I Heart Wearable Art

Picture copyright belongs to asraistyle.com)

So, while perusing Google for a picture of chandelier earrings I came across this beautiful pair. Why do I like them you ask? Because they're big, because they're noticable, because they're decorative and hint with more than just a tentative whisper at Side B of me.

Yes folks, there's the whole Side B reference again. But, you have to admit, the other side of the tape needs its fair share of playing also doesn't it? Even if it's only shaking the walls of my bedroom while the rest of the house stands empty, whispering to the hollow rooms of what could possibly be going on, and who's that girl who walked into her bedroom looking the same like she always does and came out with chandeleir's swinging from her ears and high heels on?

You see, just as I have always dreamed of wearing red lipstick, buying a waist-high pencil skirt and donning a pair of high heels so have I longed for a pair of huge earrings. Why huge? Because people will notice them! Now that I have shoulder-length hair I don't want little tiny earrings hiding there beneath the shifting screen of my hair. I want them to brush against my shoulders, I want to feel their weight, I want them to clink when I walk, to glint against the summer sun. Now I'm not saying I want to walk to work or even be at work and turn everyone's head. I simply want wear huge earrings and still be like every other flower unfurling, fading and peeling away from the wallpaper of the world.

Isn't that an oxymoron though you ask? Perhaps, yes. And when I think about it, it kind of makes me laugh. After all, isn't that the opposite of Side B of me? If I wanted to switch that tape over and blast it full volume yet still want to mold into the centuries-old flowers on the wallpaper of the world, then the name might as well be changed to Side A, who is the person who sits before her computer now and types this blog post. But then again, such an irony aside, I know I live out Side B of me through the myriad characters of my novellas, and that gives me some satisfaction. I could sit here all day and talk about the idyosyncracies of my characters and how similar yet completely different they all are from me. I think every author either consciously or inadvertently translates their own 'Side B's' into their characters and I think that a good reason why we feel such a deep connection with not only them, but the worlds they live in.

Digressing alert! Red lights are flashing in my head. Time to shove the literary train back on its intended track. I was talking about my obsession with chandelier earrings right? Just as I absolutely love the pair in today's blog post, so I have I found many other oversized earrings in various stores around Sheboygan. Mostly Maurices and Target, which are two stores that have amazing jewelry! So many colors, shapes and sizes. What is it about jewelry that attracts me to it so? Everytime my birthday or Christmas rolls around and my family asks me what I want I always say "jewerly is a no-fail", I'll take jewerly any time, any holiday! And like I said in the title of today's post, jewelry is 'wearable art'! It's a small - or maybe not so small considering chandelier earrings! - way for a person to express themselves, a way to add flair and interest to an outfit.

I know for myself I love selecting an outfit in the morning and then matching jewerly with it. I feel more complete that way, especially when I wear tank tops I feel like my neck and shoulders are naked so I have to wear a necklace. Since the weather has warmed up - finally! - I've been able to ditch my scarves - another obsession :) - and replace them with necklaces. Now that I think about, I guess I'm obsessive about always having something around my neck. Which sounds weird when I type that here, but it's true! Just as I always have to wear earrings. Even when I go on trips to the U.P with my family to visit relatives I have to take my jewelry along. I guess my collection has become as indispensible to me as my iPod, or my books!

And perhaps I also use jewerly as a way to compensate for my lack of enthusiasm to put on make-up. Yes, I know, it just doesn't make sense right? I have a two hour rule where I wake up two hours before I have to be somewhere, blown-dry/straighten my hair for an hour, spend about three minutes picking out an outfit, then another three poundering which earrings/necklace I should wear with said outfit yet...I feel like putting on make-up takes too much time and is unnecessary. Of course, I think make-up in general is rather useless for myself, I prefer the natural look even if my skin isn't the clearest thing in the world. But, admittedly, I do like the way I look with it on, it's just that I feel slightly different when I apply it. And perhaps that's a bit of Side B coming out in me, but then again when I picture Side B of me make-up isn't at the top of the list. But clearer skin is for sure!

So, to end today's blog post I ask you fellow readers...what is your favorite jewerly obsession? Is it chandelier earrings? Or maybe it's wooden bangles, or handmade earrings (which I love!) or perhaps it's delicate bracelets or huge rings. I'd like to hear about it! And as always, happy shopping. :)

As a side note I've always admired those Tiffany stained-glass lamps and also the antique original one's that hang in Victorian and Craftsman bungalow homes. I have this weird dream where I make those same lamp covers into earrings where they hang from your earlobes with three chains. Tell me, would you buy something like that? Or are you sitting there laughing while you picture lamp shades swinging from my ears? ;)