this past week in pictures . . .

so this week started off with finishing up these gocco'd save the dates for Amy & Derek... love the way the turned out... they're wedding is going to be so chic with varying shades of green & white to make up their color palette.

there, moved the tag so now you can see the text at the top!

the work in progress - 100 std cards & 110 envelopes and

throw in a few left over christmas decorations...

shipped out these twinsies to a very thoughtful husband/son-in-law

they are matching stamped mommy & grand mommy necklaces for two lovely ladies in his life

tried out some new baked goods this week when i was rained in on wednesday, actually i just had no motivation to go out in the downpour on wednesday!  these were a hit, coconut-blueberry cream cheese bars - yummy! look like they're a funny yellow in the photo, but the weren't, hmmm... recipe here

and the finale of my week...

made this evening by moi - a bibbed rhinestone & swarovski necklace!

i've been dying to make one but haven't wanted to back it on felt, it didn't seem pretty enough on felt... so i opted for netting which provided a "floating" appearance.  i just love it and can't wait to wear it and make more, i'm debating if i should list these in the shop?  i just love that it can be worn with jeans & a plain T or w/ a sassy black dress, oh the possibilities!

wow,  what a week! now it's time to hit the rack... i have a client/venue visiting day bright and early in the morning... g'night all

i've got sunshine....

on a cloudy day {ahem, gloomy, crazy stormy day in orange county, ca}!

love this print from etsy seller faroushe... she's been the featured seller on the front page of etsy the past few days, but i found her work about 6 months ago and love all of her quirky yet pretty items!  if you need a little sunshine for yourself you can find this print here.

i hope this helps brighten and warm up your day,

*b

{blog love} my sparrow

about two weeks ago my mom and i visited the IVC {irvine valley college} flea market on the community college campus... and were really surprised at the quality of vendors! it wasn't crazily overwhelming the way the rose bowl flea market is, and it's about a quarter of the size of the long beach flea market... but it was super manageable, and an enjoyable market to walk.  we were really surprised that it wasn't hit or miss with vendors either. before heading over to IVC i did a little online research to see if any of the vendors were bloggers or had an online presence... sure enough i found one such vendor: My Sparrow.

it was about halfway through our time there that we found ourselves in her booth ooo'ing & ahh'ing over a glass cake stand with and elongated pedestal... then i recognized her note cards, and the necklace she was wearing... and then i realized hey this was the gal from my research! Christina and i stood and chatted for a good while about our etsy shops, blogging, and online business in general {it is so nice to chat with others tending a shop in the online marketplace}.... after about 15 minuets had passed, i realized my mom had moved on to another row and was circling back to find me in the same spot she left me! It was so great talking with her, she's a sweet gal who loves what she does, and man i wish i had all the money in the world so that i could take one of everything she sells, she really has great stuff to offer both in her 

etsy shop and in her own online shop.

Christine sells a variety of wonderful goods, sine she's an interior designer by trade so she offers lots of decorative pieces, pillows, furniture, but she also has some wonderful accessories & jewelry too... here are some of the goodies that caught my eye!

hand blown champagne flutes - aren't all the different styles great?!

footed champagne flutes - again, love the variation of they styles

and how cute are these little bird paperweights?  don't you think these could be fun little accents for around a woodland themed wedding cake....?

oh... and this, the possibilities, one for my kitchen, one for my arts and crafts supplies... i could think up many uses for this great galvanized tiered wire storage baskets!

go check her out!

website: my sparrow
etsy shop: my sparrow
facebook: here
twitter: mysparrowcom

{creative time} diy cake stands

a few days ago i got a little break in between working on orders, running errands, etc. to make something i had been wanting to make for awhile!

like what you ask?  well, diy'd cake stands similar to this photo inspiration i found on apartment therapy

i finally found these super cute plates at cost plus {in our blue color scheme} and for about $1.50 a pop! and i used some glass candlesticks  to create the pedestals. here are some photos of how they turned out!

i bought both a dinner plate and salad plate so that i could stack them like so...

i love that the two plates don't have the same pattern, but still compliment one another

if you're interested in creating something similar, i found the easy tutorial on design sponge, and seriously people i takes maybe five minuets to stick the candle sticks to the dishes, and the rest is just drying/ set up time for the epoxy... really really easy crafting idea!

i just wonder if i should test out a few of these in my shop? =)

shopping adventures

it's no secret that i'm always on the look out for unique and fun decorative
accessories for around our place or for upcoming clients' weddings... or both! =)

here are some fun things i found the other day while perusing the aisles at cost plus...
which is quickly becoming one of my favorite stores... check these out!

fleur de lys

doesn't that iced tea look so pretty in this glassware?  imaging what else you could do with these... put a votive candle in the short one... or fill the stemmed one with a little h2o and a floating candle, or a stem of fluffy white hydrangea... endless possibilities and at $3.99 that's a pretty darn good price.

and don't they kinda remind you of these? these were from a photo shoot that JL Designs did a few months back, but up until this point i had only seen these cups at anthropology for $6 per cup that's a whole $2 cheaper at cost plus!

they also come in a pretty blue!

fleur de lys {blue}

and these cuties actually only came in the clear glass, that i saw,  in the store... but online they come in this cute plum color... still only $2.99 - $3.99

dot glassware

i'll probably need to get some of these to use for our upcoming valentines

get-together we're hoping to host.

happy shopping people!

{shop update} new necklace

well folks... i've been wearing this and taunting people by not having it listed in my shop... this necklace is what i'd like to think of as the sister style to my eternite necklaces.

             so here it is: the infinité necklace

and just to give you an idea of it on:

i've been wearing this necklace daily for about the past two weeks and it goes great with any outfit... would also be a great option for your bridesmaids!

*Blair

what else i've been up to

so i've been getting more and more orders for custom handstamped necklaces and here are some of those that were christmas orders...

below left was created for a friend - she wanted her husband & her initals for Bill & Brenn, another tag that said "faith," and a small gold tag with a paw print for their golden doodle Ralph, i love that it's a mixed metal necklace, silver and gold tags dangled on a gold chain... this way you can wear it with anything!

below right was for her MIL - S stamped on a gold tag for her initial and since she loves all things horses we did a horsehoe charm.

this next necklace was for her dear friend, obviously the L is her inital, and the giraffe has a special meaning since her friend has done humanitarian/mission work in Africa she wanted something to represent that - and when i found these cute little charms, we thought they were perfect!

and yet another mixed metal necklace.

this one was a necklace created for one of my bro's wives... their initials are stamped on a copper tag layered on top of a sterling silver tag with each of their boys names - zek. luke. & daniel... and of course a paw print for their pets and the dogs they breed.

this next one you may recognize from posting a few months ago, i made this for my other SIL lisa awhile back, but for Christmas i gifted her the middle tag that says Prov. 31... this is significant because everything she touches with her hands is blessed, from interior design, to sewing, cooking, even her cleaning & organizing skills!  she's a great mommy to my nephews and in my opinion a Proverbs 31 woman - which if you're familiar with the chapter it speaks of a Godly wife, woman, and mother, but this was specifically in reference to "she works with her hand in delight" and lisa truly does!

this tag addition also is a great idea, once you have a necklace you don't have to stop there - you can add to it at any time, when you hit a milestone, have a baby, or discover a verse you really love... i can figure out a way to incorporate a special idea or meaning into your necklace.

this next necklace was for my MIL - a tag for my hubby and her son Justus, and his brother Josh, and then a tag for Sammy the dog {her fur kid}

if you have a custom stamped necklace in mind, feel free to contact me jdvjewelry{at}gmail.com and we can work together on a design!

from one holiday to the next!

i've been working on lots of new projects in my absence, and i will be slowly adding these fun banners to my etsy shop... wouldn't this be cute for a valentines party? or to have hanging for your romantic dinner for two?

this banner is also up for grabs in my etsy shop too!

i used red card stock to make the scallops {which measure 3.5" in diameter},

the letters are made from kraft paper which has little black bicycles screen printed on it,

they are all strung on a cute black & white  ribbon.

and at each end of the banner i tied little bows to finish it off

if you would like a happy birthday, anniversary, or even custom wedding banner made, please feel free to contact me and we can work together to create something special!

hello 2010!

happy new year to you all!

i hope your holidays were filled with relaxation, family time, and fun... i know we certainly enjoyed our's - around thanksgiving we got the glorious news that J passed the california bar on the 1st try, so yes, i'm official married to an attorney! then in december we celebrated my dad's 65th birthday party topped off w/ him bowling 5 strikes in a row at his b-day shindig {can we say senior hobby?}.  christmas eve was spent with my whole crazy & wonderful family playing games, talking, and reflecting on the meaning of Christmas.  Christmas day J and i were off to SLC {his hometown} to visit his family for a few days and test our well adjusted so-cal thin-blooded bodies in the 9 degree cold of Utah!  i'm pretty sure at least half our time was spent playing board games, the rest was filled with good food, and spent visiting his buddies.

{our gocco'd 2009 christmas & new year's card}

as i look back at the past few months {and year} i feel as though i've traveled to the moon and back! many of last year's endeavors turned out to be rewarding and educational additions to this chapter in my life; teaching me much about myself, being a wife & daughter, being an entrepreneur, and the list really could keep going... but i will admit, despite the fact that JDV and my other biz Blair Britt Events have really come to life, i need to do more and grow them both into more.  as i look at my past few posts since my giveaway i feel as though i've been a really lousy blogger... sure i've focused on twitter and my facebook page more than my blog, but my blog is what so many clients & friends have said they enjoy... it's my journal of this journey as a business owner that i love to share.  and since i work best when i know i'm accountable for something, in writing...

my goal this next year will be to try my darndest to blog twice and post one new item in my shop on a weekly basis in 2010! they may not be my typical legnthy posts, but i WILL post =)

now i'll leave you with our christmas eve setting at my bro & SIL's home...

isn't that beautiful?? they're great at entertaining, not to mention my SIL is a FANTASTIC interior designer - they've graciously hosted many of our family holidays! we love going there, & i'm sure you can see why.

here she and i are goofing around in front of the trees - tippy toes!