Earrings: Beyond Dangle-dom

I'm texting with my friend, Kathleen:

"I need an engaging title about earrings"

Years ago I called on Kathleen for help creating a birthday invitation for Younger Son's 1st birthday. The theme was Hawaiian, and I had the beginning:

"Hula to the Left...

Hula to the Right...

Younger's turning ONE on Saturday night!"

But then I was stumped. Kathleen emailed the following to me:

"Eating and Munching

And Drinking with Umbrellas

Laughing and Splashing

For the Ladies and the Fellas

Kids Bring Your Swimsuits

And Parents Bring a Smile

We'll Get this Party Going

And Luau For Awhile"

I've never forgotten rhyming Umbrella with Fella. Sheer genius, my friend Kathleen. Sometimes her entire Christmas card newsletter is a series of funny family anecdotes and profound thoughts on the birth of Jesus. All in Couplet Verse.

Kathleen has texted me many possibilities, but my favorite is:

"Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro?"

I could text funnies with Kathleen all the live long day, but I feel I need to get to the point here. And the point is EARRINGS!!! If I collect bracelets like friends, then I collect earrings like...bracelets. Clearly, the good Rev. Kathleen is concentrating on Sunday's sermon and is no longer wasting time reading my texts.

When I was a little girl, I wanted my ears to be pierced more than anything. Note that I didn't want to get my ears pierced because the thought of letting someone shoot a needle through my ear lobes in the present day sent me positively swooning; I just wanted my ears to be pierced already. "Why didn't you get my ears pierced when I was a baby and now I wouldn't even remember?" I would whine. My mother would look sympathetic and murmur something about how she didn't know I had wanted my ears pierced back then. I was born overseas on a small island, so even if ear piercing had been on my mom's radar, it's not like there was a Claire's on every corner.

But when I was 8, I was moping through my Spring Break because my friends were all out of town (my, but I sound like an unpleasant child) so my mom suggested that we make a journey of our own and travel to the Piercing Pagoda at the mall to get those ears of mine finally pierced! Two needle punctures later and I was munching on a pretzel and twirling my new gold studs. And so it began...

I loved earrings in high school. The bigger the better, and all the better to go with my bigger hair. Here's what I'm talking about:

I kid you not, Gentle Readers, those giant things hung in my ears. Frequently! And, of course, I was utterly confident (you know I was!) sashaying down the halls of my high school, these humongous baubles creating their own air currents in my wake. It was Talbot's from the neck down and then Le Cra-Cra on either side of my head.

My friend, Emily, saw this photo and asked if I really wore voodoo dolls as some sort of fashion statement, or was I...dabbling? No, I was not a curandera, although I did buy the earrings in Mexico. And maybe a belt that matched...

My own dear Vim made me a pair of earrings one Christmas, cowbells dangling from various holiday themed ribbons. Because I've got a Christmas fever, and the cure is more cowbell!

I still wear large earrings. Because I still have large hair. But the strangest change has come over me this summer. I ordered the cutest monogrammed key chain from MarleyLilly because I adore monograms, y'all, and they sent me this free, smallish pair of starfish earrings. And one day I realized I was wearing these smallish earrings all the time. What on earth? Maybe I should just start purchasing twin sets in as many colors as I possibly can?

And then I found this darling shop on line called Shop Baubles N Bits, and bought some super cute earrings, all studs!!!! Here's my new collection:

This Baubles n Bits shop is lovely with a selection of handmade, vintage and boutique jewelry that is both pretty and unique. There is a pair of vintage earrings that look exactly like a pair passed down to me from my great-grandmother! Cathy is the shop's owner, and she is delightful. Shipping is free, which always speaks to my heart. And, AND, my gorgeous readers, between now and August 31, Cathy will give 10% off if you mention Bustle10 in your order! Whether you are considering a change to your look or not, visit this shop. I should mention Baubles n Bits does offer more than stud earrings; in fact, there are quite a few dangles. But no rainbow fish, so don't even ask.