She Was A Skater Girl

About 23 years ago, I could be found most days on some local parking lot or in some drainage ditch "shredding" it with my Lance Mountain skateboard. I was really pretty good, skated for about eight years, and somehow managed to escape serious injury. When I turned 25, I got a really awesome Tony Hawk board, from my now ex-husband no less (I was hoping for roses. He bought me a skateboard. The next day I filed divorce papers. Just kidding. There was much more to it than that.) I still ride this gorgeous Tony Hawk board on occasion. Sometimes my daughter, husband, or I even use it to roll across our ranch home from the bedrooms to the kitchen - yeah, we're cool like that - or extremely strange, take your pick :).

Anyhow, this casual style of dress with a little of what I like to call "skater chic", is hands down my favorite. Although I appreciate a nice dress and heels, I've never really been a girly-girl. Truth be told, on most days I have to struggle with myself to either not wear black or grey, or at least add some sort of color! Also, if it's not cotton or if it's not as comfy as cotton, forget it. I cannot stand anything that is itchy, scratchy, or constantly reminds me of its presence.
The outfit I am wearing here is a perfect example of what I naturally grab out of my closet. Comfortable, usually dark grey or black, which are great neutrals for accenting with jewelry. To accent this ensemble and dress it up just a bit, I added a suede dogtag necklace accented with Swarovski crystals (this one isn't for sale, but I can make a duplicate, a fancy schmancy chandelier drop necklace from my Cocktail Hour Collection, and a wide plexiglass cuff, studded with black diamond Swarovski crystals. The cuff is a prototype. I hope to produce some of these for sale by fall.

Now I'm going to grab my Tony Hawk and roll into the kitchen for another latte. Skate or die! : )

Outfit:
Jeans: To The Max via WalMart / $7 on Clearance
Top: 2Kuhl via TJMaxx / $8
Shoes: Converse One Star / Ebay / $12 including shipping (I was especially excited about the shoes because a new pair like this goes for about $70)

Sail Away

Sail away is exactly what I wish I could do to escape the oppressive heat of this summer day in Kansas! I took these shots outside and had to hurry before I was overtaken by the humidity! However, if I were taking a trip to the west coast, I would definitely include this ensemble in my luggage, as the pieces are all easy to care for and a perfect neutral backdrop to my jewelry accents. I also chose neutral heels to keep the focus on the jewelry.

Here I am showcasing a long necklace and a cocktail ring from my Ocean View Collection. I love the way the pieces look paired with this neutral cowl neck top and white cropped denim pants! I also had to also add a dash of seaworthy color to my nails :)The cocktail rings are available online and also at Nikki Grant Boutique in Westport! But there are very few left, so go get yours before they are gone!

Outfit: Cowl neck shirt / Forever21 $15 - white denim pants / Moschino via Target $20 - platform heels / Bongo via TJMaxx $20

Butterfly Rising

It's hot here in Kansas City. Really hot. And humid. Really humid. And that calls for a gauzy, light maxi dress. Covered in butterflies :) and accented with pieces from my Rising Collection.

I wore this dress to a somewhat informal wedding about 12 years ago. I love it! The colors are amazing, and it is very comfortable. Trying to find pieces from my collections to accent this dress was rather difficult. I didn't want to select any piece that would compete with the fabric design.

Therefore, I chose a simple necklace and earrings. Cast in clear resin, they feature glass seed beads, meticulously hand-placed in a cascading arrangement. The pieces shown here are my own that I sanded to a matte finish. You can see the actual collection for sale here.

Happy Summer!

Third Fridays!

I had my first taste of "Third Fridays" in downtown Overland Park last night! Jeanne McKay, co-owner of The Tasteful Olive, invited me to set up a table and sell my jewelry. Even with the temperatures in the mid-nineties, there was quite a crowd! I was really impressed by the store (owned by Jeanne and her husband), which sells quite a selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I never knew there was so much to know about olive oil and vinegar, but they seem to know it all! Customers can taste as many varieties as they want, even mixing different oils and vinegars for unique blends! My favorites were the Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and the Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar. In addition to olive oils and balsamic vinegars, they also carry a wide variety of pastas, sauces, and other cooking items. It's definitely a must-visit if you are ever in downtown O.P.!

Many other downtown O.P. stores were open for Third Fridays, including The Culinary Center of Kansas City, Olive Branch Art, Images Art Gallery, Green Light and Sugar Pop Kids. Over at Pinkie Couture, they had music and a vintage fashion show!

Even more exciting is that Overland Park is celebrating it's 50th year! See news coverage of downtown O.P.'s Third Fridays celebration here.

A Vine Time

I recently had dinner with a group of women who blog about fashion. Since discovering fashion blogs, I have had SO much fun perusing through hundreds of them! It is so interesting to see how different people put fashion together in different ways throughout the world!

I never considered myself a fashion blogger because this blog is mainly for my jewelry designs. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that jewelry is such an integral part of fashion, that I should infuse more fashion with my jewelry to better show it. So, I have decided to try my hand at photographing myself wearing my jewelry - thank goodness for my tripod!

The other day I finally got to my hairstylist for a long overdue cut and style. This was my ensemble for the day, accented with my one-of-a-kind Waffle Necklace, and a stack of three of my resin bangle designs: Floating Gold, Muted Gold, and Black Crystal , which was recently sold to a buyer in London (yay!). I should note that the jewelry shown was only worn for the photo.

The rest of my outfit consists of: vine-printed shirt, Frazier Lawrence via TJMaxx (I bought this shirt years ago and it has been fabulous! It's just stretchy enought that I was even able to wear it through half of my pregnancy six years ago), skirt (I love a skirt with pockets!), Forever21, $10.50, shoes, Mila Paoli, $20 via TJ Maxx.

In A Boutique, Baby!

I am so excited to announce that a selection of my jewelry will be available at Nikki Grant Boutique!

Nikki Grant just moved to Kansas City from New York, where she lived and worked during the last ten years. Her Kansas City store is total awesomeness!

If you live in Kansas City, you should visit her boutique in Westport. She does all her own buying, and is very, very good at selecting edgy styles that are not too over-the-top. See incoming styles on the NGB facebook page here.