Charmed, I'm Sure

Want to hear a story about a magic charm bracelet that appeared out of nowhere? Ok, here's how it goes: 

On a recent trip to Hershey to visit my boyfriend's family, I was talking with his mom about my love of vintage items (I talk a lot about my love of vintage items).  We jumped in the car and spent the afternoon "thrift-store-hopping." I didn't find any jewelry, but did score a 1960's Coach bag, Totes scarf and crystal ring holder.  

On the way home,  I mentioned that one thing I was really looking for was a vintage charm bracelet.  When we got inside the house, she disappeared upstairs and emerged a few minutes later with the most amazing sterling silver nautical bracelet.  *Poof!*

Turns out, she used to sell antiques and pulled this bracelet from some of her old inventory.  And, she wanted me to have it! I was blown away by her generosity.  

Ok, so it's not really magic, and it didn't appear out of nowhere, but let's not be a spoil sport. I can assure you that the bracelet is magical, right down to the jingle it makes when I wear it.  

You can find vintage charm bracelets at estate sales and, if you're lucky, occasionally at thrift stores.  Otherwise the internet is your friend and can offer you a plethora of choices:

From Charm Chatter

from Vintage Retrievers

From Fine Estate Liquidation

from ReRuns

from shoprhubard

from LilahBelleVintage

p.s. I just finished reading a copy of The 19th Wife (you can see the cover in the background of one of the photos at the top). I highly recommend it for your summer reading list. Especially if you are like me and love Big Love and Sister Wives. Yep, I said it.  Sister Wives.

Thrifty Finds

Last weekend my mom and I spent some quality time thrifting in the Philly suburbs. What a great day!  We visited all three Impact stores and spent hours combing through housewares and accessories.  

Just spending the day together would have been enough, however we scored some serious finds that really put the day over the top.  Here's a sampling of what we found:

Leopard pleated skirt which I plan to have hemmed, bright straw trivets, a Whiting & Davis 1930s-40's mesh bag, and my favorite find of the day... a Hermes scarf for $5.99!

Our trip would not have been complete with out a serious scouring of the jewelry cases, and we did not leave empty-handed. 

This straw trivet now lives on my nightstand as a giant coaster.  

You'll be seeing these items in more detail later - either here in a future post or for sale in our Etsy shop.  Please visit if you have a minute.

What's the best thing you've ever found at a thrift store?

A Jewelry Swap

We all have that friend - the planner - who always finds the perfect reason to have people over or encourage next month's happy hour. You see an evite from her and know it's going to be good. And fun.

This is my friend Cathy. Two kids, a husband, the occasional triathlon, and a slew of volunteer projects can't keep her away from planning and organizing all sorts of wonderful events. God bless her.

So when I received the following email from Cathy, I knew I was in for something special. The subject line read "The Swap: Jewelry."  Instructions were as follows:

• Go in your jewelry box and pick out a piece or set that you never wear (likely because it is just not your style) but that you know someone else might love
• Dont wrap it. All items will be displayed during "cocktail hour"
• After we all have had time to look the items over, I will put our favorites in little gift bags
• Then it is time for a good old fashioned Yankee Swap. I expect some claws to come out!

The best part - all unclaimed items at the end of the night were donated to the Laurel House for victims of domestic violence.

Doing good while having fun?  That's my kind of party.

Grandmom's Enamel Pendant

 

Have you ever noticed the special lingering quality of perfume, especially on vintage jewelry?  The way scents seem to linger years, even decades past when they were last worn?  

This enamel pendant still smells of my grandmother's signature scent: Estee Lauder Youth Dew.  I keep it in an old cigar box, in good company with other jewelry pieces that have also retained her scent, and I never wear perfume when I put it on.  

My grandmother was a little woman. I wish I could have seen her wearing this necklace, which seems oversized for her frame.  She must have made quite the statement.   

I wear this necklace year round - with sundresses and boat neck tops and turtlenecks with knee high boots.  They say a good perfume never goes out of season. 

Crown Trifari Pendant courtesy of Small Earth Vintage

Photo courtesy of Ruby Girl Jewelry

Crochet Art by Elle Decor UK

Double Chain Pendant by Vermont Jewelery

Painted filigree and oxidized sterling by OfLove

Stencil from Design*Sponge

Photo from CalloohCallay

Craft idea from Good Housekeeping

Small Porcleain Lace Bowl by isabelleabramson

Photo from Handmade by Diana

Your Cloisonne Bracelet

I've always been drawn to Asian styles of decorating and I love this red cloisonne bracelet that I recently "borrowed" from my mom on one of my visits home.

Cloisonne is an ancient decorating technique for metal jewelry and other objects.  The earliest known Cloisonne objects date all the way back to 12th century BC Cyprus!

Here are some other fun cloisonne-inspired items:

Cloisonne Vases from Left Coast Luxe

Original photo by Kim Has 7 Cats

Ginger Jar Print from The Pink Pagoda

Butterfly Pendant from Hot Vintage

Cloisonne Suzani tea vessel from Hampton Hostess

Cloisonne Velvet from House Beautiful

Christmas Ornaments from Made in China

Cloisonne Cake from Amazon

Your Holly Yashi Earrings?

Holly Yashi earrings embody the 80's for me.

I picture my mom - short feathered hair (highlights of course), scooping me up after school with these dangling from her ears.

Niobium, the company's signature material, is a lightweight natural element that changes color with the light.  The design takes on different hues depending on how you hold it.

I'm pretty sure I used to give my mom a hard time about how many pairs of these earrings she owned.  But the other day when we were sorting through items to post online (check out our Etsy store link below!) I pulled these aside and just could not let them go.

I love that the earrings I so fondly associate with my childhood have crept back into my adult life.  I find them surprisingly modern considering when they were made, and I love their simplicity.

You can find vintage pieces on Etsy or eBay:

Vintage Holly Yashi from For Sadie's Sake

And I love the new collection.  Beautiful pieces that retain the company's signature look (plus they're affordable!):

Holly Yashi Fleurette

Have you brought anything out of hiding lately?  Have you heard of Holly Yashi?