Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Playing Favorites



Alas, I am not dead! (Though I felt like I wanted to recently.) No, I've just been a combination of stressed out/uber busy/under the weather. After a long and un-lovely day at the emergency room, it's been discovered that I'm suffering from sinusitis, and it certainly is not fun, my friends. However, now that I'm popping antibiotics, hopefully I'll be making a speedy recovery.

In addition to being a sicky-poo, our computer decided to kick the bucket last week, so now I'm stuck using a rather decrepit and senile substitute that must have been built when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Hence, I can't upload any of my own pictures for fear that this computer might also snuff it. So it looks like daily ensemble and W.E.I.O. are on hold for an undetermined time period.

Anyway, seeing as how I can't show off my own duds and toot my own horn, I've been wistfully perusing wardrobe_remix and enjoying the other gals' supreme sense of fashion. Like other fashion bloggers, I can't help playing favorites. There's just some ladies that continue to inspire me time and time again.





(Click the pics to be magically transported to each gal's flickr account.)
Thank you, irene_adler, liebemarlene, mystery bugs, nemrešpobje?odnedjelje, persephassa, piksi_, Sally Jane Vintage, the snail and the cyclops, and duckrabbit for being as lovely as falling leaves.

Steal Beyonce’s Steal…



Jacket: Marc Jacobs Cropped Tweed Jacket, $685, www.catwalktocloset.com
Pants: Wide-Leg Cuffed Trousers, $32.50, www.oldnavy.com

Top: Puff Sleeve Drape Top, $9.99, www.wetseal.com
Hat:
Space Dyed Beret, $24,
www.urbanoutfitters.com
Necklace: Rose Bead Necklace, $7.80,
www.forever21.com
Bag: Bow Dacious Large Tote, $99,
www.endless.com

I’m guessing most of us can’t afford the $685 Marc Jacob classic cropped jacket (the original cost was $2800!). So in true I Like Her Style! Fashion, I found this Plaid Tailored Blazer for $98, at www.freepeople.com. It’s not tweed but it’ll get the job done. Oh, and don't forget a brooch for your jacket ;)



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

meretrix mehndi



Setting- Paying for newspapers at a market stand.

Guy: Hey, I like your mehndi.

Me: Thanks.

Guy: I tried it once. On my back.

Me: Cool.

Guy: It reminds me of what's-her-name... um... you know. Red hair. In the bible. Jesus's girlfriend.

Me: Mary Magdalene?

Guy: Yeah! You look like her.

It's that time of year again . . .



Time for the rhododendruns to bloom. And time to drag Boris out there and try to get him to pose in front of them for a photo. There he is, Little Doggie, feeling perfectly fine now, no breathing trouble at all. Super engergetic and rarin' to go! My Dad had to sit next to him to keep him still long enough for a photo.





Monday, July 14, 2008

Funky new finds from IGIGI



IGIGI just got some really cute stuff in stock. Although they stock a variety of pieces, my favorite items of theirs tend to be their dresses.

I've raved before about their Satin Dream gown before, which is so soft and comfy that it feels like you are wearing pajamas but look appropriate for a black tie event. It's also a great dress for cleavage - and its covered up enough to wear a regular bra with!






Here are some of their other items I am fond of:




L: Fur Shrug, $90
R: Brocade Lace Wrap Top, $65




L: Fiorella Lace Gown and Shrug, $209
R: Pencil Skirt, $52

Saturday, July 12, 2008

My pretty blue slips



Several of my pretty blue slips have been featured in a post on A Slip of a Girl -

http://aslipofagirl.blogspot.com/2008/06/vintage-slip-blues-in-such-good-way.html


Thank you!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Marraccini Jewelry



Lapidary and Metalsmith

In 1972, 25-year-old Lee Angelo Marraccini accompanied his wife Pam to the art studio in Washington, DC, where she was taking pottery classes. On a whim, he enrolled in a jewelry-making workshop. Within a year, he and Pam had left their jobs as high school teachers, outfitted their GMC van with a bed and camp stove, and set out on a road trip through the United States and Mexico, during which Lee met jewelers around the country and refined his technique.



From the Inlay Collection:

jewelry designer bracelet

18k Gold & Gemstone Link Bracelet

Rectangular links inlaid with all natural black Jade, Costa Rican yellow Jasper, Lapis, Maw Sit-Sit, Sugilite, and Sleeping Beauty Turquoise.



gemstone pendant and earrings

Moldavite Earrings & Pendant

18k rectangular inlay earrings with Moldavite inlay

18k rectangular inlay pendant with Moldavite inlay

Necklace: 20 strand 14k cable necklace with crocodile clasp 16 in.



gold and gemstone pendants

Gold & Gemstone Pendants

Clockwise left to right:

18k textured round pendant with flush set .03ct TW diamond

18k round pendant with natural Lapis and .03ct TW diamond

18k textured round pendant

18k round pendant with natural Maw Sit-Sit - a beautiful gemstone

18k dome pendant with .11 ct TW flush set diamonds

18k round pendant with natural garnet and .03ct TW diamond

Necklace: thin black, blue, or green silicon 16 in. necklace with 18k clasp



In the summer of 1973, Lee and Pam landed at the Belles Artes San Miguel de Allende School of Art, where for $32 a month, they enrolled in a bohemian course of study that included drawing, ballet, guitar, and jewelry design. What artistic little vagabonds they were!



By 1974, they were back on the East coast. In the Allegheny Mountains in Paw Paw, West Virginia, they eked out a living farming organic vegetables, while Lee put all his energy into making jewelry. He started Moondance Silver that year, and peddled rings and bracelets at craft shows around the country.



From the Gemstone Collection:

gold and gemstone rings

Diamond Surprise Rings

Left to right:

14k ring with squared off back and 10x8mm emerald cut Amethyst, and .015 ct flush set diamond on back side of shank

14k ring with squared off back and 10x8mm emerald cut Citrine and .015 ct flush set diamond on back side of shank



Commercial success proved elusive, but Lee honed his inlay technique, and became exceedingly skilled at shaping stones on the wheel. He sought out and studied under some of the country's top jewelers, including Heiki Seepe, Robert Ebendorf, Ivy Ross, James Meyer, and Ronald Hayes Pearson. His pieces became warmer, cleaner, and more linear - the foundation of a style that would eventually become synonymous with the Marraccini name. He was designing jewelry he loved, and that he believed people would buy.



Armed with new creations, Lee hit the craft shows more frequently over the next several years. Business grew. So did his relationships with other jewelers. Gabriel Ofiesh and a group from Charlottesville, Virginia, were especially encouraging. At the same time, Wild, Wonderful West Virginia was becoming a little too wild. When floods, isolation, and harsh weather sent Lee and Pam searching for a new place to settle, Pam suggested Charlottesville. They moved in 1984.



Lee continued to develop new designs. He studied intermediate and advanced stone setting at the Revere Academy in 1986. His pieces became stronger, yet retained a sense of playfulness. They reflected his theory that jewelry should be "serious fun" for the wearer.



In 1998, Lee opened Angelo, a jewelry store in the Old Michie Building off Charlottesville's Downtown Mall. Angelo is a show house for Lee's strong, geometric designs - like his signature series of stacking rings - as well as new pieces and jewelry from other top artists.



Lee's jewelry is meticulously handcrafted at his studio several blocks from the store. They incorporate platinum, yellow and white gold, colored stones, and diamonds in warm playful designs. Lee prides himself in working with customers to create unique pieces that reflect his clients' individual tastes.



This man knows how to make some jewelry!

See full article
.





Related Entries:


Jewelry Career Resources - 08 August 2006


Native American Inlay Jewelry - 14 January 2008


Caroline Ballou Jewelry - 26 May 2008


Stephen LeBlanc Art Jewelry - 27 May 2008













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