Green Meadow Earrings

When cold weather settles over the Northern Hemisphere, it's all I can do to get out of bed in the morning. I live far enough north that the daylight time literally cuts in half—what was once a twelve-hour-day becomes six measly hours of cloud-covered sunshine. In addition to bundling in many layers, pulling the cat in for extra snuggles at night, and cranking up the heater, I try to keep my appearance fresh. I can all too easily spiral into a dark months depression. I may wear a lot of black and gray, but I still have to show up every day for work.

Ioulia's Green Meadow earrings brighten up almost any of my monochrome outfits. Made from two tiny stacks of paper and cardstock 'sequins,' the light, lovely handmade piles are suspended on sterling silver earwires. Due to their weightless comfort, I forgot I was wearing them until a co-worker noted my unusual accent. Ioulia also makes paper sequin necklaces from the same design style.

A few things to note: the earrings are not waterproof, though it's also worth mentioning that a lacquer coating over the delicate paper layers would really detract from the earrings as art. The hooks may also be a bit shifty in your ears, so as with any hook-back earrings, it may be necessary to invest in some of those little plastic earring backs. I haven't tried it personally, but I've also heard that a dab of wax from malleable earplugs can do the trick. Their diameter—five millimeters, a mere fifth of an inch—makes them noticeable without overtaking your look.

Wrapped in a beautiful package for delivery, these earrings were one of the best surprises I received in the mail this month. Perhaps I'm less attentive to detail than I believe, for even after reading the description, I was taken aback at how dainty and classy my new wearables turned out to be. Sometimes I guess it pays to not read all that closely. Taking the plunge on these was a fabulous, fortuitous choice.

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