Wordless Wednesday ~ The Bokehlicious Collection

    

    

xox,

bonita

Cherished Collections Blog Tour ~ My Mother’s Pearls

Hi everyone! Welcome to Depict This! if you are visiting.  ^ ω ^   I am so pleased to be part of Casey’s Cherished Collections Blog Tour; I am a big fan of Casey’s and I think her tour is a really neat idea.  I have so many collections {no really ~ stamps, teapots, teacups, TEA, vintage doilies, books, plush horses & of course, shoes!} that it’s been pretty hard to decide which one to show you all! 

There have been some really special collections put up already, and I finally made up my mind as to what I would share.  I am happy to present one of my cherished collections featuring all of the pearl accessories & jewellery I have gathered together over the last few years.

~ * ♥ * ~ L to R:  My mother’s bracelet gifted to me when I was quite young; eleven or twelve I think?  A necklace I bought at an antique store.  My mother’s costume pearl necklace.  I can’t remember when she gave it to me, but I think it was the first piece of jewellery she passed onto me. ~ * ♥ * ~

My Mom’s pearl necklace is definitely the first piece in my collection and I have had it for years.  I never wore it when I was younger, so it’s been tucked away in a box gathering dust for the better part of my ownership. Thanks to my recent interest in vintage I dug it out and now I wear it a lot because I love pearls.

In my mind, pearls are timeless and classic pieces of jewellery and I love how they make me feel when I put them on.  I always feel elegant and feminine when I wear my pearls ~ like I can take on the world, and then some! There is nothing like feeling pretty and confident at the same time. ^ u ^ ~ ♥

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Fresh water pearls ~ I bought the necklace in Florence, Italy and the earrings at the Parklea Markets in Sydney.  Picture 2:  Fresh water pearls ~ this tri~strand set necklace, bracelet and earring set was a 2007 Christmas present from my family. ~ * ♥ * ~

Plus, pearls have such an interesting story.  Did you know that saltwater pearls take between 6 to 18 months to develop whereas freshwater pearls can up to 4 to 6 years to grow?  However, saltwater pearls are more expensive than freshwater pearls is that saltwater pearls are grown in oysters and can only grow 1 to 3 pearls at once, but freshwater molluscs can grow up to 20 to 30 pearls in one go. 

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Freshwater pearl set in a marquise flower; a Valentine's Day present from my darling Husband.  Freshwater pearl set in a fan; bought in Hong Kong. Picture 2:  Some of my favourite costume pearl earrings ~ * ♥ * ~

Saltwater and freshwater pearls also differ in the type of lustre. In appearance freshwater pearls are noted for a softer lustre, a glow that comes from deep within the pearl; whereas saltwater pearls have a more brilliant superficial lustre.

Freshwater pearls tend to be more durable due to thicker nacre{the material pearls are made out of}, which is a good thing as far as I am concerned, because I wear them a lot, but I really would love to be able pass them onto my daughter{if I ever have one!}.  

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Vintage hair comb bought from Etsy and hair clips from Equip.  Pearl and chain sweater clip made by me.  Picture 2: Glass pearl bracelet made by me and a costume pearl bracelet. 
~ * ♥ * ~

Pearls vary in colour from white to those with a hint of colour, often pink, to brown or black. Each coloration will depend on the type of mollusc and the water where the mollusc lived. Because the nacre is organic, pearls are very sensitive to extreme heat, acids, dryness, humidity and scents.  I don’t put any perfume on my neck when I am wearing my pearls because apparently they can pick that scent up and it isn’t good for them.

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Pearl and seed bead necklace made by me.  Picture 2: Pearl headbands.  ~ * ♥ * ~

Also, did you know that pearls used to be really popular as an engagement ring jewel until the diamond companies decided to do a huge campaign promoting diamonds as the symbol of forever? 

There is a lot of interesting symbolism and history for pearls.  Pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, and to cement engagements and love relationships.

Early Chinese myths told of pearls falling from the sky when dragons fought while some ancient legends say that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods.  The Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying{which would be a great reason to put them into an engagement ring!}.

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Vintage angora collar embellished with pearls; bought off Etsy.  Picture 2:  Vintage gloves embellished with pearls and seed beads; these are my most recent addition to my collection as I thrifted them two weeks ago.  ~ * ♥ * ~

I must say that I can’t really remember when my obsession with pearls started, but I do know that they are my favourite jewel.  Diamonds may be other girls’ best friend, but pearls are mine! 

I hope you enjoyed this guided tour of my collection.  : )

xox,

bonita

My Hue Hating Tragedy

Yes, sadly I have a tragic past with some hues on the colour wheel….   The first one that comes to mind is the colour pink. 

When I was younger; probably around ten or an age close to ten, I decided I hated the colour pink because it was too girly.  Never mind that I am actually a girl, it was just too much.   Somewhere between ten and twelve I pretty much stopped wearing skirts and disassociated myself from anything feminine. 

Interestingly enough, I think this boyish streak came from the fact that a lot of my friends were boys before and around that time and I remember a particular group of boys that would be friends with me when it suited them, but ditch me when the other guys came along.

I can remember thinking that the boys get to do all the fun things ~ so why couldn’t I?   Anyway, this may seem like a side track, but it is perfectly related, I promise.    In a nutshell, because of this distain for girly things/being a girl I wore jeans/pants until I was about 20something ~ then somewhere along the line switched to skirts, then progressing to dresses.  I have not looked back ever since then.

One thing that has taken a lot longer to change is my distaste for the colour pink.  Yes, I know.  To some people it is a travesty to even mention the word ‘hate’ in the same sentence as ‘pink’ ~ to others, they are all “Huzzah!!  Burn all pink things!” and really, it may not seem like such a big deal.  

I wanted to write a post about it though, because this recent, strange {to me} attraction to the colour is, well, strange!   I used to stringently avoid the colour at all costs ~ red, black and white where the colours of choice {although blue was in for a long time before that} and even when I was buying random things like, say, tissue boxes, I would pick any other colour except pink.

And look at my tissue box now! 

But it is not just the tissue box, it is like a pink plague…..   

There is this:

And this:

Which, incidentally, I chose partly because it is pink and partly because it is shorter than other cans of hairspray which means it is easier to pack…  But mostly because it is pink!

And I want to buy this:

And something like this:

And I have to find something like this for my collection ~  Bows!!! On. A. TEApot!!!!!!!!    *dies*   X _ X

I am seriously itching to wear this if I can ever get my hands on it!: 

And to be perfectly honest, I would not mind wearing this either:

O__o

I do not know what has come over me, but I do declare:  I like the colour pink.  I am no longer ashamed to admit it.  I want pink things around me in my house.  And yes, if I find clothing that is my style in a baby pink or a pastel shade I will wear it.   But not hot pink.  I do not think the pink reformation has gotten that far yet…. 

So I have made friends with pink and I like it.  

I have to say it though ~ orange and I will never be friends.   Now there is a colour I really dislike.   ……..  Except on fast cars……    

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  I could not find the original shop sources for the mixer and teapot image; if anyone knows where they come from please let me know! 

Then I might be able to buy the tea set….     >   <

Really Truly Vintage

Here’s the story: I love vintage, but I do not have many actual vintage items much to my dismay. 

Part of the reason for this is that I am relatively new to the vintage scene, but also that I have a major disadvantage from living in a relatively young country {Australia: we aren’t old}, and that means that most vintage is out of my range.   Literally!  Either I can not even find it {think 90s clothes in thrift shops} or it’s too expensive for me because I have to buy it through someone else {usually overseas} and pay for shop fees/profit/P&P/etc. 

As a result I am relying heavily on repo/shop items that I can find that look vintage and have a vintage feel, but more often than not repos simply aren’t even close to the real thing.  I am, however, lucky enough to be able to build my collection slowly. 

To date I have two vintage dresses {although I do not think that one of them is that old…  Maybe a 70s repo?} ~

Left: 1950s party dress from Etsy  ~ * ♥ * ~  Right:  Thrifted vintage dress {I am saving this one for a special outfit shoot!}

This delightful old camera which my DH inherited from his Grandfather’s brother and said that we could share ~

I did some searching online and found a website that described the camera ~ Iloca Rapid B. 

“The Iloca Rapid B is yet another German consumer rangefinder of the 1950s. It was produced in 1954… and it comes with a simple Steinheil München Cassar S 50mm f/2.8 lens; Prontor SVS leaf shutter; and a coupled rangefinder.”

And these gorgeous tapestry purses  ~  one is a handbag and the other is a makeup case with a mirror inside.

I found these when I was shopping at this darling antique junk shop in Wagga Wagga.   I absolutely love them ~ I think they are simply divine!   I have no precise idea of how old they are, but I think from my searching that they may be from the 1950s. 

Lastly, this is my most recent acquisition, a darling vintage collar I brought on Etsy  at  Wildfell Hall Vintage. 

It’s 49% Angora Rabbit fur and it is soooooo soft!!  I opened up my package and fell totally in love with it.  The colour, the feel, the style and the pearl embellishment are just divinely perfect!

These are my most notable really truly vintage pieces ~ I have a few other odds and ends; a teacup, a topless thimble, a pair of shoes from the 80s {I think} and a few pieces of furniture which I will show you when they are safely settled in our new house. 

So that is the extent of my collection for now, but I am sure it’s only the beginning, because honestly?  The more I study and see vintage things in real life, the more I fall head over heels for the detail and the craftsmanship.   It is just so unlike anything you find these days, and I love it. 

What is your favourite item of vintage to collect?

xox,

bonita