Vitrine and the Primetime Emmys

 

Carnelian Gemstone Earrings by Vitrine for Primetime Emmys GBK Gifting

 

 

Way back in May 2013, I knew I was going to be gifting the celebrities attending GBK's Luxury invite-only Gift Lounge to honor the nominees and actors/actresses at the Primetime Emmys held in September 2013.

 

I had to come up with ideas of what to gift. Would I gift a ring, necklace, bracelet or earrings? What gemstone would I use? What colors??? After spending days, I found myself being drawn to carnelians. I didn't know why this stone stuck in my head over everything else. So I did some research, and found out that it boosts confidence and creativity, and it was called "The Actor's Stone", used for people specifically in performing arts/drama. Would you believe that?!! So it was settled. I decided to pair up the stones with either turquoise, lapis lazuli or coral rondelles for added color interest.

The almost finished 100 pairs of earrings by Vitrine

 

This is what 100 pairs look like all set out on my worktop!



I ordered some beautiful cards with gold designs, that included a handwritten note from me to each recipient explaining why I chose this stone especially for them, and packaged each one into my signature fuchsia bag. ONE HUNDRED of them made their way to Hollywood, L.A. for this event.

The beautiful handmade earring cards with embossed gold.

On September 20-21 many celebrities were gifted my jewelry in the swag bags of The Artisan Group. Some of the recipients were Matt Leblanc (from Friends), Matt Letscher (Scandal), Chris Noth (Sex and the City), Penny Marshall, RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Neil Patrick Harris and so many more (complete list to follow soon!)

 

The Swag Bag- my earrings are up front in the fuchsia bag! So many goodies!

 

 

You can see all the artisans who gifted their beautiful work to the celebrities HERE. And YOU can buy your own Carnelian earrings too!

 

 

 

And you read the Press Release about this gifting too!

 

Stay tuned for the complete list of celebs gifted! Will you be watching the PTEs today? Which show would you like to see win, and who are you rooting for? Leave your comments below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Who got my Cocktail Gemstone Ring at NYFW?

And the list is IN!!!

 

Today I finally found out who received my Cocktail Gemstone Ring in the fabulous Swag bags at GBK's Luxury Lounge for New York Fashion Week (read previous post here)

 

Some of my favorite people got my ring! Look!

 

 

Adrienne Bailon FOX’s “The Real” (Co-Host)

Alysia Reiner Lionsgate / Netflix’s “Orange is the new Black”

Amanda Bertoncini Bravo’s “Princesses Long Island”

Annaleigh Ashford Broadway’s “Kinky Boots” (Tony Nominee)

Anya Ayoung-Chee Lifetime’s “Project Runway” (Winner Season 9)

Big Ang VH1's Mobwives

Carissa Rosario Maxim Model

Carla Facciolo VH1's Mobwives

Coco Austin “Think Like a Man Too”, Model

David Alan Basche TV Land's "The Exes" (Stuart Gardner)

Dr. Rosetta Garries Renowned NYC Cosmetic / Plastic Surgeon

Emma Kenney Showtime's "Shameless"

Glamo Celebrity Stylist

Hofit Golan FashionTV

Ice-T NBC’s “Law and Order SVU”, “Once upon a time in Brooklyn”

Jack Noseworthy “Killing Kennedy” (Bobby Kennedy)

Jay Manuel CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” (producer), “Canada’s Next Top Model", and Style Network’s “Style her Famous”

Jeannie Mai Style Network’s “How Do I Look?”, Fashionista

June Ambrose Celebrity Stylist

Katie Findlay CW's "The Carrie Diaries"

Laura Burk Gelles Laura G Productions, Inc.(President/Exec Prod), The Idea Factory (Exec Producer)

Marcus Stewart Bravo’s “Dukes of Melrose”

Matt Letscher ABC’s "Scandal", CW’s “The Carrrie Diaries”

Miss J Alexander America's Next Top Model, Runway Extraordinaire

Nancy Pearson Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing New York City", Interior Designer

Nole Marin CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” (Guest Judge / Judge/Stylist); “Fashion News Live”

Patricia Field Fashion Designer

Phillip Bloch Fashion Designer

Po Johnson VH1’s “LaLa’s Full Court Life”

Raquel VH1's "Miami Monkey"

Richard Brooks BET’s “Being Mary Jane”, NBC’s “Law and Order”

Ryan Serhant Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing: New York City”

Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola MTV’s “Jersey Shore”

Siggy Flicker TV personality, Author

Sonja Morgan Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York"

Toni Trucks CBS’s “Hostages”

Top Notch PRESS as well that include:

BBC Capital

Beauty News NYC

British Vogue

CBS Radio

Examiner

Fashion Daily Magazine

Fashion TV

Financial Times

Fuse TV

Hamptons.com

Hollywood Life

Huffington Post

In Touch

LA Splash

Life & Style

Lucire

Lucky Magazine

Maxim Magazine

Modern Salon Magazine

News USA

Newsday

Niche Media

Ny Social Diary

NYFW For Yahoo!

OK! Magazine If you'd like to score one of my rings, enter HERE and win not just a ring from Vitrine, but a fully-loaded Swag Bag by The Artisan Group as gifted to all the celebrities!

 

New York Fashion Week 2013

I am so excited that New York Fashion Week is almost here! My Gemstone Cocktail Rings will be included in all of the Swag Bags gifted to the celebrities attending GBK Luxury Gift Lounge at New York Fashion Week (Sept 6-7, 2013) as part of The Artisan Group.

 

For this event, I wanted to create something that was bold and unusual. I mean, that's what New York and NYFW is all about! So I set each Jasper Gemstone nugget in a gold setting. These gemstones range from vibrant fuchsia, violet and hot pinks to more muted taupe and royal purple tones. They are visually stunning!

Just some of the Gemstone Cocktail rings being gifted!

 

I love creating a gifting 'experience' for anyone that received my handmade jewelry. So I completely personalized it with a handwritten note, tied to each ring and completed the box with ribbon, my business card and included it in my signature color gift bag!

 

 



Each ring had a handwritten note tied with ribbon and included in its box with my card.

 

 

If you'd like to have your own cocktail ring by Vitrine, you can purchase it here!

Vitrine's jewelry will be included with other talented artisans from The Artisan Group.

 

Each celebrity will receive all these gifts in their Swag Bag. Mine's the pink!

You can see them all in this digital version of the booklet that will be in each Swag Bag too!

 

Stephanie Drapeau Tweets!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I gifted a pair of my Smoky Quartz Vermeil Gold earrings to Hollywood Actress Stephanie Drapeau. A few days ago she received my earrings, along with a whole bunch of goodies from The Artisan Group. Because there must have been atleast 50 items in the bag, she had quite a number to go through before she got to mine.

Stephanie tweeted each giftee a personal thank you message along with a picture. And my heart literally skipped a beat when I saw she tweeted me!

I'm feeling a little star-struck! I do hope that she wears these on the red carpet sometime soon :)

Meanwhile YOU can own a pair of these gorgeous earrings too.

 

Vitrine Jewelry gifted to Actress Stephanie Drapeau

A couple of weeks ago, I was given an opportunity (through The Artisan Group)to gift a piece of jewelry from my shop to stunning Hollywood actress Stephanie Drapeau.

Stephanie said she likes earthy colors paired with gold, and immediately I knew what I wanted to gift her: a pair of 24K Vermeil Gold Smoky quartz earrings. When I designed these earrings I imagined an actress wearing them at a red- carpet affair! I think these are perfect for Stephanie. The earrings have amazing movement, sparkle and glamour. I hope Stephanie likes them and wears them sometime soon!

 

All prettily packaged just for Stephanie!

If YOU would like to own a pair, you can purchase them HERE.

 

Vitrine va à Cannes, France!

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4155157/?claim=e67wc6qpnq2">Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Oui, c'est ça! It's so exciting!

Vitrine, as part of The Artisan Group will be included in an exclusive invitation-only GBK Cannes Film Festival Gift Lounge gifting opportunity to the Celebrities attending the Cannes Film Festival 2013 in France.

You don't have to be a celebrity to enjoy my jewelry! You can get in on the excitement too! Just this weekend (May 16-20), visit my Etsy Shop and get 20% off! Use couponcode CANNES at checkout on any piece of jewelry!

SHOP here: http://www.vitrine.etsy.com

[Sale ends midnight PST May 20, 2013. Open worldwide]

Hollywood Celebrity Gifting - Mother's Day 2013

 

 

 

 

 

What do all these celebrities have in common?

 

Well, in honor of Mother's Day, (May 12), Vitrine will be participating in The Artisan Group's artisan gift bags for some of Hollywood’s most talked about celebrity mothers and moms-to-be. These are the celebs who will receive a gift bag with my business cards inside: Megan Fox, Snooki, Jennifer Nettles, Giuliana Rancic, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Vanessa Lachey, Anna Faris, Claire Danes, Fergie, Jessica Simpson, Shakira, Holly Madison, Hillary Scott, Busy Philipps, Jenna Dewan, Kristen Bell, Gisele Bündchen, Kim Kardashian, Kristin Cavallari, Evan Rachel Wood, Sara Rue, Lisa Ling, Malin Ackerman, Maya Rudolph, and Penélope Cruz.

 

 

 

 

All these amazing products are being gifted to each celebrity!

 

 

So excited and thrilled to be part of this amazing opportunity!

 

 

 

2013 Earth Day Artisan giveaway

Spring is such an exciting time of year with plenty of reasons to celebrate. Here at Vitrine we like to celebrate the change of the season, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and of course Earth Day. Earth Day is a great occasion to focus on the health of our planet.

Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day is observed on April 22 each year. The April 22 date was designated as International Mother Earth Day by a consensus resolution adopted by the United Nations in 2009. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated in more than 192 countries every year. You can learn more about Earth day on the wiki page (where this info came from) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day .

 

This year Vitrine is celebrating Earth Day by participating in an eco-friendly giveaway hosted by SariBlue® and 9 other artisans. We hope you enjoy learning a little bit about these amazing women- owned and -run small shops and enter the giveaway for a chance to win some truly beautiful items.! Vitrine's Hammered Mixed Metal Earrings is up for grabs! The Rafflecopter has all the info on how to enter and we all appreciate your support. Please feel free to share this with your friends!

 

Read more...

[Scroll on the forward arrow to see all 11 items up for grabs!]

a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b7290c1/



 

Cobalt or go home!

Cobalt Bezel earrings, Limited Edition- Vitrine.etsy.com | Tunic, Luna- pinkmascara.com | Clutch - Matthew Williamson | Cleo shoe- solesociety.com | Leather bracelet, Gorjana- charmandchain.com

Cobalt is in! I'm so glad that it has made a big splash this year. You often see little daubs of it during Fall/Winter and it's sprinkled on the fashion runways. But this year it is full on OUT! It is one of those rare colors, that although it's a bright, bold jewel tone, it suits everybody. Even if you're pale. And let's face it, winter has been pretty bad!

I've featured my cobalt bezel earrings in gold along with some favorites.

Are you wearing cobalt, or any other jewel tone this spring?


 

Happy St Paddy's Day + Giveaway!

Lucky clover necklace by Vitrine

Happy St Patrick's Day! Are you wearing anything green? Or is it boo to green? *wink*
How lucky are you feeling today? Coz it's GIVEAWAY time!

Enter to win my Titanium Quartz Bracelet in Gold here:
http://www.jessicawho.me/2013/03/four-favorites-vitrine.html

Luck of the Irish to you!


 

Fashion Friday - Year of the Snake

2013 is the Year of the Snake according to Chinese astrology. Today I felt inspired to create a snake ring. You know the kind - simple coils around your finger. But I wanted to create something a little different, a twist (I know, don't groan at the pun) on the usual snake ring. This is my first attempt at creating a hammered ring. And the coil goes onto the side of the finger to have the snake almost pounce at you.

The way it's been designed you can have the snake head at the base of your finger or have it sit at the top. Either way, it begs for attention! I also hammered a hole for the eye and inserted a raw black diamond with sterling silver accent. This ring, well, I'm keeping it but you can always contact me if you'd like to order one for yourself to bring you extra luck for 2013!

Happy Year of the Snake!

 

Calling all brides - Wedding order catalogue 2013 now out!

I am now accepting wedding orders for brides and bridal parties. Turnaround time for brides in the US, Canada and South America is 8-10 weeks, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia is 6-8 weeks and UAE and MIddle East is 3-5 weeks. Turnaround time could be sooner depending on how many sets/ pieces you require and if I still have gemstones in stock. The sooner you let me know, the better :)



All pictures property and copyright Vitrine 2013


1. Peruvian Opal Necklace
2. Herkimer Diamond Earrings in Silver
3. Black Spinel gemstone earrings
4. Gold Swarovski Earrings
5. Rose Gold Swarovski Earrings
6. Ruby and Gold Love charm necklace 14K goldfilled
7. Peruvian Opal Earrings
8. Lapis Lazuli Earrings
9. Rhodochrosite Earrings
10. Emerald gemstone earrings 14k goldfilled
11. White chalcedony earrings in rose gold
12. Amethyst gemstone earrings in silver
13. Andalusite earrings in Rose gold
14. White chalcedony Love charm necklace in sterling silver
15. Ruby gemstone earrings in Gold
16. Peacock chalcedony earrings in silver
17. Coral Swarovski earrings in rose gold
18. Freshwater pearl necklace (purple, grey and white pearls available)
19. Sea Green Opal earrings in 14K gold
20. White chalcedony earrings in sterling silver
More jewelry is available here: http://www.vitrine.etsy.com


I'm happy to customise any of the above, whether you'd like it in gold or silver or rose gold, just let me know. For any questions on customization or pricing, you can send me a convo through my Etsy shop or as a comment on this blog. Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!






 

New Year's Resolution- Part 1 - Eating healthy

As with every new year that rolls by, my resolution is to eat healthy and get fit, and by Jove! I mean to do it this year, and stick to it till day 365!

As a diabetic (Type 2) it is even more necessary for me to control my blood sugar and keep it stable. So I came up with this tuna salad that is full of nothing but good things for lowering and stabilising sugar levels and lowering cholesterol. Doesn't it look good too?

This is the list of ingredients:
1 tin Tuna (in water, throw out the water)
1 handful mixed beans (protein that stabilises blood sugar). I used a mix of white beans, kidney red beans and chickpeas
handful rucola/arugula/rocket leaves
handful cherry tomatoes
2 walnuts- handcrush them into bits
juice of fresh lemon- as much as you can handle!
1/2 purple onion
dash of herbs (coriander, oregano, thyme, mint)

Do you have a favorite salad that you'd like to share? Happy New Year and good luck with your resolution(s)!




 

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

It's 1st December and I think everyone is getting into the Spirit of the Holiday festivities! For the first time, I am offering one lucky winner a chance to win their most favorite item from my Etsy shop. All you have to do is enter the giveaway below. The giveaway runs from Dec 1-12, and on 13th December I will announce the winner. Don't forget to share with friends, after all it's time for sharing :)

ENTER TO WIN HERE

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3701850/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions: Giveaway ends on Dec 12th 11:59 EST. Winner will be announced here on Dec 13th.Open to residents worldwide.

Vitrine on Etsy Front Page today!

Vitrine made it to Etsy's Front Page !

 

My crystal Ice drop earrings were featured on Etsy Front Page today, and they promptly sold out! I'm so excited! The views and the number of items that were favorited during this one hour went through the roof. AND my shipping arrived which means I'll be busy making more items and relisting a few that sold out. So please check back to find more things in stock including my wire wrapped gemstone and Swarovski cocktail rings...

Vitrine Style: Fall with Grey and mustard

It was love at first sight with these gorgeous faceted grey and mustard fire agate stones! I knew I just had to have them! And with most looks, I usually create them around my favorite piece of jewelry! I strung them with some faceted smoky quartz rondelles and wire wrapped them on to a delicate gun metal chain and created this piece that could just very well be a staple for this Fall. I matched them up with a white tank, a feather light grey cardigan and my favorite pair of Blue denims and some pewter metallic ballet flats for a casual chic ensemble. You can buy the agate necklace here.

Fashion Friday- Mod Florals

I think out of all the trends out there, florals are probably the easiest thing to pull off. No matter what your age, anyone can look good in a floral print. Today I thought I'd feature updated floral prints that don't look blatantly floral. Infact, check out the shoes, wouldn't you say at first glance that they look like an animal print? Wearing any of the below ensures you're fashion forward; it's never been easier!

1. Sequined Plume Top | pyramidcollection.com   2. Ikat Square Scarf |warehouse.co.uk 

3. Oscar De La Renta Floral Shoe | bergdorfgoodman.com  4. Kate Spade 'Melinda' | nordstrom.com

5. Ruby Earrings | vitrine.etsy.com  6. Skinny Jeans | shopbop.com

All pictures courtesy of polyvore.com except 5 Copyright Vitrine

Fashion Friday - Racy Lacy Finds

Lace is one of Spring 2012's trends. I must be truthful: I've never liked wearing lace all that much. And I'm too afraid of looking like Grandma's doilies! But I'm warming to the trend... I love the lace cutout look on some of the dresses this season, like the Anthropologie top below:

Anthropologie top

But if you're still unsure about wearing lace, I've found a few lace-inspired items on Etsy that are absolutely gorgeous!

Wood Coaster by Uncommon.etsy.com

Leather iPhone cover by Tovicorrie.etsy.com

Ceramic Lace Bowl by dgordon.etsy.com

Paper Lace Cards by AlmondCrafts.etsy.com

Lace parasol by thelovelymemories.etsy.com

Doily clock by FrenchFind.etsy.com

So what do you think of these lacy finds? Which is your favorite? I'd love to hear what you think and if you have a fave lace find, post the link here!



Taking eye catching pictures

Lately I've had a lot of questions asking me how I get my photos in my Etsy shop to be so good. Well, thanks for the compliments! Believe me, it's taken me three years to figure things out, and get to this point. Today's Etsy Success Symposium gave me the impetus to make changes in my own shop. Using my own items I'll share with you my before and after shots and what I think makes each item stand out more now.

1. Create more depth and interest

BEFORE (left)
While pretty, the druzy necklace is flat and might not be interesting enough to capture someone's interest enough to make them click on the picture.

AFTER (right) Using the Macro feature on my camera, I found an angle that draws the eye to the texture of the stone while keeping the chain as a 'minor' detail in the background.

2. Make sure you have enough natural light. If you don't  have enough light, your picture will end up looking dark and frankly, get ignored. Believe me when I say how exciting it is to create an item and you can't wait to take out pics and list it already! In the long run though, be patient. First impressions count, and if your pics aren't great you'll lose out on those initial clicks and hearts.

BEFORE (left) Dark and over exposed. Making it brighter using a photoediting tool only made the silver shinier and did nothing for the amethyst gemstones.

AFTER (right) Taken in natural light. The amethyst earrings now have sparkle! Go as close as you can to a window. Experiment with different times during the day. Seasons make a difference too! If you are north facing or have a lot of trees in your yard that obstruct light coming in through your window, create a lightbox. You will find lots of help creating on on etsy forums.

3. Play with different props. I've used my work table (laminate surface) that results in very boring pictures! So I try to use textured backgrounds. Find paper, wood, stone, tile, concrete, fabric... the options are endless.

Multi Gemstone beach bracelet on paper

AAA Chrysocolla nugget necklace on wood

Herkimer Diamond Earrings on a rock

AAA Pyrite Necklace on stone

4. And lastly, get to know your camera. Play with the macro Button (it looks like a flower) on your camera. Play with the light adjustments and ISO settings, auto vx manual. And read the manual :)

Feel free to ask any questions, and to share any tips that you may have when taking your pics!

All pictures Copyright @Vitrine (2008-2012)