Thrift Store Blog Hop

I love going to thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales so I decided to join this blog hop.

Here are the rules:

Go to the thrift store/charity shop and buy an item for less that £1 ($1.50 approximately).

Take a photo of the item when you get home.

Take an “in progress” photo.

Take a photo when you have finished making your item.

And blog about it on Saturday August 4th.

I often buy jewelry to remake into new jewelry at these places. I found the price for anything decent in thrift stores was higher than $1.50. I got lucky at garage sales and flea markets though. I found these pieces at a flea market at a church in the Santa Cruz Mountains for $1.00 for both pieces:

I forgot to take pictures while I was working on it. There were off white seed beads, small silver beads, bicone crystals, and blue stone or glass chips. I combined the beads from the necklace and the bracelet and added a few of my lampwork beads.

About ingetraud

I make lampwork beads and jewelry. My other interests include traveling, reading, hiking, and collecting art and handcrafted items, especially pottery. I have always loved handmade things and have collected hand-thrown pottery since I was a teenager. I have done stained glass and weaving. I had been stringing beads into necklaces for a while when I attended a clay and glass show in Palo Alto. There was a beadmaker there whose work I fell in love with. I bought one bead to make into a necklace and decided I wanted to learn how to make glass beads. I took my first beadmaking class from Jackie Marr in Santa Cruz. After taking another class from Katie Stuart in Santa Barbara I set up my own studio and have not looked back. Beadmaking is like meditation for me. What has kept me interested is that there is always some new technique or color combination to learn or try. I have taken advanced classes from Sally Prasch, Marjorie Langston, Holly Cooper, Shirley Cook, Dolly Ahles, J.C. Herrill, Kristen Franzten Orr, Amy Waldman Smith, Claudia Trimbur-Pagel, Astrid Riedel, Amanda Muddimer, Melanie Moertel, Angela Meier, Gay Massender, Kris Schaible, and Jennifer Geldard. I love combining my love of beadmaking and traveling by taking classes away from home. In September, 2016 I got to attend a bead symposium in Wertheim, Germany. I took a bead lining class and watched many demos. I am married and have one son, age 26. I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley, California.
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19 Responses to Thrift Store Blog Hop

  1. Dana Lang says:

    Awesome! I really wanted to join this hop, but time just didnt allow it, Im a master thrifter too! Its fun 😀
    You did great, its super pretty! Love the lampwork beads too!

  2. Sarah says:

    Those colours merged beautifully.

    Well done and thankyou for taking part 🙂

  3. Joanne says:

    Great finds and a lovely necklace. I hope you enjoy wearing it 🙂

  4. chicandfrog says:

    Did you string the whole necklace a second time??? Wow.

    Ambra

  5. Sandra says:

    Nice work! Your lamp works match in beautiful 🙂

  6. Lovely necklace! Love the colors – it looks feminine and Summery. I would definitely wear it.

  7. Deb says:

    Love your lampwork beads, all of the colours match perfectly
    Deb x

  8. Michelle says:

    Beautiful.. I love your lampwork beads. Great job.

  9. Beti Horvath says:

    Lovely combination of your beads and the thrifted ones! What a nice way to snag some “background” beads for practically nothing! I love doing that!

  10. Cassi says:

    That’s beautiful, and your beads really dressed up the necklace. I love this idea of re-using components for jewelry –I’m new to making jewelry and I hadn’t thought of looking at thrift stores for components. I’m definitely going to give it a try!

  11. apolymerpenchant says:

    Wow what a transformation! It goes to show what a difference artisan beads make. Beautiful lampwork

  12. DenHagerman says:

    I like the necklace but I LOVE your beads! I can never get my twisties to come out very well but yours look awesome.

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