Day 31 - Keep Calm necklace

I really love this one and it always gets so many compliments. I've taken to wearing it now when I know I am going to have 'a bit of a day' of it (as I did today!) so its a nice reminder to keep going. I originally thought it was from the amazing Hannah Zakari but it turns out its actually another Rock n Rose piece!

I've already told you all jsut how much I love Rock n Rose so maybe I'll show the love to Hannah Zakari anyway. Current favourites are the ARGH and GRRR necklaces! Go have a look - you won't regret it!

And when your'e done go back to Rock n Rose again! Bliss...!

Day 30 - Boots bracelet

Yes, Boots! The place with all the make up, shampoo, smellies, vitamins and cotton buds. They do jewellery too! 

I'm not always convinced on their jewellery but some pieces are really good and if you catch a sale they are a real bargain. I like this bracelet as its really comfortable (I hate it when you are typing and your bracelet is either clanking against the desk or its just bugging you so much you have to take it off). 

So, next time you're stocking up on a shapers lunch deal, go see what jewels they have too, you may be surprised. 

The Sunday Summary

I'm really enjoying the blog and now we're almost one month in I am amazed how well I am actually doing although I reckon I may struggle by the time November comes round! 


In the future I'm hoping to do a few special sessions on the Sunday Summary, maybe an interview with a jewellery designer, or retailer, or maybe some tutorials but I've had a couple of hectic weeks so I won't be able to do anything just yet. I'm thinking of setting a bit of a Fashion Week challenge (within the challenge!) but I haven't worked out exactly what that will be yet...we'll see. 


Do get in touch if you have any ideas or thoughts about the blog - I'd love to hear your comments.

Day 29 - Steampunk necklace

I got this necklace to wear to our work Christmas Party which had a bit of a Victoriana theme. The husband loves steampunk - I got him some steampunk cuff links as an engagement present and his wedding present from me was an amazing steampunk pocket watch so it was nice to be able to have a steampunk accessory of my own and I really like that it also has a touch of Art Deco too! I got this one from SteamPunk Storm on Folksy.


Folksy and Etsy are both great sites for jewellery - definitely worth a perusal if you have something in mind and want that crafted handmade feel to it.

Day 28 - Scrabble ring

This fabulous ring is from the amazing Rock n Rose website - they do some really amazing unique pieces and I have a small obsession with their headbands. 


In fact I wore one of them (The Annalise) as my wedding hair accessory and got so many complements. 


They also have really good sales so its worth following them on Twitter. 
And the girls behind Rock n Rose are really lovely so definitely one you need to bookmark!

I bought each of my bridesmaids one of these rings and we all wore them to my hen do - check us out (oh so ladylike!)

Day 27 - Long Mikey necklace

I got this pretty necklace aaaaages ago from the Mikey conscession in the huge Topshop on Oxford Street. I rarely go in there so I can pretty much remember everything I've ever bought from there - how sad is that!

I really like wearing this over dresses and love the fact its got a real Art Deco feel. It's also really easy to find pieces that work well with it without being too matchy matchy.

And I've discovered the tassels are good for playing within meetings. A true multi-tasker if ever there was one!

Day 26 - Fossil bracelet

This bracelet was my birthday present from the Husband last year, its by Fossil, the same make as my watch so its quite nice wearing them at the same time. It's a bit like a charm bracelet with various different 'charms' going round, one is a circle, one is a pearl, one is the hoop you can just see, then there's the black square, the diamante ring and then a silver stone. The diamante ring is my favourite. Obviously.

Day 25 - Perspex butterfly earrings

My friend, the lovely Katie, made these earrings and they are so stunning. They're etched and just so detailed - really unusual and they get lots of comments when I wear them. 

I'm not ususally a fan of wearing studs but for these I made the exception as I love them so much! If you want to see some more of her jewellery her shop is on Etsy. I'd definitely recommend her, not only are her items stunning, she is also a truly fabulous person to boot.

Day 24 - Sam Ubhi necklace

I love this necklace. It was a Christmas present from The Husband (well I made him get it for me for Christmas, he didn't choose it). He actually really doesn't like it which in some completely wrong kind of way makes me like it even more! I love Sam Ubhi's jewellery, I have a bit of a thing for turquise as you know, and I also really love swirls in jewellery so to have the two combined is pretty cool.

Today is the first time I have worn this necklace to work and I've had lots of compliments - which is always good to brighten up a day like to day!

Day 23 - Black Pearl bracelet

This is another one of my own creations - its just a simple one strand bracelet made with what I call Black Pearls but they're not really, as black pearls are properly black. These are more like petrol shades, you know when you get oil in a puddle and you get the spectrum of purples and greens. I wanted to wear something simple today and as I'm wearing a purple jumper dress I thought these would go nicely.

Day 19-22 - new rule time!

Ok so I have to add a new rule to the challenge. If I am sick and too poorly to even get out of bed then I don't have to wear an item of jewellery. For 3 1/2 days this week I've had some horrid virus and I've pretty much spent every one of those days/hours/minutes either unable to move or too achy to stay still. Which I do appreciate is rubbish but it can't be helped. 



I did toy with the idea of putting on four different pieces today and pretending but then I'd be lying so I thought it best to come clean. 


I put this bracelet on this afternoon after I'd managed to have a shower so this covers off today but for the other three I simply have nothing other than a duvet, some lemsip remnants and about 65 hours of sleep.


This bracelet was a summer sale bargain from Accessorize that I got to wear with a rather tropical dress on our honeymoon. It looks much better worn with a tan.

Day 18 - Past Times butterfly ring

I wore this Past Times ring on the same day that I wore my favourite Pearl Lowe for Peacocks dress as it was announced that both stores were going into administration. This makes me really sad as I think both of these shops have really good things to add to the British high street and at the same time when bankers are reaping £billion bonuses there are young people losing their jobs left right and centre in our retail sector. I don't work in retail but for a fair few years of my life I did and it just makes me angry. This ring was actually my stand in engagement ring for when we had to send it off so that the designers at Harriet Kelsall could ensure the wedding band fitted perfectly. I guess I'll always treasure it because of that but it makes me sad that I won't be able to treasure half of the shops I grew up with as a child by the time I have kids.

Day 17 - Virgin Vie bracelet

I've had this for years but only re-discovered it the other day - I'm glad I did. It was from Virgin Vie - they used to do a lot of jewellery but now I can't find it on their site, maybe they only do that at the parties? Anyway, I have the matching earrings and its a really nice 'holiday' set - the bracelet is chunky enough to stand out but its still quite subtle. The 'rocks' for want of a better description vary from being silver or grey in colour to ones with a shell style backing - Its really quite unusual. I like to think of it as the sort of piece an urban mermaid might wear. And yes, I am aware that I just wrote urban mermaid and such a thing doesn't exist and never will. But I know you know exactly what I mean...so let's leave it there.

Day 16 - Scrabble pendant

This necklace was a wedding present from a friend and former colleague who also makes jewellery - here is her site, her pieces are really contemporary and I have one of her knitted necklaces too which I really love! The W doesn't stand for 'wedding', it's my married surname initial but I also sometimes think of it as my 'whatever' necklace which is always a good one to wear on a Monday!

The Sunday Summary

Wow, so we're now two weeks in and I'm still really loving the challenge! I'm struggling to walk past an Accessorize and not buy anything, especially as they're really cranking out the sale posters everywhere! As I mentioned at the beginning I will be wearing three things the same every day of the challenge - my engagement ring, my wedding ring and my watch - and I thought it might be nice to show you two of those things now - as you've seen my hands aren't great on camera but our wedding photographer did a good job in showcasing them!



Both my engagement and wedding rings are from Harriet Kelsall, Dan designed the engagement ring with one of their team and then we both worked on the wedding band. The staff have been wonderful to work with and the store in Cambridge is definitely worth a visit. 


As I love vintage jewellery Dan chose a stunning vintage rose cut champagne diamond for the engagement ring which has been set on a cushion on top of the band so that the wedding band can sit perfectly underneath.The wedding band is the same metal and has four diamonds set at equal points around the ring, to reflect the compass style setting on the engagement ring. The metal is white gold that hasn't been plated so it has a colour somewhere between gold and silver and is really unique. I love that no-one else will have rings like it - they are totally unique. You can read about the whole design process here, from Dan's perspective (eek!)

Day 15 - Vintage style ring

This lovely ring is from Past Times. I know, Past Times! I used to pass this place by whenever I saw it but went in one time and realised that they actually do some nice jewellery. My husband bought me this when we'd been together for a few months and everyone always comments on it when I wear it. 


The larger stone in the middle really catches the light and I love the vintage Art Deco style. 

Day 14 - Metal bracelet

This is actually one of those 'copper' bracelets that is supposed to help with arthritis - I think I got it from a health food shop and I don't wear it very often as its a bit too plain. I don't know if it really does any good but it feels like it might be so maybe I should wear it more often. I have arthritis which mostly affects my right hand and wrist - I'm lucky in that it hasn't spread that far yet but I do have to take some pretty hard-core medicine to keep it that way - it knocks out my immune system so I am prone to every bug going! A lot of people just think of arthritis as an old person's disease but lots of people get diagnosed in their mid-late twenties like I did, and take it from me - it really does hurt and yes you can feel the weather changing in your joints, although I try not to say that last thing out loud too often for fear of sounding like I'm 80! Oh and I'd like to point out that the shadow is from my iPhone - I don't have an oddly rectangular bruise on my hand although it really does look like it in this photo!

Day 13 - Silver heart pendant

This is another one of my own creations although all I did was put the bead on a chain so I can't really take too much credit! The heart bead was from a bead shop in Brighton and I have just strung it on a silver wire with a small round bead at the end, the top of the wire then loops over a silver snake chain. I like the fact it's really simple and I made it up the night before I wore it as I was wearing a very red outfit and thought it would be nice to have a heart in there to compliment it! It's quite heavy and I like that its a bit battered - most of us have battered hearts by the time we reach 30!

Day 12 - Nepalese silver and amethyst earrings

Yesterday I mentioned how certain things can trigger memories and the same is true for these earrings and unfortunately its a sad memory. They were a present from two people who sadly passed away in an accident about a year after they were given to me. I used to work for a conservation charity and we were due to go out to Nepal but the trip was called off at the last minute. One of my colleagues from the UK office was already out there and she called me to tell me about the cancellation. We knew there was a chance it would happen so it wasn't too much of an issue but she explained that the staff in the Nepalese office felt really bad and wanted to give me a gift by way of an apology. Obviously I said that it was completely fine and that wasn't necessary but she told me that it was part of their culture. She had already told me about the stunning jewellery out there so I just said to get me some sort of accessory; She came back to the UK a week or two later with these beautiful earrings. Unfortunately the following year when she was out in Nepal again there was a tragic helicopter accident and my colleague, along with many others, including the head of the Nepal office who had wanted to give me the earrings, all passed away. I didn't wear the earrings for some time as I felt so sorry each time I looked at them but then after a little while they started making me think about how lucky I was to be here and that life really is so incredibly precious and short too. We all have days when we would prefer to just stay in bed but these earrings remind me to live live to the fullest as much as I can as you never know what's going to happen.

Day 11 - Bentalls silver bangle

I am not sure who designed this, I know it was from a jewellery conscession in the store Bentalls in Kingston but other than that I am at a loss! I call it my mushroom moon bangle as I think the discs look a lot like little moons or planets and the underside of each one has little lines, just like the underside of a mushroom. Simple things eh? More importantly this bangle is one of the pieces that I own that really links to a memory - a bit like how everyone in 1996 smelt of CK One so now anytime I get a whiff of that lemony scent I am transported back to the latter days of Grunge (the first time round!) and a bit too much denim, if I remember rightly! The memories that are linked to this bangle, oddly enough, are that I had a massive argument with my dad about the wedding (we got married last August and I think I must have bought this bangle in May). It was a proper full on 'the wedding's off' kind of argument (we had a few of those, as I think most engaged couples do!) so now when I wear it I do feel a bit anxious - but then I remember that its all fine and everything went well in the end. I guess it reminds me that if I am having a tough time that it will get better, eventually!

Day 10 - Pilgrim necklace

I spotted this necklace in the Oxfam shop near where I used to work and snapped it up for a few quid - which was quite a bargain even if I do say so myself!


I can't normally afford a lot of Pilgrim jewellery and I don't always like their stuff but I do really like this necklace - the multi-strand style is really flattering and the pale blue shade is stunning, not that you can really tell from my photo!!


I think charity shops are a great way to get hold of jewellery - I'll often but long bead necklaces for £2 to use the beads in another project, and its also an inexpensive way to invest in trends without having to take out a second mortgage. If you find a store in a relatively up-market area you might even spot a few designer pieces that you should definitely buy when you see them...I still rue the day I didn't buy those Linda Farrow sunglasses for a fiver!

Day 9 - Harriet Kelsall earrings

My lovely husband, Dan, won me these earrings after Harriet Kelsall, whose jewellery company helped us to design my engagement and wedding rings, ran a competition on Twitter. I really like them - they are simple but classic and really light and easy to wear. They're from her Purple Label collection of dress jewellery which is pretty, contemporary and affordable too.


I made a matching pendant and bracelet as I had some hematite beads lying around which I sometimes wear with these as they are all quite subtle and complement each other really well.


I definitely recommend Harriet Kelsall if you're looking to get some jewellery made - like Lisa Snowdon recently did. Dan worked with their designers to create my unique engagement ring and then we both worked with them to design my wedding band. I love the fact that they are complete one-offs and no-one will have rings like them. It makes them really personal to me and even more special.

The Sunday Summary

So one week into the challenge and I'm doing ok so far! I must admit, it does add an extra complication every morning, not only working out what clothes to wear but also what jewellery I need and making sure I've not worn it already...its ok one week in but I think come November I might have some issues!


I've had some great feedback on the blog too - if you're enjoying it then please do share it with your friends, we've got readers in America, Australia, the UK and Germany, which is really exciting for me. Also please do get in touch if you have any ideas or thoughts. I'm going to try to do a weekly summary as well as a feature around once a month - one might be a tutorial on making your own jewellery, a spotlight on jewellery trends, some key pieces that have caught my eye, and I would also really like to tell you about the stories behind some of my more special pieces. 


I hope you've had a good first week of 2012. I'm off to find some jewellery for tomorrow, right now I am thinking of a tribute to Beyonce and Jay-Z...wearing something Blue! 

Day 8 - Oliver Bonas bracelet

I love Oliver Bonas, I'd say after Accessorize its probably my jewellery shop of choice, the only shame is there aren't as many of them! I actually have the whole set of this with a lovely matching necklace and earrings but I don't think I've actually worn all of them together...yet! 


I like the slightly pewter vintage look of this set which suits how I am feeling right now...a bit grey and even a bit blah. I just hate how the weekends seem to go past so quickly, I definitely think the world would be a better place if we worked 4 days and had 3 day weekends. Who's with me...?!

Day 7 - party earrings!

I used to love a good night out back in the day; spending hours getting ready, drinking wine whilst listening to music and chatting to your girlfriends whilst doing your hair and make up. At some point around age 25 it all seemed to change for me, I don't know if that's the universal point, but suddenly the regular nights out became more sporadic and eventually extended only to weddings and substantial birthdays. In some ways its nice - at some stage we all get to the 'I want to sit down, be able to hear myself think, pay a normal price for a drink and not listen to drum and bass' stage...but in other ways you do start to hanker for a big old night out. I was ill over Christmas and New Year so didn't really get a chance to parteeee but it was my friends 30th this weekend so we went out for a party at a local bar. It was a nice chance to crack out some big old earrings, call it a tribute to Pat Butcher, but I really like these earrings. I don't really get the chance to wear them often so it was nice to throw on a nice frock and a pair of big old danglies. I am pretty sure these are from Accessorize and they make me want to swish my hair!

Day 6 - Lola Rose butterfly earrings

I got these pretty Lola Rose earrings at the amazing London Fashion Weekend last year. This event takes place around the same time as Fashion Week in February and September at Somerset House. A load of really amazing suppliers come along and sell their accessories at really heavily discounted prices - I think these were £5! I definitely recommend going along as I got loads when I went last time and its really good for presents (even if most of them end up being for yourself!)

In other news I made the most amazing cupcakes last night - so good that I have to tell you about them! They were from the Primrose Bakery book - they taste just like Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey in cupcake form! I made the banana and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing - sprinkled with walnuts. I like experimenting with baking but this is a recipe I will not be changing and will definitely be making again! Omnomnom!

Day 5 - Gold seashell pendant with pearls

I got this lovely little locket from the marvellous Eclectic Eccentricity in one of their brilliant sales last year. They do some great vintage look items and I've got a few of their pieces. I want to get one of our wedding photos reduced in size so that I can actually put photos in here as I remember as a child being really fascinated with lockets and the fact that people kept images in them so that they could feel close to their loved one - there's a real romance to lockets I think that we've probably lost a bit in the modern age when you're only ever a click away from anyone at any time.

I don't often wear much gold jewellery as I am not sure if it suits me but when I do I like it to be something a bit special and I think this definitely fits the bill.

Day 4 - Handmade turquoise and silver pendant

I told you I would show you a necklace at some point and I made this little one myself! I really love the turquoise stone and like combining it with silver. I think its probably my favourite stone and I have quite a few pieces combining the two. I bought this stone from a bead shop in London in the really rather fabulous Kingly Court called Buffy's Beads and I can't remember where the silver bead is from but its one of my favourite styles - I like that it looks a bit like a sea urchin or a pumpkin. The silver chain I ordered from eBay in bulk - great for jewellery supplies. At some point I'll do a little tutorial on making your own jewellery as its really easy once you have the tools and know where to look for beads. Its great having a skill that can make people really happy (receiving a piece of hand made jewellery as a present never fails to make me smile), and its also really handy in terms of always being perfectly accessorised! 

Day 3 - Sam Ubhi 'Dream' earrings

I love these 'Dream' earrings - I got them just before christmas at the Sam Ubhi Christmas sale and they come with a matching bracelet. I could go on forever about how much I love Sam's jewellery and I highly recommend her sales which she does a couple of times a year. I'll be wearing a few of my purchases in 2012 but I thought that considering its such a bleak and dreary day today I would wear something to inspire me, or at least remind me to imagine I am somewhere tropical, dry and sunny!

Sam's website is under construction but you can find some of her stuff on ASOS.  Or you can pop to her lovely studio and shop in Tooting!

Day 2 - pretty purple bracelet

I only recently rediscovered this bracelet - I'm not too sure where it even came from although I think I picked it up at a market in Bruges. Which, after the last post, makes me sound like some sort of International Woman of Mystery always off travelling. Which really couldn't be further from the truth. But it does go to show that you can pick up simple little pieces on your travels that can really make an outfit. I often wear this with a lovely pair of earrings that were a gift from a friend who has since passed away - I am certain I'll be wearing them soon -  but this little bracelet is so comfortable and pretty, it always cheers me up and somehow just completes my ensemble.

Day 1 - simple silver ring from Crete

Happy New Year! I don't know about you but I've spent most of 2012 sleeping so far, so it looks like its turning out quite nicely...!

My first piece of jewellery for this challenge is this silver ring. Its really basic but I love it as I found it in a tiny little village up a mountain in Crete when we were on honeymoon. It only cost about a fiver and is tarnishing around the edges but its really special to me. That's something I love about jewellery, there usually tends to be a story or a memory linked to it and if I'm ever feeling gloomy I can look at this ring and remember that little village in 35C heat and how lovely a time it was. And yes, I know I am never going to be a hand model.