Looking for a birthday gift … for yourself, maybe? My customers and I are all about self-gifting! For August birthday wimmins, I’ve got a stunning example of the month’s birthstone, peridot, in the form of diamond chandelier earrings on sale on 1stdibs. And let’s not forget birth signs. What Leo wouldn’t love this lion pendant?…
Special Occasions
Bastille Day Jewelry Blues
Bonne Fête Nationale! It’s le quatorze juillet — or what we non-French people call “Bastille Day,” which we do because we’re horribly plouc. Back in the day, I was lucky enough to be in Paris on July 14 three years in a row, so I have fond memories of the Eiffel Tower’s fireworks and wearing…
Make L.L. Bean Your Valentine in 2022
Put a note in your calendar now, because you’re going to want to get L.L. Bean’s Valentine’s-Day-red boots when the limited run becomes available again early in 2022. I stumbled upon them this year and I was unable to resist. Behold the cuteness! Unfortunately, the boots are now sold out online; the product page isn’t…
Jewel of the Month: Lip Necklace in 18K Gold
Whether you love Valentine’s Day or loathe it, the days immediately following the holiday are kind of awesome. First of all, the big Whitman’s Sampler chocolate assortments are on sale in all the drugstores to make room for the Easter candy. If you’re buying for me, I do prefer Whitman’s Samplers to Russell Stover boxes,…
What Wendy Wore: New Year’s Eves Through 2021
A lot of people say that New Year’s Eve is no fun, they never have anything to do, they’re never invited anywhere, yada yada yada. But why are y’all leaving things to chance? One thing I’ve learned in life is that if you want to have a party, your best bet is to throw your…
Birthday Celebration at Wendy Brandes Jewelry
Isn’t it perfect that my December 23 birthday coincides with Festivus, which calls for the airing of grievances? I’m sure you have plenty of grievances this year. Click here to air your grievances! Anyway, people always tell me I should lie about my age, but I prefer to be straightforward, so here’s the truth: If…
Happy Trump-Rat Thursday!
I’ve always disliked Thanksgiving. Good holidays involve gifts, costumes, and/or fireworks. Thanksgiving has none of those. What does it have? Dysfunctional family behavior; mandatory binge eating; football (ooh, racism and brain damage!); and a feel-good spin on the fact that white Europeans sailed to another continent, said, “This is ours now,” and decimated the people…
Meet the Rightful Queen on My 13th Blogversary
In honor of my 13th blogversary today, I’ve overcome some long-running technical problems and broken into my own blog in order to say hello. My dire need for a new website/blog developer (comment with your resume!) reminds me of the good old days of my blog’s random removal from listings by the now-defunct search-engine Technorati…
Easter-Egg-Gagement-Versary
Ten years ago, to celebrate Easter, somebunny named John Muggenborg gave his gorgeous girlfriend Olivia an egg-gagement ring. I love the egg-hunt story, which John shared in a comment on an Instagram post I did last year. Happy egg-gagement-versary, John and Olivia! By the way, this the only time I agreed to do a temporary…
What Wendy Wore: Valentine’s Day Fail
Last Valentine’s Day, I was disappointed that I didn’t put more effort into my outfit. I do adore the floofy H&M jacket gifted to me by OG blogger Sheila of Ephemera in 2018. It’s Valentine’s-worthy red and even vaguely heart-shaped thanks to its puffy shoulders. But, as you can see, I lazily wore it with…