Shop Updates: Boo Yah!

Happy Friday to all! There have been some recent shop updates, and I wanted to share a few of them with you lovely peeps...

Statement necklaces - Oh my!

The Women vintage photo statement necklace

The Women vintage photo statement necklace

 I had this crazy idea to make a necklace just completely loaded with vintage people. So loaded that there wasn't much room for anything else. So I started making these "statement necklaces" and they just make me laugh as I build them - they're so ridiculously fun! The Women features 21 charms of various sizes, ranging from 1/2 and inch to 1 inch in diameter, each depicting a female from the time period of around the 1900's to the 1960's. There are a few charms that feature ivory lace here and there with crystals and faux pearls in between.

The Women vintage photo statement necklace

 These necklaces are actually very comfortable to wear - the charms lie flat around your neck, sort of like a collar. These are especially great if you want strangers to stand very close to you and stare at your neck - a perfect ice-breaker!

The Women (detail)

Military Men vintage photo statement necklace

Military Men (detail)

I don't know why, but I seem to collect a lot of military pictures. I wanted to see them all together in one great big necklace, and I love the way it turned out! Military Men has 21 charms showing soldiers, sailors, air men, airplanes, submarines, even a small child in uniform! There are a couple of decorative paper maps thrown in there, and a limited color palette of black, which sepia, grey and teal ties everything together.

Military Men vintage photo statement necklace

Military Men vintage photo statement necklace

Finally, something for the men!

I've tried cufflinks in the past, but these are completely new designs that I really love. To accompany my line of customizable heirloom jewelry, I've introduced heirloom cufflinks - easy to have customized with your own family member's portrait! These would be ideal gifts for weddings, anniversaries, to celebrate a new job, birthdays, you name it! I never destroy the original image when making my jewelry and accessories - instead, I work on very high resolution digital scans so your treasured family photographs are kept safe and sound. 

Heirloom Photo Accessories to Customize - men's antiqued brass cufflinks

My lace cufflinks would be perfect when outfitting a wedding party - these would make awesome groomsmen gifts! Although the pictured cufflinks are shown featuring a pale green background, I can include any color to tie in with wedding colors perfectly. I can even use lace from the bride's dress. I like that the lace softens the cufflinks. 

 

Pale Green & Ivory Lace Cufflinks

Although both of these cufflink pairs are shown in an antiqued brass finish, either could be done in a silver-plate finish.

The holidays are coming...

I know, I know, December is still a ways off, but the holidays are indeed coming and will be here before we know it. (Ahem, 3 months, ahem.) With that in mind, I've made a few holiday ornaments out of teeny tiny collages - each measures about an inch in diameter and comes hanging from a silver ribbon. Click any of the captions to be taken to the listing.

Joyful Silver Angel vintage photo holiday ornament

Golden Angel vintage photo holiday ornament

Angel Boy vintage photo holiday ornament

I'd love to see a little table-top tree completely decked out in these ornaments with some beautiful vintage glass baubles mixed in. Don't you think that would look fantastic?!

There's still more new jewelry over at Sweetpea Studios....AND I'm now on Big Cartel as Hello Sweetpea!! Hop on over to either shop to take a gander!

It's Always Best to Not Run Into Lawn Ornaments

I was writing a post about mental illness and the need to address it in this country and abroad. However, this hits too close to home and I find I'm not able to really write about it yet.

So, instead, here are some pictures from the holiday walk James and I took the other night!


Only in America would you find a blow-up snowman actually shivering with "cold," complete with fake southern California "snow."

 

This house has a USC flag and Christmas carols blasting from hidden speakers.



This house won "Most Beautiful."



We just liked this house



There's a street in our city that goes ALL OUT with holiday decorations. Each block competes against each other, and it doesn't matter if you don't celebrate Christmas.

This was one of James's favorite houses. They have beautiful stained glass windows.



Candy Cane walk

 

I kind of loved photographing people's houses. That's not creepy, is it?

 Growing up, my parents and I used to drive around our town to look at the Christmas lights. When James moved out here, I tried to do the same thing with him, but it never quite worked. One year, we got coffee and drove around but I don't think either of us were really into it. Other years we've just forgotten, or not had time. This year, we had a stroke of genius. We parked the car, got coffees, and walked around looking at lights. Why this never occured to me before, I don't know. But it's the best. You get to spend time together, and you both get to see the lights, as opposed to the passenger in the car seeing them and the driver just glancing at them whilst trying not to run into small children or lawn ornaments.

Methinks we've hit upon a lasting holiday tradition.

What do YOU do to celebrate the holidays?

Who Needs Baking When Trader Joe's is Across the Street?

I woke up and found myself deep into the holiday season - um, how did that happen? Wasn't it just October? One look around my house at the stockings and nutcracker collection (yes, I have a nutcracker collection, what of it?) and rolls of wrapping paper tells me that the holidays are indeed here, so make the most of it!


Boxes o' Goodies



Tiny gingerbread men - with Trader Joe's across the street, who needs baking?



My morning view

Decorating at my parent's house

As you can see, sugar and sparkel-y things abound!

On a seperate note, last weekend was the choir concert at church, which I did not participate in. Having some time off is wonderful!! We did attend, however, and sitting next to us was a woman who brought her Corgie dog and dressed him in a Santa outfit. Wish I'd gotten a picture!

In light of the major events recently in Connecticut and beyond, I'm not feeling terribly lighthearted these days. It feels really silly to be writing about holiday cookies and tree lights when there are so many other things happening all over the globe that are just so much more important. But I suppose focusing on small things that might give a bit of joy is important to keep spirits up. After all, who doesn't get cheered up by some yummy cookies? Especially those dark chocolate shortbread star cookies Trader Joe's hauls out this time of year?

We Did Not Take the Palm Tree

Saturday was the 21st Annual Children's Book Illustration Show at Chemers Gallery, where I work. We spend 6 months of the year planning, checking in artwork, shooting emails and phone calls back and forth between 5 different children's book illustrators, designing framing, ordering books, labeling books, showing artwork to clients, calling clients, painting the gallery walls, hanging the show, and finally, FINALLY it culminates into a one-day-extravaganza where all 5 illustrators fly in to southern California from around the country, sign hundreds of pre-sold books, meet and greet their fans, give talks and demos throughout the afternoon, sign MORE books, and then go to a dinner with the gallery staff, the children's charity the show is benefitting that year, and clients who have purchased artwork. (I think that's the longest sentence in the history of the world.)

So. Saturday was the big day! We were so busy that this is the only picture I manged to take during the actual event:

OMG, so many books and people!!

After so much excitement, can you blame me for being exhausted? BTW, we sold out of Fartiste. SOLD OUT! Luckily, I pre-ordered mine, and this is how it was dedicated:


Signed by one of the authros, Paul Brewer, who also happens to be an alumni of my high school


Apparently, this hasn't been a big seller for them. Why is absolutely beyond me.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Mean Girls. We also went out to pick out our Christmas tree from the local tree farm. We got rained on. But we got a good tree.



 Despite the many Facebook votes for the palm tree, we went for a small pine tree.

We'll pick it up closer to Christmas.

I have 2 days off this week starting tomorrow, and I plan on spending it on catching up on holiday prep. I'm behind on cards, and I'm going to get out our wooden German Christmas tree to set up, plus find a good place to display my crazy Nutcracker collection. Maybe I'll get super-motivated and put up our outdoor lights, since the ones from last year that we never took down are mighty dark these days.

I Swear I'm Not a Twi-Hard

James made a sudden trip home to see his family, and I'm here dealing with the damn ants that have decided to invade my bathroom and kitchen. I'm being suprisingly productive, although, sadly, not in a housekeeping kind of way. (Will I ever get a handle on all of the paper that covers our home? Or all of the art supplies??)

I'm focusing on the holidays right now. I've let some things go this year (like choir and handbells - it was time for a break), but life has thrown some other crap in the mix to deal with, which is just making me more determined to carry on and have as pleasant a holiday season as possible. So I'm getting a head start on our holiday cards, I'm considering an Advent calendar, and I've made a good start on my Christmas shopping. (My goal is to be done by the end of November. We'll see if I make it.)



I've wanted to get an awesome Advent calendar for years...

 I've also found a bridesmaid dress for my best friend's March wedding. Actually, I found two. She's a super easy-going bride and a bride after my own heart, telling us to just find a grey dress and yellow shoes. Easy, right? Sort of. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a grey dress that isn't encrusted in sequins (hooka-style) and doesn't look like a business suit?


Tried this one on. N.O.



Runner Up - It has pockets, y'all.

Do we have a winner? Minus the red tights/leggings?

Considering Carly caught a tiny glimpse of the last one through the bag and said "Oh my God, please wear that one, it's soooo pretty!!" I think that's the one I'll go with. Now, on to the yellow shoes!

One of the perks of being sans husband (not that there's many, I'm still a newlywed after 4 years, guys) is that I get to watch as many of the dumb Twilight movies as I want. And what's even better is the fact that I have a day off tomorrow and it won't matter that I'm watching 2 in a row...They are truly terrible and I can't wait to see the final one. I swear I'm not a Twi-Hard.

Late Decorations

Personally, I love decorating for the holidays. I love the rich colors, the glitter of lights and baubles, and how it's probably the one time every year that it's acceptable to display sequined anything. In fact, I love our sequined garlands so much that I may just leave them up all year. What?


Outdoor Lights



Jar of Glitter-Baubles



Wooden German Tree, Glitter Tree

 

Indoor Lights - these are left up year-round



Wooden Tree from Germany - best gift ever!



Our Tree



Flamboyant Nutcrackers



Sequin Garland



Our Charlie Brown Tree

I know technically it's January and the time to post things relating to the holidays is past, but I had a hectic December and the last thing I wanted to do at the end of my day was blog. Sorry. Besides I only just tried getting the pictures off my cameraphone for the first time and was pleased to discover that I can do it! (I've come extremely late to the SmartPhone party.) Also, I'm sick and this makes me feel better.