Mad for Mad Men: Get the Look

Mad Men is back, bringing with it all kinds of buzz and excitement.  But I have to confess, what I love most about the show is its undeniable STYLE.  My love of vintage didn't begin with Mad Men, but it has certainly rekindled the fire.  The impeccable clothes, the amazing jewelry, and just the way a woman of that time polished her look.  From the slinky sexpot to the classic bombshell, I can't get enough of them!

Whether you're a Betty or a Joan (I like to think I'm a little of both, style-wise... aren't we all?), here's some inspiration for putting your own look together:

 Vintage 60's Multi-Strand Draped Bib Necklace

Vintage Enamel Cocktail Ring

Vintage Gold Glass Beaded Evening Bag

Vintage Black Twill Handbag

Vintage Pocket Knife Necklace

Vintage Rhinestone and Glass Pearl Evening Necklace

And lastly, for Don:

Vintage cuff links, coming soon to Imaginary Girl

Now I want to go play dress up. :)  I'd love to know what era inspires you!

To see all of these and more, please visit my Etsy shop: Imaginary Girl Jewelry & Vintage
or click the captions below each photo.

Pushing Buttons

I just got a fresh crop of amazing vintage buttons, and they will all be turned into fabulous rings today!  I can't wait to get started.  I'll be working on these this afternoon and listing them in the shop throughout the week.  

Pastel Plastic Buttons from the 30's

Silver Metal Buttons- Various ages, some military, some rhinestone

Gold Metal Buttons- Various ages and metals, some military, some glass

I love them all; I am partial to the military ones, but I can't even pick a favorite.  Can you?  :)

See the vintage button and bead rings currently in the shop: Imaginary Girl Rings

Treasury Time: Springtime Metallics

Happy Spring!  It's fun to create treasuries on Etsy, and I hope you enjoy this one. The only trouble is that now I want to buy everything in it. :)

To see more treasuries, and/or create your own, click here: Etsy Treasuries

Eclectic vs. Cohesive

I've always had eclectic taste.  From my home and my own personal style, to my groups of friends, to my shop, I've always liked ideas and styles from a diverse range of sources.  I create with and am inspired by elements from a variety of looks, moods, and eras.  I've thought about this a lot-- looking around at other Etsy shops, many of them seem to stick to one particular style (of jewelry, clothing, or whatever they happen to be selling), whereas my shop has always been more diverse.  It made me question if I was doing something wrong.  I wondered if I should choose one style and pursue only that.  But I couldn't possibly choose just one.  I love ALL of these pieces, very diverse as they are.  They ARE all true to my point of view.  All of these different looks are cohesive in at least one way: I would have each and every one in my own closet.  

Creating with vintage materials means that all of my pieces are made in very limited quantity, and in fact most are one of a kind.  I will sometimes make a collection, in which all of the finished pieces are similar, but all made with different, one of a kind elements.  All special snowflakes, they are. :) 
The same is true of the vintage clothes and bags I find: there may be others out there like it, but it would be very difficult to track down the exact same vintage item somewhere again.  I love the serendipity of finding an amazing vintage piece.  The thrill of the hunt means I'm always looking, and knowing that each piece has its own history, its own unique, individual story, is endlessly exciting to me.  I would never give that up in favor of something seemingly more cohesive.
What do you think?

All of the items pictured above are available right now in my shop: Imaginary Girl Jewelry & Vintage

In Bloom

It's morning, it's Monday, it's (nearly) Spring... all kinds of "fresh start" type things are happening right now.  Change is in the air.  Hope springs eternal, and all that.  My new life starts right now, and I could not be more excited!  I've been thinking about getting this bloggity blog going for a while now, and though it's just a baby at this point, I'm looking forward to experimenting with it and letting it grow into whatever it wants to be.  I'll be posting about new jewelry designs I'm working on, things I see that inspire me, amazing vintage pieces that I stumble upon, new things I'm excited to try, and hopefully I'll discover some things about my own creative process that weren't clear to me before.  I hope you find things here that you like, and you keep coming back to see what's going on in my world, my studio, and my shop!  (There will be lots of fun photos and giveaways along the way, too! :) 
I took the above photo in Savannah, GA a couple years ago in the Spring, and it's just one of a bazillion flower photos I took during the week that I was there.  What a beautiful, inspiring place.  The brilliant colors, the charming old mansions, the hauntingly gorgeous cemeteries, the peacefully creative feeling in the air... it was perfect.  I'm going to spend some time this morning flipping through my photos from that trip, and see what they inspire me to make today.  I can't wait to see what I come up with. :)