Rather Special News To Share

I’ve got some rather special news to share that all came about because of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop.

I just returned from an enriching, inspiring and really motivating experience that was the 2018 EBWW. One of the highlights was the release of Laugh Out Loud – the book by Allia Zobel Nolan that includes a story written by me. I can’t say enough about Allia. She is the author of over 175 books (yes, 175)  and this is her first anthology. It’s packed full of joyous, funny and honest stories. Think 40 women humorists celebrating then and now … before we forget.

About 20 of the contributors were able to attend the conference and on the Friday night we participated in a book signing. Something happened there that I hadn’t anticipated. See if you can guess from this photo of me and the hilarious and lovely Lisa Marlin and Yvonne Ramsel.

Pssst … What’s different about my outfit?

I’m sporting a rather special brooch, no?

Well, here’s the scoop. It’s actually an extremely versatile dress clip brooch. I have several different pairs of them and took three with me to Dayton. They were my social ticket bar none.  “I love your brooch!” vied with “Man, you’re sparkly!” were the most common refrains. That extraordinary interest in them sparked today’s post.

But first, what’s a dress clip? A dress clip is a brilliant piece of jewelry that peaked in popularity around the 1930’s. Dress clips are versatile brooches that give you the option of attaching via a clip, rather than just the traditional pin fitting. No more poking of holes in your favorite silk blouse! They can gussy up the edges of your cardigan, the collar of your blouse, create a new look for your shoes, tart up your hair and even hold those slippery bra straps in place!  You can put them on basically anything. Talk about bang for your buck! Pretty cool, right?

But then they stopped making them in the 50’s. No one knows why. This meant that the only ones now available were those you could find at flea markets, antique shops or after a good rifle through Grammie’s jewelry box.

Who spotted my offhand “I have several different pairs of them …?” Good on you. I’ll wager you’re assuming mine are vintage. They’re not!  Mine are brand new quality numbers that are made today in the USA and all of the crystal stones are hand set. Here’s the best bit. I am so proud to share that they are the creation of my very own special niece Chelsea.

Here she is posing after a lovely meal with me and my blogging pal Mo of Mocadeaux  in Chicago last month. A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Chelsea has long been a fan of adornment. I can remember her fashioning her own earrings out of bread bag clips and luggage tags when she was three or four … Fast forward to today and her company Jubilee Jones is responsible for the return of the dress clips!

Yes, Chelsea and her Jubilee Jones have brought back the dress clip.

The Dress Clip Brooch is all about this beaut of a brooch:

slipping off the brooch frame and becoming two identical dress clips:

Chelsea has found a niche of course in the bridal market. They look lovely as a brooch on the bride’s dress, adorning her shoes or affixed to her hair. But they can also be worn long after the wedding.

They can also be worn by all of us! Dress ’em up:

Dress ’em down:

Rather Special News To Share

Of course, wowed by the popularity of the ones I wore at EBWW, I couldn’t wait to report back to Chels. She was thrilled and then said she had her own exciting news! Her second line of Jubilee Jones Dress Clip Brooches is about to make their debut! Glory be.

And what of her original line? They are being discontinued.

That got me wondering about the remaining few of the original line … Could she possibly please consider doing her ‘favorite auntie’ a weensy little favor? Maybe do a little discount for me and perhaps my Just TypiKel followers? Pretty please with a dress clip on top?

Bless her gem of a heart.

Today through April 30th only she’s offering the original collection of Jubilee Jones to Just TypiKel readers at a 20% discount off of total orders. To take advantage of this generous and oh-so- special-thank-you-Chels-of-an-offer: 

Click this link to Jubilee Jones 

Once you’ve had a good gander and made your choice use the code: JustTypikel (all one word, capital J, capital T) and you’ll get 20% off the total order.

My dear Canadian friends, please note the prices are in US Dollars.

When wearing your Jubilee Jones Dress Clips be prepared for some pretty special comments. Chels has a great story about her own little black dress. Entering its third or sixth season she knew it needed a little “something something.” She slipped a pair of her ‘Flora’ petite clips onto the spaghetti straps and headed off to a Christmas party. People kept remarking that they loved her dress to which she graciously replied “Thank you. However, it’s actually these dress clips that you’re loving …”

Yes, it’s truly all about the dress clips. Trust me.

That’s it for the rather special news to share. While you’ve got until April 30 to get in on the deal I’d advise you to go now! There are just a few remaining pieces and I’d hate for you to miss out.