Evening rant.

   So, did you notice how 2015 slipped in the door like a sneaky cat!  Here it is April all ready, and I'm still trying to shake off the surprise and adjust to its presence. I didn't even bother to make any New Year resolutions. Between my mother's dementia and Parkinson's, my own health issues, hours getting cut at my part-time job and my home/yard looking like a disaster area.... I figured I'd just go easy on myself and not create any more pressure.  There, THAT will be my resolution! Go easy on myself this year.      Yeah, like that's ever going to happen. chuckle   What if I just try to take better care of myself?  That sounds more attainable.
    Anyway, I've taken to the keyboard this evening in order to stay away from Ebay. You see, there is this beautiful little red hat up for bids!!!!!!  And I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER HAT!!!   Sheesh! I don't get to wear the ones I have!
   Of course the same could be said for my jewelry. I mean, how many bangle bracelets does a 56 year old woman need?   Wha? What was that? I could have sworn I heard someone whisper "...more".  So anyway, if my arms were skinny little stick limbs I bet I could load them both up with bracelets all the way up to the shoulder! hahaha    WAIT! There it is again....  Yep, definitely sounds like a hushed voice saying "more".       I either have an earthbound spirit with a hoarding streak in my home or there is a part of my brain that is trying to play up my pack rat tendencies. I truly DO NOT need either one of those.
    But seriously, perusing Ebay and Etsy are two of my favorite forms of therapy. And it can be quite an educational activity too! I've certainly seen things that I normally would not have encountered. My favorite right now are the bronze Buddhist temple bells. When I manage to get a few extra thousand dollars I'm going to get a couple of those!!!    How awesome would that be? :)
   

Freyja's Day.......... But what is it made of?

   Oh goodness, its Freyja's Day all ready!  Well, the summer heat has come early to Florida this year so I'll have to start choosing some lightweight jewelry to wear. Time to put away certain pieces till cooler and drier weather returns.  But before I do, I wanted to post a couple of photos and ask if anyone knows anything about these bracelets.

   You see, I don't know anything about them! I wonder what they're made of and how old they are.
   My first bracelet of this design was in a small lot of jewelry pieces. I immediately fell in love with it! I found the brown to be very attractive and the pattern interesting. It has so much depth! But it was the heft and feel of it on my arm that really hooked me.
   As you can see, I loved it enough to start hunting down a few more so that I could adorn both arms! Even found a couple that had been shaped by being ground down in spots. Personally I'm not fond of these. It makes the bracelets lose that earthy, feminine grace.
   As I purchased each one I paid special attention to what each seller had to say about them. Descriptions were either plastic (uh, no.), Lucite, Bakelite and one seller referenced them as being "lacquered Bakelite".  So I'm still in the dark as to their composition!!!
   Would love to find out about them. So if you have any info or might know someone who would..... please give me a shout out! 
   As always, Be Kind, Be Happy and Enjoy Life to the fullest!
    

  

 

 

How did I lose three Fridays?? Plus... when hats arrive smashed!

"So here I sit amongst the canines in repose, for what reason I do not know... nor do I care. I spend my days resting upon towers of hat boxes, dreaming of ancient temples in lands far from this place. Often, my human servant will anoint me with fine vintage perfumes and burn beautiful handmade incense to honor me. My life is simplicity at its best... so I am content to grace these creatures with my divine presence."      ~ Coco Kitteh

    Today for Freyja's Friday I've decided to post a photo of Coco. It was her paw with the amber necklace in my first post of this kind.
    Oh my, thought I'd missed out on one, maybe two, Friday postings.... but I see that isn't the case. Sheesh! Really and truly I can't figure out where the time goes. But in my defense, things have been a bit busier around here and at my part time job. And my mother's mental condition has worsened noticeably. As a caretaker its a lot of stress to try and handle.  Thank goodness I have my "end-of-day therapy sessions".... which is a fancy sounding way of saying that I try on my hats!!! hahaha  Seriously though, it really does help.
   Yesterday evening I unboxed a hat that I purchased on Ebay quite a while ago. When it first arrived I was so horrified at how it had been packed, and summarily crushed, that I repacked it in something safe and promptly retreated to my bedroom to just sit in disbelief!
   ONLY NOW AM I ABLE TO RECOUNT THAT HEINOUS SIGHT!  But you will have to bear with me if I falter in my retelling of these events... the trauma still lingers!      You think I'm being too dramatic don't you? Well, I'm NOT.  I purchased a black and white wide brim straw hat by Frank Olive. In wonderful condition too.   Then it arrived on my porch packed in two pizza boxes.....  Yep, that's what I said "PIZZA BOXES"!  They had been taped together in the middle with regular clear tape. Now, to begin with, the boxes are NOT tall enough to put a hat this size in. So the seller must have had to "smush" the crown down in order to close the boxes. May I remind you this is made of straw and its a older hat. Straw can become brittle with age. (Need a pause here....)  Anyway, the "box" had gotten thoroughly smashed in transit.... I mean, what would one expect to have happen with two pizza boxes!! NO SUPPORT WHATSOEVER IN THE CENTER!!!   ( I think I need a chocolate milk break..... getting way too worked up over the gross stupidity... wait a minute. Note to Self: try not to be so ornery. Let me give this another try... getting upset over the mindless negligence of people when they overlook simple, yet important details. There. That sounds better. Mind you its not nearly as satisfying as a good bitch-fest, but it will have to do)
    To get back on track with the story... the hat arrived smashed pretty badly. Only the fact that it is a well constructed hat saved it from total destruction. The straw is broken almost all the way around the crown base, plus in several areas on the sides of the crown and one small place on the very top. The brim is relatively unscathed. There are two roses that are pretty flat, but then I'd like to get better quality ones to replace them anyway. The netting is good and that's always a plus!
    Now y'all know what I'm talking about when I say how horrible it was! The bad news is that I know of no milliner even remotely nearby who might be able to help repair and extend its little life. I have some notions I'd like to try here at home, but I fear I might really mess it up! hahaha   Oh well, if I can reinforce it somehow... guess that means I'll be searching the internet for books and videos.  
    Will have to put a millinery course on my bucket list! chuckle

Freyja's Day........ wait a minute, its March all ready???

   Where does the time go? Anyway I couldn't decide whether to feature jewelry with a focus on the full moon just recently passed or all the Spring-like weather that we are having in Florida.   (Actually I was beginning to think that we had bypassed Spring entirely because yesterday the temperature reached 84 degrees F. That's just too hot for early March!!!)   Of course I settled on a photo for each. My love of Moonglow Lucite is obvious!

    White Moonglow beads..... what could be more beautiful to use to invoke the energies of the Moon Mother? Well, besides real moonstone! This is a cheaper and very durable alternative.

 
   Then as an "almost Spring" celebration I went with moonglow paired with a wide chunky Lucite bracelet featuring cherry blossoms! 
   Of course the blue represents the sky and the green relates to all the new leaf and plant growth.

Freyja's Day....... Old bakelite (?) bead and mystery metal necklaces.

    I love these! Wasn't certain of the best way to photograph them, so hey! They look good up against the denim shirt I'm wearing... so why not? Not really sure what they are. Have never even tested for bakelite because I feel pretty safe saying that's what the beads are. The metal content is a whole different story. I was a teenager when I bought my first one in a thrift shop and I figure it was some kind of  cheap pot metal. Have seen folks on line claiming theirs were old coin silver. Since I don't know how to test metal, then it will just remain a mystery for now.    Whatever they are.... they look awesome on!!!  

    The necklace above is the one I bought forty years ago. It hangs down to my navel area so its definitely not something to wear if you have any work to do! haha   But if you want to add a little drama... then a long necklace can certainly accomplish that goal. I'm guessing its from the 30's or 40's. I'm pretty sure that chain tassels like this were from those eras.

   Here is another one that I found recently online. It has five beads instead of three, is just a little shorter (maybe two inches) and the metal seems to be a little bit different... at least the chain is. But it still has that vintage flair that I look for! You should see these up against black silk or satin... or indigo! WOW!!

Late Freyja's Day... for the love of bangle bracelets!

 Left arm!

Right arm!

 

    Been a little rough around here the last few days, hence the late post. So anyway when I had to run over to a friend's house, I decided to utilize some color magick to uplift my spirits. Thank goodness for bangle bracelets! hahaha  
    I wore a blouse that's a little bit lighter than the sky blue bangles and I had matching celluloid earrings. Blue to soothe, saffron yellow to enliven and raise the energy and purple to raise the vibrational level of everything! It felt sooooooooooo goooood!   Also spritzed on a little vintage Diorissimo perfume... and I was ready for anything life put in my path.

Freyja's Day. Big Red Beads!

   Love the old plastics! ADORE big red beads! The photo doesn't show this color correctly. Its a darker, deeper red.
   I do want to restring this old Lucite (?) necklace. Don't know how I want to do it yet. The beads are each just a hair over one inch and that isn't comfortable around the back of my neck. But I do love this sooooo much!  In its present form it measures twenty one and a half inches long.  Not too heavy, but not light either. I may have to take two of the beads and make dangle earrings!!!
    Pictured below is the youngest feral stray in my yard. I haven't chosen a name yet. The mother tries so hard to protect her kittens, but this little guy's littermate is no where to be found anymore.... so I'm assuming the worst. I'm glad he likes his little bed because we have more chilly weather on the way. Hoping to purchase a live trap soon so I can capture and fix all these felines that wander in to my yard!