Not long ago, this Bird was Inspired by the drawn-on elaborate necklace art on t-shirts that were showing up in all the stores. They were elegantly imperfect and with a sly sense of humor, combining the look of formal jewels with a simple t-shirt. Plus, how clever is that -- you never have to think about throwing on a piece of jewelry because you're already set with just the shirt on your back.

That got this Magpie's noggin-gears clicking away, thinking, "How hard would it be to just make one myself?" Despite not having any screenprinting materials, that was easily solved with the magic of the almighty Sharpie marker. While it meant each shirt design would be one-of-a-kind, that made the designs all the more special. And it also meant this Bird needed to be on her drawing a-game as there's no erasing of a stray mark when it comes to pen on cotton fabric. But the scribble gods looked kindly upon this crafty venture, and these are the shirts that were produced.

I had some fabric paint from another old project. The jewel toned gold, silver and bronze were a nice bit of color to add to the simple pen drawings. Although the drawings could have been fine on their own, even without the paint. An extra flourish of sewed-on ribbon bows were added to some, to add a little extra bit of dimension. I'll have to remind the recipients of these gifts to wash gently in cold water. Even though t-shirts are meant to be rugged, these ones have been made delicate with the Jaunty power of faux jewelry!


Jaunty Fine Print:  photo by Denise Sakaki

 

Who says just because it's after New Years, one has to put away their sparkly favorites? The long, grey days of winter are still before us, so it's even more of a reason to wear our favorite bright colors and throw on a sparkly bauble or three. Dazzle the daytime wear by throwing on some nighttime gems, and get down with your bad Jaunty self!

At the risk of looking like a crazy Auntie Mame, this Bird was inspired by the big jewelry of Vera Wang's spring collection of last year, which still looks fresh today, given the carryover of statement pieces. Forever hovering over favorite store, J. Crew, their blingasmic Carrington bow necklace caught this Birdie's Jaunty eye and I've been flying circles 'round it ever since! Maybe it all harkens back to childhood, where imaginative afternoons were spent layering on sparkly finds from my mother's jewelry box, but this Bird has never lost her love of glimmering treasures.

Hand-picked from the Jaunty Wardrobe, the items featured are a jersey knit dress from Maggy London, black and cream ginormous bag from Nordstrom, orange tights from Forever 21, purple raw silk scarf was a gift, grey mary jane heels from Nine West, blue short cardigan and super-duper bling necklace from Express.