Lucy, Author at Fair Ivy

Posted on 05/15/201409/08/2020 by Lucy

Handmade silver tube bracelet

This past wonderful month of April brought a rarity to the Fair Ivy jewelry scene—a handmade bracelet (we usually focus on necklaces and earrings, but we’ve had so many requests for a bracelet we had to comply)!

This handmade silver tube bracelet was made just for Fair Ivy subscribers by Little Things Happen. This is her first Fair Ivy feature, and we really enjoyed having her on board!

Her shipping box packaging is probably the most lovingly created we’ve ever come across—we’ve had really lovely gift wrapping INSIDE the shipping box, but this is a new frontier in cute gift wrapping and adorable packages in the mail. Let’s open it up and see if the trend continues…

….yes, we do have a handmade letter opener with Fair Ivy inscribed on it. It was a gift (awhile ago), and we love it! We use it on all our letters and packages.

Little Things Happen did not disappoint with the wonderful gift wrap on the inside of the handmade silver tube bracelet package. Every piece of the packaging was upcycled/recycled, so it was a very eco-friendly gift to receive. Who would have thought that simple yarn would look so darn cute?

We absolutely loved this bracelet, since it works so well for an everyday outfit or for an evening on the town. It was wonderfully delicate and reflects the light so nicely off the silver tube! The tube itself is made from gorgeous german silver, and even the chain and findings are all silver filled—so the shine will last!

We also loved how Little Things Happen took care of every single detail of the entire surprise gift package experience, down to the cardstock polka dots on the back of the bracelet card.

And here’s a closer look at the Artist’s Card from Little Things Happen:

The text reads:

“Little Things Happen is a small jewelry and accessory business based out of Torrance, CA. Each lovely item is designed and hand-crafted with love by the do-it-all owner, Loren Harada!

Beautiful button earrings, lovely gemstone necklaces, wire wrapped bracelets, handmade hair clips and more are all craftily wrapped and packaged throughout the world year round! With a huge range of materials and styles, there’s something special for everyone! “

Popular blogger Ilene from Much Love, Illy also receive one of Little Things Happen’s bracelets and took some lovely photos:

Want to snag one of these lovely handmade silver tube bracelets for yourself? Head on over to Little Things Happen’s shop on Etsy!

Posted on 05/01/201409/08/2020 by Lucy

Gourmet Gummy Bears

Amy from A Sweet Delivery was generous enough to send me a sample of one of her wonderfully gift-wrapped treats—gourmet gummy bears ! They were so so cute, and deliciously soft and sweet with just a hint of sourness.

I went a little kookoo taking photos of these gummies, but I couldn’t help it—the color were just so perfect. Luckily it was a decently big box—after each photo I couldn’t help but devour one! I am sad I didn’t think to take photos of the box beforehand, as it was in a really cute container that would make the perfect size for a gift!

A Sweet Delivery was created as a sweet, stylish gift alternative to flowers and fruit baskets. They do all sorts of wonderful candy boxes, so definitely check them out here: asweetdelivery.com

Posted on 04/17/201409/08/2020 by Lucy

Gold Dome Earrings

March brought our handmade gift subscription participants some absolutely wonderful, delicate earrings—made by Virginia Wynne Jewelry! These handmade gold dome earrings were created at a size just for our subscribers, and were definitely a big fan favorite.

As always, we loved the handmade gift wrapping, as well as learning about the artist in her info card! The text reads:
“These collections of elegant jewelry are hand made by Virginia Wynne in a small studio in Baltimore, Maryland. Virginia Wynne is a Louisiana native and graduate of the distinguished Savannah College of Art and Design.

Using traditional metalsmithing techniques, each piece is individually handcrafted. The studs are hand cut out of sheet metal, shaped, and then a thin layer of 23K gold used inside the dome with a technique called Keum-Boo.

You can find more of Virginia Wynne jewelry on Etsy! Coupon code for 10% off: Surprise10″

We had absolutely wonderful feedback on this monthly surprise gift and will surely feature Virginia Wynne again in the future!

Interested in picking up a pair of these wonderful handmade gold dome earrings? Head on over to Virginia Wynne’s Etsy shop!

Posted on 04/10/201409/08/2020 by Lucy

Partly Sunny Tea Towel

March brought our Duet subscribers a fantastic unique handmade tea towel from Wit and Whistle, dubbed the “Partly Sunny Tea Towel”.

This flour sack tea towel is silk-screened with a hand drawn design, and the wonderful material gets softer and more absorbent with every use. We love it!

We really enjoyed the unwrapping experience for this unique handmade tea towel—it felt very organic and packaged with a lot of love! We got a little photo-happy with the unwrapping process…

In case it’s hard to read, the Artist’s info card says:

“I’m Amanda Wright, the girl behind Wit & Whistle! Wit & Whistle offers witty greeting cards and whistle worthy paper and home goods—all designed and illustrated by me.

Inside this package you’ll find one of my screen printed tea towels. These are my favorite kitchen towels ever. They’re huge, and they get softer and more absorbent with every use. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine!

Please come visit me at witandwhistle.com to shop or to browse my blog, where I share glimpses behind the scenes at Wit & Whistle and lots of creative inspiration.”

This was one of our most well-received handmade surprise gifts yet! Definitely head on over to Wit & Whistle’s shop, as well as take a look at her crafty blog for some wonderful inspiration!

Posted on 04/03/201409/08/2020 by Lucy

Giveaway: Handmade gold heart dangle earrings!

We’ve been lucky enough to pair up with handmade artist VenaDiAmore, who is offering these wonderful handmade gold heart dangle earrings as a prize to one lucky winner!

To enter, simply share this blog post on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest using the buttons below, and then comment letting us know you did!

Winner announced Friday April 11th via this blog—so be sure to sign up for updates in the sidebar —>

Posted on 03/31/201409/08/2020 by Lucy

Succulent arrangements clas

This past Sunday (March 30, 2014!), Whole Foods invited Fair Ivy owner Lucy (that’s me) to teach eager crafters about a fun way to personalize your dinner place settings. The DIY Dinner event was connected with Whole Foods’ new online publication called Dark Rye.

I decided to combine three of my favorite things to create this DIY class:

Crafting
Upcycling (definition: The process of converting old or discarded materials into something useful and often beautiful.)
Succulents!

So I headed to the art store, the thrift store, and my own garden to gather the materials. Check out the photos from the successful event!

The main materials were:

Pots and cups that were upcycled with spray paint
Succulents snipped from my own garden as well as from generous friends (you can just put a clipping into the dirt and 90% of the time it will just grow its own roots!)
Paper scraps and twigs to create the name cards

Below are a few simple samples I brought to give participants an idea of how these succulent arrangements could be used as DIY dinner table settings—plus, as party favors that guests can take home at the end of the night!

Above: Me in action, teaching the steps. Below: Whole Foods was generous and provided us with delicious snacks and drinks that were perfect for the warm yet breezy afternoon outdoor event!

There were so many wonderful cute succulent arrangements created by all the participants! Check out some of my favorites below:

It was a ton of fun—a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. A big thanks to Whole Foods for inviting me to teach, and to all the wonderful participants who were so enthusiastic and creative!