jb.made

12 Eco-friendly Ways to Design an Outdoor Space

2010-06-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

Although I do enjoy designing and creating handmade jewelry, my background and degree are based in landscape design. So whenever I’m designing a landscape for a green-minded client, which happens to be my favorite kind, it’s nice to have some great pieces handy for inspiration. Thankfully, commercial stores are incorporating a few amazing options, making browsing for site furnishings easier and a little more fun. Most of the pieces pictured here are high in recycled content or made of rapidly renewable resources.

1. Wood Candles, Pottery Barn (www.potterybarn.com)
2. Vintage Grape Crate, Terrain at Styers (www.shopterrain.com/)
3. Alder Round Table, Brent Comber (www.brentcomber.com)
4. Vintage French Bistro Set, Terrain at Styers
5. Recycled Glass Lanterns, West Elm (www.westelm.com)
6. Pottery Barn Earth-Friendly Teak Dining Set
7. Willow Edging, Terrain at Styers
8. Box-weave Hurricane, Pottery Barn
9. Jute and Reclaimed Leather Rug, Pottery Barn
10. Braided Jute Rug, West Elm
11. Wildfire Acacia Table, New Makers Original (www.newmakers.com/)
12. Vintage Steel Bench, Terrain at Styers

VOTE for my TV show audition tape by July 3rd!

2010-06-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy time lately and I wanted to let you know that I've put together a video to be considered by Oprah and Mark Burnett while they determine the next big show on Oprah's new network!!

My show concept of course is regarding GREEN LIVING, I hope you like it. The more views and the more votes my video has, the greater my chances of getting the show slot. Here is the link, please take a look and thank you so much for taking the time to VOTE! :)

Jill's Green Across America

Voting will be open until July 3rd and you can view and vote for it as many times as you wish. You don't need to view it in order to put in a vote. Wish me luck!

Anthro Bridal: Somebody Out There Is Listening To Us!

2010-03-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

As reported in the Huffington Post, and a whole slew of other publications are psyched to announce that Urban Outfitters Inc. will be offering a whole line of bridal gowns and special occassion dresses! It'll be designed by the masterminds of Anthropologie and slated to be released in Spring 2011. So if you're a 2011 or 2012 bride-to-be, you are one lucky cookie! I'm so jealous. :)

I'm Predicting a Today Show Segment...

2010-03-01T14:38:00.001-08:00

I'm sure by now everyone has heard of the famous Chris Brown Wedding Dance, which made it's way onto the Today Show, not to mention the most hilarious and sweet montage on 'The Office' that I've ever seen.

Last week, a dear friend showed me the website for a couple that's getting married this June in New Mexico, and I just HAD to share their wedding website. You are going to die! Let's just say that while sending an online Save The Date is extremely green, but creating a video of yourselves in puppet form just takes the cake. Enjoy!

Click here, and don't forget to turn on the sound: Rick and Erin's Wedding Video Link

Tread Lightly with Eco-friendly Shoes

2010-03-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

So if you're in the DC area, you know all about the 'snowmaggedon', the 'snowpocalypse', the 'snoverboard' (ok, ok...) that was our lives in the month of February. I thought, hey wouldn't this be a great time to buy a pair of boots that don't get soaked everytime I go outside? Wrong. Everybody was selling sandals for spring break!! That is, until I found the perfect cheap pair at Old Navy,faux leather tall boots that are actually cute!

If you're interested in finding your perfect pair (even for wedding shoes!) but don't want to sacrifice your love of cruelty-free fashion, check out these sites for some great pairs:

Moo Shoes, for all kinds of shoes, wallets, handbags, and belts. I love their tagline: "Cruelty Free. Animal Approved."

Planet Shoes, which is where I ordered my wedding shoes from. I was so pleased with this site, be prepared to look for a while because they have waaay too many options. But rest assured, you can narrow your search by size, color, and style. Or just take it all in. Don't forget kids shoes, too!

Happy shopping!

So Much To Say

2010-03-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since my last post, but I've been collecting interesting things to share, and I've decided to do a whole slew of posts just to tell you about it all! Green is everywhere and I'm so happy to spread the word. :)

But before I get to the fun stuff, I wanted you all to know that I'm now writing in a couple different places now too! This is very exciting for me. One is I'm now a contributor for the landscape architecture network site, land8lounge. There, I cover green topics related to the landscape and architectural field, similar to articles Ed and I have been writing for our company's newsletter. Our newsletter is now becoming a quarterly piece, to debute next month. I'm very excited about this one because now we'll be including a guest expert that'll give us their perspective on a green design topic of their choice. I can't tell you who the first guest will be but I'm extremely psyched to have him included!

The other place where I'll soon be writing is Examiner.com, in their DC/Northern Virginia Home & Living section. I'll be writing as a Green Building Examiner! I'm so excited at the opportunity. Since I haven't set up my home page yet with my very first article, I do not have a direct link yet. I'll be sure to add that soon.

So without further ado, let me get into some fun green stuff!

more green options at Anthro...

2010-02-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

From above:
1) Round Recycled Glass Vase

2) Again and Again Vase (of course it's no longer available but there's still plenty more to choose from!)

green is in fashion at Anthro

2010-02-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ok so it's no secret that I'm a bit Anthropologie obsessed... see here to see the pretty dresses my sister and bridesmaid Jael wore for our beachfront wedding. I always love to see what new things they've got going on over there and am super inspired by all the creativity. Check out these ecofriendly options:

(From above photo)
Washed Ashore Lamp
Lovina Table Runner

Only a couple days left!

2010-02-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that the Valentine's Day sale is going on for only a limited time! Sale ends Wednesday, February 10th!
Now that the post offices are all open (for now) in DC and Virginia after our snow-tastic weekend, I'll have no problem sending out your gifts. Or getting out of my parking space for that matter. :)

Here's the link again with updated product availabilities:

friends & family sale

Fab new green designer!

2010-02-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the designs of illustrator Jillian Doughty. She's skilled at finding just the right thrift store or estate sale pieces to breathe new life into by drawing beautiful illustrations on them. For Christmas she hosted an eco-friendly gift wrapping contest which yours truly actually WON, which I'm very excited to say that soon I will have a piece of my very own as the prize!

She was even featured in the most recent 'Gifts for Him' guide on etsy.com.
Check out here work at: www.etsy.com/shop/22pages

Valentine's Day sale, Feb 1st to the 10th

2010-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is a friends and family sale... so feel free to forward this along to any of your friends and family to spread the word (and the love)!

friends & family sale

Simply click on the image above to open the Picasa photo gallery of all the new and extremely marked down pieces! Almost everything has been marked down, the only differences this time around is there is a flat $2 shipping rate for a single item but FREE SHIPPING for orders of 2 or more items. Going on today through February 10th, just in time for Valentine's Day.

My original photography is still for sale (at a reduced price of course...), complete with recycled paper, biodegradable casing, and reused cardboard backing.

Who says that RED is the color of V-day? Why not make it GREEN??

Happy shopping!
~ Jill

Sneak Peek!

2010-01-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak preview to the Valentine's Sale coming up tomorrow through February 10th right here on the jb.made site. Click on the image to hear all about the sale and be sure to check back in tomorrow for the Picasa link!

Keeping up with the Greens

2010-01-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Wonderful eco-friendly homes for sale! If you've ever wanted to live in a green home or just browse around to pick out your dream home, THIS is the place to do it: www.greenhomesforsale.com. The images above are from a goooorgeous home in Portland, OR, so if anyone can tell me the economy's better out there, I'll put my offer in right away!!

Because I am at the point in my life where I'd really like to find a nice place to live with all the green features I can get my hands on... but don't quite have the funds yet, it's always nice to see people that are already there. Along with looking at homes, I also found this great little video of a family outside of Sydney, Australia that have a totally off the grid home. That means all the energy they use is actually CREATED on their property (in this case mostly by solar panels) so there's no need for a hefty electric bill. See the 'Change Begins At Home' video here: www.ecohood.info

This man is so green, he's crazy

2010-01-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

I couldn't think of a better description for this writer/activist/eco-nut, Colin Beavan, who's regular blogging on No Impact Man and book entitled "No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process" sounds like a guy we've all just got to meet. Read HERE to learn all about his fabulous book, where he drags his family in on an attempt to literally go off the grid for a year, all while living in the busiest city in America, NYC.

I've officially added Colin's blog to my blogroll and just love hearing about what he's doing next!

recycle that christmas tree!

2009-12-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

This is exactly the kind of article that's important for this time of year. What the heck to do with that Christmas tree so it's not a huge waste after it's holiday use is up. Go ahead, keep yours up as long into 2010 as you want, but before you toss it out, read this: Natural Home Magazine: Recycle Your Christmas Tree.

thank you

2009-12-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all my friends and family that took part in the first ever Friends and Family Holiday Sale! It was so great to make jewelry for you all and to help make your holidays just a little greener. :) I hope those of you that have already opened your gifts are enjoying your new eco-bling, and those anxiously waiting to open your ON Christmas are pleasantly surprised!

Just an additional update on this site, I've decided to delete my account on etsy.com in favor of catering to these fun holiday and special event sales, and plan to have my next sale happening for VALENTINE'S DAY. I know, I know, it's almost Christmas and the men surely don't want to hear about ANY other holidays right now, so more to come on that later next month!

I will be leaving up the link for the holiday sale for anyone interested during January so feel free to keep shopping, but saving the additional discounts and new pretty little things until it's time for V-day.

Happy holidays to you all!
~ Jill

Holiday Sale: One Week Left!

2009-12-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

ONE WEEK LEFT!! Everything at jb.made is discounted for Friends and Family, but only until December 17th! Take an extra 10% off only until next Thursday, and have your gifts already giftwrapped, shipped, and received before Christmas.
Just click on the link here for more information and happy holidays!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jbelle942/FriendsFamilySale?authkey=

friends & family sale

JB.MADE is having a Friends and Family HOLIDAY SALE!

2009-11-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

friends & family sale

Everything's on sale for the holidays, all available jewelry and photography already discounted is brought down ANOTHER 10%. But only until December 17th so it'll all get to you before the holidays!! Click on the picasa link for all the info and of course photos and descriptions of EVERYTHING on sale. Happy holidays!

My green wedding vendor friends

2009-11-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Have you been to WeddingWire lately?
It's a great resource for brides and grooms-to-be, and I'd love for you to meet some of my green wedding connections there! Here's a few to get you started:

You may remember a recent post about an Illinois-based photographer, Vrai. They've also got a cute blog and a facebook fan page.
Dream Green Weddings out of Longwood, FL is your one-stop-shop for all things green. Their tagline says it all: "All eco-friendly, All eco-elegant. All in one place." Very pretty website too!
Bride Design focuses their green energy on a beautiful array of eco-friendly wedding invites, they're based in Upstate NY.

Be sure to check out all my friends at WeddingWire online. I will also be updating my portfolio within the next few weeks to showcase newer pieces, so be on the lookout for that!

Let me hear from YOU

2009-11-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays, we are now less than a week away from Thanksgiving and only 34 DAYS left until Christmas (WOW!). Now I want to hear from you as to how I can make your holiday season a little brighter.

Would you be interested in a holiday sale?
Greening your holiday tips?
Ideas for holiday themed green weddings?
Any questions about my items and how to buy them for the special folks on your list?

I'd love to be there to help you green your Christmas or Hanukkah this year and every year, so any thoughts you have would be great! I've heard a bit of confusion with the etsy.com site and am considering posting my jewelry and photography on sale in a bit of a different format that's easier to maneuver. Sound good to you??

Thanks in advance, hope to hear from you soon. :)

something green this way comes

2009-11-06T13:48:00.001-08:00

It's here: This Sunday is the West Annapolis 2nd Sunday Green Market!! This is the holiday market, the last of the season, the big shabang. So I'm pulling out all the stops. Along with bringing out the usual jb.made fair trade and recycled jewelry, I've been making some beautiful bracelets upon request and also putting some of my original photography up for sale! (all printed on 100% recycled FSC certified paper with biodegradable plant-based sleeves, of course)

And did I mention ALL jewelry will be marked down 10% to bring even more holiday cheer?? Oh yeah, I'm in the spirit.

So come on by, it's going to be beautiful weather all Sunday long! Hope to see you all then, and for those that can't make it to the market, I promise to get back to putting pieces on etsy...I swear.

So come on out, check out some

Shakti Rising graduation tomorrow!

2009-10-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know my fabulous sister, Jennifer, you know she has a heart bigger than the state of California. She's been working tirelessly to prepare a memorable graduation event for the non-profit Skakti Rising, going on TOMORROW night in San Diego. Shakti is all about empowering our girls and women with the strength to get through all life's struggles, and the graduation ceremony is a beautiful way to honor those who have completed the program this year.

I am SO proud to be a part of this event even in a small way, by donating a piece of jb.made jewelry to the cause. It will be auctioned off during the graduation, and I can only hope that it becomes somebody's new favorite eco-bling! Congratulations to all the women in charge of making this event possible, you are all beautiful inside and out!

New jb.made promo video

2009-10-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Click on the video to view some new mixed with some other pieces that I've put together in a snazzy video on Picasa. Make sure you have your sound on for the full effect. A lot of these items will be for sale at the West Annapolis 2nd Sunday Green Market on November 8th so come check it out!

Green Photography in Illinois, bring it on!

2009-10-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Chicago-based green photography team Vrai know just how to capture the right moments in any event, and do so with as little impact on the environment as possible. Bravo!

The creation of eco-photographer Kristina Carter, Vrai (which means 'true' in French) only uses recycled paper for any of their printing needs, gives back 10% to non-profits and even neutralizes their website's carbon output with CO2stats. Keep it up!

For info on Vrai or to book your next eco-concious event, check out www.vraiphoto.com

October is Fair Trade Month

2009-10-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Fair Trade month by attending a fun Fair Trade event, or checking out deals throughout the month HERE.

Makes me think of having a sale of my own...hmmm.
Stay tuned for that, and the next month's West Annapolis 2nd Sunday Green Market, where jb.made will be there with all new HOLIDAY goodies (hence the pretty frosted berries pictured above)!! Only 71 days until Christmas, or so I've heard, haha.

D.C. Green America festival this weekend

2009-10-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Coming up this weekend is a full-blown green fest, complete with speakers like Ed Begley Jr. and heaps of great exhibitors showcasing their green prowess. Green Festival Washington DC promises to be definitive place to meet and greet the best and brightest sustainability crusaders... and apparently get some green holiday shopping done. This is what they tell me.

Regardless, I'll be there tomorrow checking out the booths and handing out business cards for jb.made as well as my husband and my green building consulting business, 3 Design Consulting. Should be a great time, and it helps to know that by being a member of Green America, the festival is F-R-E-E. My favorite. :)

new Etsy find - madebyhank

2009-10-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

I'm so pleased to bring to light an amazing artist that is also listed on Etsy.com, madebyhank! Making handbags that seem to fly off the shelf the second they're posted, Katie Henry is the stylish woman's eco-warrior.

To see why I love her work, read a quote from the artist from her Etsy featurette: "i suppose it all starts with materials. i spend hours scouring thrift stores, vintage shops, fabric warehouses, all sorts of places to find my fabrics and things. i use mainly vintage and repurposed fabrics in my bags and many of them have repurposed leather belts as straps. i try to use/re-use as many materials that already exist as possible, because there are so many new things in this world already."

Fabulous!!

madebyhank blog

I Break Plates (for good green fun!)

2009-09-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm scouring the Etsy pages and trying to find some great green local artists, and am in love with the Broken Plate Pendant Company!

What a great way to reuse something so beautifully, and I'm sure having a little fun smashing it to bits in the process. Very stress-relieving. The Broken Plate Pendant Company was seen this past summer at the Baltimore Artscape, my favorite art show, and quite a few other shows throughout the year, not to mention being sold in more than 20 stores and online at Etsy. Check them out at www.thebrokenplate.etsy.com for some amazing one of a kind GREEN pieces!

Pics from the Market!

2009-09-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

W. Annapolis Green Market

Thanks so much to all who came and made it such a success, and for whoever brought the FABULOUS weather too. What a great day!

1st EVENT: Annapolis Green Market!!

2009-08-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

It's official, I'm all set to start selling at the West Annapolis 2nd Sunday Green Market on September 13th!

I couldn't be more excited; making more pieces and creating displays for the big day. If you're in the area and want to check out my work as well as some great local artists and farmers, come on down from 10am to 3pm! It's also in the West Annapolis neighborhood which is full of great shops and cute cafes so why not spend an afternoon getting an ice cold smoothie over at B. B. Bistro and strolling through the market.

Also, email me if you're interested in a custom piece so I can have it ready by the market. Hope to see you then!

Versani - gorgeous NYC & Miami jewelry

2009-08-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Our recent trip to New York was a bit rainy, so we spent a little time ducking into cool shops that caught our eye. One in particular was this amazing jewelry shop (surprise!) called Versani, down in Greenwich Village. They use some really interesting fair trade and conflict-free materials and combine them with incredibly unique designs. Perfect for the green bride, Versani's collection of men's and women's rings is pretty amazing. I could look at their stuff forever, and the store was even designed to look like you're in an old forgotten bungalow with these huge beams and decorative shingled roofs hanging inside. They're even a member of Greenopia, which rates green NYC businesses according to their eco-friendliness. Bravo!

jb.made featured on FoundHandmade.com

2009-08-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Blue coco palm necklace has been featured on the blog foundhandmade.com! To find the page, click on the link and type in 'palm' in the top search button. Be sure to check it out along with many other great finds. Many thanks to FoundHandmade for all you do to showcase great handmade art, and for giving jb.made a little bit of the spotlight!

become a facebook fan!

2009-08-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

Now you can become a fan of the fun and fair trade jewelry shown here by heading over to Facebook! Last week, along with posting up some really fun necklaces on the etsy shop, I've started a Facebook fan page to link everyone up. It's a great way to connect and just another way to hear about new fun stuff.

As a side note, I'm taking suggestions from others on green wedding or design ideas, if you'd like to help add to the content of jb.made, send me an email at jbelle942@gmail.com. Photos are always welcome as well. I'd love to hear from you!

calling all bride-y's!

2009-08-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Calling all brides to be! I am now an official member of Wedding Wire, which is a great resource for you to find thousands of wedding vendors, and just happens to be affiliated with Martha Stewart Weddings, which if you know me you know I adored that magazine when I was engaged. Please browse through the site and my newly updated portfolio, and if you decide to purchase an item or request a custom piece, I'd LOVE to have your review on my page! The more reviews, the better! Help us starving artist-types get to the top of the Wedding Wire food chain.

Thank you, and click to check out my new wedding wire page!

greening the mail

2009-08-02T10:01:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm a bit of a green fanatic. So of course when I set up my shop at Etsy recently, I had to think about how everything will be packaged. That lead me to looking at my options for recycled paper mailers, something that's MUCH less wasteful than bubble wrap or plastic.

So I'm happy to announce that anyone purchasing items from the jb.made Etsy shop will receive your goodies in a 95% post-consumer waste CareMail mailer! It's fully lined with 'yesterday's news', and of course could also be recycled again after it's shipped. It's a great cycle.

On a side note, you can purchase these items yourself at Staples (more options online) or Amazon. Stores like Crate and Barrel have been picking up on the CareMail phenomenon and using their Greenwrap products and biodegradable packing peanuts in all their shipping. All the more reason to have them on your green wedding registry!

DIY earring display

2009-07-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

There's nothing worse than a display that takes away from the quality of the pieces it's actually holding. So last week, while getting things ready for selling, I put together a simple but very pretty earring display using some easy to find materials. If you're interested in doing something similar, here's some easy instructions to get to the final product (shown above):

1) First, start out with a frame of your choice, finished or unfinished. I got mine at Michael's Crafts, sized 8x10
2) Remove any of the cardboard or glass in the middle portion, we're not putting photos in this one. :)
3) Using sharp scissors or wire cutters, trim two bamboo skewers (from the grocery store) so they fit snug inside the open frame from the back.
4) Glue the bamboo skewers using hot glue (or wood glue would work too)
5) Optional: decorate with paint or spray paint to your liking, making it a unique design

This was so inexpensive and took only a few minutes! I love how not only are the skewers sturdy enough for all these earrings, they're also made of a sustainable material. Bonus. :)

yoga and jewelry

2009-07-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say that all the earrings and necklaces that I've made for Ridgely Retreat are all up on display right up in front! They're located at 203 Ridgely Ave here in Annapolis, right across from the Great Harvest Bread. If you're in the area and looking to do some yoga, come by at pick up something pretty for yourself on your way out. So far there are 15 pairs of earrings and 9 necklaces up for sale, and soon to be several more on etsy.com!

good news for jb.made lovers!!

2009-07-12T08:14:00.001-07:00

I'm in full-on production mode this week! Why, do you ask? Because I'm gearing up for two very exciting openings: my Etsy shop and my commissioning at the lovely Ridgely Retreat here in Annapolis!!! My work will be showcased at Ridgely, which is an amazing yoga (among other things) studio in West Annapolis, and it'll be sold right next to some seasoned veterans of jewelry design. So exciting! That'll be out next week, followed by the online store.

Check back for more details!

allison & steven's green reception

2009-07-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

So many cute ideas to share here! Allison and Steven were married in Wilmington, DE on June 21st, and held their reception at a country club just across state lines in Pennsylvania. The setting was gorgeous, and luckily they had chosen a space that already featured a variety of interesting greenery to add to the ambiance.

They chose little glass jars of honey with a 'sweet' note from the couple as their favors, and even used real grass in a really great salvaged box to hold their place cards. I'm sure Allison can tell you more about where all these great finds came from! Thanks for letting me share these~

Just in, we're on Green Bride Guide!

2009-07-01T11:51:00.001-07:00

Our many thanks to The Green Bride Guide online, who first viewed our wedding story on mint and just finished a piece on us in their Real Weddings section. They were so complimentary, adding us to the ranks of some extremely creative and eco-conscious brides and grooms.

Check us out here and be sure to browse the rest of this site for some great ideas or to purchse the book by the talented Kate Harrison!

Photo by Heather Garland Photography

more model photos

2009-07-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

These are from my fair trade mother of pearl collection, as modeled by the lovely Tana. Read the following post for more on this photo shoot, it was so fun to see the necklaces 'in action'!

first model photo shoot!

2009-07-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to post some great shots from my first photo shoot with the lovely Tana, who was nice enough to humor me by trying on some necklaces! These first two are vintage pieces that I put together from bracelets found at an antique store in Annapolis. I'm so glad we had a nice sunny day and the photos turned out great!

buy them some green goods!

2009-06-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

As a side note, the cute dipping bowl used to photograph the orange pair on the left is from an amazing company called 3R Living, where you can create a fabulous green wedding registry online and fill it with great finds like picture frames made from Argentinian reclaimed boat wood... perfect for displaying your green wedding photos!

Another great site is Uncommon Goods where you can also find similar items and many more unique green gifts to add to your registry. Here you can even shop by 'product tags' to find exactly what you're looking for, like 'recycled' or 'handmade'. I'm pretty sure one of the coolest things on this site has got to be their Reclaimed Patchwork Headboard and Frame, niiiice.

windy day orange

2009-06-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm also super excited at how these guys came out. The green version of this style was posted not too long ago, and I'll be done with the blue one soon. They're so versatile, I love how they move. Perfect for a night out on the town. :)

color color everywhere

2009-06-23T15:00:00.001-07:00

I can't wait to post a couple photos from a wedding for a good friend that we went to over the weekend, some cute ideas to share! For now, here's a few colorful necklaces I've made using fair trade beads and hemp rope. They're so pretty, I've used these new 'crow' beads and also tried it out with some of my recycled glass beads. I think they turned out really nice! Next week I'll have a 'neck model' helping me out to show all my necklaces in action. I'll be sure to post those up soon!

brown and bronze

2009-06-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a new twist on the original pieces I made back in April as gifts for the family. I used brown hoops with smaller bronze coins that really compliment each other pretty well. I'm liking the neutral tones, not bad... :)

mo' pearl

2009-06-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple necklace I finished last week from the fair trade mother of pearls, love them! They're such a fun shape and color, I'm definitely gonna put in another order for more.

I'm really excited for some new vintage stuff that I've been working on lately! Last weekend, a friend and I went to the West Annapolis Green Festival and grabbed some great pieces that date back to the 50's, way cool. I'm playing with using reused chains to match their style, can't wait to post them.

a fair background

2009-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Some of the items posted at jb.made incorporate fair trade jewelry pieces, and I thought it would be a good idea to give a link to the World Fair Trade Organization site.
Members of the WFTO " are organisations differentiated by their 100% Fair Trade commitment to eradicate poverty through sustainable economic development; pioneering social and environmental policy and practice and continual reinvestment in marginalised artisans, farmers and producer communities in some of the most fragile places on earth."

Check it out here: http://www.wfto.com/

Or check out the more local Fair Trade Certified at http://www.transfairusa.org/ who can give you all the info you'll need to use the best fair trade businesses and organizations for your GREEN wedding! They're on facebook too, nice.

pretty little things

2009-06-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a few new pieces but for now I'll just give a taste of what's to come. This pair is probably one of the most intricate I've worked on and I'm super stoked at how it turned out. Maybe I'll just keep this one for myself, haha.

hungry for cake??

2009-06-10T09:39:00.001-07:00

In the interest of using less and wasting even less at our wedding, we used our own plate stands for the gorgeous cupcakes created by Tina at the OBBS, and decorated them with pretty little violas (or johnny jump ups for you gardeners). We chose a simple unfussy white cupcake liner to contain these little treats.

The cake was the best carrot cake I've EVER had in my life, which Tina worked her magic again by decorating it with my sister's hydrangea bouquet and some more violas to tie it in. It turned out AMAZING, especially considering she only was given the bouquet maybe an hour before they presented this incredible spread.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect sweet ending to our reception. And now I...must...have...chocolate!
Photo by: Heather Garland Photography

new look!

2009-06-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

We're changing with the times here at jb.made! I've updated the layout to make it easier to navigate, and created my own fun little nav bar and logo. If I decide this is the final look for the site, I'll be using this when my stuff goes live on etsy.com, which is very exciting! If there's anything you'd like to see more of on this site, send a comment or email me at jbelle942@gmail.com. Thanks and enjoy the new look! ~ Jill

eco wedding arbor

2009-06-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is the arbor we were married under, which we purchased online and gave to my parents as one of their wedding gifts. We just delivered it to them a few days ago and they promise to put it in a perfect spot in their yard, that way it does not go to waste and is a beautiful reminder of our wedding.

The branches were fallen birch branches that I gathered over the winter, which made a beautiful and natural looking decoration. Perfect for a simple beach wedding!

Photo by: Heather Garland Photography

fair trade recycled glass hoops

2009-06-03T14:05:00.001-07:00

My camera doesn't do these justice; these recycled glass beads are so pretty! The one on the left is using a 20 gauge wire, while the one on the right is made with flexible beading wire.

things I'm working on

2009-05-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

Here's some pieces I'm working on right now. I'm especially fond

of the fair trade mother of pearl and recycled glass beads, very cool...

wedding gifts and jewels

2009-05-28T13:48:00.001-07:00

These are some necklaces I made as gifts for the family and the

top photo is of the necklace and earring set I made to wear myself.

They were so fun to make, and to give out at our rehearsal dinner!