Such a busy holiday season – thank you!! We are really, really excited about 2012 and all that we have planned for Bel Kai Designs – we’re getting organized and carving out time for inspiration this month. In the meantime, help us celebrate the New Year…
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I’ve been a fan of Karen Walrond – Chookooloonks - for years. Her photography is stunning. As a jewelry designer, I couldn’t help but picture her art in our necklaces. After meeting her at the Creative Connection this past September, I was even more inspired to make that a reality. She is so very compelling and her energy is crazy contagious. So, we’ve collaborated…using her images and lessons from her book, The Beauty of Different, and created a collection that we can finally share with you!
Choose from five different images/messages – your pick of a sterling chain necklace, leather cord necklace or charm bracelet…
Added bonus? Just take a look at the packaging…
Your ‘beautifully different’ piece comes packaged with a handmade ‘beautifully different’ LoveBand bracelet from Mudlove. You have FOUR more shopping days for regular shipping for holiday delivery. Happy Shopping!!
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So thrilled to share this new collection with you. We’ve been a big fan of Sarah Jane Studios for years – and lucky us, we met Sarah Jane at the Creative Connection in September … we’ve been working on this collaboration since – and today – we share them with you!
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We recently added a silver-plated category to the shop. . . you may or may not know this, but the price of silver has been climbing quickly for the past couple of years. So, we have been looking for some plated options to use for some of our designs and found some that we love & think you will too! We will be adding several new designs to this category this week. We’ll be sure to let you know about them here on the blog. And finally, finally, we are adding keyrings this week too! I know you’ve been waiting…thanks for your patience.
On to the newest design {above} – don’t you just love it?! Well, I do – and wore mine all weekend. It’s now in the shop – you can find it here. It’s a slighter larger pendant size than anything we’ve done before. I wore it long all weekend and loved the look, but it is just as beautiful on a short chain.
Hope you are doing well this Monday afternoon!
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{select photos by jaci forshtay photography}
We’re celebrating autumn with two specials…. The Delicious Autumn necklace – normally $58 is on sale for $40 – now through Saturday, October 15th.
And, the autumn sparrow necklace, normally $42, is on sale for $30 – now through Saturday, October 15th.
Also – we’re working on adding keyrings to the shop – look for them this week! Start thinking Christmas gifts…
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What a weekend we had in St. Paul at The Creative Connection! Everything was amazing, from the speakers, panelists, handmade market…all the way down to the weather and food. We came away with a couple of new relationships and exciting opportunities to look forward to. I took my good friend and now, Studio Manager, Jackie {did I tell you I hired her? more on that soon} with me. We always have a great time together and it was really nice to have someone there for me to talk through some of what I was inspired by, learning in panels, etc. We participated in the Handmade Market, so she pretty much ran our booth there. There was such a wealth of information in a short amount of time – it can be hard to process it all at times. I am still recovering from the mental, physical & emotional energy that was spent. But, as exhausting as it was, I came home completely recharged and motivated to jump into this…my dream, my passion, my work.
Biggest takeaways from my time there ::
Also, a good reminder for busy moms, creatives, business owners… Anytime you are saying yes to something, you are saying no to many things…make sure they aren’t top priorities. So needed to hear that!
I feel like I am always saying this, but we have some new and exciting things in the pipeline…hang with us while we get organized and it won’t be long. Look for loads of new product hitting the online shop very soon – and a couple new collaborations, too. It’s gonna be fun!
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We’re back! We had a great weekend at the Bucktown Arts Festival in Chicago over the weekend. Thanks to all who stopped by!
We received a special request from a friend & beautiful bride, Grace, this summer – bouquet charms & necklaces for her bridesmaids – in a classic monogram style. Here are photos of the happy couple, gorgeous wedding & necklaces. They turned out beautifully…
{wedding photography by Studio 12, Todd Kuhns}
The bridesmaids’ used them as charms on their bouquets for the big day and then added them to a chain after the wedding day for a sweet keepsake & bridesmaid gift. You can find them in the shop here.
Let’s give one away!
We’ll be drawing for this on Sunday night, 10pm EST. So, leave a comment on this post to enter the giveaway… for extra entries, facebook it, tweet it, blog it…and be sure to leave a comment for every entry. {US Residents only} Good luck!
WINNER :: Michelle is the winner of the giveaway, who said “Beautiful!!! I’m sharing this with a friend who’s getting married soon!”
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I have many new ideas in the works for bel kai designs – and much vision for this little blog – but, to be honest, lately this little blog space has been weighing heavily. I know there are at least a few people that stop by to see something new from time to time. I’d like to satisfy…I’m a people pleaser like that…and there are many days that I enjoy sharing the little bits and pieces of my life as it relates to my creative passion and business.
As I’ve mentioned several times since January, I am in the midst of a personal wilderness of sorts – a painful one that has stretched and challenged me like never before. I have seen the light Light through the trees all along…and it grows brighter every day. However, clearing the trees has taken every bit of my energy and as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, there are times that this passion must take the back burner. It’s a season.
Inspiration has hit in large waves and then I find myself smack dab in the middle of a drought. I am much less organized than I would like to be. And I have lost track of what should be a priority as it relates to the business. It’s not as dreadful as it sounds…just that bel kai designs needs some love and care from me.
So, I will be spending much of July idea-ing {can we make this a new word? i kinda like it}, sketching, looking over notes and inspiration from the past 6 months, getting organized, setting up a work space, creating a schedule, etc., etc. I’m super excited about sharing more with you and as always, I’m so thankful for your patience and for sharing this journey with me.
Peace.
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My oldest buddy Elliot and I had the chance to go to Chicago this weekend and spend some quality time together – just the two of us. We had a great time and got to spend time with some family, too. This week, the boys are busy with the other side of their family – with 3 more cousins. We are taking full advantage of beautiful weather, since it’s a rare occurrence…took a bike ride and enjoyed some fizzy fruity sodas. Yum!
I hope you are having a great week!
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