Howlite and Bone

As I prepare for my launch of my

California Artisan Fashion Accessory Collection

I thought I would explain a bit more about it over the next couple of weeks.

My launch is made up of three Collections

that each stand on their own

but all work seamlessly together.

It's my intent to design

Accessories that help celebrate the good days ... and act as protective armor on the challenging days.

So my 

Howlite and Bone  Collection

is especially meaningful to me!

Howlite is believed by many to have

 special calming  properties

to  help reduce anxiety.

It is often considered  an important gemstone in mindful jewelry

becoming an  intentional and mindful accessory to wear.

A physical reminder of 

~ self care and love.

~ to live in the moment 

~ to Celebrate often

Howlite is also believed to ward off bad energy.

I love combining the Howlite charms with  glass pearls 

and 

handmade bone beads  sustainably made in Africa.

I love how the neutral textures work elegantly together.

The size of the bracelet is intended to

give the wearer a feeling of not only glamour

but strength as well.

For those who prefer a less dramatic use of Howlite

I have designed this elegant beauty out of 8mm Howlite beads

 perfectly with 4 glass pearls

and finished with my sophisticated branding charm.

This beautiful bracelet works on it's own

as a powerful reminder to embrace the moment with a loving calm.

I have done the dramatic bone bracelets with several different Howlite charms.

One of the best things about these bracelets is that the charms are removable!

I design all of my pieces with the most versatility possible

because I appreciate hetting the most use out of anything in my own curated wardrobe

so of course I want to bring that concept to my own Collection!

I finish my Howlite charms with jute

to give more texture.

I just love the rough jute with the smooth, polished Howlite.

So much of my Collection is all about the little details

that contribute to the quality, handcrafted piecce.

The Howlite necklaces come on the softest cream buckskin available

which also means the necklace can be tied to any length to 

properly accommodate different necklines!

Speaking of finishing details

most of my designs come gift boxed

and wrapped with cotton twill.

When I gift give

I always love to attach a small gift on the wrapping.

So of course I want to finish my boxed designs with a small gift as well!

Each box is finished with a hand crafted pearl charm!

It's made on a lobster claw finding

so it can be repurposed onto anything after opening!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about the first part of my collection.

I have spent years designing and refining each piece.

It is my intention to create and deliver unique, quality, luxury pieces that 

"bring joy and confidence to the wearer"

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Official Branding Launch

 

I have been busy  working on the launch of my new

 Artisan Fashion Accessory Collection!

A collection of dramatic pieces that will

"help celebrate the good days

and

be armor on the hard days!

It has always been my mission to design  accessory pieces that 

bring joy and confidence to the wearer!

After years in the making 

I'm so happy tp share the shop launch is just weeks away!

So I thought today would be a great time to share my fabulous 

New Branding!

I am working with a wonderful  graphic designer

who brings fresh ideas and loads of talent to my upcoming launch!

There is something about excellent branding

that feels so invigorating!

Especially as an artist!

My logo just makes me so happy

 every time I see it!

If you are in the market I can't recommend 

Megan from

Studio Beardsley

highly enough!

I am in awe how she was able to capture 

the tone and vision I have for my  collection of luxury accessories!

And if you think the last name sounds familiar

Megan is my dear daughter in law and wonderful mother to our grandchildren!

Not only is she a creative talent

she has years of experience in social media!

Thank you so much for stopping by

and

 sharing in my excitement for my up coming 

Accessory Collection Launch!

Stay tuned here for lots of exciting things to come!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

End of Summer Backyard Party

This summer our son Hunter and his family

moved back here to Southern California from Austin Texas!

Almost three years minus one month they were gone.

When I heard they were coming back

it sounded so much

 too good to be true

I never even let myself get excited.

It was such a huge answered prayer!

They are actually back now and I couldn't be happier about it!

So I wanted to throw them 

a summer

Welcome Back Party!

I wanted a fun gathering of our family and his wife Megan's sweet family!

It had been since before they left for Texas

that we'd all been together.

I started planning for the 

End of Summer Party

3 weeks before the event.

My lush cutting garden of Shasta daisies were the beginning inspiration!

I wanted the party to be fun and colorful

with a nod to a childlike spirit

after all our adorable grandchildren would be here!

I wanted to do a party that all four generations would enjoy!

I have adored the Topo Chico glass water bottles for years

and

Iv'e  always wanted a chance to repurpose them somehow.

This was just the party to use them!

I knew I could run almost 2 dozen 

Recycled Glass Bottles for Vases

down the length of our alfresco farm table!

They would be perfect to highlight  my Shasta daisies from my cutting garden!

**( By the time of the party my daisies were on their way out so I used flowers I bought)

I set several tables the same way with my 

Colorful Plate Collections

and

daisies in  the colorful bottles.

This colorful palette played perfectly off of my blue and white summer color scheme I do though out my house in the summer.

To add even more outdoor color and a feeling of playfulness

I used my collection of 

Fabric Pennants

 clothes pinned to my backyard 'greenery walls'.

Such an easy and sustainable way

 to make use of old clothes or even fabric scraps around the house.

Simple cloth triangles folded over and hot glued to jute twine.

I even used some old tea towels that had come to the end of their time.

I simply cut out the parts I liked

hot glued them onto triangles of denim

folded them over and hot glued them  once again to some jute twine!

Such a simple project with results that can be reused for years!

The cloth pennants  just add such a fun and festive pop of party color

that I probably will continue to add to my collection!

Such a fun way to add personal memories to gatherings!

The next colorful party element I added were

Beach Balls!

And lots of them!

I ordered three sizes in multiples

 all from Amazon.

I opted for the classic color palette as it reinforced my primary color way for this party.

The beach balls ended up to be even more fun than I anticipated!

I used them everywhere!

I  even used them in a big wooden tray for a focal point upon entry to the backyard!

I had them all over the backyard grass as well.

The beach balls just say playful and fun

which is exactly what I was going for in my party decor!

My very favorite part of using them

was the happiness on the faces of our grandchildren!

Pure delight!

So much fun to be had from such a simple toy

which made for the best party props!

They were fun in our waterfall!

Easily filled this summer's inflatable pool!

When I design and style a party I always like to have things done several days in advance.

I've learned this trick over the years.

For me, it keeps things stress free,  creative and enjoyable.

I simply wash all the dish ware again on the day of.

This party was no exception

which meant it was all set up a few days before 

when we had Hunter and his family over for a family dinner.

I am so glad I did!

Because it ended up that this was the only day the party props were used

in the way they were designed!

(I was also grateful I took photos early on)

Here in Southern California we literally never, ever get rain in August

but this year we had a Tropical Storm arrive not just the day of the party

but it was projected to hit during the party.

so of course a quick plan B was put into place.

Our little living room was rearranged to accommodate plenty of seating.

I brought in some of the banners and beach balls.

We  even changed our menu last minute.

I set up the 

Cutest Coloring Station

We added a sheet of  thin wood over the coffee table

I had coloring sheets and plenty of colors and colored pencils.

I styled it with attractive holders using glass jars, cans and some small ceramic buckets.

I set them all in my long narrow tray filled with rice.

A small bouquet in a recycled glass jar finished off the coloring station!

When I was younger I would have been upset that the party had to be reset

from my original vision.

Luckily, I have grown up.

I know these days 

without a doubt

any party is really

all about people coming together

I take entertaining seriously

I am always so grateful for people taking the time to come together.

Loosing both of my parents in the last few years

as sad as it is

gives me the most gratitude and love

when getting together with people I care about.

I never, ever take togetherness for granted.

Especially when it comes to the  the true miracle that are grandchildren.

What a gift to be on the planet at the same time.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy 

as you style your life

Navy and White Summer Wear

A few of my favorite 

Summer Wear!

Navy blue and white always says summer to me!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life