My Christmas List

Last year I had a very traumatic Christmas when I decided to make all my presents myself. This year I decided to buy early and often, and I have accumulated a substantial pile of presents. But you know when you're looking at your Christmas present pile, and it seems like a weird and random assortment of things? That's what my Christmas list looks like this year.

Someone I know (I'm sure none of these people read my blog) is getting a Lucky Mojo Charm from Mojohatchery. It's made of something called devil pods or, hilariously, bat nuts -- and in person it is terrifying. Those little black seedpods really do look like bats from one angle and scary faces from another. I think the recipient will appreciate this. Plus, it's supposed to ward off evil, and what more does anyone want for Christmas?

Someone else is getting a set of 1930s French chessmen in a wooden box, similar to the set available here. It's not quite as cool as a set of devil pods, but I think he might like it better.

Another person on my list will be getting an Art Deco brooch like this one, a hand holding a water lily.

And if you have someone on your Christmas list who likes antiques, used to be a locksmith, and was once almost kicked out of the navy during WWII for smuggling a pet monkey on board, this is the perfect gift: a Chinese lock in the shape of a monkey, over 100 years old and available here.

Let's hope that my friends and family are ready for some interesting and unusual vintage presents, because that is what everyone is getting this year from me. And if any of you are reading this, I wouldn't mind getting that sort of present for Christmas either.

Today I'm Thinking About

The perfection of earrings that are two different colors.

Top image: Black Forest Earrings by Circ; bottom image: Jewel Tones by U2erin.

My Brilliant Legs

I just got three new pairs of tights from the popular tights-provider We Love Colors. They are just what I look for in tights: soft, opaque, and not too shiny. These are more or less what they look like, although they aren't exactly what I thought they would look like.

The medium blue tights look sky blue. The tights that were supposed to be maroon look more magenta. The only tights that look just the way I expected are "rubine," which I ordered daringly even though I wasn't sure what color rubine was. It's the name of a reddish dye, but shouldn't it be ruby red? They look dark purple on my computer, and the same color in real life. Anyway, whatever color they are, I think they're lovely. I'll be wearing them to brighten up some black clothes this winter. I hope it gets cold enough to wear them soon.

A Vote for Brooches

My Florida town was an exciting place to be on Election Day. I loved seeing the way people were dressing up to vote. I saw a lot of American flag colors, but also lots of people who, like me, dressed mainly in blue. (We were so giddy at the idea that this might actually be a blue state this year! And it was!) I also saw women paying tribute to Michelle Obama in fabulous outfits like this one from Kimberly of Fab Finds Under $50.

I like the way Michelle Obama pins a single brooch at the v-neck of a dress or sweater, and I am totally going to copy this look with various brooches like these:


As always, Etsy has a zillion options for vintage brooches that would go perfectly with this outfit:



From top left: Vintage Mod White Glass Sunburst Brooch on sale from RelicsRenewed; Pretty Vintage Turquoise Rhinestone Brooch from Susantique; Vintage Amethyst Stone Brass Brooch from AuthenticAntiques; Late 1800s to Early 1900s Art Nouveau Brooch from LunabudsAttic; Vintage Gold Bow Brooch from HopelesslyDevoted; Vintage Marcasite Bow Brooch from PattycakesPatterns; Stunning Trifara Signed Gold Tone Leaf Brooch from Beatomicbeauty; awesome and bizarre Vintage Egyptian Cat Brooch from Vickisvintagelane.

Next Halloween

Let's face it, I own a lot of costumey clothing that I wear every day. I like ruffles. I like gaudy jewelry. I like anything that looks like it came from a previous time period. Usually I try to keep it to one costumey piece per outfit, with everything else fairly simple. But Halloween gives you total freedom to wear all of your over-the-top pieces at the same time. This year I wore the puffy shirt, the chain belt (as a necklace), a bright green belt (actually from Lane Bryant), and as many piratical accessories as I could scrounge up. This was a last-minute costume attempt. Fortunately, I already owned a pirate hat and an octopus necklace.

I think I looked more like one of the Three Musketeers than a pirate. But Oliver was wearing a black beard, hook, and eye patch, so that helped people identify us.

I like the idea of creating a costume out of real-life clothes just by adding an accessory or two. Next year I'm thinking about basing my costume on something like this gorgeous tiara from LuxeDeluxe ...
... or maybe a giant butterfly hat from Jenniferbelland ...

... or -- my favorite idea -- one of these amazingly cool felt beards from Imadeyouabeard.

Little Fountains of Pure Color

My favorite jewelry description of all time is in George Eliot's Middlemarch, when the two sisters are going through their mother's jewels. Celia is dying to wear all of it. Dorothea is fighting against her own ideals -- will she ever let herself be happy, with accessories or with men? Sigh ... I love this book!

"The complete unfitness of the necklace from all points of view for Dorothea, made Celia happier in taking it. She was opening some ring-boxes, which disclosed a fine emerald with diamonds, and just then the sun passing beyond a cloud sent a bright gleam over the table.

"'How very beautiful these gems are!' said Dorothea, under a new current of feeling, as sudden as the gleam. 'It is strange how deeply colors seem to penetrate one, like scent. I suppose that is the reason why gems are used as spiritual emblems in the Revelation of St. John. They look like fragments of heaven. I think that emerald is more beautiful than any of them.'

"'And there is a bracelet to match it,' said Celia. 'We did not notice this at first.'

'"They are lovely,' said Dorothea, slipping the ring and bracelet on her finely turned finger and wrist, and holding them towards the window on a level with her eyes. All the while her thought was trying to justify her delight in the colors by merging them in her mystic religious joy.

"'You would like those, Dorothea,' said Celia, rather falteringly, beginning to think with wonder that her sister showed some weakness, and also that emeralds would suit her own complexion even better than purple amethysts. 'You must keep that ring and bracelet -- if nothing else. But see, these agates are very pretty and quiet.'

"'Yes! I will keep these -- this ring and bracelet,' said Dorothea. Then, letting her hand fall on the table, she said in another tone -- 'Yet what miserable men find such things, and work at them, and sell them!' She paused again, and Celia thought that her sister was going to renounce the ornaments, as in consistency she ought to do.


"'Yes, dear, I will keep these,' said Dorothea decidedly. 'But take all the rest away, and the casket.'

"She took up her pencil without removing the jewels, and still looking at them. She thought of often having them by her, to feed her eye at these little fountains of pure color.

"'Shall you wear them in company?' said Celia, who was watching her with real curiosity as to what she would do.

"Dorothea glanced quickly at her sister ... 'Perhaps,' she said, rather haughtily. 'I cannot tell to what level I may sink.'"

I agree with Celia, and I would take the purple amethysts too. In fact, my engagement ring (designed by Oliver!) has an amethyst. It looks a little like this one (although surely it did not cost as much!).

I still wear it every day, and whenever I look at it, I feel like I'm feeding my eye at a little fountain of pure color.

(Image sources: Conroy + Wilcox 0.6 Ct Rose Cut Emerald Ring from Erie Basin; Tiffany Art Deco Emerald and Diamond Bracelet from Lussori; 1810s Georgian Green Paste Mourning Pin from Erie Basin [Dorothea might prefer this, even though it's not real jewels]; Amethyst Ring from Renaissance Jewelers)

More Inspiration From Books

Classic fantasy writer E.R. Eddison was a little obsessed with jewelry, and wrote some of the best jewelry descriptions ever.

From Mistress of Mistresses:

"Then he laid out a hand palm upwards on the table; hers came, daintily under its shimmer of rings ... The alexandrite stone was upon her finger, water green in this light of evening, yet with a stir as of embers below the green ready to flare red when lamps should be lit."

Totally makes me want to wear an alexandrite ring and rule over a mysterious realm.

(Images: top: Edwardian Alexandrite Ring from Cypress Gallery; right to left: Three Bubbles Ring with Synthetic Alexandrite from Grocgroc; Large and Bold Alexandrite Ring (synthetic) from LisaLisa46; 14K Alexandrite Ring from ShopNBC.)