{playing catch up} lucia's order

awhile back i was contacted by a bride, just like many other convos go on in my etsy shop - little did i know until some back and forth emailing that this bride was Lucia of Utterly Engaged {the e-mag} and d*lsh designs.  she had asked that i make some custom wire written necklaces {similar to my l-o-v-e necklace in my shop}. so we did four necklace all in her girls' names. giang, henny {her biz partner}, cecile, and sherry, and here's how they turned out.

here's a photo from d*lsh design's blog of Lucia and her new hubby on their wedding day... congrats you two!

if you would like something custom created for a special person, feel free to email me at jdvjewelry{at}gmail.com and i'd be happy to work with you to create a unique and special piece!

i'm baack!

so... i know it's been a few months, i've been really busy and haven't forgotten about you all who follow my blog - i've just been trying to get my feet back on the ground, which is slowly happening!

since my last post i coordinated my first official wedding {i'll be sure to start blogging the photos soon}, but, also my hubs and i found out some great news... he passed the CA Bar exam on the first try - yep that means as of this thursday's swearing in ceremony, i'll be married to an attorney!  it's been such a long journey in which i feel like i've been his "wingman" on, from all the law school final exams, Bar prep study classes, and 3 months of studying like a crazy person... it's all paid off and he's now crossed the finish line on this part of the journey! i'm so proud and so thankful that his hard work was rewarded, and i can't wait to see what's in store for him and us down the road.  also, congrats to anyone else out there who just went through what my hubs did, and was fortunate enough to pass!

ok now down to business.... =)

sorry for my absence

i've been away for a little while since i've been doing a lot of work on my "other" business... Blair Britt Events.  it's my other pride and joy... event design and wedding coordination, which i now offer as a service to my clients... any-who... i just coordinated my first client's wedding this past saturday at saddlerock ranch in malibu, ca - and i really can't wait to show off the day... but i'll have to wait to do that... i'll post as soon as i have the pro photos!

but in the mean time take a sec to visit my new {other} blog: BlairBrittEvents and follow my other twitter profile {twitter.com/blairbrittevent}, find us on facebook too!

{announcement} giveaway winner!

alrighty... so the winner is:

Nicole-Lynn of Seaside Smitten blog - she won the item of her choice:

the petite wishbone necklace

Nicole-Lynn - i will be contacting your shortly to get your shipping info

CONGRATULATIONS you have your necklace for your engagement shoot!

and to everyone else who entered the giveaway - thank you so much for the participation! and please stay tuned for more opportunities similar to this in the future... also, i'd like to offer you the opportunity to go shopping with a 20% discount for entering the giveaway! upon check out just enter "giveaway" and your comment number to let me know you had participated in the contest.

{recent project} calligraphy inspired paper goods

when this next bride, julia, contacted me it was gocco an order of rehearsal dinner napkins - then it turned into cocktail napkins for their wedding and their coordinating thank you notes too!

here's how they turned out -

100 dark teal napkins

{sorry the flash bleached the color out a bit}

gocco'd w/ metallic gold using the monogram and design from their rehearsal invites

this photo's a way better representation of the true color of the napkins!

julia approached me with idea of gocco'ing wedding napkins

using some custom calligraphy from etsy seller emililies

{she also worked on my new branding i'll be showing off soon}

100 of these are done on a great fall color - plum!

and then 100 more in ivory - this is a close up to show off the shine from the metallic ink

and last but not least - her pretty and personalized 60 wedding thank you notes

in soft white {aka ivory}

my very first JDV jewelry blog giveaway!

i am so thrilled to have hit the 200 "hearts" mark in my etsy shop, so... in honor of that event i thought i'd

host my first EVER giveaway on my Joie de Vie Jewelry & Accessories blog. . .

i'm offering the opportunity to choose ANY jewelry or accessory piece from my shop!

here are some of my favorites

petite wishbone necklace

la femme earrings

petite personalized initial stamped necklace w/ charm

belle earrings w/ ivory coin pearls - great for the bride

macrame necklace w/ amazonite stones

{how to enter}

{step 1} visit the JDV jewelry & accessories shop here - find your favorite item, try even looking through my prior sales for additional ideas!

{step 2} come back to the blog and comment under today's post noting which jewelry or accessory you would love

to call you very own. . . just be sure to comment before AUGUST 21st!

{step 3} check back in ONE week to see if you were randomly chosen to receive a free

joie de vie item

{remember} you can pick ANY jewelry or accessory piece in my shop - now go! =)

and good luck!

*email me if you'd like to sponsor a future joie de vie jewelry & accessories giveaway on your blog*

jdvjewelry{at}gmail.com

{custom paper goods} wedding weekend agenda inserts

here's a recent project for one of my current brides allie, she approached me awhile about gocco'ing some of her wedding paper goods and one of those items was an additional insert for her wedding invitations... her invites had a dandelion motif so these scalloped inserts are perfect in keeping with that silhouette. here they are - gocco'd in gold ink

and here are her invites assembled and ready to head off to her guests

thanks allie for sending the photo of the finished product! =)

i'm back... again - i really could get used to this traveling thing =)

hi again everyone! i know its seems as though i've been away from the blog for awhile, and, well, admittedly i had been trying to keep my head above water in july... it was a crazy month with my hubs taking the CA bar exam, trying to prep for our vacation for our first anniversary, and get all my clients orders on track and shipped prior to leaving! in short - it's been a whirlwind past few weeks! =)

now we're back to reality, i'm back to blogging, and i really have so much to show, tell, and catch y'all up on!

i'm so happy to announce that this starting this friday {august 14th} i will be hosting my very first jewelry give away on my blog... i'll post more details toward the end of the week, but i'm very excited to get some of my new goodies listed in the shop which will make the give away even more exciting!

*b

oh and here's a pic from the san diego leg of our anniversary trip - in the lobby of our gorgeous hotel - the us grant in the gaslamp district... if you haven't been... GO! it's UH-mazing

{recent project} napa wedding paper goods

congrats to ben and darcy! this couple just got married up in napa yesterday... so in honor of their wedding i thought i'd show you what we worked with them on.

first i'll show you a little behind the scenes work on these programs -

here's 175 x both sides of the programs, so what you're really looking at is 350 pieces i gocco'd

prior to turning them into programs!

and here's the finished product!

it was an outdoor wedding so i worked with darcy to design these fan programs,

which were meant to help guests keep cool in the late afternoon sun.

{they also make great sun visors too}

front side:

ceremony details and cranberry colored scroll design

back side:

wedding party and a special note from darcy & ben

w/ the scroll detail once again

we also tied the scroll detail through to their guests' place cards

-which were printed on opal stardream cards for an added shimmer

if you're interested in personalizing your wedding day paper goods or other items - i would love to hear from you! this is just a sample of the ways i can help design your event and accessories which can be customized so that your wedding day style flows seamlessly throughout the entire event!

feel free to contact me via emai: JDVJewelry{at}gmail.com

of convo me through my etsy shop!

{blog love} etsy item of the day

i'm a few days behind... but i wanted to say THANKS to Jackie over at "etsy item of the day" for featuring my petite wishbone necklace on her blog and for tweeting about it too! you can follow her {@EtsyToday} via twitter.

go check her out, she has lots of great, unique finds on her blog...

thanks again jackie =)

{month in review} july highlights

man, this summer is really sailing by! and it's been a few weeks since my last post, hopefully all that i have to show you will make up for my lack of posts... it's been a crazy past month of custom orders and other fun new items - so without further ado, here's what i've been up to....

citrus bridal shower invites:

*sorry for the privacy blurs*

the invite was gocco'd in metallic gold - lime - and yellow

and the envelope had the hostess' return address gocco'd in gold on the flap

w/ a slice of lime on the front side of the envelope

i just adore the cute and playful font we used to highlight the bride's name!

if you check out the bottom right corner that font was used to subtly highlight

the request for recipes for "katie's cook book"

i also gocco'd coordinating thank you notes that the hostess plans to give the bride at the shower - making thank you note writing that much easier and cuter! =)

if you happen to like these citrus summery thank you notes - they're be available in my shop

{blog love} wishpot wedding blog - my guest post

ok, ok, so i'm a few days behind on this - but a little while back Christine @gift_girl {you can follow her on twitter} contacted me about doing a vendor guest post about jewelry on wishpot's wedding blog- i was so honored to even be asked to tell what i do!

so this past week my guest post went live... you can check it out here

and what's blog post without somethin' to look at... here's one of the weddings featured... it's my own =)

{shop update} add headbands to the list!

well folks, i adore a cute headband - however, every time i see one, i've thought...

i could make that! so that's what i've done... here's a small group of the headbands i've made and will be posted in my shop over the next few days. i think they're just great for summer too... don't feel like making your hear look great? just throw it back in a pony and top it off with one of these guys!

i hope you like them =)

new orleans

skinny headband wrapped in pink satin ribbon - adorned with guinea feathers -

finished with b&w stripped satin ribbon

dixieland

wrapped with red satin ribbon - adorned with feathers -

and finished with a petite white and denim ribbon.

nassau

wrapped with a light pink satin ribbon - adorned with guinea feathers -

finished with a petite lime green satin ribbon.

bora bora

wrapped in hand dyed mokuba silk ribbon {purple, teal, and white} -

adorned with feathers - finished with a petite gold metallic ribbon

chinoiserie

wrapped in a fun and colorful satin ribbon - adorned with guinea feathers

- finished with a petite coral satin ribbon

nile

wrapped in a light blue satin ribbon w/ a gold metallic finish - adorned

with feathers - finished with a petite gold metallic ribbon

aegean

1/2" headband wrapped in purple grosgrain ribbon - adorned with feathers

- finished with an petite electric blue satin ribbon

vert

1/2" headband wrapped in b&w stripped satin ribbon, peacock feathers,

and finished with a petite lime green ribbon

safari

wrapped in brown grosgrain with orange stitching -

adorned with various feathers - finished with a petite orange satin ribbon

off to renegade!

sorry for my lack of posting since i've been back, but i've seriously been trying to play catch up!

i'm stoked today because i'm heading up to the LA Renegade Craft fair! it's on today and tomorrow and get this - you just have to pay to park, admission is free!

we're back....

from charleston

we got back just in time to enjoy the holiday weekend! here's one of my favorite photos of Charleston, SC...

it's a view of Tradd Street, which has some of the oldest homes in the city, most are Charleston single home style...

meaning they're 1 room deep. this street was used during the filming of the movie the Patriot {which i need to watch again}

it was such a great trip and a fabulous place to visit - we really enjoyed our time there and are so glad we went!

vacation time!

hi all -

just wanted to give a heads up that i leave town today and will be out of town & quasi out of touch internet-wise till the 5th of July... i'm not closing down my etsy shop - so please feel free to purchase and send messages, just know i might not be able to respond in a timely fashion! and i will get to ya...

i'm really looking forward to this trip - in case you are remotely curious we'll be heading to my cousin's wedding near Chicago for the weekend. and from there we will fly to Charleston, SC for a little girl time for the week! i'm so excited to be traveling, and it'll be a great way to come back nice and refreshed to work on the rest of the wedding season orders! =)

*b

{shop update} jen aniston inspired necklace

awhile back i remember seeing this photo of jennifer aniston wearing a cute, petite little wishbone necklace... ever since i've been on the lookout for a charm that would make an equally cute necklace! and ta-da... i found it, and here's the necklace.

the necklace is 18 inches long {however you can request it longer or shorter} and the wishbone charm is approx. 3/4 of an inch long.

here's a close up!

i think these would even make a great little bridesmaids necklaces/gifts!

{recent project} hydrangea cocktail napkins

just finished these pretties up the other night - i really am in love with the hydrangea image we used for these custom napkins! the bride, lisa used the fonts from their wedding invites to help tie it things together in a chocolate ink, and then the hydrangea puff is in cornflower blue to keep with their color scheme....

i always love seeing the beginning black and white gocco image turn into .....

... a beautiful color, real life print =) it's just such a neat process. one that i enjoy immensely! these are great napkins for a summertime wedding.

and here's a pretty little shot of the final product!

lisa - i hope you love them and congrats again on your upcoming wedding! =)

if you're interested in a similar idea, wanna change up colors - feel free to message me via my shop

{inspiration} oh martha!

martha and the late paw paw

today i was reading "the Martha rules" and was very inspired by this quote from the book - and for all of you creative types out there, making a living doing what you love, i hope this helps give you a little motivation and inspiration!