1 week old!

Here are the latest photos of our little girl. I don't know why they are in black and white, or maybe the lighting was low. Her ears are down now and she's getting fat. Her hair looks thick for being so young. Look at the little wrinkles on her leg.
I bet she's a squeaky little thing.



She'll be ours August 7th.

Ooh La La!

While wine and flowers are great, I always try and bring something personalized when I'm invited to a dinner party or event, and when I read about the Ooh La Spa Kit it just screamed my friend Christine's name -- she's a perfume guru, moving to Paris to pursue her dream of becoming a nose -- needless to say she has an amazing sense of smell and a keen appreciation for essential oils which is why I couldn't wait to try out the Ooh La Spa Kit with her! The at-home aromatherapy spa kit is super-cute (it's packaged in a circular box that folds open), and comes complete with everything you'll need (even a cloth headband to keep your hair out of your face!) for a do-it-yourself facial! Everything is in travel sizes, so it's perfect for those times when you're traveling and don't find any nearby salons or for a night of beauty fun with your girlfriends (no you never get too old for these!):) Available at Sephora for $52.

Cuff Daddy Jewelry

Cuff Daddy is an online cufflink store based in metro Washington D.C. Cuff Daddy specializes in unique, high quality cufflinks not found elsewhere in the United States. They source the best discount cufflinks for men, and also carry a large selection of ladies cufflinks at affordable prices, with or without semi-precious stones.



Their cufflinks are adorable, but it's their large selection of unusual pendants that I found interesting:





Interlocking Love Stainless Steel Pendant

Black and Silver stainless steel is interlocked to form a rectangular shape with laser-engraved gender signs on each. Give one half of the pendant to your significant other so they can always keep you in their heart. Black color on half of pendant is coated by PVD, aka physical vapor disposition, which is the innovative process of providing a hard black coating onto metal. Once the process is complete, the black coating is extremely durable.

$25



Carbon Fiber Jewelry

Carbon fiber is the next big thing in the jewelry industry. Super-light - lighter than titanium - with rings weighing only a gram or two, and bracelets at only six grams, carbon fiber is a slick alternative to heavy metals. It offers something that gold, silver, or platinum simply cannot offer - it's strong, it's rugged, and you don't have to worry about where you store it.





Polished Stainless Steel Pendant with Carbon Fiber Cross

Made of stainless steel so it never needs polishing.

$25



Carbon fiber is renowned for its use in Formula One Racing, space exploration, and aeronautical applications where high strength and light weight are critical - and it makes some very unique jewelry.





Round Pink Glass Pendant with Stainless Steel

Gorgeous pendant made from poured glass into a stainless steel cage.

Made with stainless steel so it is both durable and easily cleaned with water.

$40



Company Info

Our design team creates gold cufflinks that will make your sleeves look simply dazzling. Our inventory of sterling silver cufflinks will transform your entire wardrobe into a posh ensemble. If you want to get creative with your French cuff shirt, check out our cat-eye cufflinks, novelty links, and fiber optic designs.



We are the only seller of our Italian-inspired designs. In addition to cufflinks, you can also find men's ties (that can actually match your new set of links), multifunctional pens, and leather money clips on our site.



Cufflinks come in these materials:

• Silk

• Gold

• Silver

• Wood

• Crystal

• Enamel

• Catseye

• Fiber Optic

• Carbon Fiber

• Stainless Steel

See full article.





Related Entries:

Jewelry Career Resources - 08 August 2006

Couture Jewelry Awards - 04 March 2007

Jewelry Designer for Princesses - 08 March 2007

Cuff Links and Jewelry for Dad - 22 May 2007

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Jewelry Trend: Colorful Gemstones

Summer 2008 Jewelry

Classic designs in gemstone jewelry will be the hot trend for summer 2008. The bright colors in fashions also translate to colorful jewelry. A large gemstone ring in a bright candy color, whether real or costume, is an evening-out staple. Or, a more intricate design might be exactly what you need to give your flirty dress a down-to-earth feel.





14k Yellow Gold & Aquamarine Pendant

An emerald cut AA quality 7x5 millimeter aquamarine is perfectly solitaire set in 14k yellow gold and comes with 14k yellow gold 18" rope chain.

$340



And the hottest color in summer jewelry will be blue. With its stylish staying power, blue tones will always be a perfect fit! Blue gemstones like sapphire, tanzanite, aquamarine, and blue sapphire will be very popular. Blue jade, moonstone, lapis lazuli, and blue opals will also be seen in a variety of jewelry designs. Handmade lampwork beads in blue and blue cubic zirconia are also excellent choices. With a full range of shades of blue, you can match the best one for your style.





14k White Gold Blue Topaz & Diamond Ring

One amazing topaz stone is held beautifully by 14k white gold to create a stunning ring. Diamond highlights add to the beauty.

$325



Blue will be followed in popularity by purple and green. And the gemstones that will be most popular are amethyst, peridot, green garnet, and emerald.



And if you're looking to complement your gemstone pendant or earrings with other gems for added color, you can choose from citrine, yellow topaz, amber, and colored diamonds. All of these gorgeous colors will coordinate beautifully with summer clothing.





14k White Gold Amethyst Teardrop Earrings

Purple teardrops in your ears. These 14k white gold amethyst teardrop earrings make a terrific accessory.

$210



If you want less expensive jewelry, look for sterling silver - an alluring substitute for white gold. The cool hue of sterling silver combined with the warmth of colorful gems create an enchanting look. If you can't quite afford the genuine gemstones, you can find terrific deals in the colors of cubic zirconia. Not only is this stone created to imitate a natural diamond, but it can also be colored to mimic a variety of other popular gemstones.





Sterling Silver & Peridot Ring

This ring is high polish sterling silver comfort fit & is uniquely designed with three pairs of marquise cut peridot that looks like three pairs of leaves.

$95



If, on the other hand, you buy only what you like and don't cater to current trends, you can still enjoy knowing what's in fashion for the upcoming season. If you already own blue topaz, aquamarine, blue cubic zirconia, peridot, or amethyst, you can take great pride in knowing that your choices in jewelry are what everyone will be searching for this summer.

See full article.





Related Entries:

Colorful Jewelry is Hot - 21 July 2006

The Colorful World of Richard Palermo - 18 October 2006

Jewelry trend: go big! - 08 December 2006

Gold, Gemstones and Gilt Gone Green! - 02 December 2007

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Shop Smart. Shop Safe.

I can only imagine the courage it takes to trek across the South Pole or set sail through turbulent waters. I’m just not an outdoor person. For me, ordering clothes online is as adventurous as it gets. Before I click that “complete order” button, a million questions race through my mind. What if the sizing chart isn’t accurate? Do I really want to pay an additional $6 to send an item back? Why do the clothes always look better quality in the photos online? Take the risk out of online shopping by using “coupon” and/or “promotional” codes. This technique has been my life savior more than once. It’s pretty simple. Say for example you’re buying an item from Victoria’s Secret. At some point during the online checkout process V.S. will ask you if you have a promotion/coupon code to enter. This is when you do a search for the keywords “victoria’s secret promotion code”. A list of sites will pop up where shop-a-holics like you and I have shared their various codes online. I recently used a 25% off promotion code in conjunction with a free shipping code that took my order down from $159 to $109.25. Now I no longer worry about clothes fitting, shipping & handling costs or quality. Try Retail Me Not and The Budget Fashionista to get you started!

twenty one

...is better than twenty. It's only been a few hours, but I can sense that already. Casanova and Hans Christian Andersen were also born on this date. I wonder if they felt the same way?

Happy birthday to all you Aprilites x

photo: Susanna Majuri

Prehnite: Misty and Romantic

Prehnite is one of those gemstones that no one has ever heard of until suddenly you start seeing it everywhere. Discovered in the 18th century in South Africa by a Colonel von Prehn, prehnite is usually a light green colour - a distinctive green not quite like any other although I have seen people confuse it with green tourmalinated quartz. It is also found in Namibia, Germany, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, India, Austria, and Canada as well as Scotland, Australia and France.
I like prehnite for its "misty" quality of green; some would say almost a milky quality although I disagree with that term. It does have black inclusions occasionally, but often these inclusions simply add to its beauty since the contrast with the pale green is quite beautiful. The prehnite bracelet above can be found on our Unique Gemstone Jewelry page, and the one below on the Unique Handmade Bracelets page. The prehnite bracelet above is simply two strands of prehnite blessed only with sterling silver for an accent, while the bracelet below also has the lovely lampwork beads of Suzette Celestin of Gaslite Lampwork. For those of you interested in the metaphysical aspects of gemstones, prehnite is best known for promoting lucid dreaming and is known as a protective gemstone with regenerative properties. It is also said to encourage energy flow through the body.
And here, because graduation is coming up, I've included a prayer box necklace with a difference: lampwork beads and genuine natural aquamarines. It's also loaded with sterling silver and would make a great graduation gift for a young girl who's special to you. Of course, the greatest part of the gift would probably be the prayer that you could write on a tiny piece of paper and put inside the prayer box so that it could accompany her on her journeys after graduation.

jewellery accessories jewelry fashion shopping braceletsbeads handmade beaded jewelry beading helmi gioielli smykker tak? juvelen lampwork beads The Jewelry Blog jewelry trends accessories jewelry prehnite unique bracelet handmade bracelet prayer box necklace

Plaid Jumper From TopShop

Plaid, plaid, plaid. I love plaid. Through out my trip in Europe I have picked up no less than four items covered in plaid.

In Belfast I wandered into thrift shops and cheap trendy stores and found a plaid dress with a voluminous skirt, a thick plaid fitted button-down and a plaid vintage corset soon to be worn with jeans. I also purchased an overpriced plaid romper from TopShop in London.

To veer away from plaid for the moment, I was not impressed with TopShop. Quality is lacking in 80% of the merchandised but priced retarded high. $300 for a thin hounds tooth coat with buttons hanging off it? I think not.

Also, the Kate Moss section of the shop had very little to offer and the price point averaged 130 pounds ($260). Obscene I tell you. Mostly because it is supposed to be an inexpensive store. The only thing I saw there that was cheap were the seams.

On a positive note, there were a few cute pieces for sure and some of the leather jackets were quite lovely.

Back to plaid, I love it! The only warning I would say is no short girly plaid skirts: too outdated. If you want a plaid skirt, veer towards a high-waist pencil skirt. Chic!

Manolo’s Monday Miscellany

Manolo says, here are the few links which may perhaps amuse...

At last count, Ms. Brown, an engineer, has more than 500 pairs, including a big collection of boots. She has turned a small bedroom in her home into a combination exercise room and shoe closet.

And a spasm of pure rage passed through me. Who was this fat bastard to tell women that they were obese if they couldn't fit into a size 10? To make clothes that half the population couldn't wear?

“There's not a single woman who would not dream of embracing and kissing Vladimir Vladimirovich and hearing his declaration of love.”

A bag with sole

I've heard of people who keep some money in their shoe, but this may be taking it a bit too far.

From Intuition, the Judy Clutch modeled on the style of shoe we used to call decks, is cute and sure to bring on a smile. The mix of seersucker and multi plaid is cheerful and Summery (it's available in several solid choices as well). The sole unzips, with a shoelace pull, natch, for easy access to the interior, which is lined with solid cotton.
On the whole, the idea is a bit too cutesy, and could wear off quickly if the bag is used often. On the other hand, it makes for a perfect , and funny, makeup case which would be large enough to hold full sized brushes. It would also be fabulous as a small bag to tote sunscreen and sunglasses, keys, any small items, really, to the beach. How cute would it be hanging off a beach chair?
The Judy Clutch is available in 5 colors and costs $35 at Intuition

Diegogarcity, Fake Bolero Edition

Does this ever happen to you? One day you notice something odd, or new, or both, and then over the next several days (weeks, months, years) you start noticing the same phenomenon ALL THE TIME. There's a name for this; believe it or not -- it's called diegogarcity.

And, anyway, I must have given you all diegogarcity, big time, with the fake boleros, because you are all now seeing them everywhere. Here's a recent submission, from Lorraine (or, seeing as she prefers to be known by her Sewing Conspiracy Drag Name, Dixie S. Hoyt):




This one is SLIGHTLY more elegant than some of the other candidates, but it's still fakety-fake-fake.

If you can live with the deception and the tissue of lies, click on the image to visit Woodland Farms Antiques; the pattern's a B39 and $15.

And keep those fake-bolero entries coming, if you would ... maybe later we can have a fake-bolero-off. (You know, like a contest, with voting. Because the actual fake boleros DON'T COME OFF.)

Daily Ensemble for 09.06.2007

Since I currently have nothing interesting to blog about, and I haven't done a daily ensemble in coon's age, that's all I'm submitting for today.



Everything is vintage except for the shoes, they were on clearance at Wal-Mart (shudder). I'm pretty sure this dress was made for me, it fits gloriously. The waistband and the stripes around the bottom have little white polka dots on them, neat-o burrito. :] I thrifted this beaut for a piddly $2 because there was a tiny stain on the white part, which came right out in the wash! Yes, the thrift gods are good to me.

The bag is vintage Nine West from the flea market and was a mere $2, it seemed to beckon to me from beneath a pile of hideous and highly tacky bags.

I wore this to the mall and my friend's house, and I've discovered that I have to re-learn to walk in heels, apparently you can forget how to do so.

I think this outfit was inspired by June Carter Cash. I've been watching Walk the Line too much.

Living Your Life Like It's Goldyn...

Above: Porridge Two Button Dress, $92.50, www.shopgoldyn.com

Left to right: Generra Belted Shift in rivear blue, $165; Development Fluttered Sleeved Shirred Blouse, $284; Rachel Mara Sliver Linen Dress, $253 all available at www.shopgoldyn.com

Say goodbye to those tattered jeans and coffee stained sweatshirts - you finally graduated!! Now you can join the big leagues with your high modest paying job and slightly upgraded shared apartment. In celebration of your new found financial freedom, why not update your wardrobe with some classic but quirky summer items. Your first stop should undoubtedly be www.shopgoldyn.com. It's not often that I visit a site and fall in love with everything I see. That electric blue Generra Belted Shift is on my hit list. It'll look great with those gorgeous Manolo Blahnik's that were featured in the Sex and the City movie - you know which pumps I'm talking about ;) If those student loan repayments are kicking your butt head straight to their Sales section with anything from 20% - 70% knocked off. The dress above by Porridge is only $92.50 and with the extra 20% off with the coupon code "GOLDYN20", you'll be laughing all the way to your new job!

Trend On The Rise - Star Prints

Playful star prints can look fun and youthful or sophisticated and luxurious depending on how they're worn. This summer, they adorn everything from totes and footwear to swimwear and jewelry. So go ahead, and reach for the stars! Pictured above:

1. Star dangle earrings, Charlotte Russe, $4

2. Starfield blouse, Forever 21, $19.80

3. Star hoodie, Alloy, $38.50

4. Ra ra skirt, New Look, £10 (or about $20)

5. Polka stars flip flops, Wet Seal, $7.50

6. Converse multi-star Chucks, dELiA*s, $47

Photo credit: charlotte-russe.com, forever21.com, alloy.com, newlook.co.uk, wetseal.com, delias.com

Who you calling fatto?

Fatto a mano, means hand made...I don't know if this tote, named Fatto A Mano, from Carlos Falchi is in fact crafted by hand, but it sure is made with glam!

The exotic python embossing saves this bag from being too 'beach club lady", though as with most metallic shiny things, it's up to the wearer to keep it from sliding into the tacky zone.
Generously sized, with enough inner pockets and features to organize even the busiest jet setter this bag is a workhorse. With it's included mini zip pouch, it goes easily from carry-on, to beach, to overnight, to work.
You can get a Fatto A Mano in silver, gold or pewter for $230, from Calypso.