...And Things Were Going So Well

Well, after several posts of awesome news...I have some bad news. I applied for a craft show in Atlanta, GA called the Indie Craft Experience, but I just got word today that I didn't get in....sad face. *sniffle*

It's all good though...I will keep applying to craft shows and one of them will recognize my talent! (This is optimistic Diana writing now...hehe) Guess I need to work on my photography skills and descriptions of my products and business.

Anyways....quotes always make me feel better, so here's one that I think is fitting of the news today:

"That's what learning is, after all: not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we've changed because of it, and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way, is winning."
- Richard Bach

So, to all you guys out there who are working towards fulfilling your dreams....remember to make the best out of your down times. In every experience, even the bad ones, you grow as a person and learn something new. Keep fighting and keep dreaming!

:-) Diana

DCL Jewelry now at Boutique Jonquille

DCL is moving north! I've been doing tons of research, looking for hip, new boutiques to carry my latest jewelry designs. Recently, a new boutique has decided to start selling my jewelry...yay! I sent several designs to Boutique Jonquille, located in New York, NY this weekend. Their web site says, "Boutique Jonquille started out of a passion to bring tasteful and elegant accessories to women in an industry crowded with mass produced and ordinary."


Inside shot of the boutique - cute, huh?

A couple designs the boutique requested are one-offs, so those will now only be available via their web site or their brick and mortar store...unless I can get some more beads to remake them, but many of my beads/components are limited edition or one-of-a-kind. For designs that are marked "sold" on the web site, check the description area to see if a boutique has the item for purchase (if no boutique carries the item you desire, please contact me about designing something similar - I love doing custom work). Here are a couple designs that Boutique Jonquille will be carrying:

Aquatic Aquamarine	Limu Moui
Hanalei	Dreamcatcher

Live in NY? Boutique Jonquille will be selling some of my designs at art & craft shows (see their web site for details). Or, just stop by their boutique:


Outside shot of the boutique

Check out my "Stores" page on my web site for details!

:-) Diana

Quote - Dreams

I found an awesome quote when I was at Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago (I should have posted it sooner...sorry!). It was on one of those mini-notebooks in one of those little "impulse buy stands" near the registers. Anywho, here's the quote:

"The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream"
~James Allen

This is so true for so many people. I'm sure a lot of your best ideas started out as mere dreams. Maybe these ideas were dreams for a short time...maybe longer...maybe they still are. At some point, you decide to see where you can go with your dream! Hey, if you have a dream that's close to your heart today, you should go for it! Maybe start out with small steps and ease your way to success! ;-)


Inside shot of Maddi's Gallery at Birkdale Village

One of my dreams is to be a famous jewelry designer...now that my designs are at Maddi's Gallery, I am (hopefully) taking a step in the right direction!

Diana

DCL Jewelry Designs now at Maddi's Gallery

Guess what? DCL jewelry designs are now available at Maddi's Gallery in Charlotte & Huntersville, NC. I dropped off several designs last week, and they're already on display and going fast! They even put my "Pretty in Purple" necklace/earring set in the main window display!


One of my necklaces is in the front window!

The purple cascade necklace is my design (sort of middle leftish)

Since Maddi's Gallery has 2 locations, Birkdale Village and Dilworth, my jewelry is available at both locations. They were pretty full on jewelry when I first approached them with my designs, so they were only able to take about 20 designs. However, I have high hopes that some more space will clear up so I can bring more designs to the store!


Some of my jewelry on display!

In addition to having an awesome selection of jewelry, Maddi's Gallery also offers a superb collection of fun items, such as purses, scarves, picture frames, metal work, fancy glass vases, and much more! You can get all their contact information from the new "Stores" section of my web site. Look for the link "stores" in the upper right links section of my web site, or click here to go directly to the page.


The front of the Birkdale Village store

Stop by today and let them know that you're a D Celestine Limited jewelry fan!

Thanks!

Diana

Megan's Wedding

I had the pleasure of not only being a bridesmaid in the wedding of my good friend, Megan Dowdy (now Mueller), but of also getting to design the wedding jewelry. I made the earrings for the bridesmaids and the earrings for the bride herself! Click on any 3 of the pictures below to learn more about Megan's wedding on my web site and access larger photos...

Megan and her Bridesmaids
Megan sent me a photo of the bridesmaid dress she picked out. I could tell from the photo that I wanted to incorporate white and turquoise/aqua colors into the earring design. Megan told me that the wedding would be at the beach, so I wanted to keep the overall design simple to stay in line with the semi-casual theme of the wedding. I decided to make stiletto or simple drop earrings with Swarovski crystal teardrop pearls in white and SC bicones in aquamarine. The bridesmaids got their earrings at the bridal luncheon, and they were a big hit!

Closer Photo of the Bridesmaids
Megan asked me to design her bridal earrings to match her grandmother's lavaliere, which she was given to wear on her wedding day. I noticed that the lavaliere had pearls and either crystals or diamonds, so I decided to do earrings with the same basic design as the one for the bridesmaid earrings, but with a little something extra. I added a "rondelle" to the design, in between the SC teardrop pearl and the bicone to add some extra bling. A "rondelle" is a disk/circular shaped bead with small crystals going around the edge of the bead - I like to use them to dress up my bridal designs!

The Beautiful Bride
Check out my the newest section of my web site for all my wedding designs. Okay, okay....right now, I only have Megan's wedding page up, but I'll be adding a couple more soon! Click here to go to the wedding page on DCL.

:-) Diana

All About Treating Yourself!

Do you Squidoo?

There's a new web site out there called Squidoo, where a person can create a "lens," which is like a mini-site, about a subject that they're passionate about. Well, surprise, surprise....I created a lens about "Treating Yourself and Those You Care About." You can check it out here: http://www.squidoo.com/treatyourself.

If you'll notice, I even added a handy dandy little list you can use to make up excuses to treat yourself! If you happen to come up with or know of any ways to treat yourself that aren't on the list, then shoot me an email, and I'll try to add your reason to the list.

I'll also be adding fun links with other great products to this page, so check back often for updates! And remember to treat yourself with one of DCL's latest designs!

Check out my cute new banner about treating yourself...I'm hoping to get this banner shown on a few fun web sites:

Cheers!

Diana

IndieFinds.com Member!

Hellllllooooooo!



I joined IndieFinds.com yesterday! Indie Finds is a group of independent artists & designers who team up to support each other against the bigger companies out there. Members are allowed to feature one design and can also particpate in some of the advertising opportunities they provide. I can't wait to get more involved! I'll let you know when I get one of my designs on the site, so you can check it out!

Cheers!

Diana

Check me out on CraftRevolution!

Hey all!



Check me out on CraftRevolution.com! Not only am I in the IndieFriendly directory...I'm, also, in the CR Blogs! Click here to see my post! (This should take you to all the April posts, so you may have to scroll down a bit if anyone else has posted something newer than mine.)

Cheers,

Diana

Hoop de Loop is here!

Hey guys!

I'm finally ready to debut my latest collection - Hoop de Loop. The new Hoop de Loop collection features fun, hoop-shaped beads and sterling components paired with my latest find in gemstones, pearls, and spring-toned Swarovski crystals. These fun designs are light and flirty - perfect for spring and summer. You gotta check out the Ios Earrings – these are definitely an eye-catching design sure to bring you plenty of compliments! Pictured below is the "Dreamcatcher in Aqua." A hand-wire-wrapped pendant with a medley of blue peruvian opal, freshwater pearls, and Swarovski crystals. Each of the dreamcatchers are one-of-a-kind - due to the random pattern in the wire-wrapped and selection of beads - so fun!


Dreamcather in Aqua

Need a present for Mother’s Day? All DCL purchases come with free gift wrapping and free shipping in the US (USPS First Class). Get your mom a sweet treat for Mother’s Day from DCL – choose a fun and funky design from the latest Hoop de Loop collection. Are you a mom? If so, send a hint to someone using the “Send page to a friend” feature at the bottom of every “Design Detail” web page.

D Celestine Limited – a new way to treat yourself (or someone you care about)!

:-) Diana

Vote For Me, Pretty Please!

Hey guys!

I have a chance to be voted as the Readers' Choice on StyleBakery.com. All I need is a bit of your help. Just click on the banner in this post, or in the link bar to the right, and vote for my web site (you can vote until June 1st, 2006). As a bonus for voting, you get entered into a contect to win a shopping spree with a hot online boutique - GirlShop.com. I really appreciate all your support and any votes you send my way. Thanks for choosing me as your jewelry designer!



:-) Diana

IndieShopping.com - Spring Guide!

Hello All!



D Celestine is proud to be featured in the IndieShopping.com Spring Gift Guide. Check out the "Fresh Fashion" section for a sweet deal you can use through June 30th, 2006. This is a great way to get a special treat for your mom and a discount....heck, with the discount, you may have some extra spending money to get a little somethin' for yourself! If you're a mom, take advantage of the DCL web site and send a hint to your SO by using the "Send page to a friend" link on every "Design Detail" web page. Check it out today!


Ios Earrings - Featured in the Spring Gift Guide

Happy Shopping!

:-) Diana

New Shopping Cart

Hiyas!

Just wanted to send out a quick note to let everyone know that I've set up a new shopping cart for DCL online. You can still make payments with Paypal at the checkout section, but this cart has a lot more functionality that the paypal cart just didn't have. I hope you like it! Please feel free to email me or comment the blog to let me know how the new cart works out!







Thanks!

:-) Diana