I’m mildly obsessed with these Painted Coral Necklaces by Academy. They’re just so whimsical and  quirky. You guys know I kind of love quirky things.  This would be an awesome little statement piece to wear and if you’re a beach person it will eternally remind you of summer.

I thought since it’s Friday and I’m in an awesome mood I’d share something fun. I don’t have much planned for the weekend but I have a feeling it will be great. Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend everybody!

xoxo,

dwj

Vacation time! I’ve got a long weekend and then taking the entire week off of work. Don’t worry, I’ll be up and blogging next week but most likely not until Wednesday.

It’s also watch time! The husband gave me this really pretty watch necklace for my birthday too. It’s a True Birds Vintage Timepiece Clock and I think it is so cool.

I think I love the back where you can see all the working parts. I was very pleasantly surprised when he handed me this beauty, I think you may see it in a lot of outfits over the next few months.

I’m making this post short, I want to start enjoying a little extended vacation. Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend and I’ll see you guys next week on Wednesday. And if you really miss me, you can always follow me on Twitter.

When I buy jewelry I like to pick up pieces that are unique and sometimes unusual. I wore a Swarovski crystal pear for years and everyone always wondered why a pear?! I just thought it was pretty but I was asked about it all the time.

A few weeks ago I wandered in the to the Fossil store at the National Harbor and found the ‘Leap Frog’ Necklace on their spinning display of necklaces and charms. For $32 (way less than my Swarovski pear was years ago) I scooped up the frog and have been wearing it non-stop. Unfortunately, this necklace isn’t avaialble on their website anymore, but I did see a quite charming owl pendant that was just as cute. I know I wear a lot of statement jewelry but sometimes the little pieces can make just as big an impact as the bigger ones. I’m surprised at how many people have realized it’s a frog and complimented me on it!

So what types of jewelry do you like to buy? Unusual? Quirky? Statement pieces? Traditional?

I read a million blogs and somehow I stumbled upon Delighted Momma and her DIY Bangle post on Friday afternoon and I knew what I was going to do on Friday night. How did I not know that I could make my own bangles?! On the way home from work I stopped by AC Moore to pick up some polymer clay. It’s called clay but really it’s a moldable plastic that you bake at 275 degrees for 15 – 30 minutes depending on the type of clay you choose.

On my trip I picked up 5 packs of Sculpey III, each pack is about $2 each, I eventually picked up a pack of the Sculpey Premo and I like the consistency of it a bit more and it requires a longer baking time. You can also go to the Sculpey website to see all the different types, colors and even instructions on how to make other projects.

I rolled out 1 section of the clay into a smooth log and then wrapped it around a bangle as a guide, online there are also suggestions for using a can too. If you want to blend colors you can just twist to ropes of clay together and keep rolling them until they blend the way you want them. The hardest part is merging the two ends (you want it to appear seamless) and then getting it off the guide and onto your baking sheet. I used parchment paper on my baking sheets because that’s what I put everything I bake on and I didn’t want it to stain, even though it didn’t stain the parchment.

When I did a first batch of bangles I could see more of my dents and fingerprints on them, so when I did a second batch I got better. Practice makes perfect. I also thought they came out very matte and wanted a way to make them glossy. Of course there is a glaze that you can paint them with after you bake them! You can get satin finish or gloss, I went for gloss.

I think you can really see the shine on them in the picture above. The gloss lets you build up the shine for how glossy you want. I did 2 coats and I think it really helped make the metallic clay look like it sparkled. This was such a fun and cute idea to make custom accessories! I loved it and will definitely make more and experiment with the colors, techniques and width in the future.

Has anyone else tried this before? Anyone else interested in trying it?

And if you’re interested in more pictures of the entire process, you can check out the full set of pictures on Flickr.

It’s time for another installment of my monthly Shop Suey Boutique accessories review. This month the Shop Suey Society is going with summer chic accessories and I went for the The Elizabeth Necklace.

For me, summer is all about easy and light dressing, so lots of cotton and jersey dresses and sandals. My wardrobe choices when it’s warm are pretty simple but that can also be interpreted as too casual looking. So I try to dress up my dresses with great accessories. One of my favorite accessories for summer are fun statement necklaces and I though that the Elizabeth necklace was right up my alley.

Multiple green stones and hammered gold tone discs give it a lot of interest and great texture. I also love the two tiered look of the necklace too – I like to make a statement folks so I try to get multiple layers or big chunky pieces. The necklace is light and pretty and very feminine and it went perfectly with one of my favorite wrap dresses for summer (that you’ve seen previously paired with another statement necklace). And despite everyone’s complaints about the heat and humidity, I’m soaking it all in. I’d much prefer this over the 3 back to back blizzards we had a few years ago.

Don’t forget, with the code ART20 you get 20% off of your full priced items at Shop Suey Boutique – which isn’t bad since the Elizabeth Necklaces is only $28! Don’t forget to check out Shop Suey Boutique’s blog, on Facebook and on Twitter.