Meet the stallholders....tea and cake with Claire Weeks from Random Vintage

Claire Weeks, from Cardiff is the genius behind “Random Vintage” jewellery range. She is one of our original traders who was with us for the very first fair in July and has two collections of handmade trinkets - Random Vintage & Random Vintage Repeatables – and her own real-life shop.

Reindeer decoration

Hello again Claire. Tell us about your favourite tea and cake.

Well, I love baking cakes and I have to say my favourite is one that I make (slightly egotistical me thinks) - an apple and walnut cake with cream cheese icing and caramel frosting - yum. My favourite tea is Earl Grey and they make a mean pot of Earl Grey in ‘The Plan’ café in Cardiff, which very conveniently is directly opposite our shop.

Gorgeous earrings

Delish! So, let’s hear all about your wonderful work.

I have two jewellery collections, Random Vintage & Random Vintage Repeatables. For the Random Vintage collection I make one-off individual pieces using worn and loved vintage items such as brooches, charms, rosarys, religious relics, old lockets and earrings, I mix these with beautiful precious and semi-precious stones, vintage beads and rhinestones to make unique statement pieces. The Random Vintage Repeatables collection uses a mixture of new 'vintage' style items to create fun, quirky, wearable and affordable pieces.

I also make vintage style decorations and headbands.

Beautiful birds

When did you start your business?

Random Vintage started about two and a half years ago. It started as a hobby but now it’s pretty much full time as three friends and I have opened a shop in the centre of Cardiff, called  A Vintage Affair and now I’m constantly making to keep up with the sales in the shop and the website. I’m either making in the shop or making at home, it’s pretty full on at the moment, hence the reason for only doing one Christmas Fair, and it’s going to be a good one!

Time please

Where does your inspiration come from?

My initial inspiration came from a box of  my grandmother’s old broken costume jewellery.  It seemed such a shame to waste them and chuck them away, so I had the idea of making new pieces out of the old damaged jewellery as I wanted to bring them back to life in a modern more wearable style. . The more Random Vintage has developed the more passionate I’ve become about recycling and re-using unwanted or unloved vintage items and giving them a new lease of life.

I visit a lot of antiques fairs and flea markets looking for vintage pieces to incorporate into my work, these shows can be very inspiring, seeing the different colour combinations, different textures, and seeing how jewellery styles have changed over time. I also look at old books and fairy stories and try to create pieces with a theme in mind.

Necklace

Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”?

I was lucky enough to have a stall at ‘It’s Darling’ in July and had a brilliant time, Cath and Becky had done such a brilliant job! I had a great day and met lots of lovely people (customers and stallholders) , the selection of stands was eclectic with beautiful products and fab displays, so I can’t wait for the Christmas fair as I plan to get a good bit of Christmas shopping done!

Bracelets

Will you be doing anything special with your stall?

For the stall I’m planning a winter wonderland theme (though on a very small scale) with pewters and whites, some greenery and maybe even a bit of snow. I’ve also got some new decorations that I’m making up and some quirky Christmas wreaths.

Describe your perfect Christmas day...

An ideal Christmas day would be at home with my family, eating and drinking and being very merry whilst wearing my ‘new’ black lace and pink satin 1950’s prom dress, gorgeous.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without . . . a chocolate orange

Pocket watch necklace

Finally, what in your life would you call “It’s darling!”?

My little cousins are pretty darling.

To find out more about Claire visit her website,www.randomvintage.co.uk

Email her -  info@randomvintage.co.uk, ring her on 07711 65 66 40

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Random-Vintage/393614897603

twitter - http://twitter.com/RandomVintage

Meet the stallholders: 60 seconds with.....Claire from Random Vintage

Two years ago, Claire Weeks, who is based in Cardiff started her handmade jewellery company. She has two collections, Random Vintage and Random Vintage Repeatables and uses both vintage and “new vintage” finds to create beautiful and unusual pieces you just have to have now. Or on July 17th.

"Message in a bottle" necklace by Random Vintage

1. Hi Claire, tell us what inspired you to start your business.

When I was little my grandmother used to give me bits and pieces of broken costume jewellery.  When I came across them years later, I had the idea of making new pieces out of it, as I wanted to bring them back to life in a modern, more wearable style. It seemed such a waste having these pretty pieces tucked away because they were damaged or out of style. The more Random Vintage has developed, the more passionate I’ve become about recycling and re-using unwanted or unloved vintage items and giving them a new lease of life.

The lovely - and talented - Claire Weeks of Random Vintage

2. And what inspires you now?

 I visit a lot of antiques fairs and flea markets, looking for vintage pieces to incorporate into my work. These shows can be very inspiring - seeing the different colour combinations, different textures, and how jewellery styles have changed over time. I also look at old books and fairy stories and try to create pieces with a theme in mind.

For the Random Vintage collection I make one-off individual pieces using worn and loved vintage items such as brooches, charms, rosarys, religious relics, old lockets and earrings and mix these with beautiful precious and semi-precious stones, vintage beads and rhinestones to make unique statement pieces.

"Summer in Paris" necklace - Claire loves all things French

The Random Vintage Repeatables collection uses a mixture of new 'vintage' style items to create fun, quirky, wearable and affordable pieces. I also make vintage style decorations,  headbands and vintage bunting.

4. Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”?

Well as a vintage and handmade fan I just had to be a part of it - and the fact that it’s set in beautiful Bath is the icing on the cake! I can’t wait to see all the goodies and meet all those super talented sellers.

Beautiful earrings

5. Tell us what you’re passionate about.

I love French films, I’m slightly obsessed with France hence a lot of French pieces are incorporated into my jewellery, and I’m brushing up on my French as I’m planning a trip to the Parisian flea markets to stock up on vintage goodies.  Flea markets are my guilty pleasure, I absolutely love the hunt for treasures, I get stomach flips as soon as I arrive at a flea market , finding someone’s unwanted bits and seeing the potential they hold is very exciting. I love unpacking my finds when I get home and giving them a good clean up and then putting them to use.


6. What’s your three second wisdom – life or crafting advice?!

If you’re in a creative rut, don’t force it! If you’re trying to make things and are feeling uninspired, it’s just not going to happen no matter how hard you try. Do something else and go back to it when you feel the creative juices flowing.

Pocketwatch necklace

7. What’s your desert island survival pack?

My ipod, sun lotion (as I burn easily!) and Viggo Mortensen, though it have would have to be on the condition he was dressed as Aragorn.

8. What in your life would you say is “It’s darling!”?

I love collecting things in miniature - tiny dolls, itty bitty figurines. I have a particular penchant for mini rabbits, I don’t know why, maybe it’s an Alice in Wonderland thing. A while ago I found an amazing Belgian seller on ETSY called ingie, she makes the cutest mini rabbits out of mohair, I now have quite a collection of these little dears.

Claire loves anything minature like these little rabbits

To find out more about Claire and Random Vintage go to www.randomvintage.co.uk and www.randomvintagemusings.blogspot.com