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Sorry for all of the Laurel Denise love this week. I mean, I do love what I do, but I try to throw in a few life things outside of it on this blog every once in awhile. Because, I mean...I talk about something other than my business sometimes...I mean...I do have a life outside of work...right? Right??? Promise it's the truth. So, okay, onto the goodness - I'm having a little "love you because it's summer time and here are my new elements collection pieces" sale until the end of July. Use the code "bliss" for 10% off of your entire order. Because, you know, I love you and all.
Friends! I'm so excited about this! These images are of my brand new project with the wonderful Le Papier Studio (that online shop I mention about, oh, every two sentences or so...). I'm working on an exclusive custom silhouette Elements collection with Le Papier and, really, I couldn't be more excited. These pieces are So. Cute. and that's not a thing I'd just throw around, promise. See for yourself - here is a link to the custom bracelet cuffs and here is a link to the custom necklaces.
There's a special offer going on right now, too. Double fun! Check it out - "For a limited time only, we're offering free personalization with each order of our newest jewelry collection - a saving of $10-$50 (depending on the desired quantity of custom silhouettes). Simply enter LPSSPECIAL0610 when you check out. Offer valid through July 10th.
Well, by the grace of God, the Laurel Denise household did not lose power this weekend after the huge storm Charlottesville had on Thursday. What. A. Storm. So fast! So windy! So scary and eerie to be driving around town right afterward in an attempt to make it home! With Cute Husband away, I was able to have a bit of a sleepover weekend giving one of my favorite people, Marcy, a place to stay with air conditioning and electricity. This was such a treat! I don't love staying in "the room" all alone...too big and open. It was nice to have some company. I finally got myself a library card on Saturday (task accomplished!), checked out the new Bittersweet on the downtown mall, went to the farmer's market, read some of my current book (I'm suffering through it, friends...here's to hoping it gets better) and spent a lot of time with visiting family. I tried to fit the photo in of my entire, huge Italian family (plus the non-Italian, but otherwise wonderful additions - haha), but the group was too big and wouldn't fit into the frame. Ah well. Cute Husband and I found ourselves in a theater late last night, ready and excited to watch Toy Story 3. Y'all...seriously...that clown! That scary killer baby doll! In 3D! I've never been so freaked out in my life. I mean, it was warm and fuzzy in the end (seriously loving that little girl's tu-tu outfit with her rain boots and band-aid at the end - is there anything cuter in the world?), but this was so not a kid's movie. Like, at all. Or maybe I'm just a wuss. Let's be honest, there's no "maybe" about that...more fact than maybe.
Oh, ps, I know what you're thinking - coral top, Lol?! Never. But really and truly I wore a shirt almost just like this last week and I think I might officially add coral to the navy blue, cream, and gray color scheme I have going on in life. It's a start, friends, it's a start.
coral top | bootcut jeans | yellow shoes | laurel denise imagine cuff | laurel denise dream cuff
Just a few words to describe this week in the studio: shipping, kilning, planning, ordering, designing, making and putting online-ing (?!). A little bit of everything it takes to make things go here. I also started, just started, to think about making 2011 version of my calendar. I sort of can't breathe when I think about undertaking that task (printing, shipping, stocking), but I know I might have a small riot if there's nothing there for 2011. [Insert complete obsession with the people who love any of the things I make here.] So the thoughts have started stirring, friends.
For you lovely retail shoppers out there, re-orders have been shipped to Delphinium (memphis, tn), New Twist (eugene, or) and some new orders shipped to Universal Direct, a catalog company. Shop away!
I purchased my first basil plant last week and we have him sitting in a windowsill in our house. I'm not sure our dear "pesto" (as he has been named) will survive without fresh air and consistent sunlight, but I'm hoping that he does. Mostly because I heart basil and those little packages you can buy at the grocery store are just too expensive, but also because I think there might not be a better smell on earth than basil. (Or honeysuckle, but this post is about pesto...) I think each of these little portable pots would be an adorable outfit for pesto and maybe some of his future brothers and sisters in the herb family that will join him.
one | two | three |
Discovered the lovely Etsy shop Red Bird Ink yesterday when the mind behind the design emailed me for a quick introduction. Turns out she's a cville native, too. Automatic like. Clicking on her awesome shop and falling in love with those number coasters was just icing on the cake! Those are meant to be in my home. I know it.
number coasters | beer coaster
Cute Husband and I are headed to a wedding this weekend at Oak Ridge, the same place we got married many, many months ago. Can't wait to be there again and celebrate this newly married couple. Other than that, the weekend has a laurel denise farmer's market showing in the works (same spot, right in front of Bang) and a Sunday evening hang out with friends planned. The perfect weekend - full, but not too full...planned, but not too planned...hot, but hopefully not too hot. And anytime I get to wear an electric blue shirt like the one featured in this post, I'm a happy gal. Because this one time I actually do have the item I'm posting about! Happiness! Too bad I don't have cute strappy black heels, too. Sadness.
beaded blue tunic | black pencil skirt | strappy shoes | laurel denise heart necklace
I've been sanding and drilling and editing and preparing and mailing and shipping and organizing all week. Well, I've been busy with those tasks for the past few weeks I guess, since I sort of cheated and just linked laurel denise studio tour thursday to an interview post last week. Remember those leather pendants I sort of mentioned sketching out a few weeks ago? Well that first photo you see up there is the first prototype of those pendants. I'm loving them so far and can't wait to see what they wind up looking like once I find the most perfect goodies to pair with them. I'll keep you all posted on the progress. And, praises upon praises, friends, I mailed the last of my sales rep kits this week! Hallelujah! Now it's time to go to the actual shows and sell, sell, sell. That happens sooner than I can really believe.
I'd love to get a pretty address stamp made for laurel denise and for Cute Husband and I, but it seems like a waste since we're still renting at this point. These selections are so pretty though, they might need to be mine even if I have to get new ones in a year. So very pretty.
no. 1 | no. 2 | no. 3
Saw this Etsy shop the other day (on Creature Comforts I do believe because Ez always features the most amazing of the amazing) and I fell in love. Rib & Hull, you had me at your blue stripe bag.
Oh me, oh my...how is it already Monday morning again? Ever have one of those so fun and so filled with family-love weekends, you need for it not to end? Well I was lucky enough to have one of those this weekend. The engagement party was a hit (bride and groom were glowing and happy and perfectly gracious guests of honor), general hanging out with family was absolute bliss, and shopping and spending time with sisters was perfection. It's a fantastic life I lead here on Monday morning, but weekends like that leave me wishing I could stretch time just a little bit...
I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time, dear blog-o readers of mine. Cute Husband and I are heading up to Northern Virginia to celebrate the engagement of his younger brother to a fabulous and beautiful gal. I know loving your mother-in-law is supposed to be the win as you marry into another family, but I lucked out big time in all of the gal departments in this Cute Husband family, not just the mother-in-law one. I gained two sisters as well with the wives/girlfriends/now-fiances of these awesome Cute Husband brothers (Cute Brothers?) and I'm so excited to go celebrate with them on Saturday. It's a casual backyard/house gathering, but I think a skirt might still be in order, yes?
blue skirt | black tank | brown leather heels | gray tank | laurel denise heart cuff | laurel denise circle of love necklace
Sweet Vana from Le Papier Studio did a little interview with me and featured it on her blog yesterday. That's my laurel denise studio tour Thursday feature for this week because you guys are seriously going to kill me if I say that I'm still working and sending out sales rep packets.
I purchased this book, My Favorite Ingredients, on sale at O'Suzannah last week in an attempt to get to know the food I eat a little better. I know, so hipster and trendy of me, right? But, really, it's something I'd kind of like to do this year. I'd love to know things like arugula is the spicy and yummy lettuce (and is perfect paired with the fresh salsa from Whole Foods and a sliced avocado) and not just things like the fact that brie tastes really good when it's melted. Or just that brie tastes good. So that's my goal and this book is my first step toward that goal. Also, the photographs are really pretty and, because of that fact, I had no choice but to walk out of the store with this book in hand.
This weekend lived up to every expectation I had in my mind. Good friends, good relaxation, a lot of laughing, a lot of dancing to this song (no, really, a lot of dancing to that song), sunshine-filled days that were capped off with a thunderstorm or two, naps, book reading, good food and wine...I could go on for a long time here. It really was spectacular and even more spectacular and wonderful to realize in the middle of it all that you're making lasting and real friendships. So special.
This weekend I am going to lake. That's a verb, friends. I'm going to sit outside with girlfriends and girlfriend's husband and Cute Husband. We're going to the gorgeous Lake Anna to what I hear is a spectacular house. There will be books. There will be wine. There will be s'more brownies and chatting with this friend and this one, too, and water and docks and general goodness. There will be no Mac laptops. To say I'm looking forward to it is kind of an understatement.
boyfriend chinos | leather belt | leather sandals | gray tank (you know it) | blue blouse | laurel denise live necklace
This week in the laurel denise studio we've had some photo-taking, some image-prepping, some new elements collection pieces-making and just some general business-doing (that explains all of the stacks of paper shown above). I've been spending a lot of time in this here desk chair of mine and not so much time at the production table. But it all balances out eventually. Hard to believe that in less than a month I'll be heading to my first trade show of the season. Getting that nervous, anxious, excited feeling about that...wholesale show topics are starting to creep into my dreams at night. That's when you know it's about to begin!
Oh! And! Those adorable sterling silhouette necklaces you see above? Those will be available exclusively through Le Papier Studio so soon. They might have squealed when I finally finished them. They are that cute.
Oh, you know, just spent the morning getting myself all inspired and anxious and happy on Paper Valise this morning. For the love of everything, can someone please give me a party to plan (that requires the coolest vintage details, of course...since that's the only party I know how to plan) so that I can have an excuse to purchase goodness like this? Please?
dairy bar bags | admit one tickets | rexall birthday sale | castor oil labels
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