Nostalgic Summer Catch Up

After a very mild start, winter has finally reared it's ugly head here in Minnesota! I feel I'm getting soft though, as I remember thinking January temps in the mid 30's were a heat wave!

Anyway....I have been busy. Working on some new pieces, getting ready for a boutique and valentines day.

I had the pleasure of meeting with my HandmadeMN Etsy group in person last week at Glueks Restaurant in Minneapolis. We had a great time, meet so many fantastic artists, and learned lots!

After participating in my first boutique last fall, I have been bitten by the boutique/market bug. Look for more to come this year!

The first one will be on February 9th. It's the Material Girls Boutique...And I hope everyone in the Mpls area will come out. There will be lots of great vendors, appetizers, wine (first glass is FREE*) and giveaways!

Here's the link to the Material Girls Boutique Facebook page: MGB

And here's a sneak peek at some of the new pieces Nostalgic Summer will be selling exclusively at this boutique.

Have a great week..and I hope to see you at the Material Girls Boutique!

Jewelry Trends 2012

So… you all know how I love to research. Well I’ve been checking out the jewelry trends for 2012. And I am happy to say Nostalgic Summer is very comfortable with what’s hitting the runways this year. Reused, recycled, vintage, pearls, crosses - 2012’s jewelry trends sound very familiar to me. Here are the top ten trends we will be seeing this year 1. Handmade jewelry. Got this one in the bag! 2. Antique and classic jewelry. What more can I say, I’m a vintage jewelry junkie.

3. Natural jewelry with a flora & fauna inspiration. 4. Bright colored jewelry. Like the bright colors in our vintage advertising art pendants.

5. Bold, big and chunky. 6. Blues, turquoise, navy, aqua, dark blue and azure. I am in love with the blues!

7. Crosses. I guess by know you all know my love for vintage religious items.

8. Pendant necklaces. I've just introduced a line of big bold pendants.available soon on Etsy. Here's a sneak peek.

9. Gemstones and crystals. 10. Pearls and beads. For me, these last two are a given. You can never have enough gemstones, crystals, pearls or beads!

And it is good to see major designer getting on the green bandwagon. Here’s a quote from ThadFashion.com: “Green Eco Conscious” Movement It is actually sweet to witness eco-friendly things on the runways - this only means designers have learned (although forcefully) to be more resourceful and see beauty in other materials. Such as Mari & Lani Davis, Alex and Ani, and Tamra Gentry are concerned with “recycle and reuse” philosophies in their styles. Whether its plainly about recycling with plastic milk cartons, utilized newspapers, or whatever trash there is… fascinating and thrilling jewelry is literally popping up just about everywhere. And personally, it’s all about how things are put together, regardless of materials." I would say these great trends make it easy for everyone to find their style this year. Visit Nostalgic Summer’s Etsy shop for our interpretation of these trends. Read more about the trends here.

Hunt and Gather......

Since we have had such a mild winter (so far) here in Minnesota, John and I have spent the last two weekends exploring Minnesota. We usually spend winter weekends cross country skiing....no snow and temps in the 50's have put a hold on that.


Here's a little view into my last two "Hunt & Gather" weekends.

New Years Day found us out exploring Hopkins. They have several great antique shops, and I tried to hit them all. Our first stop was Blake Antiques. This shop has been around for as long as I can remember.

I love visiting this shop, but don't usually find much for re-purposing. I did well this time!

They had a few religious medals, that wonderful old brass box chain and the brass and red rhinestone pendant. I already know how I'm going to use that!
The next stop was this cute little red brick shop...The owners name was Red! So cute.

I did not find anything here, but I will be back. The shop is cute and the owner is so nice.
This next shop is new. People were still setting up their booths.It's Antiques On Mainstreet.

Again, I went out empty handed. But It is a great shop, and I'm sure I'll find some goodies next time.

Last weekend we visited Becker and Monticello. Pedal In Antiques in Becker is charming
I found some wonderful European type antique skeleton keys. Love the one with the square top!

We also visited a newer (they are celebrating one year) shop in Monticello. Antiques Monticello was fantastic. The vendors were super nice! I hit the jackpot there and just about cleaned them out. At least the rosaries!



And....I just received this package of goodies in the mail from my favorite online vintage supplier.

Don't you love the Mona Lisa locket? The grape cluster pendant charms are wonderful! I am so excited to work with them.

Gotta go for now.....it's finally SNOWING here. A perfect winter day to create with my new stash!
I'll post my creations soon! :-)

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” — Albert Einstein

Guilty Pleasures….

guilty pleasure: noun 1: something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt

We all work so hard and spend so much time on others that we forget about ourselves.

Now I’m not into resolutions, but I am going to commit time this year to guilty pleasures…and to get all of you on the guilty pleasure bandwagon I’m starting a monthly feature “Guilty Pleasures”.

I hope you will enjoy this feature and will leave LOTS of comment on your guilty pleasures.

My January pleasures,

Pinterest…. I have had my Pinterest account for several months but never knew what to do with it. I spent some guilty pleasure time last night playing with it. I am in LOVE!



Candles are also a guilty pleasure (more like an obsession). These are a pin on my Family Room Board.

I think I’ll pin a Guilty Pleasure Board!

Ugh….These next few I can only dream about for the next few months. Can we say "Healthy Eating Plan" :-(
Byerly’s Killer Brownies


A glass of red wine

OH…and it can be cheap wine! *Love Trader Joe's
Those are my January Guilty Pleasure reveals. Let me know what some of yours are….. I promise I won’t tell ANYBODY!

Leave me a link to your Pinterest account, I enjoy following!
Here's my Pintrest account

Happy Birthday….January!

A little birthstone history, fact, lore and legend.

The origin of birthstones is believed to date back to the breastplate of Aaron, which contained twelve gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

There are numerous legends and myths about birthstone healing powers and their therapeutic influence. According to these legends, wearing a gemstone during its assigned month heightened its healing powers. For the full effect, individuals needed to own all twelve and alternate them monthly.

Most months have more than one birthstone, the modern and traditional, and the mystical.

January’s modern birthstone is the garnet. It signifies eternal friendship and trust. The word garnet is derived from the Latin word granatus, which means seed, and is called this because of the resemblance to a pomegranate seed. Reference to the gemstone dates back to 3100 B.C.

Myth suggests that the garnet originated with Persephone, the Greek goddess of sunshine. Persephone was captured by Hades, the god of the underworld. Before Hades released Persephone, he wanted to guarantee her return, so he gave her some pomegranate seeds.
Hummm…I like pomegranate, but it would take more than that…anyway.

The garnet is said to hold the powers to stop hemorrhaging, cure inflammatory diseases, and cure anger and discord. It also balances yin and yang energies. Place under your pillow to ward off bad dreams and evil spirits.

Although the Garnet is traditionally red in color, the stone ranges from a colorless hue to black.

Since the garnet signifies eternal friendship and trust and is the perfect gift for a friend!

The traditional birthstone for January is the rose quartz. The rose quartz is associated with emotional balance and forgiveness. Some call the rose quartz “The Love Stone!”

Rose quartz is one of the most desirable varieties of quartz. The pink to rose red color is completely unique, unlike any other pink mineral species. The color is caused by iron and titanium impurities.

The garnet and the rose quartz necklaces pictured here are now available on Etsy.

The mystical birthstone for January is the Emerald. To be fair to all those May birthdays I will save that for later!

Stay tuned, next month for Happy Birthday…February!

“Supernatural powers have long been attributed by astrologers to certain gemstones. Wearing the gem associated with one’s birthday is commonly thought to bring good luck or health.”
—Encylopedia Britannica

*Happy New Year Everyone!*