these are a few of my favourite things

Hello!  And welcome to my first ever installment of my favourite things!! ;-)

I know.  You're thinking that I have delusions of Oprah, and are wondering why I would think you'd be interested in my favourite things - but please bear with me, because here's where I'm coming from:  In my line of work, I deal with the public on a daily basis, and I noticed that I was consistently being asked where I got certain jewelry items, etc.  So I guess you could say my own little "focus group" indicated to me that you might also be interested in some of my favourite accessories, and I thought I'd share.  I should also mention that these are NOT paid endorsements - I'm sharing simply because I love this stuff - and maybe you will too. :)

It took me many years to finally come to the conclusion that the style that works best for me, is...comfortable.  If I could, I'd live 24/7 in boyfriend jeans and a T-shirt, Birkenstocks on my feet.  If I had to label my "style", I would probably call it "classic bohemian", or "conservative hippie" (yes, I just coined those terms myself, and come to think of it - they probably also describe my personality in general). Anyway...I think the accessories that I'm drawn to loosely reflect that design aesthetic, so away we go!

I'm going to start with a line of jewelry I absolutely love, by SaraLua.

Based in Saskatchewan, Canada, Sara's line is made mainly from "stuff that's good for the planet"- i.e. recycled, sustainable materials, such as glass and bamboo - which is very much IN line with what I like about it.  The fact that it's also unique, beautiful, and and exactly my kind of style is the cherry on top.

SaraLua's Petit Sandalwood Meditation Beads, paired with two of her bracelets.

I actually stumbled upon Sara's line of jewelry because she happens to be the partner of one of my very favourite musicians, Michael Franti (no I wasn't that creepy about finding this out - if you follow Michael's Instagram, she's very much a part of it) - and together, they head a charitable foundation called Do It For The Love. DIFTL arranges for people who are suffering from life-threatening disease to attend the concerts of their favourite musicians, also offering them an opportunity to meet the musicians personally. While of course I don't know Sara and Michael personally, their compassionate nature is more than apparent in the work they do, both in their chosen professions, and in the charitable and humanitarian work they do for people all over the world (literally).  If you want to buy with a purpose, I believe 10% of the proceeds from purchases are donated to DIFTL - so you'll be buying yourself something lovely, and making someone else happy in the process. :)

The next line of jewelry that I find myself purchasing on a fairly regular basis is another Canadian company, Toronto-based  Foxy Originals:

Foxy's Ziggy (L) and Coca earrings (R), with one of their reversible necklaces

Now, I said I wasn't going to get all Oprah on you, but Foxy actually DID have the distinction one year of having their "Coca" earrings show up on the mighty O's fave things list.  Figuring what's good for O is good for me, I investigated - and have been wearing my Coca's regularly (I have them in both gold and silver)  for at least the last 5 years (their durability rocks!).  Dress them up, dress them down - they go with ANYTHING. The rest of their line is fun, fresh, and always on trend.  I just recently purchased a pair of their "Ziggy" studs from Target (I'm wearing them in my "About Me" pic on the sidebar above), and I adore them.  (They have a limited line exclusive to Target here in Canada - I'm not sure if it is also available at Target in the U.S.).  Another thing I love about Foxy is the reversibility of many of their pieces (the necklace above reverses to brushed silver) - so not only is their price already reasonable, but you're getting two for the price of one.  What's not to love? :)

Okay...this next one is one of my all time, MOST favourite pieces of jewelry, my silver cuff bracelet from The Liquid Metal Collection by Sergio Gutierrez:

This is one that's close to my heart for a few reasons - first, because it's pretty darn gorgeous, and second, (warning, I'm going to get geeky on you here) - I first noticed it on Anna Gunn's character (Skyler White), in the best TV show EVER...Breaking Bad.  (It's amazing what you can find when you simply google "Skyler White's bracelet" - gotta love the big G!)

Anna Gunn as Skyler White on Breaking Bad

Just give me any excuse to talk about this show, I'll take it! :) Honestly though, even if the show had been total crap, I still would have noticed this bracelet, I liked it that much.  I'm complimented on it almost every time I wear it, and have had more than one total stranger ask me where I got it.  Of course I'm always  happy to oblige...but then they wish they'd never asked because all of a sudden there's a crazy lady standing in front of them talking about a TV show they've never heard of... :)

Anyway - I love it.  And if you live in or are planning a visit to the Toronto area, I've seen items from this line for sale at Corktown Designs in the city's charming Distillery District. Go for lunch, and leave with your very own piece of TV trivia!


Next up, something I've just purchased recently that I love - the 1:Face Watch:

Another wonderful opportunity to purchase with a purpose, these watches come in 8 different colours, each one representing a different cause.  For instance, the proceeds from my blue watch benefit the Adventure Project, helping protect the environment.  Other prominent charities involved include the Red Cross,  Pencils of Promise (building schools), and the Canadian Cancer Society.  (There is also a U.S. website, benefitting U.S. based charities).  There's nothing subtle about it, and I know, it looks GIGANTIC in the pic, but actually, it's very comfortable, and I love its clean, bold look - not to mention that I feel good knowing the very reasonable amount money I paid for it is going towards a good cause.  Win, win!!

Before I finish, I should mention one last thing that I probably get asked MOST about, and that's my glasses:

Me and my Clunys

Honestly, from clients at work, to store cashiers, to strangers on the street (and even facebook!), I've been stopped more times than I can count with compliments on my glasses, and enquiries about where I got them.  None of this surprises me of course, because I LOVE my glasses, but what's really surprising about them is that I bought the frames online, without the chance to try them on first - usually a must for buying frames, right?  I really took a chance on these babies - but it paid off big time. So is the suspense killing you.....?  Well wait no longer.  The frames are from DL Eyewear - a small but gorgeous line of optical and sunglass frames by Dan Levy (son of actor/comedian Eugene, in case you noticed the family resemblance).  I adore their funky updates on classic designs - and the "Cluny" in grey was exactly what I was looking for when I started shopping for new frames.  Honestly, if I could have designed them myself, these would be THE frames for me. Thank heavens my little gamble on internet shopping paid off - I (and apparently a lot of other people) love them!!


So there you have it, folks!  My first offering of "favourite things".  Hopefully I don't sound too presumptuous in calling it my "first" - as that implies there will be follow ups (and there may well be) - but you know how it is, when you find something you love, you want to yell it from the rooftops - so I hope you enjoyed my little virtual rooftop shout out.  As I say, I've got nothing to gain from this - my hope is simply that perhaps I've introduced you to a few things that may appeal to you as well - and maybe you'll soon be shouting about it from your own rooftop!

Until we meet again...  :)