“Not Your Grandmother’s Rhinestones”

That’s how Ericka Cady, Imakdee.blogspot.com , described her unique style of recreated vintage jewelry to me this morning. Her business is called Imakdee’s Recycled Recreations. So, are you wondering about the name? I did too. Turns out, her married name is Cady, which folks usually pronounced “Caddy”. To clarify matters, soon after taking her husband’s name, she changed her internet moniker to “Imakdee” (I’m a Cady). Problem solved.
Ericka is an interesting woman who, in her former life, worked for the federal government, in a position which allowed for zero creativity…so frustrating. When her position was relocated to Washington D.C., she chose to remain in Westerville, OH. That’s when her passion became her full time business. She’s had a long-standing love for vintage jewelry and has been a collector for many years. About ten years ago she started to take pieces from her collection and “switch them up” by reconfiguring some of the elements of different pieces. She said her pieces usually appeal to “younger people who like cooler, funkier things”. Friends and co-workers loved what she was doing and asked her to recreate some of their family pieces in order to give them a more updated look. And, the rest is history.
Like me, Ericka says she’s getting pretty excited about the upcoming Vintage Marketplace this February 2nd-4th. It’s sort of like a second Christmas for us. We’re counting down the days.