Kathy Roussel handmade jewelry

I happened to pop over by Etsy to check out what new things they're featuring, and I saw these pretty dangly earrings featured on the front page.



There's something quite lovely about their irridescent gold shimmer and offbeat shape that is quite appealing to me.

I also adore this line drawing necklace



and this autumn leaf necklace



(which are out of my price range, but still cool), and this sweet flower ring



which is quite delicate and nice.

They're all from a shop called Kathy Roussel handmade jewelry. Feel free to check it out, although don't say I didn't warn you that you'll be tempted.

Someone should drag me away from my laptop so I'm not allowed to look at such things. I might be tempted to accidentally drop one of those gorgeous pieces of jewelry into my little Etsy shopping cart...and I won't be held responsible for what happens after that. That's all I'm sayin'.

A mangled mess

My horribly overcrowded and messy jewelry box (notice the cleaning equipment in the background)


Even the drawers are jammed full of stuff.


A close up of the chaos. Notice the wine cork among the baubles, a souvenir from our engagement bottle of wine

Things are out of control in my jewelry box. Several years ago when I first bought it, it seemed like such a luxurious space, just waiting to be filled with all my trinkets. Fast forward to now, when I can barely shut the lid, earrings are disorganized and missing, and necklaces are tangled and jumbled. I hate it, but it'll have to do for the moment. I'm not the type of person to hang each set of earrings on a holder or something, but I do like keeping them in bins according to color and style (studs together, colors together, hoops together, etc.). And as you can see, that is no longer happening here, is it?

I would love to get this jewelry armoire from Pier 1, but it's a bit outside my price range. Still, it's very cool and would definitely fit all my stuff—right now, that is. I can't seem to stop adding a little here and a little there...

PhotoGlassworks

PhotoGlassworks is a really cool Etsy shop that features modern-looking necklaces with gorgeous photos as the gems. Each piece is unique, colorful, and well designed. The featured photographs are vivid and stunning, even in their tiny size. I own one of these necklaces (a winter tree) and I get compliments on it all the time. Pretty abstract designs and beautiful prints are also available in a variety of shapes and sizes.

PoPkO

I LOVE this Etsy shop called PoPkO. There are some really fabulous finds here, including authentic butterfly wing pendants, which are made with the wings of butterflies that live at a nature conservatory until they naturally expire. I have one of these beautiful pieces, and the neat thing is there's a different wing that's visible on each side of the pendant. They're truly beautiful. I've just put in an order for a similar pendant made with real leaves, which is absolutely stunning. You can get other things at PoPkO too, like funky glass rings, fused glass pendants, and even dried lavender.

Don't forget to check out her blog!

Shades of gray

Today I was feeling gray, not so much in mood but in preference of color. So I chose these Steve Madden shoes to wear with my gray outfit...


...but the heels are kind of set far inside, which makes for an unsteady Chris. So...


...I brought these Seychelles as a back-up pair, although they didn't match...


...my jewelry ensemble quite as well as the Steve Madden pair. But in the end...


...the Steve Madden shoes worked out just fine and I didn't fall and break my neck, so I didn't need my back-up shoes after all.

Orange Peel Enamel

These are some of the necklaces I got at Orange Peel Enamel, a really cool Etsy shop that I discovered last year. The pendants all have a very funky, artistic vibe to them, and they are totally bold and graphic looking. I love how unique they all are, and I get compliments on them all the time. (Today I'm wearing the horse pendant.)