Random Pretties

I thought I'd take some photos of some small & pretty things I've been picking up lately...

I just received this shell from my gal pal, Maryjane of Paper, Linen & Pearls.

I recently bought a wonderful little treasure from her etsy shop and she said that this hand made creation of hers " SCREAMED your name and jumped into the box :-)."

We've made plans to get together in the next few weeks and she's promised to show me around her studio and her idyllic world in the Napa Valley... I promise to post all about it!

 

I'm always drawn to La Dolfina's and butterflies...

But my newest crush is tortoise shell.

At first I was content with faux tortoise, but I recently acquired several bangles from a wonderful woman named Sharron who had them in her etsy shop, Spring Street Emporium. She found them at an estate sale and believes they are at least 100 years old!

 

She told me that I should bathe them in mineral oil regularly to preserve them.

They are in the cloisonne style.

One of them is mother of pearl.

 A dear friend of mine from Cuba gave me 3 lovely bracelets she calls "carey."

Earlier this year I found 3 ivory bangles at a garage sale that I love to mix with my tortoise and gold bangles.

Funny story about my set of gold bangles...

Back in the 1970's when I was at a Swiss Finishing School one of my classmates, an Iranian girl, would wear a set of lovely gold bracelets that I was always admiring.

When she went home for Christmas Break she returned with some for me.

Over the years I stopped wearing them and let my mom borrow them.  Well her hands are much larger than mine and she had to struggle to get them on, suffice it to say... they remained on her wrist for probably close to 20 years.

One day while playing tennis, she fell and broke her wrist and the doctor had to cut them off!

That was all it took to me to take them to the jeweler, get them soldered and reclaim them for  my own. I'm really loving them again!

I just scored this real tortoise ring and it's fast become my favorite!

It's pretty obvious I'm not a diamond and pearl kinda gal. My mom spotted this fun bracelet at a thrift store the other day... you guessed it, she couldn't fit her hand through it!

 

My hubby bought me this vintage scarab bracelet while we were in Sonoma over the Mother's Day weekend.  I've always wanted one!

I picked this up at a garage sale in my neighborhood last weekend.

 

I came across this gold filled ankle bracelet a few weeks ago,

 and this box this morning at a Friday garage sale.

I filled it with some bone sea horses.

Another butterfly,

a hand decorated shell dish,

and my favorite, this beautiful wooden crucifix with Mary at the foot of the cross.

 

 I've never seen one with the hands tied like this, have you?

I don't wear perfume but I couldn't pass up this "C'est la vie!" coral branch perfume set by Christian La Croix Paris.

And finally this handmade bone trinket box with  owl hinges.

 Come to find out it is camel bone!
Another treasure from Sharron at Spring Street Emporium. 

You never know what you're going to find!

 Happy Hunting

& 

Happy Friday Everyone!