Still Time for a Little Valentines Shopping!

Click HERE to come shop.

Dreaming of Paris...

Dreaming of our visit to the Tuileries Garden while I work in the studio today with jewelry pieces that I found in Paris....sigh....even in the rain, Paris is beautiful. 

Vintage Paris earrings coming to the website on Monday.

Our New Website!

It's been a busy start to the new year!  We updated our website with a brand new design and we are loving the clean and elegant feel about it.  I enjoyed working with Catherine Haugland at Avalon Rose Design.  She was able to take my rough ideas and make them into something better and more beautiful. 

I also revamped all of our marketing and packaging materials and have been shopping up a storm for beautiful antique and vintage elements to work with.  The new jewels are starting to be added to the new website, so if you have not been by to visit in awhile, please come visit HERE!  

P.S. ~  there is FREE shipping as a Valentines treat too!   Just order by Tuesday, Feb. 5th. ~ *offer not valid on previous orders or international orders.

merci mon amies  xoxo ~ Joy

On My Workbench…

The mail this morning brought new (old!) treasures….

I am really excited to work with these beauties in particular….originating from a European source, these miniature hand painted portraits….. 

These tiny antique portraits were created for pendants many years ago and were found in the excess supply of a long-ago closed jewelry shop.  They were still un-mounted and are in pristine condition for their age.   With my jewelers loop I can see the actual tiny brush strokes and I am amazed at the detail and their special beauty.   I can’t wait to give these ladies a new life in some pretty vintage pendants and lockets. 

….a few more lockets and perfume pendants also came today… 

….and vintage buttons, pearls and beads are always yummy to work with.

I had planned to take a few days off to enjoy the holidays but after seeing these beauties in the mail today, I have already started designing some new jewelry pieces….stay tuned! 

xoxo ~ Joy

Join me at Le Petit Trianon!

I had a chance this weekend to work on a few photo projects and wanted to share my recent visit to the Petit Trianon with you. 

I tried to capture a romantic and elegant feeling with my photos and hope that all of you who adore anything Marie Antoinette related will enjoy the video.  Please click HERE to start your tour!    

xoxo ~ Joy

 

Golden Beauties

My workbench has been covered with vintage elements in shades of bronze and gold this week. 

As I most often work in tarnished silver, the golden hue was a fun change of pace! These are just a few of my newest designs that will be listed on the website later this week.... 

xoxo ~ Joy

The Petit Trianon at Versailles

Of all the places I dreamed of visiting in France, the Petit Trianon was at the top of my list.  The simplicity and elegant beauty of this home, as compared to the gilded excess of Versailles, made it easy to understand why Marie Antoinette loved spending time there.  I shot over 1,200+ photos at Versailles that day and I thought I would share some of my favorites from the Petit Trianon.

It was raining the day we went to Versailles, but as we walked up the tree lined avenue to the Petit Trianon, the sun broke out and my first glimpse of Marie Antoinette’s home was radiant…almost as if she was welcoming me there after so many years of dreaming of this day…

The ground floor entrance takes you through the service areas first.  The faded blue/grey painted door and window details made me sigh....not to mention the marble floors worn smooth over centuries of history walking over them...

The china storage room had beautiful plates displayed that belong to Marie Antoinette....

This simple room was where meals were prepared for serving.....

...and finally you come to the beautiful stairway that takes you up to the living floors....

The salon is simply gorgeous.  The raspberry red fabric stood out against all the beautiful details of the walls, ceiling and floors....

After seeing this portrait in so many books over the years, it was a thrill to see it in person.  I thought the beautiful carved and gilded frame was as beautiful as the actual painting!

Loved this chandelier too since the design is as beautiful as it is practical.  The glass surround kept the candles from blowing out when the windows were open for fresh air.

....sigh.....

Beautiful paintings graced the tops of doorways and the details in the ceiling and wall moldings stopped me in my tracks several times....

...even the doors with their hand carved details, door knobs and latches were amazing to see...

 

 

Maries Antoinette's favorite room in the Petit Trianon...her sitting room with the moving walls of mirrors that could be raised and lowered to cover the windows to insure privacy.

Her simple bedroom which is very restful looking as compared to her formal state bedroom in Versailles....

This chair is original to Marie Antoinette as well as the fabric that covers it.....

I loved this life sized bust of Marie Antoinette and thought she would be beautiful in my studio wearing jewelry!  You can buy copies in the gift shop....but at 2,300 Euros...it was a little out of my budget...LOL...besides, I think Air France would have made me buy an extra seat ticket for her on the return trip home....

Loved this blue carved bench too....it lines along the back wall of the Petit Trianon and was a beautiful place to take a break and enjoy the view......

....of Cupids Temple.....a lovely and romantic garden feature.

Thank you for visiting with me today and allowing me to share this very special place with you!  As things are crazy busy in the studio right now, it's nice to take a break and remember the incredible beauty of the Petit Trianon.   Merci ~  xoxo ~ Joy