The beautiful subtlety of vintage costume pearls

Ah, this is just gorgeous...even if I say so myself!! (and inspired by Coco) I've been longing to use up these beautiful vintage costume pearls, which have been rattling around at the bottom of my 'broken down bits' box for years. Finally, I think I've managed to convey their gentle and delicate colours and patina's. This is definitely not to be repeated! Some of these beads have been in my care since 1986! OMG!

my version of Coco's pearls

Here we are! This is my third slightly tongue-in-cheek version of Coco's famous pearl necklace.
I love making these pieces, they just come alive in my hands. I can almost smell Coco's parlour, as she sat there languidly holding forth, commanding her empire of style in the late thirties which is when the picture (above) was taken.

Sophia Loren - exotic, glamour et al

I was just hankering for some pure outright beautiful glamour this morning, so I went to one of my favorite blogs: the impossible cool and borrowed this pic from there. Here she is, must be some kind of Goddess don't you think? She certainly set a bench mark, and inspired a generation or three with her eternal divine femininity and gorgeousness. Wow!

ooh..Prada winter shoes

I just love the mix of messages here..and the shoes are fantastic, and groundbreaking (literally!)
I got this image from maison chaplin, who seems to have access to things just as they come straight off the press, today's fashion fare...

the avant garde in the mid nineteenth century

Willain Talbot lace from the mid nineteenth century looks like it must have been way ahead of its time, at the time. To me it has a slight Art Deco quality about it, the clean and elegant curved shapes. I love the feeling of movement and energy.

Bangarra - 'Fire'

Last night we saw Bangarra Dance Theatre at the Playhouse here in Melbourne. They were just as extraordinary as ever. They dance to the bones, pushing the deepest of emotion out to each cellular limit. I am so inspired by the depth and passion, today I feel nourished and refreshed again by the Spirit of this wondrous place I live in, this huge old dry continent, with all our various stories and lives it holds. The dance last night was a manifestation of one of the better outcomes of how we can create together, maybe bringing resonance and compassion to all our communities.

Ice Spiral - Tree Soul

I woke up this morning thinking about Andy Goldsworthy, artist/naturalist and in my opinion a kind of futurist shaman. The whimsy and beauty and alliance with the natural, belie an intensely deep question of what art is, how it can manifest through our imaginations and skills and speak to the onlooker in a nonverbal language of the heart or Soul. I love this work.