jeweled brides - Part II

The next Merrick Jewels featured bride is my dear friend, Anne. Seeing as I was 36+ weeks pregnant for her wedding, I was unable to attend this heartfelt down to earth celebration. From the invitations to the rings, you can tell Anne and Chris connect with the living world around us. I mean who else would invite guests to camp out after the reception?! Fun right?? (I was really looking forward to this, no seriously). So, to fill my absence I worked with Anne to create a piece of jewelry that would compliment her organic style. 

She naturally gravitated to these soft smokey gray (with a hint of lilac) coin pearls. Even with all of their imperfections, they are so beautiful. I hand-knotted three strands of the pearls finishing with a pave marcasite and sterling silver clasp. The bracelet was a lovely compliment to her frothy grecian goddess gown. What a beaming bride...

Anne, you are stunning. Congrats!

i'm fasting / update

image 

You don't know what you really don't need until you really can't buy it. I thought y'all would be interested to know how the financial fast went since my original post was one of the more viewed posts that I've written. I'm sure some of you were thinking it was a food fast and were super curious how our household held up since I'm pretty sure I'd be a hangry terror. Nope. We fasted from plastic, dollar bills, and the completely unnecessary and I'm so glad we did!

jeweled brides - Part I

With Valentine's Day around the corner it's a perfect time to set up a couple warm and fuzzy posts showcasing some Merrick Jewels brides. Seeing these beauties makes me want to get married all over again (with the same man y'all) and beef up my hardware. 

Not that a single strand of freshwater pearls for your wedding day is not beautiful I've just worn bigger pieces of jewelry to the grocery store.  Need. to. represent. 

Jennifer got married in late December in Sugarland, TX. Labeled rustic chic (think crystals, mercury glass votives in a rodeo arena with pulled pork mashed potatoes, YUM) she killed it in not just one Merrick Jewels necklace but TWO. You lucky girl. This necklace is hand knotted faceted navy glass beads with buttery velvet bow and vintage rhinestone pendant. She actually wore this necklace as her "party piece" for the reception (I told her this one was more danceable and the girl likes to dance) but these pictures are from her gorgeous bridals. 

The other necklace for the ceremony is oldie but a goodie. As one of my first big statement necklaces that I made after starting full-time, this one is always a stunner. Vintage hammered gold chain with carefully curated one of-a-kind vintage rhinestone pieces make this necklace sparkle. I could see it all the way from the back row of the church. Bravo. 

Beaming bride after the ceremony...

Same necklace on the cover of Indulge magazine in September 2009

Congrats John and Jennifer! What a gorgeous couple!

If you're looking for your own one of-a-kind piece for your big event email me at merrick@merrickjewels.com and let's start planning!! 

Sunny 16 Photography / Aves Photographic Designs

vintage 101

I've had a love for vintage jewelry for quite some time. That's part of the reason why I became a jewelry designer. When incorporating vintage pieces in my designs, sometimes it is very hard to give them up (which has led to starting a little collection of my own). Since buying vintage seems to be the soup du jour, I thought I would write some tips on collecting and tidbits of things I've learned along the way.

i'm fasting

I hope you guys don't mind me going off topic a little bit from jewelry/fashion to finances. I know that when you think of fasting you imagine giving up sweets, sodas, or dare I say CHEESE!?!? I've participated in a few fasts for my Faith and they're never easy (call me a drama queen but the cheese one almost killed me) but they manage to always be a positive experience and refresh the way I think about my lifestyle and the world around me. This year I've got my sights on a "spending fast". I'm not going to go into the spirituality aspect of fasting for this post but I wanted to start a conversation about it and at least make myself accountable for what's coming up. Our family is starting our spending fast today. 

So really, what is a spending fast? In my opinion, a spending fast is a way to separate your needs and your wants by refraining for a certain length of time from buying anything that is not absolutely necessary. There are a lot of details that you can customize for your situation - mostly the length of the fast, what you consider to be your needs vs. wants, and the overall purpose. I'll break down some simple steps to start you on your way. 

Define the length. Since we like throwing the plastic around, we've decided to not bite off more than we can chew and start with a 2 week fast. It's enough to be challenging but not totally rock our worlds. We're wimps. Anna from And Then We Saved went on a 15 month fast and managed to pay of $24,000 worth of debt. Now that's impressive. 

Define your needs vs. wants. For us our needs include: rent, utilities, insurance, food (we plan to eat as much from our pantry as possible and only buy ingredients that we need to complete recipes plus staples like milk/bread/eggs are OK), cell phone/internet/cable, diapers, anything medical related, and gas. 

Wants include: shopping (clothes, electronics, home goods, knick knacks etc. etc.), iTunes, Amazon, unnecessary items for our son, movies. 

Lastly, define your purpose and goals. For us the purpose is not only to create more robust savings but to reboot how we think about material things and how fortunate to live where we live and have what we have. Sometimes you get smothered by the sheer volume of all the things around you that each individual loses its luster. Maybe it's time to get excited about the things we already own, go through junk piles, and pass on what we don't need. As a mother of a 3 month old, more and more I'm choosing to keep things simple. I believe this fast will aid to living a simpler life and help us hone in on what really matters, the people around us - and guess what, they're free. 

I hope this little summary and outline of our spending fast makes you think and even join in! Have you done a spending fast before?  Was it successful? Thinking about jumping in but need a little push? Let's hear your thoughts...

day dreaming

I don't know if it's the sleep deprived nights or the bagillion monogrammed shams that I have pinned on my bedrooms board that have me dreaming of a new set up.  Most of the rest of the house has had some sort of upgrade and somewhere along the way our linens have been neglected.

is this real life?

Well, it has been a little over three months since I've posted and I think I have a really good excuse.

this happened...

and then this…

 

and then this…

and then this…

with not a whole lot of this…

Becoming a mom has been the greatest thrill of my life. I stare at our beautiful baby boy and thank God for such a blessing. It really has rocked my world (and now I am the guru of the Nose Frida - if you don't know what that is go ahead and google it, glamorous my friends). But now that I'm getting a lil routine going (routine used loosely) I'm ready to get back in the saddle again - blog/business/adult life. I did have a HUGE holiday sale taking 50-80% off select pieces which was very successful and created quite a stir on my Facebook page. I look forward to posting little bits about family life, the jewelry biz, fashion, DIY etc. etc. So stay tuned!!

Also, a big thank you for all the warm wishes, yummy meals, and baby holding sessions! You guys rock.

nursery, check!

Hello home stretch! I can say that at almost 37 weeks preggo right? It's safe to say that we are pretty much done with Landry's nursery. There are probably some unglamorous details left but I always have time for that, right?! (biggest lie ever)

little bit of this / little bit of that

sweater

Arg, I think I might have lied to you. Remember that time when I first found out that I was pregnant and reassured you that this would not turn into a baby blog? Well, I didn't foresee the irresistible pull of all things baby. I'm a goner. 

submerged

I was excited/perplexed when Ashley, photographer extraordinaire of To Live. To Love. Photography, asked if I wanted to loan a couple pieces of jewelry for a underwater bridal photo shoot. Familiar with Ashley's work from the vineyard shoot a couple years back which graced the popular wedding site, Style Me Pretty, I had to say yes and eagerly waited the results. I can barely take a good photo with my point and shoot and still remain on the auto setting on my "nice" Rebel camera (tis tis) so I am blown away by these beautiful and captivating photos. Take a look at the whole set... 

The theme of the shoot was soft colors (grays/pastel hues etc.) so I put together a necklace with soft pink and peach jade with gray gunmetal  faceted drops. The other piece is a natural cut smokey quartz collar which I had a feeling would make a statement but not overpower the bride and groom. I'm so happy that both pieces added to the photo shoot. Thank you for including me Ashley!

top 5 baby DIY projects

Oh, I am such a lucky girl. My creative and talented sister-in-law and mother-in-law put on a fabulous baby shower extravaganza a couple weeks ago. I am just now recovering from opening all of the gifts. You guys bless me so much!!

foyer / check it off the list

Ain't that the truth. This quote came to mind when I was thinking about today's blog post on the foyer renovation. I had to dig through my old pictures of our house when we first bought it and yeesh... it was scary (popcorn ceilings, sea shell sinks, office lights over sink vanities, an outdoor window into another room?). We have come such a long way!!

baby showering

You know your pregnancy is getting real when it's baby shower time! Having a shower for Landry felt like a cross between a birthday and a celebration of a mystical creature I haven't even met yet. So surreal and amazing at the same time. Pinch me?

changes welcome

(original entryway)

I love a good renovation project. Since buying our first house in 2009, we've torn down walls, put up walls, moved doors, closed in windows, resurfaced, replaced hardware, and yes painted every room. I love it. And it's funny, when people talk about "nesting" before the baby comes they are usually talking about reorganizing the tupperware in the kitchen or throwing out the hundreds of koozies from college (are  my koozie days over?). My version of nesting - totally redoing our entryway. Seems normal, right? I blogged my ideas about the entryway back in May and I think now at almost the end of July we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

wanna get away?

According to urban dictionary...

A babymoon is the period before the baby is born - like a honeymoon. Because after the baby is born the mother will not get to do the same things due to the responsibility of having a baby.  

So many laughable parts to that definition but you know what... I'll take it. Whoever made up the word babymoon gave us enough justification to go on a vacay. Thus, Ryan and I decided to go to San Diego for a long weekend and it was awesome. I could totally move to Cali in a heartbeat. Here's a couple of highlights.

fashion inspirations

Sometimes a gal just needs some fashion inspiration. Pregnant or not pregnant, I can tell you that I'd love to rock all of these goodies. Yeah, I'd be sporting the bump with knee-high Jesus sandals on, mhmm?

During the summertime I gravitate toward the boho peasant dress. So carefree and comfy, how could you resist? I'm absolutely loving the Theodore and Callum scarf used as a swimsuit coverup. Might have to pick one up for our babymoon... yes I said it... we're going on a babymoon. (I'm definitely taking advantage of all of these made up pre-baby extravaganzas - babymoon, dadchelor party, push gift? Bring it on). Enjoy!

Theodore and Callum scarf wrap // Krystal Schlegel

graphic print dress with clutch // Riches for Rags

more boho, please and thank you // Patterson Maker

some ridiculous sandals

wearing this Gucci dress would be a dream // L'extravagance

and maybe this Merrick Jewels pretty thrown in the mix?

baby boy bounty

{project nursery}

{my home ideas}

{pinterest}

Lately I have been switching hats from jewelry designer to nursery planner/wannabe baby expert aka NESTING. The thought of getting to design a nursery has always been an exciting one and I love the extra challenge of not breaking the bank (hey, the kid's got to go to college right?). They say you're in one of two camps: total cutesy nursery or does a baby even live here?? nursery. I would probably fall in the latter category but am hoping to bring some homeyness to the space. With some safari/noah's ark inspiration here are some of my favorite pieces:

if you like it / wear it

via theyallhateus.com

This mantra has been scanning across my pinterest feed for the past day and I could not agree with it more (esp. being 22 weeks preggo tomorrow)!!  Can I change it to...

Forget the rules

if it fits

wear it

Happy Thursday! And remember to wear what you like. 

quinoa / spinach stuffed tomatoes

via instagram

If you ask my friends they will all tell you I am not the picky eater of the bunch. Blame it on my mom for eating spinach, cold custard, who knows what else while preggo (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree now does it?). Baby boy can thank me later for his wide arrange of tastes. Btw, is that true?? I pretty much like it all. Seeing as my palette is rather diverse, I have an enormous food board on pinterest to prove it. My cooking goals - tasty, incorporates something nutritious, and is relatively easy.

El Fenix - a love story {part 2}

I was so touched by the sweet messages in response to my first post about my grandfather's passing a couple of weeks ago. It's not only like getting a virtual hug from all of you but gives me a outlet to tell their incredible story which continues their legacy. I actually had not planned to write a part two but to my surprise there was more to the story. To get caught up you can read part one here.