Peace on Earth

I hope everyone's December is off to a peaceful start. This time of year can get so frenetic with gift shopping, parties, decorating, cards to be mailed, cookies to bake, and even travel plans to be arranged. I'm wishing everyone a little time out among the flurry to have a cup of hot chocolate and remember what the holidays are really all about...

JEWELRY!!! (Just kidding.)

I'm trying to keep my days full of quiet charm, but I had my own little drama a couple of days ago when I dropped and broke my camera!

Thanks to good ol' dad, he researched a new and even better model for me and I was back in business in no time.

So what do you think? Notice a little improved photo quality?

My cable TV has also been on the blink all week, so I've been listening to lots of holiday music on the radio instead.

Nothing like a little Dean Martin singing 'Marshmallow World' to get me in the mood for Trader Joe's peppermint bark!

Then the peppermint bark gets me thinking about candy colours,

which leads me to using lots of pastel gems in my work.

These soft colours, juxtaposed with tarnished metals and rhinestones are so authentic to me, and make me feel... well, peaceful.

So, maybe there has been a silver lining to all my technical difficulties after all.

I call this necklace with a rhinestone bird perched on vintage velvet 'peace on earth', and this is truly my wish. She, along with all the other jewelry here, is now available at The French Circus.

And for those of you who wish to make your own holiday jewelry, please visit The Paris Carousel, where I have lots of vintage goodies to play with.

What brings peace to your world?

Lady of Leisure

Bonjour, mes amis! Today I wanted to announce the exciting news I'd mentioned in my last post. The moment has finally come that I have been dreaming about and working hard towards for quite a while... I have quit my job! That's right! After seven years at the cosmetology school, I've decided to take a leap of faith and devote myself entirely to my jewelry business. It's a bit scary, losing my steady income, but I've prepared for the transition and am ready to break out the wire and plyers and get busy! Far from being a 'lady of leisure', as this blog title indicates, I will be working more closely with my wholesale rep, as well as beefing up my Etsy supplies shoppe, The Paris Carousel, in addition to adding items more frequently to The French Circus. I have had so many ideas to grow my business, but simply did not have the time to implement them, so now it's full steam ahead! ;)

In the meantime, I have made several 'ladies' this week for all of you to enjoy. This first necklace is a custom triple-wrap for a very accomplished goldsmith! I was so honoured that she requested a piece from me.

I've called it 'greek goddess', a tribute to her heritage and design philosophy.

This next necklace features a Victorian filigree cameo and vintage mother of pearl cross, hung from a double-layer of mop rosary and rhinestones, accented with garnets.

And finally, another cameo necklace, this one a whimsical bib style with a vintage filigree fan and pewter hand pendant on one side.

I always appreciate your stopping by and look forward to even more exciting things to share as the weeks and months unfold. Have a leisurely weekend! :)