Summer Southwest

Another beauty out of the Southwest for Summer…..the focal for this necklace are the pillow Terconite Turquoise gemstones accented with non-tarnish artistic silver wire and adding to the design are Chinese Turquoise tubes, Amethyst chips and orange and green Magnesite. A 2” extender has been added so the necklace can be worn a short or medium length; I’ve added dangle earrings in the same gemstones.

Get your hot, bold and unique Summer jewelry at Timeless Designs!

Summer Hot Lime

Be the first to make a statement this Summer in hot lime……a large Mother-of-Pearl pendant hangs from dyed lime Magnesite and accenting gold lined seed beads. A 3” extender for easy change of lengths to fit your mood and dangle earrings completes the look.

Timeless Designs has this and many other hot, bold, exotic gemstone designs.

Ideas for Mother's Day

Generally speaking, I don't put a lot of stock in "Hallmark holidays" like Mother's Day (which will fall on May 10 this year) or Administrative Professionals' Day (which was Wednesday, actually -- whoops!). Despite that though, I find it's generally dangerous to ignore the occasion altogether lest someone get their feelings hurt. Accordingly, I like to acknowledge the holiday with a card and/or small gift to mark the occasion, which assures the intended that I planned ahead and thought about it (it being the thought that counts, and all that), but I don't tend to go all out.

Mother's Day Cards. I think a card is particularly appropriate on Mother's Day because what any mother really wants -- and yes, I'm making an assumption here since I'm not a mother myself -- for Mother's Day is for her child(ren) to spend time with her and let her know they care. So, in the absence of (or in addition to) hanging out with dear old Mom this Mother's Day, I'd suggest sending a card that let's her know how you feel. [And yes, I do think you should take the time and effort to write more than just "Love, Junior"; after all, you ought to at least make it worth the stamp it cost you to mail it.]

Happy Mother's Day card by Bean Sprout Studio ($4)

So this year I thought I'd pull together some of my favorite Mother's Day cards from Etsy. Any one of these cards has the benefit of being a lot more special than your run-of-the-mill Hallmark greeting. And since you can't just run to the 7-11 to pick one of these up en route to Mother's Day Brunch, you'll look like you put some real thought into the card this time. I love the one pictured above from Bean Sprout Studio with its 3-D paper flowers and smart chartreuse envelope.

I Love You, Mom letterpress card by Ilee ($3.50): Ilee has several cute Mother's Day cards, but I particularly like this one with its bright colors and cute design. Besides, who can resist some letterpress?

Thanks Mom flower ribbon card by Anna Cote ($5.50): This is a nice modern option from Anna Cote that gets right to the point. The fold-over style leaves you plenty of room to expound on the topic of gratitude.

Custom Mother's Day Card by Just Another Day ($3.50): Tired of all the hooky and overly sentimental Mother's Day cards? Then make your own! If you're not particularly artistic, Courtney Williamson from Just Another Day will make one for you. Just let Courtney know what you want the front to say and she'll customize the sentiment to your specifications.

Letterpress Happy Mother's Day Card by Sycamore Street Press ($4): Sycamore Street Press consistently creates letterpress cards that are just, well, pretty. And of course, I love the combination of pink & brown; it's just a classic.

Personalized Stationery. If you're looking to earn some brownie points this year with your mother, why not give her the gift of stationery? Personalized stationery is one of my go-to gifts for just about anybody and for just about any holiday: it's thoughtful, always useful, and you can never have too much paper. Even better, there are tons of affordable (i.e., under $30) options on Etsy for custom stationery that's sure to make your mom smile. It's also a nice change of pace from the standard gifts of flowers or candles/bath products.

Custom Wood Type Stationery letterpress cards by the Paper Peony ($24/set of 8): I love the simplicity of the single lower case letter (how e.e. cummings!). Choose from all 26 letters and a variety of ink colors. A spare envelope is included for any mistakes.

Zig Zag Personalized Notecards by Just Another Day ($20/set of 10): I'm tempted to pick up this set for myself. I love the Missoni-style zig zags in bright Easter egg colors.

Paradise Flower Personalized Notecards by 12fifteen ($18/set of 12): This one by 12fifteen satisfies my current craving for all things red and turquoise.

Whimsy Family Personalized Notecards by Ink Spot Workshop ($17.50/set of 12 + return address labels): This stationery seems just the ticket for the "super mom" with the super family. Even better, the set comes with coordinating return address labels and comes in your choice of 4 colorways. (I like the gravel and magenta one best.)

Blind Impression Simple Custom Letterpress Notecard Set by Simple Song Designs ($27/set of 15): You can't get any more streamlined and modern than these cards. Blind impression is letterpressing without ink, which creates an indentation in the paper without coloration. These, by Simple Song Designs, are the height of minimalist chic (and a great deal for letterpress!).

Callings Cards. If you're looking for a gift that's a little more unusual than custom stationery, what about customized calling (or business) cards?

100 Personalized Calling Cards by Happy Girl Greetings ($20/set of 100): You can really stretch your dollar with these babies, which come in a pack of 100 for a mere 20 clams. There's an almost infinite number of choices for graphics, but I love the old fashioned typewriter, which goes so well with the ecru paper and traditional font. Very sophisticated.

Birds and Branches Calling Cards by Michelle Brusegaard ($20/set of 50): This is a great option if you're looking for something a little cuter. The square shape will be sure to stand out amidst a sea of business cards.

What about you? How do you typically celebrate Mother's Day? Any good tips on great gifts or activities to mark the occasion would be most welcome!

Betsey Johnson: Timeless Fashion Design

Betsey Johnson first nabbed her spot on the fashion in the sixties and seventies. Her designs were just as hot then as they are now. In fact, they were so hot that they have been referred to as "culty brands" by New York Fashion, which has her fashion status marked as "Established, Household Name."

This fashion designer and fashion jewelry designer has worked with clients such as Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, Debby Harry and Paris Hilton. Her designs can be purchased in major department stores including Macy's and Bloomingdale's as well.

Many brands describe themselves as "flirty", but Betsey Johnson's designs really own and exemplify this term. Just consider her Fall 2009 collection, which is brimming with colored leggings, short skirts and short boots; all of which is very '80s, early '90s and Cyndi Lauper-esk. Although there are several designs that tend to "throwback" to these decades, it's easy to see how Betsey Johnson's designs are always on the cutting edge.

Johnson's choice of fashion jewelry to compliment her runway designs is creative as well. Her chosen accessories for her Spring 2009 show include items like thin, black choker necklaces on every model, not to mention colorful wigs and round brim hats. Bangles, colored sunglasses and long, ornate earrings are also used throughout.

Throughout Johnson's lines, it's easy to see that she's really just a punk rocker at heart. She's unique, daring and full of surprises, which is evident from her cartwheels at the end of her fashion shows. And, although they try to remain austere and mysterious, it's easy to see that her models are having just as much fun wearing her fashion and jewelry designs as she did creating them.

When you visit her online store, you will find Betsey Johnson is also one of the hottest jewelry designers as well. She has several new designs including starfish earrings and skull studs that are definitely unique fashion jewelry pieces. Like the marine theme? You'll also enjoy her unique ring designs as well including Lobster and Rhinestone Crab rings. See, Betsey Johnson's jewelry designs are just as fun and timeless as her clothing!

Selecting Options: Part 2

Time for the second installment of selecting options on the new house. If you missed the first installment, you can catch up HERE. To view the layout for the new house, go HERE. The major upgrade we decided to spring for on finishes was flooring. Both Dave and I have a strong preference for wood floors over carpet or tile and with my allergies to our two cats, hard surface flooring is a necessity and not just a luxury. We ended up selecting an engineered oak floor in the stain pictured above. The sample is in 3" planks but we decided to go for 5" planks (at no additional cost...shocking, I know). I think wider floor boards are definitely more modern and, given our experience with our current pine floors, the fewer gaps and seams the better. Of course, engineered wood has the benefit of locking together, so I anticipate much lower maintenance on these floors than those in our current house. The wood floors will be installed in the entire downstairs, save for the kitchen/breakfast area, the utility room, powder room and master bath.

For the master bathroom, I really wanted to go for a very light backdrop. While I always envy those all-white bathrooms found in so many magazines, I inevitably get bored and end up painting the walls in something less neutral. For now though, the intention is to go with a soothing, all-white space save for the vanity, which will be in the same English Leather finish as the kitchen cabinets. I think the contrast between the dark cabinets and light tile floor (pictured above), which we'll be laying on the diagonal, will be nice, don't you think?

For the vanity counter, I decided to go with Silestone, which is something I've been wanting to try in my own home, but never had before. This Silestone (Mont Blanc) has flecks of mahogany, black and gray just as the granite in the kitchen does, but is far lighter than the kitchen counters. Here's a side-by-side comparison:

I think these "go" together without being overly matchy-matchy. What do you think? I also thought using the same granite in the bathroom would just make the vanity look too much like it belonged in a kitchen. Plus, it's always fun to try a different (and new to me) material.

For bathroom fixtures, we just went with the builder's standard, which are the Monticello fixtures by Moen in oil-rubbed bronze. They're nice, but definitely nothing spectacular.

In the upstairs' bathrooms (there are two full baths), I went with a slightly darker gray 13" tile for the floors. On the shower walls, we're using the same tile, but in a 6" size for contrast. It'll be a nice neutral backdrop for whatever I decide to do with them. Cabinets will be basic contractor-grade white cabinets and the vanity tops will be white cultured marble. I'm really not a fan of cultured marble (kind of plastic-y looking and overly fussy for my taste) or the base cabinets, so I may end up removing/reselling them and upgrading at some point. Fixtures are the same as the master bath.

Having blown most of our options' budget on the hardwood downstairs, we decided to stick with builders' grade basic carpet upstairs. Carpet has the advantage of being easy to replace anyway, should we decide to do something else down the line. For now though, I think this basic greige carpet works just fine. For some reason though, it looks a lot more brown in the shot above than it actually is (it's actually more in line with the picture below, which shows the carpet sample behind the paint samples). The slate-like tile below will be the floor on the upstairs' porch. Dave really loved this one, but I'm a little nervous that it will clash with the brick we've selected. I guess we'll just have to see.

Next to the lack of options for backsplash, our choices for paint color were the most frustrating aspect of the selection process. For paint, we had our choice of 4 colors (including white). We were able to select one color for trim/ceilings and a second for the walls. And that's it. One wall color for the entire house. For those of you who've read this blog for a while, you'll know how big I am on colorful walls. I hate the idea of repainting freshly painted walls as soon as I move in, but I know that, at least in some of the rooms, it's inevitable. What's particularly frustrating is that a gallon of gray paint costs just as much as a gallon of blue, though perhaps they buy these colors in such bulk that they get a substantial discount. Our lack of options may also have something to do with the effort of instructing the crew what color goes where. In the immortal words of Kurt Vonnegut, "so it goes". On the plus side, I actually rather like the greige "Caravan" I selected for the walls; it'll be a nice base for the family room, hallways and upstairs (which I suspect will go undecorated for quite sometime). I'm a bit concerned that the white I selected for the trim and ceilings is a little too yellow, but we'll see how it ends up looking once it's painted out.

Socialite Fashion Jewelry Style Defined

Not everyone can afford the latest celebrity red carpet trends, but you can get jewelry inspired by these fashionable stylistas who frequently grace the party scene. These socialites get noticed with fun jewelry designs that raise the bar and get their pictures plastered on the front page of every major magazine.

Paris Hilton, the heiress to the Hilton fortune, regularly works the crowd wearing over-the-top jewels such as bubble gum pink Hello Kitty encrusted pendant necklaces or oversized metal cuffs. She's not afraid to take fashion risks in pieces that are youthful and fun. For example, Paris loves animal prints, and has stolen the scene in safari inspired looks, with chunky wooden bracelets, long beaded necklaces and matching headbands to complete the look.

Nicole Richie may be retired from the party-hopping lifestyle, but the famous mom is still a style-setter with her bohemian chic laid-back vibe. Nicole prefers organic looking materials such as teak wooden bangles or floral printed jewelry to accent everyday outfits. For a night on the town, Nicole goes for art deco jewelry pieces like the pave set angel wing necklace she wore on the cover of Elle magazine.

Sienna Miller is truly a trend-setter, with her edgy jewelry choices and dynamic outfits. She's not afraid to take a risk, and it usually results in her landing on at the top of the list of style mavens. Sienna is versatile, wearing medallion shaped earrings for a casual day out or a large statement cocktail ring to dress up for an event. Sienna's signature boho chic style includes a love of large geometric earrings in a variety of metals, most notably bronze. With Sienna's features, she can easily pull off triangles, ovals and other chunky duds to balance her small frame. Sienna is also the master at layering, as she sports several strands of long beaded necklaces or a pile of bangles.

Shades of Purple

Gemstone designs in shades of Purple! Graduation, Anniversary, Birthdays...or just 'thought of you gift'.......get a unique gift!

Peppermint Jasper Magnesite Silver Links Set

Purple Lace Agate Copper Earrings

Purple Jasper Aventurine Bluestone Silver Chain Set (this one is on sale!)

Wild Horse Jasper Ivoryite Sterling Silver Set