The Elegant Muse Blog

Antique buttons are often amazing miniature pieces of art. I’ve seen everything from wishing wells, palm trees, and pyramids to spiders, peacocks, and scorpions carved or stamped into buttons. Buttons have represented storybooks, position in society, military rank . . . I could go on and on (obviously I find this fascinating!) but I’ll stop and leave you with 5 fun button trivia tidbits. The word button originated from the French word "bouton" which means bud or knob. Originally, buttons were only decorative. The Crusaders introduced the button hole to Europe, giving buttons a new functional role. In 1520 King Francis I of...

I’m sure you can tell from the photo that my favorite color is and always has been green! But do you now what the most popular color is (at least in the USA)? Go ahead, take a guess. You’re right, it’s blue! I’ve no idea how these statistics are calculated, but I do find them interesting. I recently read that the second favorite colors are red and green (makes sense) followed by orange, brown, and purple. Brown? I just would not have guessed that one. So what is most people's least favorite color? I’ll give you a hint - think...

  Say “hello” to Star. Though I feel each piece I create is unique, this one is literally a “star” within my necklace collection because of its unique square shape, striking color-of-the-Caribbean-sea hue, and subtle dots of aurora borealis sparkles. The centerpiece was originally a lovely vintage earring, and I like to think its original wearer would be “starstruck” by its transformation. Find out more about this truly one-of-a-kind Star necklace here!

If I can add a small detail that adds a touch of charm to a design, why wouldn’t I? Even if no one can see the detail when you’re wearing one of my pieces - like the tiny wrapped pearl drop at the end of this clasp - you know it’s there. I feel these details are one of the hallmarks of handcrafted designs created by a small business. A mass producing machine in a factory will not typically add a tiny detail like this - it’s not worth the time and cost. So there are many reasons to choose a...

 Many things inspire me to create - seeing the brilliance of ballet costumes on the stage, spring blooms during a walk, and classical paintings in an art gallery. One of my favorite paintings is The Swing, created by Jean-Honore Fragonard in the 18th century (see below). There are two reasons I particularly love this piece: one, its sense of joy and playfulness, and two, the composition of its colors. I feel the above necklace, Marquise, reflects some of the hues of The Swing beautifully. I like to imagine the lady in the swing wearing it! Learn more about this one-of-a-kind, repurposed necklace...