Brigid and Annamarie's Windy City Jewelry brand features vintage glass bead and crystal jewelry from 1920-1960 which has been transformed into unique designs which are wearable today.  Most pieces are one-of-a-kind or of limited quantity.  The vintage materials are accented with new sterling silver findings and Swarovski crystals.  Vintage costume jewelry pieces such as brooches and earrings may also be incorporated into the designs.

The jewelry is formed using a combination of wire-wrapping and stringing, which gives it a delicate look but is very sturdy.  Each piece is individually handmade with the greatest attention to detail and the highest quality materials at very reasonable prices.  Retail prices range from $12.00 to $120.00 and is an additional 25% off every day!

Kathy D. has designed jewelry for 18 years.  Her popular line has been sold at stores across the country.  The jewelry features exquisite antique objects such as Victorian picture buttons, brooches and French belt buckles from the Victorian and Art Deco eras along with rare vintage Swarovski crystal and Venetian or Japanese glass beads.

She has decided to retire from jewelry-making and a wonderful selection of her remaining inventory is exclusively available at Brie's.  Also, the jewelry is on sale for the first time!  Some of the necklaces and bracelets are 30% off and many of the earrings are 50%-60% off the original prices.

French Beaded Flowers

The art of making French beaded flowers has been practiced for centuries and examples from the Victorian era can still be found in antique stores, which attests to their durability.  Elizabeth's handmade flowers are both realistic and fanciful, combining wire and vintage or new glass using this age-old technique.  They are available arranged in vintage vases or as single stems.  Retail prices range from $6.00 to $25.00.

Precious Metal Clay Jewelry

Elizabeth's Precious Metal Clay (PMC) jewelry components are completely handmade.  Molds are made using vintage picture buttons or unique designs created free-hand and the components are fired and hand-finished.  The resulting components are 99.9% fine pure silver, as opposed to sterling silver which is 92.5% pure. Because fine pure silver is not an alloy, it does not tarnish as readily as sterling silver.

The collection includes necklaces, bracelets and drop earrings with a floral and/or leaf motif.  Some of the pieces have embedded cubic zirconia stones.  Retail prices range from $32.00 to $160.00.

Woven Beaded Jewelry

Elizabeth's off-loom woven beaded jewelry is handmade using vintage or new glass seed or delica beads in a variety of techniques such as tubular and flat peyote stitching, spiral stitching and weaving.

The collection includes branched fringe tassel necklaces, bracelets and drop earrings with sterling silver wire-wrapped or vintage picture button closures.  Retail prices range from $25.00 to $150.00.

The floral beaded jewelry collection includes glass beaded scatter pins, mum pins and corsage pins created in the style of French beaded flowers.  Retail prices range from $12.00 to $50.00.

The cabochon pins feature handcrafted dichroic glass or stone and Victorian-era picture button centerpieces and have intricate beading surrounding the center stone.  Retail prices range from $15.00 to $60.00.

Mary makes the most adorable pins and pincushions from recycled sweaters!  She felts the wool and angora sweater knits and crafts two styles of pins - roses with leaves and sunflowers.  Some of the pins have tightly wound velvet or stretch velvet centers.  A fabulous selection is available including neutral colors and interesting color combinations.  These pins are the perfect accent for a jacket, coat or hat!  Retail pricing is $18.00.

The pincushions look just like cupcakes and come in a variety of colors.  Some of the pincushions have interesting patterned "wrappers" like plaids and checks.  Also included are coordinating straight pins.  Retail pricing is $15.00.

Lee's handmade refillable pens are covered with polymer clay using a variety of techniques: millefiori (thousand flowers, named for the ancient Italian glass-making technique), Mokume Gane (a Japanese term meaning "wood grained metal") or other techniques giving the look of jade, turquoise, ivory, amber, granite or fabric.  Once the pens are covered they are sanded, twice-dipped in polyurethane, rubbed with steel wool and baked for extra durability and a smooth-as-satin finish.  Retail prices are $6.00 or $12.00.

Also available are handmade pen cradles expertly crafted by Lee's husband Ed of solid cherry, hickory, mahogany, oak, pine, white maple or a variety of exotic woods such as African mahogany, Brazilian cherry, teak and purple heart.  Retail prices are $6.00 or $8.00.

Nicole designs and creates darling handmade greeting cards, invitations and announcements for all occasions.  We have a great selection of greeting cards available for immediate purchase or stop by and peruse our invitation and announcement sample book to see designs which can be custom-ordered to suit your needs.

Jill designs and creates darling fabric handbags in a variety of sizes including wristlets, ribbon bags, messenger bags and shopper totes.  A limited selection of bags is in store featuring one-of-a-kind fabrics only available at Brie's.  Prices range from $25.00 to $75.00.

Eleanor handcrafts gorgeous soaps in small batches using only the finest natural ingredients. Pure vegetable and glycerine soap is combined with olive, avocado and other pure oils, plant extracts, milk, honey and botanicals to gently cleanse and soften the skin.  Scented with essential oils, herbs and spices, they contain no chemical sudsing agents so they are long-lasting and retain their fragrance to the last tiny sliver.  Only pure, food-grade vegetable coloring is used.  Available varieties include Almond Milk Soap, Caffe Latte Body Bar, 24 Carrot Gold Soap, Cottage Garden Soap, French Country Soap, Gardeners' Clean Green Hand Soap, Honey Ginger Soap, Men's Tea Tree & Eucalyptus Soap and Tuscan Summer Soap. Each bar of soap retails for $6.00.

Robin designs and creates terrific work featuring fused and dichroic glass - adorable bobby pins with dichroic glass accents and fused glass pendants in a multitude of sizes from petite to dramatic.

Pam designs and creates exquisite stained glass pieces embellished with filigree components, crystals and glass beads.  All of the components are soldered in place to keep them secure.  The collection includes suncatchers for $30.00, trinket boxes for $25.00, jewelry boxes for $40.00 or $60.00 and plant stakes ranging from $15.00 to $30.00.  She also does reverse painting on glass and tiny framed pieces are available for $14.00.

Lisa's rustic Old World Christmas ornaments are sure to become a cherished family heirloom that will be passed on for generations.  Each piece is individually handcrafted from stoneware clay formed using vintage German cookie molds.  Retail prices range from $4.00 to $12.00 for ornaments and larger wall plaques are $24.00.