Dishfunctional Designs: Jewelry Made From Antique Valentines & Valentine Post Cards

When you have a true love for antiques and vintage items, you want to preserve them so that they can be enjoyed by future generations.

There's a special kind of gentle kindness in that—to preserve and not destroy—to find value in the past, and though it may be just a tattered piece of paper to some, to others who can see more deeply into it and understand it's importance and value— know that preservation of antique and historical items is paramount to understanding the past and therefore appreciating it, and wanting to share it.

I started making my vintage ephemera jewelry and vintage postcard jewelry in the late 1980's and have created hundreds if not thousands of pieces over the years. Most sandwiched between pieces of glass and hand-soldered, sometimes adding beads or baubles and sometimes adding a vintage finish to the metalwork. Being handmade, each piece always was a unique, one of a kind piece of art jewelry that celebrated the past.

Now, all these years later, I look back at some of my past designs and see how my own craftsmanship has changed and transformed into what it is today. I've written art jewelry books and have done so many amazing things over the years but I always enjoy just sitting down with a cup of tea and looking through the vintage valentine images and vintage postcard art.

Of course, I never destroy an original vintage post card or valentine! Each piece that I make starts with me making a copy of the original ephemera and then goes on from there. The original vintage Valentine's Day cards and antique Valentine postcards are treasures of the past and should be protected and kept for years to come.

Below are some of the pieces I've made. A few are available in my Etsy shop, and the vintage initials are available directly from my website at www.laurabethlove.com