepus Boston map

new Folk Couture pug dress

bear essentials

The big hit of the Greenway for me had to be the REcap bracelets, upcycled out of Crayola marker caps. A bunch went home to the young and young at heart. A nice variety of compact necklaces, a French bicycle head badge necklace, and some Thimblism necklaces also left with vistors from all over. I will be making more metal thimble necklaces this week with nautical charms (whale tails, steering wheels, and anchors)for my upcoming shows. I love this busy time of year!

REcap bracelets

Magic Garden - right

Dennebouy - bicycle head badge necklace

After a sunny day on the Greenway, Grace and I squeezed everything back into her car, cleaned up, and headed off to dinner with Jen of Zooguu plush handmade toys. There's nothing better than unwinding with friends, dinner, and ice cream after a full day. The following Sunday, Grace and I went off on a thriftavaganza before heading back to Danbury. It was her special treat to me for my birthday. It started with a scrumptious breakfast at Sofra Bakery and Cafe and continued on to a string of local thrift shops. My big find of the day was a vintage polka dotted Victor Costa dress with ruffles for miles. Grace also surprised me with a popcorn box full of birthday treats, including a ceramic "stinky stuff" jar with skunk. Oh the things I can put in there!

Volvo = volume

Sofra - so good

Olive Oyl chic

warning: jarring scents

It was a fun-filled weekend in Boston. In just a few days (6/3), you can catch me at stART on the Street in Worcester, MA.

The following Saturday and Sunday (6/9 & 6/10) I will be at Festival Fete's Garden City Art Festival in Cranston, RI.

Click here for my full spring/summer schedule. Hope to see you out and about!