Realistic Chic

Art deco style jewellery...on the cheap!

1928 jewellery has flapper-inspired chunky bracelets, long-string necklaces, and an abundance of dangly earrings (although I don't have my ears pierced) in some of my favourite colours. I can't believe I haven't found this site before.

My favourites:

Art Deco Antiqued Silver Bracelet $24

 Pearl with Crystals Toggle Bracelet $22

Art Deco Olive Green Bracelet $35

 Ocean Hues Bracelet $18

Green Multi-Strand Long Necklace $42

What grabs your eye on that site?

So I'd like to share something really special I came across on my friend's facebook (someone who happened to know the girl): a blog called 65redroses. It's a blog that chronicles the experiences of someone with cystic fibrosis, from getting a double lung transplant, to rejecting them, the ups the downs, and sadly, her eventual death.

The young woman, Eva, passed away a month ago, yet her legacy will live on in her blog. She posted a lot of videos; in some of them she sang, or laughed, or was with friends, and some of them reveal the reality of what it's like to live with CF. The one thing they all show, is Eva's endless desire to share her love with the world. She was overflowing with kindness, hope, happiness. The blog name comes from her inability to pronounce the disease name when she was little and struggling with it, and the red is inserted as it was her signature colour (after reading her blog, I can tell you she was one stylish femme).

Not long before her passing, Eva was awarded the 2010 Summerhayes Award to honour Eva's work on behalf of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation both in fundraising and CF awareness. I never knew Eva, and did not discover her blog until after her death; but it has greatly inspired me and I'd like to take a moment to ask everyone reading this blog to fill out your donor card. Donating your lungs after you are gone can help to keep someone else living on. Thanks.

AHHH. Done finals for spring semester! On to the next in just a couple weeks. Until then, I'm relaxing with lovely images and a big fat caramel chocolate bar. Cheers!


 Images via community photo blog How's your weekend?

Yes, MORE Project Runway griping. I can't help it...I blame Heidi. It IS all her fault, since Nina was peer-pressured into agreeing with her about picking Mila over Jay. Poor Michael Kors was right. Jay is amazing and it is far better to pick a designer with "too much" going on than "not enough." Mila is a cheap, matronly, one-trick pony with no sense of colour or modernity. Snooze-fest. See for yourself:

Adam and Eve inspired decor:


 Who knew Original Sin could look so stylish?

Although I don't have nearly as much shelf space as I'd like (ideally, I'd have Belle's library in Beauty and the Beast) I cannot seem to stop browsing for more and more books on chapters.ca and decor to compliment my ever-growing collection. My penguin classics set is complete but for one more....the elusive Wuthering Heights. Yes, that blasted Bronte title escapes me so, even on Ebay, as I ordered one, but it came as some other publication and I received a refund instead. So while I hunt that down, here's some lovely things to decorate your shelves with:



One can never have too many objet d'art for book shelves. What do I have my eye on the most? Only the greatest bobblehead ever...to go with my mini-collection of two other bobbleheads (seen in previously posted pics of my quazi-office):

THE SHAKESPEARE BOBBLEHEAD!

In fact more rare than the Wuthering Heights Penguin Classics book, the Shakespeare Bobblehead is retired by all manufacturing companies that once made it and is said to never be put into production again. Thus, someone out there must sell me theirs. I'll pay well. I want this bad enough.

Mr. Lee's General Store and Haberdashery is a thirties-inspired gentlemen's store, attached to a barber shop in Vancouver. It's timeless, classic, and reeks of good taste. The apothecary style furnishings are filled with cute  straight razors, hair creams, bags, sunglasses, cinnamon toothpicks and big glass jars of candy. Although the store itself is enough eye-candy for my sweet tooth. The store specializes in men's needs and yet there are some unisex items, as well as random gorgeous nic-nacs. If you live in the Greater Vancouver region or are travelling here soon, I'd suggest you pop by for a gander.


All photos from Mr Lee's blog.

Also, sorry there was no RC yesterday...I had finals to study for! Oh, that annoying life. How it gets in the way of my blogging and other online obsessions. <3

I'd like to use today's Fashion Friday for a little fashion gripe. I don't know what Heidi, Michael, and Nina are thinking. Honestly. Project Runway's judgings have always kept within my paradigms of good fashion; well, for the most part anyways. What I mean is they've never downright shocked me with such poor choices of who to keep in before. And this season is simply full of them! I just don't know what to make of it any more.

It's not that Emilio isn't talented...this "exception to the rule" speaks for itself (couture inspired by the circus challenge):


But after that, Emilio's looks are boring, unclassy, and sometimes costumey (although, he IS a costume designer, but that's no excuse when you want to be a high-fashion couture designer). I believe my dislike for him started in the first episode...


How can THAT pink candy-striper dress take first place??? Emilio's fabric manipulation techniques that he thinks are oh-so unique look very "fashion school" to me. It looks like strips of stickers from the dentist got all over some pink late-90's silhouette. Seth-Aaron's Gwen Stefani style rocker look should have taken it (not my style but I can appreciate something that is actually current and unique)...or even Maya's couture-looking pencil dress.
Anyhow, it only got worse after that. Emilio's ego blew up to the size of Parson's school of design itself. I know some people think that they put in the scenes with the most tension or drama, but this show actually doesn't do as much of that apparently, as Tim Gunn's blog tells us otherwise:
              "In case it has not been evident, I have a difficult time engaging with Emilio, and vice versa; the editing of the show has been kind to both of us. I find Emilio to be stubborn, an indifferent listener and extremely arrogant about the quality of his work. ...I refused to make any assumptions about what I was seeing, because perhaps those items had an altogether different purpose, such as costumes. I was being generous. ...[the outfits] looked so tacky and tasteless. I promise all of you that I was searching and searching within myself to try to be positive and supportive, but that doesn't mean that I must subscribe to delusion. ...Let Emilio's work stand on its own with none of the drama to distract from it."

Maybe if you are Christian, the winner from season 5, or Irina, the winner from season 6, you can be a LITTLE snarky and full of yourself. They have that amazing level of talent that will bring them to the top of the industry, regardless of their attitudes. If Emilio had been on either of those seasons, I'm not sure if he would even have made it to the final three.

Another example of the judge's bad choice for first place (Emilio won this one too):
I get that he was trying to make a print that was a branding and wearable at the same time. I personally, HATE when designers cover merchendise in their names/initials and refuse to buy it when that occurs. My issue with this dress is that the style/cut of it is so basic that without the design of the structured jacket, this dress is nothing, if not a little tacky-space cut.

Long story short, I hope to whom it may concern that Seth-Aaron wins PR season 7. If not, those judges will have a lot a'splainin' to do!

Authentic white freshwater pearl necklaces....for 80% off. Overall Grade AA+, size 6.5 - 7.5, smooth, very good lustre, with a nacre of 100%. 18" for 10 bucks, free shipping. What a steal! So glad I saw this when I did...can finally retire the faux glass pearls on my jewellery tree! Hoorays!

I don't know how long this deal lasts for so if you're wanting a new pearl neclace, might want to hop on it soon. <3

So in a previous post, I mentioned a cool site called The Selby that showcases unique and inspiring homes of creative people from around the world. Here is another of my favourites,actually, my most favourite: the clean white palate of Elli Rose and Gui's home in Tokyo!
The slight beachy vibe to this home, combined with the awesome sun I enjoyed over the weekend on my balcony makes me feel so summery! Have a great day!