Wednesday 15 September 2010

Slightly Obsessed


The dressing table
I'll let you into a little secret, I've a few clothes, several bags, belts, hats, shoes, boots and scarves but my major obsession is jewellery. I adore it, the bigger and the more outrageous the better. I can wear the same dress over and over again but my earrings change on a daily basis.

Remember this cake stand I bought at an auction for £1? It's now pride of place on my dressing table.
Can you see my brooches? They include an Arts and Crafts Ruskin pottery piece, a Victorian butterfly wing, Mother-of-pearl lovebirds, a bakelite anchor, Whitby jet, 1960's lucite and a couple of Hindu religious pins. There's some inherited engagement rings lurking inside the hinged boxes.
I buy earrings from every place I visit. Can you spot my beautiful "Grumpy Sun" earrings made for me by my gorgeous friend, Jem?
Fine jewellery doesn't interest me in the slightest, you can keep your diamonds and platinum (as I told the company in no uncertain terms who tried to get me promoting their blingy tat last week), it's vintage costume jewellery and odd ethnic pieces that gets me going.

Some bangles in a 1930's leather vanity case
I've had a few requests to show how I store my jewellery but to be honest I don't store it, it's everywhere, spilling off cake stands, hanging up or stuffed in boxes. It's a constant surprise as I'm always uncovering something I'd forgotten about.

More bangles and some rings kept on this handy silver hand
Obsessed? Me?
I made the necklace holder out of a car-booted gilt picture frame I painted antique white, an offcut of chipboard covered in Neisha Crossland wallpaper snaffled off eBay and some cup hooks.

A mix of ethnic, high street and Victorian beauties

More jewellery posts:  Antique here and Tribal here 

What's your obsession?

47 comments:

  1. ooh I love it! I too have the wire mannerquin for my earings x it is great to peep into the secret corners of other peoples homes ~ thank you Vix xxxxx

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  2. I love your pretty jewellery storage methods, Vix. Mine tends to live in pretty boxes all around the flat - which does mean that I tend to forget what I have / where it is!
    Think shoes are my obsession, although recently hats have been my thing!! :)

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  3. que de merveilles !

    je dois avoir autant de choses mais pas vintage...mais alors bien moins bien rangee que toi...

    bonne soiree ;O)

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  4. yup, thats a shedload of jewellery, I'd like to do similar artful piles of shoes but I think H might object when he fell over them:-)

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  5. Hi there-I adore your gorgeous jewellery and the storage solutions, especially the 30s vanity case, really love it!! my obsession at the moment is faux fur, but I need a new obsession I think, lol!! xx

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  6. Oh Vix, this post has made me green with envy. I love your jewellery, every piece I've seen you wear makes me jealous. :)

    xxx

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  7. WOW! I love your dressing table. And How wonderfully you have organized and displayed everything. It makes it looks even more pretty! You might be obsessed but hey You find your obsessions in a very good bargain deals! :) Lovely Post! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I love this post but how odd that it does not have a photo of you in it!

    Not that I have a lot of jewelry but they just can't seem to be contained and they are in nooks and crannies all over the house in little tins or boxes. I am currently looking for something like the mannequin and is that a hand, to hold necklaces and earrings.

    Visited your links and love those dramatic pieces you have. I've never seen these posts before so it looks like I might have some fun digging into your archives!

    ~Bonnie

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  9. OO Vix you've made my day! Your impressive, exquisite and eclectic mix of 'treasures' are beautiful! I love how each piece has a unique story, history and sentimentality about them for the right reasons. As for obsessions I'm still in the process of finding out(ask me in a year, 5 years:). I'm a bit obsessed with good food and the latest superfood that comes on the market. Chai seeds, acai powder anyone?!!!

    xoxox

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  10. My obession is designer clothes that I can't afford. BUT STILL.

    Those sun earrings are gorgeous! I just MIGHT break into your house and rob all that tonight...ya know, get the ferry or something.

    x x x

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  11. Like you perhaps, Vix???!! I'm totally-barmy with the Indian Sub-continent as they are so talented in art, craft, textile and design(only just remembered that:).

    xoxoxxo

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  12. Wowee! You have so many lovely beauties, its must take you ages to get ready with all your wonderful choices of clothes, and then once you have picked what to wear you come to this treasure trove! Have you ever just tipped it all on the bed and rolled in it.. I would, it might be a bit prickly though, on second thoughts...
    Kandi x

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  13. Fascinating post. I'm not a jewellery fan (I know, how can that be!) but just love the way you store your stuff. What little jewellery I possess is stuffed in dark corners of drawers. Love the frame thing you made.

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  14. Vix - you should become a blogger! bahhhhhh hahh! seriously, that cake stand shot with the turquoise square thing and chunky lovelies is the perfect photo for any magazine cover. you are so amazing. i love this treasure trove of madness! i feel so great that i posted the coat. you live in my head saying - no sleep till you post that coat! thank you my lovely friend!

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  15. This post is perfect! Cake stands are perfect for jewlerey I bought one recently for £15 from Urban Outfitters! Yours was a complete bargin! Where did you get tht stand your earings hang so nicely on!

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  16. What a great and colourful display of jewellery. My weakness is handbags. I really hope that I have a daughter so that I can pass them onto her x

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  17. I'm liking all your innovative methods of storing your jewellery and what lovely jewellery it is too. xxx

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  18. Holy Crap! You do have alot of jewellery. I bet it's hard what to wear use day. My obsession is dresses. Agirl can't have too many dresses. xxx

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  19. Ohhh, Vix. What pretty pictures of your treasures, and I love the delicate cream-and-taupe settings for the glinting, colorful beauties. As Sam Harvey commented, these shots are worthy of a magazine!

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  20. Looks like such a decadent boudoir, I love all the bling draped everywhere.

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  21. I love your jewellery storage! I'm obsessed with jewellery too, I can't stop buying it, and when I'm not buying it, I'm making it. :)

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  22. Vix, that is a gorgeous collection of jewellery! It must be so wonderful to have an obsession you can indulge so beautifully!

    I'm giggling a little over your statement that you have a "few" clothes. Your wardrobe is spectacular, and so diverse! :-)

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  23. Now THAT is a jewellery collection! What a fabulous lot to own! x

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  24. ooohhh! What a magpie's treasure trove. So gorgeous! I just love these sorts of posts where people show how they store their baubles and trinkets. They are like personal art installations really. I am going to be returning to this post again and again to drool over these pics! - how great is that cake stand as a jewellery display? That amazing hanging frame with the necklaces - been looking for something like that myself for ages! And all the other wonderful pieces you have on your dressing table.

    My jewellery is usually in a pretty similiar state in terms of taking over the dressing table and I was going to do a pretty similiar post but you've beat me to it!

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  25. The way you organize your accessories is so glamorous! Which doesn't surprise me because YOU are so glamorous. Wanna exchange lives? Lol. ;)

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  26. Dear Vix,
    I totally agree with Penny Dreadful, decadent boudoir indeed!
    Your house is so incredably fabulous & so TIDY!
    The pictures look to me as if ripped straight out of a cool interior design magazine doing a bohemian chic feature...stunning!
    I adore your house & wish my abode looked half as lovely.
    The grumpy suns look almost happy when in company with all your other funky earrings :)
    I'm so glad the parcel arrived & I'm hoping this run of speedy deliveries by the Royal Mail continues, I've had some problemos with them in the past but they seem to be on form at the mo.
    Hope you had as much fun unwrapping it as I did putting it together.
    As I mentioned in my letter, I've got a few more bits & pieces to send your way but they will appear when you least expect it...more fun that way,eh?!
    I've started a little game over at my blog called 'The Blog Barbie Game' & would of course love for you to take part.
    Lot's of love,
    Jem
    ...xXx

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  27. You and I have such similar dressing table setups its not funny, 'cept I have less stuff than you. I might have to show mine off soon!

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  28. oh vix i just fall in love with your blog more and more with each visit. . this is such a post after my own heart. . jewelry from everywhere, vintage, eccentric, decadent but notfineandsnooty!


    you've definitely given me loads of ideas for storage and display as i'm moving next week. can't wait to lay them all out!

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  29. WOWOWOW! a bit jealous here...;)

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  30. What's my obsession? Your jewellery collection!!!! I remember the crinoline ladies' cake stand and it's the perfect platform for your brooches. The necklace frame? I'm copying;) - is that OK? Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing - the pix are beaut! xo

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  31. Love the way you are showing of your jewellery, its an artwork. And your collection is wonderful. I agree with you on fine jewellery, ethnic pieces and vintage are the best.

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  32. OM freakin GAWD!!! I want to play!! OHHHHHHHH such wonders,such treasures.....I share your taste,and some of your obsession-I don't have even a 1/4 of what you have,though!
    I simply must get around to stealing that board idea for necklaces,dammit.
    O,darling,I LOVE it all,I love the way you have it display/stored.....DIVINE!
    LOVE Helga xxxXXXxxx

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  33. You've got a knack for creatively storing your jewellery - I just bung all into into jewellery boxes or hang them on a door hook. My obsession? Boots and bags, can't ever have enough!

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  34. This is so amazing, Vix, you could start your own vintage jewellery shop! I'm so bad with jewellery, but I'm learning... definitely prefer big showy pieces too. What's the use of wearing something you can't see?!? xxx

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  35. Oh Vix, it's all so tidy!! You might say that it's not stored but look how much fab stuff you have on display - and the display methods themselves are rather snazzy too. I'm having a ponder at smartening my accessories storage up a little bit. Won't be anywhere near as good as yours but I can try!

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  36. I love this, Vix! I love the idea of using offbeat solutions to store jewelry, I keep my rings and watches in teacups! Your home looks like a treasureland! Oh, and I'm not opposed to platinum ;)

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  37. just adore the way you keep your jewellery, in such a stylish way!!! love this!

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  38. Wow I am so envious of how nicely your jewellery is displayed, I have mine stuffed in draws hung over my speakers etc its terrible! My obsession is all jewellery, clothes and accessories but mostly shoes.
    Glad the dress found a new home that will love it ;-)
    xx

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  39. Love the way your jewellery is displayed, so pretty! My obsession is material :) hope you have a wonderful day xxx

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  40. Oh my goodness, this post is so wonderful, I love seeing your collections. You are so creative in the way you display your jewellery, I think I’m a little similar with liking to have things on display in a way that suits me and my personality.
    The cake stand makes for the perfect display, I just love the 1930s vanity case too, you have such an exquisite taste. I really like the necklace holder too; I much prefer a DIY project to a fancy department store buy.

    Such a beautiful collection of such treasured items, I can’t express into words how inspiring these photographs simply are xx

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  41. that's a huge collection! wow. you can pretty much customize a plain dress by interchanging accessories.

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  42. Can you believe I still haven't gotten my "room" together YET ? you gave me some terrific ideas. I hate stowing my jewelry away in the armoire. I can't see it. I am gonna hang some line on a picture frame, and hang my earrings on it. Also, a line for my sunnies. I LOVE the tiered plates for your things as well. I love to use out of the ordinary things for an entirely different purpose. I am very buried in getting yard sale things ready to take to my parents. I am having a tough time letting go of my clothes, plus with AAdd, I get easily distracted. An example: I found an old T-shirt I love, so now I am mending it into another wearable item. (And reading blogs ;)

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  43. Dear Vix, I love the way you've used all those pieces. And what an amazing selection of jewellery you have! Great post. I love to see other people's things as you know xx

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  44. I always imagined your jewellery collection to be nothing short of amazing, and you have just confirmed it!

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  45. Drooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!
    ...and not unlike my dresser...I do love the way you store your jewels and I'm like you... not interested in diamonds et al... they bore me.

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix