Baubles of Mine

I know, it's been awhile..and I'm sorry. With all my PTO duties, I've been sidetracked. Plus, last week was my 10th Wedding Anniversary and hubby had a beautiful day planned last Saturday.

Anyway, I've been acquiring some new baubles for my ears lately. Be it a purchase or finding a delightful Etsy SNS Secret. I'm really enjoying finding all these wonderful pieces of jewelry and I'm getting some great sales too. Alas, some of these sales are over but if you're an Etsy shopper..you need to peruse the "Promotion" section of the forums. That's where I find out about all these wonderful sales/contests etc. Today is Saturday and starting at 5pm you'll find the SNS sale thread on the Promotions forum.

One of the awesome sales I had found was a BOGO, buy one get one free, on earrings at Lilly Queen's store on Etsy. These one's on the left are Scroll & Berry cluster earrings. Pretty scrollwork and the maroon glass pearls set off the metal nicely. The other pair I bought were these on the right side and they're called Pina Colada. It's pretty white & honey jade on brass. I'm trying to find earrings of different colors, styles etc to go with any of my outfits. Just like a girl, isn't it.

I was able to pick these two beauties for only $9 YES FOR BOTH!

Prices for earrings at Lilly Queen are from $15 to $23. I actually like the simplicity of the designs. The colors and styles are simple, yet classic in design. Nothing too outlandish but just right.

This next pair of earrings I got are from Strands of Light on Etsy. These were a SNS Secret item. For those of you unfamiliar with the SNS secret...you can get one secret item per week and they generally are free or just the cost of shipping. You have to search through the store's listings to find the phrase "SNS Secret" or "Secret" somewhere in the listing. These I really like. The vintage glass beads hang from a copper ring on sterling silver. The glass beads are white with flecks of painted color. They are smaller in person (I was actually concerned they might be too big from the picture) but they are sweet and dainty. These earrings cost $23 normally. Earrings at Strands of Light range from $20-$30. If you like this style that I got, there are a few there right now that are very similar..just different beads.

These dainty lil gold ones come from Amanda Mackay's Etsy Store (she does have her own website with more jewerly). We've got glass pearls, crystal beads and freshwater pearls and gold-plated ear hooks. As you can see the pearls/beads are in varying shades of blue. These are very dainty and very feminine. They are very light on the ears (which I like cause my ears hate me if I wear anything too heavy) and easy to wear. Amanda's Etsy earrings run from $8 to $30 and there are some there now, similar in style (different colors, metals) to these that I have. These were another SNS secret I had found but originally cost only $6.

There are just so many options on Etsy! I spend hours just "window" shopping there. You can always find something new on Etsy.

Pretty "Remark"able

Make a statement without saying a word...I remember this was a quote from some product line a long long time ago (maybe not that long ago). What about in today's world? Is there anything out there that you can buy that will have you making a statement without saying a word? Not much huh? Well, lucky for you, someone who makes such a product found me!

Rebecca, who runs BananaSaurus Rex, on etsy is the creator of the Remark Cuff. Rebecca uses all kinds of vintage fabrics to create all of her pieces, but she takes some of these vintage fabrics and creates these cuffs (fabric bracelets for those of you who may not know) and puts various quotes right on the fabric. Most of her Cuffs have quotes about love on them from Shakespeare to Virgil.

Here's a picture of the one she made for me. It's made with denim, white fabric (which has the "remark" on it) and this pretty piece of floral fabric. Nice, bright red snaps finish it off. The quote is by Mr. Rogers. I gotta tell you I felt like a little bad ass when I put it on :-). It kinda reminded me of those cuff bracelets from the 1980s but this one being much more feminine than those that Joan Jett wore. Plus I think having the wonderful quote on there is much nicer than spikes!

Here's a little info from Rebecca's site about the Remark Cuff's and so you know..part of the proceeds from sales are going to charity:

"On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that all Californians have the freedom to marry. The landmark decision ends the state ban on marriage for same-gender couples. But, Proposition 8 - which would amend the California Constitution limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman - has qualified for the November 2008 ballot.Surrender to love, people! BananaSaurus Rex sends half the purchase price of each Remark Cuff to Equality California, a non-profit organization that works to achieve equality and secure legal protections for LGBT Californians. For more information, go to www.eqca.org."

You can get a Remark Cuff in the denim like mine or other fabrics, like the ones pictured here. Make sure to measure your wrist so you know what size you need. If there's not one in your size, you can get a custom sized one. All of the Remark Cuffs are $15.

The Remark Cuffs are not the only work Rebecca does. A couple of my favorites are her Market Bags ($25-$45) and her Power Flowers ($12). My favorite Power Flower is the one in her store's Avatar with was made into a choker necklace. You can find much more in her Etsy store. So, if you like Vintage, like upcycling, like pretty things...check out BananaSaurus Rex!

Pleasant Under Glass

Ok, so I've been on a jewelry kick lately...sorry so sue me :-)

My most recent acquisition is from Under Glass on etsy. And, let me tell you this is one of the most unique jewelry stores I've come across. The necklace I got was this beautiful Snowflake on a blue background. It looks large in the picture but it is actually very dainty. Carol-Ann, the artist of Under Glass, placed the digital image of the snowflake under a thick, glossy coat of resin. The result, naturally, makes it look like it's (sorry bad pun here) Under Glass. The pendant has these black and white stripes around the sides and as simple as they are, they add depth to the pendant. It hangs on a silver plated chain...(I usually prefer Sterling Silver but the silver plated chain is actually much brighter than most of my Sterling. ) There are many other snowflake pendants on Carol-Ann's site that are just as or more intriguing than mine. They run $24 and are really little pieces of art.

And, there aren't just the snowflake necklaces at Under Glass. Carol-Ann makes another kind of series of necklaces called Reliquary Pendants. They are basically glass tubes in which she will place an inscription on and some sort of design on it. Inside there are coordinating glass beads that will roll freely inside. Some hang horizontally on the chain or vertically with some added glitz like the one I have shown here called Garden Girl. The Reliquaries go for $29.

And, it's not just the jewelry that caught my attention. When I got my package in the mail, the presentation Carol Ann makes is just as unique and pretty as the necklace inside the box. Just take a look at how my necklace was packaged. It's this kind of attention to detail, not just in the main body of work, but how the customer receives their merchandise..is truly something you don't normally find in this day and age.

Of course, I'm only cruising by the tip of the iceberg here. There are many many unique works of art at Under Glass. There are several other types of necklaces and of course, earrings and bracelets. I'm sure you'll find something just as unique as you are.