{follow along} JDV Jewelry is on twitter

just in case you didn't know, you can follow along with Joie de Vie Jewelry on twitter as well - i've been tweeting for awhile, but i just wanted to let new followers know that you can find me there too!

find me here

{shop update} new necklaces

made this cute little necklace today while at the pool - it's already hanging around my neck, where it'll probably stay for a few weeks =) it's the starting piece in my new "petite necklace" collection...

the petite leaf in gold fill

and just get an idea of size - here it is on me... it's pretty petite and cute!

happy shopping!

{things to come} hand stamped personalized jewelry!

i've been toying with the idea recently of getting into hand stamping gold, silver, and brass jewelry... and two weeks ago i finally decided to go for it!... 

if you're wondering what hand stamped jewelry looks like, here are two examples:

it makes great family jewelry, jewelry collages, the options really seem to be limitless!  while i'm waiting for my custom fonts to be manufactured - i'm dreaming up some creative ways to incorporate this concept into my current line which appeals to brides... and i think i've already got some fun ideas!  but you'll just have to wait till july for me to announce those =)

also, the photo below is inspiration of what i one day hope to have in the way of a workspace...

seeing how the supplies and tools to craft hand stamped jewelry take up much more space than the tools i currently work with! 

photo sources

{recipes} coconut cupcakes w/ lime buttercream frosting

a few months back we got a subscription of cooking light and i found this recipe for

coconut cupcakes w/ a lime buttercream frosting. . .  yummmm!

so i figured for my hubs' birthday i figured i'd attempt these - but rather than making full sized cupcakes i opted for mini - cupcakes {which is coming back to haunt me} .... the ones that are still lingering i think i need to thrown out now... but lets not talk about that!

i took the liberty of garnishing them with a little lime zest 

{sorry that's my restaurant background talking} =)

we couldn't get over this card he got for his bday... how awesome is that?  not awesome that it came from none other than his student loan lender... boo! but i though it'd look cute with his cupcakes {since i forgot to get candles}... bad wifey

 

wanna try these yourself?  find the recipe here

{things i dig} GeeZees custom canvas

i have been just dying to get caught up on blogging just so i could share this:

i have a crush on my new geezees canvas! 

below is the wedding photo i chose from our photog {memoriesbymichael.com} then i used photoshop to add the lyrics from our first dance song - Dave Matthews - "steady as we go" and our wedding date... then i sent it to stephanie and then the magic began!

and here's what came to us in the mail.... 

maybe i'm partial, but i think our canvas just rocks! =)

stephanie, the force behind geezees, was phenominal to work with! she's a fellow etsy wedding team member, but i found out about her business because i was the winner/recipient of a contest over at weddingbee.  even though this was a complimentary canvas,  her attention and communication throughout the process was fantastic!  since it was "freebee" she could've totally taken longer on my order, but she treated it as if it was just as much a priority as any of her paid orders!  being a fellow online vendor - that speaks volumes about her customer service... and i think when it comes to online business, customer service is so extremely important in making or breaking your online presence.  sometime it can be very difficult to build a following of loyal fans who will believe in you enough to refer you... and i most certainly would send anyone reading this her way! 

i can only hope that i will have a reason to visit her again for future canvas art projects! i know our canvas turned out beautifully and it will be a treasured piece of art in our home for years to come!

please check her out either on etsy, her website, or her blog!

{recent project} rustic elegance cocktail napkins p 2

the other half of the rustic elegance napkins were inspired by erin's wedding guest book below -

so we came up with a graphic for little "love birds" - one flying and one sitting on the branch

and the "work in progress" shot on the dining table =) ... if you've ever wondered what the gocco looks like .... here it is below!

{recent project} rustic elegance cocktail napkins p I

just finished 225 of these beauties last night, and about to get started on the other design which will compliment this one.  the bride erin and i have been emailing for awhile about these napkins - which she will use at her upcoming wedding... i just love how they turned out.

we used the same peony graphic which ties the napkins to her invitation and used the saying "eat, drink & be married" all tying in their pink and brown color scheme.

the napkins in progress... and beautiful sea of ivory, pink and brown

and here are here invites which provided the inspiration for the peony and the fonts we used... sorry for the blurs - gotta do the privacy thing! =)