Some winter hilarity for you dog lovers!

A friend of mine posted this on her Facebook account and when I saw it I just could not stop laughing.  It is sooooo cute ENJOY!!!

How cute is this!

So one of the pumpkins on my front porch was getting a bit mushy at the top so I descided to roll it into the woods with the hope that the deer might like it and look who found it........looks like those pumpkin seeds I'm missing out on are making someone else really happy. 

Desert Storm Bracelet!

It must be the cold damp weather we are having that is making me think of the desert and making me actually name a bracelet "Desert Storm" but nevertheless that seems to be the name the bracelet ended up with.  The piece of Montana Agate that is the center of the bracelet does look like a storm in the desert where you see things flying around on the horizon.  The beauty of this bracelet is that the centerpiece is removable and can be exchanged with others thereby making one bracelet be many.  At the moment I am planning many more center pieces which will be available for purchase after the first of the year as will be many different size bracelet parts. 

Desert Storm Bracelet with Gem centerpiece removed.

The Windy City

Wow how time flies.....it has been 2 weeks since my last blog entry.  We were just in Chicago last week......I do love that city.  We got to stay at the new Trump International Hotel and Towers it was a great hotel and wonderful service.  The drive down gave us a taste of what is to come weatherwise.....rain, hail and then sleet....we also saw a horrible accident involving many cars thank goodness not us. 

Trump is the small tower in the middle of this picture LOL!

Our room was beautiful......

The first night we got to eat dinner at Smith and Wollensky.......great seafood and awesome steak.......upscale business attire.

The next night we got to eat at Dika's in downtown Chicago (I guess there is more then one) as you would suspect the place is loaded with memoribilia of Mike Ditka and the Bears and he is always there greeting patrons it was really fun and great food.

Of course there was a little shopping by little ole me while Mark was in meetings and I bought a few things.  While shopping at Nordstrom's I ran into a good friend and her daughter from home which was fun....it is a small world when you can go to another city and state and run into friends.  It's great to have a world class city like Chicago so close by.

It's always a good day when it starts out with music!!!!!

I have always been a fan of Huey Lewis and I saw him tis morning on a financial show and he was talking about being a small business owner etc. and one of the hosts asked him about his new CD coming out on Nov. 2nd so I had to go check it out and he sings the song "Respect Yourself" originally by the Staple Singers.......boy do I remember when that song came out I loved that songs so I thought I would share it with everyone........Enjoy!!!!!

Todd Reed does it again!!!!!

Best of Show: Todd Reed, Todd Reed, Inc.
Palladium cuff bracelet featuring a 22.40 ct. Aquamarine accented with grey Diamonds (6.90 ctw.) and white
Diamonds (2.20 ctw.).

It could not have happened to a nicer guy.  Todd Reed is pretty big time......but when I wrote him an e-mail a while ago to ask him a question he actually responded.......I was totally blown away.  Not only did he respond but we had e-mails back and forth for about a week.  He's a really nice guy and oh so talented.

For Animal Print lovers and Oh Yeah serious Shoe Addicts

For as long as I can remember I have loved animal print ANYTHING so much so that all my friends buy me animal print things.  My husband keeps asking me when I am going to get over it N E V E R.  So with that in mind look what I found.........I seriously need these myself.  The are by Nina http://ninashoes.com/yaneli-brown--14395

One of my Favorite Designers

Pamella DeVos

 One of my favorite designer labels is Pamella Roland  http://www.pamellaroland.com/index.php.  I love her feminine clothes season after season.  Oddly enough Pamella DeVos who is the President of the company and Designer is from Grand Rapids, Michigan where I live.  Her clothing line was launched in the Fall of 2002 and took off like crazy.  Her gowns can be seen on stars at every awards show.......they are just exquisite. 

CarrieAnn Inaba

Hillary Swank

Waves Cuff

Finished the Waves cuff today and love how it turned out.  It is sterling silver and the ends are brass to give it the gold and silver look for a lot less money then 14 karat gold.  It will be listed for sale on my website http://christinedarnell.com/

Special Order Stalactite Ring

A while ago I was listed on http://bludomain.com/ as one of many clients they had brought live.  It also listed the name of my website template Harlowe which resulted in many people contacting me who wanted to ask me questions about my website and template and who compliment me on my website design.  There were people who said they loved my jewelry and would keep my link for purchasing in the future.  One of the people was a very nice lady from Virginia who indeed a short while later contacted me to place a special order for a stalactite slice ring.  I sent pictures of the choices and she selected her favorite one and I made the ring......I was bending the last prong when the gem slice chipped I was beside myself.....I had made a few before and never had a stalactite chip so why did it have to happen on a special order?!?!?!?  So I contacted the customer with the bad news and asked her what she wanted to do......she selected another stalactite slice but I knew she really liked the purple and green one she had selected initially so I decided to try to see if I could save it.  So I made a new setting for it which had a bezel to protect the uneven edge and it turned out nicely.  I sent pictures to her and she liked it and wanted it........happy ending and here is the end result.......it went out in the mail today.

I'm in the Spotlight!!!!!

What could be more fun then taking a walk on a sunny fall day with all of the beautiful fall colors and your beloved dog......you say nothing.....well think again.......being featured on Pearls Events Blog.  Aletha did a lovely feature about me and my jewelry on her wedding planning blog.......Thank you so much!!!!!
http://www.pearlseventsblog.com/

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Spotlight | Christine Darnell Jewelry Designs

I had the opportunity to sit down with jewelry designer, Christine Darnell, a few weeks ago, and boy, did she WOW me with her beautiful work! Over a cup of coffee, we looked at many pieces in her numerous collections, and I can honestly say that I was blown away with her exquisite craftsmanship, attention to detail, and huge variety of gems.

Christine recently started a blog and although she's currently designing jewelry for a living, her former career as an interior designer shines through in her writing, as well as her passion for architecture, fashion, travel, music and movies.

In between sips of coffee, I had a chance to ask her a few questions about her and her work, so please enjoy a little Q&A with Christine Darnell...

How long have you been designing jewelry?
I've been designing jewelry since 1999.

What is your favorite piece in your collection?
If I had to pick just one, I would have to say the Spiderweb Cuff. If I get to pick just a couple more, I'd go with the Dinosaur Bone and Pink Tourmaline Ring.

What is the most rare metal/stone/gem you've used?
Raw diamonds are the most rare stone I've ever used. They are simply gorgeous in their raw form.

How many of your clients order custom pieces?
Although I have quite a large collection, 75% of my sales are special orders for our clients.

What is your favorite item to make?
I would have to say rings, probably because I personally love rings so much. I just don't have enough fingers for all the rings I own!!!!

What is the most popular piece?
I don't have one popular piece, however I sell many items with pearls. In particular, Keishi Pearls and Corn Flake Pearls. From pearl necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, they are all big sellers.

How do you find such unique items to use, such as these Keishi pearls?
I hand select all my gems and pearls at gem shows and I love working with people to design special, one-of-a-kind pieces for special events such as weddings and other social events.

Paris Fashion Week

I love the whole Gaucho look by Hermes.......love the clothes, the hats and the boots.....totally awesome.

I have always loved one shoulder gowns and this one by Lanvin is exquisite.

Love the bright cheery colors and flowing sheer fabrics of these dresses by Christian Dior.  They remind me of a trip to the Carribean I need to go on.........Oooooops I guess I'll take Mark my husband with me.

Just some highlights from Paris Fashion Week.....enjoy!

Pantone Fall Color Report

If you are a slave to fashion (oh heaven forbid.....not me) and and need some guidance for your Fall 2010/Winter 2011 wardrobe these are the colors that all the big name designers are showing in their collections.

"I Dream in Jewelry"

A girl after my own heart.......When Rachel Zoe isn't jet setting from one fashion week to another, she's at home, trying to siphon through her many, many ideas for her new jewelry line. Collecting since she was 11, her over-the-top and often gaudy style came from her mother combined with a little Cleopatra and Bianca Jagger, so she says.

Keishi pearls

I just love pearls they are so traditional and timless and one of my favorites are Keishi pearls because of their uniqueness.  Like all natural pearls, Keshis, or "chance" pearls, are all nacre, iridescent layers of mother-of-pearl.  The pearls are either salt or freshwater, natural or cultured.  I found these great pearl pictures on the Veranda Magazine website which is my favorite home magazine.

I am thinking about going to a Gem Show next weekend and just know that I will find myself drawn to some of my favorite pearl suppliers never mind that I don't need more pearls but they always seem to be calling my name.......LOL

The B52's - Love Shack

I can't get this song out of my mind since we saw them in concert last night.  It was the first thing I was humming when I woke up this morning and the whole time we worked out in the yard today doing fall cleanup.  This is a fun video......enjoy.

What a way to end the day......

We went to the B 52's concert tonight.........what a blast.  They are great and I just love the song Love Shack.  These guys sound every bit as good as they did 30 years ago......their voices are still very strong. 

So it begins......

My first post and I'm so excited I hope it won't be too ugly.  As they say.....practice makes perfect......that's what I'm hoping for anyway. LOL.......

I just finished a giveaway with Southern Weddings Magazine on their Blog and the winner has just been announced Giveaway Contest Winner  Congratulations Catherine B.

Gotta run and take my sweet boy for his walk......he is stealing things that means take me for a walk.  Ok Hogan here I come........