Showing posts with label upcycled jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label upcycled jewelry. Show all posts

Friday, March 29, 2013

Spring Sale, Vintage Medals, New Shows Added!

As spring finally takes hold, we're busy planning shows for the Summer and Fall seasons and reflecting a lot about how far we've come! The ANTIQUITY collection seems to have taken on a life of it's own. I just found some fabulous vintage Order of the Eastern Star medals to transform at a vintage shop in Northern California. These are indirectly sentimental, as my great-grandmother was a Grand Matron of a San Francisco Order of the Eastern Star in 1927. I have no idea of what significance this is, but the medals are a delightful mix of re-interpreted European heraldry infused with a invented sensibility of American historical traditions. (You can read a bit more about my San Francisco/Eastern Star roots here)


I've combined one of the triangular medals with some burgundy Swarovski Crystal. It pairs beautifully with this pair of coordinating Victorian button earrings. Elegant and versatile!



We use the vintage ribbons too - they make delightful adornments. I also found some brooch tops from the 1940s that were ripe for repurposing.


We've got lots of new shows on the calendar - check them out!

Trunk Show at Oaklandish
Saturday, April 13 2013, 12-3pm
1444 Broadway,
Oakland Ca.

Urban Air Market - Spring Show SF
May 5, 2013, 11am-6pm
Hayes Valley: Octavia Blvd. @ Hayes
San Francisco, Ca.

PG&E Spring Bazaar
May 9, 2013, 11am-4pm
66 Beale St.
San Francisco, Ca.

Marin Open Studios
May 11 & 12, 2013, 11am-6pm
19 Caletta Ave.
San Anselmo, Ca.


AND - we're having a 2-day Spring Sale


25% off your entire Compass Rose Design order through Sunday 3/31/13

use code SPRINGSALE at checkout for 25% savings! SHOP NOW!



Find Compass Rose Design on Facebook

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Junk Drawer & Pocket Watch Retirement Program


We are in a brief break between summer Compass Rose Jewelry shows and I wanted to take a moment to talk about an interesting trend we observed early this year when people started donating their antiques to us. It's easier to get rid of stuff when we know it's going to a good home. We all have drawers of once-sentimental keepsakes waiting to be discovered! Earlier this year at the Edwardian Ball, a customer purchased a necklace one day and returned the next day with a box of unfinished medals – “junk in a drawer to her pure treasure to me! These civic medals have found there way into many charm bracelets and necklaces, at least one of which now lives in Paris.


Last year I connected with an older gentleman at a flea market. He was selling his lifetime collection of vintage subway and trolley tokens because his grown children were not interested. And – granted, this is a pretty niche interest, so he became terribly twinkly when I bought them and explained that I was making jewelry that people enjoyed BECAUSE it was historical and was made with things like antique trolley tokens.

 
Speaking of trolleys and cable cars - we found some San Francisco Market Street Railway AND SF Municipal Railway Co. brass uniform buttons and made some smashing tie pins and cufflinks. We're sending the tie pin pictured below to Jesse Thorn, the host of our favorite radio shows Jordan, Jesse Go!, Bullseye, and the menswear blog, Put This On.  You can read more about early San Francisco transportation from horse-drawn omnibus to cable car it in our recent blog post.


We all have junk in boxes and drawers – some of it sentimental and some of it just there through the forces of inertia.   So we’re making it official – we want your tins and boxes and drawers of unwanted doodads and curiosities!
  • Old mechanical watches
  • antique keys
  • antique medals
  • old coins
  • vintage belts & belt buckles 
  • vintage jewelry, charms, brooches and beads
  •  pretty much anything old and historical that fits in a breadbox.  
There are a couple of ways to participate in the Junk Drawer & Pocket Watch Retirement Program : 
  1. Just get rid of your junk/treasure and let us give it new life.
  2. We can exchange your box of junk/treasure for a custom-made bracelet or necklace with a special piece you want to keep, but would rather wear and enjoy than have stuck in a drawer.

 
What to do:
Visit us at an upcoming event (Rivertown Revival, This Train, Tiburon Art Festival, Urban Air Market) or our join us for our summer open studio trunk show August 18 & 19 (space is limited – email us to reserve your spot). You can bring your junk/treasure and your special keepsake for us to take a look at and we can talk about designs for your special sentimental item. You can always email us a photo of your treasure/junk and we can talk about whether it makes sense to ship.

*Keep in mind - we have pretty high standard for antiques but are happy to use curiosities you have no use for when you are ready to clean out the drawers - and we're happy to help transform broken watches and other treasures into wearable keepsakes. I made this watch with broken watches from my mom, grandmother and aunties - rather than having broken watches in a drawer, I have a bracelet I wear often and enjoy. You can have one too! Check out the one currently available in our online shop.


Summer Events Calendar

Rivertown Revival
July 21 , 2012 Petaluma, Ca.


This Train, A Woodie Guthrie 100th Birthday Jubilee
July 29 , 2012 Santa Rosa, Ca. 



Live in the Bay Area? Ask about our Private Trunk Show - coming in August!

Find us on Facebook
You are awesome! Show at a 15% discount (use discount code VICTORIA15)

Friday, January 28, 2011

Creative Places, The Mission Statement and Craft Beer

Galleries, shops, storefronts, pubs - are all a reflection of their owners. The physical spaces of the mostly women artists where Compass Rose Design collections have landed are places of creative abandon, clever intuition, and endless possibility. I delight in the differing flavors of each - from urban chic to vintage elegance - each one is an experiential synergy of local creative forces worth entering and exploring.


Last week at the birthday party of an old friend - I met an awesome and incredibly stylish woman arrived fresh off her bicycle - named Helene - of Culture Consumer who is also a member of the Mission Statement in San Francisco. Lots of folks have recommended the Mission Statement to me - and all the stars aligned - and just a few days later, I met Estrella was dazzled by the assortment of amazing clothes and accessories. I am honored to be part of the collection at the Mission Statement. ! Estrella also has her own website for her Estrella Tadeo clothing designs and accessories - where you can see her art - a practical and contemporary but whimsical laboratory of artistry.

So in my other life - I am a brewer's wife and the president of a small craft beer company planning a production brewery. We're having our first public event serving homebrew on February 13th! Brian of www.bayareacraftbeer.com is doing most of the leg work and is awesome.

Breweries of Tomorrow Nanobrewery Festival

February 13 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
at the Social Kitchen and Brewery, 1326 9th Ave. San Francisco, CA 94122


In honor of the event - I made a few pairs of beer bottle cap cuff links - a fun upcycled creation. They are listed in my etsy Compass Rose Design shop.



And some out of Monopoly Top Hats!



Don't miss our winter Etsy sale!
15% off the entire shop until Feb 28 with discount code FEB15


Proud member of the SF Etsy Team!!!
Check out the team blog at http://sfetsy.blogspot.com/

Compass Rose Design Jewelry is a one woman artisan operation - handcrafted Victorian button jewelry, antique button jewelry, steampunk jewelry, and other upcycled accessories crafted with found objects and storied treasures.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Victorian Lockets, Memory Keepsakes & Shadowboxes

I’ve been really inspired by vintage lockets, which started with Aunt Daisy, and has lead down a long pathway of memories, shadowboxes and keepsake trinkets. I’m working with two families of lockets – Edwardian and early 20th century lockets as well as vintage lockets 20-40 years old.

This is a gorgeous example of a Victorian mourning locket. They can cost up to $300, but sometimes I discover treasures within my budget.

Here are a few I’ve made so far. Some have ended up at Dark Garden and Modern Eden and I am listing a few on my Etsy store and the Compass Rose Design direct shop.




A while back, I made a locket of my mother’s mother – my Dutch Oma – and have gotten so many comments on it. I love wearing her and honoring her presence with her engagement photo from 1942 Rotterdam tucked in a vintage ladies watch case.



I’ve done a few custom orders and have decided to offer them officially – you can send me a photo and we can make a beautiful keepsake shadowbox locket. Find out more or order a custom family photo shadowbox.

Visit the Compass Rose Design Jewelry shop - 10% off w/ discount code RCRD10
Visit the Compass Rose Design Etsy shop - 10% off w/ discount code CRD10
Visit our website
Find us on Facebook

Proud member of the SF Etsy team

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

NEW!!!! Compass Rose Design Direct Online Shop

Etsy has been so good to me, I love sending pieces all over the world - but the time and fees are adding up. Our friends at Timmy Mays set up a new online shop (which is awesome!) and inspired me to set up a direct shop as well.

The new shop is at www.shop.compassrosedesignjewelry.com


How is the New direct shop different from the Etsy shop?

  • No Etsy signup required - All you need is a paypal account.
  • The direct shop will have the full collection, where Etsy has limited line.
  • Etsy gets so flooded and I want to make it easy for folks to find me.
  • Etsy has lots of fees, so I can offer lower prices at the Compass Rose Design online shop.
So...wider selection, easier to find, lower prices - you can't go wrong!!!

I'll be adding items frequently for the holidays - feel free to make requests.

Shop before December 31, 2010 and receive 10% off the entire store when you enter XMAS10 at checkout!

Visit the Compass Rose Design Jewelry shop now
Visit our website
Find us on Facebook

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Found Object Bracelet, Pumpkins & Beer, and Gathered Thyme

I’ve done stained glass for about 8 years, but I haven’t hauled out the soldering iron since before I lived in Amsterdam. I did some really fun pieces with broken glass I found when I was about nine years old at a logging camp in the woods where I grew up near Skyline, California.

Yesterday, at Baubles and Beads in Berkeley, I started a refresher in some basic metal working skills. Unsurprisingly, my first piece is a found object bracelet. I started with an assortment of favorite objects.... My soldering iron was getting too hot, annoying since it was the one recommended - but apparently the Weller 100 with the blue handle is the best for this type of project. Volcanoarts.com has pretty good prices and awesome selection for stained glass, metalworking, and book binding!



Some of the objects you will recognize from other Compass Rose Design series, but there are some wonderful new pieces as well. I used old game pieces, rulers, postage stamps, a 1919 accounting register, wrist watch, key, escutcheon, and an optician’s lens – and I think it turned out pretty well.


Now I am eager to get to my collection of broken ceramics and stones...


The garden is definitely shifting with the seasons. The oregano and thyme I collected last week are dry and ready to put in jars for winter seasoning.



My husband, Johnny is brewing beer today, he’s making an Oktoberfest ale. There is no pumpkin involved, in fact if you want pumpkin in your beer, Van Houten Brewing probably won't be able to help you, but it’s Halloween….



Find Compass Rose Design on Facebook

Find us on Twitter at compassrosedzyn

Shop our Etsy store at www.compassrosedesign.etsy.com

Visit our Website at www.compassrosedesignjewelry.com

Monday, September 27, 2010

Announcing.... Compass Rose Design Bracelets

I tend to make things I like, and haven't yet found the right bracelet fixin's until recently. But, I've gotten a lot of requests for bracelets at various shows, and I finally got my supplies in. Today I did bracelets with vintage watch movements, antique buttons and typewriter keys.











































I'll be posting these at my etsy shop soon and am sure to make more - especially considering the mass produced but expensive crud available at SkyMall.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Compass Rose Design at Modern Eden

Now you can visit Compass Rose Design Jewelry creations in person at Modern Eden, a gallery in Northbeach. Located at 403 Francisco St. at Powell, the gallery is a brand new space operated by artists Kim and Bradley. He does incredible paintings and she does otherworldy scuptures.

The couple have transformed the space. The lighting, wood flooring, skylights are breathtaking. The way they divided the large space into intimate maze of secret corners and nooks without making anything crowded is to be commended. The overall effect is spectacular.

Visit Modern Eden to see Compass Rose Design creations - they're carrying both our women's jewelry and our men's collection of upcycled pocket watch cufflinks and tie pins.



Modern Eden
403 Francisco St.
San Francisco, CA
Hours: Wed-Sun Noon - 8pm

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Compass Rose Design at Sassy City Chicks September 16th

Compass Rose Design will be doing our first fancy shmancy fashionista and cockails event next Thursday at the San Francisco Sassy City Chicks events at the Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason in San Francisco! General admission is $5 and if you pop for $20 you get a fashion tote brimming with as the SF Examiner says, "Sassy Tote Ticket holders will receive a reusable black Sassy Tote filled with make up, lingerie, and/or other girly items and receive complimentary cocktails, spa services, and much more!"

Sassy City Chicks

Thursday, September 16th, 2010 from
5 - 10pm
At the Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, SF




















More about Sassy City Chicks SF
Buy Tickets for Sassy City Chicks SF

Monday, August 23, 2010

Compass Rose Design loves Indie Mart!!!

The Alamo Square Indie Mart was a fabulous third show for Compass Rose Design Jewelry. This was the first time that Indie Mart paired up with the Alamo Square Flea Market, and I think it was a great coupling to be surrounded by artists, vintage goodies and treasures of every sort.

Our great neighbor May from Timmy Mays, took a photo of me at the Compass Rose Design Jewelry booth. My dear friend and partner in crime, Betty (who is awesome) and I had a great time chatting with folks all day. We got more great feedback about the collection and lots of happy customers. People are loving the pocket watch necklaces, and antique button necklaces. We brought more vintage watch cufflinks and bottlecap cufflinks, which were well received. I am happy to have a men's collection that is more than one item.

It was fun to run into Katie from Noligoods, who I went to nursery school with. She makes super clever double sided glass necklaces with fabric and clever print inlays.

We'll keep everyone posted about when our next Indie Mart appearance will be.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

August Earring Special

Buy a Compass Rose Design necklace and get a matching pair of single strand drop-style earrings for $10 from the Compass Rose Design online store through August 31st, 2010 at Midnight!

Enter the code AUGU10 in the notes to seller, email, or an etsy conversation to receive your discount on Compass Rose Design steampunk jewelry and antique button jewelry.

Earrings are 2" single strand drop style made to coordinate with necklace with matching Swarvoski crystal or Czech glass, like the example shown in photo. Double strand earrings are $15 during the August special.

Visit the Compass Rose Design online shop to redeem your discount!

Compass Rose Design at Indie Mart - August 21

Compass Rose Design Jewelry is happy to announce that our second show will be at the Alamo Square Indie Mart on Saturday, August 21, 2010. The event takes place at Alamo Square in San Francisco from 9am until 3pm. The Compass Rose Design collection was well received at the SF Artist Market, so we are feeling optimistic about seeing folks at Indie Mart.
Come visit us!!!

Alamo Square Indie Mart
Saturday, August 21, 2010 from
9am - 3pm
Alamo Square: Scott, Fulton & Hayes Street (directions)
More about Indie Mart

Don't forget to check for the latest designs at our online shop at www.compassrosedesign.etsy.com