Jewel Divas

I have never seen one of these before and guess what I did with it?

2012-01-26T05:23:00.001+10:30

I found this in the same secondhand shop that I found the bracelet buddy. When I saw it, and then the price, $4, I had to have one. Or three.....

They are jewellery dolls, for displaying, obviously, your jewellery. I then grabbed another two the next time I went and will show you what I did with them in the next post.

I have never seen a bracelet buddy before and had to have it when I did!

2012-01-24T05:18:00.000+10:30

For all the years I've made jewellery I have never ONCE seen one of these. A few years back one was used on an Aussie tv game show as a "what is it" item, but even then I had no idea.

So when I found one in a second hand shop for $1 I grabbed it!

Found this very apt wall plaque!

2012-01-19T05:15:00.000+10:30

2012 is upon us, and times are a changin!

2012-01-17T05:03:00.002+10:30

It's 2012, and as like most things, my jewellery site is not doing well. Making sales and getting business is hard, finding ways of getting the name out there when no magazine wants to have you in their pages makes it harder. If anyone has ideas, let me know.

Either way, this blog is no longer about the business. Which is why I've cleaned it up and changed the template.

I'm making it more personal, as with the last two years. While I started this to post jewellery for sale, I soon learned that it wasn't working, so, as with most of my posts, it's going to be about me and mine.

My jewellery, clothes, things I buy, like or loathe and my fairly huge stationery collection, amongst other things. It's now going to be a bit more fun and I'll try not to make it a fashion blog. There's just way too many out there and I would not be able to come close to the scale some girls have been getting theirs.

I'm just not that photogenic, or photographic!

So, here's to another year of blogging, and I thought I'd show you a pic I took of a sunset from my backyard. My camera's not a big professional one, and I didn't capture the full fire in the sky, because it did seem like the world was on fire when watching it, but I hope you like it.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!

2011-12-25T06:10:00.001+10:30

My Personal Collection: Yellow and Gold Multi jewellery parts 3 and 5

2011-12-20T09:10:00.003+10:30

My yellow and gold multi jewellery. So let's get started.

My Samantha Wills Cassieopea (spelling) bangle. It was originally priced at $160 and I got it on ebay for $88. Either way it's a total waste of money. For a plastic/resin bangle that's a bit too small for most hands, with a decoration glued on it, it is priced way too high for what it actually is. It looks really nice but when you get it, your disappointed that a bangle that could be bought for $25 or $30 in a chain store could cost so much and was a waste of your hard earned money. The decoration is silver plated pewter with stones, not sure what type but still, it's a real shame this was so ridiculously priced and I forked out $88 for such a disappointment that anyone could have put together and sold cheaper in a chain store.

My sunflower set. The earrings came from God knows where many a year ago and the necklace, bangle and ring all came from ebay.

Big yellow bead necklace from ebay.

And even though this is technically white jewellery, it ended up here because of the gold chain on the inside. $3 from a clothing store.

My multi indian necklace I just got from ebay.

My multi cobra bangle which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!

And my gold cotoure necklace made from as many gold charms as I could find in my kit.

My Personal Collection: Grey and Silver jewellery parts 2 and 3

2011-12-15T09:00:00.010+10:30

Here is my Grey and silver jewellery.

Got this bracelet for $5 and added it to the stack in my grey set.

This is the Pandora bracelet my sister gave me. She bought me the books and the dangling tiger and I bought the rest of the charms, Swarovski beads and the safety chain. It's a feng shui bracelet.

Silver bangle added to the bangle stack. $2, how cheap.

A gorgeous crystal bracelet for $10 from Equip.

Samantha Wills Sahara Sands bracelet. It's a bit tight even though it's elastic. Definitely made for a small hand and not sure it was worth the money.

And Samantha Wills Ice Empress (I think) necklace. This is really nice but parts of it should have been better. Like no holes in the silver settings. That kinda ruined it.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 11

2011-12-14T09:34:00.001+10:30

The only piece of blue jewellery I've bought or awhile even though there is something in the pipeline, you'll have to wait until next year to see it. But enjoy my chain store necklace for $3!

And here's my new Nancy Drew watch!

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 7

2011-12-13T09:12:00.001+10:30

I've bought a few green things over the last few months and these two bracelets were some of it. I decided to add them to other bracelets for a green gold stack.

Here's an amazing pair of turquoise green/blue earrings I got from a chain store for $15. They are MASSIVE!!!!!

Add a gorgeous bracelet from ebay.....

To the turquoise bracelet stack from ebay and the green and blue rings from Equip I already had and walla! A new set. And thanks to the earrings being green and blue, all the other jewellery blends together just nicely.

My Personal Collection: Red jewellery part 3

2011-12-08T09:04:00.000+10:30

Here's the red jewellery I've been buying over the last few months.

Equip chain store necklace. Only buy on sale and $5 is a good price.

Chain store ring for $3.

Equip bracelet for $5. I'll add it to a stack I'm creating.

Equip flower bracelet I added to the floral set below. Again, $5.

My Personal Collection: Pink jewellery part 6

2011-12-07T09:07:00.001+10:30

Here's my pink pieces I've bought in the last few months.

Samantha Wills pink Zeta bangle.

A gorgeous ebay unicorn ring, which will go with the necklace I have.
And a gorgeous ebay panther ring that will go with my animal set.

My Personal Collection: Purple jewellery part 2

2011-12-06T09:48:00.002+10:30

So here's the update since I originally posted these colours. These are the pieces I have bought since.

I got these earrings from a chain store and while the pic does not do justice to the colour or size, I decided to add them to the set below.

And here's the ring I bought from chain store Equip.

My Personal Collection: Black clothes part 4

2011-12-01T09:31:00.000+10:30

My three skirts. I don't have many skirts but these are some of my good ones.

This is op shop bought and gorgeous!

Chain store bought. I wanted one with some silver in, and this has sequins all around it.
Stole this from mum!

My Personal Collection: Black clothes part 3

2011-11-29T09:26:00.001+10:30

My one good black winter top from Kmart and three waistcoats/vest from op shops. I love op shops. Have I said that enough?

My Personal Collection: Black clothes part 2

2011-11-24T09:01:00.000+10:30

When I was line dancing, many a year ago, I had all of these shirts made. This shirt has see through sleeves and I added the stones on the collar and cuffs.

I wanted multicoloured!

This one I added stones to as well.

My Personal Collection: Black cothes part 1

2011-11-22T09:55:00.000+10:30

Today are the best black blouses I've got.

This came from an op shop, in fact, they ALL came from op shops. I love op shops!

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 11

2011-11-21T10:49:00.002+10:30

Figured I'd better get this in now since I'll be on to clothes tomorrow. My new Samantha Wills Faye Dunaway necklace in black. I'm also after the aqua one!

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 10

2011-11-17T10:32:00.005+10:30

Today is the last of my sets. These are the two sets I made from bits and pieces bought from ebay, craft stores, jewellery I had from ebay or chain stores. It's amazing what you can make when you put your mind to it!

I bought these "disco beads" from ebay.

And made this set!
The colours are amazing when the light hits it.

I bought these beads from ebay as well.

This set came from ebay in a bulk lot I bought.

And together I made this! The necklace centrepiece and earrings studs were the set, I added the beads. Got the ring from ebay which was from a chain store and the bracelet I bought to wear on it's own and realised it went perfectly with the set when I made it.

I then used the small black necklace in the second above pic, added these bits from my craft kit...

Bought these teeth from craft shop Spotlight for $2 each.

And along with the ring and bracelet that came from ebay (again, the bracelet was an after thought as I had already bought it) I made these earrings...

And this necklace. The pic's not very clear but you get the idea of what it looks like. When my mum saw it she said, "can you take the bottom two off, it's too long." "I can't," I said, "it's all joined!"

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 9

2011-11-15T09:27:00.002+10:30

My silver sets today and they are varied as usual.

This one I bought as a ring and pendant seperately. Back in about 2008 I was buying bead books from America when I was starting out and saw these findings at a website. I wanted to use them and emailed about a price but they were too expensive so I left it. Then designer Samantha Wills did the rings a few years ago so I know where she got it from. Then last year I found the ring on ebay, along with the pendant as clearly others were doing the same thing. This year, Samantha decided to do a necklace as well, costing more than I bought it for, and she also did an asphalt version which isn't as nice. But here's my set both cost me less than $50.

My gorgeous star set. The big black and white bracelet I spent two years looking for on ebay but I finally got it. The silver bracelet underneath came from ebay, the chain one I made and the sterling silver one going down beside them I bought from a jewellery shop. The black ring is from a chain store, the silver ring from a market. The two necklaces are from chain stores and I added all the beads to the bottom necklace. The earrings are also from a market and the studs are sterling from a jewellery store. And the band is from an old swatch watch of mine.
And then I found this necklace for $5 and have decided to add it to the set.

This set I'm not sure if I want to keep. I bought the necklace from a chain store years ago and have remade it. I made the earrings and three bead bracelets, bought the ring from a chain store and the top bracelet from ebay. I'm umming and ahhing about it deciding if I should remake, redo, or get rid of it.

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 8

2011-11-10T09:14:00.004+10:30

My gold sets today. I've worked hard on some of these, trying to find what I needed or having to make it instead. So here goes.

My cameo set. Bought both bracelets from ebay, the necklace I bought from ebay and then added the beads. The earrings were necklaces as well and I turned them into earrings.

My elephant set. The bag bling, earrings and tooth bracelet I made. The tooth and black elephant necklaces came from chain stores, the small gold one from ebay which I added to a chain. The two rings are chain stores goodies, the top bracelet from ebay and the brooch (next to top bracelet) came from a cheap store many, many, many years ago, (I also have a red, and a white elephant brooch as well).
My flower set. The top black bracelet came from ebay, but it's from the same chain store as everything else. I added the beads to the earrings.

My sun set. Now I know these are similar to the House of Harlow jewellery but it's hard to fork out massive amounts of money for something that's made in China when you can get replicas in chain stores or on ebay for so much cheaper. The two necklaces and small ring came from ebay. The large ring I got last week for $3 from the clothing shop having a sale. The earrings I couldn't find so I bought two necklaces and turned them into earrings.

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 7

2011-11-09T09:06:00.002+10:30

Black rings today. I have a few and am always buying more. Unfortunately, rings wear faster than most jewellery, except for necklace and bracelet chains. It's the acid in your skin that wears off any colour, especially gold.

Gunmetal black on sale from Equip.

Samantha Wills Empress from ebay.
Two gorgeous rings from chain stores. I only buy when there's a sale. Then you can get more for your money.

Another Equip beauty. I love this style so much I also got a jade green which I posted months ago.

More chain store sales.

More Equip sales goodies. I call them stop lights.

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 6

2011-11-08T08:46:00.005+10:30

I'm catching up today. Recently there were sales at my local jewellery shops and I bought up big. Since we are currently doing black jewellery I'll update those here.

I bought this bracelet from Equip for $10 with a %50 off discount that I got just for signing up to their website. I don't know whether to wear it on it's own or stack it with the bracelets below which I posted a few weeks ago.

And this was a necklace I got for $3! Can you believe it? I was on my way out the door when a girl outside a clothing store said everything was half price, I backed up and went in. Inside the other sales girl said all accessories were $3 each. Bargain! I got loads more but they will come in future posts.

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 5

2011-11-03T09:21:00.000+10:30

This is my only single pair of earrings. Sure I have more in sets, but these I can wear anytime when I want to wear silver.

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 4

2011-11-01T09:13:00.001+10:30

Today is silver necklace day.

The left and top right came from chain stores and the camera from ebay.

Lollypop from ebay.
Lady from ebay.

Samantha Wills Atlantic Pearl necklace. I removed the ribbon because it annoyed me and added a small chain and now it's more like a choker.

Sam Wills Paris Romance necklace.

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 3

2011-10-27T09:51:00.000+10:30

Today is gold necklaces.

The next two I made over easter from beads lying around and some beads and black chain I bought from craft store Spotlight.

Equip necklace on sale obviously.

The necklace on the left I made from bits and bobs in my craft kit. The lady is from jeans shop Jay Jays, and the one top right is also from Equip.

just joined technorati.

2011-10-25T11:48:00.001+10:30

I've just joined Technorati and need to add this code to a post so I can claim my blog - GVDJGGQ7UFZ4

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 2

2011-10-25T09:40:00.000+10:30

Silver black bracelets today.

The heart on the left came from an op shop for $2, I made the one on the right from beads I had hiding away in my bead box.

Samantha Wills black Xanadu bracelet.
Bracelets I got from chain store Equip on sale. $5 for the left, $5 for the stone set on the right.

A sparkly ebay find.

More ebay goodies. Very sparkly they are.

From a chain store, never worn the left one but it's very rock chic.

More chain store goodies.

My Personal Collection: Black jewellery part 1

2011-10-20T09:27:00.003+10:30

Today is the start of my black jewellery. As with blue, I have a lot, so it's going to take awhile.

Here's an Equip (chain store) find. I had seen one of these a week or so earlier but a stone was missing and had been told they didn't have any more. So when I went back there it was sitting on the rack. I've been buying a lot from them since they moved into my local shopping centre.

An ebay find.
More ebay goodies.

The left came from ebay, the right from a chain store.

Samantha Wills Once in a Lifetime bracelet.

Sam Wills Orion.

Sam Wills Ebony Treasures.

Sam Wills Glamazon set.

My Personal Collection: Blue clothes

2011-10-18T14:14:00.003+10:30

I don't have a lot of blue clothes but these are the best.

A blazer I got from the op shop for a couple of dollars.

I LOVE this shirt, shiny electric blue metallic.
This came from chain store Miller's originally but I found it in an op shop.

I bought this shirt from a dressmaker for $35.

An op shop denim shirt I decorated with studs when I was line dancing.

On the back I ironed on this picture and then outlined it all in sparkle fabric paint.

Bought this material WHICH I LOVE!!!!! and managed to get a dress and a skirt out of it.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 10

2011-10-18T14:01:00.004+10:30

On Sunday I went for the day out at my local shopping centre and invaded the jewellery stores there but didn't end up buying anything. I saw stuff I might like and thought about whether they would go with the rest of my collection in their colour field. So today when I had to go back to the shopping centre I spent my money. One of the pieces I found was this ring. It hadn't been on sale on Sunday, but they had marked down a load of jewellery and I bought 7 pieces from two stores. All for $5 or $2.

Here's the blue ring I bought, since I've just done all my other blue jewellery. I have masses as you've seen. $5 down from $16.99. Bargain or what?

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 9

2011-10-13T10:03:00.000+10:30

The rest of my sets today.

Here's my only blue gold set. Made it all and have only worn it once. Not sure if I still want it, or whether to just leave it and see what happens.

My two bead sets. I made both of these from an absolute tonne of glass beads I bought from Spotlight for $1 a bag. There was about 50 beads per bag so I stocked up. Still got loads of them too.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 8

2011-10-11T09:47:00.003+10:30

Blue sets today, this may take awhile...

My Nancy Drew set. You have seen my gold one, now here's the blue one that I started first. I made everything except the second bracelet from top. That was from Gumshoe Girls years ago. I have purses and bags and stuff from them which will be shown next year when I start posting accessories. They had great stuff I wish I had've gotten more of it.

My heart set. Made the bead bracelets and bag bling. Bought the necklace, rings and earrings from chain stores. The small heart studs are sterling silver and blue zirconia.The top bangle came from ebay.

My cameo set. The choker came from Target years ago, the other necklace from a chain store, I made the earrings and bracelet and the ring came from an op shop.
Another easter creative streak. Made the necklace, earrings, and all the bead bracelets. The bottom bracelet came from ebay years ago.

My flower set. Made the necklace, earrings and bead bracelets. The chain bracelet came from ebay years ago and I love it. The rings came from chain stores and ebay.

My western set. Earrings and bolo I've had for years as I used to line dance.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 7

2011-10-06T09:37:00.002+10:30

Blue rings today. I have them from all over, ebay, designer, chain stores.

These first three are my "beginner" fashion rings. Just a couple of dollars eash from a chain store.

Better chain store rings, all on sale. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the art deco third from left.

Chain store ring. Plastic band so it won't wear, gold and diamontes.

The next four are Samantha Wills rings. All off ebay. This one is the same as the pink flower, called Stella.

This one is the Temple ring.

Petite Le Fleur ring.

Pocket Full of Dreams ring.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 6

2011-10-04T09:32:00.001+10:30

Blue bead necklaces today.

Got this dark blue one from a chain store for $3. I think I've only worn it twice.

Another chain store delight. I love this necklace and also have a pink, purple, green and red version. I had the opportunity to get a brown, gold and silver version for $3 each but didn't. I really regret that.
Got the next three on ebay.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 5

2011-09-29T09:23:00.001+09:30

Today is my blue silver necklaces.

This was a present years ago.

I bought this years ago but have since remade it with better beads.
Made this, I LOVE IT. I found the perfume bottle in Spotlight, a craft store here in Aus, and had the key and heart leftover from something else. The beads are glass.

Got this from a chain store on sale for $5

Got the mirror from a chain store for $3 and the bird cage online before they even hit the shops. I'm sooo ahead of the trends!

My Beadiebot! This was the original I made years ago.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 4

2011-09-27T09:18:00.002+09:30

Today is my blue gold necklaces. You can never have enough of them, just like rings, bracelets....

The first three are ebay finds. God I love ebay, you can find more stuff there than your local shop.

This one I made over Easter from left over beads.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 3

2011-09-22T09:19:00.000+09:30

My blue bead bracelets today!

I got these from ebay for about $2.60 each so not quite $20 for all six!

Made all of these years ago, acrylic crystal can shine like the brightest stones!

Op shop heart bracelets for $2 each.

Made these bracelets years ago.

All the bracelets below I made over easter. That's what happens when you have a tonne of beads lying around doing nothing.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 2

2011-09-20T09:08:00.000+09:30

My silver bracelets today and I have a few.

Target on the left for $1.50 and chain store on the right for $2.

Got this off ebay about two months ago.
Here's the silver version of the gold from the previous post.

Got this in a big bulk lot years ago but remade it with better beads.

Love this massive turquoise stone bracelet from ebay.

A chain store cats eye bracelet.

Love this ebay bracelet. I fell in love with it when I saw it and had to make it mine.

Ebay UK bangle.

Peacock style bangle from a chain store.

My Personal Collection: Blue jewellery part 1

2011-09-15T08:55:00.000+09:30

Today is the start of my blue jewellery and there is a lot of it so it's going to take quite a few weeks to post everything.

These bracelets I made over easter, remember I posted those pics, there is a lot of stuff still to show and this stack is just one of them. Gorgeous blue gold beads and glass.

Samantha Wills navy glamazon bangle set off ebay. I have the jade and black which is coming in a future post, and am after the white set as well.
Gorgeous bracelet from ebay for about $3. Got the silver version as well.

Gorgeous stretch bracelet from a a chain store. I've never worn it, don't know if I'll ever wear it which is the way it goes when you have over 1000 pieces of jewellery. I'll have to stack it!

When I bought a big load of stuff off ebay years ago I found the charm hanging off the end and the big blue stone bracelet. It was only half and I was never sure what to do with it so I added chain.

I got this off ebay years ago. Bamboo style I got a red, black and pink as well.

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 7

2011-09-13T08:47:00.003+09:30

I just got this ring last week so I thought since I'm still in green mode I'd add it now.

Samantha Wills jade songbird ring. I have the bronze one and am after the black. It's also huge!

These earrings I was waiting on and finally arrived a week ago. I was after silver and green earrings as I like to have my colours in silver and gold for whatever it suits. Now, just after green and gold earrings.

My Personal Collection: Green clothes

2011-09-01T09:43:00.000+09:30

I don't have a lot of green clothes but here are the best pieces.

A gorgeous beaded top from Millers.

A multi blouse with a purple undertank. It's sequined too.
I love this tunic. I wear it with either my peacock set or my fleur de lis set.

A gorgeous tie top with gold through it.

Got this from an op shop. So much for "blue and green should never be seen", what a load of rubbish.

When I was line dancing we went to Tamworth which is the big Country Music mecca, and I got a load of clothes. I still have this.

I got these pants from Target for $10. I think they're pjs but to me they're more like lounge pants. Again, like the pink kimono, you can float around in these like the movie stars of old. Below is the close up of the bottom.

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 6

2011-08-30T09:40:00.001+09:30

Today is the last of my green jewellery, only rings. I'd love more as I absolutely love big rings. They all came from chain stores for a few dollars each. I love sales!

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 5

2011-08-25T09:25:00.002+09:30

Today is my green jewellery part 5 and it's my jewellery sets today.

Made this one over easter. I love crackle beads!

Bought these from a chain store for a few dollars each.
This set came from all over. The earrings and necklace beside them came from chain stores and everything else came from all over ebay.

I love this set. My fleur de lis and heart set. I made the necklace out of three and the main chain came from ebay and the two green hearts from chain stores. Made all the green bead bracelets and the earrings. Bought the two silver bracelets on the left from ebay, and the three rings came from ebay and chain store and a cheap shop.

My mint Marylin Monroe set. I love these beads as they look like mint chip ice cream. You feel like eating them. I made everything but the ring, that came from a chain store.

My mint set. I bought the earrings from a market, the rings came from chain stores, the brooch on the right came from a cheap store and I made the bracelet stack and necklaces.

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 2

2011-08-23T09:21:00.001+09:30

Today is part 2 of my green jewellery.

I got this from clothing chain store, Millers.

More ebay goodies.

Designer, Samantha Wills Artisan Riad and the bangle set is Jade Glamazon.

Above is part 2, even though it should have been published weeks ago.

2011-08-23T09:20:00.003+09:30

Something weird is going on again. It would seem my green jewellery part 2 did not publish back on the 11th of August like it was meant to. So I published it today. This happened earlier in the year. I have no idea what's going on, but I don't like it when Blogger doesn't work properly. Either way, enjoy part 2.

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 4

2011-08-18T09:04:00.000+09:30

The rest of my single necklaces today.

Plastic bead from the op shop. Sometimes plastic is all you need.

Bought this for $2 from a chain store.
Got this one for $3 from another chain store.

Earlier this year I bought a big load of crystal ab beads to make a necklace out of. Peacock blue and green.

I turned it into this!

A closer look.

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 3

2011-08-16T09:55:00.000+09:30

Today is half of my necklaces.

I made this beadie bot over easter.

I bought this elephant from a chain store.
Made this over easter as well.

Samantha Wills jade Faye Dunaway necklace.

Chain store necklace, although I have seen them on ebay.

Made over easter, olive ab beads.

My Personal Collection: Green jewellery part 1

2011-08-09T09:40:00.001+09:30

Today is part 1 of my green jewellery collection. All of these are handmade by me except for the silver crystal bracelets in the last pic.

My Personal Collection: Pink clothes part 3

2011-08-04T09:51:00.003+09:30

The final post of my pink clothes, this next piece I absolutely LOVE! It reminds me of the 40s and 50s when glamourous movie stars would swan around in high waisted pants and flowing kimono blouses. The colour is amazing and I've only worn it once so I don't hitch it.

My short sleeve blazer from the op shop.
My long sleeve summer blazer from another op shop. This colour is amazing and the little gold chain is hooked on buttons so you do it up that way. And it washes and dries quickly too.

My candy pink denim jacket, another op shop steal for $7.80!

My Personal Collection: Pink clothes part 2

2011-08-02T09:42:00.000+09:30

Pink clothes part 2 today.

I got this top from a Goodwill, it has sparkles through it and is nice and light for summer.

I didn't even notice the actual photo on the front of this Salvos top when I bought it.

This is the smilie hoodie that I made the smilie earrings for. Another op shop find.

My sleuth tshirt. I'm a Nancy Drew nut and so bought two of these. One to wear, one to keep.
And this is a sarong I got from another op shop. I sowed it up and turned it into a skirt and added sequins in matching colours.

My Personal Collection: Pink clothes part 1

2011-07-28T09:21:00.001+09:30

So today is pink clothes day. I have many more than this as I absolutely love pink, but thought I'd show you some of the best.

Love this fairy floss (cotton candy) and pale grey check shirt. It came from the op shop and was brand new.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this magenta shirt, another op shop find!
Got this blouse from Big W (like wallmart).

Got this from Kmart!

And this blouse and under tank from an Aussie store called Millers.

Another amazing op shop find. And it's nice and light for summer.

So was this. This blouse is such an amazing shade of rose pink. And it's so silky to touch.

I gots me a sunshine award!

2011-07-27T15:44:00.003+09:30

Thanks to The Tote Trove for this award.

And so apparently, I have to answer questions and pass the award on. Since I have so few followers to pass it on to, I'll just leave my answers for all of you to read.

What's your favourite colour? Blue and Pink

What's your favourite animal? Cats and dogs

What's your favourite number? 11

What perfume are you using right now? None at the moment

What do you always wear that identifies you? Massive amounts of jewellery :)

What's your passion? Jewellery and clothes, bags and shoes, chocolate, food...

Do you prefer getting or giving presents? Getting!

What was the last eyeshadow you used? Pink

What's your favourite day of the week? Sunday

Are your nails painted right now? Nope, haven't been painted in years.

My Personal Collection: Pink jewellery part 5

2011-07-26T10:16:00.000+09:30

Today is my jewellery sets day.

These next two are sets in progress. I'm after more necklaces like the pink animal heart so I can turn them into earrings.

I'm after a bracelet and earrings to match these ebay bought beauties.

A cute little bus set from ebay.

And a tv set from a chain store. I turned two necklaces into earrings.
My heart set. Made the top bracelet, earrings and two necklaces. Bought the two other bracelets from ebay and the ring from a cheap store.

My butterfly set. The necklace was done differently but as I found bits and pieces, I added and remade. Bought the earrings and two smaller rings from chain stores. Made the bead and chain bracelets and bought the big one from ebay, along with the big ring.

My gold fashion set. Made the necklace, two rings, and bag bling along with the bottom bracelet. Bought the top three bracelets and earrings from ebay and then added the keys to those. All from bits and pieces on ebay.

Made these over the easter weekend. That's what happens when you've got bags of beads lying around doing nothing.

This set has been in the making for ages. I could never find flamingo earrings in silver so I went with gold, turned two necklaces into earrings and bought it all on ebay.

My Personal Collection: Pink jewellery part 4

2011-07-21T10:08:00.003+09:30

Pink jewellery part four today. Necklaces!

I made the next two over the Easter long weekend. The rose beads here came from the big bulk lot I bought before Easter.

I love these necklaces so much I've made one in just about every colour.
Bead necklace from a chain store.

A bead four row from a chain store.

Got this from ebay, it's spectacular.

A big lollie from ebay.

Also from ebay. I buy a lot on ebay!

My Personal Collection: Pink jewellery part 3

2011-07-19T10:04:00.000+09:30

Pink jewellery part three.

I made all of these bead and crystal bracelets.

All of these below came from ebay. I LOVE EBAY!!!!!

My Personal Collection: Pink jewellery part 2

2011-07-14T09:57:00.001+09:30

Today is pink part two and I've cut my bracelets into two posts.

This is my Samantha Wills stroke of midnight bracelet.

My metallic pink bangle.
This was birthday pressie from mum a few years back.

From ebay.

Again, ebay.

My Personal Collection: Pink jewellery part 1

2011-07-12T09:50:00.001+09:30

Today is pink jewellery part one.

I bought this flower ring off ebay along with a blue one. It's huge and very nice.

I got this ring from a chain store. It has a catseye stone.
These rings came from ebay and chain stores.

I made these earrings to go with a hoodie that you'll see in a week or two.

I bought these when I was line dancing and painted the hearts pink.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these earrings. Bought them for a couple of dollars from a chain store. They are so 80s!

My Personal Collection: Grey and Silver clothes

2011-07-07T09:33:00.000+09:30

I don't have a lot of grey or silver clothes. but here's a few pieces.

My line dance tshirts. I bought the two of them way back in 1998 at Tamworth when I went with my line dancing club.

My Grey blazer. I bought this from a factory that has a shop out the front. It was only $12 although that was a while ago.

My silver op shop waistcoat that I match it with the blazer. I got it for a couple of dollars and I LOVE IT!

My Personal Collection: Silver jewellery part 2

2011-07-05T09:20:00.001+09:30

This is my Silver jewellery part 2!

I made this crystal necklace over easter from a bundle of beads I had sitting around and some crystal bits and bobs from an ebay bulk lot.

I bought this necklace from a Goodwill. It caught my eye and was hoping it wouldn't be expensive. I asled to have a look at it and asked how much. She said $3. I bought it. and it's so long I cut the chain off in the pic.
Three necklaces. On the left a Trifari from an ebay bulk lot about 4 years ago. The fan is a chain store bargain and I added the chains. And the big chain came from Goodwill for $2!

I love these. I originally had them as two sets but I didn't wear either of them so I put them together and shortened one necklace and lengthened the other. I pulled apart one pair of earrings and added the bits to the necklaces. The pieces and chain are old fashioned looking and gorgeous.

My teddy bears. I bought some necklaces many a year ago which were big thick chains with 5 bears each. I've sinced turned them into many things. A pair of earrings with stones, a brooch and a necklace. The small pendant on the left is real silver and he's holding a pink heart zirconia. The top bracelet is a real silver charm bracelet and the bear on the end is holding a gold heart. An the bracelet on the bottom is one I put together from charms and chain.

My Personal Collection: Silver jewellery part 1

2011-06-30T09:08:00.003+09:30

Today is my silver jewellery part 1

This is a set of fire and ice bracelets I made over easter from a bulk lot I bought off ebay. They really glisten in the sunlight.

Some of my bracelets. These came from chain stores for a few dollars each. I made the crystal and bought the three in one bangle (they're hooked together) on the left from a Goodwill.
These all came from ebay. I was going through this weird angel inspirational thing where I felt like I needed to have them on all the time for guidance or something. It was weird.

Hearts galore.The crystal bracelet came from a Goodwill for $2, the silver bracelet from a chain store, the heart/hand combo from ebay in a bulk lot, the big heart I added the keys to and the ring was from a cheap store for $3.

Fluttering flowers. The ring was from a chain store along with the earrings and the necklace came from Kmart and I added all the beads.

My Personal Collection: Grey jewellery

2011-06-28T09:58:00.001+09:30

Today is my Grey jewellery day. I don't have much, like a lot of other colours.

My mouse necklace. I got this with the girl mouse I posted about in the last week or so off ebay.

This is my pearl set. I bought the necklace from a chain store many years ago and changed it to add the bottom bits. The top bracelets I made and the third I bought from a chain store. The rings are from chain stores and I made the earrings. I'm in the process of remaking this set. I'm looking to add more rings, bracelets and another necklace. Since it's my only silver Grey set.

I also added this bracelet to the set since it was advertised as black but is actually grey marble, so it goes well with it.

And this is my Samantha Wills bracelet I bought from an online store.

My Personal Collection: Gold Multi jewellery part 5

2011-06-23T09:18:00.001+09:30

Here are my brooches. It's not all of them as some are on my jackets, but these are enough. They all came from markets, cheap stores or chain stores for about $2 each I've had them that long, where as now, costume brooches can be very expensive. All for stuff made in China.

My music brooches are in the first two below.

Some of my animals.

My clowns.

Odds and sodds.

These are funny. They came from Target decades ago and the bottom one is a brooch but the top two are earrings. I turned them into brooches because all together, they look like a person.

My Personal Collection: Gold Multi jewellery part 4

2011-06-21T09:00:00.000+09:30

Here is part two of my sets, goodness, there's just so many.

My unicorn set. I made the earrings from necklaces, which is why there's a gold and silver, and the big silver pegasus necklace came from a chain store and the little silver pewter necklace from my mum. The rest I made from a big bulk lot from ebay.

I got the earrings and necklace from the same chain store, the ring from another, and the bracelet from ebay.
The planet necklace I bought from a charm shop. The earrings from a chain store and all the brooches for $2 each from cheap shops.

I made the necklace from a bracelet, the earrings from mum and the rings and bracelet from chain stores.

My panther set. The two necklaces, two bracelets, brooch (bottom right), the two small rings and earrings, which I also made, all came from ebay. The big ring on the left came from a chain store.

My movie set. Bought two gold and two silver bracelets and made all of the below.

My Nancy Drew gold multi set. Bought the watches, which were handmade, off the internet, and the clock ring came from a chain store. The earrings used to have black beads and stars but I changed them for Nancy. Everything else I made. The bracelet at the bottom is very heavy and very noisy. All the picture pendants I made from printed pics of the covers and diamond glaze. All the charms were matched, witches, clocks, books, ghosts, anything to do with the title of the books.

My Personal Collection: Gold Mulit jewellery part 3

2011-06-16T09:44:00.000+09:30

Today are my gold multi sets. I have so many there will be two posts. I love matching necklaces to earrings, to rings, to bracelets. Sometimes I can start with one piece of jewellery and just have to find other matching bits and pieces.

This is my Gambling set. I found the necklace at a chain store, the brooch at a cheap store and the earrings at a shopping centre booth.

My flower set. The earrings and ring (which I LOVE) came from chain stores, I made the bracelet and got the necklace from Kmart and added the extra beads and charms.
My fashion set came from all over. The bracelet and necklace on the right were from ebay (the necklace WAS a bracelet which I turned into the necklace), I made the earrings from extra charms. The lips and bottom left bracelet came from clothing chain stores and the ring from ebay, but it's silver and not gold.

My Zoo set which I made from the extra charms left over from my "AFRICAN SAFARI" collection for sale on my website.

My cross set. I made the necklace from charms and chains found at cheap stores. The earrings were from a market but I changed the studs, and the bracelet I've remade a dozen times.

My Coat of Arms set. To gold and two silver bracelets from ebay and walla! earrings, two bracelets and a necklace. The brooch (which I LOVE) came from a cheap store many a year ago for a couple of dollars.

My antique heart set. All made from bits and pieces from a big bulk lot off ebay years ago.

My Personal Collection: Gold Multi jewellery part 2

2011-06-14T09:25:00.001+09:30

Here are the necklaces I have.

A pearl bird I got for $6 from a clothing store.

Pinochio from ebay.
Two hearts. The one on the left is from a chain store, the one on the right from a big bulk lot I got on ebay a few years ago. I then added the Swarovskis.

My owl necklace and ring, both from chain stores.

And owl neck I got at the same time as the bird above.

An icecream necklace I got from a chain store and then added extra beads and charms too.

A cute little mouse from ebay. I got a boy too.

A genie I recently got on ebay.

And a gorgeous fob watch neck I also recently got on ebay.

My Personal Collection: Gold Multi jewellery part 1

2011-06-09T09:09:00.003+09:30

Today is my gold multi jewellery, as in gold base but multi colours. I have a lot so there will be several posts.

Here are my earrings. They both came from my mum and the top ones remind me of dreamcatchers and they go with the tshirt I painted a big dreamcatcher on.

Here are five of my bracelets. Top left and bottom right came from chain stores and the other three from ebay.
I LOVE this snake bracelet so much I got one in silver as well. It's from ebay but I haven't worn it yet.

I bought this Bastet (Egyptian cat goddess) from ebay. I thought the pendant was alot larger than this but it wasn't, it was also on a black rubber cord but I made the chains to go with it. Below is a closer look at the pendant.

I bought this frog on a leaf necklace fron ebay UK recently and love it. Below is a closer look.

My Personal Collection: Yellow clothes

2011-06-07T09:13:00.000+09:30

As with white, brown and purple, I don't have many yellow clothes. In fact, only 7 pieces. Here's 3 of them.

A blazer I've had since I was a teen in the 80s. It still fits too.

A cream blouse with hearts, stars and diamonds.
And a sand coloured tshirt I found in a cheap store. It had the pic on the front I just added a bit of glitter fabric paint to add to it.

My Personal Collection: Gold/Yellow jewellery part 2

2011-06-02T09:48:00.001+09:30

Here is part 2 of my Gold/Yellow collection.

A gorgeous glass crystal necklace I made a couple of months ago.

An antique gold plane necklace from eBay.
A boombox necklace from a chain store for $5.

A sun necklace I got on eBay. It's a rose gold colour.

A yellow bead necklace from an op shop.

Sand coloured bead necklaces I made months ago from an eBay bulk lot I bought.

Gold necklaces from op shops, eBay and chain stores.

My "Diamond" set. I bought the necklace off eBay and the small earrings came with it. The teardrop earrings came from a chain store.My star set. The earrings I got decades ago from a cheap shop and the necklace was a bracelet, the same as the bracelet, I just turned it into a necklace.

My Personal Collection: Gold/Yellow jewellery part 1

2011-05-31T09:27:00.003+09:30

Today is Gold/Yellow day part 1. I have a fair bit of gold jewellery but most of it will come under the multi posts in a week or two.

Here's a gold bangle from a chain store which I got for $3.

Bead bracelets I made and the locket is silver and a present.
Bead bracelet I made over easter.

Samantha Wills Calypso earrings I got very cheap off ebay. As in the post last week, I don't know if these are knock offs or the real thing. They look real and I love them and the cheap price I paid.

Leaf earrings I made to go with a black blouse which has gold leaves embroidered on it.

And assortment of earrings I've found over the years from cheap stores. The round men and cutlery cost $2 each, the geometric shapes $3 and the ladies $4. How cheap is that!

And assortment of heart jewellery. The necklace was from a big craft and fabric shop called Spotlight and I added to it. The bead heart bracelet came from an op shop for $2 and the gold brace came from ebay.

The rings both came from ebay. The one on the left is actually a knock off of the Empress ring by Samantha Wills and the one on the left is UK Topshop I think.

Designer knock offs. Why stores sell them? Do you buy them? And what do you think of it?

2011-05-26T09:06:00.000+09:30

I'm in two minds about this subject.

One one hand, as a designer, I don't like the thought of chain stores ripping me off. I've priced my jewellery reasonably, I believe, ranging from $5 to several hundred. I did that because the jewellery is all one off, original and handmade by me. No chain store sells it and so anyone who buys it will be the only person with it. No one else will have it.

On the other hand, I'm a bit pissed off that designers have their jewellery bulk made in China and then slap high price tags on their jewellery. And even though it's a "designer name", it can still look very cheaply made, being from China and all. But it's the price tag designers put on that make me look for knock offs or similar versions.

I don't own many knock offs personally. I've recently bought some sun jewellery that looks like House of Harlow. I've also bought Samantha Wills jewellery from eBay China although I do wonder about that jewellery.

Are they actual SW jewels that the seller is selling or are they knock offs? I've wondered, and think that the factory that makes the SW jewellery is making a few more than it should be and selling them on eBay to make extra money as they seem to have many articles for sale. So in essence, I could actually be buying the real thing at a much cheaper price than what SW sells it for. And personally, I think some of the pieces are way overpriced, and I can say that since I own some and have inspected them closely.

Back to the chain stores, they also sell designer knock offs. I've noticed that chain store, Diva, and yes, I have had issues with their laywers but this fact is well known, sell the occasional knock off. They have sold Tarina Tarantino and Samantha Wills knock offs and I'm sure many others that I don't recognise. They also claim to have their own designers but many pieces of jewellery I see in their stores I saw on eBay the year before. So clearly that is misleading the public.

Have I bought their designer knock offs, no. But would you?

Would you buy a knock off to save the ridiculous amount of money the "designers" put on it?

Have you bought any?

I've bought jewellery off eBay for years and have recently noticed that the jewellery I buy ends up in chain stores months later. Seems I'm a fashion icon they all follow.

Are stores ripping off eBay as well? Or are they scouring eBay like I do to find what's new for them to sell in their stores?

I have bought knock offs, as I said above, I also buy designers at a cheap rate. But I also prefer eBay for the unusual and unique even though there may be hundreds of them being sold from the one seller, that's only a few hundred people around the world that has the same thing. So I prefer unusual that I can't get at any of my local stores.

So then what does one do? Who knows. Some would say you're as bad as the people making the knock offs and the stores selling the knock offs. But then, the jewellery is there in the shops for all to buy. And is isn't my or your fault that it's there and we can afford it.

Maybe designers, regardless of what they design, should realise most people cannot afford the crap they make. It would be different if they made it themselves in their country, but to get it made in China and then put such a ridiculous price on it is just that, ridiculous.

My Personal Collection: White jewellery part 3

2011-05-24T09:03:00.002+09:30

I managed to get this Samantha Wills bracelet. I don't know what it's called but it has a little memory box in it.

Something weird is going on?!?!?!?!?!

2011-05-19T14:59:00.003+09:30

There seems to be an issue with Blogger. Some of my replies to posts have disappeard and my White jewellery part 1 post didn't post when it shoud have but it's now up and part three is next week.

My Personal Collection: White jewellery part 1

2011-05-19T14:59:00.000+09:30

So here is part 1 of my white jewellery, necklaces. I don't know why this didn't publish the other day but here it is.

Got this big chunky necklace form a chain store for $3.33 on sale.

Got this necklace on ebay to go with the one above.
Pearl ball I got in a bulk lot I bought on ebay.

Gold necklace I got with the white one.

Cute Russian doll necklace from a chain store for $2.

Gold pearl necklace I got with the pearl ball on ebay.

Gorgeous cameo necklace I bought on ebay. I call this a set in progress as I'm looking for earrings, bracelet and rings to go with it.

Gold pearl robot necklace I made over easter.

This is a Samantha Wills 1972 necklace I got in a bulk lot of ebay a couple of months ago. It's broken on one side and the chain is no longer gold, but I'm looking at ways of fixing it.

My Personal Collection: White clothes

2011-05-19T10:02:00.001+09:30

As I mentioned in a previous post, I don't have many white clothes. They get too dirty too quickly and are a bugger to keep nice and white. So here a three pieces (of the seven I own) that I thought you might like to see.

I recently bought this blouse jacket from a chain store called Millers. I've bought quite a few pieces from them over the years as they are inexpensive and their summer clothes are easy wash and wear. This blouse jacket reminds me of the old time 50s, 60s clothes that actresses wore in movies and breezed out behind them as they walked.

My Nancy Drew Survivor tshirt that I bought through Cafe Press. I'm a member of the Nancy Drew Sleuths and got this to help them out.
I love this tshirt and got it from a cheap store for $4. It says - "If the Macaw saw what the Leopard spotted, then the Toucan can and you can too." Then down th bottom it says - Stop Rainforest Destruction.

My Personal Collection: White jewellery part 2

2011-05-17T09:35:00.002+09:30

Here is the rest of my white jewellery. I don't have a lot of white clothes so I don't have a lot of white jewellery.

Pearl ring. it's huge and I got it from a chain store for $5

A white marble bracelet I bought on ebay.

A cute little tea party bracelet from a chain store.

I made this back in January on a making spree. I had the beads lying around and wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them and then BINGO!

My pearl elephant set. I bought the necklace and brooch from cheap stores about 20 years ago. I made the bag bling and earrings and remade the bracelet from two different bracelets.

My stone set. I bought it all from a Goodwill and made it into the necklace, bracelet and earrins you see. I bought the ring from a chain store for a couple of dollars.
My gold cross set. Made both necklaces, the charm and ball bracelet. I bought the gold cross bracelet and ring from ebay, the pearl bracelet from a cheap store and I bought the earrings already with the crosses and added the white beads from another pair of earrings.

My Personal Collection: Orange, Brown and Purple jewellery part 3

2011-05-10T09:34:00.003+09:30

So these are the Orange, Brown and Purple jewellery I made over easter a few weekends ago.

Orange crackle bead bracelets.

Orange bead bracelets with little dragonflies on the beads.
Brown crackle bead bracelets.

Brown and gold robot necklace. I've made loads of these.

A tiger eye and gold necklace. I got these beads in a big load of beads I bought a month or so ago.

Purple crackle bead stack.

Purple bead bracelet stack.

Purple and gold bead necklace with multiple rows on an angle. I quite like this.

My Personal Collection: Jewellery. Look what I did over Easter!

2011-05-05T09:19:00.003+09:30

So over Easter a couple of weeks ago, I decided to take a break from everything else and have a 6 day holiday. I ended up making a tonne of jewellery as I had gone through my kits (shown in a previous post) and decided I was sick of all those beads sitting there doing nothing. So I pulled out the ones I wanted to use and made an absolute pile of jewellery. It all started with bracelets stacks!

I did things in almost every colour. Red, Green, Purple, Brown, Orange and Yellow.
Black, with beads I had bought that morning which you'll see when I post my black jewellery, White and the two necklaces on the left I made ages ago from ALL of the charms I had left over. They are my cotoure pieces.

Pink and Blues followed.

You've seen the red pieces in my post last week, two necklaces and a necklace and bracelet set. You'll see the Brown, Orange and Purple jewellery next time.

My Personal Collection: Red clothes part 1

2011-05-03T10:04:00.005+09:30

Today is my red clothes day. Sure I have more, but these are the best.

Great wool coat I bought from the op shop. The price was $10 can you believe it and I got it on their half price day. $5 for a wool coat. This coat was a department store coat which sold for well over $150. I'd been looking at it for over a week as it was on a mannequin in the window. I'm surprised no one else bought it. Well, it was obviously meant for me! It's nice and long but the sleeves could be longer. $5 for God's sake!

Got this great top and cardigan set from the op shop. All for a couple of dollars. There were glitter stripes on both pieces but the glitter kept falling off so I covered the stripes in glitter fabric paint. Great short sleeve blazer which I changed the buttons on. Got it from the op shop for $6. The tag, which I've removed, had it from a big chain store so I got a bargain!

This is the top I made the silver floral jewellery set for. It was a dress but being sticky material I cut the bottom off and turned it into the scarf. This was a chain store dress as well and would've been over $30. I got it for a couple of bucks.

I used to line dance and had this, along with many others, made for $35.

My Personal Collection: Red jewellery part 2

2011-04-28T09:45:00.003+09:30

Today is the rest of my Red jewellery.

Leaf earrings which I made.

A crackle bead and gold bead cap set I made just over easter.

I also made this bead necklace over easter.

I also made this robot necklace. I made a tonne of these for myself in all colours.

Cowgirl earrings which I painted red. Bought the bead necklace on the left and the heel at chain stores. I made the bead in the middle.
The back of the heel necklace.
Made this set from pieces in that big bundle of bits n pieces I bought years ago.

This love heart set is from all over. Bought the brooches from cheap stores for $2 each. Made the earrings, the two middle bracelets and the necklace in the middle, all from charms I bought off ebay. Although the heart charm is actual gold and garnet. The big bead necklace I bought but have since remade, and the big heart I bought from a chain store. The bracelet on the far left I bought from a cheap store and the fourth (from left) I bought off ebay which I absolutely love!
This floral set is from all over as well. The top and bottom bracelets came from ebay. The middle from a clothing store. Made the necklace and earrings and bought the rings from various stores. Not sure I still want this. I only made it to go with the top that you'll see in the next post.

Silver love heart set. Bought the necklace from a chain store and added the chains and beads. Made all three bracelets and the earrings from charms bought on ebay. The heart studs are sterling silver, garnet and zirconia. The rings are bought from chain stores each under $5.

My xmas set. The necklace came from an op shop and I remade it. Made the gold necklace, again, from the big bulk lot I bought on ebay. Bought the earrings, which light up, from a cheap store and bought the bracelet from ebay. The brooches came from cheap stores as well.

My Personal Collection: Red jewellery part 1

2011-04-26T09:30:00.003+09:30

Today is my Red jewellery part one. I have so many I've split it up over several posts.

Got the next three bracelets off ebay. I love ebay.

Made this cute lady bug bracelet. I had the beads lying around for a couple of years. I bought a big bundle cheap at my local craft store and didn't know what to do with them. So back in January I got jewellery making happy and made this.

Bought this phoenix cuff off ebay. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! it. I'm currently looking for a matching ring.

Ebay once again. Several stones were missing and I ended up getting another one for free. I filled in the bits that were missing with glitter fabric paint and now I have two!

Velvet bangle from Target for $1.50. God how cheap!

Made the crystal beads and bought the stone ones off ebay.

Bought this from a chain store for $5. Currently, it's the only big silver red ring I have. So I am actively looking for more.

My Personal Collection: Orange and Brown jewellery part 2

2011-04-21T09:24:00.006+09:30

I know I only posted Orange and Brown in the last week or two but since then I have made the cute bracelets below.

Two Amber pussy bracelets.

And I also managed to get the Bronze and gold Songbird ring from Samantha Wills.

Paper Giants: The birth of Cleo. When were cover models replaced with boring old celebrities?

2011-04-19T09:07:00.005+09:30

Over the last two nights ABC have shown the tv series Paper Giants:the birth of Cleo. Cleo was our answer to Cosmo. Now from the show I gather that Frank Packer and his company PBL, owner and publisher of Cleo, was going to publish an Australian version of Cosmopolitan as copied from America. It didn't pan out and instead his son, Kerry, told Ita Buttrose to get a magazine going. Her and her staff came up with Cleopatra. However, inside the mag they used the name Cleo for everything, so Kerry told Ita to cut the name to Cleo and so a mag was born in 1972. One of the points was to have a male centrefold. Many male celebs were asked but when push came to shove no one wanted to do it. Actor Jack Thompson stepped up and so the centrefold was born. And of course all the nations men wanted to after that.

It was something to see, the birth of a magazine that is still around today. There have been many more along the same lines, our own Cosmo, Dolly for teenage girls was a younger version that's been around just as long, then there's the millions of other mags that strive for our attention on newsagency shelves.

But there's one thing I did notice.

The cover model no longer exists.

When did the cover model get replaced with celebrities?

Why were the gorgeous Aussie models stripped of the precious covers of yester-years magazines to be replaced with the shallow, diva demanding try hard celebrities?

Magazines like Cleo and Cosmo crap on about how they are using real size models, and no longer photo-shopping all of their pictures. That they want the females in their mags to look "real".

Then where the hell have they gone?

Why don't you bring them back?

When did the day come that the "real women" of the world were deemed not good enough for the covers of Aussie magazines.

I bought Dolly as a teenager. Ordinary models were on the covers but they are not what I bought the mag for. I bought it because it was informative and had stories on my fave celebs.

These days, mags copy other country's covers because they can't get their own photo shoots and they photo-shop a different colour dress on the celeb so we think it's different to overseas mags. They have stories on celebs month after month, or week after week - where other mags are concerned - and it's old and boring.

Cleo, Cosmo, Dolly, get new cover models. Get back to the old days of using good old Aussie chicks on the covers or even call for "normal, ordinary" Aussie chicks to be on the cover.

It's time for another change people, get rid of the celebs.

My Personal Collection: Purple jewellery and clothes

2011-04-14T09:25:00.004+09:30

So today it's purple. I have some jewellery but not many clothes. I'm not a big purple fan. I do like plum and amythest tones and have a couple of blouses and tops in those colours.

Bracelets. Made all the bead ones and bought the top ones off ebay and the bottom left from Target for $1.50. God, how cheap.

Found a few sellers on ebay who sell jewellery of course. Got this plum and gold bangle.

This gorgeous silver stretch bracelet.

This amazing tibetan silver style bangle cuff. The stones are only on one side and look lightly marbelized.

A bead necklace from a chain store.

A plum necklace from a clothing store. Got it half price.

Cute little girl from ebay. Only cost $3 something.

This came from ebay too. An amazing mermaid ring.

Two flower rings from chain stores.

Silver and amythest rings from chain stores.

I made this set. I wanted a gold purple set and so did this. Not sure if I still want it though.

Same with this set. I've made and bought so many great things I think these are dowdy now. Made everything except the two small pearl earrings and the real pearl bracelets above them. Bought those at a jeweller. The pink pearl earrings I got for free after complaining to the manager about a staff member. Same store as the bracelets.

Got this set off ebay in a bulk lot of other things.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I don't have many clothes but this is one I will NEVER get rid of. A gorgeous lilac blazer with satin detail. $50 from a clothing store.

My Personal Collection: Brown jewellery and clothes

2011-04-12T09:02:00.003+09:30

Hi all, today is Brown day. As with Orange, I'm not a big fan of brown. As you will see from the pics, I have next to none of this colour in my wardrobe. It's a colour, like yellow and cream, that makes me look sick and pale. It also seems to clash with my brown hair for some reason.

Five acrylic bracelets I made.

A gorgeous brown pearl key necklace from ebay. I'd love to find more to make earrings out of them.

A cameo set which I made except for the ring which I bought from a chain store. A few years ago I bought big bulk lots from ebay and found these, amongst other charms and what nots, in there.

My animal set. The three necklaces, ring, and bottom bracelet all came from chain stores. The top two bracelets from ebay and I made the earrings.

I only have this gold and brown top from Kmart. I know it doesn't look gold but it is. So I wear any set with it.

My Personal Collection: Orange jewellery and clothes

2011-04-07T09:13:00.004+09:30

So today I'm showing you my Orange jewellery. I'm not a fan of orange and so have very little jewellery and no clothes in this colour.

I bought this cameo bracelet on ebay and it was advertised as pink, clearly it's not.

My halloween set which obviously only gets worn once a year. I made the earrings and bracelets and bought the necklace and pumpkin brooch at what we here in Aus call, cheap stores. Similar to 99c stores etc. This is my fish set. I bought the earrings from an op shop, shaved off the paint and repainted them with nail polish and fabric glitter paint. I made the orange bracelet, bought the other on ebay and the necklace was a bracelet which I strung onto a chain. The only reason I made the fish set was to go with this tshirt which I bought from an op shop.

Then I have this apricot heart set. I had the beads and charms lying around and didn't know what to do with them so I made everything...

All to go with this shirt. The shirt's from my sister and I had a waistcoat which I unpicked from the apricot back and mum sowed the fronts into the seams of the shirt to make it one piece. I don't wear it. Or the jewellery.

My Personal Collection: Jewellery Shelves!

2011-04-05T09:29:00.002+09:30

So I started off with plastic jewellery from 1 and 2c machines when I was little. Then came cheap shop jewellery, then came me making and finding more unusual stuff which I then pinned and hung on a cork board so I could see what I had. Then came putting sets into ziplock bags which required a drawer, then two, then three and now they reside in a 5 drawer storage container in part of my wardrobe. And this isn't all of it.Top drawer. Pink, Purple and Red. Second drawer, blue and green.

Third drawer, black and white.

Fourth drawer all gold, plain and multi coloured. Plus a Nancy Drew cosmetic bag of Nancy Drew jewellery most of which I made. It now resides in my bookcase full of Nancy Drew because there was no more room in the container.

Fifth drawer, silver plain and multi colored.

There is also a container of brooches which I don't wear so I won't load pics just yet.