To be completely honest, I’ve been holding out on you. Sometimes I buy exquisite stones with every intention of making jewelry to sell, but then rational thought gives way to “Oooooh, shiny”, and they wind up in my personal stash.I tried to keep several strands of topaz secreted away, but that saying “the beads know what they want to be” is true; I was so consumed with visions of blue jewelry I had no choice but to make it and send it out into the world.
For the sterling and gemstone earrings shown I mixed mesmerizing London blue topaz briolettes with pale blue sapphire rondelles and periwinkle-toned tanzanite. You can find out more about these beauties here, or by clicking on the “Etsy-mini” in the upper-right corner of this blog.
Now that I'm sharing, here are a few more of my true blue favorites:
This blue batik number from the 1970's is my new favorite sundress. It's from 28 Crash, a shop selling reconstructed vintage clothing and accessories with a rock and roll aesthetic. The designer behind 28 Crash has a true sense of style - she publishes a magazine at Fashion Follower.com, and will have a line in Urban Outfitters this fall under the Urban Renewal label of remade clothing and items from new-old stock fabrics.
This rosary is crocheted! This unique piece by Annette 1533 comes in a rainbow of colors including royal blue as shown. It is expertly and artfully done, and makes a great gift for true believers and collectors alike. The shop also carries a variety of items including hats, scarves, blankets and rugs, polymer clay objects, and painted rocks done by the artist's Mother. By the way, I love the halo around the cross in the photo.
Penhaligon’s Bluebell fragrance is a true English classic known to be a favorite of the late Princess Diana. It is a natural, clean scent reminiscent of cut bluebell stems and moss with a touch of powder, cinnamon and clove. It's feminine without being girly, floral without being flowery. Penhaligon's full line of fragrances is available through LONDONS Bathecary, a site with over 2700 products from hard-to-find European boutique brands including Roger & Gallet - love their soaps - and Bomb Cosmetics, a scrumptious bath line. Cheerio!
It's hard to make jewelry for a living and keep a nice manicure, but this summer I found the China Glaze brand and their limited-edition Tiffany box-inspired nail crème. Named “For Audrey” after Ms. Hepburn’s iconic role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, this is hands down my favorite lacquer of the season. The China Glaze formula wears like iron and the color stays true without turning dark or fading. China Glaze is a professional brand with a full spectrum of colors available in nail salons and online at Head2ToeBeauty.com
Drawing inspiration from the 19th and early 20th centuries, Marmee Craft's dreamy paintings and prints reflect a delightful world where animals and humans truly exist as equals, and happily share tea, wings and antlers. I’m not an impulse buyer, but within mere seconds of laying eyes on the lovely blue Fawn Mask print at right, it was mine. There are dozens of charming characters to fall in love with, but if you can’t decide there's a hand-sewn pouch of eight buttons with mini versions of the paintings.Gems and Findings
- The artist/author known as Fidget rocks her babies with one hand and rawks the computer keyboard with the other as she writes the wickedly funny Finding Yourself, Despite Yourself , a blog about life, marriage and motherhood in a world ruled by Our Lady of Perpetual Chaos. Click the link and you'll see Fidget's new site, and you'll also see my first-ever ad. I'm thrilled to be on the site, and there's even more exciting news coming behind why I'm there - stay tuned!
- Last week Mr. Glamorosi flew out to LA for Harp Magazine and spent a day in Topanga Canyon with musician Devendra Banhart to talk about his upcoming psychedelic blues-folk CD Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. Banhart is also an artist and is working on a jewelry line. I’ll post the link when the piece is published, until then you can check out Mr. Glamorosi’s recent interviews with Queens of the Stone Age, Ian Hunter, Roky Erickson and more here.
- As a kid I loved talk shows - I ran home from school to catch Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, and Dinah Shore on television, and I stayed up late to watch Johnny Carson and Tom Snyder. Each showcased interesting guests and unscripted conversation in a time when talent triumphed over marketing. With the recent passing of both Mr. Snyder and Mr. Griffin, it's the end of an era I feel fortunate to have witnessed. Rest in peace.
Pearls of Wisdom
The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary. ~ Vidal Sassoon
Credits:
Blue topaz earring photo by me, Glamorosi, all other photos in this post are the property of and are published here by written permission of the respective businesses, shop owners, artists, etc.
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