Charmed, I'm Sure

i was meant to be going to manchester with my friend abi today, to trial the Helmut Newton Photo Machine on its last day in the Arndale Centre. however, the last week of exam stress, stupid sleeping hours, overindulgence on friday and a busy day yesterday all took their toll and i ended up sleeping for 12 hours straight. so instead, i'm going to bake a cake with my friend nicola. but not before a bit of online ogling.

before finding So Charmed, i had never wanted to spend so much money in so short a time. that changed after seeing piece after piece of interesting imaginative jewellery. the stylised site is so much fun to browse through too, with the collections christened the names of groups any girl would like to sign up to. i tried and failed to choose a favourite between poets and pirates and punks and thieves; too many nice things!

moose lodge (pirates)
(we have a pair of antlers on the wall in our house - i first thought they were from an animal hunted for sport but they're from a deer killed for venison)
chicano debutante pin (debutantes)
(right now, i'm really interested in jewellery reminiscent of the mexican day of the dead, like the hairclips and brooches by the tiny little girl - yes please)
who killed cock robin necklace (thieves)
("i," said the sparrow, "with my bow and arrow" - i love english folksongs, i wonder how true the legend is that this poem is about robin hood)
squeezebox (rockstars)
(one day, i don't know when or where, but one day...i will learn how to play the accordion. hopefully one a little bigger than this)
victorian grrls (punks)
(she's wearing outrageous millinery and listening to The Hives - we would be friends, if it wasn't for the century or so between us)
le cage aux trixie (poets)
(i could never keep a real bird in a cage but this necklace would prove the answer to my pet prayers, AND my cat couldn't eat her)
death and the maiden (pirates)
(i find it ironic that robert schubert, the composer of death and the maiden, most likely died of syphillis)

i wasn't interested in the princesses or innocents collections. the marie antoinette rings are lovely and very delicate, and i've always had a soft spot for miniatures. but other than the handcrafted accordion and the adorable birdcage , i found myself most interested in the more macabre items. just like when i was little, and i used to read book after book about mummification whilst my classmates looked on bemused. let's just put it down to a morbid fascination with death. i should have been a victorian.

i should probably get out of my pyjamas now...

P.S. the tiny little girl just opened up her own etsy so you can get your hands on her skull brooch at a nicer price than the debutante chicano. go look!