Baubles for Babes

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. My shop has undergone a bit of a over-haul because I’ve decided to specialize more in vintage trachten clothing like sweet and sassy dirndls, as well as other folkloric clothing. The pieces I choose are always very wearable and won’t give anyone that costume-y feel. Nothing can make you feel more like a woman that a curve-hugging dirndl. What other clothing can make you into a sex bomb and a sweet innocent girl all in one stroke? But I digress. The main reason for this post is to introduce you to my ever-expanding jewelry section. So here goes:

1. Vintage Photo Jewelry

These pieces are made from high quality copies of vintage photographs out of my own collection. I have only a handful of styles right now, but will be adding a lot more soon. To take a closer look, click here.

2. Berlin Cemetery Series

I’ve always been a sucker for a “vintage” weathered graveyard. Luckily, there are two fabulous ones within walking distance of my apartment filled with rusted wrought iron fences, crumbling angels, dilapidated art deco crypts, the works. They inspired this new series of jewelry made from polymer faux clay marble I used to make an imprint of the beautiful engravings there. To take a closer look, click here.

3. Bakelite and Celluloid Jewelry

This is my “oldest” jewelry section featuring pieces made with vintage goodies like celluloid gumball charms and Bakelite. Each piece is entirely one of a kind. To take a closer look, click here.

4. Natural History Series

Minimalist series featuring pieces inspired by my frequent jaunts in the Naturkunde Museum here in Berlin. To take a closer look, click here.

5. Lace Imprint Series

Modern style meets vintage inspired. I make these simple, geometric jewelry designs out of hand-mixed polymer clay which I then imprint with vintage lace. To take a closer look please click here.

Viva la Vintage AND handmade!!

Vintage Photo Jewelry

I've been collecting vintage photographs ever since I was a teenager. I used to spend hours at this junk shop in Bancroft Avenue in Berkeley looking through the boxes of old photos they had there until one caught my attention or moved me in such a way that I couldn't leave the shop without it.

This photograph was one I bought there. It's been with me for over 16 years and has moved in and out of at least eight different apartments (before I had kids, moving was a sort of hobby of mine. I still get the itch sometimes, but our apartment is really great and it would be a shame to leave it....)

Recently I decided to start making jewelry with some of the photographs in my collection. I use a laminated high quality copy of the original photograph like this one of a sexy 60s woman. I bought a set of photographs on ebay, the other one with her in the same pose but with her button closed and the skirt down (the more modest position.) I had them nicely framed and am giving them to my husband for Christmas.

Ebay (at least in Germany) is great for vintage photographs. You can get almost everything for only a Euro, I guess because there aren't many collectors out there. I paid a little more for this set of photographs, but they still definitely weren't expensive.

I'm planning on making a lot more of this jewelry after the holidays. Some of the photographs used will be from my own family, like these of my Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam was the black sheep of my mother's very protestant German-Russian family. You can read more about him here.

Happy holidays everyone, and happy vintage hunting! :)

New Baubles On the Way

Besides carefully selected vintage clothing and accessories, I also sell handmade jewelry in my shop Curious Knopf. Each of my pieces is made from vintage materials and most are one of a kind. I also use almost exclusively a round black chain for my necklaces because it is high quality, very light weight and has a simple elegance.

The good news is I just got three large packages filled with goodies such as celluloid charms from the 1930s and lots and lots of Bakelite. Lots of new lovely baubles to come, so please stop by soon!