Accessories!

I decided I would talk a little bit about why I love accessories. I'm not really into statement clothing, I never have been. I like solid dark colors, nothing really bright and nothing to dramatic in shape, it's just what I like. However even though I don't like statement clothing, I do like statement.. pieces. For me that's always a piece of jewelry. An accessory is like your punctuation mark. A basic black t-shirt and a pair of jeans doesn't really say anything about you, but add a string of pearls to that outfit and people know what you're trying to say. Swap that string of pearls for a spike collar and and that same outfit has an entirely different meaning.

Different accessories can give the same plain item of clothing so many different flavors. Also it's a simple way to dip your toe into other styles without taking a full dive. Not sure if you like a particular shade of blue, try some earrings with stones in that shade and see what it does for you. Does it compliment your skin-tone, your hair color, or you eyes? Does it fit with your own personal style and taste? It's a lot easier to take off a gaudy pair of earrings than it is to change your top at the last minute.

There are a million reasons to love and use accessories but don't forget that too much of a good things is still too much. If you're unsure if you've overdone it, put on everything you want and take your least favorite item off.

Inspiration

Character Profile: Ilithyia- From Spartacus

I definitely have a love / hate relationship with this character but I don't think there's any denying that she's sexy. Also I love her wardrobe! Check out her jewelry in just this little clip. I love watching movies and shows for inspirations.

Jewelry For Your Big Day

I finally got to start working on my jewelry again. At the moment I have a very pretty pair of white glass pearl earrings in the making and they kind of remind me of bridal jewelry. So I just wanted to take a minute to talk about why I think handmade jewelry could really be of use to a bride to be, or even her future husband.

When you get married you want it to be your special day, and part of that is being unique. When I was planning my wedding I tried to think of special touches that you don't normally see. For example, in the center of every table I had small squares of fabric as part of the centerpieces, along with fabric pens. We had everyone write special messages or just sign their name to the squares and after the wedding my mother collected them and made a special quilt for me and my husband.

Before our big day I went through hundreds of catalogs and magazines, one thing that seemed to take forever was picking out gifts for my bridesmaids and my mother to thank them for sharing our day with us. Finally I settled on jewelry, and while it was very pretty and I could select the colors that matched my wedding's color scheme it wasn't very original.

When you find someone who makes custom jewelry you have the opportunity to control every element of every piece. You can sit down with an actual person and tell them what your particular vision for your wedding is, much like designing your own dress. It won't be something made by some stranger in a factory across the globe, and you'll know that care, attention and time were put into your creations.  You can discuss price, style, color, and whether or not you want something to be understated or a focal piece.

So if you're getting married or you know someone who is, let them know they don't have to get their jewelry from a catalog and it doesn't have to cost a fortune, and tell them I can help.