Tell Your Story

Letters, words, fragments and pages assemble over time. Except you don’t have to wait for the universe to align the different pieces. When combining favorite charms there is always meaning behind my choices, besides fashion. Sometimes I wear a secret joke or commentary, but usually my combos are a wish to put out and a reminder to myself to keep moving forward always. Everyone has stories, sometimes just one page to mark an occasion or a starting ground for a new Once upon a time…

Staff Favorites: Kya

I’m currently in love with the silver twisted link with brass rings chain. I love the elegant and feminine feel to the chain. It has the simple yet girlie look that fits my particular style.  I also like the contrast of the brass and silver links that makes the whole necklace pop when I wear it.  I typically wear my chain with the medium poetic cross, December birth ornament charm, and a silver crest insignia in the letter C.  In true Waxing Poetic style, this particular combo tells a story that I hold close to my heart.

But I also like to combine what I like to think of as our more feminine or pretty pieces with this chain, like the Storybook, Mother of Pearl and—another one of my absolute favorites—Realize True Riches charms!

Constantly working with customers and helping them create their own stories behind their necklaces, makes it really hard to not fall in love with every piece. I personally like to work first from the chain. I think each chain has its own style, for whatever I feel like for the day.  When I’m feeling “girlie” I go for my twisted link chain and when I feel a little “edgy” I grab my long baby ball or large rolo chain.  That’s what I love about Waxing—there is something for every style, story, and memory.

The Silver Suitcase: Featured Retailer

We are very fortunate to have more than 1,400 stores across the U.S., Canada, U.K., and even Japan carrying the Waxing Poetic jewelry line.  As a token of our gratitude to our retailers and because we think you’ll love our retailers as much as we do, we will be featuring one retailer each month here on Proof.  We’re delighted that our very first retailer is The Silver Suitcase in Lafayette, Louisiana!

Welcome to The Silver Suitcase!  We’re so happy to have you here.  What do you like about carrying Waxing Poetic’s line? It’s such a fun line to sell because you really get to interact with your customer and you get to know them on a more personal level.  All of our customers love coming in and putting together their Waxing set. Whether it’s to represent children, grandchildren or in remembrance of those lost. This honors those special to them or tells a story of their journey through life. What are your favorite collections? We love the insignias, birthstones, and Wing and a Prayer collections.

What are your favorite pieces? Round Insignia, Crest Insignia, Wing and a Prayer Fleur de Lis, Wing and a Prayer Croix, Medium Rolo NecklaceWhat are your customers’ favorite collections? Insignias and Wing and a Prayer

What are your customers’ favorite pieces? Round Insignia, Wing and a Prayer Fleur de Lis, Rolo Necklaces

 

What do you like about Waxing Poetic’s designs? The originality! Our customers love that they get to “design” their own piece of jewelry that has a unique meaning to them. No two combinations will ever be alike.

 

A big thank you to The Silver Suitcase!

 

Visit The Silver Suitcase at 4409 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Suite 500 in Lafayette, LA, on their website, and facebook, or give them a ring at 337.989.7242.  Louisiana is not in your neck of the woods?  No worries, find a store carrying Waxing Poetic jewelry near you.

Guest Blogger Lizzy Gilligan, One Girl's Opinion

I’ve known Lizzy Gilligan for years and I’m forever impressed by her style and talent.  Lizzy has a fabulous line of unique designer clothes for girls called one girl’s opinion, which I absolutely love.  I’m thrilled to introduce Lizzy as our very first guest blogger on Proof!

Lizzy, I have known you since art school, and you have always had an amazing and original sense of fashion.  How would you describe your style?

Eclectic-whimsical-bohemian?  I've always liked to mix up vintage pieces, current trends and classics. Of course being a mom has brought me down to earth.  I need to work on that.

Who taught you how to sew?

I basically taught myself. I had a little sewing instruction in middle school home-ec but mostly I followed the directions on commercial patterns and winged it.  I still learn new things all the time. The wealth of sewing and crafting blogs and websites can be overwhelming! There is so much information being shared. It's really amazing.

When did you make your first “outfit” and what was it?

I made a cream-colored linen skirt and blazer when I was in 7th or 8th grade.  It was from a Vogue pattern featured in a magazine.  My version didn't look quite the same as the one from the photo.

What or who inspired you to start the “One Girl’s Opinion” line?

It's a bit of a cliché but my daughters were the inspiration for my current business. I started my collection because I couldn't find anything just for school age girls in the handmade market place. Now that I've been marketing the clothing for about a year I've gotten a lot of feedback and I'm trying to develop designs that can work for a broader range of customers.

Can you share a few pictures of recent designs and who they were for?

Here’s an Easter basket of handmade hair accessories that I gave to Veronica. This one is a t-shirt that I did for Cordelia for Valentine’s Day. Here’s a skirt that I made to sell.And here’s a look at a new skirt design I've just started offering.I so admire your craft and your “one of a kind” aesthetic.  Can you describe your process a bit?

I have a hard time staying on task so making each piece a little bit different allows me to stay interested.  I have some basic designs that I use as a starting point and then I individualize each piece either by using different fabrics or different embellishments.

Where do you find your great fabrics?  Is there one particular material that you love working with?

I'm typical of the sewing personality—I love fabric of all kinds and I have way too much stashed away, some left over from projects most of it purchased with great ideas in mind which life never permitted.  Currently I'm working in quilting-weight cottons and I’m loving them!

Who is your favorite customer?

I've been selling through Etsy for a while and last fall I started selling through craft shows.  It's so great to actually meet the people making purchases.  I'm always flattered when another designer buys my work.

These clothes are truly keepsake quality.  Do you have some favorite clothing treasures that you will hand down to your daughters?

I have a fashion history of me that I've been storing away for years. I have some things I made when I was in high school and on through adulthood as well as some designer pieces that the now frugal mommy me can't believe I splurged on back in the 1990s.  My older daughter just turned 10 so we will soon see if these clothes are heirlooms or destined for charitable donation.

If you could choose a Waxing Poetic gift for any occasion, what would it be and to whom would you give it?

I love the insignia charms but I think I would give my younger daughter Veronica the Wish Tonic - Remedy in a Bottle.  It would be perfect for her and to avoid playing favorites I'd give Cordelia, my older girl, the Once Upon a Time Storybook Charm.  She is a great writer of stories.

What is the best part of your day?

Early in the morning before anyone else is awake.  I'll walk the dog while the coffee is brewing and then tackle some work in the studio before I need to get the kids going for the day.  It's a reliably productive time for me.

Thanks Lizzy, I appreciate this!  You can find Lizzy on facebook, twitter, etsy, and flickr.

Behind the Design: Shield Shakedown

We're often asked what inspires our pieces and how the design process works, so Behind the Design will be a weekly feature here on Proof in which we'll tell the story of how a line of Waxing Poetic jewelry came to be.

Here's the story behind one of our favorite designs, the Shield Pendants and Shield Rings.  Patti [Patti Pagliei, Waxing Poetic’s CEO and Creative Director] found a cool antique brass shield fob, filled with a cobalt looking substance.  It’s very traditional and simple but with detailed floral engravings on the backside.  I remember her holding it over her fingers saying, “I want to do big shield rings.”  So we did!  I used vintage lace renderings for the details and hand drew a series of icons for the centers of the shields, which we also related to the mini tonic charms.  The butterfly is my favorite; this spring I’ve been wearing the taupe shield pendant on the long brass twisted link chain and the butterfly tonic charm with any other larger charm, on the deerskin leather necklace.

Pradalphabet

This amazing alphabet caught my eye when I was reading my New York Times Sunday Magazine a few weeks back.  This surreal A-Z is a limited edition series of t-shirts designed by M/M Paris for Prada.  A collector's edition with exclusive 64p book will available in Prada stores soon.  A great fashion treasure (and wouldn't these make incredible mixed metal pendants?).

Surfer Chic in Marie Claire

The June issue of Marie Claire on newsstands now includes a feature with model Tori Praver beautifully adorned in Waxing Poetic jewelry.  Tori’s sexy bohemian look pictured here included Waxing Poetic’s Square Insignia Charm, Fleur de Lis Charm, and Lucky Mojo Horseshoe Charm all strung on the Leather Cord Necklace.  We love the layering of her gauzy top, crocheted sweater, and a variety of flowing necklaces and bracelets in leather and mixed metals.  The resulting look is casual enough for a surfer girl while at the same time totally chic.

Guest Blogging on Layla Grayce

We love Layla Grayce, an online retailer of absolutely beautiful products for the home, mom, and baby that are all hand picked by its cofounders Wendy Estes and Tiffany Harris. Layla Grayce’s tagline of, “Love Your Life, Express Your Style,” connects so directly with our desire to celebrate and treasure the stories of our lives, that we were delighted when Layla Grayce recently became a retailer of the Waxing Poetic line.  If that weren’t great enough, Layla Grayce invited Waxing Poetic’s CEO & Creative Director Patti Pagliei to be featured as a guest blogger.  Read the full interview and enter a giveaway for a Fleur de Lis charm and necklace of your choice by visiting Layla Grayce’s blog.  Thank you Layla Grayce!

Charming Pregnancy Magazine

The latest issue of Pregnancy magazine with Tiffani Thiessen on the cover has a lovely article about jewelry that's great for pregnant and new moms.  We're delighted that Waxing Poetic's Crest Insignia Charm and Silhouette Portrait Charm are featured in the article, both of which make perfect Mother's Day gifts for soon-to-be moms, longtime moms, and anywhere-in-between moms.