SUMMER SALE

Well, the summer season (for clothes at least) is drawing to a close. I just have a small handful of pieces left from my spring/summer collection! They are way too cute to pass up, and there is still enough time to get some wear out of them before fall fashion hits! What does all this mean? A SALE is in order!

Check out the ETSY store to see the new prices...get them while they last!

All headbands are $12
All brooches are $10

Shop away!

vintage finds

This past week I took some time off and traveled to Colorado. As we passed through Leadville, we stopped for a restroom break and peaked into some local shops. I was delighted to snag these wonderful vintage-style jewelry finds to use in the fall designs! I've been keeping my eye out for things of this nature, which can be hard to come across. This style is all over fall accessories! Check out J. Crew's fall lookbook for a a taste...

I still haven't had time to work on anything yet, but the ideas are brewing!!

bold & beautiful summer rosettes!

These rosettes hair combs were made from pink, orange, and red fabric and are topped off with a silver-embedded rhinestone. They were the perfect accessory for the bridesmaid's dresses at my sister-in-law's wedding a week ago.

In addition - long time no post! I kind of fell off the wagon when my work schedule increased. Lately I've been just trying to stay a float between work, my husband, traveling, weddings, and other events. There has been little time to craft, although I've done a fair share of custom work over the past few weeks.

Also (and I wish I would have taken a closer picture...hopefully someone else got a good one) I re-purposed a gorgeous brooch as a hair comb for my sister-in-law's do. It turned out WONDERFULLY! She is gorgeous anyway, but it added just the right elegant touch to her already spectacular look!

Yay for weddings and lovely brides!

I'm looking forward to completing 2 other custom wedding orders over the next month.

...and I'm hoping to come back to blogging, crafting, and selling in early September (already dreaming about fall designs)... :-)

one of the joys...

One of the joys of custom work is getting to hear (and see) how people enjoyed their accessory! With typical ETSY sales, there isn't always a follow up note or picture telling me how it worked out. I was thrilled to take a peak of these lovely gals in headbands all geared up for a wedding...

Thanks for sharing!!!

your style - choosing fabric

Well, my posting seems to be a bit more scattered lately. I've been so busy with life, my new job, and custom orders that I've hardly had time to think about anything else 'business' related. June 1st will mark the 5th month of this endeavor, and I'm excited to see that it's still moving forward.

On to custom item stuff...a trend in my post topics lately :-)

If you ever wondered how you would be able to order something made 'just for you' and not hate the fabric, here's a little something I do to help you out:


Fabric choices! In the top picture I was able to get some samples from the local fabric store before making a big purchase. In the bottom picture I put together a collection of fabrics I already had available in a particular color. Either way, I would be happy to accommodate your style and preferences!

Or you can just make it easy on me, and say you want it in all white:
:-)

The choice is yours!

selling switch - more custom coming my way

Thought I would share a couple of the custom pieces I finished this week:

A friend in my small group and her fellow bridesmaid are going to rock these headbands at a wedding coming up next weekend! The colors are black, cream, and lime...super fun! I know they will add just the right touch to their classy black dresses and peep-toe pumps. Yay for fun wedding projects!
This didn't seem to translate in pictures as well as I would have liked, but it is sooo cute in person! It is for my friend Mae who is currently residing in LA (I think she is in design school). Mae looks lovely in bright, fun colors and picked this combo out herself from my fabric swatches. I really enjoyed that experience because it helped me create something that I wouldn't have put together on my own.

It seems like when I first started out I was mostly selling what I had already made...now the bulk of what I do is custom pieces requested by people who have seen my other work and really like it. Interesting how things change!

creating custom

Tonight I am working on 2 custom headbands...lately most of the work I've been doing is custom, making it feel 'behind-the-scenes'. Custom work is fun because I can creatively personalize design for someone's special occasion or style. However, it can be challenging because there is more pressure to do it 'just how they imagined'. Sometimes I worry that my vision won't align with what my buyer had in mind.

I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of the custom pieces I've made!

Currently, I'm working on some special things for my sister's wedding, blue puff headbands for a wedding in october, a yellow zipper headband for a friend in Cali, and a flower necklace for my mom!

Don't be shy on Etsy! Many sellers are more than happy to create custom work and reserved listings JUST FOR YOU! I'd love to do a headband, necklace, brooch, or accessory for your next special occasion!

evolution of design - em.j headbands

A comment on my last post caused me to reflect upon where I've come from. My very first headband makes me laugh these days, even though at the time I thought it was a pretty good start. It's embarrassing enough to not include a picture of, although I'm definitely keeping it for encouragement 'look how far I've come' purposes.

Some of my first 'serious' creations include:

A little flower puff that now belongs to one of my sister-in-laws....
A purple singed flower that now belongs to my good friend Abbie...
Some rosette headbands in the hands of a 'friend of a friend' here in town...

These were actually surprisingly good. Sometimes I look back on my original work and feel inspired to go back to my roots. Those rosette headbands are not only some of my favorite, they also became the basis for my 'EISLEY' design now sold on ETSY.

Eventually, I made a 'light box' and my photography improved a bit:

Purple poppies headband that even had a blog feature!
A combo of lemon and lime that has become relatively popular!

Shortly after this phase, I decided to find my stride in design. I now have a few particular designs that come in a variety of colors:

the 'EISLEY' headband - featuring 3 fabric rosettes
the 'EMILINE' headband which is a chiffon puff with adorable embellishments!
the 'ELLA' headband - always a bow :-)
the 'ELIZABETH' headband - a delicate flower bloom

the 'EZRI' headband - 2 satin flowers with singed edges

I think it's been a fun journey thus far, and I look forward to what the business will look like in another 3 months!

new designs - yay for free time!

Pink Ezri headband
Yellow rosette necklace with vintage cottage white ribbon
Emiline headband
Flower brooch in peach
Creamy white Eisley headband with blue vintage ribbon

Last night I had some free time to make some new stuff! YAY!

Just thought I would share!

getting inspired - bridal :-)

I know that there is a market I haven't made an effort to tap into...BRIDAL ACCESSORIES! I haven't forgotten what it was like to try finding the perfect hair piece for my dress that fit my style and budget.
I ended up choosing a simple rhinestone headband, but there were soooo many other beautiful pieces out there. Considering I didn't have much time to plan though (and I didn't know about etsy *GASP*, I think this was a great addition to my wedding dress).

It is possible...and I won't go into details just yet...that I'll be officially part of the bridal market soon. There is still much creating to do and many details to be worked out...eek...I hope I can share more soon!

In the meantime, I thought I would get inspired by creating a little 'bridal brooch' treasury. I know that it might be poor marketing to show off your 'competition', but I am continually amazed by the fabulous artistry of many etsy sellers. I hope you enjoy looking at some of the beautiful stuff that's out there, as much as I did!

This is a *mini* sneak peak...check out the rest of my treasury HERE: bridal inspiration by elegantemj