Our House

Growing up, our house was warm and cozy, filled with lots of interesting friends and family members.

Baby sister Sue loved to collect seashells.


My older sister Nancy was so in love with Jack and always wore the gold locket he gave her before going off to war.


Unfortunately, he looked much older by the time he returned home.


My spinster aunts Gertrude and Bertha fancied their rubies so!


But they were always scolding poor cousin Billy for causing mischief in the backyard.


One day, President Kennedy even came to visit us!


And mama served him tea.


Our house was the most fun when all our friends and relatives would come over together for family dinners.


Of course, mama always made us leave our shoes outside first.


And in the springime, our garden would be filled with flowers and butterflies.


I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me. Oh! And please remember to leave a comment for an entry to win these earrings:


Thank you for stopping by! :)

Souvenir Bracelets

Bonjour! Today I wanted to share with you one of my latest obsessions (of which there are a few, mostly French-inspired!), and that is Paris souvenir bracelets! I've been keeping my eye out for affordable examples on-line and at antiques stores and have been lucky enough to find a handful. I plan to take these apart and repurpose into necklaces, so please stay tuned. In the meantime, aren't they delicious? I tried unsuccessfully searching for some historical information on these since I'm not sure when they originally came into vogue, so if anyone has any knowledge of this, it would be much appreciated. Here is my little collection, which I photographed on the pages of the 2010 Silver Lining calendar entitled, 'Paris Remembered'. Indeed.








Bon soir!

Facelift

I apologize for not having a more exciting post today, but being the perfectionist that I am, I decided my Etsy shoppe needed a facelift, so I spent the better part of the day taking new photos of every piece of jewelry, using softer lighting and better background props, and uploading them. Whew! I'm pretty happy with the results... at least for now. I'd love your feedback on the new pictures (if you can even tell there's a difference), and I also wonder if there are others out there like me who obsess over such details? It would be nice to know I'm in good company.




Shh... please don't tell the Cafe de Flore that I stole their ashtray as a souvenir. ;)

Instant Relatives

They say you can't choose your relatives, but it can be kind of fun finding instant family members to decorate your home. I've long been fascinated with vintage photos and love rummaging through boxes of them at flea markets and antiques stores.

From cabinet cards to tintypes, snapshots to Polaroids, I can't help but wonder who these people were, how they spent their days, and what happened to their loved ones - not to mention admiring their wardrobes! Rather than toss these slices of historic life aside, I prefer to honor them by placing them in a pedestal bowl or on the coffee table for house guests to enjoy. They always prompt conversation!

Vintage photos lend an endearing quality to crafts as well. Many artists use them in collage and altered projects, and I've made my share of greeting cards out of them. (I recommend using colour copies so as to preserve the originals.) Most recently, I've been featuring them in pendants for my assemblage jewelry designs. However you decide to display these old souls, I hope you'll invite some instant relatives into your own home, and ask them to stay a while.