La Vie En Rose

Don't mind my camera remote...why, I use it so much, it's an accessory at this point! :)













 

Here in Michigan, this December (and November!) have been unseasonably warm! While many residents are terrified about this weather and positive that global warming has descended upon us (along with lower lake levels and crop growth issues), I must admit that I am selfishly GLAD that the weather isn't completely arctic at this point.  I'm heading out for work in the morning in just blazers, and believe it or not, some of the hearty and beautiful roses that climb the south brick wall of the building I work at are still hanging on, bobbing around in surprisingly balmy and mellow gusts of wind.
All of this dreary rain and mild humidity puts me in a romantic mood (cue the white pashmina scarf!), and so my outfit post today is inspired by the rose and its  color and a beautiful Melody Gardot song (the title of the blog today!) which I'm including below!

OUTFIT DETAILS: Vintage Toni Todd dress (Hope's Outlet, thrifted for 1.49 and featured in this past outfit post), Vintage Dooney and Burke Doctor's satchel, white thrifted pashmina scarf and 100% thrifted jewelry. The fashion glasses were purchased at Dollar Tree and match these Ralph Lauren glasses almost identically with the exception of just a UV tint (instead of medium dark)!


See the beautiful cinematography and hear the luscious voice of Melody Gardot in this video shot exclusively for Piaget jewelry in France! It's gorgeous and it makes me feel beautiful. I hope it does the same for you!

Family Treasures and giveaway plans!

It’s in the family…

A love for vintage and kitschy treasures, that is. :) And I am so blessed to have such wonderfully generous family. I'm thrilled to see so many of them reading my blog, and my aunts and uncles especially are always so giving to me. It's one of the things I absolutely love about my family, and that's nothing new!

My uncle Patrick and Aunt Theresa are, by trade, "pickers"! They've always enjoyed hunting for all sorts of items and reselling. In fact, several of my favorite things are gifts from Uncle Patrick and Aunt Theresa, including fabulous art deco vases, a vintage Singer sewing machine, and more! I know, I know...I'm lucky! And you may want to stop reading now if you're prone to jealousy, because I'm about to talk about the GIANT TUB of costume and vintage jewelry my aunt and uncle brought to me at our last family get together for Easter.

Naturally, I was stunned. I couldn't wait to check it out! I won't be hoarding all of it to myself, so before you write me off as a glutton, please enjoy the pictures and check out my plans for some of this wonderful stuff below!

First things first; that wonderful homemade jewelry cleaner!

I went ahead and made a big batch right in my kitchen sink! Did you catch the blog post where I shared the recipe? I highly recommend it...check it out here! Jewelry Cleaner Recipe

So many interesting pieces shined right up...

These patches are so fun. Uncle Patrick is French and his mother (to whom much of this jewelry belonged to) is as well. There were some little French treasures here and there and though I'm not sure where they came from (France or U.S.A.) it still made me smile.

One of my favorite highlights: vintage rhinestone buttons!

Can't deny the power of the unicorn...

The little parrot pin was my favorite!

So what do I have up my sleeve?

Well, the sheer amount of jewelry I was gifted made me realize I really was looking forward to giving some away as gifts, creating new DIY items, and doing some fun jewelry give-a-ways for next month! You can expect to see some colorful and creative things coming for summer but I'll officially announce my "MayDays" jewelry giveaway plans this week! My mantra is "pay it forward"...

Thanks so much Uncle Patrick and Aunt Theresa, and to all of my family who has so generously given me things over the years. I love you!

Have a great day!