VINTAGE BROOCHES

Good Morning to you,

I love the unexpected. 

I had spent a lovely morning, sewing with my friends. Twelve o'clock arrived and it was time to say our goodbyes until the following week.  Before I went home, I decided to have a little wander around the Heart Foundation Charity Shop. There was nothing which took my fancy, until I turned to leave, and there, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little sparkle.  I turned to look and this fabulous brooch was twinkling in the sunshine. It had been displayed on the counter of the shop, and the rays of the sun had caught it for just a moment.

I felt it was calling to me, as the sun disappeared the moment I walked over to the counter. This beautiful little brooch was just waiting for me to buy it. 

There were a lot of people in the queue, but everyone was ignoring the brooch. So I said "Excuse Me" to the lady in front of me and I plucked the brooch from the counter. You could see this really unsettled her, as she watched me pick up the brooch and you could see from the look on her face she was thinking "Drats, I've missed a bargain!"

If you look closer the brooch appears to be a multi coloured brooch, but in actual fact the large stones are coloured pink and the rest are glass stones which reflect the light.

This is a lovely Art Deco styled brooch, again I bought it for a few pennies, but I love the workmanship which has gone into creating this piece. Ordinarily, I love curls and swirls, but there was something about this brooch which really appealed to me. When the light catches it, the brooch comes alive and sparkles.

This brooch reminds me of one Ivy would have owned. Do you remember I mentioned that she never left home without her hat, well a brooch would have been an integral part of her  wardrobe.  Larger ones to be pinned on her coat and daintier brooches to be added to a dress.

..... and this dainty brooch would certainly have been worn to church. Ivy would have pinned this little pearl brooch on to  her dress or  cardigan.

......as would this one, I think this small brooch would have been reserved for best. The stones are so vibrant and the centre lavender stone is so beautiful. I love the colour combination of  lavender and citrine.

This is definitely a style Ivy would have worn. I remember there were certain styles which would have been pinned to her hat.  Being smart and stylish was very important to Ivy, especially when she went to church on a Sunday.

This is one of my personal favourites.  I bought this
at a Church Jumble Sale many years ago. I cannot remember how many years I have owned this, but I used to wear this on my beret when I was much younger.... and I still love it. It has a Delft quality about it. I still wear it on the lapel of my coat or attached to a scarf.

This brooch I bought in Atlanta when I was visiting Natasha.  It was actually attached to a blouse, which was not my cup of tea, but I loved the brooch  so for a couple of dollars, plus taxes, (which I always forgot I had to add on) this brooch became mine.  The blouse, was a sheer fabric, which I did not want to waste, so I cut the blouse into pieces, packed it in my suitcase to take home to Cyprus. When I arrived home, I added it to my material bank.....for the  "you never know when this piece of material will be useful" moment. I have to tell you it is still waiting for that "useful" moment, but as I always say to George, "It is there for when I need it". Can you see George rolling his eyes again.

 ...... and my final brooch, I bought because I thought it could be added to a pearl necklace.   I love it's simplicity.

I have many more brooches which I have collected over the years. None of the brooches I have shown you, have cost very much, at the most, I would say a couple of pounds, but I love the workmanship which goes into making this costume jewellery. These brooches, for the most part, are styles which people do not wear any more, but that does not concern me, because I feel that just because a thing is not fashionable anymore, does not make it less appealing.  For me, they remind me of Ivy and for that alone, they make me smile. 

It goes to show, you do not need to spend a lot of money to own beautiful pieces of jewellery.

Do you remember your grandmother wearing brooches? Are they something you enjoy wearing? I would be interested to hear as I know they are not fashionable these days....... but that does not mean they cannot be worn and enjoyed.  

Maybe we should start a fashion revolution, "Bring back Brooches", mmm,  we need to talk to all our friends and pass the word around.

What do you think?

Take care and I will see you later in the week.

This week I will be joining,

Karen at Sew Many Ways

Ivy and Elephants

Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Di at Cottage Wishes