Jewelry Wall Hanger

Last fall I showed you this metal bird cage wall card holder that I had purchased:

I found that cards looked messy, so I used mine in my kitchen to display my old red-handled kitchen utensil collection:

For the past few months, I have been thinking the metal bird cage would be perfect to hold my necklaces, but I liked it in the kitchen. 

So.............. I bought another one and hung it on a wall in my bedroom.

On Sunday I filled it with necklaces. 

 I used to have to paw through a bunch of necklaces in a big plastic container.  Now they are all in view and I just grab the one I want to wear.  Love, love, love this!

This is Why I Insist that Santa NOT Bring me Anything

I know much better what I like than he does and I  am very good at finding my own gifts. I don't feel the least bit guilty ordering them at whim when I find them less than 50% off with no shipping charge.

 That is how I recently picked up this 20-inch  textured metal necklace on a leather cord.

I love this necklace. I wore it on Monday and again today. It goes perfectly with at least three jackets in my closet.

I have just recenlty started wearing watches. I love cuff watches because they feel more like bracelets to me. Last night this bezel-faced leather cuff watch caught my eye. I think it will be great for casual weekend wear.  I love big numbers because it is so easy to read the time.

 I also wear a lot of gold jewelry, so I was not surprised when this scalloped-edged golden wave cuff bracelet caught my eye.

I just hope it does not turn out to be a garrish gold tone.

Most mornings when I get ready for work I have about 20 minutes extra before I have to leave.  Last week I used the time to make the tulip blocks. This morning I cut out the top of my apron and inserted the tulips.

Then I tossed some fabrics on top that I thought would work for the rest of the apron.

I am liking it! I hope to be able to work on it Sunday.

Tonight I am dining alone so I made one of my favorite dinners............

microwave popcorn with cheese--YUM!

I Resisted as Long as I Could (over a week)

Last week I received an email with a spend $200/get $75.00 off and free shipping offer. Many of you know I live for offers like this! :)  Since my clothing space is all filled, I decided I did not need any more clothing even with a deal like that.

This morning I decided to take another look and found all kinds of new jewelry items were added since last week. Every time I wear a certain blue jacket, I remind myself that I need a blue necklace.  I think this sterling silver one will be perfect!  With the price of silver skyrocketing, this was a steal at something like $30.

Just in case that shade of blue is not quite right, I picked up a couple more

Hammered metal discs--I have had my eye on the hammered metal necklaces since last spring--they were in the $100 range and I was not about to pay that for costume jewelry! They finally were marked down to more than 50% off - again in the $30 -$35 range, if I remember correctly--

at that price I could afford two!

I spent an hour filling my shopping cart with 8 items -only two pieces of clothing.

My birthday is less than two weeks away--Happy Birthday to me! I will let my dear husband know that his gift shopping is complete. :)

It's Been a While

My time has been consumed with getting the piecing of this quilt top finished. It consists of 196 3-inch pieces, which took a lot longer than I anticipated and I cannot find the words to convey my level of happiness to be finished with the piecing!

I tossed it over the table to see how it looked with my Valentine flowers.

In between sewing bouts, I read blogs, where through the wonder of the Internet, I learned a new skill.


Not in a million years would I have thought that I would be surfing the recent updates to quilting blogs and learn how to do this...

Yes, I learned how to fold the dangling end of my TP into this lovely little fan. What fun! Now that is worthy of a Domestic Goddess label! :)I can't wait to have company over so I can test out their reaction. . . LOL. I can just hear my burly brother-in-law if he should be lucky guest number 1 (because it's only good for the first person in and then it's gone).

You can learn how to do this, too. Just visit this post at Spun Sugar Qults.



One afternoon I streamlined my morning jewelry hunt. I was storing all my costume jewelry in the little boxes they came in. The trouble was that I had to open them all to find out what was inside. That wasn't so bad when I only had a few. But as you can see I have amassed quite a collection in the past two years.

I did not even remember what I had. Now they are all out of the boxes and into clear bags so I can tell at a glance what there.

Now that I have finished the quilt, I hope to be a better blogger.

TGIF

To celebrate the weekend's arrival, I just popped the cork on my Christmas party hostess gift from Christina.

It is a very fruity and delicious peach apricot Chardonnay from a Michigan winery.

Thank you, Christina! I bet you are probably sipping a Margarita under the hot Cancun sun. You lucky lady!

Today my Mom stopped in to see me at work and brought some gifts.

She was reading my blog about the SC jewelry and brought me a couple more pieces.

This is the brooch that matches the Deep Burgundy ring. Oh, I just love it!

Here's another white enameled brooch that will be perfect for summer.

And she brought me the bracelet from the uncle who went to Greece. Gorgeous! Thanks, Mom.

Earlier in the week, we bought a fresh pineapple that was quite sour, so for dinner tonight, I took it and caramelized it with some bananas. I loved it, but DH did not like warm bananas at all.
I have no plans for the weekend. I really must spend a few hours cleaning. After that it will just be whatever piques my interest. Right now surfing the net sounds appealing, so I am off to do just that!

Out with the Roosters -- In with Sarah

After my last post, Balisha sent me this jewelry link.

Once I got there I was mesmerized by all the vintage bling and went through all 45 pages in a two-hour session. What fun I had becoming a Sarah Coventry sleuth. I found that I owned a number of pieces that I did not even know were SC.

I got out the magnifying glass and jewelry containers and every time I saw something that looked familiar I dug through it all.

I found these pieces right away. I just love that flower petal mesh diamond shaped necklace--never knew it was a SC.
I know I have more, but I didn't get them out.

Ever since I gave up collecting roosters, it's been pretty boring going to thrift stores or garage sales. I think I will start looking for Sarah jewelry -- it's small and inexpensive--many pieces are under $20. My first hunt will be for the matching necklace for this ring. I never knew there was one until I saw it on that site. I tried to order it, but it was no longer in stock. Darn! My mother gave me this ring and she said she has the matching brooch, which is giving me as she never wears it anymore.

While searching for more Sarah, I discovered that it was produced under three marks - Sarah Coventry (first used in May 1949), SC (after Oct. 1953, and Sarah Cov after 1960. There are also many unmarked pieces, which makes for a bit of a challenge when trying to identify the piece.

So thanks, Balisha, for getting me started on a new collection!

Oh, I never did the necklace below. Maybe it's not SC after all. I did find a bracelet that I was thought an old great uncle brought from Greece... LOL. I was way off on that one!

Vintage Necklace

I wore this vintage Sarah Coventry necklace today. At least I believe it is a Sarah piece.

Does anyone remember those in-the-home parties for Sarah Coventry jewelry?

My mom went to few back in the day. I think she gave me most of the pieces she purchased (I hope my sisters aren't reading this or they will whine because I got them and they didn't!).

I must say that the jewelry was very good quality. The pieces I have look as good today as they did when she bought them in the 1960's.

I get compliments almost every time I wear a piece of S.C.

Has anyone ever seen this piece before? I would like to know if it is in fact a SC piece.

From the Jewelry Vault

Well, O.K. it's not a vault. It's just an old tin on the closet shelf that has been collecting my costume necklaces since 1978 when I started acquiring jewelry to match my romper sets. Well, O.K., perhaps I was just a tad older than that.


I go for months, perhaps over a year, without even looking inside.

As you know I've been on an old jewelry binge for the past few weeks. Last night I pulled the old tin down and began looking for a long necklace. I was looking for something green, but when I came across a long gold fish necklace, I decided that was just the item I needed.

What do you think?

Here is a close up of all the gold scales.
Don't you just love it? :) Well, maybe many of you don't. I can see where it may be an acquired taste.



I am amazed at how my taste is changing.

This big bold bracelet is an antique that was given to me by a now deceased lady who said it belonged to her mother. I was so honored that she wanted me to have it. She was a large lady and I was pretty tiny at the time. She said the bracelet was meant for a small wrist.

I tried to wear it once, but I felt self conscious because it was so big. I thought it was a beautiful piece and I kept it just because she gave it to me.

Yesterday I put on a blue blazer with a chunky blue necklace. I was trying to find a bracelet, but everything I had was too tiny. Then I remembered this bracelet. I was not sure it would still fit my wrist, but it did and I wore it. This time I felt good wearing it. A few people even commented on how they liked it.

I wish I knew more about it. Does anyone know anything about it? How old it might be, what the blue material is, etc.

Here are a couple of pics:

Back

Front

Boy, I am into BRIGHT lately!

Not only bright hair, but clothes, too.

I have taken a liking to pink, orange, and red clothing and purchased a jacket that has all those colors.


During one of my recent overnight trips, there was a jewelry sale in the hotel lobby and I picked up this beaded bracelet. It's just an inexpensive stretchy bracelet, but I think it is going to be great fun with the multi-colored jacket behind it.

I also recently bought this orange shell necklace, which just happened to go nicely with the jacket.

I am not sure I like the bracelet with the necklace. I will probably wear them at separate times. I have another longer tassel necklace ordered that I hope will also work with this jacket.It should arrive next week. I have been having a ball shopping the internet outlets. I wait for free shipping promotions. With cheap prices and no shipping, I can't go wrong.

I have not worn this yet. I am waiting for some spring weather. I don't know what I will wear it with. White pants/capris would be perfect, but I don't do white on my lower half. It would be cruel to subject the public to that image. Maybe jean capris.

I have worn the necklace with a different outfit.
This jacket has a lot of red and orange in it. I am not sure you can see the colors. The necklace is indeed eye-catching!

I hope you are all having a great weekend. Tomorrow I plan to stay home all day and get a little work done. I have really been slacking off in the housework department this winter.

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead tonight.

When did gaudy become beautiful?

Is it just me or is this ring beautiful?


I have noticed that as I get older everything I used to find gaudy I can now wear without batting an eye.



This is another piece I have had for years, but never wear. This morning I put it on and thought it was great. Just look how it matches my jacket.



I remember my mother buying it when I was a teenager. She gave it to me at least twenty years ago.



I am either looking pretty spiffy lately, or as I walk away people are saying, "Look at that gaudy old lady!"

Guess what? We are under a snow storm watch until Friday morning.

It's Weird how My Tastes Change

in everything from food to jewelry.

Yesterday I was going through some plastic storage boxes full of jewelry that I never wear and I came across this ring that my husband purchased for his mother while overseas in the V. war.

It's a cultured black pearl. His mother gave it to me years ago because she is not the type of person who would ever wear it.

I thought it was a nice gesture, and I tucked the ring away thinking I would never wear it either. To be perfectly blunt that thing was Ugly, with a capital "U"! I hoped my facial expression didn't give away when my true feelings when she opened that box.

Well, when I sipped it on yesterday, I thought it looked so contemporary, so sleek...just look at the high profile on this ring I I am loving it and am going to wear it to work today.

Then I came across this bracelet that some family member (I believe my dad's uncle) bought for my mother while in Greece over 40 years ago.
I have always loved this one, but it has a broken clasp. I really should get that fixed so I can wear and enjoy it.

I am happy to report that DH is feeling a lot better. It's amazing what one week can do!

He even felt good enough take an overnight trip on Saturday to spend some time with a few of my close relatives (Mom, Dad and favorite Aunt and Uncle).

We had a very nice Valentine's dinner. I had lobster tail, which I have not enjoyed in ions. I even tried a Lemon Drop Martini (vodka). I read a blog where the lady has Lemon Drop Martinis all the time and I have been wanting to try one. It was cold and frosty with a sugared rim so you got a touch of sweetness with each sip. Loved it! Now I have three drinks I like - Appletini, Cosmopolitan, and Lemon Drop--they are all vodka martinis.

We are hoping that DH will be able to drive again next week so I can turn in my chauffeur license. :)

Fold up the Quilts and Bring Out the Crocs!

I just spent my first 45 minutes outside cleaning the gardens.

It felt good!


It's only 58 degrees, but to me that's perfect for cleanup work.

After work this afternoon, I cut down 2 wheelbarrow loads of Sedum Autumn Joy and picked up some big pine branches that fell during the winter.

That was enough for my first time out in '08.

It's supposed to be around 60 degrees for the next few days, so I will probably do a bit more each night.

I have decided to continue my fashion show. Today I wore my new blue jacket with the ruffley edge. Here I am at 6:30 this morning just before going out the door (had to edit and remove the head. I couldn't stand it anymore):
I liked this jacket enough to buy two of them. I have a peach-colored one just like it.


i am wearing the same jewlery as I wore yesterday. I've been pretty lazy lately about changing my jewelry. I used to take the time to change all my accessories every day--even my purse. Now I just put on whatever jewelry is the easiest to grab and I use the same purse every day. I guess I used to enjoy dressing for work more than I do now.

Long Lost Treasures Resurface

It's amazing how much jewelry I have that I never wear. About ten years ago I was "into" jewelry and bought quite a bit of it.

This past weekend I was going through jewelry boxes and found some nice silver pieces that were pretty tarnished. I decided to clean them up and start wearing them again.

This set of four different stoned rings is pretty cute.

I had completely forgotten about this very long necklace. I delicately twisted it into the cleaning liquid and let it sit about 15 minutes.


It now sparkles against this black top.

This is the cleaner I used.

I've always liked the chevron necklace above, but it had a clasp that would not tightly close so I have not been able to wear it. I got out some tweezers and a pair of cuticle scissors and poked, pushed, and squeezed until I finally got it twisted into a workable shape so it would hold tightly.

I now have quite a few more pieces of wearable jewelry. I found pieces I didn't even remember owning. I think I will continue the search next weekend as there are other places I have not looked in for years. I am sure to find other long lost treasures!

Jewelry Clean/Shine Cloth

Not long ago I discovered a new cloth to quickly clean and shine jewelry.

It's from a company called Kozak. You just rub the dry cloth over your item and it sparkles like crazy when the light hits it.

I am not sure how well it will show in these pics, but trust me, I sparkled!

I only paid $4 for the cloth (mail order, but it's probably also on the net).