• At Pleasant Hill


    Our Fall 2012 photo shoot took place in the historic Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, America's largest restored Shaker community in the beautiful Bluegrass region of Kentucky.   The Shaker people lived here communally, celebrating a peaceful, simple, ordered life, hallmarks of their society that began as a movement in the 19th century.  Though no Shakers remain in Kentucky, the legacy of their honest work and rich faith remains in the beautiful architecture, tranquil farmland, and stunning craftsmanship in the wonderfully-restored buildings and acreage at Pleasant Hill.  

    Growing up in nearby Danville, Kentucky, we often visited the grounds to learn more about the rich history of our area, affectionately calling it "Shakertown" on field trips and family adventures.  Pleasant Hill is a remarkably gorgeous place--striking in its simplicity and serenity--and we felt it fitting to honor these tenets in style and setting as a fond childhood memory, but also an homage to the beauty of the place we know and love that is Kentucky.  

    We spent a day this past spring on the grounds to capture glimpses into this historic spot, and many/most of the names of the necklaces in the collection are named using songs, poems, sayings, or writings of the Shaker people.  We also plan to share bits and pieces of the Shaker story with you as autumn arrives--we feel sure their history will speak to your present, wherever you are.


    We certainly aren't alone in finding the beauty of Pleasant Hill--in addition to daily tours and special events like concerts, boat rides, Fall on the Farm at the barns (a favorite for kiddos), and even guided quail hunts, they now offer dining in a beautifully-restored building in the heart of the restored Village as well as overnight stays at the Inn at Shaker Village.  Absolutely worth a trip to Kentucky as the leaves turn, especially.  And if you aren't able to head to the beautiful Bluegrass, you can always enjoy hand-made crafts from their online store created with the quality and simplicity prized and demonstrated by the Shaker people.



    So join us in welcoming our Fall 2012 Collection, an homage to the simple, straightforward style of the Shakers, their vibrant history, and the beauty of honest, good work.   We hope you'll enjoy what you see!  (And stay tuned throughout the coming months as we continue to share the story of the Shaker people.)

    {all photos by Kriech-Higdon Photography}

    [For additional photos from our shoot at Pleasant Hill, see our Look Book...and join us on Tumblr for behind-the-scenes outtakes from the afternoon.]


     

    Posted by Emily Maynard
  • A Leading Lady Interview


    {photo for Designlovefest by Heather Gildroy}

    If you haven't yet seen our latest Leading Lady, then you are missing someone fabulous in your life.  Bri Emery, the brains and beauty behind the fantastic blog Designlovefest is awesomely talented...and we were thrilled she was on board with our collaborative project.  (It was a blast, by the way.  Check it on out here.)  When we saw these latest portraits of her by Heather Gildroy wearing our bright yellow bauble, we were over the moon.  GORGEOUS.

    After we created the necklace together, we had a chance to ask Bri a few questions...and thought you'd enjoy a bit more about Bri...and for the full fashion shoot in that drop dead amazing tulle skirt, head on over to Bri's site for a gander.  Seriously stylish.

    THE INTERVIEW

    Emily/Elva Fields: Your blog's name, Designlovefest, makes us smile--the perfect mix of happy, playful, and quirky--what is your idea of a fun "fest" or party?

    Bri/Designlovefest:  My ideal party would be full of color, cocktails, sequins, jazz music and my favorite people.

    E:  We know you love some sunny yellow, and the heart (obviously) is all you...are there any other Bri/Designlovefest signatures that capture your style or character?

    B:  i would say bold patterns and unexpected color pairings.

    E:  We love living vicariously through our designs...any thoughts on some adventures your new jewel might be part of in and around Los Angeles (or beyond?!)  

    B:  i have already worn it to teach my LA blogshop class (it fit perfect with my bright pink trina turk dress). however, i can see wearing this beauty over just a t-shirt to fancy up an everyday brunch outfit.

    E:  We're honored that you now have your very own Elva...any other jewels on the site catch your eye? 

    B:  i have a serious crush on ALL of them, but here are 3 I am especially drawn to:  Marvelous Mix Up, A Study in White, and Interesting Outlook

    E:  Thanks so much again, Bri!  We loved having you as our July Leading Lady!  




    Posted by Emily Maynard
  • Leading Lady / July: Bri Emery of Designlovefest


    From her love of color to her whimsical approach to life and art, we have long loved Bri Emery's musings, photographs, graphic goodness, and eye for style on her blog Designlovefest.  Along with thousands of others, we look forward to her daily doses: discoveries of a great new shop, a fun and crafty how-to on making something unique for your home, a go-to cocktail recipe, or just a peek at an inspiring interior.   Her latest endeavor, Blogshop, has her sharing her creative spirit and imaginative expertise with others, working with friend and photographer Angela Kohler to teach a crash course on Photoshop for Bloggers.  Whether in London, Portland, L.A., or Chicago, eager students sign up to hone their craft and soak up what these skilled and talented ladies have to offer.  (Read all about it on The Everygirl!)

    Bri is every bit the kind and cheerful person she expresses in her writing and her art, and we were honored and, well, pretty pumped to have the chance to feature her as our July Leading Lady!  I mean, a trip to the local flea market--our favorite destination anytime--would be a whole new adventure with Bri as our partner-in-crime (we were equal parts smiling and swooning over this lil' post on her Rose Bowl Flea finds recently...) so we couldn't wait to get started on a vintage-inspired jewel for her!

    First, we started by asking Bri to put together an inspiration board to kick-start the project.  She gathered some snippets on Pinterest for color, texture, pattern, and mood, and Bri also mentioned that she might enjoy having a signature style inclusion in the design by adding a heart jewel somewhere in the mix, as a tie-in to Designlovefest's logo.




    So...once we reveled in her mood board pins (a feast for the eyes!) we pulled from our vintage collections and did a bit of sourcing at some of our favorite fleas and antique shops to find a fun assortment of hearts for her to see.  (From rhinestone to lucite, we found some beauties!)



    We also sent Bri a line-up of colorful beads, inspired by her picks from our archives and some of her inclusions on the mood board as well.  Saturated green glass and jade, melon-hued resin, and even some vintage pink lucite strands made the edited cut.


    And here's Bri's initial reaction to the materials:  


    So, taking her cue, we tried a fun and festive mix of her favorite colors in a random arrangement, with the vintage rhinestone heart brooch at the side.  Eye-catching, a bit quirky, but completely cheerful, we loved it, but something seemed not-entirely-Bri about it, and she agreed.   

    At that point, she suggested she might be more in love with a single solid color for the beads, and we thought maybe that would allow the heart gem to glitz a bit more...  So, opting for a sunny, sparkling yellow crystal, we went for eight strands and incorporated the brooch into the design, rather than just pinning it at the side...


    And Bri loved it!  She can keep the strands lined up in a delightful, more polished drape like this:


    Or make it more creative and haphazard...and more her own as only Bri can do!  (As seen below.)  Paired with bold and brilliant hot pink, we were dazzled by the results and LOVE that our jointly-designed jewel is headed on some seriously stylish and fun-filled adventures with Bri.  (I mean, it has already made its debut at a Blogshop gathering, so let the games begin!)  A giant and colorful thank you to Bri for jumping in on this collaborative project with us...we had a fantastic time working (should we really call it that?) with you!


    [above photos of Bri by Kimberly Genevieve for designlovefest]



    the photo cred is: kimberly genevieve for designlovefest

    the photo cred is: kimberly genevieve for designlovefest

    Posted by Emily Maynard
  • A [Local] Artful Surprise

     

    For our Summer Collection, all about the simple joys in life and in season, we immediately knew we wanted to partner with Hound Dog Press, a local printmaker in Louisville, Kentucky.  We'd met the owners, Nick and Robert, at an event at 21c Museum Hotel several years ago (we were selling our respective wares for a holiday shopping night) and felt we'd found a kindred spirit in craft--they create all of their designs by hand, manually operating the giant 19th-century printing presses in their Market Street shop.  (We LOVED this video about Hound Dog Press filmed by the talented team at Kertis Creative...beautifully shares their story.)

    We chose a paper coaster design--perfect for those lazy hazy days of summer when a cold beverage is a refreshing simple pleasure--and though several ideas were on the table, we loved the idea of depicting a mason jar of fireflies, capturing one of our favorite summer evening enjoyments.  Included in each purchase of $100 or more, we hope it delights and cheers when you open your Elva package--and it brings to mind how a simple joy is often the most fulfilling.  (We're posting ours on the studio inspiration board--a reminder of how special a handmade creation can be, and to savor the small things this season.)

    Happy summer!


    Posted by Emily Maynard
  • Leading Lady / June: Erin Gates of Elements of Style and Erin Gates Design


    For the past few years, we've been avid and faithful readers of Erin Gates' daily posts on her Elements of Style blog--between her eye for style (in both the fashion and home arenas), her ability to bring to light a fabulous brand or product, and her genuine, approachable voice in writing, she keeps us informed and entertained each morning.  (Or...if it's really busy, we save it for an afternoon break...either way, it's a great part of our day.)

    It is perhaps her honesty and integrity that we love best--both have earned her a growing and loyal readership and the attention of several sites and magazines.  (She recently wrote an article for Good Housekeeping that is not to be missed...and we were delighted to see her offices and apartment featured on TheEverygirl this month!)  Though her stylish suggestions are right-on, her candor when it comes to relationships, self-esteem, body image, attitude, and priorities are real and relatable.  We find ourselves nodding in agreement equally when she tells it like it is in the post-awards-show run-down of fashion AND when she's admitting she's working on loving her self more, a challenge for many of us.

    Clearly, Erin was a Leading Lady before we even began this series, so it was never a question that we'd ask her to join us...and we were thrilled when she agreed.  We started out by asking Erin to assemble an inspiration board for us--though we have come to know her overall style fairly well through her blog, we wanted to see how she envisioned this particular design, and we loved seeing her selections:


    We immediately decided this design would be more akin to one of our Deb Collection necklaces, using repurposed vintage chains as the foundation of the composition, and we knew a Maltese cross (we have long been fans of Verdura and his work for Chanel...even writing a grad-school paper on the topic!) had to factor in to the arrangement.  So, we sent along images of these materials, culled from our in-house collections, for Erin to see and consider:


    [a few Maltese cross designs we liked from our vintage holdings]



    [several vintage gilt, brass, and goldtone chains that might work]



    [touches of faux malachite and onyx to mix in for variation with the chains]


    Our first attempt (and sadly this photo is terrible, but so was the design, so let's just call it a wash) used the malachite beads more sparingly, to let the cross and chains take center stage.  We liked it, but didn't love it...and thought we'd let Erin have a look to get her insight.  After all, this is a collaborative effort AND she is a designer--we loved hearing her opinion.  And, honestly, this is why having a client's feedback is so crucial sometimes--it's easy to find yourself so caught up in the design that you lose a bit of perspective.  Not only have the materials been staring you in the face for a few hours (or days, whatever the case may be) but you come to a gridlock with them, unable to try anything else until you're sure the one on which you're stuck will not work.

    When Erin mentioned that, though she loved the overall concept, that she wanted to change up the malachite a bit, we were relieved.  (And laughing--she said something about the beads reminded her of peas...not something we would have ever considered, so back to our "feedback is so crucial" statement above!)


    [first attempt...not there yet.]


    So...we took a few suggestions from Erin (perhaps a strand of malachite mixed with the chains? pearls or other beads mixed in?) and added some additional beads to break up the green/gold pattern--black glass in matte-finish rounds and larger faceted nuggets were just the thing to add interest, we think, especially in fun, random patterns.

    We think the results are a great  mix of edgy, sophisticated, and fun--a mix of materials that can work the room of a cocktail party just as easily as a business brunch--perfect for a gal like Erin who likely attends both. (And...the Maltese cross brooch is detachable, so the chains and strands can be worn unadorned if the occasion calls for it, though we're loving the Verdura/Chanel-inspired lovely at the side!)




    [the final results...love.]

    Erin loved it--and we're digging how she styled her new necklace--perfect with a tailored blazer and jeans.  Many, many thanks to Erin for following along on this design adventure...and we look forward to seeing where the jewels go now that they are part of this Leading Lady's lovely life!



     



    Posted by Emily Maynard