The Colors of Autumn....Jewelry

 It's that time of year, when I put away summer clothes and bring out my Autumn wardrobe. For me, some items of clothing are like old and dear friends, colorful and vibrant, always there for you. This particular shirt I've had for around 20 years now, a sturdy but nice enough to wear anywhere top that has seen me through thick and thin, literally. Now that I've lost some weight and am getting down to my old sizes I can wear this again with joy!

I find that each season brings with it a palette of colors that often fit the mood I'm in. I find clothing, home decor, make-up and even jewelry that seems to be just perfect for that particular year. I went shopping yesterday and found some beads that caught my eye, not really for any reason but that they're pretty and I wanted them. When I sat down to play around with my new treasures, I realized that some of the beads would match my old and favorite shirt! This necklace and the matching earrings are simple, but perfect for a semi-casual top that is suitable for a walk in the woods, or going out for fish and chips with hubby. What I would love to do, and perhaps you may be interested, is to help create jewelry that goes with a new or old favorite outfit you have. We can go fancy, or simply, whatever you desire. I will be posting pieces at my etsy shop for fall, so if you see something you would like in colors that would match a particular ensemble, or you find a photo of a design you like, let's work together to create a one of a kind piece or set for you. Just drop me a line and we can talk.!

Girlie Girl Headbands

My youngest granddaughter had a birthday recently so I found her this adorable outfit. I love the colors! They are so fresh and Summery! Well feeling guilty for not having more to send, I decided to use a new technique for making flowers out of ribbon scraps of fabric. Luckily I had matching ribbon already in my stash so here are the results of my efforts.

I'm hoping she likes these!

What's In a Shoe.....

Surely I can't be the only woman that has a hard time finding a nice pair of shoes that don't feel like something from a torture chamber?! There was a time when shoes were made with real support in the arch and had decent toe room, but that has all been sacrificed to the fashion Gods so now we have to walk around wincing as we mince our way down the street.
Who came up with high heels in the first place? That's an interesting question and here's a possible answer:
The origins of high heels are far from glamorous and rooted in male practicality. Oh yes, MEN wore the original heels. Who whoulda? The earliest known evidence of high heels comes from hieroglyphics of ancient Egyptian tombs. As far back as 4000 BC butchers are thought to have constructed shoes to keep their feet away from the day-to-day "carnage". EWWWW!!!!
In 1500’s, it was men, descendants of the European nobility, who began to wear heeled shoes in order to keep their feet in stirrups when riding. Although there are some references to heels in history prior to this, this is when it became populari for men of the courts and the term "well-heeled" came to suggest “being wealthy” or “able to afford costly shoes.” Then in the 1500's women began to wear a 24-inch heeled shoe named ‘chopines' which were all the rage in Venice, Italy.
Then there was a down swing in style as the new powers that be decided that it was out of place to wear anything higher than 2". Heels have gone up in height and down over the years, depicting style, empowerment to women, and so on.
Nowadays there is an anything goes attitude towards shoes that has left the real woman behind. The desire to look and feel sexy has pushed out feminine practicality to the point that you can't go to a shoe store and find anything comfortable anymore. You can order online, but really? How many women do you know that can just order a pair of shoes and have them fit the first time? My husband can testify to that, especially after following me around yesterday as I tried on shoe after shoe in an effort to find a comfortable and versatile shoe for dress up occasions. As his eyes started to glass over I realized it was a futile search for the time being. I did eventually leave him at his parents while I ran to a little shop that happened to have shoes that actually had an arch that matched my feet! Yay! It only took me 4 hours to find them.....