I stopped by a thrift shop on my way one and came across this safety pin bracelet. I remember them from I was younger when I had an orange one. Even though I had no idea whether I would ever wear it, I snatched it. You know that nostalgic feeling, it´s hard to shake. When I got home I googled the “art” of safety pin jewelry making, and I came across a cute kid´s site with loads of instructions for different creations. I especially like the brooches, they seem like fun little projects for rainy days, much like in the spirit of the friendship bracelets I attempted making earlier.

Pearl of Maya & Ruhi was so sweet to send me these beautiful handmade earrings. I just adore the color combination and the little swirls! You can find a lot more in her shop, where I have been drooling over some great bracelets amongst other things.

Julia deVille´s jewelry can not be described as ordinary. Shocking, provocative and ironic are often better words to use, but there´s still something so beautiful and quiet over her work. If I only had the money I would invest in a little something for myself…

Almost every Saturday over the last few years have involved thrift shopping in one way or another. It´s one of my absolute favorite things to do. I love searching through piles and piles of crap for those few gems, and I love to find things I never would have thought of wearing otherwise. Today I got a pair of pants. I have two pairs of jeans that I wear, no pants. I mean, I have them, I just don´t wear them. When I spotted these on a sale rack for $2 I figured it was about time to give them a go. They were too short and had an awkward cut to them. I lengthened them, made them skinnier and folded up the hems. I realize this may take some time getting used to and I might end up altering them even more before I am satisfied, but I am still pleased to have found something that is so completely different from everything else I own.

I also got a few more bow ties to wear in my hair or on my wrist.

An odd necklace. Update: Due to help from a kind reader I have discovered that the necklace is from the Finnish designer Pentti Sarpaneva and is actually quite valuable!

And a chain belt with tassels. I might turn this into something else as I rarely wear belts like that.

I´ve never been a flats girl. Somehow, even though I am quite tall, they make me feel stumpy. But lately, as I´ve purchased a maxi dress as well as a long skirt, I´ve been playing with the idea of getting a pair of flats to wear with them. Today I came across these leather gladiator sandals at a thrift shop at $10 and I figured that was a price I was willing to pay to test it out.

The butterfly necklace is another thing I thrifted with spring in mind. I love that it´s so big.

At last I got a scarf and a set of gold bracelets.

I intended to stay far away from shops this week. Oh, well…

I´m going all black today. I guess the weather is still getting to me. Instead of colors I am wearing a set of rings that mean a lot to me. The big flower ring is one that was given to my mom by her parents, that my mom gave to me, and that I will give to my future daughter someday. The ring with the ruby is the engagement ring that my dad gave my mom. And of course my wedding ring. The rest are just from various high street shops. Now I am off to H&M to track down a dress that I want. I am also planning on getting a dark red lipstick, like my nail polish. I wear so much lipstick these days that I need some variation.

Dress: Secondhand
Bag: Vintage
Tuxedo belt: Secondhand
Rings: Various gifts and shops

Today is your last chance to enter the Alex & Chloe contest. Send in your artwork inspired by the Black Diamond collection and get a chance to win a box set of three jewelry pieces! Since we’re dealing with time differences here, I won’t be too fuzzy about setting an exact hour for when your entries have to be in, as long as it’s resonably within the limit. Good luck!

It´s a week into the Alex & Chloe sweepstake which means there´s one week left to submit your work and get your chance to win a box set of three Alex & Chloe necklaces. All submissions are to be sent to hello@stylebytes.net. I have replied to all of those who have already sent in your work, so if you haven´t received a reply you should send it again or leave me a comment here so I can contact you. (You never know what ends up in the spam box these days.)

Keep ´em coming and good luck!

It´s strange sometimes the people I get in touch with because of the blog. I recently got a mail from a woman who had sorted through her old jewelry, and instead of tossing out what she wasn´t going to keep, she thought of me. I obviously offered to pay her, but she didn´t want anything in return, and since I believe that all jewelry and clothing deserves to be worn, I met up with her today. This is what I got, my favorites being the giant earrings, the bangles, the Maltese cross brooch along with the tiger brooch.

And as if this wasn´t enough, she also brought along a pair of Gucci loafers that were too small for her!

Sometimes the best things in life really are free, and not only for the fact that I got all this stuff, but for meeting such a generous soul.

It’s time for the first sweepstake ever on this blog! In collaboration with Alex & Chloe (you know I love their jewelry) you now have the opportunity to get a little in return for faithfully stopping by here every now and then.

Alex & Chloe recently launched their Black Diamonds collection which is quirkier and more beautiful than ever. The price consists of no less than three pieces from this collection – Alex’s Zero Carat Diamond in Silver, Dark Crystal in Gold, and Bermuda Triangle in Black.

To get a chance at winning this box set we want you to submit an artwork that is inspired by the Black Diamonds collection. This can be a photograph, painting, collage, drawing – whatever media you you want. How you want to solve the challenge is completely up to you. You will have two weeks to submit your contribution, which means you will have to submit your artwork within the 10th of March. After that date Alex & Chloe will choose three favorites, so will I, and we’ll choose the winner from there.

All contributions can be sent to hello@stylebytes.net. Please type “Alex & Chloe” in the subject field to make it a little easier for me to sort through the mails. I will let each contestant know I received the mail so if any of you don’t receive a reply you should try sending it again.

I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with – I know there are a lot of creative people out there! Good luck to all of you!

I received this Gossamar Wings necklace from 1ofmykind today! Oh, how perfect it is! You guys now get an automated 10% discount at her shop by entering the code “stylebytes” at checkout. I was supposed to take my own picture of the necklace, but the ones in the shop does so much more justice to it than what I manage to produce.

There’s a whole world out there with stuff I either didn’t know about or didn´t considered as an option. Usually I find these things at flea markets and thrift shops, but during winter the selection is much poorer and the Internet becomes the source of all things new. Beaded earrings is an American thing, maybe Native American, and I haven’t seen them over here as far as I can remember. It all started over at Bona Drag where they have this amazing pair.

They were souring in the back of my mind until a wolf pair popped up while browsing through eBay. Suddenly I discovered that people actually make a living out of making these things. And so my hunt began. They would have to be big and a little trashy looking and I’ve fallen in love with the animals in the form of wolfs and eagles, the more ethnic inspired and the colorful and fun parrot earrings. I came across this shop on eBay where you can have them especially altered for your need. I think I am going for both the Bona Drag pair and the wolves.

These rings aren´t much different from the ones I wrote about earlier this week, but they cost less and you get them with multiple stones. Not to mention, as a Style Bytes reader you get $10 off every ring you purchase through La Pisette exclusive Style Bytes offer. I love the color combinations of the multistone rings and I am getting one for myself.

The fantastic rings I wrote about ages ago from Anne Maa are now on sale; 45 – 75% off! I wish I didn´t already spend so much money on other things!

I was browsing through Etsy the other day on the lookout for jewelry. That site is huge and it´s nearly impossible to get a good overview of all the designers, but I did come across one that stuck out; 1ofmykind. The designer seem to have sold a huge amount of jewelry, so many of you may have heard of her before, the rest of you can expect some real treats. I especially love the earrings and necklaces. If you´d like to get one of your own, all Style Bytes readers get 10% off if you tell her upfront. This goes both for the Etsy shop and the web shop.