Holiday Shopping Event!

So the Holiday Shopping Event at Chelsea in Hermosa (formerly Cruz Room) that I’ve been planning with Christy Jackson finally happened this past weekend! It’s weird not not having a big project to plan and work on. (Aside of course from all of the things still going on with my jewelry biz and one approaching final trunk show of the year.) But it always is a bittersweet feeling when I complete a big project or an event comes and goes… I feel a little lost without something exciting to plan and work on! But anyway, back to the point, our event went off pretty well, aside from a couple minor setbacks. Well, actually, one BIG setback. The RAIN. Los Angeles is actually a city that people from all over the country flock to (myself included) based on the sole fact that you can usually expect a balmy 70 degree sunny day backdropped with blue skies and framed with palm trees. Our freeways are overcrowded and real estate is through the roof because our city is bursting at the seams with people who have come here for……….. the weather. SO, when the usually sunny skies above Los Angeles turn grey and deliver RAIN, any activity on our overcrowded freeways comes to a screeching halt and, if they can, the people stay inside their aforementioned expensive homes. The news media comes out in full force, covering the breaking news of little drops of water falling from the sky. Have I painted this picture clear enough? Rain, in Los Angeles, is a BIG DEAL. I have to laugh that the one time the girl that never throws events throws a big event it happens to rain in the city that never rains. At any rate, our venue was an extremely cute and cozy escape from the weather, if you could make it there. We had Christmas decorations everywhere and holiday lights that gave off kind of a warm reddish glow. “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story” were on mute on the TVs in the background, while a fun mix peppered with Christmas songs kept everyone upbeat. All our vendors’ booths looked so amazing and inviting. We had cheese and crackers and pretty white meringue puffs and iced gingerbread men on a central table framed with couches. Free champagne was available at the bar. Despite the rain, we actually did get a decent crowd, though I’m sure it kept some people away. I’m not exactly sure when or how it happened but I personally had a really great night of sales. You’ll notice I’m missing a lot of my one-of-a-kinds from my website. I even made two more the night before the event and you never got to see those because they both sold! I also got to shop a little myself, picking up a pretty hair clip from our vendor Shay Loren Designs and a gift that shall remain namelesss in case my friend reads this from Danielle Elizabeth Designs. Everyone was walking out of that place with the wonderful smelling and a great priced soy candles from Natural Body and Bath. And I know our lucky raffle winners were happy! So- I’d say all in all it was a success. I was suprised at how great the place looked and how we managed to find a good spot for all the vendors. I was a little disappointed in the weather of course, but what can you do about that? We learned some things and are sure to throw another event sometime soon. Maybe in the summer. :)

See pics from this event at Holiday Shopping Event Pics

"Royalty" Necklace on DesignMom.com

I recently submitted my Royalty necklace for a giveaway contest at the amazing blog DesignMom.com. She does an annual Holiday Giveaway Week where she promotes different products to her readers and chooses one lucky recipient for each gift. She wrote up a really nice and clever blurb on my work on her Dec. 4 posting:

DesignMom awarded Royalty to a lady named Jill, who was so appreciative that she wrote a blurb about me on HER blog! We emailed back and forth a bit and her blog postings are so darling and sweet. She is such a nice and warm woman; I’m so glad my “Queen Bee” necklace went to her!

Colorado student club promotes Educate! with the Illuminate necklace

An after-school Educate! club of elementary schoolers in Boulder, Colorado sold the Empower “Illuminate” necklaces at their Evening of Sharing event this past Tuesday night. In this event, local non-profits come to invite students to volunteer and show their wares in hopes of attracting more volunteers. The Educate! table was the only one out of 16 that featured a student club. The students designed a table display that showcases Educate!‘s goals for students in Uganda with photos, posters, and a banner. They also displayed the necklaces, greeting cards, and Ugandan hand-made bags for sale. You can see the Empower necklaces on the upper left of the display. I was told the little blond girl in the pic wore a necklace and walked around promoting it and the Educate! club, guiding quite a few people to their table. It’s an honor that my jewelry can help promote and fund a meaningful organization such as Educate! I recognize that this Evening of Sharing not only helped the Empower students in Uganda, but also brought a meaningful experience to the young American volunteer students pictured below. Visit the Empower section of my website to check out the necklaces in further detail and make your own purchase to support Educate! and all of its good works. Visit www.experienceeducate.org for more information on the non-profit organization.

The students in front of their Educate! display. Illuminate necklaces on the top left corner of poster. :)

Events, Events, Events!

I have a couple of big events coming up. December is always a busy time for me, as people are shopping for Christmas gifts and also often get distracted and buy gifts for themselves as well. :) Hey there’s no shame in that! I’m selling in Unique LA this weekend (Dec 5&6) from 11am-6pm at the California Market Center. Please check out www.uniquelosangeles.com for all event details. I participated last spring and it was huge. There are even more vendors this year, as they’ve expanded the event to be the largest independent design gift show in the country. You should stop by and check out all the vendors and say hello if you can find me. :) In fact, I’ll make it easy on you- I’ll be at Booth #2005. They’ll give you a map upon entry. I’m actually sharing a booth with my jewelry designer friend. Her name is Christy Jackson and her line is Verve Jewelry. (www.vervejewelry.com). Our styles complement each other well. I think our jewelry could work for the same woman but on different days.

In fact, Christy and I are also throwing an event together the next weekend (Dec 12) in Hermosa from 5-10pm. It is at Chelsea Lounge, which is currently called the Cruz room and is the bar behind the Underground and next to Pedone’s Pizza. They are totally renovating the bar and it will be brand new come showtime. That’s made planning a bit challenging, but we are proud to christen the new upscale bar once it is opened. We’ve never done anything like this before, and I am no event planner (my friends are still waiting on my housewarming party and I’ve been in my new place since April..) but we’ve participated in enough of these events that we know what other vendors are looking for as well as what the consumer is looking for. We saw a need for this type of thing in the South Bay and we are really excited and proud to keep it in the community and support local independent designers. We are offering free champagne for everyone until it runs out, raffles throughout the night, and designer discounts. It is $3 to get in the door and receive a raffle ticket, with all money going to the Covent House, a shelter for homeless youth (check out www.CovenantHouse.com). We’ll be selling jewelry (of course), soy candles, hair accessories for adults and children, scarves, designer clothing, designer diaper bags and baby blankets, and eco clothing. The night promises to be fun and spirited evening of great shopping that benefits a worthy cause. I really hope to see you there!

Along the theme of holiday shopping, I’m also booking for various home shows. This is an especially great time to get your girlfriends together for a jewelry party. I’ll bring my entire collection to your location (limited to the Southern California area) and you and your friends can pick through my collection at discounted prices. Email jewelry@bylizlaw.com for further details.

Unique LA, Dec 5&6

Holiday Shopping Event, Dec 12

Liz Law Trunk Show Nov 18 at Bella Beach during Annual Manhattan Beach Holiday Open House

I’ll be setting up shop at Bella Beach on the evening of Wed, Nov. 18. It’s the annual Manhattan Beach Holiday Open House and Pier Lighting. It’s quite an event in downtown Manhattan Beach, with all the stores staying open late and most serving spirits and treats. I’ll be showing my entire collection, including my one-of-a-kinds and brand new pieces, at Bella Beach at 227 Manhattan Beach Blvd. I hope to see you there! :) The Manhattan Beach Holiday Open House is an event not to be missed!

MEN'S Jewelry

I’m so pleased to announce my new men’s line! My men’s collection has been a long time coming. I made men’s jewelry a few years back and it ended up being worn by all the male models in a fashion show on KTLA Liz Law for Men in Fall Fashion Show . I got away from making men’s jewelry though in favor of all the creative turns and fun embellishments that women’s jewelry really lends itself to. Men’s jewelry, I think, needs to be much simpler and more straightforward. Women’s jewelry was a much more natural design process for me since I simply just make jewelry that I, as a woman, would want to wear. However, I’ve had quite a few men’s custom orders over the years and lately the requests for men’s jewelry are too abundant to ignore. With that, I decided to revisit the subject and create a solid line. I focused on simple and rough materials that look like they have taken a beating (and in some cases- like the African trade beads or colonial Indian coins- have.) I made simple, no-fuss pieces, often combining objects that don’t necessarily match each other, but definitely complement each other, to create the appearance of a few old tokens haphazardly thrown together (but make no mistake- everything was designed with meticulous care!). You’ll notice a lot of mixing of different metals and browns and materials. Also, noting that most men have short hair and the back of the necklace will be visible when worn, I took special care in detailing the clasp, integrating the closure system into the rest of the design. I feel I proved worthy of the creative challenge of designing simple, no-fuss, yet unique pieces for the stylish man. Hopefully you agree. :)