Vintage Groove

 

I admit, I was taken by surprise when I heard that Making Memories had gone into the jewelry business. I had grown accustomed to boxes of paper goods and trims, but was completely unprepared for the bags of jewelry pieces that showed up on my doorstep. My first thought was that there was no way this was for me, intimidated and out of my element. 

But Vintage Groove, the jewelry making line designed by Jill Schwartz, is a lot of fun and user friendly. It's the kind of jewelry pieces that you might find in flea markets (it definitely reminds me of the costume jewelry I used to buy at flea markets with my grandmother  when I was a child.) Some of the pieces are sold in groups, others as individual pieces.  Chains can be taken apart, added to, and turned into necklaces or bracelets. In the end, you create a piece of jewelry that's uniquely yours.

It was slow going at first, but I looked over some of Jill's other designs in her Elements line and suddenly got it. Forget matching and making everything look linear and perfect, this was all about freedom and not taking yourself too seriously, and letting things get a little funky and fun. Once I embraced that aspect of the jewelry, designing became a lot easier. 

This necklace is my first attempt at designing, and other than twisting jump rings open and shut (easy to do with two pairs of pliers, also sold in the line), there really isn't any technical skill required. I think this would be a fun group activity - have everyone buy a few packs of pieces and chains and get creative. The entire line is available at select Target stores and A.C. Moore, so the price point is good, too. 

Now, on to a bracelet...

 
 

Comments

[vintage jewelry]

Wow,they are so beautiful and gorgeous.In my childhood,my granny uesd to wear these kinds of necklaces.Making unique pieces from old chains and buttons is not easy.They are very attractive.I loved them all.

[laura vegas]

love how your necklace turned out! sounds like we had the same thinking ... i was also stuck in the "they need to match, and look clean and linear" way of thinking. lol! i'm going to try and branch out more on my next creations :)

[Joanne]

Gorgeous!

[Sierra]

Totally different than what Laura and I did and so inspiring! Love it!

[ZacksNana]

Beautiful necklace! I also love all the little charms in the other photo. somethign to think about in the creating world. I could use those little charms on cards too! TFS