Vespa Bag

For my friend's birthday (one that ends in a 0, her husband bought her a cute little black Vespa.  So, I made her a bag to go with it as her birthday present.  What do you think?  Stylish, no?

I liked it so much I made one for myself so we can be twinsies except that she is tall, thin and blonde and I am short, dark and, well, let's just leave it at that.

The Jewels of Elizabeth Taylor

This weekend we made a quick trip down to Los Angeles to see the jewels of Elizabeth Taylor before they are auctioned off.  Not only was Elizabeth Taylor a beautiful woman, she was a very nice person.

This had to be one of my favorite pieces, an Art Deco brooch.



I also admired these bracelets made with old, perhaps Roman coins.



Here is the main reason we had to come.  La Peregrina.  A pearl once worn by Queen Mary I of England (Elizabeth I's older sister) who ruled England from 1552 to 1558.  You can read about it here.



All of these items and more will go on sale in December.  Some of it will be online in case anyone wants to pick up some bling or an Academy Award for their mantelpiece.  Our mom just loved jewelry and she would have loved to see Liz Taylor's jewelry but we hardly wear jewelry because we don't have anywhere to wear it.  While we were waiting around, we were chit chatting with another visitor and wondered who would be buying jewelry of this magnificence.  After all, where would someone wear it?  That time of Hollywood glamour is gone and most younger people aren't interested in it.  Christina Onassis's daughter sold off all of here mom's jewelry (to some criticism) because she isn't interested in wearing it.  All in all, we had just a wonderful time in Los Angeles and we were glad that we were able to see her jewels before they disappear from public viewing.

French Gardens baby quilt

My sister and I designed this quilt for our cousinette who is having a baby soon.  Our inspiration was the French gardens at Villandry.  Each cross represents a garden path.