Alkemie

Alkemie jewelry is an LA based jewelry design company founded by husband and wife team  Dara Gerson & Ashley Lowengrub.  The Alkemie collection is forged from 100% reclaimed metals  and the leather used comes from sustainable cattle farms and is dyed with earth friendly dye.


Their designs themselves are also inspired by nature.  There are amazing cuffs and rings and so many great designs it's hard to really pick a favorite.


The thorn bangles ($99) look like they were picked fresh from a vine and wrapped into a cuff.  They would be great stacked in a group of 3 or 4.


Another favorite is the Monkey Ring ($154). I just love the design, but the symbolism is great too. In Hinduism the monkey and god Hanuman bestows longevity upon those who revere it.

Alkemie jewelry is available online, but I originally found it at a little shop in the Mission called Candy Store Collective which is at 3153 16th Street in San Francisco.

Après-ski

I am inspired by a red, white and blue 60's ski sweater that I picked up this weekend at the Alameda Antique Faire for $25.

The one I got is by Demetre and is very heavy wool in navy blue with red stripes and cool spiders on each sleeve.

You can find these vintage wool sweaters on Etsy or eBay, like this one with reindeer on the sleeves for $39. Or, this striped and somewhat nautical version for $23.

Meister and Demetre seem to be a popular brands of this type of sweater and a good keyword search on the vintage sites.

A little out of my price range, but beautiful, is the the Authier arm band sweater ($895) from J. Crew.  This sweater  is a modern version of the vintage 60's ski sweater.  Made in Italy in navy blue with a red stripe at the sleeve it is sporty and elegant at the same time.

These would be great paired with skinny jeans and boots.

Peacock Blue

I must be in a blue mood right now, but am currently obsessed with painting my bedroom a deep peacock blue.

The latest issues of Lonny magazine featured a family room with turquoise walls and silver grey furniture rugs with a few pops of bright red for accent.

I also just saw the French film Le Havre which was shot like an old movie or a play and most of the backdrops were this same color of turquoise with small accents of red.

I think I may just tackle this over the holidays.  Stay tuned for before and after pics.