Goodbye Summer

With August drawing to an end in just a few hours, I feel as though we're on the slippery slope towards the cold, grey, blustery winter. Alright, alright. Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. In all honesty, I must admit that about this time of year I start to get really excited for fall and those blustery days where you just cozy up on the couch with a hot drink and book in hand. I get excited thinking about out what new gifts I'll be making for Christmas this year and anxiously begin the process. I absolutely love scarves and very soon my neck will go into hiding, as I will be donning one daily.

This picture made me smile because just as I am excited, but bracing myself, for colder weather, someone thought this tree might need a little help and made it a scarf!

Here's to a great summer had, the beautiful fall days on the way, those few very warm days we will still inevitably have, and all the cold ones that are stacking up against us! Until next time...

Clear- adj. Allowing Light to Pass Through

Here's some food for thought:

Growing up, one of my good friends always said that her favorite color was clear. At the time, we all would laugh and some people would give her a hard time because who says that their favorite color is clear? Is that really even a color? Tonight, though, I was thinking about this and how insightful her answer was. She never said this, but I feel like maybe she couldn't choose a favorite color. She is someone who enjoys life so much that I think she chose clear because through that color she could enjoy all others.

Next time you see something clear don't just look through it, but take a second to enjoy and take in what all it is that you're seeing through it.

Reminiscing of Times Not Ours

I'm going to take a break from jewelry topics to ponder on something else entirely.

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a different time? I often think about what kinds of things I would have done (growing up and as an adult), what I would have looked like, the clothes I would have worn, how my home would have been decorated, how I would have cooked, etc. if I had been born in the early 1900's. Why this time? I'm not really sure, but I seem to always be drawn to and intrigued by it.

Take this dress for instance...

I think that it's gorgeous and I can only imagine the decorations this lady must have had at her wedding and the types of pictures they probably took. I hope that she married for love and not just into money. I hope that even if in their pictures they did not smile (since it seems no one smiled in pictures back then) that they were so happy to be together. I feel like she probably washed clothes on a washboard and undoubtedly made all of her family's food from scratch. I'm sure she was a beautiful bride and that she met a wonderful groom at the end of her aisle.

I wonder if 100 years from now young people will think back and wonder what it would have been like to live during our time. I'm sure they will and that they'll find ways to glamorize and romanticize it. I hope we can each find ways to glamorize and romanticize our everyday life for ourselves now.

Until next time...

Technical Difficulties

I was so excited yesterday after adding the SHOP section just to find out that the "Add to Cart" buttons were not working! I am so sorry to all of you who tried purchasing yesterday. Thank you so much for your interest and please know that I am working on it. In the mean time, you can either wait and keep checking back for when it's all totally working, or you can email me at theloudwhisper@gmail.com and let me know which piece you'd like. We'll then just do a private transaction via PayPal.

On to more exciting things...

I got to go back to Penn-Dutchmann today with my pal Andrea (check out her sweet blog here).

And here's a sneak peak at what I'm going to start working on soon.

Yay for antique stores! I think each of you should pick an afternoon to go find one you've never been to and let yourself just get lost among all of the charming things full of all kinds of stories. Here's to all of the amazing lives that were lived long before ours!

Until next time...

It's Time to Focus

Often times I will get so excited about the jewelry that I am making that I end up jumping all over the place when making it. Though this sort of creative process generally works for me, I am noticing that it would be hugely beneficial to me to have some focus. Therefore, I have decided to introduce 3 lines that I feel help bring focus and cohesiveness to my jewelry.

First, I'd like you to meet Ditto.

Ditto is a classy lady with great taste. Her jewelry is never overstated and though she loves to always buy a new bauble, she still agrees that pearls are best for any occasion. She is a refined woman who is not afraid to correct you if the silverware is set in the wrong place. She is a socialite. She is imaginative. She has great stories.

Next, I'd like you to meet Willow.

Willow is a free spirit. She is not afraid of color and will layer her jewelry just like her clothes. She likes wares that dangle and stand out. She loves to twirl in circles at the park and probably doesn't know where the silverware is supposed to go. You would most likely find her drinking hot tea out in her shop behind the house where she has paint and unfinished canvases strewn everywhere.

Finally, there is Robin.

Robin is an earthy gal. She loves to be outside doing things like riding her bike, hiking, fishing and camping. She likes to dress up, but she will probably be wearing her Chacos with her skirt. Her jewelry is usually more neutral, but definitely not boring. Robin's grandmother taught her where the silverware goes, so she's always correcting it at her best friends house.

Well, there's the girls! I feel like their personalities are in each one of us and my jewelry likes to bring those sides of us out. Please see the SHOP section at the top to purchase these items through PayPal.

Until next time...

Here We Go!

Though I have been absent from my blog the past couple of days, I have been productive! As mentioned in my last post, I have decided to take a tour of Chicago's many resale, thrift, and antique stores on a hunt for items to be repurposed into my jewelry pieces. So far, I have visited three stores and made a little purchase at each!

First off was Penn Dutchman Antiques at 4912 N. Western Ave.

They boast having 13 rooms full of treasures and trust me, it did not disappoint! I didn't even make it to the second floor this first trip because I was so consumed by everything in the first half-a-dozen rooms. Though this place appears to be a bit in shambles (hey, they've been here for 40 years, what would you expect?) it definitely has a TON of great stuff. Not everything is marked for price, so ask several people working what the price is before you buy because they will likely all tell you something different.

I made out with a couple of keys and a couple of button hooks. As you can tell, I practiced some serious restraint. This place is definitely worth checking out! They had a whole room just for old postcards!

My next two stops were both consignment stores; A Secret Closet at 4617 N. Lincoln and Savvy Seconds and 1sts at 4724 N. Lincoln. Both are great as far as quality and style go and I was able to find a few things at both. Keep in mind, though, that at ASC their jewelry is not on consignment from the public like how it is at Savvy.

That being said, I found some earrings from ASC that I can't wait to break into pieces and use as pendants! I found some necklaces at Savvy that I think are going to add character when taken apart and reused with other things.

I am really looking forward to getting out on Monday and checking out some more places. I am also excited because I should be receiving a box early next week with old clock parts in it! What fun!

Until next time...

The Old Into New

To my few faithful followers, I apologize for my absence. I'm embarrassed that it has nearly been 2 months since my last post. Please let me take the opportunity now to make a mid-year resolution that this will not happen again. I have some exciting new ideas that I am going to be diligent to blog about!

One of my favorite all-time bands is a little duo known as 100 Portraits. They have a song that has been a sort of anthem for me and my favorite lines (if I had to choose) are:

"You've made all my deserts into gardens. You've made all my deserts into gardens.

You've made all my ashes into beauty. You've made all my ashes into me."

Now, read that again. It is so good. I love that everything we go through, the good just as much as the bad, makes us into who we are. We are ever-changing people and I love that we're not the same yesterday as we are today, nor who we will be tomorrow. This brings me to my new endeavor...

Many of my jewelry pieces incorporate repurposed materials from found jewelry. I have really gotten into the thrill of taking apart the old and turning it into something new and I don't think that's a coincidence. I am currently working on a list of resale, thrift, and antique stores in the Chicago area and will be going on a hunt for wonderful pieces that have their own stories that I can take apart and turn into something new for you to add your new stories to. I hope to visit a new place each day and the goal will be to blog about that spot and my finds that evening. All of this is going to be challenging as I will be trying to hit these places up between my 10 month old's nap times, but I think it will be a fun adventure for the both of us. So, if you have any favorite hole-in-the-wall stores, let me know and I will be sure to check it out!

Until next time...