Tag: creative ideas

74 Harley Street

Let’s say after last week’s entry on jewelry swapping with your friends, you started looking at your accessories in a different light. Perhaps you came across a piece of jewelry that you inherited from a relative. You’ve never really worn it and you’re not quite sure what to do with it…

Well, saunter on over to 74 Harley Street (www.74harleystreet.com), a jewelry line that takes vintage treasures and gives them new life. Dress clips are re-fashioned into show-stopping necklaces, skeleton keys combine with pearls and sparklies on vintage chains, broken or single earrings find new life on charm bracelets, etc.

74 Harley Street is the stunning creation of Susan Mayer, mom of four boys under age 7. Carpool, PTA  and playdates by day, jewelry designer by night, Susan brings her dramatic taste to bear on re-purposed trinkles.

Much of Susan’s business is custom. Friends and their friends are now bringing her boxes of old family jewelry they inherited from mom/great-aunt/grandma and don’t know what to do with. Some of it is gorgeous, but doesn’t fit the style of today, so it sits… until they collaborate on how to bring them to life. Even the most unsuspecting pieces look great jazzed up with pearls and sparklies.

Susan also scouts out estate sales and antiques dealers…and she keeps her prices reasonable so she can keep shopping. She loves the hunt and is growing to appreciate even the oldest and oddest of baubles.

The next time you eye that broach that’s been sitting in the bottom of your jewelry box, contact Susan at www.74harleystreet.com. She can help you turn drab into dazzling!  And who couldn’t use a little dazzle these days?

One Girl’s Junk Is Another Girl’s Treasure

Several Friday nights ago, my daughter was at a school social. The social was oddly timed – Friday night, 630-830pm. By the time you dropped them off, you had to turn around and go back to get them. Hmmm… how to spend the time?

The few hours seemed like a great opportunity to get together with school mom/friends I don’t often have a chance to see. Rather than sit around and compare notes on kids and school, I thought it could be fun if we stepped outside of our mom lives and stepped into our girlfriend lives instead!

Now, many of these women have great taste. I appreciate how some of them wear really fun accessories. And when I comment on their style, some say, ““Oh, this old thing?” Well, I personally would love their old things. So, I suggested we clean out our jewelry/accessory drawers, meet for drinks and swap “old things”. This way, we could clean out our drawers (something all of us could easily do) and walk away feeling as if we had something new.

It was a blast! 14 of us gathered at the local pub and set our treasures up on a table (and a few chairs). We drew numbers from a hat and went in order. We agreed that we would choose two items at a time and continue to go around, for as many items and as much time as we had.

I couldn’t believe what some girls brought. Wow! There was so much, that we had the added bonus of donating jewelry, bags and scarves to the local women’s shelter at the end of the evening.  It was heart warming to see how happy everyone was with their finds. I personally walked away with a fabulous pair of earrings to match some bangles I had just bought. A total score!

Capital One asks, “what’s in your wallet?” However, I encourage you to think about, “what’s in your drawer?” How can you mindfully generate opportunities to spend time with friends and re-purpose what you have? The possibilities are endless!  Leave your ideas below and let us know what you create!