English Summer cloud and raindrop necklace

Bubblegum Plastic is where we talk about all the other fun stuff... where I try to think about more than just shoes!

I love cute little whimsical necklaces, especially from the talented folks on Etsy. When I was browsing around the other day, I saw this sweet cloud and rain necklace from Mixko.

The piece is about 4" from the top of the little felted cloud to the bottom crystal raindrop.

Even though it is a raincloud, it's a happy little cloud with sparkly blue raindrops. So it makes you smile!

English Summer rain and cloud necklace - $30 from Mixko on Etsy. She also has an adorable rainbow necklace and some delicate butterfly rings that I love too. Check her out!

In Need of a bit of Whimsy

Emotionally it's been more clouds than sunshine around here. So when I was on Etsy the other day and saw this adorable and clever necklace I realalized that a bit of whimsy was just what I needed to brighten my day.



I love the unique and clever idea of making the clouds from rolled jersey and the tiny ceramic blue bird perched there.



I can't wait to pair this with a breezy dress and tees for Summer.

Check out all of the other adorable pieces in the collection - LoveAndDream on Etsy.

Sparkle Sparkle Joy Joy

It cracks me up that as I'm watching old episodes of L.A. Ink with the hubby that almost all of the jewelry the girls wear on the show is Tarina Tarantino.  Cute tattoo-ed girls love the sparkly goodness of her designs.

I only have one tiny tattoo myself but I've been a big fan of her crystal pave heart necklaces and was actually searching them up on her store and eBay just this week.  Luckily they were part of the ideeli sale and I was able to nab my two favorite colors for about half the regular price. Wooo hooo!

Jet:

Fuschia:

Sadly they won't arrive until mid-April but that will be okay because I plan on wearing these a lot!

Joomi Lim Jewelry - Love Hurts

Don't you just love when you stumble upon something and then, unexpectedly, fall in love?

After the Blogger Meet-up during Fashion Week, I made a point to head over to my favorite Bergdorfs. Even if I don't get something I like to have a quick browse around the shoe salon, take in the windows and just soak in the shopping atmosphere I don't get at home.

While I was taking the escalators from floor to floor, I noticed this lovely lady standing next to her gorgeous jewelry on display.



Joomi Lim was at Bergdorfs doing a small trunk show of her "Love Hurts" series and we were able to chat for a bit. I tried on a number of her pieces which were very layered and textured, featuring pearls, spikes and mixed metals.

I was totally drawn to the spiked necklaces and debated about the long version or the choker.




In the end I went with the long necklace version because not only is it a great length to wear alone or combined with other pieces, it triple wraps perfectly as a bracelet (Thanks for the suggestion, Joomi!).



I've worn it at least 5 times already since I bought it and just love it. It has a great weight, is very comfortable and a fun addition to toughen up a sweet dress or work outfit. I mix metals a lot so I really liked the two tone version.

Joomi has an online store, in addition to being showcased at Bergdorfs, and a tumbler, so make sure to follow her to keep up with her latest happenings, events and new pieces.

Oh, Wolfie, Oh Wolfie... You're the One!

Wendy Brandes has been one of my favorite bloggers for ages because she is a hilarious and talented writer. Of course, she is better known for her unique and delicious jewelry too.

I wish that I could have about 15 of her pieces but, you know... you have to start somewhere.

Wendy currently is in production with a great new piece - a whistle that opens up to reveal a tiny wolf. Continuing the literary tradition of most of her work, the Virginia Woolf whistle (lol!) is really cool but I actually fell in love with the inside element... the adorable wolfie.



I had to have it! So witty! So cute!

Oh, yeah, that's right, that image is totally swiped from Wend'y's site. I need to take a picture wearing my new piece.

While I love the author connection, the real reason I got it is because I've long had a love affair with wolves ever since high school. Here is an old photo of me. And yes, that is a real live wolf in the photo, Chimo. I still love him!



Thank you, Wendy for making a piece dear to my heart!

If you want more wolfie action, check out these classics:


Swing Shift Cinderella



Red Hot Red Riding Hood

Jonathan Saunders & Swarovski

Just as Jonathan Saunders is doing a collaboration with Target, he also has a new collection with Swarovski.

I wasn't a fan of the Go International line, even though the lines and designs are sleek and sporty, but these pieces strongly appeal to the side of me that wants to go in for modern statement pieces.

The collection has rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces and I have a few favorites that I think stand out.

Of the rings, I really like the Obi rings.



I especially like the black but really, all three are just gorgeous.




The Ecuso necklace sparkles with square crystals and also comes in blue.



But my favorite piece of the whole line is the Tuscan necklace in white. I love the shape and the mix of casual style with the white leather cord paired with sparkly crystals. I think white and gold go so well together.



It comes in a black too, which is a great piece for tonal layering.




These pieces are made using an "exclusive Swarovski pointillage technique in which crystals are embedded into a ceramic-like material" which give them sort of an enameled look. I'd love to see these in person.

Key to My Heart

I have this love for quirky little jewelry pieces, especially necklaces that could have deeper secret meanings.



While browsing on the Creatures of Comfort site tonight, I saw this adorable Keyhole necklace. You see a lot of necklaces with keys but I think this piece could have more meanings. Do you have a secret? Are you a secret garden unto yourself? Are you keeping a secret for someone else?

Or, like Alice, did you slip through the keyhole into another secret world of your own making?

Bad Trade for Beads

Apparently Stella McCartney is still under the delusion that bead are really really valuable.

Stella! The Dutch really didn't get Manhattan for $24 in trade beads and neither can you!

Look at this necklace, currently on sale at Net-a-Porter. It's originally priced at $285. Dollars.




Let's go to the close-up to see how ridiculous that is...



Those are regular old seed beads. And not that many of them. And not in a very intricate pattern. Just strings of seed beads attached to a ribbon. I could go to Michael's and get the materials for this necklace to the tune of about $20.

I had this in mind when I went to Target yesterday. And while I wasn't actively looking for jewelry, they had a ton of really cute pieces that would go well with the ethnic/safari style. I bought two necklaces, two bracelets and a carved wood ring. I need to take more photos, but here's what I'm wearing today.

This necklace had a ton of strands of bronze-y brown beads in graduating layers.



I really liked this woven bangle and it goes perfectly with the dress I'm wearing today.



It's kind of hard to tell, but this is a carved wooden wring. The top is a beveled rectangle and it has a great spotted pattern. Plus it's large enough to make a statement but not overly showy. Plus it's pretty comfortable.



The other necklace was a long black and tan beaded necklace and a tan multi-beaded stretch bracelet. I'll be wearing them soon I'm sure.

What's great is that there are literally TONS of pieces on line (although I couldn't find the ones I bought) and they are all very inexpensive. My necklaces were around $15 each and the ring and bracelets were $8.

So, again, Stella must have lost her mind with this one.

Never Forget! Elephants are Awesome.

I'm not sure if I can directly contribute the growing trend of jewelry featuring elephants to the growing interest and awareness of the Indian and Asian markets or if it's because the everyone is as smitten as I am with the new Hermes campaign "Hermes Orange, Indian Pink" (which is gorgeous by the way - check out all the ads), but they are definetly on the rise.



I love the Hermes brand. They are one of the final true luxury brands that care about craftsmanship and are less of a company of sell-outs.

Anyway, I just got this fun little elephant necklace from Target mainly because it had a vintage-y feel to it, but also because it keeps with my accent colors for Summer.



But when I was reading my Lucky magazine this weekend I saw a whole slew of elephant pieces. They featured this ring from Palm Beach Jewelry. They have a bunch of other elephant pieces too.



They had this ring from Moss Mills -





I loved this bracelet from JCrew but I don't think they are carrying it anymore. I'll be you could find a vintage piece like this.



I did a quick search eBay and found this mother-of-pearl necklace. I've seen lots of these in jade too.

What I like about the elephant motif is this it looks vintage but also has a modern Asian feel too. Exotic and safari-chic.

Not Zubbles!

I have a big tendency to, if' I'm really in love with a style of something, to get it in multiple colors. And now JCrew is trying to take advantage of that fact, darn them!

I love this space-agey-yet-vintage-looking "Bubble" necklace that comes in three lovely colors.

Sweet Papaya:



Brilliant Blue:



Turquoise (my favorite!):



They're each $150 and brand new, so get 'em while they last.

P.S. What the heck are Zubbles???

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!

Wit and Whimsy

I've expressed my love for vintage jewelry many times before. And recently I've been seeing new jewelry inspired by the wit and whimsy of "grandma" jewelry. This is the jewelry that you would see your grandmother wearing all the time or saving for special occasions. When you are younger you would think the pieces would be a little crazy but now they look totally cool.

I'm so happy that companies are embracing and reinventing these styles. Anthropologie has always has unique vintage-y pieces, but I was surprised to see the following pieces in the JCrew catalog.

My favorite piece is this elephant charm bracelet.




This is so "Palm Beach socialite" with the over-sized twisted chain and "ivory" enameled graduated elephants. This would be great with navy and white stripes or pink and green Lilly Pulitzer colors.

A lot of long necklaces have been out since the Spring, but I also like these long beaded necklaces with really fun clasps. JCrew has done this really will with an enameled frog clasp.



Look at that froggie!



Now if you want a similar look go to the stand-by eBay. I love going to eBay, even more than going to thrift stores and antique shows. I tend to get overwhelmed visually and eBay lets me search for what I am looking for. You do lose some of the "thrill of the hunt" but, for someone like me, you get to see a whole lot more. And you do never know what you will find.

I searched out charm bracelets and wanted to see what I could find to mimic the JCrew pieces. Theirs are kind of pricey ($125 each) and I hoped to find something more in my price range. This one is more costume jewelry but just as fun.



I also looked up beaded necklaces and thought this was a great option too. The closure isn't the great frog but it is very pretty. A little more formal than the JCrew option.



So if your Grammy has fun jewelry and she asks if you want to have anything or borrow a piece - go for it! These pieces will be a perfect accent to jeans and sweaters, something to make you stand out.

If you've got 'em, wear 'em!

Vintage ≠ Crap

I had someone once say to me, "Vintage? What is that another word for crap?"

I'm serious.

I was completely appalled! And offended because I love vintage - clothes, shoes, furniture, books and, especially, jewelry. I've collected vintage jewelry since high school and found some amazing pieces. But if I ever needed an argument just take a look at these amazing vintage pieces:



This necklace is made of vintage broaches strung on a crystal necklace. So gorgeous.

The following two brooches I found on eBay. They are very Art Nouveau and are amazingly detailed




This is the back of the second brooch. Look at the workmanship.



Vintage is a great way to get a unique look and great quality, often at an affordable price. Plus, sifting through eBay or going to antique shows is fun and a great way to hone your eye and find what the market is charging. Plus you can see what is hot or getting popular.

Branch out with your choices. I think it's better to have something unique than some generic piece that anyone could buy off of QVC or in the mall.