Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Hi All,

It’s already the middle of October! October, as you ought to know, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a particularly big deal at Waxing Poetic.

We’re a company predominantly composed of women, we make jewelry (for everyone, but especially ladies), and we’re generally obsessed with honoring mamas everywhere, so when a designated month appears to spread the word about the ongoing battle to vanquish a foe that threatens our heroines, OH YES we’re going to do something about it. Several somethings. And keep on.

One thing we want to do this month is cheer – for survivors, for battlers, for the wonderful women who left us too early (but not without fighting, or making indelible marks on our hearts), for their families (and ours!) and for the healing power of shared storytelling, which raises awareness and empathy in ways that we can’t even track.

When it comes to profiling Breast Cancer heroines, we have a hard time choosing – you are legion, after all, and we don’t play favorites at Waxing Poetic (which makes selecting a single person for today VERY hard!).

We want to honor EVERYONE! All at once! If only we could make links for ALL your stories! But, that would jam servers and cause all manner of digital problems and probably make Facebook annoyed, so right this second, we’d like to direct your attention to the candid, casually glamorous, sometimes flinty, often-inspiring and really brave survivor blog of Santa Barbara County neighbor, Hollye Jacobs.

Slightly over a year ago, Hollye was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and in the months that followed, opted to chronicle her fight in a one of our favorite 21st century public/private forums, and in doing so, joined an inspiring, motley squad of complicated, wonderful, contradictory ladies who tell us how they are, and in doing so, make it ok for the rest of us to answer, more honestly, the question of ‘how are you doing?’

Read more about Hollye in her own words at www.brooksidebuzz.com, and feel free to share your own thoughts/feelings/stories and bloglinks with our ever-expanding community in the comments section below.

With love, respect, and gratitude,

WP

Behind the Scenes of our 2011 Catalogue Shoot

We had such a wonderful time at our catalogue shoot this year, we just had to share part of it with you. Check out some behind the scenes footage set to the tunes of one of our muses, Haddon Cord.

2011 Catalogue Shoot - Music by Haddon Cord from Waxing Poetic on Vimeo.

Custom Wine Bottle for St. Mark's

We were asked by our dear friend Polly Firestone Walker to design the label for a special cuvee as part of a fundraising event for St. Mark’s-In-The-Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos. St. Mark’s is our neighbor, and we love to support them whenever we have the opportunity, so we jumped at the chance to design the bottle art. Our designer Stephanie Kheder designed the label, featuring her hand illustrated St. Mark’s lion etched into the glass. What a fun project, and all for a good cause. For this year's event, as well as offering some unbelievable bottles of wine for auction (1945 Chateau Calon-Segur, a 1949 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, and a 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc are just three of them that pop to mind) Brooks Firestone decided to create a one-of-a-kind 18l bottle of Santa Ynez Valley Syrah, blended from some local producers (Doug Margerum, Jorian Hill, Curtis Winery and Clos Pepe among others). When the idea was raised to have an etched label, Polly immediately thought of Patti and Stephanie and all the amazing artists of Waxing Poetic. As well as serving its parishioners, St. Mark's also provides a space for various groups like the Jewish Community, the Foodbank of Santa Barbara, AA, the Valley Community Theater, Pacific Pride Foundation, Toastmasters, and the Los Olivos Rotary to name a few. St. Mark's is also home to a thriving Pre-School.

Bridal Shoot with Jose Villa

We had the pleasure of working with immensely talented photographer Jose Villa as well as Jill La Fleur of La Fleur Weddings recently, for a special bridal shoot.

The location was at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and the wedding gown was designed by Claire La Faye. Waxing Poetic was the perfect accompaniment. It was such a wonderful experience and we can't wait to do it again sometime soon. Enjoy the photos and check out our pieces from the shoot!

Rosary Lariat with freshwater pearls, silver plate, and crystal drop

Spinner Cross Ring with sterling silver and brass

Free Form Pearl Wrap Necklace with sterling silver, gold plate, and rose gold plate

Love Pendant with sterling silver and brass

Poetic Cross Bracelet with a sterling silver charm

Rosary Necklace with bronze freshwater pearls and crystal

Camp Stud Heart Earrings with brass and sterling silver

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Waxing Poetic Candles at Cabana Home

Steve and Caroline Thompson, both husband and wife and owners of Cabana Home in Santa Barbara, hosted a “Breakfast N Bed” event in-store on Wednesday, June 23rd. Waxing Poetic had the pleasure of unveiling our brand new soy candle line, Luminary, at the event. In celebration of ‘all things bed,' the event also showcased Cabana Home’s private label of custom upholstered headboards and beds, a trunk show for Matouk Linens, and a display of world-renowned Hastens Mattresses from Sweden. At the event Caroline met with Monica Spear, the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara. Here they are holding the new Ave Maria candles that support the Girls Inc. cause. We enjoyed lovely hors d’oeuvres prepared by local caterer Jessica Knight, and in keeping with the theme, the Thompson duo and their staff dressed in seersucker robes by Matouk. We truly enjoyed participating in the event and think it was the most wonderful way to share our new candles with our local Santa Barbara community. For each purchase of a Luminary line candle, Waxing Poetic will donate 5% of proceeds to a charitable cause. Check out all of our candles and learn about the charities we support.

Shine a Light for the Dream Foundation

“Oscar de la Renta and Hollye Jacobs” were the first words on the invitation that caught my eye. The invitation to this very fabulous event appeared in my inbox, offering a day of shopping to benefit the Dream Foundation at the beautiful Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara. With 15% of all sales benefiting the Dream Foundation, what better excuse to shop the extraordinary fashions created by one of the world’s most amazing men, designer Oscar de la Renta. Graceful hostess Hollye Jacobs orchestrated a most wonderful event.  A Montecito tastemaker (alongside her roles as wife, mom and blogger), Hollye is an inspiring advocate for all who are facing life-threatening illnesses.

I am sure you may be wondering what Waxing Poetic has to do with the Dream Foundation, or what we have in common with this fashion designer. Well, much like Oscar has done, Waxing Poetic will also be joining in on a philanthropic voyage to promote awareness and fund-raising efforts for the Dream Foundation.  As part of our new special philanthropic project for 2011, we have created a delicious collection of Luminary Candles, with the purpose of shining a light on five outstanding charities. Waxing Poetic has partnered with the Dream Foundation, Girls Incorporated, Human Rights Watch, Storytellers Children’s Center, and the Los Olivos Business Organization.

As our friends and fans know, Waxing Poetic has always had a passion for encouraging each individual to create his or her own story through the mixing and matching of our jewelry pieces. Well now our fans can participate in the story telling of one (or all!) of the five unique and special charities, like the Dream Foundation.

The Dream Foundation's mission is to enhance the quality of life for adults and their families who are battling life-threatening illnesses. This amazing organization fulfills dreams and wishes for those individuals battling life-threatening illnesses and their families. We have chosen our Ambrosial candle to tell the Dream Foundation's story of compassion, love, and peace, while also being a reminder to us all of how precious the gift of life can be.

While attending the Oscar de la Renta event, I was able to meet with Carol Brown, the Chief Operating Officer of the Dream Foundation. Waxing Poetic will be working closely with Carol and her incredible organization to spread the word about the Ambrosial candle.

~Caroline Thompson

Featured Retailer: Zinnia from Mount Pleasant, SC

Each of our retailers possesses distinctive individual charm, spreading the personal touch of Waxing Poetic in their local communities every day. As a token of our gratitude to our retailers and because we think you’ll love them as much as we do, we’re delighted to introduce Zinnia.

Zinnia is a boutique located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.  Their gorgeous store features artisan jewelry, fanciful gifts and beautiful home décor accessories. We are so happy to have you with us today.  What is your favorite Waxing Poetic Collection?

Over the early years that we carried Waxing Poetic, my favorite pieces were simply the letter charms in all styles.  I loved the way they could be combined to create dimensions and textures.  For my customers here in Charleston, SC, who absolutely love monogramming favorite handbags and home products, the letter charms became the new “monogram.”  We combined charms willy-nilly and each custom necklace was special. Allowing the customers to incorporate symbols from their own experiences, as well as surrounding a favorite pendant with Waxing Poetic Charms, has been a huge success.

Today, I truly enjoy transitioning my original Waxing Poetic customers into the Bracelet Collection part of the line.  Using the nifty Charm Clips, together we are creating new ways to wear all the charms and symbols on the new styles of bracelets, which were previously worn on the Necklace Collections. The creative ideas of customers in creating their personal pieces are always passed on to new customers.

What are your favorite pieces?
Crosses in any style or design are so popular.  My customers are rooted in strong self, community and church beliefs and a cross, invariably, becomes part of most Waxing Poetic “stories.”  The more crosses I can present as part of most groupings the better.

What are your customer’s favorite collections?
The current Devotion Collection is such a strong part of our sales. The variety of shapes and styles in crosses makes it possible for a customer to express one’s faith either boldly or subtly.  My personal favorite is the Faith Crystal Pendant, which is wrapped around the smoky quartz crystal  - this adds sparkle to all of my pieces.

What are your customer’s favorite pieces?
When it comes to drama and storytelling, the Wing & Prayer Charms along with the Signature Seal Charms are the beginning of many necklaces.  Recently, the new Charm Clips are included with each sale. Customers want to use their favorite charms now on bracelets, as well.  What an innovative and “must have” item.

Do you have any fun stories or interesting tidbits that you would like to share?
My customers seek out ZINNIA from several surrounding states because they know we feature a wide selection of all Waxing Poetic designs.  If we don’t have what they need, we special order and ship for free to them.  We had a young customer last year getting married in Virginia and wanted Baby Ball Gold Chain Necklaces and Baby Insignia Charms for each of her 7 attendants.  We did not have 3 of the initials.  One of the attendants was traveling from Charleston, by car, to the wedding.  We were able to call other Waxing Poetic dealers in South Carolina and North Carolina on her travel route, and she picked up the needed charms along the way.  We worked together to make sure my customer had a worry free special day.

Thank you so much for joining us today!
If you are in the area be sure to check out Zinnia (www.shopzinnia.com) at the Belle Hall Shopping Center located at 644-O Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.  We can also be reached by phone at 843-388-9433.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Things are busy here at the Waxing Poetic offices this week!  We spent Monday on the set of our photo shoot at the offices here in Los Olivos, as well as with the WP ring-leader, Patti Pagliei. The focus of our photo shoot was to capture the story of Patti and the company. Thanks to the skilled eyes of Nancy Neil - professional photographer and friend from Santa Barbara (check out her fantastic blog here: http://nancyneil.tumblr.com/0) - behind the camera’s lens, she was successful in capturing much more than just pretty faces and fun jewelry.

Among the shoot’s subjects photographed by Nancy, were the 12 fabulous females who make up the Waxing Poetic Design & Management Team. Two of which are our special friends, model Tamsyn Firestone Walker, and singer-songwriter Haddon Cord. These two girls are naturally beautiful, sweet, and full of positive-energy, which is why they both have received the title of being our Waxing Poetic Muses. (We were able to sneak a shot of Patti and our Muses behind the talented Nancy Neil!) The hair and makeup artist Renee Loiz enhanced and transformed all of us with her bold styling skills. Patti was the first to be photographed in our retail boutique adorned with an array of favorites from her personal Waxing Poetic collection. Patti stepped out in the cutest Jean-Michael Cazabat sandals and wedges, and was dressed in perfectly fitting, timeless pieces selected especially for her by fashion designer, Heidi Merrick (both of which are also represented by Bradbury-Lewis PR team in NYC, like us). We were fortunate that Santa Ynez Valley resident and sculptor Suzi Trubitz opened her studio doors to us, so we could shoot against the backdrop of her amazing artwork (So inspiring! Visit them here: http://www.suzitrubitz.com/). All in all, our photo shoot was a great success! We are all very eager to see what Nancy captured. Until then, we have some “Behind the Scenes” photo-ops taken by some of our WP Gals to tide us over!

An Inside Look at the First Annual WP Retailers & Reps Round Table

Here at Waxing Poetic's HQ, we all design, plot, produce and service our line in various small, overcrowded rooms in our cottage-y offices that are adjacent to our flagship store.  We are all so intently focused on what we do, that sometimes (read: always), it is good to orchestrate events that bring our sales, customer service and creative teams together.  Like...

The First Annual Waxing Poetic Retailers & Reps Round Table. Pictured from left to right:  Lizanne Pagliei Hales from Waxing Poetic; Jessie Justice from Waxing Poetic; Suzanne Garrett from Waxing Poetic; Dorothy Alspaugh from Alspaugh’s Ace Hardware in Kingwood, TX; Randa Crisler from Portico Collection Showroom in Dallas, TX; Vicky Muetterties from Tango Showroom in Atlanta, GA; Donna Singer from Portico Collection Showroom in Dallas, TX; Patti Pagliei Simpson from Waxing Poetic; MaryBeth Greene from Tango Showroom in Atlanta, GA; Stephanie Kheder from Waxing Poetic; Keely Davis from The Paisley Pineapple in Olive Branch, MS; and Alana Trubitz from Waxing Poetic.

Enter: two super-supportive WP showroom managers, two wildly successful WP retailers, and their respective WP rock star (for real) reps.  Yes.  Add: Our own inspired squad.  Mix in: their ideas, our ideas, wine, dinners, laughter, serious business, and fun. We like. And we got: a incredible working vacation in our own small town (us), graced with lots of glorious southern charm (them).  We love.  For three solid days, we presented what we have been working on - displays, modes of operation, possibilities, designs, concepts, danishes.  And they conquered with their great sales and retail acumen, one by one (and at times, all at once).  They spoke, and we listened... and vice versa.  And we all learned.  And we all shared.  And we are all thankful (and looking forward to the next time...).