Sunday, November 14, 2010

Broaches, broaches....

When I was in high school, I started collecting these beautiful, antique gems. My mom would hop from antique store to antique store with me and help me pick out the perfect pieces; all purchased for usually under $15. I would wear them in clusters on my cardigans, pin them to my purses, hook one on a pair of jeans. They were my fashion statement, one uniquely my own. That is, until a Gap ad started selling cardigans with clusters of broaches.... then, I wasn't so original! I will admit that I had put broaches away for a long while. I kept them all, of course, because they are so pretty and reminded me of my high school fashionista ways. But, come my wedding, I recognized the unique beauty of my broaches once again and ended up wearing a milk glass choker with a stunning broach attached, set slightly off-center on my neck. I felt like a countess from Pride and Prejudice that day :-)


So, since then, I have slowly started pinning my broaches here and there once again, incorporating them into whatever outfit seems appropriate for one. Scott and I went to a ballet to watch our friends, M and T, dance a few weeks ago and I decided to get a little more creative about my broach-wearing. Rather then pin it to the typical cardigan or nestle it on the neckline of one of my shirts, these two options not only added a bit of charm to my wear, but enhanced and completely changed the looks of two items I already own! I encourage you to try this out!


What you need:
-Broaches!
-Pair of clip-on costume earrings
-Pair of dress shoes, heels or flats
-Plain necklace: a choker works best, but you could use whatever you have


What to do: For the necklace
-Unhook the broach and place strands from the necklace inside
-Close the broach, making sure that all strands from the necklace are inside the pin
-The broach should slide around the necklace as if it were a charm


What to do: For the shoes
-Unclip the clip-on earrings
-Place centered on the top of each shoe
-Close the clip!
-NOTE: you could use broaches for this if your shoes are made of cloth, or if the shoes have decorative holes that you could lace the pin through

Happy broaching! Let me know if you come up with any other clever ideas for broaches!

HK

2 comments:

Traveling Stories said...

love this ideas! i don't own any broaches yet.... but this makes me want to go out and buy a few!

Ashton said...

You are just so crafty and creative! I hereby name you the idea-master behind every kind of shower/wedding/whatever party I ever have :)