LSAT Drama

Hey guys!

So I'm not sure if you've heard, but I'm taking the official LSAT this fall, which is in 2 WEEKS! I took a prep class and have been studying all summer long (and then some) in order to get me prepped for the test. And I plan on applying to law schools this winter. I also started classes this month at DePaul, so I have been kind of insanely busy with studying for classes, and studying for the LSAT every day.

I just wanted to put that out there, and let you all know that Hermosa will be on a haitus until I complete the LSAT on October 9th. But hang in there with me! I have a bunch of awesome completed designs that are just waiting to be photographed and released!

It's really quite challenging to manage full time classes, the LSAT, and a small business at the same time ^_~

Love,
Carolyn

Sneak Peak!

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to show you a sneak peak into some ocean-inspired necklaces that I plan on releasing next week!


Aren't they just gorgeous? They are genuine Swarovski Crystal Starfish pendants, and I'm in love with them. The blue is my favorite of course. What's yours?

Love,
Carolyn

Cameras, College, & Craft Fairs

Ok, so this post is going to be all over the place; Im warning you! First off, it is not really a jewelry-related post. It's just about me and my life (and a little bit about jewelry).

Ok first update: I got a new camera! A Canon PowerShot SD960 IS to be specific. And okay, maybe not too exciting for you, but really great + exciting for me! Haha. Why? Well, I've been waiting to get a camera for a while now (as most of my friends know). I've been borrowing cameras, using my silly phone camera, etc for years (yes, years. how did I survive? I don't know.), which is hard for me because I love taking photos of everything. Ok enough talk about me. Here's the camera itself!:

Isn't it great? And it's blue, my favorite color!

Now, I know it's nothing fancy like a big SLR, which is probably what you expected from the owner of a jewelry business (who is a poor college student by the way). But what I've learned, on my limited budget, is that you don't need a big clunky camera to take quality photos. For example, all of the photos I have taken of my jewelry in the past were taken by my friend's other point & shoot Canon. It was an amazing camera, and I would have gotten it myself, but they never released it in the US I think, or its not available anymore. But it was definitely all I needed to take those quality, close-up photos of my jewelry. And it was pretty simple since it was just a point & shoot and didn't require big lenses or too many complicated controls. Basically, it was just fine, and if you have the photography skills, you can use any camera to take great photos.

And now that I have my own camera, I no longer need to borrow from my friends! What does this mean for you and Hermosa Boudoir? Well, it means that I will be quicker in releasing new designs and photos. Meaning more content! See, great for you now! Haha. :)

On a different note, I plan on attending the Renegade Craft Fair, here in Chicago, this weekend! I'm gonna try to take some photos of the crafts there and report back to you all! I hear the Renegade Craft Fair is amazing, and that it has over 300 artists selling their wares. I know that a table there costs a lot of money... like what over 500 right? I just know its out of my budget for now. But hopefully one day I can become a vendor. For now I'll just stick with oogling everyone else's stuff.

Also, I just started classes today. TODAY. I am a student at DePaul University and it's my last year. Yeah, I'm a senior. It's so strange walking around campus, and imagining that after one year, this will no longer be part of my life. It's actually kind of disheartening, and I'm kind of in denial... Well, I guess it just means that I better make the most out of my last year and make some great memories. :)

Ok, well if you've made it this far in the post, you must either be bored, or my life might actually be interesting! Thanks a lot either way ^_~

Love,

Carolyn

Twitter

Hermosa Boudoir now has a Twitter account!:

http://twitter.com/HermosaBoudoir

Follow me, and I'll follow you back!

I have never really used Twitter before, so it's a pretty new concept to me! I'm hoping I can reach out to more potential customers by making a Twitter and maybe just providing another way for my customers to keep updated on my latest designs, blog posts, etc. I'm going to make my Twitter interesting and not just spam it with only promotional materials, but things I find inspirational + cool. So be sure to take a look at my Twitter and follow if you so choose!

Also, there is a Twitter box here on this blog. If you look to the right, below the Facebook box, you can actually see my most recent tweets. Now that's fancy, huh! I love how I've integrated my Facebook page and even my twitter into my blog. It helps my fans keep track of all these different sites, etc, and just puts it in one place, my blog!

If you have a twitter post it here and I'll follow you!

Love,
Carolyn

New Pages Being Added!

That's right; I am adding a few new pages/link to the top of this blog. Look under the Hermosa Boudoir banner and you should currently see "Home", "About Hermosa Boudoir", "The Lastest Design" and "Testimonials".

I thought this was an interesting feature in blogger and decided to check it out. I think I really like it! It's nice because when someone new, who knows nothing about my business, comes to the blog, they can immediately learn what its all about, etc, get some extra info on it. It's kinda like a real website with pages and such. Currently, I don't have my own website, so this will have to suffice!

"The Latest Design" Page is a concept I just created. Basically, click on that tab to view our most recent jewelry design, read its description, various photos, + price. It's an easy, simple way to keep up to date on our collection!

"Testimonials" Page is pretty self-explanatory. I have some truly AMAZING testimonials written by some beautiful fans of mine, so don't forget to check that page out! Thank you girls for submitting your very well-written testimonials to me. I love them! These testimonials are also featured in our Product Catalog.

Love,
Carolyn

Say Hello to Hermosa Boudoir!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the official blog for Hermosa Boudoir!


If you have been keeping up to date with Hermosa Jewelry, you will now know that Hermosa Boudoir is the debut name for "Hermosa Jewelry!" In addition with the name change and new look, I am also happy to release our first-ever product catalog! It contains a bunch of great things such as information on the company, a letter from me, testimonials and a GREAT coupon (check the back!) just to name a few. View the catalog here, at our new Facebook page!:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19204&id=128128453900528&ref=mf

Be sure to "like" it, so you can see all my latest designs! The Facebook Page is my main means of communication to my fans, so be sure to check it out. Here's the main page for the Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/hermosaboudoir

Hermosa Jewelry has been going through some huge changes lately. Along with its name change, and new product catalog, there has also been a shift in prices! This is good for you! It is difficult to offer low prices on Swarovski Crystal jewelry, especially when I incorporate genuine 92.5% sterling silver and 14kt gold filled elements. However, I have made sure to keep them at reasonable prices, despite the inflated price tags of my competitors.

I hope you enjoy the new name, new look, and product catalog!

I can now be contacted at hermosaboudoir@gmail.com. Comments or feedback is greatly appreciated!

~Carolyn

Hermosa Jewelry Catalog??

That's right! I am currently working on the first Hermosa Jewelry product catalog! It will be made available in .pdf form so you can view it on your computer, and it will also be available in printed form! I have been working nonstop on it for a while now. I really love working with photoshop, and designing so it's kinda been a blast for me. xD Haha, some would probably consider it work, but I think it's really fun. Here is a sneak peek into the catalog! I would appreciate any comments/suggestions, since this is the first catalog I've ever made :D Anything would be appreciated! I think I'm even going to include a letter in my catalog, almost like a magazine!

<3 Carolyn

Mackinac Island

Hey everyone, so I promised photos of Mackinac Island, and I didn't forget!

 

Mackinac Island is located in Northern Michigan and is near Canada (Like a 20 min drive I think!). It's a very small island; so small that it consists of only 60 inhabitants! (Learned this from the tour guide, haha) They have a school that apparently only had 3 graduates last year. Yeah! Imagine graduating with a class of 3! And I thought my hometown Antioch, IL was small with our 13,000 population. I can't imagine what it must be like to live on an island with only 60 other people. I bet most of the people that live there must be involved in the tourist industry, or maybe manage the hotels etc. Interesting fact: In the winter, they don't plow the roads, so everyone gets around via snowmobile! That sounds like a lot of fun :)

Anyways, my trip there mainly consisted of fudge and horses. Oh and tourists. The island itself was really pretty, but I didn't it expect it to be so touristy. There were too many little kids running around and cheesy gift shops. Ew. But I bet if I had gotten off of the main roads and had gone hiking on the hills or had a chance to visit the beaches, it would've been much better.  But I was with my family who's not very adventurous... so oh well! It definitely wasn't as authenticate as I'd have liked it to be. But despite it being a bit commercial, it was still a nice break from the city. Here are the photos from my trip!

The main street, full of fudge and bicycles.

The beautiful horse carriages, found all over the island. These carriages, and bicycles, are their main modes of transportation.

Some beautiful flowers.

The boat ride there was just stunning.

The waves from the boat.

Ok, so Mackinac Island was a bit too commercial for me, but it still made for a nice trip. And now I'll leave you all with this lovely photo of me in Mackinac with a real bear xD:

Have you ever been to Mackinac Island? + Did you like it? :)

<3Carolyn

Major Changes?

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to shoot you all a quick update on what's going on with Hermosa Jewelry. First of all, please excuse me for the recent lack of updates~ I have been busy with planning some major changes with the company. I am thinking about giving Hermosa Jewelry a make-over, and maybe even changing the name. Yes, I know! A name change! Pretty big deal yes. I have a few ideas for the new name and look, and I'm pretty excited to debut it, but it is still a work in progress. I will of course keep you all updated on the progress, but I first just wanted to put that out there. (If you have any helpful ideas or names for Hermosa Jewelry, feel free to comment and suggest them!) =D

I have also released a new necklace called "Forest Treasures." It features a new kind of Swarovski Crystal shape, the leaf pendant. I coupled it with a sterling silver pine cone charm and Swarovski Crystal Pearl:

I also plan on releasing variations of this necklace and other necklaces using the leaf pendant. I just love this pendant so much. It's a little bigger than the hearts but doesn't have the AB backing like them. I personally think the leaf looks great by itself, but coupled with the pine cone and pearl, it looks even more elegant.

In addition to releasing the new necklace, I also had another photo shoot with my latest model: Silvia! You can see all the photos at Hermosa Jewelry's Facebook page (click here!) but here are some of the best photos from the shoot. She is seen here modeling Forest Treasures:

Silvia is one of best friends and roommate (ok ex-roommate now) and she was sweet enough to model for me! Isn't she a gorgeous girl? ^o^ (Thank you Silvia!) I like these photos, because you can see how the Forest Treasures necklace looks when worn, and you can also get a feel for the size of the crystal and length of the chain. The sterling silver chain is 18", which I feel is the perfect length, but I also have 16" length chains available, so if you ever want a slightly shorter chain please let me know.

Ok, so this is what Hermosa Jewelry has been up to! Once again, sorry for lack of updates, but stick around and I promise it'll be worth it! And keep on the look out for Hermosa Jewelry's new MAKE-OVER and possible new NAME! These are exciting times for me and the company, and I'm glad I can share it with all of you! ^_^ Thanks for being a fan of Hermosa Jewelry!

<3Carolyn

Hermosa Jewelry on Facebook!

I'm not sure if you are all aware, but Hermosa Jewelry has a facebook fanpage!

http://www.facebook.com/hermosajewelry

I update it very frequently and it is probably my main venue for sales and such. Please "like" my page! If you also have a facebook, please post it here and I'll return the favor. ^_~

<3Carolyn

4th of July Weekend

It's finally 4th of July! What are all your guy's plans for tomorrow? I'm going to a family barbecue, and then going on a trip to Mackinac Island up in Michigan. I've never been there but I hear its absolutely beautiful. I heard that there are no cars, and that everyone gets around in horse carriage. Sounds so enchanting! I actually first heard of Mackinac Island through another blog that posted about the island's lilac festival (sorry I don't remember who blogged that!). And then, randomly, a few weeks later my mom told me that were going. So random! But I'm exciting cause it seems like a nice little getaway from the city!

Doesn't it look lovely? I'll post up pics after I get back! ^_^

And on a different note, or a jewelry related note ^__~ I have released a new pair of earrings and 2 new necklace designs. Here's a peek! You can find all these designs on my Etsy, or feel free to contact me directly at hermosa_jewelry@yahoo.com!

My Antique Copper Filigree Earrings: (click on the photos to enlarge them)

Features beautiful antique copper and genuine Swarovski Crystal pearls.

$15

And the Grape and Cherry Swarovski Crystal Necklace Collection. Choose your flavor~!

$32 each

Also, a generous friend of mine has recently contacted me about aiding me in starting an official website! I've been meaning to create an official Hermosa Jewelry site for a while, but haven't gotten around to it. She's pretty talented and knowledgeable in web design, so hopefully she can help me create a new site! Be on the look out for that! I will definitely announce my site here on the blog!

<3Carolyn

Finals are Over!

So finals are officially over and summer is here!

Handling orders and juggling with finals was pretty hard the last few weeks, so I'm pretty glad its over. Now that I'm all done with that, I have a bunch of free time on my hands. I ended up neglecting my blog a bit due to it, but it's safe to say that I am now back and ready to blog ^_~ I really want to make this blog as aesthetic and interesting as it can be. Also, I don't want to just talk about jewelry and new pieces. I also want to show you guys things that I find cool or interesting! Anyways just wanted to shoot out that update!

<3Carolyn

The first Hermosa Jewelry Model

Hey everyone,

I have exciting news!
Recently I began a search for girls to model my jewelry and to become official models for my company. I quickly found a gorgeous friend who was up for it. (I am currently searching for new models. If you are interested please shoot me an email or send me a message on facebook)

And with that,  I would like to proudly introduce Hermosa Jewelry's first official model:

                                              BRANDI

Brandi is one of my best friends, and she was kind enough to take some gorgeous photos for Hermosa Jewelry. Her beauty has lead her to a 2 year modelling career where she has traveled throughout the US, to cities like LA,  for professional runway shows and modeling opportunities. Isn't she a beautiful girl? These photos above are from her professional modeling days.

Brandi is a proud owner of my Pearl Cascade earrings. Here are some photos of her modeling them:

The Pearl Cascade Earrings.

Here's some info on Brandi!:

Name: Brandi
Age: 21
Hometown: Chicago
Current City: Las Vegas
Ethnic background: Polish, German, Cherokee Indian, Irish, and Puerto Rican
5 words that describe you: dare devil, strong, independent, flirty, and intelligent
What did you do today?: Went to the gym then sat on my butt
What is your dream job?: to be an artist of all kinds
What is one of your goals in life?: to just be happy with what I have
Do you have any tattoos?: two. A four wolf paw print up my right side and a compass on my back.
What's your favorite food?: NACHOS!
Whats your biggest turn on?: as a really tall female, I love when a man is taller than me.
Whats your biggest turn off?: arrogance
What's one thing about you that shocks people? I can burp like a truck driver.
What do you think of Hermosa Jewelry? I think the jewelry is beautiful and the creator is very talented.

Thank you so much Brandi! Thanks for your support + love!

This is just my first official model. I will be updating this blog with future Hermosa Jewelry Models, so be sure to check back for new gorgeous girls =)

<3Carolyn

I'm back!

Hey everyone!

Sorry for that week long hiatus~ I was waiting on a large order of supplies, in addition to trying to study for finals. (Yes, I am studying for a Micro-economics final as I type this. Why am I blogging?! See this is why I can't study!) Haha, but I am back, don't worry! And I came back to show you my latest design!:

The Paris Romance Necklace.
(In Red and Sapphire)

I just gotta say that I really love this necklace. In these photos the charms look pretty big because I'm zoomed up on them. But in person, they are quite small and intricate. The smallness of them really makes this piece look sophisticated and high quality, which it is! For example, the heart pendant is only 10mm in size, which is less than half an inch!

Ok so let me give you the specifics on the design first. It consists of an antique Pewter Eiffel Tower charm that's paired with a cream colored Swarovski Crystal pearl and a 10mm Swarovski Crystal heart pendant. They all come strung on an 18" .925 sterling silver chain.

Here's a close up of the Eiffel Tower charm. The charm itself is just gorgeous! It's so precious that I considered making a necklace with just it by itself. Perhaps I'll release that in the future, or maybe other variations using it. (I plan on doing a gold version in the future) The intricate detailing on it really makes it stand out. It kind of reminds me of one of those little monopoly pieces!

What brings this necklace all together is the 6mm cream Swarovski crystal pearl I attached. Without it, the necklace lacks something. My roommate/best friend Silvia actually helped me out w/ the design. She said the pearl was a must, and she was right! She always gives me the best business and creative advice =P

Finally, I attached these three components to the .925 sterling silver charm. I recently learned how to create my own jump rings, which I used in this necklace! I was actually really excited when I could figure out to actually do that! (jumprings are the little metal circles used to attach the charms to the chain and other things.)

Also, the reason I decided on Red or Sapphire hearts is because I wanted to make the necklace as French as possible! Haha, the French flag is red, white, and blue too, ya know!

Anyways, here's some more eye candy for you all~

Me hanging the Sapphire one from my hand. I personally love this one. Sapphire is my birthstone, and blue just so happens to be my favorite color, so this version really suits me.

The red is also really cute too. I personally feel like it might match the silver better. But I love blue too much! And besides it'll match with my clothes better.

Let me know what you guys think! This is probably my favorite design so far =)

<3Carolyn

Chou! 8bit-To-Go

Hi everyone!

I'm not sure if you all know, but my brother also runs a business! I recently took some pictures of his products and thought you guys might like to see. He mainly makes gamer themed T-shirts but he also makes these super cute 8-bit magnets! Yeah, they're magnets! So cute, huh?

Aren't they awesome? ^___^

These are just a few of his creations. If you wanna see more, you can find them on his website:
http://www.choustore.com/

Or take a peek at his blog:
http://www.choustore.blogspot.com/

<3Carolyn

I was featured on Craft Gawker!

Hey everyone, I have great news!

I just learned today that my Purple Frost necklace was featured on Craft Gawker!

Check it out!!

This is so exciting for me!

Craft Gawker is just like "Food Gawker," a site that I personally love (check out Food Gawker, btw, it will make you so hungry....http://foodgawker.com) I just learned of it the other day and decided to submit a photo of my Purple Frost necklace. It's a website that basically features large photos of good lookin' crafts! And I linked the photo to my blog, so hopefully it will be bringing me some new views~ Also, Craft Gawker exclusively chooses who to accept. They won't accept any mediocre crafts or any shabby photos, so I feel pretty lucky to be featured!

Just wanted to share my good news with you all!

And while you're at it, take a look at Craft Gawker~! (My necklace is currently on the 2nd page ^___^)

http://craftgawker.com/page/2/ 

There truly are some awe-worthy crafts on here. They have anything and everything handmade, not only jewelry. And I'm definitely now following some great blogs that I found through it!

<3 Carolyn

My Jewelry Making Supplies

Hey Hermosa Girls!

So I decided to take some pictures of my bead box so that you guys could see what I use to create my jewelry!

This little box right here is where all my earrings are made from.

It's double sided, which is so convenient; all I have to do is flip it over to get my metal findings or metal beads! And I got it at on sale at Jo-Ann Fabrics for only 4 bucks! Such a great deal. And yes, it IS really small! Since I just started, I don't have much inventory or beads at all. I can't wait until I outgrow this box and need to get a bigger one because I just really love collecting beads.

Here's the bead side of it:

 I have a bunch of stuff in here. Lots of Swarovski Crystals and pearls

mainly. But on the bottom right compartment, I have some gorgeous

pear-shaped Swarovski Crystal pendants. They are so beautiful and I

cannot wait to use them! I plan on using them for a pair of earrings I'm

making, but I'm still missing some key components. I plan on using the

pear pendants with the small tan round crystals in the bottom center

compartment. Ok, well I won't say too much, I'll keep you guys guessing!

And here is the other side of the box:

This part contains most of my metal findings in addition to some metal

beads I have, like the antique gold bows. As you can see, I have a bunch

of antique copper bracelet clasps, but I haven't made any bracelets yet!

I bought them with a set of other antique copper findings that I needed at 

the time so that's why I have them. But they are tempting me, and I might

try to incorporate them into a necklace or maybe a new bracelet.

My little bead box all stored away.

Ok, so I don't know about you, but I just love the beads themselves! Yeah, they make great jewelry but they're so much fun to just look at sometimes. Haha.

Well, now you know a bit more behind my jewelry making process~

<3 Carolyn

Earrings

In this post, I want to introduce my signature Hermosa Jewelry earrings! These are all designed and handmade by me.

Also, these are currently on my Etsy! 

Eye Candy time!!!

The Pearl Cascade earrings:

When I first started making these beautiful earrings

it took me around 3 hours to finish them! Now that

I've gotten the hang of it, it doesn't take me as long.

However, it is still a very tedious and intricate process.

Each Swarovski Crystal pearl is looped by hand onto

the silver chain. At the end of a chain is a clear AB

Swarovski Crystal bicone. I feel like the tail makes it

even more elegant. What do you think? <3

Me holding them. In this close up photo, you can see more of the 

intricate detail. These babies are my pride and joy!

All tucked away in a white box. Ready to give away!

The Antique Brass earrings:

 These antique brass earrings feature gorgeous, ornate Antique Brass

filigrees with lavender Swarovski Crystal beads attached to them.

They are classy and extremely versatile. I own my own pair and

where them all the time! Many people have purchased them as gifts,

so they really make a great gift at only $15 bucks!

 

 You can see them hung here.

 I also have them available in two other colors, sand and pink!

Here's the sand pair~

 

 Here's all three. You can see the Pink on the right. Those are very feminine and classy, too.

 

 The Raspberry Drop earrings

 

 These are one of the first earrings I made! I think that

they're very playful, cute, and flirty. I called them

Raspberry Drops because they remind me of fruit!

The beads are hand-fired Czech-fired glass beads that are

imported from the Czech Republic

 

Closer up version.

These are some of my first creations made for Hermosa Jewelry! I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I loved creating them ^__~

<3 Carolyn