Assemblage Jewelry in Pink and Blue

Whenever I thought of assemblage jewelry, I thought it had to be shabby-ish and
Lately, I've been working on some necklaces that are a bit different and having lots of fun playing with shapes and vintage stones!

vintage raspberry rhinestones and pressed glass

vintage oval moonstone and deep pink vintage glass rhinestones

sapphire moonstone and vintage french rhinestones

NEW COLOR Olivine green Collet necklace

So happy to see you here.
Blessings,
Jennifer

Fashioned by Time, Assemblage Jewelry

For this assemblage necklace, I used a bit of antique netting and lace for the "chain" and ancient rhinestone bits along with a vintage buckle and a very old St. Dymphna medal.

St. Dymphna Free Me, assemblage necklace

For me, each old piece is a work of art in itself...fashioned by time and travel without my intervention. These timeless strays, once lost, now found and re-purposed into a little wearable work of art.  I think the missing rhinestones and verdigris gives them character and mystery. Perfection in imperfection.
--still my favorite pieces to create.

Holy Mystery, assemblage necklace

Rising

And still.
I rise.
And
I rise
And I rise...

Sometimes when you begin to think that you have nothing, it really becomes everything you ever needed.

Shabby bridal comb

"Little Poetry Leaves" series by Sacred Cake

Assemblage Jewelry in Dreamy Sapphire Blues

Really loving the assemblage jewelry pieces in the shop that would transcend well from the workday to a holiday party or a special date. This blue really pops and would be great if you are like me and wear a lot of pretty basic colors and styles to stretch your wardrobe.

sapphire and cobalt blue necklace

The antique cobalt blue colored rhinestone is fairly noticeable, about the size of a quarter...and it's paired with vintage french pressed glass givre rosary beads in a monochromatic look.

blue french rhinestones and flourishes of gold

I do enjoy using vintage and antique props...the above photo was shot with my good 'ol canon point and shoot using very old little peach lusterware tea pot and a tiny creamer that depicts birds and flowers. I am noticing more and more on Etsy that most of the items that get noticed and included in the front page collections are ones that use a white background. To me, it just doesn't look right and its not especially creative or fun, so I'm sticking to using the old props for now.

sapphire collet using vintage rhinestones

This sapphire collet was shot using an old ledger paper and some dried peonies from KW's spring garden. My favorite window for light is the bedroom window at about 10ish, so i have a little photoshoot area set up there. I makes it easier to shoot the jewelry if everything is right there on hand. I have my props in a basket and a stool and my favorite antique mannequin right by the window. I try to get new jewelry made the night before, shoot it the net morning, then edit and post.

sapphire assemblage earrings with vintage pressed glass cabochons

These earrings are made with gorgeous vintage pressed glass cabochons that look like you could just eat them... lots of light through the vintage crystals on the bottom. The shabby silver beadcaps and rondelles are from an antique necklace that came apart. This photo was made using a letter written to my great-grandfather, Harriman Simmons. He was a business man who at one time, had his own tea company in New York, partnered with a man with the last name of Bleeker.
Some of us in the family collect the "Bleeker & Simmons" tea tins that are still out there floating around the country.
These earrings are a one of a kind pair. My favorite thing to make. A one of a kind piece is a bit like making art that cannot be replicated. I like that. a lot.

A Heartfelt Thank You

I was going to begin this with a story about the adversity I faced going into this new wholesale jewelry partnership with the wonderful company Creative Co-op... I was going to go into more detail about the things going on in my life that made this dream of mine almost become just a memory...I almost completely gave up on it...perhaps I'll talk about it another day.
Today I want to thank you for helping to make my dream a reality...for fostering my hopes and urging me onward...telling me that my journey was  worthwhile. Calming the demons that haunted me and told me that what I was doing was never going to be worth it all...the hours at my desk, working until my head drooped from exhaustion. I put myself "out there" here, on this blog, on facebook, and in my shop. And what I got back was positive energy, uplifting comments about how lovely my work was, and even glorious photos of you wearing the work of my heart.

You have made me feel so blessed that my hearts work has been there during your most special moments...soaking in the spirit of the extraordinary person that you are.

     My prayer is that somehow I have touched your life. Even in the tiniest way...made you feel as special as you are, by adding something that connects us somehow. Because each thing I create is a prayer...a message of love and hope.
That is what you gave me. That is what I want to give to you.
I didn't give up...against all odds...against the deadlines and the illness and the life altering things. I kept on believing in my dream and my prayer, which was always something like this~

Dear God, bless the wearer of this work of my hands and of my heart...beauty that can only come from you, the source of all beauty. God, may I someday be able to bless others lives far beyond making something pretty for them to wear. Far beyond the confines of this desk and this body. I want my work to be meaningful, so that someday it will make the world a better place in the making of it. Amen

my table for making vintage jeweled collets

My focus was never really on me. It was on you. Not on my wallet, but on the world. Not on the physical but spiritual, and how I could make this gift of mine something that would become eternal. I didn't know how I was going to do that making jewelry. I just knew that something propelled me forward. I dug deep and found the strength to keep going against everything that was thrown into my path.
I want the same for you. I want my journey to give you hope and belief in your dreams. If you follow spirit; follow hope,  your life will become enriched and so will the lives of those around you because of it.
If you don't shine your light, you cannot lead others out of their darkness. So I decided to shine as bright as I could one small step at a time.

This new partnership with an amazing company, Creative Co-op, means more to me than a paycheck. Anything make will be a blessing to this family, but more importantly to others out in the world that are less fortunate. That is all I ever prayed for. My husband and I would lay in bed together at night and dream about Opening soup kitchens, and building wells in Africa, and free art classes and after school activities for local teens.
Creative Co-op did a beautiful job re-creating the work of my heart...beautiful collets and bracelets and earrings that made me breathless to see them in print~

 

I never would have guessed that prayer would lead me here. I just kept believing. I kept praying for guidance.

I don't mean to sound hokey, but please, keep your dreams alive. Nourish them every day. However you can. One small step at a time.Whatever they are. Keep moving. Keep swimming. Keep hoping.

I cannot wait to tell you where this takes us.

A Return to Myself

just plain me

Hi. I've come back! I cannot even begin to tell you what the last two months have held for me. Things you might find hard to believe! I've been almost steadily sick with one thing or another for the last two months... some things serious, and not so serious and I am just returning to what feels like normal again. I've been involved in a really big project and keeping my shop afloat for the last couple of months while being so ill and working on a big assemblage jewelry making project has been quite a challenge....
I've been creating a lot of the jeweled collet necklaces (I'm wearing a fave in the photo), and though I love them and their sparkle so much, it isn't where my heart really resides. It is the assemblage jewelry that I make that really makes me feel like I am expressing my best self...the true me. The "me" that began this journey almost three years ago.

assemblage collage locket necklace

victorian button necklace (in the shop)

There are so many things I have to tell you about where I've been, stories about who I've met along the way, grandchildren coming into the world right before my eyes...and the latest, last week, a melanoma scare that has me, a woman who is really big on not worrying----worried.
More about that later on when I know more.
I really just wanted to say hello. I haven't forgotten about you at all. Writing is something that always tugs at me. I compose blogposts and poems in my head often that never make it into black and white during the bustle of the day.

Benji and KW

Which reminds me, my days are filled with even more bustle, now that my oldest grandson lives with us temporarily. He's 6 months old and the sweetest baby in the universe...such a joy, but still a lot of work too!

 It is so hard for me to find balance in my life. Is it hard for you too? How do you cope when you feel like parts of you are so far flug here and there? How do you center yourself?
I know that a big cup of hot tea is a start for me...then some favorite music...singing out loud...and making a list helps to get things out of my mind and on to paper.Somehow writing it down works to settle my thoughts.

I hope to be back soon!
Many Blessings to You and Yours,
Jennifer

The Georgian Jeweled Collet with Contemporary Style, Inspired by Anna Wintour

I didn't know anything about Anna Wintour until several months ago, when a dear customer requested a necklace much like one that she wore. This was one of the first sets of the Georgian Collet/ Anna Wintour inspired necklaces I ever created, in deep plum purple and citrine.

From what I've learned Anna Wintour is the Head of Vogue Magazine, and has a lovely collection of antique Georgian Collet and Edwardian jeweled necklaces that are much coveted by fashioistas and collectors all over the world.
I had no idea such necklaces even existed until I "googled" her name (after she was mentioned to me) and saw her in many different photographs, always wearing sometimes two or three of these jeweled gorgeous Georgian necklaces at a time. I set out to create the same look, without the same price tag...actual antique Georgian necklaces are upwards of 2,000.00.
I began receiving requests for other colors like peridot and aqua and pale yellow...in different shapes. The most popular being the large octagon shape and the medium sized oval. They look smashing when worn together, and the color combinations I've seen from the requests by my Etsy customers have been amazing. I learn a lot from them!

peridot green vintage jewel collet style necklace

aquamarine vintage jewels with antiqued brass settings

Pale Spring Yellow and Citrine

Vintage Sapphire colored Rhinestones and Silver plated settings

So with a little bit of research, and a little bit of time. I've found out about the origins and prices of some of the real Georgian Collet necklaces, worn by real queens in real fairy tales...with prices that only queens could afford!

     I have really loved  creating these lately...it is a lot like playing dress up, no? My husband once told me, when I felt doubtful that jewelry was an "important" thing to create, that wearing jewelry is all about having FUN. I never thought of it that way really. Before I began making these sparkling jewel necklaces, jewelry was a bit more of a serious endeavor for me I guess...heavy with meaning and the resurrection of the old. I rather like his interpretation...I mean, the fun-ness of it...draping vintage jewels around your neck to add a little sparkle...a little fun going into getting dressed. For myself, I have chosen a lovely vintage pale pink called Rosaline (coming very soon to my ESTY shop.) I still love making the assemblage necklaces and earrings I am "known" for, and these vintage "bling" necklaces look quite lovely mixed with other typed of necklaces...particularly a longer chain style or even layers of pearls.

simple pale yellow and rosaline jewel necklace

pale yellow, citrine and grape

clear vintage rhinestones with silver settings

 

     I've been having lots of fun with color lately! These particular collet style necklaces are created to be worn just around the base of your neck, about 16-18". I make them 16" with a 2" extender. I am a larger gal, so a 17" looks just right for me. I am working on designs that can be worn much longer, soon to come! Do you have favorite color combinations you'd like to share? Do tell!

     In other news, I was quite surprised to see one of my assemblage necklaces published in the current issue of Jewelry Affaire Magazine. I feel so fortunate to be involved with such an amazing and creative publication. It is a wonderful magazine full of very talented jewelry artists and I am so honored to be included there. If you'd like a preview, you can find it here~

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Thank you for your visit today!

Many Blessings to You and to Yours,

Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake

 

If you'd like to see more of these necklaces, click photo just above to be taken to my shop!

I'm Having an Assemblage Jewelry Sale

I've got lots of things in the shop that would make special gifts for someone special on your list! Neutral palettes, sure to be loved and worn everyday, and special one of a kind pieces...come on by and take a peek! Shipping is free and so is the lovely box and bow. (Click the photo below to get there.) Use the code CYBERMONDAY to receive your discount.

I'll be back on Tuesday with a fantastic tutorial!Hint: it involves an antique child's shoe...be sure to come back then to see the tutorial, and hear the story behind it.

Blessings and Light,
Jennifer

My Love Affair with White, assemblage jewelry, and some Etsy Favorites

"Beatitude"

"Cathedral Windows"

My love affair with all things shabby and white began in 1987, when I was a young mother, like our Em is now, and furnishings and money were scarce. I had a big ol' green station wagon and a whole lot of determination and strength. (and a better back too!) I'd find things on the roadside that I needed, that were in need of a new home; load 'em into the back of my wagon and bring them home to a fresh coat of white paint.

our lovely bed

The first home decor book I ever purchased was "The Natural Home" by Tricia Foley, and I still own the same book. It is filled with lovely, timeless images of nature inspired homes that I still find inspirational and so soothing.

"Tapisserie"

I still can't resist the charm of white, though now I "paint", making my assemblage jewelry with shabby antique glass and pearls...something that I never would have guessed then, that I'd be doing now.


Some of my favorite "swoon-worthy" items from Etsy~

Pillows and quilts by Cindi at DreamyVintageSheets on Etsy

Paper Angel Ornament by RememberMeEmily

Scarves by Gloria Kirk

Prints by Carissa Paige

collages by Michael Douglas Jones

These are just a few of my faves, I'll be posting more soon during the holiday season...I intend to relish every. single. day. of it.
What is your favorite seasonal thing to do?
I'm also looking for great recipies to share here! Please email them to me at:
sacred_cake [at] yahoo (dot) com.


This season, I am offering free shipping and a lovely pair of earrings, free with any purchase.

free with any Sacred Cake purchase,gold plated antique french rhinestone earrings

I'd like to thank you all for your sweet comments about my new grandson...the house is overflowing with such newness and love!


See you again real soon. Love and Light,
jennifer

I Believe in Love...

Every time I receive a lovely photo from one of "my brides", it reassures me...and always, always melts my heart. As I have said before, weddings give me such hope. Weddings hold such promise...and I believe in love.
When I create a piece of jewelry for a bride, or for anyone for that matter, I infuse each piece with my greatest hopes and love for the wearer. My customers often say they can feel it when they wear it...that means everything to me.

Lovely Ashlee's Wedding

Ashlee's vintage assemblage bridal comb

Glass Garden, vintage assemblage necklace

Glass Garden

In Love, shabby bridal earrings

Ave Maria, vintage assemblage earrings

I have a grandson coming tomorrow, so I'm busy "nesting" here at home. He and Em will be with us for awhile until she can get on her feet. I cannot even describe to you the excitement I feel when I think of seeing his little face for the first time. I find myself gently shaking my head in disbelief, as I write here in the early morning hours, that nine months have flown by already. It has been a rough road for Em, but I know this little fella will help direct her path from here on out. Yup, I have a very good feeling about him...and about her too...

Em

The next time we talk, I'll be a grandmother for the very fist time...magic!
Warmly,
Jennifer