Stash: Vintage Camera (Polaroid)

I keep a small Juicy bag near my bed with all of my newest charms in it, since those are the ones I'd most like to photograph and write about before I put them into the Armoire-O-Doom, which is quickly running out of shelf space. So is my little Juicy bag! I apologize profusely (sorry, sorry, sorry!) for severely neglecting the blog these last few months. Suffice to say that the last quarter of 2009 has been a rough one for me, and many things have fallen to the wayside.

Anyway, on with the goods!

This charm created quite a buzz when it first started popping up on eBay. If you were born prior to the age of digital cameras then you are quite likely to know what a Polaroid camera is. Or, I guess was -- the cameras have been since phased out and the film is no longer being produced. :( Juicy has given us a permanent monument to times past; this charm is SO CUTE! They captured the shape spot-on and I'm glad they went with a cream color instead of the traditional black.. it makes it feel happy and light.

The front of the charm has the most detail. A crystal "light bulb", a red heart, a rainbow stripe, and the word Juicy deck out the face of the camera. The heart and rainbow are a nice touch -- kind of throws me back into the 80's. The back and bottom (no picture, it's just the logo stamped on though) are minimal, which is good. There's a nice little surprise waiting for you inside the camera, though. A picture! There are whispers that the image is of Marie Antoinette, following with the indulgent French theme that many pieces carried this fall/winter. Who it is I can't say for sure but it's adorable. Click on the middle photo for a bigger image.

This charm isn't exactly flying off the shelves, so I'd say you're safe in waiting for it to come down in price (because really, the price is very inflated for what it is) or possibly even hit the outlets. It's really cute but I think it's too specific to appeal to everyone, especially Juicy's younger demographic.

Price: 58.00
Box: Brown/Pink
Code: YJRU3465

Stash: Painter's Charm (Palette)

Surprisingly enough, I haven't been able to locate this charm yet on some of the more mainstream websites like Juicy's own, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom's, or Revolve. So far it looks like you're going to have to resort to Sak's or Bloomingdale's to pick this one up online (for the time being).

Now down to business! I love the palette half of this charm, for the most part. The only thing that disappoints me is the color selection of the crystals they used to represent the paint. Why so pastel and dull, Juicy? We have light pink, light green, dark blue, light purple, and light yellow. The pink and purple are very close in color, as are the green and yellow. The blue however gives a startling contrast to the color scheme and leaves a rather uneven feeling to the whole thing. The overcast weather gives my photos a darker hue; all of the colors are much brighter in person.

The brush is a cute touch, but not to scale. There is a great amount of detail on the head of the brush; the subtle lines definitely suggest it's full of big and fluffy bristles.

On the reverse side of the palette you'll find the words "paint yourself in couture" printed in old-fashioned letters. If you're picking this up in person you should be sure to check this area out carefully, as Juicy often doesn't do even prints when it comes to letters on charms or tags. Mine is missing color from the top half of the "f", for instance.

Although the palette charm is thin it has significant weight, and feels like the whole thing is made out of metal. This is a refreshing change from some of the disappointing plastic charms from earlier this year (such as the mouse and cheese or the 3-tier cake).

Price: 48.00
Box: Silver/Pink
Code: YJRU3464

P.S. Just today and tomorrow left before a winner is picked for the candy cane charm!

Stash: Polar Bear

Well, so much for my resolve to go back to posting daily! I wish you all a belated Happy Thanksgiving (if you were celebrating), and thank you for sticking in there with my erratic schedule. Fortunately for me -- and you -- a sweet little package from Shirley & Company landed in my mailbox this week.

This is hands down the charm I was most excited about. Don't get me wrong.. the LE holiday releases are sparkly and pretty. But none of them were grabbing me the way that past holiday charms had (like the nutcracker, reindeer, or original gingerbread house). Until this little guy ambled on up.

I love animals and if you've ever had the fortune to watch a polar bear up close you already know what magnificent creatures they are. Their strength is massive; I saw two play-fight at the San Diego Zoo a few summers ago and I might as well have been watching boulders slam into one another. Despite their untamed nature, polar bears are often represented as cute and cuddly. This charm is no exception. First of all, look at the face. The eyes are a deep rich black and I think Juicy made the right decision to use paint rather than crystals. It makes them look far more realstic, same goes for the nose. They didn't skimp on the crystals all together, though; check out the legs! This bear has got some fancy footwork going on.. perhaps they are to be interpreted as pieces of ice? Either way they don't overwhelm the bear entirely and really add to the festive feeling. The pads on the paws may be the best detail of all, though. Little golden hearts! Can you imagine how cute those footprints would be?

I have zero complaints about this one. It's really heavy but that's a good thing for me this time around, as I think it conveys how sturdy this charm is.

I love that this was a winter release; sure you think of cold climates when you think of polar bears, but I'm also reminded of the Coca Cola bear this time of year. Find it at a discount if you can but don't hesitate too long -- this is definitely one of those charms that will be hard to secure at reasonable prices once it's off shelves. It's one of the most realistic animal charms that they've done in quite some time, which will really make it stand out in your collection.

Price: 48.00
Box: Silver/Pink
Code: YJRU3427

P.S. Don't forget that the contest to win the Candy Cane charm ends in 4 days on 12/1. Every comment you leave (from this post forward) counts as one entry!