Creating Just A Bit Of An Edgy Look

No one has to go all out to create a 'bad girl' or 'tough girl' look. Just a few accent pieces can get the message across...in a playful way. I found this bracelet...

at a store called 'Charming Charlie'. This store is in a mall where I visit some retail customers. The store has been there for some time and I just assumed it was a high-end jewelry store and one much like Pandora. However, I had some time to spend so I took a stroll through the store.

Now I will have just one more store to check out when I go to this mall. I now shop more than I work in the malls. I've been told that I'm lucky. What I am is broke, not lucky!

Nevertheless, I found this bracelet very interesting...

and heavy. It is metal and doesn't bend. I'm banking on it not falling off my small wrist if it should turn sideways. Hopefully, it will create a loud noise to alert me if it does. Thing is, this bracelet was under $10. In fact, a lot of the jewelry at 'Charming Charlie was reasonably priced. The purses that they offered were well-made and at $35 or under, I was very surprised. They also had trendy shoes, some tops and some scarves and hats. Enough to create a serious temptation!

Not only do I like the bracelet, but it went so well with a pair of earrings I picked up at Forever 21 about a week earlier...

The earrings were $3.80. Since I mentioned that one doesn't have to get all spikey and leathery to look tough, these pieces of jewelry only hint at it. Dressing as I normally do and adding these two accessories gives me an edgy look and not like a scary dominatrix.

Studs and spikes are very trendy at the moment. Are you into them?

Charmed, I'm Sure: More Charm Bracelets

Yesterday, I wrote, here, about being on a charm bracelet kick. As usual, there were a lot of jewelry vendors at the Southern Women's Show I attended last weekend. So I did a lot of kickin'.

The first jewelry vendor I visited was Clementine Design. I wasn't allowed to take any photos of the items at the booth but I did purchase a few things that I'm still very happy about...

I so adore these bracelets. And I want you to know, these have some weight to them. They are not cheapy bracelets. They have hand-painted glass beads. And, I LOVED the price: 2 for $16!

The one that I knew instantly that I'd get was the Halloween one...

The color combinations are adorable. I think I could even get away wearing this even when it isn't Halloween!

And since I wanted to take advantage of the Buy 2 deal, I went for a Christmas themed bracelet...

The beads are hand-painted. And, that really adds to the 'charm' of Kate & Macy bracelets.

I wanted to take a photo of the candle charms they were selling but, I was asked not to. I felt bad because I think the woman thought I was out to steal her designs. We chatted for a bit and I let her know that my friends are now calling me the candle gift-giver since, it seems, that is the only type of gifts I give out. I wanted to remember where I saw these cute 'Jar Candy' charms because I think my friends might enjoy them to go with all the candles I have given them! You can view the candle charms here on Clementine's site.

The booth also had ceiling fan pulls...

The ceiling fan in my master bedroom is so short, I have to balance on my knees, on my bed, to reach the pull. As much as I think this is safe, my wisdom tells me that it isn't. I have been wanting one of these for some time to solve that issue. The dragonfly is so pretty, I knew this was perfect. They were selling these for $7.

And, after all the chatting and talking about being a blogger, the nice lady gifted me with the pink cat and mouse bracelet...

Some folks might put these charm bracelets right up there with the Holiday themed vests. I don't, myself. I just enjoy the charm of charm bracelets.

Pandora-Like Bracelet Without The Pandora Price

Do you have an on and off switch? Are you all 'on' or, all 'off'? I do. I'm really into something or, I just couldn't care less about it.

This is what is going on with me right now with charm bracelets. Beaded charm bracelets to be exact.

I attended the Southern Women's Show, here in Orlando, last weekend. The type of things I look for are the unique and fun items. And, while the 'Pandora' type of beaded bracelet isn't really new, I've been intrigued by them. But, when I see that the lowest price for one Pandora bead is roughly $25, I shy away. Heck, I can get a ton of jewelry for that price at Forever 21, Claire's or some of the outlet stores locally.

So, I sort of went all out when I found this vendor...

 

 Each of these cups is filled with a different bead. The vendor had them in groups of colors. You can see where the yellow and orange beads are the easiest. The forefront, on the left, are the pink beads.

This is how it worked: each bead is $2; charm beads are $5 but were $3 for the show; the bracelet was $5. Help for making your creation was free. The nice lady that was running this booth, all by herself, couldn't have been more accommodating. She was a true delight. That's her in the photo above to the very right.

With just one bracelet and groups of beads, I started to work...

Well, yes, I did make a pink bracelet first. Naturally! One doesn't have to go with symmetry, however, I like the orderliness of it. So, beginning with a charm in the middle, there are beads on either side that mirror each other. You can see the last bead on the right is the 'stopper' bead. This is used to keep the beads from sliding off the bracelet.

Then I went on to create bracelets in red and one in purple...

Some of the beads are actually neutral, in that they are no particular color, so I can mix and match to my heart's desire...

And when I saw these red beads, they look like Christmas tree ornaments, I knew I wanted to make a Winter holiday bracelet...

 Here are the charm beads...

Total of all these beads along with the bracelet-$73. Most of the Pandora beads cost $65. And I dare say, my beads rank right up there in weight and quality of Pandora beads.

I got my beads from divadaisies.com. Their online purchases are different than the pick-your-own I got to do at the show. However, on their website, they list the shows that they will be at, if you wish to catch up with them and make a charming bracelet for yourself.

Do you have a Pandora or Pandora-style bracelet? Are you into charm or bead bracelets?

Making A Bold Statement With Statement Jewelry

The lastest jewelry looks are super edgy. I love 'em!

 This is the ring at the top...

Of course, it is pink. There was a green and turquoise one as well. I don't think it is obvious in the photo, but the bars are askew from each other.

These earrings dangle and move freely. These are like my fourth pair that have the long points...

And these stud earrings are pretty tough, but in a not so obvious way...

And last, this ring I had to contemplate on. I didn't know if I'd wear it. I couldn't tell if it fit better on my ring finger or my pinky. When I do wear it, I change it back and forth because it gets a bit tight on my ring finger. Then, when I wear it on my pinky, it's pretty loose. I'm still happy that I got it...

All of these came from Forever 21.

Have you purchased any new statement pieces of jewelry?

Holiday-Themed Clothes: Not Just For The Trend-Setters

With the Holidays now upon us (I consider October 1 to be opening season), not all fashion is about costumes and Christmas dresses. Some of it is about accessories.

I like these...

I got them last week at a modern day 'five and dime', aka, The Christmas Tree Shops. When I wear these, I am not going to wear a Halloween t-shirt or my Halloween socks at the same time. I only wear one holiday-themed item at a time.

As much as I'd like to wear all Halloween, it's not going to happen. One item per fashion look. If I wear a Halloween graphic tee, no Halloween jewelry. Now, that's just my standards. And I can change them on a whim. That's my right. Besides, how easy is it to see my Halloween socks, anyway?

However, since I read in some fashion magazine an untold amount of years ago that the Christmas-themed vests were horribly cliche, I've doubted my holiday fashion sense ever since. I've never worn one of those vests but I get the gist of what that meant. It told me 'people that wear holiday-themed clothing are sooo out of style that we should hold them in contempt'. Eek!

My own personal opinion when I see someone who wears plenty of holiday themed-clothing is that they must love the holiday season as much as me. And if the fashion industry didn't want us to wear those vests, they should just stop making it!

What holiday-themed jewelry or clothes do you like to wear?