Brooches

I remember back in elementary school when school fundraiser's were a big deal. They usually came around the big holidays, and as always, students were bribed by a catalog filled with prizes they could earn depending on how much they wound up selling. A lot of these prizes were pretty gimmicky or cheap...yo-yos, plastic airplanes or boats. But of course, the more one sold, the nicer the prize, leveling up to cameras and remote controlled vehicles. And jewelry. Lots and lots of jewelry. 

I was in the first grade when I became obsessed with winning a dragonfly brooch made from blue and white crystals. It was so beautiful and grown up and I was determined to make it mine. So I sold. I don't remember the how's or when's and details of it all now, but I do remember that moment when I tallied up my amount, and the absolute thrill of realizing that dragonfly pin was coming my way.

It was just as beautiful in person as it was in the picture. I absolutely adored it and even though I had no idea how or what to wear it with, I loved it. Unfortunately, it was stolen from me by a classmate in less than a day. After that, I never really looked at brooches again. I'm not really sure why. I seriously doubt it had anything to do with some subconscious fear of the brooch I lost in early childhood, but as much as I adored them when I was younger, I haven't looked at them twice since. At least, until now.

Ta da! Aren't they gorgeous? Last weekend there was a local antique show that my boyfriend and I decided to go to and meet up with my parents. It was held in a small downtown district the next town over that we like to visit a few times a month so we were looking forward to it. Let me just say, my mind was BLOWN. While I was expecting a few little booths to check out and the usual antique shops open, I was instead greeted with an entire road dedicated to dozens and dozens of gorgeous, unique treasures!

We wandered for a few hours, and wound up purchasing a few teacups and a jewelry holder in the shape of a teapot. But what really started to catch my eye were the hundreds upon hundreds of gorgeous rings, necklaces, earrings, and of course, brooches. Now, ever since I bought my new ivory dress with the silver embroidery, I've been wanting a silver deer pin to go with it. I've been searching around and sadly still have yet to find a deer pin that isn't overly Christmas-y. But since we were there we began to search anew.

Sadly, I never did find a deer brooch. What I did find, as you can see, were two pins that are just as beautiful! Roses and poinsettias are my two favorite flowers and it just so happens I was wearing a white and red dress that day that suited the rose pin beautifully. I really love that brooches are a nice, easy way for me to continue to dip my toes into the world of color without going too bold, and as my outfits tend to be somewhat plain I'm excited to continue to add these little details that will really pull my whole look together.

I admit, it also feels good to support a local businesses. As mentioned, my boyfriend and I take to visiting this downtown quite often nowadays and we almost end up purchasing something by the end of the day. One shop in particular regularly sells hundreds of brooches, and I have a feeling I'm very quickly going to become a regular customer.

I'm thinking in the future I might take some photos of my favorite shops to share and showcase some of the amazing things they sell. This little downtown is a Lolitas dream and the more we support small business, the better chance they have of sticking around. I'm so pleased with my new brooches and I look forward to adding to my collection.