Fashionable Girl Necklaces

These girl necklaces are so fashionable now, but I have to claim that there is a boy necklace in the picture too.

Do you think these girl necklaces are so funny?

The girl is so cool, she is smoking and playing tennis now!


The girl is playing on the swing! Really nice girl necklaces!


The girl necklace is really amazing, I wonder what she is doing now :)

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Amazing Summertime Bracelet - Fashion Week

This kind of bracelets features 10 ladybugs, and 4 leaves with yellow flowers on them. It is the perfect addition to any spring and summer wardrobe. I love it too!

The bracelet does look like a caterpillar! I thought it was one at first. Pretty bracelet!

I love the bracelet very much! The colors are yummy, the way they fit together is really cool!

Fashion bracelets! Amazing!

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Converting the Unconvertable

As I've mentioned before, Dave has a general dislike for wallpaper. I'm not sure if it's the expense (compared to paint), the difficulty in putting it up (not to mention taking it down) or just that he still associates wallpaper with the hideous cartoon borders and "grandma" florals that dominated our childhoods in the '80s and early '90s.

I tend to view Dave's resistance to something as a challenge to convert him to my way of thinking. I knew though that if I could find the "perfect" wallpaper for Dave, that he'd not only relent and let me wallpaper at least a few rooms in the new house, but that he may even end up liking the final result. Now there are a few things I know about my husband's taste: (1) he likes jewel-tone blues and greens, (2) he likes metallics, (3) he likes nature-inspired themes, and (4) he likes intricacy and ornate patterns over simplicity and geometics.

Last week I found this, the perfect wallpaper for Dave. It's from Graham & Brown and called "Enchant - Ultramarine". It hits all the right notes and in person it's even more beautiful as the trees have a translucent quality that make them appear as if they'd been carefully silk-screened, one by one, onto the paper (Graham & Brown will send you samples free of charge, you just pay shipping). What's interesting is that, while I suggested this wallpaper for the powder room, Dave loved it so much he wants to do an entire wall of it in his "man" room, and then paint the rest of the room in a coordinating shade of teal. I'm not entirely sure if the end result will be particularly masculine, but I do think it will be beautiful.

But now the important question:

While I managed to convince Dave of the virtues of modern wallpaper, we still need to decide on the "perfect" paper for the powder room. I've narrowed it down to our two favorite choices (Sariskar Banswara by Henry Wilson for Osborne & Little and Stella-Amethyst by Marcel Wanders for Graham & Brown) and would like to open this one up for a vote.

poll by twiigs.com

Wire Working Tools 101

So we have learned that there are several different types of jewelry making. I started out with the most common of the type, beading; and grew into wire working and sculpting. As I learn each technique and put my own twist of creativity into the design, I move into other more advanced or new techniques and types of jewelry making.

Let’s look at the type that I’ve done more work with and that is wire working. I would recommend before investing into the tools and wire that you take a class from your local craft, hobby or beading store. This will give you the chance to really get your hands ‘dirty’ before putting out the money in the right tools and wire.

Wire working tool are some of the same ones that are used in every type of jewelry making; however there are a few specialty tools for working with heavy gauge wire and to make things like jump rings, connectors and findings. Here are some of the more common essential wire working tools. In future posts, I’ll be listing some specialty wire working tools and techniques.

Bent Nose Pliers: Use these to shape or straighten wire and to hold it in place while using other tools. I keep a pair of both large and small sizes to fit most projects. Inspect your pliers before purchase and avoid any with notches on the inside as that can scratch wire. Over time, your pliers will start to show wear and tear; to keep them around longer I wrap blue painters tape around the jaws to keep from marring the wire.

Round Nose Pliers: These are perfect for curving wire or making hooks and loops, which can be used as findings or for attachment pieces. Again here I have several different sizes ranging from small, medium and large depending on the design, stones and project.

Chain Nose Pliers: These pliers a are square on the outside, flat on the inside, with a tapered nose to reach small places. These are excellent for making angles in wire.

Wire Cutters: These are used to cut normal wire such as gold, sterling, and artistic wire. Do not confuse them with the specialty memory wire cutters that are only used to cut memory wire. The sharper the cutter, the better, as it will last longer.

Jeweler’s Files: These come in sets with several sizes and shapes which are used to smooth off the metal. Wooden handles make it more comfortable to hold than all metal files; but is not necessary. Whatever your choice, make sure to get a variety of sizes and shapes to fit any project.

Bench Block: This is one of my favorite wire working tools; it is used to flatten wire and metal. It gives you a nice, sturdy, solid surface to work from.

Chasing Hammer: This round tipped hammer is used with the bench block to hammer wire flat. You can also use it in more advanced techniques to give a more hammered or textured look to your wire or metals.

Thing-a-ma-jig Wire Jig: For making just about any loop, curve, link, or design, a wire jig makes it easy. If you can draw or move a string in any shape, then you can do the same thing with wire in a jig.

Week Nine: Lights Up!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm back again today with my weekly update on the progress over at the new house. [By the way, am I overloading you with new house pictures and posts?] We visited our soon-to-be-home on Sunday and were surprised to see how much progress had been made over the course of the past week. With the exception of the front door (which has not yet been installed), the exterior of the house looks 99% complete. I was particularly pleased to see that the columns got a good dose of "Afternoon Tea" to match the shutters.

Despite soaring temperatures and a continued drought, my builder saw fit to go ahead and landscape several weeks prior to completion -- fortunately for me, if they'll be obligated to replace the sod and/or any dead plants prior to closing. I just hope they water liberally. While I'm sure Dave and I will fill-in these beds a bit more (especially the ones left bare underneath the oak trees), I'm fairly pleased with their "standard" landscaping package.

Aside from the exterior, the most progress was probably made in the kitchen, where the backsplash was tiled (but not grouted) and the granite countertops were installed. Overall, I'm happy with interplay between the backsplash and the counters, though I still wish I'd been given some more options for backsplash (or that they'd let me install my own later). Ah well. I'm going to have to let that one go.

Another view of the kitchen. This sink and faucet were both upgrades -- the models that came standard just looked far too cheap for the rest of the kitchen. [Edit: That is apparently NOT my faucet. It's a "placeholder" until the one I selected comes in. Just goes to show that I have already completely forgotten what I picked out in the first place waaaaay back in February/March.] I am continuously amazed at the places many builders decide to cut costs and where they really go for the good upgrades. In my current house, I have cheap cabinets, but beautiful moldings and doors. In the new house, I have nice moldings and better-than-average cabinets, but cheap doors. It's just bizarre.

The chandelier in the dining room. Not my favorite chandelier of all time, but it's fine (though maybe a smidge too big for the room) and it will certainly work for the next few years until I can afford to replace it with something I love.

The master bathroom definitely went under some big changes this week as well. The Silestone counters are in as well as the under mount sinks. I really like the contrast between the light counters and the dark cabinets.

The tile in the shower came out pretty well, don't you think? Certainly looks a lot better now that it's grouted. There's a pretty ho-hum flush mount fixture currently in the bathroom that I'd love to replace with a small chandelier or Moravian star.

Here's a shot of the ceiling in the master bedroom. Don't you think a pewter metallic finish on the ceiling would be lovely here? The ceiling fan (alas) is going to have to go...I wonder if I can just replace the blades (in person they have a very strange plastic-y, tortoise-shell finish)? Does anyone know if you can purchase blades separately and swap them out?

The pendant lanterns in the entryway. I actually really like these but I'm thinking they should be lowered some more and sit closer to the top of the doorway (or at least below the clerestory windows). What do you think?

The window seat. Still my favorite spot in the house!

I saw the pendant lights that were going into all the bathrooms and nearly fainted. I hate them. I know, I know they don't look that bad here, but in person they look cheap and fussy and they completely don't match the antique bronze faucets and towel bars. So I'm going to replace them pronto. Suggestions on replacements are more than welcome!

The landscaping in the backyard is just sod -- so we've definitely got a tabula rasa when it comes to setting up the backyard just how we like it. The wrought-iron railings for the upstairs' porch also went in last week. I also love how the back of the house is brick and not hardiplank (like our current house!). It's always nice when the back looks as good as the front, don't you think?

Based on their current progress, I'm expecting the house to be complete (or nearly so) by the time we get back from our vacation, so I think this will be the last "progress" post before the "after" pictures!

Lady Gaga

Hair of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

The Hills is a reality show broadcasted on MTV following the lives of many young people from Los Angeles, California. The show follows the story of Laguna Beach’s Lauren Conrad who will soon be replaced by Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga which is her stage name.

The Hills-Fashion and Hairstyles: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

Although she is a natural brunette, she has dyed her natural hair color since 2008 because she used to be frequently mistaken for her fellow song writer and singer, Amy Winehouse. It has been said that her original hair are mid-length and brown in color but ever since she has dyed it and become a blonde, she has become a famous personality.

The Hills-Fashion and Hairstyles: Lady Gaga on Stage

Although there have lots of arguments about her hair and most people wonder whether her hair is real or fake, her hair style is favorite among her fans and most people wish to have straight hair and bangs like her.

The Hills-Fashion and Hairstyles: Lady Gaga Style

Recently she went from short peroxide bob hair to long extensions with pink highlights. She was also seen with a GaGa twist of tower of plaits above her head which also became a famous hair style among her fans. With her beautiful hair styles gaining much popularity among the masses, let’s wonder how she shows up in ‘The Hills’.

The Hills-Fashion and Hairstyles: Lady Gaga Hairstyle

Affordable and Stylish Cocktail Rings

By now, I'm sure you've noticed the ever-growing trend of rocking a bold bauble in the form of a cocktail ring to dress up any outfit. This must-have accessory has been spotted on everyone from A-listers like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez to style setters like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. They often spend thousands, if not millions of dollars on beautiful cocktail rings that have them landing on the top of every best-dressed list. If you don't want to break the bank, but you still want the same look, consider a Cubic Zirconia ring in a style that imitates that of your favorite celeb. CZ rings have all the sparkle and glamour of the real thing, and because they're so affordable, you can afford to buy a few.

Cubic Zirconia rings are a great way to add some color to your outfit. For summer, the hottest shades of the season are canary yellow, emerald green and azure turquoise. These bright baubles will be a great attention grabber when paired with a casual outfit, and are the perfect accessory to compliment a dress for a special night out. CZ rings should be worn as a statement piece, especially if you are wearing a busy print or a dress with a bold design. A CZ ring is just the ticket for creating a polished and chic look that will surely impress.

With so many Cubic Zirconia ring styles to choose from, it's easy to find something that will suit your style and taste. Go bold with a rocker style CZ jewelry set with dark black stones and silver. This type of Cubic Zirconia ring is versatile enough to be worn with tailored jeans and a tee, or as an accessory with a cocktail dress. So try a CZ ring the next time you're looking for a hot new accessory. It's sure to be a hit!

Haute Bracelets, Necklaces and Rings with Natural Elements

There are some pieces of jewelry that you simply can't afford to be without, while others, you might admire from afar, but decide that the trend just doesn't fit your style or your budget. This season, one of the most coveted (and affordable) looks of the moment is jewelry that comes from the elements of nature. Bracelets, necklaces, rings with shells and natural unpolished stones are not only beautiful to look at, they are unique as well. With no two that are alike, each style setting maven will be able to create her own style statement with the best that nature has to offer.

Recently, Michelle Obama sent the trend watchers into a frenzy when she wore a vintage multi-tier necklace of faux pearls and rhinestones. The 12 interwoven strands of pearls were ivory and light blue, adding a perfect contrast to her shimmery black evening gown. Mrs. Obama's style is often in the spotlight, as she seems to know just the right jewelry to create style that is both classic chic and modern mom. For summer, try a twist on her style with multi-strand candy colored shell necklaces in hues like orange and turquoise, and try fashionable bracelets with natural stones. These stunners look great when paired with sundresses, or can be as easily worn to dress up a white t-shirt and jeans. Throw on a pair of metallic or neutral sandals, and you'll be ready to go.

Natural stones such as topaz and amethyst look great with warm summer colors like golden yellow. Top sellers of the season include sterling silver necklaces with large stone pendants, chunky cocktail rings with unpolished rocks, fashionable bracelets with golden yellow sparks. Wear with polished pieces for a funky bit of flair, or channel your inner bohemian rhapsody by layering neutral pieces and fabrics. Add at least one natural piece of jewelry to your current jewelry stash to stay up with the latest and greatest style scene and create a unique look that is all your own.
Web label: CZ rings | CZ jewelry

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Jewelry Making Types 101

Jewelry comes in every shape, size, and style, which is why it might seem like a overwhelming process to begin making jewelry. However, despite the wide range of creative possibilities, getting started isn't as hard as it looks. Before investing in any supplies, it's a good idea to understand exactly what type of Jewelry you are most interested in making. To help you get started, look at your own style of jewelry and the jewelry of those around you. What inspires you or gets your creative juices flowing to want to make some type of jewelry; whether it is necklaces, earrings, rings or bracelets. Below I’ve pulled together some basic Jewelry Making Types 101.

Jewelry Types
One of the first things you need to look at is what type of jewelry do I want to make. It is a huge investment depending on what type of jewelry you want design and make.

Beading w/Beads: Basic beading is one of the most simple and affordable types of jewelry making to get into, plus it is the most versatility when it comes to color, style, and design. You can make a chunky/bold, bohemian/craft necklaces and bracelets and matching classy chandelier-style earrings. For beginners it makes for an ideal place to start since all you need are beads, wire, and findings (clasps, ear wires and crimp beads). Some basic tools, such as pliers and needles are also useful, among other accessories.

Polymer Clay: Polymer clay is a very interesting medium to work with, mostly because it is so versatile. All you have to do is buy the clay, which is soft, malleable clay that once baked, dries to a hard, heavy material. With this clay you will make colorful beads or pendants which will then be strung on a wire or cord with beads in between as spacers and coming together with a clasp that compliments the piece. Polymer clay is fairly inexpensive itself, and the only other thing you need is a type of oven (toaster ovens work well) and a baking sheet reserved for jewelry making. Some basic jewelry tools such as pliers are helpful.

Precious Metal Clay or PMC: This unique type of clay goes from soft, moldable clay, much like polymer clay, but when fired, it turns to a solid 14k, 24k, or silver metal product. There are various ways of firing this type of clay from a kiln or even a torch. While large and somewhat technical, kilns have the most varied uses, such as fusing glass and baking ceramics. They are priced according to size, ranging from $100 to $800. The only drawback is that you will be restricted to metal clay that fires at a lower heat level. The clay is often priced according to the value of the metal in question.

Fused Glass: Glass jewelry is a specialty that can be fun and extremely rewarding with a lot of practice and patience. Because of the technical skills needed to produce fused glass, people frequently take courses before engaging in glass fusing at home. This is also ideal since glass fusing is very expensive to get into and requires a kiln and quite a lot of equipment, which. Classes offer an inexpensive way to familiarize yourself with the technique and the tools before choosing to make fused glass jewelry on your own and making the huge investment. Fused glass is incredible in that no two pieces ever fire the same way; thus the results are very unique and unusually handcrafted jewelry pieces.

Silversmithing: Silversmithing is fairly reasonable when it comes to the cost of supplies alone, but as you purchase the equipment and tools, it can turn into another big investment. The one benefit to this technique is that no kilns are necessary, just lots of tools and a small soldering device. You may opt for taking a course first to get started as it is an easy way to learn the basics and to get general guidance before moving onto your own solo work.

As you can see these are just a few of the many different types and styles of jewelry making. Determining what interests you and then developing your own style within the jewelry type will reflect and set your designs apart from everyone else. Before venturing into any jewelry making, I’d highly recommend checking with your local craft or beading store and take a few classes in the different styles. This will give someone with a smaller budget the ability to test drive the technique, determine the overall costs and ultimately give you a roadmap of where, how and when to begin your adventure into jewelry making.

When Decorators Go Bad

My good friend Christina sent me a link to the real estate listing for this home here in Houston earlier this week and I couldn't resist sharing it with you all. If you'd like to take a look at the full listing, see HERE. Located on one of the nicest streets in town just minutes away from downtown, right near Rice University campus, this lovely 5,000sf. home is on the market for just under $2M and would be a dream home for just about every Houstonian I know.

That is until you go inside and get a load of the decor. There's a lot here in this house that's "on trend" (the gray and blue color palette, dark hardwood floors, limed furniture) and yet somehow I think most of these rooms miss the mark -- and some by quite a lot. It's a bit hard for me to put my finger on exactly why I think this house is so "off", but I think it just looks over designed, overwrought and, well, just a bit over. In light of the obvious time and money that went into decorating this house, I'd consider that a real tragedy.

In the living room, I actually quite like the sofa and chairs, though I wish the chairs were upholstered in a different fabric (a print would have been nice or even just a nice chocolate brown leather for some contrast to the light gray sofa, light gray walls, light gray curtains...). The zebra pelt draped across the coffee table really irks me though. I'll admit that I'm just not a fan of animal prints -- especially ones that look so freshly separated from the animal. But draping it across the coffee table? Ick. Generally though, this room just needs some more color (and I'm not talking anything too bold either -- just some deeper tones and/or patterns). I'd also swap out the white deer on the fireplace with a beautiful piece of art (with some color!) or a mirror over the fireplace.

Both Christina and I agreed that this dining room bordered on the bizarre. While I am reluctant to criticize the large painting (love the scale and the fact that it has some color), it just seems out of place in this very minimal room. The sky mural in the ceiling reminds me an awful lot of the Cheesecake Factory. I suspect a lot of pieces may actually have been removed from this room (and the house generally) to get it ready to show and I think this is a lesson in how decorating and selling your house don't always mix. By taking away the layers of accessories, lighting, rugs, etc. that would make these pieces work in this room, the end result looks like you ended up stopping midway through the design process. But then again, maybe this was the intended end result, in which case I can only say (in my sweetest Southern drawl) -- oh honey no!

The breakfast room looks like it got a fresh coat of white-wash just in time for the open house. Yawn. Shabby chic at its worst, in my book.

The layout of this kitchen looks great actually -- and it's got all the modern bells and whistles from the double oven to an island sink (and the copper farmhouse sink!) to a pot-filler over the stove. These modern conveniences also suggest this kitchen was recently redone. Too bad the limed cabinets make it look like a throwback to the '90s. Ah well, nothing a little white paint couldn't fix. ...Actually, now that I think about it, how great would this kitchen look if the only thing you did was repaint the cabinets white (well and redecorate the adjourning breakfast nook)?

This room is actually my favorite. The blue-gray walls are a lot deeper here than elsewhere, the furniture looks comfortable and the art on the walls is gorgeous. My only concern here is the furniture arrangement -- what precisely does one do in this room other than sit around and stare at other people? It's been labeled a library/study by the realtor but I don't see any bookshelves and that desk at the far end looks entirely too tiny to get any real work done. This room may be a victim of form over function. Also, and this is me nitpicking here, but I think the rug is too large for this space. I prefer 12-18" of exposed floor on all sides and this looks like less than 6".

This house has 5 bedrooms, four of which all look roughly the same, though the picture on top is of the master bedroom. I think the headboard in the master bedroom is spot-on, but I detest the animal hide on the floor (which reappears in just about every bedroom). The chandelier in the master also looks like it would be better suited to a dining room and I think I would've gone for something lighter and airier here, maybe clear or smoked glass. Generally though, like the public spaces in the house, the bedrooms just look far too cold and monochromatic for my taste. I think if you're going to stick with neutrals, warmer tones work better.

This must be the coldest, saddest nursery ever. I just hope the owners moved a lot out of here for the photographs because it's positively spartan.

The house also comes with a fully decked out "carriage house" -- presumably for your in-laws or your live-in nanny. All in all, I think it's really cute and it comes off a lot cozier (probably due to its smaller scale and lower, more intimate ceilings) than the main house, despite employing the same cool color palette and traditional-meets-shabby chic style.

So what do you think? Do you agree with me or do you like the look here?