paraphernalia is good

I really like the word ‘paraphernalia’.

Perhaps coincidentally, I also really like Paraphernalia jewellery which I came across a few months ago via the magic that is etsy.com. These beautiful and highly distinctive designs caught my eye straight away: I love the tongue-in-cheek contemporary spin that Paraphernalia gives to traditional Victoriana.

Amongst my own favourites from the collection are the Fauna Blue Bird, Magpie and Goldfish necklaces, but having said that, who could resist the Sleuth collection or the Vetements collection or perhaps especially these most covetable brooches? It’s just so hard to choose...





















Paraphernalia has recently launched her own shop where you can browse to your heart’s content, and also has a lovely blog here. It was through her blog that I learned that she is in fact based but a stone’s throw away from me here in Didsbury, Manchester - her blog even features some photographs of Fletcher Moss park, one of my favourite places for a weekend meander. How’s that for an unexpected coincidence?

Paraphernalia has just announced a competition for her newest collection, The Victoriana Collection, featuring a number of very elegant ladies who you can see here on flickr. You can enter by writing a short story (one or two paragraphs) for one, or indeed several of the ladies, and if yours is selected, it will be featured in the product description and press releases of the collection (with full credit and link) and you'll also win a $30 gift voucher. Check out the blog for more details.























I also really like the word ‘ephemera’. And ‘gherkin’ though that’s not got anything to do with the matter currently at hand.