Roséline Lohr's ethereally beautiful blog, this is glamorous, has been a favorite of ours for some time.  Personally, when I need to unplug from the overload of the day, it's a serene, soothing visual treat to browse her subtle, elegant style selections.  (Her tumblr is another great way to unwind, with its series of lovely images to enjoy...) Lots of pale pinks involved, and certainly glamour (as the name suggests), and topics ranging from fashion to interiors to food.  Roséline captures the beauty of her days, and I always leave feeling refreshed and a bit more, well, glamorous than I arrived.

A few years ago, Roséline was kind and thoughtful enough (yes, she is as gracious and lovely a person as the style she exudes!) to give us the surprise of our career at that point.  She had been tapped as Lucky magazine's guest blogger for the month, and in the issue the editor asked Roséline to name a few of her favorite resources for living a glamorous life.  Our jaw dropped when we saw "Elva Fields" was listed as one of her favorite websites.  (Full disclosure:  it was our first-ever mention in a national publication!)

It comes as no surprise now, then, that Roséline was on our list when we started this fun Leading Lady series, and when she sent along her inspiration images, via a Pinterest board she had created for the project, we were so excited by the fresh, feminine mood of it all.

And a few snippets from her tumblr that we loved, too:

We were immediately captivated by the soft pinks and touches of muted gold throughout the images she selected, so we began pulling beads and vintages channeling this subtle mix, offering everything from rose quartz and peach moonstone to coral and pearls.  

We seemed to keep going with our vintage options (lots of potential here, but so many different directions!) including buckles, charms, pendants, flowers, a pearl collar, and an arrangement of creamy-colored earrings that made a lovely grouping together.

Roséline was immediately drawn to the pearls, and then pointed out a few of her favorite ornaments that might accompany them...

So our next step was to show her what some of these pairings might look like, by arranging mock layouts using the pearls and the various vintages.  We thought the rhinestone and golden filigree buckle might make a lovely clasp, or the collection of vintage earrings would be sweet clustered at the side of the strands...or perhaps the more forwardly-feminine Art Deco buckle could clasp the strands together at the side...or we might mix in some golden chains to accompany the goldtone and rhinestone songbird pendant...

  

   

From all of these suggestions, Roséline loved the fun family of earrings--from celluloid and rhinestone from the 40s to costume pearl and enamel from the 50s, they all had a similar vibe and seemed destined for pearl strands, and we opted to add in some strands of golden pewter and brass to highlight their golden sparkle.  In an effort to create a starting point for us both, we arranged the assortment in a fairly traditional design, the strands at regular intervals, the earrings clustered at left.

Roséline suggested (and we agree) that the strands might seem more suited to her style if they were arranged more whimsically, and she sent along a quick sketch of what she was imagining (always helpful, as we're such visual people...this usually hits home immediately!)  So we tried removing some of the strands at random (not entirely...just flipping them around to the back of the mannequin, in case we wanted to bring them back in later!) to see if a more "lightened" mix might suit.

  

But then it seemed almost too bare, so we slowly added a few of the pearls back in, made the longest strand just a bit longer, and lowered the cluster of earrings (now minus one, as it seemed too bulky for the fewer strands...) to see if we were any closer to the mark.

We also suggested the addition of some vintage costume pearl and goldtone chain, just for another layer of texture and movement in the design.

As it turned out, Roséline loved the chain, and was missing that one earring (it's amazing how the little things make such a difference in design!) so we secured the chain and returned the second faux mother-of-pearl floral earring to its mate, but placing it toward the top of the grouping to create a nice collage of lovely at the side of the cascading strands.  And once Roséline saw this version, she loved it, and we were ready to make it official and ship it off to Scotland!  (Seriously one of our favorite parts of creating these jewels is knowing where they travel once they leave our little studio!)

We love the haphazard layering of texture and finish--and could completely envision Roséline looking effortlessly glamorous in this design, as if she just threw it on and let the strands and ornaments fall as they may.

We were instantly smitten with the gorgeous images she sent along from her shoot in Scotland...Roséline is stunning in our co-created design, the fur collar adding instant elegance, and the touch of muted pink in the background brings her inspiration board immediately to life.   It also seems entirely fitting that several of the photos were taken on the shore, as if the pearls were in their element, the sea star and floral earrings happily at home in the salt air and surf.  

Roséline, as ever, so wonderfully crystalizes the beauty of her surroundings, capturing subtle elements that contribute to a simple, easy elegance that not only make up this is glamorous, but the world around us all.  Thank you for taking part in this project with us, Roséline...we had such fun channeling your creative vision and hope the jewels have a lovely adventure with you along the way!

Welcome, friends, to our first-ever Elva Gift Guide!  Though we're unabashedly biased, we think anything from the shop would make a thoughtful, happy gift...but if you'd like some stylish suggestions, we're here to offer a tip or two (or eight!)  Enjoy!

1. Fun, fashionable, forever--they'll enjoy a one-of-a-kind statement stunner from our Elva Collection for years to come. 

2. Love your LBD?  Try an LBE!  The little black earring will serve you well (and stylishly) at every turn. Whether they're our bold faceted jet black glass drops, a more subtle, vintage style in black and gold glass cylinders, or a nearly-antique addition with 1920's faceted black glass beads, you'll find yourself reaching for them time and again.

3. The go-to gift for all:  Gift Cards (Available in pre-set amounts of $25, $50, $100, and $200 or email us for a customized quantity!)

4. For the do-gooder or debutante alike--entirely repurposed vintage materials make each necklace from our Deb Collection entirely eco-glam!

5. Drops of color in vintage glass are perfect for holiday hobnobbing! (And each just $30!) Choose from: chartreuse Czech glass tulips, red Czech glass scarabs, or turquoise and black Czech glass drops.

6. Bringing back an old favorite...just in time for festive fun!  With beautiful, bright beads and a vintage ribbon accent, each of our ribbon necklaces is entirely unique and oh-so-easy to wear...  (Now available: vintage pink velvet ribbon or vintage chartreuse velvet ribbon...and more on the way!)

7. A touch of golden to warm and brighten this season and always:  Whether faceted vintage brass, etched gold fill discs, or vintage diamond cut brass, they'll go (and glow) with everything!

8. Simple and classic with a twist...she'll be pretty in pearls, especially of the vintage variety! 

We love taking care of the details, so each item you order from our collections will arrive wrapped in our signature style and ready for giving...and to make a stylish gift all the more meaningful, we give $3 of every purchase to Backpack Buddies of Spencer County, an organization that provides meals and snacks to underprivileged students in our rural community.  (So you'll be giving greatly this season...in more ways than one!)  Happy Holidays!

Swearing off long lines and crowded shops, we thought we'd offer a respite from the typical Black Friday madness with a little sale of our own...from the comfort of home or office and at your convenience when you can carve out a few minutes to yourself during the weekend.  Starting today and continuing through Monday the 26th, we hope you'll enjoy an extra 20% off all sale items by entering code BACKINBLACK at checkout.

You'll notice some new designs and perhaps some old favorites, from stocking stuffers to statement styles...happy shopping and thanks for supporting a tiny, independently-owned handmade business this season!

If you've not yet heard of The Sparkly Life, with one visit to this fun and fashionable blog, you'll be smitten (stylishly) and giddy (gorgeously) over its musings and messages on beauty and fashion.  Your love of The Sparkly Life will no doubt have everything to do with the blog's founder and creator, Alyssa Hertzig, who immediately won us over with her cheerful, helpful, and oh-so-approachable attitude and style. 

With The Sparkly Life, it's as if Alyssa, who by day is a successful magazine beauty editor living in New York City, becomes your best friend in beauty, dishing familiarly but knowledgeably about the latest lotions, the most fabulous foundation, or some incredibly fun hint about creative nail art.  She's generous when sharing her experiences, and we also love introductions to her industry friends who, in turn, are kind enough to pass along their own beauty secrets. 

She is, in essence, a lovely gal, and we're thrilled to introduce her as our latest Leading Lady!  We knew from seeing her inspiration board, which she compiled on Pinterest for our project, that we were in for a glamourous creation, heavily inspired by Art Deco designs in emerald and diamond.   

Though we didn't want to influence her design right off the bat (we love showing our clients and collaborators all of the materials we have that might work, allowing them to see what appeals most, rather than forcing our preferences on them to start...) we immediately thought of a rhinestone belt buckle we'd had in our vintage collections for a few years.  It seemed stunningly perfect, but we stuck with our plan to show Alyssa an assortment of beads and vintages for consideration.  (Yes, it was hard to hold our tongue!)

We were nothing short of overjoyed when she honed in on the buckle (seen at the top of the trio above) amongst the green and white jeweled brooches and baubles we sent via digital image (though she also really loved the eye-shaped brooch, too.)  And she liked the clear beads on either end best...but when we tried them with the buckle, which would serve as the necklace's clasp, they seemed off-scale. So we opted for a cut-glass style, mixing in bits of green and silver for extra color and sparkle to tie in the buckle's glam factor with the strands it would adorn.

And we tried two versions using the buckle and beads--a more dramatic drape of the strands:

and a more ordered, closer-together arrangement of the strands:

Ultimately, Alyssa decided she preferred the strands closer together, with the buckle clasping them at the side.  (Though the jeweled beauty may be worn anywhere she pleases in this design.)

And then we sort of panicked for some reason.  It seemed like the whole design came together so quickly and easily--which would, in most non-neurotic worlds seem dreamy and fun--but for a designer with a bit of crazy compulsion in the mix (full disclosure, friends!) we sometimes just can't help ourselves.  So we sent one last proposal image using the alternate materials Alyssa had liked from our initial selections.  

And, though we felt better after sending it, Alyssa confirmed our instincts: the buckle was it.  She loved it and didn't want us to change a single thing about it.  So--no more second guessing--we enjoyed how seamlessly the process flowed, how easily it all fell into place...and we sent it along to her happily in time for a trip to California.

We think Alyssa looks lovely in her Art Deco-inspired jewel--and though, being a beauty editor, hair and make-up are always spot-on, we were equally enamored of her ensemble...what wonderful contrast in color and texture.  Gorgeous!  Many thanks, Alyssa, and enjoy your new necklace!