Vintage Style At My Place

My love for vintage style has crept into my apartment and is trying to take over! I just can't seem to help it that all my favourite things are ancient or made to look as if I just found them at a flea market! I think that's the wonderful thing about home decor and personal style~ the mixing and matching of all kinds of different items somehow band together to form a charming vignette! Here are a few of my favourite places around my little home. 

The picture above is in my living room. The mirrored chest (my favourite piece) is from Chintz & Company, the lamp belonged to my grandmother, the French clock a Christmas gift from Greg and Leah (love!!), birdcage tealight holder from Liberty, vintage gold jewelry box from my Auntie Barnie, art book from Chapters, silver bird and picture frames from Pottery Barn. 

My bedside table has a crystal block stacked lamp from The Cross, an Eiffel Tower purchased on the actual landmark, two books including a very old Alice in Wonderland and a new Wuthering Heights (a gift from Leah) plus fresh flowers, tealight holders from Anthropologie and buttons from Etsy with my favourite quote on them. The marble and gilt table is vintage itself, given to me by my grandmother.

My bedroom dresser has another crystal stacked lamp (this one a total steal from Home Sense for $40), twig earring stand and vase from The Cross, a stack of 70 plus years old Shakespeare books that once belonged to my grandmother, vintage teacup that holds more jewelry and an antique mirror from my other grandmother.  

My absolute favourite thing when I wander into any decor store are the inspiring vignettes on display (perhaps why I adore The Cross so much, they are masters at this). I've tried to introduce this into my own home and it is easy to do, as you can see! Books, flowers and odds and ends go a long way to make a space look homey. Now.... my big project~ I'm working on my mantle! Stay tuned! 

My Obsession~ Vintage Jewelry

Anyone who knows me knows how deeply in love I am with vintage and antique jewelry. My thirst for fine jewelry was born a few years ago when I was "loaned" (I say "given") one of my grandmother's diamond rings. I have worn it nearly everyday since and still take giddy pleasure in looking at it on my finger. My grandmother has some incredible jewelry, all of which makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up (in only the good way), but myself and my circle of girlfriends don't have or acquire jewelry in the way that women did "back then" (we're too busy paying rent in this ridiculously pricey city). Still, pretty shiny things are always alluring so instead we browse in Tiffany & Co. or Birks.  No crazy person would ever deny that these stores have beautiful things but they are not exactly unique. 

This is where my passion for antique comes in. Lately I've been on a search for a piece of jewelry I can buy that isn't too steep and that will be special to me in years to come. The simple act of searching Google produced the lovely website, Vintage Jewelry Online~ a treasure trove of Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces that had my heart pounding and my credit card sweating (just kidding). I'm still torn between several pieces but in the meantime I thought I'd share three of the absolutely gorgeous rings I love (all for cheaper than a Tiffany "bean" necklace, with far more character and history to boot). I can't wait to have something arrive for me one day and I can wear it, wondering about the woman who wore it before me, perhaps sixty or seventy years ago. Now that is what I call unique.

Aquamarine Art Deco ring from the 1920's with silver filigree band, $195US

1930's 5 Carat Coral cabochon and Marcasite ring, $165US

Top ring: Genuine 1930's Art Deco Pearl and Sapphire ring, $285US

Click here to visit Vintage Jewelry Online

Everything Old is New Again....With Vintage!

If you haven't yet visited or shopped on Etsy.com you are sadly behind the times, people! I discovered the website just over a year ago through a friend and fell instantly and thoroughly in love. Etsy is a site that allows individual designers and artists to sell their own wares to the public, and for them it is a way to enhance sales and access widespread exposure that normally eludes such small business owners. Etsy is a treasure trove of anything you could ever want to buy~ from stunning photography and original art to baby onesies, from heartbreakingly beautiful wedding gowns to personalized stationery. Etsy is also a hotbed for vintage finds. As a girl who is constantly on the lookout for something different and charming, to me Vancouver's vintage scene seems seriously and disappointingly lacking. So I turn to Etsy when I'm craving something new....yet old! On Friday I had to have the vintage rhinestone feather pin above, estimated to be from the middle of last century and that I picked up for only $10US plus $4 in shipping. In just a few days I'll find this beautiful and original piece in my mailbox! A few other vintage finds I thought I'd share are the 1930's beaded sunburst evening bag ($20US!!!!) and the lust-worthy Art Deco diamond ring (a slightly more extravagant $500US, but hey, it's genuine 1920's and diamonds!). If you haven't been to Etsy.com I recommend a visit. Happy shopping!