Monday, August 13, 2012

A Renaissance


Last weekend my family and I attended a Renaissance Faire in San Jose.


Many faire-goers dressed in period costume as the downtown park was transformed into a 16th century English village.


Artisans spun yarn and formed pottery while selling their wares.


It was hard to resist the Marie Antoinette-style 'Hats of the Future', complete with little ships!


Even the eateries were decked out in olde world finery, with huge turkey drumsticks being the meal of choice for any red-blooded carnivore.


There were also lots of over-sized activities for children such as chess,


Jenga,


and a wooden horse, hand-powered by hard-working men!


The day's entertainment also included a concert Shakespeare himself would have enjoyed, and a classic puppet theatre.



Of course, my 6 month-old niece Tilly wasn't too impressed with these events.


And now for a bit of Renaissance of my own...


I've been working with more vintage images this week, and lots of rhinestones!


This necklace features an antique Georgian paste pendant which I backed with an old prayer card and red velvet, fit for Queen Elizabeth herself!



Sterling silver Art Nouveau goddesses...



This sweet glass locket from France is complemented by vintage rosaries and rhinestones.




A little Mary figurine double-wrap number...




rhinestone earrings that remind me of carnival glass...



and a southwestern-inspired statement with turquoise accents.




Oh, take me back to the glorious Renaissance! :)


Monday, August 6, 2012

Parisian Pearls


As promised in my last post, today I am introducing my new 'parisian pearls' line of jewelry!


I think we can all agree that it was Coco Chanel who made it stylish to wear layers of faux pearls.


And I've been so inspired by the flapper looks of the 1920s lately.


So I am offering you my own version of these classic baubles, with a French twist, mais oui.




Pearls in all shapes and sizes, from large baroque to teeny tiny!



Of course, it never hurts to mix in a few gemstones with your pearls! ;)




And how about some Art Deco beads, and an old silhouette portrait?




Glass cabochons...



And finally this lovely porcelain Limoges portrait pendant. So elegant!




All of these pieces are currently available at The French Circus. Please stop by and take a look around.

In the meantime, I leave you with these parting words from Coco herself, 'A woman should be two things: classy and fabulous.' Have a fab week! ;)


*vintage photos courtesy of Pinterest