Whether you're a fan of February 14th or not, we're guessing you may be a fan of "free"  (especially when it comes to jewels!)...and we'd love to feel the love AND share the love this Valentine's Day.   So...when we found some beautiful vintage brass love knots, we decided you needed to have them.  On your ears.  For free.  

The catch?  Spend $100 with us between now and February 14th AND show us some love: tweet about us, post on Facebook, or leave a message below right here on the blog.*  We'll say thank you with a pair of these limited-edition love knot earrings--vintage brass on 14 karat gold fill wires.  Sweet, simple, and compliments of the gals at Elva.

Happy Valentine's Day to you! 

*Valid on orders of $100 or more placed between 2-8-11 and 2-14-11, only one per household, while supplies last.

We're strong believers in the idea that the company you keep says A LOT about you--revealing character, values, and a bit of personality.  We love our friends and family...and brainstormed a really fun idea just for you (and them!):  Since Elva Fields is such a friends-and-family type of company, we'd love to introduce you to the company we keep!  Whether friends, family, customers, or any combination of the above, we'll be featuring them over the coming weeks with a mix of style, insight, and info.  Check back weekly(ish) for a new profile of one of our peeps!

First up: dear friend (and incredibly willing volunteer) Whitney Frazier Watt.  (Thank you, Whit, for agreeing to this!)  

Whitney is a fellow Kentucky gal (hailing from Ashland) and--in addition to being an incredibly hard-working and accomplished attorney with one of the southeast's top firms, Stites and Harbison, PLLC--is also a consummate hostess.  (Watt parties are legendary!)  We recently sat down with her (read: begged her) to find out how she does it all!  (Yes, she's one of those people who achieves more in 24 hours than most of us do in a week...but would never bore you with the details!)

E: You are a natural hostess! What are your top three tips for throwing a great party?

W: You are sweet – I love to entertain. (E: See? Such manners and humility!) As far as tips, I would suggest:

E: 

Do you have a favorite accent item (decorative or functional) when entertaining at home?

   

W:  My favorite accent items when entertaining are both decorative and functional.  I love using fun serving trays and bowls.  Whether we are entertaining in the dining room or having friends over to watch a game, there is just something about fun serving pieces that sets the tone for a festive gathering.

E: You're also an exceptionally busy woman...what saves time when prepping for a party?

W:  My biggest time savers are accepting help when offered – whether it is having my husband run last minute errands or taking a friend up on an offer to bring a dish – and having "go-to" places to pick up prepared appetizers and desserts (though I always order in advance).  Also, I must admit that I create a "to do" list before almost every party so I do not waste time thinking about what needs to be done when I am rushing around before guests arrive.

E:  As if work doesn't occupy most of your time, you also make volunteering a priority in your life...tell us about some meaningful organizations with which you are involved.

W:  I enjoy giving back to the community.  I have loved being a member of the Younger Women’s Club (including co-chairing the Charities Group with you, Emily, to award grants to worthy local charities), serving on the Board of the Louisville Visual Arts Association, serving as a pro bono lawyer during emergency protective order hearings through Legal Aid’s Domestic Violence Advocacy Program (Stites & Harbison was recently honored for our litigators’ support of this program), and serving on the Board and now Advisory Council with Dress for Success Louisville – to help low-income women acquire the skills and confidence they need to get back into the workforce.

E:  Speaking of "dressing for success" what are your go-to outfit elements for looking professional?

W:  I wear a lot of black, gray, and neutrals – but my favorite accessories are Elva Fields necklaces and earrings! What better way to add some interest to a plain suit?

(We decided to shoot some of Whitney's Elva, Deb, and June jewels...and were both shocked when we saw the size of her growing collection!  Each piece has such a great story--anniversary, birthday, a reward for a job well done--and we loved photographing them on Whitney's husband's grandfather's steamer trunk in the guest bedroom.)

It's no secret that I am a little frazzled this time of year.  Between holiday excitement, daughter's birthday, and busy season there's barely room for clean dishes, let alone a decorated house.  And though we swore we'd do things differently this year, we never really got around to putting up a Christmas tree--despite how excited our two-year-old is about lights this year and all of our best intentions at the ready.  

So here we are--mere days away from Christmas itself--and I pull in the driveway after a long day in the studio (again).  As I sat in the car (listening to the last bit of World Cafe on NPR and my infant daughter's snores from the carseat) I stared absent-mindedly at our back deck, not quite realizing what was different...until suddenly it hit me.  We had a Christmas tree!  Nothing crazy extravagant--nothing at all like you might find in Elle Decor or Martha--but a tree alright.  In a bucket!  With lights!  I smiled as we headed up the back steps, and I can't tell you what joy I felt about a tree in a bucket.

From whence did the tree come?  Well, that's the best part.  You see, this morning my husband asked our toddler daughter what she wanted to get her mother for Christmas.  Her simple reply was "A Christmas tree."  And since she's two and knows exactly what she wants, they went out and found one.  And then put it in water and strung lights on it.  And I I love it.  I realized that, as much as I love what I do for a living (it is truly a pleasure to go to work each day) it is not everything.  All it took was a toddler and a tree to remind me.  

So we'll be taking next week off to bask in the glow of white lights on a tree in a bucket, and we hope that--wherever you are and whatever you do--you'll be enjoying the simple things in life, too.  Happy holidays to our incredibly kind and wonderful friends, family, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and (last but DEFINITELY not least) our fantastic customers.  We love you all!

We're not even close to wrapping up our holiday shopping (no pun intended) but we've kept one thought in mind as we've pondered and browsed and brainstormed this year's list: giving truly makes us happy.  Price tags, crowded shops, and tying bows aside, we're looking for gifts that do double-or-more duty; gifts that matter--both to the recipient and the greater good.   Gifts that inspire and bring joy that really resonates.  

While jewelry may not be a fit for everyone on your list (men just don't seem to fall for our rhinestones and beads like the ladies do...) we like to think that a gift from Elva Fields offers both style and substance.  Not only are our jewels made by hand in our small Kentucky studio (always good to patronize small businesses with handcrafted creations, right?) but we also support an incredibly worthwhile organization in our rural local community of Spencer County.  

Three dollars of each purchase made online is donated directly to Backpack Buddies, a program that provides a weekend's-worth of food to a school-age child who might otherwise go hungry throughout the academic year.  Many children in our area depend entirely on the school cafeteria for their daily meals, so by sending them home with a backpack full of food on Friday afternoon, they are able to look forward to snacks and meals at home on Saturday and Sunday.  It's amazing to think that $3 can feed a child for an entire weekend, and our small contribution each month has made a difference in the lives of over 100 students in our area.  

Whether from Elva Fields or another company that offers style and substance, we hope you'll consider gifts that give "more" this season.  Happy shopping and beautiful holidays to you!