With all that free time they have, we thought we'd ask our April Leading Ladies, Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks, a few questions--between television appearances, book publications, a phenomenal website, blogs, six children between them, and a life somewhere in there, surely they had a minute to spare for chit-chat, right?

We loved getting to know both of them through our design collaboration and once the jewelry was complete, we had a chance to catch up on the rest of their stories.  Enjoy!

Emily/Elva Fields: How did the two of you initially meet?

Kristen: We actually met on the Internet through our personal blogs, Motherhood Uncensored and Mom 101. It's a true Internet love story of sorts.  I love that Liz has a way of making everything look cool. She's one of those people who could turn a Target t-shirt into a fashion statement. Also, she's a secret blackjack shark. 

Liz:  Kristen was one of the first people to comment on my blog in 2006.  I was starstruck.  We connected very quickly and soon after Kristen had this awesome idea to start a little blog to promote the small businesses and crafts we were seeing from other bloggers, and talk about the products we love. We never imagined Cool Mom Picks would grow into what it’s become.  As for Kristen, she’s the most amazing business partner you can imagine.  She is a total roll-up-her-sleeves, get-it-done kind of gal. All while raising four incredible kids, keeping a sense of humor, and looking good doing it. Because of this, I forgive her for making me look really short next to her on TV.

Emily:  What is the best parenting advice (solicited or otherwise!) you've ever received?

Kristen: Parent the kids you have. Also, peanut butter does wonders for gum in the hair. 

Liz: My mother told me to always remember that every decision as a parent you make is right, and every decision you make as a parent is wrong.  She’s brilliant.

Emily:  You unexpectedly have the afternoon off--what do you do?

Kristen: I head straight for the gym. Which is code for "shoe store." 

Liz: I’m not entirely sure what an afternoon off is, but in my dreams I’d spend it naked, face down on a massage table, followed by an obnoxiously long lunch at an outdoor café with my girlfriends.  I’d be dressed for that part though.

Emily:  How would each of you describe your Cool Mom style in five words or less?

Kristen: Funky with a classic edge. 

Liz: NYC chic with an indie touch

Emily:  Where in your neck of the woods would you wear your new Elva?

Kristen: I've been wearing it everywhere except for bed. 

Liz: It’s so gorgeous with every neckline, from tees to tank dresses. It’s already getting a looooot of use.

Emily:  Any other Elva Fields items catch your eye for other Cool Moms out there? 

Liz: I never leave the house without earrings. The beaded hoops would make even a tee and jeans look polished but I could wear them at night as well.  I also like the new turquoise earrings, like the vintage Czech glass flowers which would get a lot of play all summer.

Kristen: The Growing Balance necklace is just amazing--perfect for all the beautiful colorblocking this year. How cool would it be with a yellow dress and a hot pink bag?

See?  We knew we liked these ladies.  For more of their top picks and witty banter, get thee over to Cool Mom Picks...you'll be a lot cooler if you do.

Their motto is "We find it, you flaunt it."  We love a woman (two women in this case) who gets that motherhood is teamwork--we're all in this together and usually (at least personally speaking) need all the help we can get.  That's where Cool Mom Picks comes in, founded by two savvy, stylish, and sympathetic mothers who understand that this crazy juggling act of having children might benefit from a fun, helpful, and insightful online guide to good stuff along the way.  

Along with their contributors, Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner combine their talents, skills, and experiences to cull, curate, and collect tips, helpful hints, great products, noteworthy sales, and unique opportunities that make a mama's busy life that much, well, cooler.  ("Cool" as in hip and stylish AND calm and collected, we think.)  Whether suggesting the perfect baby shower gift in a pinch, a sale on a clothing brand I didn't even know existed but is now a go-to favorite, simplified tech-related suggestions (for the resolutely un-tech), or a book that will answer all the questions you've been asking about raising a toddler, Cool Mom Picks has saved us time, money, energy, and stress, and though they will not come to your house and change a diaper for you, they just might change the course of your day if you can sneak a few minutes to browse the site.  (Hint: sign up for their newsletter...all the info you need in one tiny package straight to your in-box!) 

Clearly, we're fans.  Which is why we were thrilled when Kristen and Liz agreed to be our April Leading Ladies--quite the Dynamic Duo, indeed!   We started out by getting a feel for each of their personal styles, and after browsing the Pinterest board that each of them created, we began pulling various materials from our in-house collections of vintage finds and bead stashes.    

Liz's Style Inspiration: we especially noted the black and white patterns, hints of blue, and the mixed metals necklace at lower right...

Kristen's Style Inspiration: we immediately noticed her love of bright colors, graphic patterns, and bold colorblocking.

What we pulled for Liz's initial materials proposal:

And the two proposed designs we assembled from which she could choose (a tiebreaker!):

The materials we selected for Kristen's necklace:

And first and second rounds of the design evolution:

Both Kristen and Liz were right-on when they made suggestions on how to proceed--true to their editorial eye, each of them knew exactly what would look best on them and what small changes would work well to suit their individual style.  Ultimately, Liz's necklace was created of an assemblage of strands, incorporating faceted silver crystal, silvery pearls, vintage gunmetal and silvertone chains, and even an antique crystal chandelier component.  (We love it against her New York City skyline!)

For Kristen's necklace, we chose vibrant vinyl disc beads (repurposed in Ghana from vintage records) mixed haphazardly with 1940s blue glass, yellow wood, black mesh, Kenyan bone, and a hint at glam with golden chalcedony nuggets.  A fun gathering of color and right at home in her southern setting!  (But we feel sure it'll see some sights outside of the sunny south, too!)

We had a wonderful time working with Liz and Kristen on this project--a giant thank-you to the hard-working, fabulous femmes behind Cool Mom Picks!  (Stay tuned for a fun interview with the CMP ladies in a bit...we just had to ask them a few questions about life, love, and jewels.)

Featured in the April issue of Good Housekeeping, our vintage Czech lattice drops were so overwhelmingly popular that they sold out in a matter of days. Like many of the rare beauties we come across, this particular style is no longer available, however we've found not one, but five options that we think will satisfy your craving for aqua and gold. Similarly sized and priced, yet each unique in their own right, there's a style for every Elva gal! Quantities are still limited, so don't miss out on these Spring must-haves! 

Vintage Czech Glass Leaves: $30

Vintage Czech Glass Drops: $32

Vintage Czech Glass Flowers: $28

Vintage Czech Glass Drops: $28

Vintage Czech Glass Nuggets: $28

Oh, how we wish this month's Leading Lady had started her beautiful bridal blog just four years earlier!  The lovely and talented Vané Broussard founded Brooklyn Bride in April 2007, and countless brides-to-be scour her posts religiously for inspiration, ideas, advice, and vendors for their modern weddings.  (In fact, happily married for the past eight years, we love browsing around Brooklyn Bride for our own visual stimulation now and then--from florals to gowns and cuisine to invites, she has it all covered.)  

The overwhelming popularity of the blog--updated daily--is no doubt due to the exquisitely-honed taste of this interior-designer-by-day, blogger-by-night gal.  You can imagine our thrill at partnering with Vané to create a one-of-a-kind necklace as our March Leading Lady!  When she sent us this inspiration board:

we knew we were in for some fun.  We LOVED the layers of gorgeous greens--and the fact that she included confetti AND fur in the mix let us know she had a sense of whimsy and delight to boot.   We couldn't wait to get started.  So...we sent her these images, pulling from our bead and vintage stashes in the studio:

and asked her if anything jumped out at her from either group.  We also made a few pairing suggestions so she could see what might be possible from the various vintage items and green beads.

Vané could not have been cooler.  She was incredibly laid-back and seemed to truly enjoy the experience, delighting in each design.  In the end, we came up with two necklaces from which she could choose...and (so much nicer than we would ever be!) she asked her husband to choose with her.  (Now if that doesn't prompt you to take wedding advice from someone, we don't know what would! She clearly has a beautiful marriage amidst all of those gorgeous weddings that make up her beautiful blog...and that is the best of all!) 

The selected style?  See below...we LOVE it on her and especially with her bold blue blouse pairing.   (And a red lip?  All around awesome.)

We did ask Vané a few questions after we completed our jewel...enjoy!

Emily Maynard/Elva Fields:  As an interior designer, your approach to blogging is very visual--we could spend hours clicking through all of the amazing images on Brooklyn Bride!--do you approach fashion the same way?  Do you see something and love it and know it will work as an outfit?  

Vané Broussard/Brooklyn Bride:  Absolutely!   Especially when it comes to color...patterns are a little harder for me but I'm working on it!