We are so excited to announce that we will be holding monthly design challenges here on the blog! Each month challenge will be different and anyone can enter. The challenge winner will be chosen by you - the viewers, and will receive a free Vintaj sampler pack of their choice! To chose which design/designer you like the best leave a comment on their post and in the end who ever has the most comments will be our winner! {please one vote per viewer}

To enter:

• Submissions must be your own original work and incorporate Vintaj Natural Brass findings
• First make sure your design follows the challenge requirements.
• Next, simply email a good quality photo of the piece you wish to submit (preferably photographed on a neutral background) along with your name and title of the piece.
• Email submissions to blog@vintaj.com and include the challenge name in the email title.

Your entry will then be posted and will have two weeks to be voted on by the viewers. Make sure you check back frequently to see how your design is doing! If your design has the most votes you will be contacted to receive your free Vintaj sampler pack!

Now that you know the rules are you ready for July’s Challenge? Here you go…

Island Tropics Theme
Tropical Islands are an oasis filled with color that glows all year long. Summer reminds us of these islands with its warm weather and vibrant pallete. The orange sun, aqua waters, and bright pink flowers never seem to last long enough. Create a necklace inspired by summer using Tropical Island colors and themes. No specific Vintaj material is required but check out our July featured project for more ideas. Here Jess uses summer charms, bright crystals and flower filigree to create her Island Tropics bracelet. What will you be inspired by?

Have your submission in by Thursday July 17. Voting will be open from July 18 - midnight July 30, with the challenge winner posted on August 1. We can’t wait to see your designs!!

Simply place your order before July 4th and you’ll be automatically entered to into our FIREWORKS OF FINDINGS drawing. The lucky winner will receive a variety of over 100 pieces of Vintaj Products including filigree, charms, and drops. With such a large assortment of treasures this promotion is sure to kick off your summer celebration!

Be on the lookout for Bead Unique Magazine on stands July 22. This issue features Vintaj Creative Metal Artistry Leather Cuff bracelets by Wendy Mullane ON THE COVER and Vintaj Earrings by the editors!

We love designing with the separate elements in our Woodland Toggle set so much that we’ve decided to introduce them, along with a new sampler pack as individual items. These items are now available to order from our online catalog.

“What led me to Vintaj are the wonderful Vintage/Victorian styled jewelry pieces that I have seen made by others. But after getting my wonderful shipment of findings I found myself leaning more towards a more modern and eclectic look for my designs. The warmth of the brown patina lends itself so well to bright colors as well as a monochromatic palette. Even when I am not working with them in my studio…I am always thinking about new designs. Plus the company is efficient, the website easy to navigate and they are so generous with ideas. I appreciate that.”

- Michelle Mahler
Teka and Zoe

July 08 Featured Project: Island Tropics
Designer: Jess Italia-Lincoln
Project Idea# B0107

Have fun incorporating many techniques into this fun summer bracelet! Layer & wrap filigree with your favorite bead for a stunning focal, accent chain with dangles of aquatic teensie charms & clusters of sparkling Swarovski crystals!

We hope you’ll love this month’s tropical inspired projects with lots of Color! As designers we are constantly looking at things in new ways. We love designing with the separate elements in our Woodland Toggle set so much that we’ve decided to introduce them, along with a new sampler pack as individual items. Besides cool lemonade and family picnics, July reminds us of everything that we enjoy
here in the US of A and everything we’re grateful for. We’re celebrating with our Fireworks of Findings drawing! See details on our blog. We also want to extend a big thank you to everyone who visited us in Milwaukee. We enjoyed meeting you.

Happy Designing!

Congratulations to Tracy Zochowski, winner of our necklace give-away at the BEAD & BUTTON show! We had many enter to win a one of a kind Vintaj piece and she was the lucky winner. Fresh blue and green beads swing freely from our dragon fly pendant, achieving the perfect summer necklace give-way, we love it and hope Tracy does too!

Jamie North is an avid beader and aspiring jewelry designer. Her work has appeared in Bead & Button June 2008; is scheduled to be published in Bead Style November 2008, and can now be be found in our project gallery! Jamie submitted one of her wonderful designs for our gallery along with very helpful step-by-step instructions.

Using her three favorite elements Vintaj Natural Brass, Unicorne Glass (one of our favorites!), and Swarovski crystals, she has created this charming Forest Weave bracelet. Thanks Jamie!

Please visit Jamie’s website to see more designs www.JamieNorth.etsy.com

Vintaj Earth held its open house Friday night, welcoming guests from the Tri-State area to come and celebrate the stores opening. It was an awesome night loaded with amazing jewelry displays, free gifts, tasty food, good friends and kids crafting! The night yielded great response and we love to see people get excited about design. It was also great to see our guests investigate the V.E. creative design center! The fact that we can personally share our techniques and jewelry with our community is wonderful. Vintaj Earth is an exciting new adventure and the open house was just the beginning of even greater things to come. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Free gift for guests: A Vintaj necklace with one of Cathie’s lampwork glass beads!

The young ones navigate back to the work table to dig for and create with their favorite Vintaj findings! On the left, Ainsley shows Corrina how to wrap filigree.

Towards the front of the store, open house guests were likely to ohh and ahh over Linda’s Vintaj incorporated journals.

Left, Todd chats with guest as the Vintaj Earth crowd checks out the beautiful jewelry and samples some yummy food! To the right, the lovely Cindy Muchow debates on which pendant will match her free gift.

Vintaj Earth will sell local and self representing artist work like the pottery shown on the left. Also above is a quick shot of the new Vintaj elements we will be adding to the store - creatively designed bookmarks and the kids line jewelry by Megan Sharkey.

What a fun night! Left to right are Vintaj ladies Megan Sharkey, Wendy Mullane, Jeanne Holland and Jess Italia-Lincoln.