forget-time-not

sky blue everything!

vintage czech glass forget-me-nots, varying in shade, which is tricky to catch, but it’s true. these beads from 1930’s have different rims, sometimes overflowing and sometimes the petals are unfinished – they look so much more like real ones than new identical beads.

vintage italian sterling silver studs serve as perfect pistils here. this set is gone and i am not sure if i ever find another pair of these lovely blue flowers, but there are some more colors in here!

vintage tiny sky blue czech glass forget-me-not sterling silver studs or posts

vintage czech 1930's glass sky blue flower sterling silver italian studs

tiny vintage vial pendant with mana sand…

i love that time does not stand still here, hourglass is always hanging at certain angle and changing it’s position as you walk or move – you are in charge of your time. there is also a slightly longer version in the room, which can be accompanied by skin tone forget-me-not posts.

vintage hourglass pendant on sterling silver chain

vintage tiny hourglass with blue sand from the 1960's

all wrapped in sky polka dot produce bag, made by my mama from old finnish cotton such as these ones. i always have few in my backpack and use them in the shop to weight nuts, fruit, candies and so on.

‘time is on my side’ by cat power comes to my mind…

sky dots cotton produce bag in vintage Finish fabric and forget-time-not jewellery set

как часто бывает, такого набора не планировала, да и вообще, набор – дело сложное.. песочные часы пришли в посылке и я положила их рядом со всеми цветными незабудками. а на следующий день взгляд поймал почти одинаковый цвет и, конечно, сразу столько красивых ассоциаций возникло!

голубое небо, волшебная мана, незабудки с озера, само время – как волшебство, которое тебе подвластно, не забыть бы об этом. уютно упаковала в хлопковый мешочек. мама сшила их уже так много! пара с небесными горошками есть и у меня. с изъянами, но ведь они-то и самые красивые!

minty morning

these days i am into mono scented homemade things…

we’ve got lavender spray for clothes & linens, sweet orange for the bathroom & floors and now – japanese mint solid perfume. little gifts for my white room and pendants with vintage lockets.

i’ve tried several options (beeswax, coconut oil…) and proportions, and finally settled with this one. soy wax (flakes) and apricot kernel oil (cold pressed), in equal parts. plus pure essential oil of japanese mint.

now.. here are some stem cuttings of wild mint or field mint from our summer forest walks. i decided to add a pinch of blossoms in every jar, for a mintier look. mentha arvensis and her friend, mentha japonica, pure essential oil from blumenberg brand.

purple blossoms of field mint or wild mint (mentha arvensis) for decorating the solid perfume

mentha arvensis & mentha japonica, wild dried mint and essential oil of japanese mint

here is my station. child terry towel, folded in half, with everything i need. ’empty’ glass bowl (at the upper right corner) is filled with 40% koskenkorva vodka, for wiping and cleaning. vintage glass 100 ml. laboratory beaker is highly suitable for pouring into small jar and lockets!

clean and simple way of making mint perfume

made in GDR 100 ml. vintage laboratory glass beaker

for a light and silky base of homemade solid perfume

blumenberg apricot kernel (prunus armeniaca) cold pressed oil and japanese mint (mentha japonica) blumenberg essential oil for homemade solid perfume

i did not plan or measure how much i need, just a small batch, but ended up with the perfect amount of solid perfume for seven 5 ml. jars and seven lockets. only one has spilled out.. !

here are the proportions:

1 tablespoon of soy wax flakes
1 tablespoon of apricot kernel oil
30 drops of japanese mint essential oil

diy solid perfume, plant-based, light and silky

i chose the soy wax instead of beeswax because the structure of finished product seems silkier and lighter, and apricot oil feels less oily and odourless. in addition, i wanted the white shade for a mint scent, breezy cool color rather than warm… and i am completely satisfied with this choice.

i do not use a double-boiler and try to keep the temperatures as low as possible. i have lots of cotton circles and put them at the bottom of the pot as an underwater coaster for a glass beaker. when the wax is fully diluted, i turn the heat off, wait a little and add an essential oil.

too many photos of the hardening and whitening… i really enjoyed the whole process!

vintage raw brass oval lockets awaiting for homemade solid perfume

easy and clean way of homemade solid perfume

small batch of mint solid perfume in the containers and lockets

japanese mint solid perfume in the vintage brass locket

мятные твёрдые (сухие) духи!

оказалось, что это несложный и приятный процесс. главное – найти свой рецепт, лучшие ингредиенты и не торопиться. попробовав несколько вариантов, остановилась на соевом воске и абрикосовом масле (масло абрикосовых косточек холодного отжима). из-за лёгкой структуры и первого и второго, и из-за отсутствия сильных ароматов, как, например, у кокосового нерафинированного масла. и ещё свежий белый цвет больше подходит к мятному аромату.. ?)

чтобы духи были именно твёрдые, взяла воск и масло в равных пропорциях. растопила их на водяной бане и потом, убавив огонь и немного подождав, добавила эфирное масло. на каждую чайную ложку (5 мл.) смеси – 5 капель. примерно через полчаса всё схватилось и стало мятным и белым!

vintage oval raw brass locket with mint solid perfume, on vintage irish linen thread

hidden gold and silver

i really love when it happens – broken long ago.. bead or maybe few of them and a chance to disassemble the necklace without feeling guilty. few months ago i have found (many many thanks to E.!) this stunning piece from art deco period (1920’s) and, in the most victorian shade i think, back-to-back with black, following the new era – deep purple, amethyst, eggplant… look at colour of that tissue paper the necklace was wrapped in!

vintage stunning venetian foiled glass bead necklace on thick rolled gold wires

chipped bead is glossy inside and soft by the edges, shows no flaws…

broken vintage venetian foiled glass bead from 1920's necklace

now, the rolled gold wire bars!

in 1742 thomas bolsover accidentally invented a method of plating one metal onto another, while repairing a knife handle made of copper and silver. so, ‘sheffield plate‘ was an ancestor for the rolled gold. in 1844, thomas lowe brought this very technique to the united states, using gold instead of silver. base metal can be silver, copper or brass, or any mix of these(?), bonded between thin sheets of gold (at least 5% of jewelry total weight), heated and rolled into plates. square section of wires makes the whole process so visual and understandable!

vintage venetian deep purple glass beads with silver foil inside on rolled gold wire necklace 1920's

here are two jewelry pieces made out of this gorgeous necklace.. pair of small double drop earrings, with glass dangles from 1950’s cluster bracelet. blue splatter on milk glass and hidden silver band. it’s a secret.

and a single bead as a pendant on newly made sterling silver chain.

ожерелье эпохи арт-деко, 1920-е годы.. венецианские стеклянные бусины со спрятанными серебряными полосками, на звеньях из граненой проволоки из рулонного (прокатанного) золота. в ‘золотых двадцатых’ были популярны украшения именно из этого материала!

подобно шеффилдской пластине, изобретенной в середине восемнадцатого века, производство рулонного золота имело такую же специфику: основной материал (латунь, серебро, медь или их сплав) помещали между тонкими пластинами золота (не менее пяти процентов от общей массы), этот ‘бутерброд’ нагревали, прокатывали и разрезали.

чем выше проба, тем мягче материал.. когда я разжимала столетние петли, чтобы сделать серьги, то остались небольшие вмятинки, непривычные для латуни. скорее всего в изготовлении этой проволоки было использовано золото 583 пробы, а не 417-ой. интересные догадки. и новый материал, который очень полюбился. эти украшения теперь у М.