Tell me how you store your stud earrings

The better part of three years ago, I wrote a post called How I store my stud earrings in which I shared a dead simple (and incredibly budget friendly) way to organize your (pierced ear style) stud and similar smaller sized earrings.

Then as now, I adore and stand behind that storage method, but as time as gone on and my stud earring collection has grown all the more (thanks in no small part to Claire's continuing, much to my delight, to expand their selection of nickel-free earring options - now, if we could only convince them to produce other types of nickel-free jewelry, like necklaces and bracelets, too! But I digress...), I've found that that approach doesn't really work for me anymore.

At least not if I'm trying to corral all of my stud earrings onto one single piece of material (too heavy/cumbersome, hard to store folded neatly in a small drawer in our en suite powder room, etc).

Last year I decided to go hunting for an alternative solution and hoped that I had found it in earring books, which I bought a few of from an overseas seller on eBay (they're virtually, if not entirely, identical looking to these ones that are available for about the same price on Amazon). I'd known about these types of handy storage books for a few years now and had really, really been itching to give them a go.

While they do certainly work well (especially for tiny sized, not-too-bulky earrings) and look pretty when lined up on a shelf, counter, dresser top or the like, if, like me, your earring collection consists of several dozen pairs, it can be tricky to organize them in the long term in a way that works well for you - or so I’ve found.

Often when I bought a new pair, I'd have to spend quite a lot of time rearranging my earrings as I like to keep similar styles together so as to easy find the ones I’m looking for when putting an outfit together (this is especially important with my collection spaced out across multiple books) and this hassle (relatively speaking, of course) just isn’t doing it for me.

I'm not talking down this storage method, or my previous one, in the slightest and both will work particularly nicely if your collection is on the small to moderate side, as well as if you're not as dead set on having them all continually perfectly arranged by themed/colour/etc in earring books at all times.



{Not only are they often lightweight and comfortable to wear, but stud style earrings frequently channel a fabulous vintage look and are ideal for yesteryear fashion fans. As such, I've amassed quite a collection of store bought and handmade (by me) pairs of the years and now need your help to find the perfect small space storage solution for them. Vintage image source.}


For now, most of mine remain in books, but this method is just not working as well as I'd like (first world problems, believe me I know ;)) and so I'm once again on the hunt for a suitable storage solution for my stud and similar styles of earrings.

A couple of points that are shaping my search are the fact that space is of an absolute premium in our little home and I need something that will take up a ton of room, as well as that, ideally, I want it to be a method that allows for new pairs to easily be added without having to spend time rearranging a lot of the existing ones over and over again.

I'm not opposed to a wall hanging solution either and have been wondering lately if such an approach (assuming the earrings were easy to get on and off, even in the middle of the board/whatever they were displayed on) might be the way to go.

Before I plunk down any more money and/or bust out the craft supplies though, I wanted to ask all of you, my lovely readers, how you store your own stud earring collection.

Plastic divided craft containers (a possible contender for my needs)? Cute trinket trays (I think my collection is too big for that to be my main storage solution)? Earring trees/similar display methods? Attached to sturdy strips of ribbon/twill/canvas? Something else entirely?

Please do tell, I'd love to hear your own approaches as well as any ideas you might have and will keep you informed as time goes on as to what I opt to decide to use (assuming I hit on the right storage method for my current needs, that is).

Many thanks in advance for your impute, my fellow earring fans!

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Win a copy of I Love Those Earrings from Schiffer Publishing

For months, nay, years even before my 13th birthday, I knew exactly what I wanted as my gift when that milestone day finally arrived: to get my ears pierced. My parents wouldn't allow me to do so before then and I'd secretly dreamed for as long as I could recall of the right of passage that would be that big day. Naturally when my 13th birthday did finally arrive, I beelined it down to the local Claire's and got my ears pierced.

I beamed with joy looking in the mirror at the small pair of "sleeper" studs that the young woman at Claire's had shot through my lobes with that high pressure piercing gun. If the experience hurt, I didn't feel it at all. I was far too hopped up on excitement and joy. In quick succession over the next four years, I would get - and still have - three more holes in each ear. Making up, I'm the first to admit, in doing so for having to wait (unlike most of my friends and schoolmates) so long to get my first piercing and also because I've always adored the look of multiple holes in each ear.

Even with my pesky nickel allergy, I've been able to find and make some great, safe earrings over the years and wear a pretty pair in my lowest hole (the one I got on my 13th birthday) nearly every day of the year, very much including for the outfit shoots that we do here for my blog (simple studs usually call the other holes home).

Earrings are one of my favourite accessories ever and I adore that now my Etsy shop gives me the perfect place to sell those (vintage) ones that I come across, but know I can't safely wear myself due to the possible prescience of nickel in them. In general though, I've long been fascinated with this truly timeless accessory and was thrilled with my lovely friends over at Schiffer Publishing recently asked me if I'd like to do a giveaway for one of their marvelous books called (fittingly, I thought) I Love Those Earrings.




This expansive tomb is the most thorough work I've ever seen on the history, lore, social purposes, culture roles, and beauty of the humble earrings. Authors Jane Merrill and Chris Filstrup do a superb job of taking the reader through not only the history of earrings, but their own experiences with collecting these tiny works of jewelry, all the while highlighting their writing with scores of prints of famous works of art involving earrings, illustrations, and photographs.

This book traces the roots of earrings back to their earliest forms and continues that history right up to some of the best and most sought after modern designers. An engaging, eloquently written read that I couldn't put down, I Love Those Earrings is a must for any costume jewelry, vintage, antique, historical costume, or fine jewelry fan - especially since it's size (dimensionally, I mean) and hardcover make it an excellent choice for a coffee table book.

In addition to kindly sending me a copy to review, Schiffer has generously offered to send a copy of I Love Those Earrings to one lucky Chronically Vintage reader. This contest is open to readers worldwide and believe me, you'll want to enter - this is by far one of the most enjoyable, fascinating jewelry related books I've ever read and I can't imagine any fellow fellow of such not adoring this book as much as I did.



How to Enter

There are eight ways to enter this giveaway. You are welcome to do however many of these seven things as you like.

Please leave a separate comment for each method of entry that you do so as to increase your odds of winning. Single comments that list multiple forms of entry can only be counted as one entry, so again, please leave a different comment for each method that you enter with (thank you!).


1. Leave a comment below letting me know what your favourite pair of earrings that you own or, if you don't sport earrings, that you have ever seen is.


2. Follow Schiffer Books on Twitter.


3. Tweet about this giveaway, linking to Schiffer Books’ Twitter account and using the hashtag #ILoveThoseEarrings in your tweet.


4. Like Schiffer Books on Facebook.


5. Post about this giveaway on Facebook.


6. Sign up for Schiffer Publishing's mailing list.



7. Post about this giveaway on your own blog, linking to both Schiffer Books and this post when you do.


8. Follow (or be an existing follower) of Chronically Vintage on YouTube.


Giveaway Details:

As mentioned above, this giveaway is open to participants worldwide. It will run from today's date (August 6, 2015) until Friday August 14, 2015 at 11:59 PST. The winner will receive one copy of the book I Love Those Earrings, which will be mailed to them directly from Schiffer Publishing.

I will draw the winning comment using a random number generator and announce the winner on Facebook and/or Twitter shortly after the giveaway has wrapped up. If such information is readily available on, the winner will also be contacted directly via email or Facebook private message. If you have any questions about this giveaway, please don't hesitate to email me. 

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It's been a long, long time since I first got my ears pierced back on my 13th birthday, I still get excited each time I buy or create a new pair of earrings for myself and felt a similar thrill as I read, and found myself thoroughly captivating, by I Love Those Earrings from Schiffer Publishing.

And speaking of birthdays, today's just happens to be Tony's (we'll be celebrating it, much like mine last month, together once he gets back in September from working in the States this summer), so I thought that I would share in the festive spirit of such with all of you by starting this fun book giveaway today on August 6th.

Best of luck to everyone who enters this giveaway and many sincere thanks to Schiffer publishing for teaming up with my blog for another stellar book giveaway!

Flickr Favourite: May 9, 2012

{Blue Dress ~ sugarpie honeybunch}

{1955 Blue Boy paint by number picture ~ calloohcallay} ]

{Wem schoolchildren learning domestic skills and gardening ~ LIGC ~ NLW}

 

{1950s blossom earrings ~ pipnstuff}

{1940s dress fashions ~ genibee}

{Fire King teacups ~ lilyrose1963}

{1950s blue and white wiggle dress ~ Retro Kitten Vintage}

{Woman models tennis fashions at Burdine's ~ State Libraries and Archives of Florida}

{Blue bird 1 ~ Georgiana Gem}

{Vintage Mother Goose Storybook Print 'rain' ~ TheVintageRead}

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It's hardly a secret that I adore colour! Whether I'm building a rainbow of vintage dresses, crafting a handmade greeting card, decorating my abode, or buying a floral arrangement, I'm very often drawn to a plethora of different hues. They needn't always be bright or bold to get my attention, though. Pale, whisper light colours can be every bit as interesting and engaging as punchy ones, as can muted hues and the highly saturated end of the spectrum that is jewel tones.

Each and every colour, in the right context, can be amazing. It can be shy, confident, powerful, delicate, mesmerizing, inspiring, and unforgettable. As each season rolls about, I usually find myself drawn to one or two colours above the rest however. Sometimes I can trace the image or event that inspired my infatuation with a certain hue, at others it's a desire that comes on seemingly out of thin air, akin in so many ways to a food craving - only for the eyes.

This spring I've been enamoured with blue - all shades, from the softest baby blue to the deepest indigo. I think it is blue's inherent sense of tranquility and peace that's made me wish to both drape myself in this colour and spend my time looking at beautiful images featuring all manner of blue shades. With the big move earlier this year and the flurry of activity that fell on either side of it, a lot of the days in 2012 so far have been heavily stressful, busy ones and I suspect that my subconscious was yearning for a sense of respite.

Blue, beautiful, wise colour that it is, was able to deliver a feeling of just that and so it has been the hue at the center of my radar this season, as well as being a key ingredient in many of the Flickr (like the handful in today's post) images I've been adoring lately.

As the season marches onward and life returns to a less hectic pace, I'm excited to see which colour will nab my attention next. Whatever it is, chances are it'll pop up in posts here all throughout the coming months.

What colours are you crushing on right now and which do you foresee being the stars of this coming summer in your books?