Twenty Years Ago Today!

I can't believe it!

Twenty years may have gone by, 

but a million memories were created.

Here's to the next twenty, my Love.....

Something Blue

See more pictures in my Etsy shop:  SueJackDesigns

I just love that old saying....."Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue....." and so many brides still adhere to it today!  Whether by tradition, superstition, or just plain being forced by your great aunt, most brides (that do not have blue as their wedding color) will add a tiny bit of blue somewhere.  

When I got married, my girlfriend Lisa designed my garter....which I still have to this day.  :)  She added a tiny piece of blue ribbon to it so that when I walked down the aisle, it was present during the exchange of our vows.   I think I included that bit of blue because of superstition....it wasn't a blue item that previous family brides had carried before me, but for some reason I felt compelled to include it!  What if it meant I would have bad luck in my marriage if I didn't????  I was so not going to take that risk.......

I recently finished this statement or bib necklace that would be perfect for a bride's "something blue".  It has one large baby blue rhinestone in it among several other smokey blue, gray and clear rhinestones and pearls....all set in vintage silver brooches, necklaces and chains.

Please share your "something blue" with us.....a link to a picture would be extra fun, too!

Champagne Bubbly Evening Clutch

Recently I'm in the mood for heavy satin......you know, the kind from the 60's that those lovely modern evening gowns were designed from.  It lends itself to crisp construction, a luxurious sheen without being shiny, and, in the right design, gives your look a new level of vintage modernism.  

The various sized ivory pearls hint to the special occasion ahead.....

 Champagne Bubble Green Clutch on Etsy

Nod to Elsa Schiaparelli - Second in a Series

In March of this year, I wrote about Elsa Schiaparelli and her wild creations that slapped Paris square in the face, and I explained how Elsa had inspired me to create some unusual evening bags.  Here is my second clutch in this series:

It's casual, but dressy....serious, but whimsical....but most of all, it's an ice breaker!

See more pictures of this "Elsa Inspired" clutch in my Etsy shop!

La Boheme, A Night at the Opera

What's a night at the opera without an opulent evening bag?  Dull indeed.....

Spice up your fav navy blue dress with this little number!

Sapphire Blue Silk Evening Bag by Sue Jack on Etsy 

Happy Mother's Day to All

 A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.     - Cardinal Murmillo

Recently, my aunt sent me pictures of my grandmother and my great aunt when they were young girls.  They were beautiful sisters who always dressed alike and even studied the same subjects in high school and college.  They both went to a state college and got teaching degrees in the early 1930's!
My mother and my aunt were both very close to their mother and aunt, both of whom lived well into their 80's and enjoyed life to its fullest.  I'm confident that my creativity has come from this side of my family.....

 I took those vintage photos and transferred them to fabric to make a collage for my mother for Mother's Day.  Along side the pictures, I added a note that her mother had written of her early childhood memories of her and her sister playing with their dolls.  
I added her signature in the bottom left corner just so others would know who this piece of art was in memory of. 

The photos are decorated with vintage laces and ribbon trims, rhinestone brooches, and vintage silk flowers.  

 I can't wait for the mail to arrive at my mother's home, and for the moment she opens her Mother's Day gift....

                                               ************* 

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back
to normal after you've had a baby..... somebody
doesn't know that once you're a mother,
'normal' is history.
* * *
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by
instinct... somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
* * *
Somebody said being a mother is boring ....
somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

* * *
Somebody said if you're a 'good' mother,
your child will 'turn out good'....
somebody thinks a child comes with
directions and a guarantee.
* * *
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a
mother....somebody never helped a fourth grader
with his math.
* * *
Somebody said you can't love the second child as
much as you love the first....somebody doesn't
have two children.
* * *
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother
is labor and delivery....
somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus
for the first day of kindergarten...
or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp'.
* * *
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her
child gets married....somebody doesn't know that
marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a
mother's heartstrings.
* * *
Somebody said a mother's job is done when
her last child leaves home......somebody never had grandchildren.
* * *
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so
you don't need to tell her....
somebody isn't a mother.


                                   ******************

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!  Even if you are not a mother, I'm sure that you have influenced another's life as a mentor and friend.....that's what being a mother is all about!

A Bride's Bag Green with Envy

While visiting some of my vintage haunts last spring, I ran across a 1960's evening gown with the most beautiful rhinestone piece which was attached at the center front of its empire waist.  The gown itself had many stains on it....evidence of quite a party at its last hoorah!  But the rhinestone accent piece was still sparkly and had promises of a new life.
When I returned to my studio, I removed the rhinestone decor and held it next to many different pieces of vintage fabrics.  Finally, it popped when I laid it on a scrap of 1960's heavyweight satin in lime green.....a piece my mother had picked up for me while shopping at one of her vintage boutiques!  (Having a mother and sister who know me well certainly has its benefits.   My mother sends me a box once a month filled with treasures awaiting a new life, and my sister always finds something special for me at her flea markets!)
I wanted this bag to have a contemporary feel to it, but contemporary to the '50's or '60's.  You know....the old Hollywood look from Joanne Woodward....but something that would be perfect for today, too!   Here are the results.....

 

SUE JACK DESIGNS

About six years ago, I decided to create a line of evening bags after I closed my business of designing custom bridal gowns. A new daughter with tiny, sticky, peanut butter fingers just didn't mix with all the bolts of silk that I had stacked around the studio. But, oh, how I missed designing!
My first show was the Junior League Holiday Mart and I took 45 handbags with me. As good fortune would have it, I only brought home four of them! Well, that was enough to fuel my inspiration, imagination and pocketbook, so Sue Jack Designs was born.
All of my evening bags and statement necklaces are my own designs.   I search the world over for vintage items to use in creating them as I adore one-of-a-kind, handmade items. I hope you will enjoy what I have made and peruse my Etsy shop at your leisure.....your favorite cup of tea in hand.