"Quelle heure est-il?"

(even the French way of asking for the time is elegant)

Belgium and its monarchy as we know it today only exists since 1831. So to speak of a typical Belgian style would be a bit exaggerated. It is more that the Belgian culture is strongly influenced by on one side Holland and on the other side France. It is not that long ago that speaking French was considered to be chic and elegant and Flemish (a Dutch dialect) to be coarse and common.

Being focused on the French culture, Belgian jewelers would let themselves be influenced by the big French jewelry houses. As is the case with this ladies bracelet watch from the Brussels' jeweler Altenloh, one of the very few jewelry suppliers to the court in Belgium. The jewel is a typical example of a high quality ladies watch in Retro style where the watch is hidden behind a bejewelled hinged shutter. We browsed through our library and were surprised not to find a picture of this beauty in any book.

Click the picture to get to the descriptive page of this jewel.

Antiqualy yours,

The Adin team
www.adin.be

See our:
Retro jewelry
latest acquisitions
complete inventory
or read our:
explanation on Retro jewelry
extensive antique jewelry glossary
antique jewelry style overview

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HELLO TULIPS!

Hello, tulips, don't your know
Stocks today are very low?
You appear so bright and glad,
Don't you know that trade is bad?

You are just as fair to see
As you were in times when we
Rolled in money. Tell me how
You can look so happy now?


Hello. tulips, pink and red,

Gleaming in the garden bed,
Can it be you haven't heard
All the grief which has occurred?
Don't you see the saddened eye
Of the human passerby?
By his frowning, can't you tell
Things have not been going well?


Hello, tulips, in the sun
You are lovely, every one.
But I wonder why don't you
Wear a sad expression, too?
Can it be you fail to see
Things aren't what they used to be?
This old world is all upset,
Why don't you begin to fret?


And the tulips answered me: "Hello.
Nothing's altered that we know,
Warm the sun, and sweet the rain,
Summer skies are blue again.
Birds are singing and we nod.
Grateful tulip prayers to God.
Only mortals fret and strive.
We are glad to be alive."


--Edgar A. Guest
(my favorite poet)

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Art Deco?

They can't be both Art Deco!

Many people mistakenly would designate the style of both rings as Art Deco. However while the ring on the left is Art Deco indeed the style of the ring on the right is called Retro (perhaps even early Fifties).

That both styles are mingled is no big wonder as one is strongly influenced by the other. The Retro style uses the same type and language of geometrical shapes as its predecessor: the Art Deco style; only with bolder heavier lines, shapes and stones.

The Art Deco style was introduced in the 1920s as protest against the dreamy (sometimes even hallucinant) Art Nouveau style and it ended in the 1930s. The style emphasized a very abstract design with geometric patterns. The baguette and emerald-cuts, which had been developed in the nineteenth century, were very popular in the 1920s because they blended so much with the geometrical lines of the Art Deco style.

The Retro style as successor of Art Deco florished between roughly 1940 and 1950. Typical for the Retro style is its imitation of three dimensional folds of fabric with the ribbon bow as its most popular motif, often highlighted in the center with a calibré cut ruby or sapphire knot. In the Retro ring on the right we distantly recognize this bow-shape.

(Click either picture to get to the descriptive page of these jewels.)

Antiqualy yours,
The Adin team

www.adin.be

See our:
Art Deco rings
Art Deco jewelry
Retro rings
Retro Jewelry
latest acquisitions
complete inventory
or read our:
extensive antique jewelry glossary
antique jewelry style overview

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A PARENT'S WISH BOOK

This project started with a Maya Road 5" x 7"
Binder Book.

I did this book in a class taught by Candy at
Forever Memories a few weeks ago. It was so
much fun I would like to do another. Candy
selected the poem "A Parent's Wish" for this
project . The verses of the poem are displayed
on pages throughout the book. Most pages
feature pockets for inserting photos, mementos,
and other treasures.

Putting the book together consisted mostly of Tim
Holtz stuff: Distress inks, grunge board, masks and
embellishments. I used Brushed Cordurory and Wlanut
Stain inks. Some rubons that I had been hording
went so well with the poem that I added them here and
there. Vintage photos, and other goodies tucked
in the pockets were flea market finds.

Click on photos for a closer look.

I actually messed up on these pages. I got one of
the verses on the wrong page and had to add a couple
more pages to get the poem right. Sometimes a goof
can cause creativity {smile}.

A special thanks to Candy. She is so creative--and sharing.
I love hanging out with her. If you like my book at all--
YOU WOULD LOVE HERS!

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BEACH ALBUM

For this project I used the My Word Album
"Beach" by Bo-Bunny. It measures 12 X 6" but
I ended up making mine a little longer than 12"
so I could have a solid piece for the back cover.

For some fun embellishments, I had a Florida
mini license plate, a seahorse charm, and a tiny
little bottle that I filled with white sand and a
couple of tiny shells. I found the little bottle with
the cork top in the jewelry department at Hobby
Lobby. They are only about an inch tall and fun to
hang on ribbons, or a chain for something
a little different.

I did a close up of this page so you could see my
parrot, Harley. He went on this trip to Destin FL
with me and my friend Sharon. He had such a good time
and was such a "ham" I decided to let him narrate
the trip. I had a lot of photos of him so I trimmed
them out and used them throughout the book with
"blurbs" to tell the story.

You probably can't see this very well, but Harley
loved Sharon, and especially when she had
a bag of chips. He would climb up on the couch and
stick his head in the bag of chips and help himself.

While I read a book, Harley loved to hang out
on the deck railing and take in all the sights of
his new surroundings. It was fun to watch him.

Inside back cover.

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TIM HOLTZ

If you have not visited Tim's blog today, please do. He has posted his next workshop samples and they are really good. Makes me want to get my grunge board and new grunge paper out and play! http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/

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PRODUCT SHARE

I really like the new border punches by E.K. Success! I have 3 or 4 different ones now and like them all! They feature some very tiny details and cut amazingly well. I have not tried to cut anything other than cardstock so I am not sure what all they will cut. Some of my old punches will not cut anything but light paper, so I am happy with the results. Another plus: These punches are wonderfully compact! They have a slide that locks it down to where it is almost flat. How great is that!

This is not a commerical for EK--nor do I sell them, so if you are interested in buying some for yourself, comment below or send me an email and I can suggest a few places I know where they are available. I am sure before long you will see them in a lot of stores. Also, they are priced the same as most other brands.

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PRODUCT SHARE . . .

Do you like poetry? If you do, this is for you. I love poetry. I love including it on my art projects and I love sharing it. One of my favorite sources for poetry is Ideal Magazine. For more than 60 years, this great magazine has featured seasonal poetry, beautiful photography, recipes, and inspiring stories.

As someone who loves to browse flea markets, I often find past issues of this great magazine for as low as $.50. I even found a few issues dating back to the 1940's. I don't particularly collect Ideal--I perfer to just make copies of my favorite poems and pass it on to someone else to enjoy. So if you see an old raggedy issue of Ideals, or even the most current one, take a little time to enjoy it. You will be glad you did.

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Wishing you a joyful Easter . . .

The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice. ~Henry Knox Sherrill

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Search for Spring

I took a day to search for spring,
and found it through my open door.
I felt the touch of April's breath
Luring me . . . wonders to explore.

As I ventured slowly forth
A harbinger of spring I spied . . .
A robin trilled in the balmy air,
Merrily bursting with song and pride.

Farther down the garden path
Flowers peeked through thawing ground,
Raising fragile spears above the earth,
So quietly without a sound.

The magic of new blades of grass,
The green buds on leafless trees,
Had me awed in wonderment
Of springtime miracles such as these.

My search for spring was well fulfilled
as I viewed the teeming sod,
Resurging life in the new season,
With the helping hand of God.

Have you ever searched for springtime?
If you have not, you cannot know
The thrill of fresh new buds that bloom
The caressing winds that blow.

-- Ann Schneider

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sigh... love, love, always love

Love in flower symbolism

In the late 19th, early 20th century there was a revival of the use of symbolic meanings of plants and flowers. Nature seemed to be a forest of symbols, and flowers were saturated with deeper meanings.

As is the case with the late 19th century French elegant necklace we show here. We clearly recognize an ivy. But what is so romantic about the ivy you would say. The romantic facet of ivy is based upon its tendrils which attach to a wall in a way that can be explained as affectionately. In France one would give a piece of jewelry with ivy depicted on it while saying "Je m'attache ou je meurs" which (freely) translates to "I will cling to you or I will die"...

This hidden meaning is what we like about our antique jewelry, it gives the piece an extra depth. The added emotional value that is not necessary obvious to all but just between the donor and the receiver.

Click the picture to get to the descriptive page of this jewel.

Antiqualy yours,
The Adin team
www.adin.be

See our:
love token jewelry
floral jewelry
latest acquisitions
complete inventory
or read our:
explanation on flower symbolism
extensive antique jewelry glossary
antique jewelry style overview

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All Day Crop at Forever Memories

Today time's unimportant, we don't heed clocks
We just need paper and our photo box.
A spot adhesive helps to adhere
Those life time of moments that brings us cheer
Our project awaits us, now we proceed.
This must be heaven--what more do we need!

(excerpt from a poem about scrapbooking. Author unknown)

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