Valentine's Day and Hannah Fun

We are in the midst of Valentine's Day prep and our house is full of hearts! Cards are being prepped, photo shoots planned, and jewelry packaged, all while Hannah looks on. I am so thankful to be able to spend so much time with Hannah and have her observe the business. She is so active and interested in everything, especially paper products, bright colors, and delicate jewelry. Here are a few glimpses of an average home/work day. 

Hannah oversees the photo shoot. Hoping she approves it!!

One of the approved shots!

Then a little reorganization of my layered hearts backdrop.

And getting into the action!

I really enjoy getting into the Valentine's Day spirit, and am so happy I get to share it with Hannah.

My Mini Heart Chain Rings

 

Inspired by the delicacy and power of a figure skater, I updated the My Mini Heart Ring design with a light touch. Love is such a powerful emotion, yet so airy and joyful. This ring is a great representation of love. 

A subtle chain holds the ring together, while a heart is at it's center. I think the look is graceful, elegant, and strong.

A limited batch of these rings will be premiering at POOL Tradeshow, available in my shop next week and through Spring! I have been wearing mine all week and hope everyone loves it.

For Philippines With Love

My heart aches for my home country, so I pray and donate what I can, and I post this to stand in solidarity with them.

Hearts in Love

 

 Photo by Love & Lemonade Photography

Inspired by my pregnancy/labor/the new addition to my family and the thought of a love so deep, I combined two classic honey my heart designs into one! Here a large heart holds two or three mini hearts. I like to think that the mini hearts represent members of a family that you hold dear.  

 Photo by Love & Lemonade Photography

 

 Hearts in Love.

Hannah My Heart

Hi Friends!! It's been so long since my last post, and with good reason. Our little baby arrived a little over a week early, and we have been loving her and life since. And now I would like to introduce you all to our little love, Hannah.

She was born April 23rd and stole our hearts. Her expressions, cries, scent, little fingers and toes, big dark eyes... I'm completely obsessed.

First looks.

 

She's already got him wrapped around her little finger.

Just a few days old and enjoying life in a Springtime outfit and a funny Winnie the Pooh hat.

One of my favorite outfits!

Baby's first design show!

It's been hard to get back into my own schedule/correspondence, but we're working on it. In the meantime, I'm completely enjoying this little one.

Fall in Love Necklaces

 

One of my most popular styles is the "My Mini Heart" necklaces. Coming in 1, 2, or 3 hearts that sit softly in the middle of a necklace, the design is simple and delicate. It is also one of my favorite designs, as I form each heart by hand and know that no two hearts are the same. I wanted to update this style and keep it's integrity, yet offer something a bit different. A little discussion with friend J. B. and I am happy to present the "Fall in Love" necklaces and earrings.

A series of connected hearts fall freely on a delicate chain or ear wire. They're small and move and are just so sweet. Available in a set of 3 or 4 hearts, I am in love with them :)

Hope you fall in love with these pieces, too!

Baby Shower Recap

My mother threw me a baby shower a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful Spring day, full of lots of family and friends, and great food! It was more of a party than a shower, a wonderfully warm celebration, and we definitely felt showered with LOVE.

Planned with great care, my mom took reign of the location, guests, food, and drinks, but I took reign of the design. It's hard to let go of all control, and since I have a lot of decor (poofs, tassels, fringe, etc) from all the shows we do, it's only natural to want to want to use them again and again! The room was full of bright colors and happy details. Below are a few of my favorite shots.

Our wedding cake toppers made a re-appearance on the dessert table. This time accompanied by a little addition :)

Pastries topped with hearts.

Our gift table. I am still overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity and support.

A little vignette of flowers in baby's initial.

Similar to the hearts that topped the pastries, we had hearts on straws, too!

Baby shower games are pretty fun. We played a few games, my favorite being the guess the belly size game. All the men cut string and my aunt helped with seeing who was closest.

Here is a fun video Sonja shot during the game.

With cousin D :)

My sis sharing fun facts about pregnancy and birth.

Heart over belly photo with mine and husband's hands. My hands are swollen now. It's a bit much and I can't wear rings anymore.

With the amazing photographer and my cousin, Nicole Espina Photography. All photos but the last 2 are shot by Nicole.

And the fam! Pops took the photo.

Grateful

Having just celebrated my baby shower on Saturday and after going through all of the thoughtful presents and cards on Sunday, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. My mother threw me a beautiful shower and filled the day with love from her friends and mine, as well as with our great family. I am currently working on organizing all things for baby and making/writing thank you cards. And I am so thankful for it all.

Hope that you all enjoyed a great weekend and have an even better week!! Can't wait to recap my shower later this week.

An Afternoon at Griffith Park

My days are usually filled with nesting, planning, designing, and reading (w/ some tv shows & espn), but today was a bit different. In anticipation of baby and ready to plan the next few months for the jewelry line, we scheduled a dual maternity and jewelry look book shoot with one of my favorite photographers and online friends Nina of Love & Lemonade Photography.

We spent the late afternoon shooting at Griffith Park. First up was jewelry. I am building my classics collection and slightly transitioning my style, so I wanted a look book full of what's familiar and what's coming for this year. It's also going to help our re-branding project that is currently in the works. Nina took charge and styled the shoot so well! My brain is currently always on baby mode, so Nina's creativity for display and lay out of the jewelry through nature was so great. I caught some glimpses from her camera and am so excited!

After the jewelry came the maternity shoot. The light was soft and the temperature was cool. As photos of us were snapped, we felt completely at ease and loved the of focus on the bump. We brought some props (baby's name banner and yesterday's ultrasound photos) and our instant camera for some quick fun. In my current uncomfortable state, Nina made me feel comfortable and good :)

 

Nina and Mark at work.

Half way through the jewelry.

I liked the shadow that these connected hearts cast.

Oh bump, how you grow! So fun to look down and see this.

A little sneak of the maternity photos. Love these instant prints!!

It's such a treat to get out of the house and enjoy a beautiful LA day. Hope you are all doing well :)

My Mini Heart Rings

Heart rings are a honey my heart staple. I shape, form, and forge each heart piece from sterling silver or gold fill wire, then solder ring bands to each, finishing with lots of hammering, tumbling, and polishing. Each heart piece is given the utmost attention and is truly unique. I like to tell customers that if they bought one and their best friend bought one, each heart piece would still be one of a kind. I like that detail about my heart jewelry. When I found out I was pregnant, I stopped soldering. I didn't want to breathe some of the fumes or use a torch. I still wanted to continue to offer heart rings, but knew I couldn't offer the soldered ones for the next few months. There was a lot of experimenting with sterling silver and gold fill wire, and I am happy to have found a very good alternative!

Pre-linked chain allow me to form continuous hearts without soldering them, and these hearts are now wrapped/hugged by sterling silver or gold fill wire. These rings are still hammered and tumbled for strength, and then polished. The care and craftsmanship is still of utmost importance, and these rings are definitely a happy addition to the hmh classic collection.

 

My Mini Heart Rings are now in the shop!!