Ella Pearl Jewelry Review!

When I got my earrings from Ella Pearl by Carrie's shop, I couldn't believe my eyes. Packaged adorably in a tiffany-colored jewelry box, I couldn't wait to see what Carrie had made for me. Seriously, I had no idea what I was getting. She specifically designed these earrings for me... which is why they are called Roxy! I couldn't be more flattered.

These earrings were unlike anything I've ever seen or owned. The chain-link triangle shape was edgy. The bronze and copper material gave it a rustic appeal. The swarovski crystals... to die for. All in all I saw myself wearing these with an elegant dress at night and jeans during the day. And that's exactly what I did when I wore them out for girls' night.

The earrings elongated my neck and added just the right amount of sparkle to my outfit. Carrie's custom-work was fantastic and ALL mine. (Ok you can buy it too)

Carrie has only been making jewelry since early 2009, but she realized her talent for design in high school.  What she loves about hand-made jewelry is "the idea that someone sat down and took their time to make a piece of wearable art." So she bought some materials, a book and dove right in!

Carrie gets her inspiration from vintage designs and women of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. She is infatuated with the idea of reusing beads that were created during those times. And because of that Carrie wants you to know "the majority of my pieces will be in small quantities and possibly one-of-a kind because I LOVE to work with rare, vintage beads. The focus to my jewelry line is vintage inspired, whether that means that the item is true vintage, or vintage looking."

So what are you waiting for? Get her jewelry before somebody else does!

Check out her etsy shop at ellapearlbycarrie.etsy.com

And in the future keep a lookout for an Ella Pearl boutique, as Carrie's dream is to own a shop where she can sell various items including HER jewelry.

Winner of Avie Designs!

Thanks to all who participated! Be sure to enter my current giveaways, listed on the top right corner of my blog or keep scrolling to find them.

Winner was comment #76

Gianna who said:

I would get 15 Bright Name Baby Announcment-Girl for my twin girls :)

Congratulations Gianna!

EV Gems Review and Giveaway! (CLOSED)

I received the Jet Black Gemdrop Earrings just in time for a date. I opened up the box to see a petite lavender satchel. Inside were these stunners. They were a lot bigger than I had anticipated, fooled by the camera lens of Elizabeth's Vaughan's website. I couldn't be happier.

I slipped them through my ears and instantly felt elegant and poised. The earrings weren't heavy and the wire was sturdy. The gems clean and sparkling, complimenting my black dress. I was looking fabulous, as would anyone wearing Ms. Vaughan's jewelry.

Clearly talented, I had the chance to chat with Elizabeth and get to know her. She is currently in graduate school for Speech-Language Pathology, and has been designing jewelry sporadically since college. Though not a full time jewelry designer (I'm crushed too), Elizabeth finds jewelry-making to be a great creative outlet... working with metals and wire is definitely a great stress-buster! Having gone through grad school myself, I can totally relate.

Inspiration for jewelry is as simple as exploring shapes and colors until Elizabeth creates something that she, herself, would enjoy wearing. Evidently she has great taste as women of all ages within her family own and wear something she has created. Though some of her pieces have a modern twist, Elizabeth firmly believes if "a woman (of any age) sees a piece of jewelry she loves regardless of the "style", she should wear it!"

Well now it's your turn. Elizabeth has GENEROUSLY offered to give one of you any item in her Etsy shop for FREE! Yes you heard me!

How to win:

Visit EV Gems on Etsy and tell me what you would love to win, anything up to $20. Choose carefully as you will get exactly what you ask for in your comment. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL TOO!

If you CANNOT wait to win, Elizabeth is offering a 20% discount to all of my readers. All you have to do is send a message to her on Etsy and mention that you found her through Roxy Shops Giveaway.

Winner will have 72 hours to contact me.

Only one entry per person. Duplicates will be deleted. I will use random.org to select the winner.

Contest ends August 15th.

Jewelry can be found at evgems.etsy.com

Giveaway: Gift Certificate to Avie Designs (CLOSED)

When I received my address labels in the mail, I couldn't wait to open my package. I had asked for a sheet of the Chain Return Address labels from Avie Designs, and they looked fantastic. Exactly as pictured in her etsy shop, Avie Designs. Even better, the labels weren't sent to me as a sheet, but as individually cut labels adorably packaged inside a notecard.

The design was awesome and Avie sent me a picture before she made them to make sure I got exactly what I wanted. Talk about individualized and fabulously personal service. She's prompt, personable and talented, telling me " I love custom work! Even though I would say that I work closely with all my customers even if they just order out of the shop. My favorite part of this gig is working one on one with my amazing customers. That puts a smile on my face."

Well it put a smile on my face too and I wanted to know more about how she got started. "I always liked to make things, as far back as I can remember. My mom in particular was very supportive of art and growing my artistic ability..... It was all fun and experimentation and only when I got my degree in graphic design that I became a pseudo-serious artist. I say pseudo because I try to never take myself or my art too seriously."

And of course not taking oneself too seriously is what makes life fun and Avie's artwork inspiratory. Her general mantra is "just do you," but she does take inspiration from her community, friends, family, nature and fellow artists. Avie starts with an idea, then takes it to the computer to create a stellar design.

Avie has been on Etsy since 2006, selling her work. She is enthralled by the written note and wants people to continue using it. "I think that there is something about a hand written note that is special and meaningful and allows us to communicate on a deeper level. I love getting notes in the mail."

And I love receiving and sending mail... especially now that I have awesome address labels.

Now you can have your own set of address labels or notecards, stationary, etc as Avie has generously offered one of my readers a $30 gift certificate to her shop! PS: ALL items include shipping already!

And... And... she JUST launched a new baby line, so all moms-to-be MUST check it out!

EXCITED?

How to win:

Visit Avie's Designs on Etsy and tell me what you would love to use your gift certificate for. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL TOO!

Winner will have 72 hours to contact me.

Only one entry per person. Duplicates will be deleted. I will use random.org to select the winner.

Contest end July 31st.

First Giveaway Coming Soon!

I'm very excited to be doing my first giveaway within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for details. It's gonna be one you'll love!

Manic Trout Giveaway!

Not gonna lie. I had to post this giveaway mainly because I want to win so badly! Miss Modern is having 30 days of giveaways, and my favorite thus far is the chance to win a gift certificate to Manic Trout.

I know I am going to buy the Madina Accidentally In Love Necklace if I win.

What will you? At the very least, check out Manic Trout. For your chance to win, head on over to Miss Modern!

Sunday Brunch Dresses

I am obsessed with the dress shop at Sunday Brunch Dresses... probably because I'm obsessed with dresses.

These four are probably my favorite but I could easily wear any of the dresses depending on how I feel. There is a dress for every woman. They're all timeless, one-of-a-kind pieces, too.

What i love the most about the Sunday Brunch Dress Shop is they want every woman to tell a story, and the dresses offered will help any one of us do just that.

Check it out and find a dress to help you write your story. I'm still trying to decide which character I want to be!

If these dresses aren't enough, see more of my Dresses list at ThisNext.