Choices, choices.

When I was little, I used to play this game to pass time: I'd open up a magazine and pretend that I could have one item from every page. Even if it was one of my dad's hunting magazines or my grandmother's cookbooks, I would grab the book or magazine and choose. If I didn't necessarily like the items, I chose anyway- challenging myself to think of ways to use it and to love it. I usually played this game sitting in the tub or on the toilet, but that's probably too much information. Today, I am playing this game as I sit with a family member who is sick and asleep. I will choose four random shops from Etsy and tell you what I would buy from them if I had won last night's lottery! The great thing about Etsy- it's not my dad's hunting magazine and I actually love all of these items.

So, the shops aren't COMPLETELY random. I am choosing them from the Top Treasury Team on Etsy. This is a great team to be apart of because it has a lot of activity, enthusiastic members, and a good leadership presence to keep the team organized and clean. Creating random, self promotional threads is not allowed in this team and this makes browsing through the forum very easy on the eyes. But, without further ado- what would I buy if I won last night's lottery?



Copper Bamboo Scarf by Happy Fortune.

I love this. I imagine wearing it with a tube top and jeans or a strapless gown of some kind of creme color so that all eyes would go straight to this piece. It would look like smoke had sexily wrapped itself around my neck and went with me to the party. It reminds me of T.S. Eliot's, "Love Song Of J Alfred Prufrock," and how he describes the fog curling around the houses and falling asleep. It combines Victorian and futuristic in a very beautiful way.



And next, there is this:

Nautical Shell Pendant by Dream of a Dream

I am so enchanted with everything and anything from the deep, dark sea and I especially love pieces of art that turn natural history into beautiful, wearable art. Many people find creepy crawly swimming things to be a bit unnerving, but these people are quickly won over when those creepy crawlers are rendered elegant and shiny in silver and bronze. For those of us who find natural history to be everything but creepy, we can tastefully nerd out with gorgeous pieces like this. Also, although I am not sure of the technique this artist used- lost wax casting, metal clay, etc- I love the rustic, hand-made look of it.




Grey Ribbon Necklace by More than a Ribbon

Like this seller's shop name says, this necklace and everything else in her store is so much more than just a ribbon, but who ever thought you could do this with ribbons? I love jewelry that challenges norms by utilizing new and unique elements. These innovate ways of incorporating fabric and other affordable foundations are not only chic and beautiful, they are a great way to create jewelry in a time when silver and gold prices are skyrocketing. I love the repetition in this design and the color choices. I love it that people will take a second and maybe even a third look to say, wait, what IS that made of? I hope pieces like this will continue to challenge the way we have assigned insane values to things like silver and gold while more renewable and less expensive resources go unnoticed.



Loaded Charm Bracelet by Vintage Valley Girl

Finally, this rocks! I once called my generation, "The Junk Drawer Generation," because I love the way we honor and repurpose old things. When generations before us might have found their grandmother's costume and vintage jewelry boxes only to send them off to the thrift store, we find amazing ways to give them a new and modern meaning. I also love things in overabundance. I love shelves spilling over in dusty thrift stores. I love altars full of candles and offerings in old churches. I love walking through attics and hallways to see curio cabinets holding eclectic collections of old older people who spent lifetimes cherishing their trinkets. I love bold and chunky jewelry that demands attention. I also love it that this piece satisfies the still present little girl inside of me who loved to take every single piece of her mother's jewelry and put it on her body to pose in front of a mirror and feel sparkly and beautiful.

So, have some time to kill today? Don't have the time, but want to kill it anyway? Play the choices, choices game and pick some random shops and choose one thing you would buy and add it to your favorites. It's fun to pretend.