Monday Style: Snake Jewelry

Ever since I included this beautiful Snake Coil Ring from Odette New York in my recent Nature-Inspired Jewelry post, I have been obsessing over the snake jewelry. I even called my Mom and inquired about the sterling silver snake ring she used to have when I was little: it had a small turquoise gem as the snake's eye...
Snake jewelry adds a touch of tough-chic to any outfit. It is sort of the scull & bones of the modern day, it's rock'n'roll. The jewelry I've included in this post is a wide variety of styles for different tastes and budgets.

Rose Gold & Champagne Diamond Earrings

Python Diamond Ring

Set of Mixed Bangles

Black Mamba Diamond Necklace

Coiled Serpents Ring

Triple Coil Silver Snake Ring

Serpentine Cuff

Snake Triple Coil Ring

Silver & Ruby IL Serpente Bracelet

Triple Serpent Ring

Letters From Home

It was way before Skype, when we used to write each other letters, my Mom would include a little surprise inside, something sentimental, something that meant so much to me. She would dry a flower or a leaf and place it between pages of a hand-written message, her beautiful cursive, nesting between each line, one-of-a-kind. Just like her writing, each plant would dry in its unique way.

The other day I re-discovered my little Herbarium collection in a long forgotten book. The red flowers belong to a plant that I believe may be a part of cactus family. It has long rose-like stems with thorns, and it blooms very often. Very colorful little flowers pop atop every stem, making it look very festive. I cannot recall its name.

The green leaves of Adiantum, that is commonly called maidenhair, are so delicate and pretty. It is one of my favorite indoors plants.

This beautiful artwork of blooming cacti by Lisa Rivas makes me smile.

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

Photos by navyblueshoe
Monogram on stockings: hand-embroidery by my Mom.
Ribbon: hand-dyed and finished by navyblueshoe

Friday Arts & Crafts: Do It Yourself: Lace Roman Shade

Recently my Mom brought me these delicate lace trims and fabrics she has been collecting for many years. Now that I am all grown up, I can have them! At first I hung this 100% cotton lace fabric as a plain window panel coming down all the way to the floor. But it was not working as it was obstructing the beautiful view of our garden.

After a bit of a brainstorming I decided to transform the lace into a roman shade of some sorts. I came up with ruching the delicate fabric with white ribbon, no sewing involved. Using the trick that my Mom taught me once, I attached a safety pin to the end of the ribbon and went through the lace measuring equal distance for each "stitch". Tying each strand of ribbon at the end in a bow, and gathering the fabric to the desirable length, I ended up with a window treatment that adds softness to the hard surfaces of the room and keeps the window view unobstructed.

Floors, Slippers & Rugs

When I was growing up shoes were never allowed in my house. It was not even a question; it was part of our culture. You had an option of either walking barefoot or wearing slippers. We always had a great selection of slippers for our guests.

I remember every summer my mom would put away all of the rugs. She'd say bare floors make it easier to breathe when it is hot. And it did. It also made it easier to mop the floors more often to keep them super clean.

Now that I live thousands of miles away from home same rules apply. At times I feel embarrassed asking people to take off their shoes, but I still do. Why bring the dirt and germs inside? Plus it could save a rug or two...

I love clean floors. I enjoy walking barefoot and feel nothing but the wood boards under my feet, not even a single bread crumb is allowed. And now that the summertime is over I am ready to put on my slippers and roll out those rugs.

In my opinion slippers don't have to be ugly or funny. They can be elegant and feminine. This is how I like my slippers to be, like this Peppermint one:


Or the Doublar in silver and Iris in gold:


Well, you get the idea...

As for the rugs, this Laser Cut Java Runner would work perfectly at the entrance. Shoes will not go beyond this point, and the dark color will easily hide the dirt.


The Status Stripe Dhurrie could be another option, depending on one's taste:


Or how about the Jaguar Rug:


Or the Field of Poppies Hand-Knotted Rug:



None of this may be your style at all, but if for some reason you do decide to visit you better be ready to take off those shoes!