Vintage Coin Purse Necklace...A Tutorial!

Hi Sweeties...

Have y'all been LOVIN your summer as much as I have??

I know some of you are in very HOT places, which makes it not as fun...

but I live in a place that is so often COLD,

the Warmth of Summer is a welcome change!

I have a true love affair with little, vintage leather coin purses!

I could NEVER have TOO many of them, there are so many endless

ideas of  charming things to do with these adorable Victorian gems.

I've made necklaces out of them, which I adore, but recently I was thinking

about the purses women wore attached to their waist with a decorative

belt clip or chatelaine. They are so Simple & Sweet, I just

wanted to make one, so I did!

This is a really EASY DIY piece, that requires very little technique or supplies.

Prior to doing anything else, I added a small tintype & cast, repo metal frame

with some E6000 adhesive & let dry completely over night. I have added this

on to the leather of a vintage coin purse & the metal lid, both work perfectly.

With the lid open, you can see a space right next to where the hinge connects

the lid to the leather, that's wear you will attach either a large jump ring or

hand wire a double ended connector. {which is what I did} You can then

open the end of any length of chain you desire & attach it to both of your

jump rings or connectors. Tie a bit of sari silk through one of the jump

rings & VIOLA...you have a great little vintage necklace or waist coin

purse. Now depending on how much knowledge you have in jewelry

making, you can just open up your chain in a few different places

& add some beads & bobbles as you please!

Easy Peasey!!!

Here's one I made into a long necklace. The main difference with this one is that I

only used 1 connection on the corner of the coin purse, so it would hang

at an angle. LOVE THESE!!!

Before women actually carried purses, they wore a chatelaine...

a decorative belt hook or clasp worn at the waist with a series of chains

suspended from it with accessories, like a watch or thimble or scissors.

I would definitely hurt myself with something like this around my waist! ;)

So, I'm now looking for a cool vintage belt hook like the ones above, to

hold my coin purse at my waist. Won't it be soooo cute with my

Magnolia Pearl top & rolled up jeans??

No matter what or when, you can't separate a woman from her purse...

without it, where would we put all of our crap??

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial & give it a try, I bet you'll love them

just as much as I do!!!

XOXO

vintagesusie

Louis Comfort Tiffany & Brown Memorial Church in Baltimore

Greetings Sweeties...

Well, here I am back from my little, short vacation to Baltimore for my brother's

graduation from his residency at the University of Maryland. He is now officially

a surgeon, back here in Cali where he belongs & doing his fellowship in

vascular surgery at USC...I could not be any PROUDER!!

A few weeks ago, I went crazy on Pinterest, as I usually do, & started

a whole new category on Louis Comfort Tiffany. Being an interior design

major, I have always loved all elements of design, but Tiffany

has always been a favorite of mine.

While 'researching' for my Pinterest collection, I found out something that was

 completely unknown to me. I've been to Baltimore 5 or 6 times since my brother

has been going to school there & I couldn't imagine me NOT knowing this fact...

The Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church of

Baltimore, Maryland, has one of the worlds largest & finest 

collections of Tiffany art still in it's original setting.

OK...they had me at HELLO!!! 

So, even though this vacation was not about me & was filled with a schedule

of events & parties & ceremonies for the graduate,

my brother said there was a short window {good choice of words!!!} of time for me to see

something I wanted to see in Baltimore, to which I excitedly answered...

"I want to go to the church with all the TIFFANY WINDOWS in it!"

We were literally there within minutes. I grabbed my camera & bolted from

the car, clicking away as I walked towards this amazing Gothic cathedral.

Walking to each one of the locked doors, we were beginning

to realize this church was open by appointment only or

on Sundays & we had neither going for us.

Can anyone say...Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

As our very last resort, my brother & I opened a rod iron fence that was most

certainly not meant to be opened by the General Public. At the very moment

that the gates parted, a passer by says, "Can I help you?"

Looking to the sidewalk, now half way inside the OFF LIMITS area,

I start rambling a list of reasons from A through Z to this seemingly random

woman, of why I must get into the church. She smiles & asks us to come into

the church office which was in the building next door...a door we never tried.

 The Good Shepard by Wilbur Burnham

She introduces us to the church secretary who has a set of keys in her hand & as

she leads us into HEAVEN, she asks if we would like the lights on or off...

we say off & she floats away like an angel leaving us alone in

this room of LIGHT.

At this point, few words are needed...

The New Creation by Tiffany Studios

Saint Gabriel by Tiffany Studios

Saint John by Tiffany Studios

The Baptism of Christ by Tiffany Studios

I Am The Way by Tiffany Studios

Annunciation to the Shepherds by Tiffany Studios

Christ in Gethsemane by Tiffany Studios

An astonishing 63 panels of glass depict the story of a host of angels heralding

the birth of Jesus to the shepherds below.

The Holy City by Tiffany Studios

The Lord is my Shepherd by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co

Lead Kingly Light by Tiffany Studios

If I Be Lifted Up by Tiffany Studios

I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes by Gorham Manufacturing Co

My Dad with The New Creation in the background

The Tiffany Windows of Brown Memorial are Sacred Glass,

& above all of those beautiful, beyond breathtaking windows...

are magnificent Gothic arches that seem to go on forever.

Can you tell that I LOVED it there?

Can you tell it was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of my trip?

Can you tell I'm going to HIGHLY recommend that you go

there if you ever go to Baltimore, Maryland?

Can you tell that I'm soooooooooooo excited that we got inside this glorious church

& that I didn't just have to enjoy these windows from the outside?

Now when you see me OCDing on Pinterest just remember...
Susie's crazy for doing so much PINNING, but she may be finding a

diamond in the rough with all her insane researching.
We may never know until she actually gets there!  ;)

XOXO

vintagesusie

Queen Elizabeth II & her Diamond Jubilee

Today is the last day of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's

Diamond Jubilee!!

The Diamond Jubilee is the 60 year anniversary of a monarch's reign & has only

happened once before in England's history when Queen Victoria

celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

As I sit here watching CNN in preparation for the Queen & her family to come out

onto the balcony, I think of the history that had to happened in order to get 

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary to this moment.

She was an unlikely monarch.
Her father, King George VI, was the 2nd son of King George V,

who's eldest son Edward, was groomed to become the next King of England.

After the death of his father, Edward became King Edward VIII, but his reign

was to be short lived. He ruled England from January to December of 1936,

at which time he abdicated the throne for his American,

divorcee mistress, Wallis Simpson.

And of course as you know, that's a whole other story.  ;)

So, due to an unforeseen set of circumstances,
Elizabeth's father became King George VI.

Look at all the crowns in this picture...Yummmmy!!!

So the princess who would be Queen, started her royal journey to the monarchy.

Something I've always thought must be so heartbreaking, is the fact that in order

to become a King or Queen, your parent must die. During a time of great

sorrow, you must take on the tremendous responsibility of a nation.

But Queen Elizabeth II did it magnificently!!

She was quite a beauty at the time she took the throne...

& exudes graciousness, confidence & elegance.

The Diamond Jubilee crown made for Queen Victoria...

OMG!!!!

One of her clothing ensembles designed by Angela Kelly for her Diamond Jubilee,

it took a year to design & create.

A few of the many festivities in Queen Elizabeth's honor...

a flotilla on the Thames in the Royal barge...

the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace...

{she wore earplugs, how cute...}

& a Royal Carriage Ride...all of it, fit for a Queen!

Here's the moment I was waiting for, HRH The Queen, surrounded by her royal heirs.

Having had Diana as his mother, Prince William will make a wonderful King of

the People, just as Diana was the People's Princess.

CONGRATULATIONS

Queen Elizabeth II

on your Diamond Jubilee!!!

What a magnificent achievement!

And YES...I've already ordered my Diamond Jubilee souvenirs!!!

I got the mug & the tea towel above & it was in pounds,

so God only knows how much I really spent!!! LOL

XOXO

vintagesusie