Dear Diva Readers,
top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>The brains and beauty behind my favorite blog to be born in 2009 – She’s Shopping Now – is back Guest Blogging on The Antiques Diva™ site, sharing more tips in her series “Souvenirs de la Reine”.
In case you missed her past guest appearances writing on this topic, make sure to read:
Part 2: Guest Blog: Souvenirs de la Reine: le porte-cigarettes
Keep Shopping & Keep Making Memories,
The Antiques Diva™
(seen right making memories while shopping with La Reine at NYC’s GreenFlea)
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Dear Diva Readers,
The past few months everyone has been wearing long, swingy, charm necklaces. You’ve seen them: crystals dangling, sparkly keys glittering, little hearts and suitcases tinkling. I’ve priced them: they’re either scary expensive or so cheap and plasticky I’d never wear them. So I’ve created my own charm necklaces and found a way to re-live mes souvenirs.
to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S02Bn-56MgI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/DSgmorZSDpI/s400/platinum+with+crystal+earring.jpg” border=”0″ />A while back I shared with the Antiques Diva the gorgeous vintage platinum necklace sprinkled with diamonds (only $100!) that I scored at the Merchandise Mart Antiques Show in Chicago. And recently, on a visit to Omaha, I rifled through a tangle of discounted jewelry piled in an ashtray at le Marche and found a very long simple 1930’s gold chain.
Now I simply had to style them up – Diva Style!
When I moved away from Paris, my friend Rebecca of Chic Shopping Paris gifted me a pair of dangling earrings she made from antique Baccarat crystals she had found at brocantes. Sadly, in one of many moves I lost one of the earrings (actually it’s the movers fault – they lost one!) Et voila! The lone earring now swings enticingly from the platinum neck chain.
to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S02BnkhDA_I/AAAAAAAAD_Q/_L0r6afxdZ8/s400/gold+with+kroner.jpg” border=”0″ />After leaving Paris we moved on to Copenhagen. When we moved on once again, this time returning to the USA, left in my coat pockets were handfuls of Danish kroner, useful for buying a paper or coffee when I was out walking my dog Mignette. Several of the kroner have holes in the center (they come that way: I didn’t have to drill). Brilliant! 3 kroner now dangle from my gold neck chain reminding me of the years I lived in Denmark as an expat.
The ideas are endless!to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S02BoZJLrdI/AAAAAAAAD_g/GpC5dKFBMDc/s400/souvenir+charms.jpg” border=”0″ />What about the silver quatrefoil key to the door of my beautiful apartment in Paris? The giant Baccarat crystal I found at a Paris brocante? The ivory Chinese good luck charm I bought at an antique shop in Singapore? A seashell picked up on the beach in Sanibel? The fleur-de-lys and tassel earrings I picked up at The Greenflea in NYC?
I can easily swap out one souvenir for another. These souvenirs are no longer hidden in my drawers and tucked away in my memories. They’re displayed, talked about, and loved. And best of all, they make me look fabulous. Some things can’t be bought. Like memories.
Until Next Time,
La Reine
(otherwise known as “Moi” on the She’s Shopping Now blog)
Can’t get enough of these great ideas of La Reine’s? Visit her blog for more fun posts like this one! And while you’re at it, follow her travels on Twitter!
Looking for ways to reuse a single earring when it's partner is lost, some ideas are:
– dangle it from a change, as I do above
– repurpose the post into a tack and use it on a bulletin board, as our Diva does
– if it's a clip (or even better, a vintage clip) twist off the clip and superglue a magnet to it and style up your refrigerator photo collection
– attach it to a purse or lapel for a new brooche
– push the post into a pillar candle to bling it up a bit
-if it's a hoop style, I've had success wearing 2 leftover hoops together: I tend to but gold hoops almost the same size, and when slightly different sizes are worn at the same time, no one notices.
Any other leftover earring ideas out there?
ciao for now
La Reine –
Score!!! You always find the best things!!!
The Diva
Thanks UnCoolMom!
Carolyn/Draffin Bears
– Isn't it a genius way to continue using atleast 1 of a favorite earrings even after their partner has gone to that place where all earrings go when they leave this world?
Phivos-
So excited about your recent Berlin posts!!!
The Antiques Diva
Sanity Fair –
I dont know the Eastern Market – but I'm so thinking you should write a guest post for the Diva blog on it!!!
The Antiques Diva
Just bought a great antique India coin to dangle from my gold chain! And it has a hole in the center.
Now, what else can I find in the bazaars of Jaipur…
Very nice and good work dear Toma. Kind regards.
Great post, thanks Antiques Diva.
What a great idea with the pieces of jewelery and such a neat idea when you lose an earring.
Hope you are having a fabulous weekend
Hugs
Carolyn
Brilliant!
Nice work diva! 🙂 I love mixing up jewelry bits – one of my favorite sources is Eastern Market in DC (weekends only). Tons of fun pieces!