A while back, I told a story about how I found a handcrafted bracelet made by Elizabeth Teich of ETC Modern Vintage that had the same weight of an ID bracelet that my father had
given me, but I had unfortunately lost. It has a tricky clasp and would fall off when least expected, and sadly, my bracelet vanished
more than a year ago.
But the replacement, too, had a clasp that wouldn't stay put, and despite Liz's email telling me she was happy to replace it, after three losses, it finally disappeared in the early spring. It was not a good day, and having lost the new bracelet put me in a bad mood, even though I was looking forward to my evening plans, which called upon my locating a pair of silver high tops that the would fit into the party theme.
The shoes were in a wardrobe trunk that I hadn't opened in a year, and as I sifted through the styling tools I had crammed inside, and reached for my shoes, my old ID bracelet dropped out! I couldn't believe it. I lost the beloved bracelet I bought from Liz only to have it re-replaced by the one that I had lost in the first place. It was serendipity at its best. I sent Liz a note, telling her the bad news first, and then the good news that my old JC Penney bracelet had magically reappeared.
A week or so ago, I got an email from Liz telling me that she was participating in Brooklyn's Artists and Fleas market in Williamsburg. So on a recent Saturday, I headed out to Brooklyn to check out her new space and to show her my old ID bracelet to see if she had any suggestions on securing the clasp. As we sifted over beautiful old watch dials turned into necklaces and stretchy watch bands refashioned into slinky bracelets, Liz discretely reached beneath her table brought out a gift that she then offered me. It was an ID bracelet that her mom had given her dad back in 1979 as a birthday gift, and Liz wanted me to have it. And guess what, his name is Stan as well. My old bracelet is the square one pictured below on the left, and my new old bracelet is the one with the rounded plate below at the right.
Liz's mom was a jewelry dealer who passed away when Liz was a child, so the bracelet is extra special since she gave it Liz's dad at a special occasion, and nearly 20 years later, Liz passed those memories on to me.
For more vintage memories, pick up The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating withThrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Detailsat Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon or Powell's.Programing Note: If you missed me on the New York edition of Open House,on August 9, watch it by clicking the following link:
The Elegant Thrifter
Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!
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