LyndsieAnna Vintage Earrings Review & Vintage Clutch Handbag Giveaway

I was given the wonderful opportunity to do a review and giveaway for the LyndsieAnna shop on Etsy and can't wait to tell you all about it!

LyndsieAnna is a vintage shop on Etsy that is based out of Georgia which specializes in vintage clothing, accessories, jewelry and photographic art prints. Their selection is quite impressive and they offer something for everyone, from vintage dresses, to vintage tops, to vintage earrings, to vintage hats. They offer very reasonable shipping rates and accept several different forms of payment, including PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and even money orders.

LyndsieAnna has several different vintage accessories and clothing items that I just fell in love with, including a 1920's wool cloche hat, a checked mod shift dress, and a cloisonne pendant necklace.

I was given the chance to review a gorgeous pair of vintage red and gold button clip earrings from LyndsieAnna and absolutely love them! They are very unique and in excellent condition. I can't wait to add them to my everyday wardrobe and know that they are going to be one of my favorite go-to sets of vintage earrings!

LyndsieAnna was kind enough to allow me to host a giveaway for my lucky readers in which one of you will win this gorgeous, vintage 1980's black beaded clutch handbag by Page D. LyndsieAnna describes the handbag as: "a clutch that's just screaming to be taken out for a night on the town. It's teensy tiny, made from polyester. It is completely covered by little black beads on the outside, making it shimmer. The clasp is brassy and made to look antiqued. The little handle, which could loop around your wrist or arm, can also be tucked inside the bag so it can be carried as a clutch. The handle is a stylish combination of larger, faceted beads, alternated with balls constructed of the same seed beads used on the body." I fell in love with this gorgeous vintage black beaded clutch and I know you will too!

Vintage 1980's black beaded clutch handbag by Page D. *Image courtesy of LyndsieAnna, Etsy.

Intricate beading on handle of clutch handbag. *Image courtesy of LyndsieAnna, Etsy.

Interior of clutch handbag. *Image courtesy of LyndsieAnna, Etsy.

Vintage red and gold button clip earrings

1920's Wool Cloche hat available at LyndsieAnna for only $35! *Image courtesy of LyndsieAnna, Etsy.

Checked mod shift dress available at LyndsieAnna for only $35! *Image courtesy of LyndsieAnna, Etsy.

Cloisonne Pendant available at LyndsieAnna for only $20! *Image courtesy of LyndsieAnna, Etsy.

If you would like to have a chance at winning this beautiful vintage beaded clutch from LyndsieAnna, please be sure to enter! One lucky reader will be randomly chosen on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Entries must be received by Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. The winning reader will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with their name and mailing address.

Good luck!

I would just like to convey my thanks and gratitude to the wonderful folks at LyndsieAnna for giving me the opportunity to do a review and giveaway on just a few of their many, gorgeous vintage items that they carry in their shop. Please be sure to take a look at everything that they offer in their Etsy store!

XOXO, Crystal


Mandatory entry:

• Follow me on Google Friends Connect and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your GFC username and email address.
  

Extra entries:

• Follow the Vintage Loving Mom on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you follow, along with your Facebook username and your email address (worth 1 entry).

• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your Twitter username and your email address (worth 1 entry).
  
  
• Follow me on Networked Blogs and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your Networked Blogs username and your email address (worth 1 entry).
  

Giveaway Reminders

I just wanted to remind my readers that the Little Angels Jewelry sailor anchor earrings giveaway will be ending soon, so make sure you enter to win by Tuesday, 3/29/11 by 11:59pm EST.

Sailor anchor earrings from Little Angels Jewelry that could be yours!

I also have another new giveaway that just started, which is for a My Girl and Me vintage sak handbag. Please be sure to enter that giveaway by Monday, 4/11/11 by 11:59pm EST.

Vintage cream-colored sak handbag from My Girl and Me that could be yours!

My Girl and Me Vintage Review and Handbag Giveaway

I was recently given the wonderful opportunity to do a review and giveaway for My Girl and Me, who has a lovely vintage shop with amazing vintage treasures on Etsy.

My Girl and Me is a vintage shop based out of Chicago, Illinois and carries all sorts of beautiful vintage items including handbags, hats, clothing, jewelry, belts and accessories. Their selection of vintage clothing and accessories is absolutely stunning and they have many different items to choose from, all of which are very reasonably priced. They offer very affordable shipping rates and accept several different forms of payment, including PayPal, money orders and checks. My Girl and Me offers gifting options in which they can ship the item directly to the recipient that it's intended for.

My Girl and Me's philosophy: "We Just adore seeking out timeless treasures, It reminds us of a time when things spoke for themselves. The Lines, Curves, Fabrics and Materials. We at mygirlandme are always finding ways to reuse what we have or make new again something old."

The shop carries many different items that you will love, such as a vintage cream-colored rolled brim hat with a bow, a vintage floral belted blouse, and a vintage red polka dot double buckle stretch belt, all of which are pictured below.

*Image used courtesy of My Girl and Me, Etsy

*Image used courtesy of My Girl and Me, Etsy

*Image used courtesy of My Girl and Me, Etsy

Review

I was given the opportunity to review a vintage gold brooch from My Girl and Me and I was thoroughly impressed. The brooch is beautiful and features small yellow clover flowers. It is a beautiful addition to my vintage jewelry collection and I will be wearing it often for many years to come, thanks to My Girl and Me! I was genuinely impressed with the large selection of authentic, beautiful and cared-for vintage items that their shop carries and will be making many more future purchases from My Girl and Me!



Giveaway

My Girl and Me was gracious enough to give one lucky reader of mine an opportunity to win a vintage, creamy-colored sak bag of theirs! The handbag is a creamy white color, has clear lucite handles, and is in excellent, cared-for condition. The bag measures 9 inches wide, 11 inches tall and has a 4.5 inch-wide opening. I absolutely fell in love with this beautiful bag and I know that you will too!



If you would like to have a chance at winning this beautiful sak bag from My Girl and Me, please be sure to enter! One lucky reader will be randomly chosen on Tuesday, April 12, 2011. Entries must be received by Monday, April 11, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. The winning reader will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with their name and mailing address.

Good luck!

I would just like to convey my thanks and gratitude to the wonderful folks at My Girl and Me for giving me the opportunity to do a review and giveaway on just a few of their many, gorgeous vintage items that they carry in their shop. Please be sure to take a look at everything that they offer in their Etsy store!

XOXO, Crystal


Mandatory entry:

• Follow me on Google Friends Connect and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your name and email address.
  

Extra entries:

• Follow the Vintage Loving Mom on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you follow, along with your Facebook username (worth 1 entry).

• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your Twitter username (worth 1 entry).
  
  
• Follow me on Networked Blogs and leave a comment letting me know that you follow (worth 1 entry).

Friday Favorites: Pearl Necklaces, polka dots, miniature roses, Linkin Park & Tim Burton

My favorites that I find myself gravitating towards this week include:

A vintage pearl necklace that I purchased at a yard sale a few years ago from a sweet, little old lady, for approximately $0.75.


Anything with polka dots, and this week that includes this lightweight decorative scarf from Beehive that I purchased last year.


White and yellow miniature rose hair clips from Belle Blossoms.


Linkin Park's newest album, A Thousand Suns, which I've been enjoying for several months now.

*Image used courtesy of Linkin Park

And last, but not least, the work of the incredible and talented Mr. Tim Burton, who amazes me each year with each new piece, installment, and film that he creates!

Tim Burton & Johnny Depp (as Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
*Image used courtesy of Connect.In.com

What favorites have you enjoyed this week? Please share!

XOXO, Crystal

Friday Favorites: Cucumber Seed Earrings & Cry-Baby!

I thought I would start a new tradition and share with my readers a few of my favorite things in life, from vintage to rockabilly to pinup, each Friday.

This week, I'm loving the handmade and absolutely unique red cucumber seed earrings that I purchased last year from the Southern Highland Craft Guild which is located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The guild shop features all sorts of regionally handmade crafts ranging from jewelry to pottery to bowls to stained glass to home decor, most of which can either be purchased in person or through their online store. The guild features art exhibitions and crafting classes and workshops to the public as well. I just love these earrings and wear them frequently and also have them in blue. They are made from the actual seeds of a cucumber (the large- and small-sized seeds) and are then painted. They are available in blue, fuschia, lavender, lime, natural, red and yellow. Each pair is priced at $10 and does not include shipping if you purchase them online. Check them out, as I'm sure you will love them!

*Image used courtesy of the Southern Highland Craft Guild

Lastly, my favorite reminiscence for this Friday is the look, feel and overall vibe of the 1990 cult-classic and rockabilly film Cry-baby. I absolutely loved this movie when it came out and have seen it many, many times. With a young and up-and-coming Johnny Depp as Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, it quickly became one of my modern-day vintage-feel favorites! Set in the mid 50's, the movie centers around the life of two teenage gangs known as the Drapes and the Squares. Cry-Baby is a troubled delinquent who falls for a prim and proper girl by the name of Allison. Their escapades quickly drag them both into trouble, along with Cry-Baby's friends and family. Allison makes a change for the bad and quickly won me over with her bad-girl makeover, courtesy of Cry-Baby's sister, Pepper, and her friends Wanda and Hatchet Face. The costume design and musicals in this number were just completely wonderful and it is still a favorite of mine to watch for years to come!

*Image used courtesy of JohnnyDeppFan.com

So, have a fun-filled Friday and an awesome weekend. Do you have any Friday favorites that you can't live without? Be sure to share!

XOXO, Crystal

Little Angels Jewelry Review & Giveaway

I was recently given the gracious opportunity to do a review on some beautiful and unique, quality jewelry from the Little Angels Jewelry shop on Etsy.

Little Angels Jewelry is a shop that specializes in handmade jewelry ranging from punk, to rockabilly, to vintage reproduction, to steampunk, to quirky, and I was simply blown away by their huge assortment and quality! They carry a very large assortment of necklaces, cuffllinks, earrings, rings, brooches, and even totes, hair items, and wedding items. The folks at Little Angels Jewelry take pride in their quality work and offer their items at a very affordable price, and can even do custom orders or wholesale orders, simply by asking. The shop regularly features discounts to return customers on their Etsy shop and is wonderful to work with.

I was allowed the opportunity to review a brooch of theirs and to also host a giveaway for a pair of their gorgeous earrings.

The brooch that I reviewed is one of their signature scissors brooches that features scroll and filigree work at the base of the blades, in between the handles and a clasp pin on the back of the brooch for secure pinning. It is about 2.5" long and around 1" wide at the base of the handles. It is silver and has a distinctive black tarnish around the perimeter to give it a genuine and vintage appearance. I wore the brooch on a cardigan and it looked beautiful and held firmly the entire day! I truly love the brooch and will be wearing it quite often! You can view more information about this particular brooch here.



The earrings that were graciously donated by Little Angels Jewelry for a giveaway to one of my lucky readers are truly unique and one of a kind. Any vintage, pinup, rockabilly or nautical enthusiast would certainly love to get their hands on them! I was lucky enough to receive this pair of beautiful sailor earrings that features a slide-in hoop earring and an anchor with a rope wound round the middle base. They are silver with distince black tarnishing to give them that vintage feel. They measure around 1.25" tall from the base of the earring tip to the bottom of the anchor and are around 0.75" inches wide. These earrings are simply gorgeous and would make a great addition to any girl's wardrobe, and one lucky reader of mine will win this exact pair! You can view more information about this pair of earrings here.



If you would like to have a chance at winning this beautiful pair of anchor earrings, please be sure to enter! One lucky reader will be randomly chosen on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. Entries must be received by Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. The winning reader will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with their name and mailing address.

Good luck!

Many, many thanks to the wonderful folks at Little Angels Jewelry for giving me the opportunity to do a review and giveaway on just a few of their many, gorgeous items that they carry in their shop. Please be sure to take a look at everything that they offer in their Etsy store and on their website!

XOXO, Crystal


Mandatory entry:

• Follow me on Google Friends Connect and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your name and email address.

Extra entries:

• Follow the Vintage Loving Mom on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you follow, along with your Facebook username (worth 1 entry).
  

• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your Twitter username (worth 1 entry).

• Follow me on Networked Blogs and leave a comment letting me know that you follow (worth 1 entry).

Necklace giveaway!

I have a treat for all my followers. I recently acquired two awesome necklaces, and since I have one for myself, I am doing a giveaway for the other!

This beaded black and white necklace features a smooth, pearlescent shell with a skull and crossbones along with a red heart and banner that reads "Love Kills Slowly." It was purchased at a local boutique in South Carolina and is really a great accessory piece in my opinion. The necklace measures 11" long when fastened and the shell disc is about 2.25" wide.





If you would like to have a chance at winning this giveaway, please be sure to enter! One lucky reader will be randomly chosen on Friday, March 18, 2011. Entries must be received by Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. The winning reader will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with their name and mailing address.

Good luck!


Mandatory entry:

• Comment on this post with your name and email address.

Extra entries:

• Follow the Vintage Loving Mom on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you follow, along with your Facebook username (worth 1 entry).
  

• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know that you follow, along with your Twitter username (worth 1 entry).

• Follow me on Networked Blogs and leave a comment letting me know that you follow (worth 1 entry).
  

• Follow me on Google Friends Connect and leave a comment letting me know that you follow (worth 1 entry).

Refurbishing vintage earrings

I absolutely love vintage earrings; the quirkier and unique, the better. I often find myself searching antique malls, estate sales, yard sales, flea markets, and various websites for the next perfect pair of vintage earrings. Too often, I would find a pair that were just gorgeous, completely authentic, and in wonderful condition, only to find that they were clip-on or screwbacks. I have tried and tried to wear these types of earrings, but they are just torture on my lobes. Alas, I can only wear hypoallergenic posts in my ears. After some creativity, however, I came up with a way to convert vintage finds to a modern-day pierced earring.

When looking for earrings, I always look for a set that are unique and appealing to my tastes, building upon a current wardrobe, as I don't think I would ever wear earrings that I didn't have anything to match them up with in some fashion. The most important feature to consider when you are going to convert vintage earrings to post earrings is if the back of the earring has a flat enough surface to hold a post. Sadly, there have been one or two sets that I have had to pass up, as the backs were in just too bad of a shape to convert and last.

Items you'll need to convert vintage earrings
Two-part epoxy (make sure to check label that solution is safe on metal and/or plastic)
Q-tips
Wire snips
Metal file
Flat back earring posts (typically found in any crafts store)
Rubber or metal earring backs (typically found in any crafts store)
Cardboard piece (thick enough to work on with the epoxy)

The first step in converting to post earrings is the removal of the old hardware on the back of the earrings. I use wire snips or a pair of needle-nose pliers to twist off the clips or screwbacks at the very base of the surface, as close as you can get. I then use a metal file to wear down any left over stump from the clip or screwback. This may take a little time, but not as much if you got as close as possible to the flat surface on the back of the earring. You want to have the surface flat so that the post will lie flat and adhere better to the backing. I then snip off the head of a q-tip, which works great in mixing the epoxy and applying it to the backing. Next, I mix the two parts of the epoxy on the cardboard piece and get right to setting the posts on the back of the earrings. You will have to work in a timely manner, since the epoxy will start to set if you leave it for too long. I dab the cut end of the q-tip in the epoxy and swirl a small amount on the flat surface of the earring post, then apply directly to the earring back. I set the posts in the very center of the earring back, though you can go higher if you desire. You will still have a minute or two for moving the back around to get the placement just where you want it. Lastly, I set the earrings back-side facing up on a flat surface to dry untouched for about 24 hours, when the epoxy will be fully set and dry. The earrings are then ready to wear!

I have purchased many sets over the years that have found a wonderful new home where they will be cared for and used each and every day. Some can be purchased for only a few dollars if you find a good deal; others I have paid more for but they were well worth it. In my opinion, you just can't find the selection, quality and craftsmanship in today's reproduction earrings like you can with the real deal!

Happy crafting, all!

Sincerely, Crystal


A vintage find from a flea market, unconverted.
I'm a sucker for green and polka dots!


The earring posts and backings that I use.


Just a few of the vintage finds I have located and
converted to pierced earrings.