On My Nightstand...

At the end of a busy day, I really love to curl up with a good book while snuggled under blankets in bed.  It’s a great way to relax and wind down from the day before heading off to la la land.  Two new books hit my nightstand last week that I want to share with those of you who enjoy French history and anything related to Marie Antoinette….

Marie Antoinette’s Head – The Royal Hairdresser, the Queen and the Revolution, by Will Bashor.  Just published last month, this new biography about Marie Antoinette’s hairdresser, Leonard, is a fun read.  It’s been reviewed as being “The Devil Wears Prada comes to Versailles”.  I found my copy on Amazon, HERE

Marie Antoinette’s Versailles by Cecile Berly.  This book is beautifully photographed and features the public and private places of Marie Antoinette at Versailles.  The book is produced and sold in France, but there is an English translation available from the boutique bookshop at Versailles.  I ordered my copy online direct from Versailles and received it in less than a week.  You can purchase a copy too by going to HERE.

 

xoxo ~ Joy

Plan de Paris - Turgot's Map of Paris in 1739

As the renovation process with our new home dragged on....

I was planning how I would decorate our new space.

There was one piece of artwork that we had been saving for a special place and I knew exactly where it would go.  Come on in and see the "after"......

I had been wanting a copy of Turgot's Historical Map of Paris published in 1739.  While in France, I searched the flea markets and book shops of Paris searching for a vintage version of this perfect souvenir.  I had no luck.

We finally found our map in Kansas City of all places!  We had seen it on a shop wall and the owner offered it to us at half price because he was taking it down to decorate for the holidays.  It was very large and since we were flying we turned down his kind offer.  It was one of those decisions you come to regret. 

This past May, about a year and a half later, we returned to that shop and I mentioned our regret over missing out on that opportunity while chatting with the shop owner.  "You're in luck" he said!  He had stored it in the basement and he kindly offered it to us at a great sale price.  This time we said "YES"!  We packed it in large shipping tubes, crossed our fingers that it would find its way back to Florida and it did....and now it hangs in our new living room....

According to Wikimedia.org.... 

"Turgot's map of Paris is possibly the most ambitious urban mapping ever undertaken. Shows the whole of 18th century Paris and offers a wonderful perspective on the city prior to Baron Georges Eugène Haussmann’s 19th-century redesign. Turgot, who held the mayor-like office of Prévôt des Marchands de Paris , commissioned Louis Bretez and Claude Lucas to produce this map in 1734. Oriented to the east on an axonometrical projection, this map is best understood as an aerial view where in every building, window, tree, shadow and park is shown. It took the team nearly five years of exhaustive sketching and surveying to assemble this masterpiece. In order to produce the thousands of sketches and surveys required to complete this map, Bretez was issued a permit to enter every building in Paris."

As my husband is an Urban Planner and I am such a dork about anything related to Paris, I feel like this is the perfect piece of art for our home.

And it's also useful!  While reading my French history books, I can go to the wall and locate the exact building or streets to put everything into perspective.  Not to mention that I am easily distracted during TV commercials and find myself retracing our steps when we were in Paris last year.  I see something new every time I look at it.

See Notre Dame?



...and the Louvre....

...and the Tuileries Palace which long ago burned down.....

Although the shop we purchased this from no longer has this map in stock, you can find a copy at Restoration Hardware, shown below....

 

...or with Majesty Maps,  HERE

 

 

xo ~ Joy

Pop-Up Sale! 1 Day only!

SALE!!  1 Day only!!!    Today marks the 220th anniversary date of Marie Antoinette's execution.

To honor her memory I am offering a beautiful golden antique locket necklace filled with photographs that I personally took of her bedroom ceiling at Chateau Fountainebleau on my last trip to France.  

Gorgeous painted angels and cherubs that Marie's eyes once gazed upon, grace this beautiful one of a kind antique necklace.  

This one of a kind necklace is on sale for 20% off with FREE shipping too.  Click HERE to come shop and save.

Merci mon amies - Vive la Reine!   ~ xoxo ~ Joy




 

Remembering Paris....

It was just a year ago this weekend that my hubby and I boarded an Air France jet for Paris.  We were reminiscing all weekend long saying to each other...."this exact time last year we were....." 

In honor of the anniversary, this weekend we enjoyed croissants, French beer and wine, and Sunday night dinner was Paris Chicken.  We also enjoyed looking over our photo albums and I thought I would share some of my favorite photos with you.

We stayed for 2 weeks in this charming apartment located just a block and a half from the Louvre on Rue Saint Honore.  We booked our apartment thru HERE and their services were great and I will use them for our next trip.

Our apartment was located above a Boulangerie & Patisserie and every morning around 5:00 am we would be awaken by the delicious smells of fresh bread and pastries being baked in the shop below.   It was a memorable and delicious way to start our day!

We made a beeline for the Eiffel Tower.  My long held dream has been to go to the top of the tower, kiss my husband and drink champagne.  Check.

Then off to photograph the most beautiful city in the world.  I was packing my big girl camera!

For our first full day in Paris, we blocked a whole day for the Louvre.  Exploring every nook and cranny that we could find....and there are lots!  You can't see the Louvre in a day....but we did our best. 

The famous glass pyramid is really an entrance.....this is what you see from below.....

The art is jaw dropping in beauty and scale....

....and the ceilings are every bit as beautiful as the art hanging on the walls.....

Everyone makes a run for the Mona Lisa first.  I found taking a photo of those trying to get close and take a photo of Mona more interesting.......

....then everyone runs for Winged Victory.  It is stunning to see her in all her glory.

Personally, I found some of the interior stairways to be the most beautiful and peaceful places inside the Louvre.....

....and after walking miles and miles that day, even a marble bed looks like a comfortable place to take a rest!

Every little thing your eyes take in is beautiful in detail and photo worthy....some of my favorite photos were the ones I took looking outside thru centuries old windows and glass panes....

On the way back to our apartment, we enjoyed a stroll through the Tuileries gardens.  I have read about these gardens for so many years and to finally be able to take in the beauty of this special place was a dream come true.  Day One in Paris - done!!!

Although we were there just a year ago, sometimes it seems like just yesterday and other times it seems like a lifetime ago.  Paris is enchanting and she gets under your skin.  I know that I will visit her again, it may not be soon, but someday I will return.  Until then, I have my photos and sweet memories and thank you for allowing me to share these with you here in my little corner of blogland.   More photos to come over the next week or so :)   ~ Mercie mon amies ~ xoxo Joy

Inspired....

A pink sunset on the bayou last night…. Enjoying a sunset and a glass of wine on the balcony makes the stress of moving and unpacking boxes totally disappear! 

 

 

....and today in the studio, I am inspired to work with pink stones and darker metal tones….a glowing sunset transferred into jewelry J     New jewels coming this weekend!  ~ xo ~ Joy

 

Studio Update!

Things are so very busy these days in the studio!   Slowly but surely, I am adding more jewels to the website, so please stay tuned….. 

 

 

I feel so blessed by my wonderful customers who come by and make a purchase from me.  I LOVE what I do and your faith and support in my little business helps to keep me going and allows me to continue making these special jewels. 

Do you follow me on Facebook?  I find that I am using Facebook more and more because it is simple and fast to update everything in one place.  With over 2,200 + followers on my Facebook page, I can reach more of my customers there than I can here on my blog. 

 

If you are not following me on Facebook yet, please click the link below and come signup to follow me there.

My FaceBook Page

 Merci mon amies!  ~ xoxo Joy

Video Collection #6

A new video to share with many of my newest designs!




~ xoxo ~ Joy

Antique Watch Fob Jewelry

From as early as the 16^th century until World War I, when the wrist watch became popular, one would carry their timepiece on chains or ribbon, tucked into a pocket or attached to a belt or chatelaine.  Marie Antoinette even had a pocket watch that was attached to a blue silk ribbon which was intertwined with diamonds…oooh to see that long lost piece of history!

Watch chains were weighted and dressed up with charms called “fobs” and they could be merely decorative or functional.  Many were designed to be used to stamp wax seals with the wearer’s personal monogram or family crest. 

 

 

 

I love working with these bits of history and most of the pieces in my collection date to Victorian times.  Combined and connected together, they form a beautiful and wearable way to carry a piece history with you as you go about your day.  What interesting stories these pieces from the past could tell! 

My newest designs have been listed on my website today and if you share my passion for true antique jewelry, please come see these treasures HERE.    Merci mon amies  ~  xoxo Joy

 

 

 

 

 

My Reading List...

I love reading.  I mean REALLY love reading.  I often have more than one book going at the same time….one to read before going to sleep, one to read when I grab a relaxing moment in the living room or studio, usually one to enjoy in a bubble bath and I always travel with books.    I most often read biographies, history and reference books on jewelry.    I am currently juggling these four books and if you enjoy beautiful 18^th century French paintings, history and books on antique jewelry, you might enjoy them too….

Brilliant Effects:  A Cultural History of Gem Stones and Jewellery -   A gorgeous book full of historical information about owning, wearing and trading gems and jewelry during post-Renaissance Europe.  It’s a fascinating read and I am devouring the chapters right now about the French royal crown jewels during the time of Marie Antoinette.

Portrait Jewels: Opulence and Intimacy from the Medici to the Romanovs -    I discovered this book in a quaint bookshop on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.  I adore working with small portrait pieces in my jewelry making and this book spoke to me.  The photography is stunning and the history and technical details about this type of jewelry is simply awe inspiring. 

Francois Boucher – One of my personal favorite artists of the eighteen century, Boucher’s work is beautiful and romantic.   I was thrilled to stand mere inches away from his original paintings when we were in Paris and as an official painter to the royal court, his work can be found everywhere from Versailles to the Louvre and beyond.  This book offers a great collection of his work and combined with his biography, one of the most complete books I have been able to find on Boucher.

Fragonard’s Progress of Love at the Frick Collection -  I found this book in the gift shop at the Louvre in Paris.  After viewing original Fragonard’s in the museum, it was a treat to purchase a book on this subject of his work.  Fragonard is another one of my favorite artists from the eighteenth century and he was also a student of Boucher, so the style and themes of his work is very similar.  If you like one, you should like the other!  This fascinating book explores the behind the scene history of the creation of the Progress of Love series originally created for Madame DuBarry, the mistress to King Louis XV. 

For me, I enjoy reading as much for relaxation as for learning something new.   If you enjoy reading, what are you reading now?

Back in the Studio...

I am back in the studio after our whirlwind trip to Asheville, NC.  For a Florida girl, the chance to dress in jeans and sweaters is a real treat and we really enjoyed the crisp, cold, mountain air for a change of pace.

I also enjoyed shopping for jewelry pieces to work with and this is just a small sample of what I came home with......

....but this was my most favorite find....and because I loved her so much, an early birthday gift from my prince.....

...a gorgeous Virgin Mary statue.  She stands close to 3 feet tall and looks like she stepped right off an alter located in an historic church in France.

 

 

I found her outside of Asheville in an old tobacco barn that now sells antiques, which only added to her charm especially when I found her by chance....tucked inside a wooden box sitting in a dark corner of the barn.

 

 

 

She will stand watch in my studio and hold pieces of religious jewelry and rosary beads for me.

Now that my batteries are recharged I am inspired to start working with the haul I made up and down the east coast and with an upcoming Gem and Jewelry show in town this weekend, I am sure I will be busy in the studio for some time.  Can't wait to share these upcoming pieces with you and share the stories of where they came from!    .....soon mes amies.......... : )   ~ xoxo ~ Joy

From my Workbench...

Started working today on a new collection of Sacred Heart Jewelry! 

This piece is so very special and she is already available on my website.  Click HERE if you would like more info.  More jewels coming soon : )  xo ~ 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