Jan Cade ’ s vendor booth conjures up feelings of yesteryears with antique suitcases , vintage photographs and linens she stains with instant coffee to create an aged look .
away from it ,” she recalled . “ I started , and this is what it looks like 10 years later .”
She named her side business The Gypsy ’ s Moon in honor of her mother .
“ My mother always called me a gypsy , so I had to use that in there and it just kind of went together .”
Growing up , her mother sewed a lot and Cade followed in her footsteps . She often made her own clothes and her artistic skills even led her to create some purses although not all were well received .
“ I was always crafty . I made purses back in high school in the 70s before it was cool . Would you believe I made one out of a beer can , and I took it to school and the principal said , ‘ oh no , no no .’ I got into trouble for that one ,” she said , laughing .
An office manager for Booker Electric , Cade spends her free time combing estate sales , flea markets and private collections , looking for items that can be repurposed into jewelry , such as old silverware , broken jewelry , old drawer pull handles , antique earrings and brooches . As soon as she picks up a piece , she can reimagine it into a new setting , paired with another orphaned piece she has waiting at home . “ When I see it somewhere , I see it as … a vision , what it ’ s going to look like when I get finished with it .” Each piece is unique . She might take a small antique picture frame or old belt buckle and solder a cross on top then add a chain or strand of beads , or she may cut off the ends of two old knives or forks and solder them together in the shape of a heart to make a pendant for a necklace . She may take a colorful old jeweled brooch , cut off the back and add a strand of deep colored rosary beads to turn it into a necklace . “ I use a lot of clip-on earrings that your grandmother would have worn ,” she said . “ This was a serving spoon with a long handle on it . I just removed the handle and drilled the holes in here and added a chain . This was an old drawer pull that would have been in your grandmother ’ s kitchen .”
She works out of a shed behind her house , spending countless hours going through boxes of trinkets and vintage pieces she has collected to decide what is usable , then cleaning and buffing the pieces , cutting off discarded parts and soldering pieces together to create the jewelry she envisions .
“ This is fun to me ,” she said . “ It ’ s very relaxing .” www . meridianstar . com
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