Tag Archives: necklace

Uncommon Jewelry

Have you heard about Uncommon Goods? It’s an online marketplace that showcases unique items from artisans and designers around the world. I’ve shopped the Uncommon Goods catalog in the past because it’s a fantastic place to find gifts—especially ones that are handmade, recycled and organic.

I had a unique opportunity to work with Uncommon Goods and style a couple of pieces of jewelry from their catalog. I chose a cuff and a pendant. Finally something for me!

necklace and bracelet

Pendant and bracelet c/o Uncommon Goods

Artisans in Namibia made this tribal-inspired upcycled pipe cuff (yes, it’s made from actual plastic pipe!) I love it looks like ivory, but is cruelty-free. I learned that all of the Uncommon Goods items are green and sustainable and that they’ve never sold products made with leather, feathers or fur. You know how important that is to me!

Cuff from Uncommon Goods

The mini rock stack pendant on a silver chain reminds me of the cairns I sometimes see on hiking trails or by the beach. It’s so calming, and I love that I’m supporting artists with this piece. People should make a living wage through their work, and Uncommon Goods advocates for that.

Necklace from Uncommon Goods

As for styling these pieces, I went with a monochromatic look. The pieces were so nature-inspired, that I thought my black and white leaf-print skirt would work.

black and white outfit

Top: Swapped
Skirt: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Aerosoles

leaf-pattern skirt

If you’re looking for gifts for others—or treat for yourself—check out the Uncommon Goods site. Besides jewelry, you’ll find art, home goods, garden items, and things for kids.

Uncommon Goods jewelery

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Filed under Ethical, Fashion

Zebra Striped Dress

I’m ringing in the New Year with a dress in one of my favorite patterns: Animal print. There are so many types of prints (zebra, leopard, giraffe, snake, tiger, even cow!) so the look never gets repetitive. Add color to the mix, and you can see why I’m drawn to the infinite varieties of animal prints. Plus, I like animals, and you know what they say about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. I’m copying their pretty designs!

zebra dress

Dress: Swapped
Pleather boots: MIA
Necklace: The Vegan Woman
Vinyl purse: Shop in Pittsburgh

The best part of this dress might be that it was free. I got it at a clothing exchange from a fellow animal-print lover who tired of this particular piece.

Zebra close-up

It doesn’t have a defined waist, which makes it really comfortable, and the black vertical detailing at the front keeps this looking long and lean. I love the retro 70s collar!

I wore this with boots today but I’ll try it with other shoes and maybe a different pop of color, like an orange or green purse or a big cuff.

black and white

Happy New Year!

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Accessories for a Casual Day

I’ve worn this sweater on the blog before, but never with these fun accessories.

casual look

Sweater: Old Navy
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity
Boots: Thrifted
Ring: Old Navy
Necklace: The Sapphire Bee

I loved how big this ring was when I saw it in the store. Yet it’s light, and not at all cumbersome. It’s folded fabric, and I bet I could make one just like it! Sometimes it’s easier to just buy something ready-made though.

accessories

I got this empty cage necklace from Brittany at The Sapphire Bee. Brittany is a blogger and artist and student, in addition to creating and selling jewelry. She sounds like a Jean of all Trades to me! Sometimes though, we can’t do it all, and I don’t see anything in her store right now. I hope she sells more soon. I really like her designs.

casual with accessories

I’m a proponent of “emptying cages,” so to speak. I enjoy wild animals in the wild, not in zoos, circuses or at places like SeaWorld. So, to me, this empty cage represents hope for a better future for animals. I like looking at it and imagining that a little bird has flown to freedom.

empty cage necklace

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Back to Bootcut

I like skinny jeans, but I also like boot cuts. The nice thing about the 21st Century is that anything goes. I wouldn’t have dared wear wide legged pants in the 80s (where would I even find a pair?) and I would have shunned skinny jeans in the 90s. Now, I wear what I feel like wearing. Is that a sign of the times or just me getting older and not caring?

sweater and jeans

Sweater: Target
Jeans: For You
Shoes: Goodwill
Necklace: Sue Huston

This is a simple sweater that I dressed up with a long chain necklace. I like the elongating effect, so I add long necklaces to my outfits a lot.

simple outfit

Coincidentally, this pair of thrifted shoes that I’ve had for years matched. Turns out this was a good casual work outfit that did double-duty for a night of billiards.

wine and blue

Is there a go-to piece of jewelry you have?

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Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Thrifty Thursday: Plaid Jeans

I hit the Goodwill jackpot a few months ago and brought home several great pieces, including these gray and black plaid jeans.

plaid skinnies

They were $5 and fit perfectly. They’re YMI brand. I’d never heard of the label so I don’t know if they’re originally $20 or $200 (I suspect closer to the former), but I liked them.

I recently wore them car shopping with hubby. We weren’t in the market for a car, but window shopping for vehicles is one of his favorite pastimes. Here, I found neat, old Chevy station wagon.

Jean and the Chevy

Top: Swapped
Pants: Goodwill
Purse: Target
Sunglasses: Old Navy
Necklace: eBay
Shoes (not shown): Payless

I dressed up an otherwise simple outfit with this neat star necklace I found on eBay. There’s a lot of fun costume jewelry to be found it you have the time and patience. All in all, not bad for a $45 outfit, including shoes and accessories).

star necklace

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Fishtail Denim Skirt

I’m wearing my long denim skirt again. I wore it a few weeks ago for more of a dressed down look with chunky boots and a jacket. Today I wore a blazer and pointy, faux-suede boots. I added a long necklace to dress it up.

blazer and skirt

Blazer: Dynamite
Skirt: Sears
Tank: Wet Seal
Necklace: Florida street market
Boots: Rampage

navy and pink

This necklace came with a shirt I bought when I was in Florida a couple of months ago. I’m usually a low-key jewelry person but I’m learning how an interesting piece can change an outfit. I’m especially getting into longer necklaces. What style of jewelry do you wear most?

necklace and tan boots

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Filed under Dress Up Dress Down, Fashion, Thrifty

Another eBay Necklace

By now you know jeans and a blazer is my go-to look. It seems dressier than it is. It’s simple, classic, and easy to get right. This time, however, I changed things up a bit by adding a multi-strand necklace.

blazer with necklace

I love how this necklace looks like it’s many separate pieces. They’re all joined together at the clasp and they’re all perfect lengths for a layered look. Best of all, this clocked in at less than $5 on eBay. I just searched for long necklace. In fact, today I checked that search term and this exact piece was the first result. It’s from an online store in China.

necklace detail

You can also search for multistrand necklace or vintage necklace or get more specific with words like key or owl or heart and see what you find.

jeans and blazer

Blazer: Forever 21
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity
Tank: Old Navy
Belt: Forever 21
Earrings: Sosie Designs.
Necklace: eBay
Shoes: Nine West via Goodwill

Have you bought necklaces on eBay? What other places are good for scoring jewelry?

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Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Denim Shorts with Tights

I like the shorts-and-tights look. It’s a nice way to wear cute shorts without accidentally mooning everyone.

shorts and tights

gray and denim

Top and tank: Target
Shorts: Calvin Klein
Tights: Roots Canada
Boots: Dr Martens
Umbrella: Borrowed from hubby
Earrings: Old Navy
Cuff: Greenbelts
Legwarmers: Punk Rock Flea Market
Ring: Gift from my awesome friend, Misha
Necklace: Gift from another awesome friend, Angie

I broke a lot of rules with this outfit, but I had a lot of fun putting it together. Rules be damned!

I’m very lucky to have such cool and crafty friends. No sooner than I had wandered out in public did I get compliments on both the button ring and monkey head necklace. Thanks guys!

jewelry detail

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Rust and Gray and a Custom Necklace

When I went to Santa Fe, NM this past spring, I went a bit crazy with my jewelry-buying. There were so many cool artisans in New Mexico and so many unique materials and designs.

silver-wrapped stone

Two stone miners/jewelry designers working at a table at an outdoor art market made this for me on the spot. They had hundreds of stones to choose from and, after choosing one, they’d wrap it in silver “while-u-wait.” I wish I could remember the name of the stone. The guys, if you’re ever in Santa Fe, work at the tables next to the Inn at Loretto.

As a side note, Loretto is a chapel in the old part of Santa Fe. It houses a beautiful spiral staircase, to which a few miracles have been attributed. I hate to break it to you, but it looks like a case of fine carpentry and sound engineering. The only miracle I can think of is that no one fell off the staircase. It was built without a railing and one wasn’t added until ten years later.

stairs at Loretto

Anyway, skeptisism aside, after I got home, I realized the stone pendant would go nicely with my rust and gray tunic. So I wore them together with skinny jeans and ballet flats.

detail of pendant

the outfit

Top: JC Penneys
Jeans: JC Penneys
Pendant: Santa Fe street vendor
Cuff: Greenbelts
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Bag: Nine West via thrifted

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Filed under Architecture, Art, Crafts, Fashion

The Necklace with Two Crows

Today I got dressed necklace first. My friend, Cheryl, who knows I love crows, picked up this necklace for me at her favorite place to buy art, jewelry and gifts, Sasquatch Studios. Sadly, Cheryl can’t shop there anymore because Sasquatch Seattle is closed. However, the owner is looking for a new location at Martha’s Vineyard. So the Sasquatch, commonly thought to be from the Pacific Northwest, is headed east.

necklace detail

two crows

To my necklace, I added a yellow t-shirt (there are hints of yellow in the necklace) and layered over a gray blazer (the necklace has a gray background). I don’t have to be that mindful of matching, but I figured, why not? It’s a casual office day (in my mind anyhow), so I threw on jeans and boots.

jeans and blazer

Blazer: Smart Set via thrifted
T-shirt: Swapped
Necklace: Gifted
Jeans: Bluenotes
Boots: Dr. Martens

If it weren’t for the boots, this would be a $15 outfit. But I bought the boots new (and full price) so I’m over the $100 mark, which disqualifies this as a thrifty look. It’s still fun and comfy. Yes, it’s jeans-and-a-t-shirt, but with the necklace, it’s so much more.

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Filed under Fashion