Vintage Earrings as Hair Ornaments

I was driving to a fancy-schmancy holiday party the other evening, wearing this pair of my mom's vintage clip earrings. They are pretty, but within five minutes, they HURT!

No wonder my mom used to put little foam pads on her earring clips.

Fresh out of little foam pads driving down Sunset Boulevard, I had to improvise. I took off the earrings and clipped them both onto my pony tail holder. Voila! A hair accessory worthy of a holiday party:

I wore them all night long and got lots of compliments. And no sore earlobes.

The clips are so dang strong, I found you can even clip one in freshly washed hair, and it won't slide out. (If you are worried about the earring sliding off your hair, first put a bobby pin in your hair, then clip the earring over the pin.):

Pretty, huh?

The next day I poked around in my jewelry box and found these. They're a little smaller in diameter, but still very good for party bling:

Even a missing rhinestone here or there can't detract from their unique, vintage prettiness:

It seems that the bigger and flashier the earrings, the better they work as hair ornaments. These blue ones would be beautiful in blonde or grey hair:

You may own some of these lovelies already, passed down from your mom or grandmother or favorite aunt. If not, it's still relatively easy to find vintage clip earrings in flea markets, vintage shops, and even garage sales. And, you don't have to find a pair--even one will do!

The day after the party, I popped a single earring onto my ponytail as I went out the door to do errands. The little bit of sparkle added just the right note of glamour to my my normal jeans-and-sweater uniform:

This look isn't just for us "ladies of a certain age." Look how sweet the same earrings look on 20-something hair:

One earring or two, it's a great look.

And the earrings positively glow by candlelight.

So, rummage through your jewelry box or drawer, and see if you might have the perfect party-hair accessory just waiting for you to re-discover it!