Today we're introducing our third Elva Gal in the series, our "OG" of the group, Jessica!  Having started with the studio almost two years ago, she's seen many a change at Elva (we won't bore you with the details of tiny one-room studios and public library internet connections) and has remained a steady presence along the way.  With experience in everything from retail to real estate, cosmetics to candles, it is her open, hopeful, and creative approach to life and learning that brought her to our team.  She is passionate about creating, is the reigning queen of Pinterest and the blogosphere, and has a love of flea markets and estate sales that keeps her exploring each weekend of the year.  (And we thought we were addicted!)

Jess is certainly the mama of our little group, offering kind and thoughtful help, advice, and suggestions on any topic on the table: (we cover a lot of ground on chatty days in the studio) relationships, ailments, vacation destinations, reading recommendations, recipes, and musical insight.   She has wonderful ideas and big dreams, and she has brought them all to us at Elva...and we're all the better for it.  

We adored Jess's whimsical pairing of a bright, chartreuse cardigan with our vintage glass tulip drop earrings (how amazing are they together?!) and loved even more her photograph of the jewels amongst a collection of vintage ornaments...an Elva gal tried and true.

Friends, meet Jess!

Nickname?  Jess, Jec, Honey and Mommy

Hometown?  I grew up in Versailles, Ky and have lived in Shelbyville, Ky for almost 13 years

Most memorable concert?  My son is in a band, so probably his first concert. I was a nervous wreck and was amazed that he could stand up there in front of  a small crowd and sing and play guitar. A proud day indeed. Other than that probably the most fun was The B-52s and The Violent Femmes...this whole answer just dated me, huh?

Favorite candy? Violet Crumbles..from Australia. The whole family is obsessed.

Movie you could watch 100 times?  "Gone With The Wind"...and anything involving zombies.  They really should combine the two!

Dream destination for a solo adventure? Paris!

Best book you read growing up? First chapter books. The Laura Ingalls Wilder series.

Museum, movie, or nap on a free afternoon?  Movie.  Museums are family time. Naps are nice, too.

Cherished childhood hiding spot? My closet...I played in there for hours. It was my imaginary single-girl apartment.

Your best recipe (or best version of someone else's?)  My mother's cheese grits.

Favorite quote? "Art washes from the soul the dust of every day life." -Picasso

Best thing about Elva so far?  As the mother of three boys, the best thing about Elva for me is the time I get to spend with the fabulous women I work with.  Lots of laughter, hard work and creativity here.  Making jewelry and being amazed every day by the beautiful vintage elements and beads that come together to make something so stunning and unique.  I am so thrilled to be a part of the process, and I am incredibly blessed that I get to do something that I love.

Tell us a bit about the photo you styled for the Holiday shoot.
I love things that have a history. I love antiquing, picking, and repurposing my finds. The vintage ornaments have a faded patina that gives such soft color, but the stripes and patterns give a youthful vibe. I love that blend. To me it represents the blending of family and friends, young and old. That is what makes my holiday merry and bright.

Next up in our "Meet the Elva Gals" series is the gorgeous and lovely Grace, the newest addition to our little team, having jumped right in amidst the holiday hubbub last month.  Grace instantly felt like family to all of us, and we can't imagine the studio without her easygoing presence, contagious smile, and always-happy-to-help-whomever-however attitude.  She has an eye for style and a creative spirit, and she can now add "jewelry" to her long list of talents and skills. (Did we mention she came to us from a successful career in finance and banking?  So she's a whiz with numbers AND creating beautiful things...yes, she's one of those right-and-left-brain gals...amazing!)  We're over-the-moon to have Grace along for this roller-coaster ride that is Elva Fields, and we know you'll love meeting her, too!  We loved her simple take on our vintage black and gold glass earrings from the Holiday Collection, and thought her holiday inspiration shoot (you can see it below!) was a perfect fit.  Without further ado, her interview:

Nickname? Gracie (we're just listing the non-embarrassing ones, right?)

Starting off our "Meet the Elva Gals" series is Jordan, a gorgeous gal of all trades who hit the ground running with Elva Fields late this summer, right in the midst of moving to a new city and starting an accelerated business school program.  While we're not quite sure how she juggles it all (she spends many a lunchtime studying for finals AND responding to emails from our customers!) we love having her as part of our team.  She handles everything with an easy smile and makes us laugh with her quick wit and self-deprecating humor...or by bringing in her canine sidekick, Rue, who happily terrorizes the studio for an afternoon.  

Elva friends and fans know Jordan best for her creative copywriting (she's the talented author behind our jewelry descriptions) customer service style, and even her captivating photographs of our jewels...and endless other behind-the-scenes skills that contribute to making Elva Fields what it is and will be.  

Each Elva Gal selected a pair of earrings from our Holiday Collection to wear...and also to style in a photograph along with items or elements that were personal representations of this time of year for them.  We're loving our vintage horn and bone earrings on Jordan, and her incorporation of golden, festive flowers is a beautiful touch!  Now, for our interview with Jordan...enjoy!

Nickname?  J.B./Jordy

Hometown?  The lovely little city of Danville, Kentucky.

Most memorable concert?  A Dave Matthews Band Concert several years ago with friends. After we got there, it started pouring rain right in the middle of his set. We were dancing in the rain to Dave, couldn’t get much better.

Favorite candy?  I’m absolutely obsessed with anything from Godiva, but if I’m not trying to splurge, a Snickers bar will do just fine!

Movie you could watch 100 times?  I could always watch The Wizard of Oz, It was the first movie I ever watched and still a personal favorite. Oh, and Forest Gump, but who doesn’t love that one?

Dream destination for a solo adventure?  I love traveling so this one is tough… to India (Agra, specifically, gotta cross seeing the Taj Majal off my bucket list!), The Seychelles, or New Zealand.

Best book you read growing up?  Of Mice and Men.

Museum, movie, or nap on a free afternoon?  Depends on where I am…at home in Louisville, probably a good movie/nap… But if I’m visiting another city, definitely a museum or other fun activity, no time to waste!  

Your best recipe (or best version of someone else's)?  Well sometimes, I mix TWO Taco Bell hot sauces together to make my own type of special sauce...ha!  Okay, I think I’d like to veto this question. My family has great recipes--best homemade fudge for miles around--but let’s just say I’m still working on mine...

Favorite quote? Okay, this may be the hardest question on here! I can never pick a favorite, but a couple I like are:

"When I was 5 years old my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment. I told them they didn't understand life." -John Lennon

"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid" -Einstein

Best thing about Elva so far?  Getting to work in a creative field I love with unique and wonderful people. Cliché or not, it’s the truth!

Tell us a bit about the photo you styled for the Holiday Collection: Since I can remember, my family has always had these golden Christmas ornaments; in shapes of violins, trumpets, and poinsettias. They’ve become staple decorations for us each year and they always add such a touch of glamour to our Christmas trees, from the massive 12-footer we had one year to the more modest predecessors. I’ve come to associate these ornaments with holiday cheer and fun times with my family, so naturally, they were perfect for our photo shoot!

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!