In a Little Dream

It's almost blasphemy, but if somebody offered to buy me a no-price-limit gift, instead of jewelry, I might choose one of these pieces from the Traveler series by the artist duo of Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz...

Snowglobes:




Prints:

Friday Favorites: All in the Details

Gold Lace Bracelet by Hagar Satat, $60 each




Alex Sepkus Ruby and Sapphire Ball Pendant, $2,615.00




Carved Blue Onyx Ring, $440




Antique Gold and Enamel Oval Earrings, $245





Raspberry Pin, modeled after a 1900 Faberge Design, $85

Oh, Stacy

Last night, I plugged in the Christmas lights, lit some candles, put on my glasses and settled in with the kitties to watch a DVR'd episode of TLC's Fashionably Late with Stacy London. It was a meditative experience. Also, highly cringe-inducing. Don't get me wrong; I love Ms. London. I love her slob-to-style maven Cinderella story, and I adore her snooty biting wit opposite Clinton Kelly on What Not to Wear. But, as I explained to my BF last night, it seems some executive told Miz L to be "warmer" or "generous" or "more relatable" and that somehow translates on the small screen as needy and clingy. She was oozing desperation throughout the show. Between the shoe wall and fully stocked bar, the set itself felt like person screaming "LOVE ME!" She was handing out drinks to the audience (possibly the only good idea they came up with), and fawning over guest Rebecca Romijn.

It was painful. I'll probably be tuning in next week.


Face I made frequently during the show

One of her more worthwhile segments involved up-and-coming designers, including Kimberly McDonald, who had such lovely jewelry that I dropped the remote and ran to the computer to get a better look. Unfortunately, McDonald has a very small online presence limited to a basic website for her line, called Rockras, along with some contact info and locations. Jewelers! Get an online store! People want to know the cost of your items with having to track them down in Texas or something!

I get the idea of luxury jewelry, I do. But if you aren't yet an established luxury name, it seems like the bigger the presence you have out there, the better. Eh. Maybe that's just me.

Anyhow, here are some of her lovely pieces:




UPDATED: The deal is, I knew she had a previous show called Shut Up! with Stacy London as many of your kind comments pointed out. The problem is thus:
1. The show was only on for one episode and it was almost the exact same thing as Fashionably Late w/ SL.
2. It had been the subject of much ridicule around our house, to the point that my original post on this subject ran two pages in Word. I couldn't do that to you people.

Seriously?

Weren't they bad enough already?
As seen in Neiman Marcus' Big 100 catalog, with these puppies clocking in at #36.

Inspiration Strikes

Found some old pictures from last year's trip to Storm King Art Center. For me, it was a school trip staple growing up; there's not much to do upstate. It was BF's first time. I hadn't been there in years, so we were both pretty impressed...




Philippa Roberts Square Wood Necklace, $84









Dana Kellin Beaded Oval Kyanite Earring, $124









Silver Seasons Bamboo Pin, $82









Carnelian Heron Ring, $495
(The Calder sculpture has always reminded me of a bird.)

Our Little Venture

Look how blase Mr. Hipster cat is

A few years ago, BF and I could be readily identified as hipsters. We lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and sulked down Bedford Ave with the best of them.

Even before we met, the seeds had been planted. He's older than me by about eight years, so he was hunting thrift stores while I was still being chaperoned by my parents to PG-13 movies. I caught up in college. In our own little orbits, we amassed piles of clothing. I have a closet brimming with vintage dresses. He has tupperwares bursting with tees. For almost a years, our hallway has been lined with about seven or eight bags. Stuff that doesn't fit or just doesn't get worn. Finally, this weekend, we got our act together.

BF and I are now the proud purveyors of a little ebay store called UrbanvintageNYC.
I've managed to get five things in to the store so far, and I'm pretty proud of the results. Why the shameless self-promotion, you ask? Because, my lovelies, I'll be posting jewelry soon! Keep an eye out...

Charmed, I'm Sure

First off, hope everybody had a lovely holiday! Mine was full of baseball. Okay! Enough about that.

Charm bracelets have always held a certain, er, charm, for me. I love the idea of monumenting a life though jewelry in such a literal way.

Two things I will not discuss in this post:
1. Mariah Carey's album Charmbracelet
2. Those (and I'm sorry if I am offending anyone here) AWFUL Italian charm bracelet with the the cheesy flat links.



Over the years, these bracelets have had starring roles in many jewelry trends. Queen Victoria wore charm bracelets that started a fashion among the European noble classes. Later on, soldiers returning home after World War II brought home trinkets made by craftsmen local to the area where they were fighting to give to loved ones. American teenagers in the 1950s and early 1960s collected charms to record the events in their lives.

I'm not sure why these fell so far out of mainstream fashion; the bracelets are such a unique and expressive type of jewelry--of which there is not nearly enough out there.

Here's what I would put on mine:

Cable Link "Kate" 14k Gold Bracelet, $395
Love is Blind 14k Gold Charm, $90
Gamble and Weep 14k Gold Charm, $140
Fortune Cookie 14k Gold Charm, $200
Hour Glass with White Sand 14k Gold Charm, $275
Lovebirds 14k Gold Charm, $120



A charm bracelet is also a great gift; you'll never be stumped for a present after you give the starter chain. C.H.A.R.M, the site where all the above charms were sold, has a lot of wonderful new and vintage charms. It's a little expensive, but charm bracelets are traditionally known as investment pieces. Hopefully the wearer will hold on to it for a long time.


Some pre-made vintage versions:


German Glass Bracelet, $65 (1950's)



Napier Lucite "Moonglow" Fruit Bracelet




Souvenir NY Necklace, composed of vintage charms

And an interesting modern version:

Happy Turkey Day! (almost)

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!




Gold Turkey Charm, $99





Turkey Day Bead Earrings by Angela Moore, $35





Wishbone Necklace, $68


I would wish for this...

Pic from Costume Dogs


I hope you eat too much, sleep too much and do a lot of shopping. See you Monday!

Today's Jewelry: Pre-Thanksgiving

-Violet and rhinestone earrings from an adorable shop in Philly. Can't recall the name.
-Marcasite ring, previously seen
-Shiny sparkly nail polish!
-Short-sleeve cowl neck black sweater, purple tank, black Diesel jeans
-Yes, I am wearing socks. And very unhappy about the development.

Make Like a Tree and...

Tina Tang Bamboo Leaf Necklace, $325




Laurel Leaf Bracelet, $108 (Part of the Laurel Leaf collection, fashioned after the crown of laurel worn by Napoleon at his coronation)





Poupette Gold Filled Leaf Ring, $70





Agapantha Laura Single Leaf Necklace In Leopard Jasper,$75




Leaf Stud Earrings, 1/2" by Sarah Perlis, $188




Leaf cocktail ring with Lucite by Alexis Bittar, $195




Denise Heffernan Double Cast Leaf Necklace, $140




Rachel Leigh Simply Leaf Rope Bracelet, $36

Thanksgiving Vacation

Light posts this week due to my brain heading out early for the holiday. By the way, does anybody else go out of their way to avoid the holidays with the fam?



BF and I are heading to Cooperstown for the big day. He's looking forward to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and I am eager to get a glimpse of the Cardiff Giant. We almost always try to escape during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're also a Weird US couple, and we've traveled to a couple of incredible places.


The Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont was amazing. It had snowed just the day before, and everything was so pure and blinding.

Pics from Roadside America. Ours are better, but I have no idea where the files are. Oh well!


Centralia, PA: an old town disbanded by an underground fire that's been burning for decades. Fascinating and eerie place to visit. This was our first trip as a couple, on my birthday. I remember most vividly driving along quiet old highways buffeted by sheer drops into coal pits on either side, coming to a Danger sign as smoke wafted from cracks in the asphalt.

Picture from Offroader


Fonthill Castle, in Doylestown, PA warranted a second visit, with it's never-ending tile and hidden rooms. We went back for the candlelight tour in December and explored the concrete rooms as a small orchestra played on the ground floor. I can't recommend this enough.

Outside and Inside. That's the Columbus room on the bottom; the tile details the history of Columbus' missions. It's beautiful and overwhelming.


We've seen old mining villages in the middle of nowhere, and winced as a tour guide at Howe Caverns regaled us with off-the-record stories about people defecating in the underground streams. We've had perfect little dinners in places that don't show up on most maps. We've oohed over homemade shanks at Sing Sing Prison, and aahed at ancient magic tricks at the Mercer Museum. I hope that Cooperstown knows what it's up against...