A little weird... A lot wonderful

As you know, I am a total Etsy convert and I placed an order not too long ago. I finally got to order some pieces from Paraphernalia, which I think is the coolest store.



How they describe their work is:

We at Paraphernalia design beauteous and wholesome accoutrements for both Ladies and Gentlemen.

We are much inspired by both vintage illustrations and 19th century magicians. We also enjoy the odd, the unusual, the uncanny and the bizarre, in all the aspects of beauty.

If you haven't seen their work, you have to go check them out.

What I love about them is that you can wear them with so many levels - very seriously or you can wear them very tongue-in-cheek. I have chickens, so this Fauna Chicken Claw Necklace can be just weird or, if you know that we have them, it's kind of funny.





I also got this Anatomica Arm Bracelet. I like that you are wearing this on your arm but you are also wearing an image of the musculature of the arm. Okay, so yeah it's a bit weird.



I also got the Anatomica Red Heart Necklace. And I don't think I need to say anything about it, just look how freakin' cool it is.






Would it be too dorky to say I ♥ them?

Yeah, I guess it would.

But I soooo do!

Christmas for thee and me

I am newly in love with Banana Republic's jewelry. I haven't checked out BR in a while because I tend to shop their less expensive sisters, Gap and Old Navy, but had read some good reviews of the quality and style of their jewelry offerings lately.

I have say that I agree with them.

I like them so much I ordered two for Christmas gifts. I got this lovely vintage yet modern looking bracelet for a very stylish friend. I also got one for me. Is that bad???



I got another friend, one who tends to be quite minimalist in her dressing, this lovely white enamel cuff. Is it wrong that I was severely tempted to keep it for myself. I think it would look great with my new white clutch....

But no! No! It will look great on her. Must. Ship. Out!



They also have some great items on sale. I think we will see me trolling this site much more often.

Emerald City

I've decided that I need a new bag (okay want). And because I don't like to be too trendy and I don't get get all into logos and labels and "it" bags, I tend to favor solid bags with strong colors.

And right now I really really want this Dooney & Bourke Alto Medium Rounded Satchel in Emerald.



It's kind of pricey at $525 but I know I would wear it for years and years. I have a light blue Dooney Alto in a kind of structured hobo shape and I still wear it and get compliments on it. This is even eclipsing the Brahmin bag I want.

Grab and Clutch

I've started to see large clutches slowly creeping in as a new style, probably exploding in spring. I like the idea of a large day clutch and decided that I wanted a large envelope style in white.

Because they are not really popular yet, I've been doing my searching on Etsy and eBay, but when I was on Saks the other day I saw this Brian Atwood Mattie clutch.



Now, it's pretty at all, and except for the gold corners, pretty much exactly what I wanted.

But it's freakin' $1660!!!!

That is ridiculous.

In my searches I found this very similar vintage number on eBay for about $14. It has two pockets and is real leather.



I bought this bag here from eBay for $16. It's white croc embossed leather and I would say it is a pretty large size as well as being in good vintage shape. I think it is even more interesting than the Brian Atwood bag. Plus, I'm not a fan of those gold accents.



So, get searching. Large clutches for day will be popular, especially white or light colors - in leather or a reptile of some sort.