Age difference

Remember when I told you that my Jean Jean Vintage uniform out here in California is a button down shirt and a comfy cardigan? Well I really wasn't kidding! Yesterday I added a tiny Victorian mourning pin and ring to my get up. There were about 100 years separating my antique accessories from the rest of my outfit, but somehow it didn't matter.

Lil' Friday update

A few new things that found their way into the shop today. Bon weekend everyone!

Miser's purse

I bought a miser's purse in Kansas last month and I am totally in love with it. Sometimes called stocking purses, these were popular at the end of the 19th century and used to hold coins. This one is made of crocheted silk and cut steel beads. Here's how it works: There is a slit in the fabric near the middle where you can drop coins down either side. You push the silver "sliders" down over the coins after you drop them in to keep them from bouncing around. We didn't have any coins at home so I used my rings to illustrate how it works! So if you see something that looks like a fancy tube sock at your local antique mall, it is probably one of these!

Requisite hearts

With Valentine's Day less than two weeks away now, I thought I better pile some hearts in the shop. I've already had a few thoughtful fellas stop by to pick out pretty things for their ladies! Aww. While I thoroughly enjoy having the occasional Significant Other stop in (send them along!) I am happiest when you all stop by in person. Maybe it is because I am a big believer in the Fine Art of Treating Yourself. So if you (like me!) are planning to strike out on your own and buy yourself a flower, a nice chocolate and maybe a vintage goodie around V-Day, soyez les bienvenus! The Jean Jean Vintage doors are always open.

Five ways

The dress clip is the most versatile of accessories. Voici five different ways to wear the smashing Art Deco clip that I just listed last night.

Victorians just wanna have fun

[ I hope all's (well) | via Erie Basin ]


[ Who the (devil) is this from? | via Clayton Antiques ]


[ Friend (ship) | via my jewelry box ]

I am super intrigued by Victorian intaglio seals. Sometimes they are made of semi precious stone (agate, carnelian, etc.) but more often you find them in glass. They are reverse carved with initials, images, or short messages and they were used to seal the wax on letters. The Victorians sometimes substituted images for part of the phrases. How witty! I just bought myself the Friend (ship) fob, which is now the oldest piece of jewelry that I own and certainly the most playful.

To be 30

I turn thirty on Sunday. I am OK with it and here is why |

1. Bottom line, I'm fortunate to be alive and celebrating another 365 days of life.
2. Most of the coolest women I know are in their 30s and I am happy to join their ranks.
3. I've been waiting 24 years for the Thirtysomething theme song to apply to me.
4. My mom was a cutie when she was 30 (above w/me) so I've got good genes.
5. I get to eat my favorite cake.
6. It seems that life is getting better as it goes on - marriage, friends, work, the whole bit.
7. I bought myself a "turning 30 dress" from Dear Golden Vintage.
8. If I am going to be an elite runner, this is supposedly the decade that it will happen for me.
9. I am planning a third decade dinner in the near future at this restaurant.
10. About two years ago, I saw my 30-something crisis waiting for me up ahead like a big, grabby monster. I changed some things in my life and jumped to a different path and I think I've managed to miss it.

Le matin

Good morning! I realized yesterday that it's been a while since I've shown my face around here. So here I am, dressed for a day of work in what has kind of become my CA uniform - jeans, a comfy button down shirt, a cardigan and messy hair. Lately I've also been wearing my 1910s ring from Erie Basin and a rad photo locket with a fellow in a bowler hat. I need a name for him because right now I'm just calling him, "My guy." Suggestions welcome.

"We do our part"

While I was listing this beaded purse the other day I took a closer look at its tag. It has the letters "NRA" over a blue eagle and the slogan, "We do our part." I did a little research to learn that this tag dates the manufacture of the the purse precisely to the years 1933-1935 and indicates that it was made in the United States under the guidelines of FDR's National Recovery Administration. The NRA was one of FDR's many New Deal efforts intended to buoy the economy during the Great Depression.

Here is a promotional video (1933) about the NRA. Kind of made my throat tighten up.

The bee's knees

When I was in Iowa over Christmas I bought two great Art Deco pins from the same sweet lady. I think they are the bee's knees! The colors, the plastics, the old safety pins on the back . . . they seem so modern, yet they are 80 years old. That is the magic of a beautifully designed and crafted piece of jewelry: your grandma wanted to wear it, you want to wear it and I bet your granddaughter will want to wear it, too.

Perfect timing

I do believe I have found the largest barrette on the planet! We were getting along fine until I tried to put it in my hair for a photograph. It fell right out again and again - darn straight hair. A few minutes later, my dear friend Katrina swung by to drop something off. She has the prettiest, curliest hair in the land and it is always done in a cute up-do. I asked her to be my hair model and she obliged.

They go together

I found the purple pin almost a year ago and the orange one last month. Now that these 1920s cuties are reunited they can't bear the thought of being apart again! And so if you buy Mr. Purple, you will get Ms. Orange too. I'll send her along in your package for free.

Spring stock

This is the first January of my life when I haven't been cold! The weather is incredibly mild here, so mild that I was able to do my photo shoot on the front porch yesterday! As I was editing the pictures afterward, I realized that the jewelry I pulled to stock the shop is decidedly Spring-y - lots of soft colors, small pins and floral motifs. They are a reflection of my state of mind.