Black Friday though Cyber Monday SALE!

Pin It To celebrate the start of the Holiday Season I will be having a Black Friday through Cyber Monday Sale in my Etsy shop.

All items in the shop will be 20% Off for the entire weekend. Shipping is $2.50 flat rate no matter how many items you purchase.

Items will already be marked down for your convenience starting Friday Nov. 26th and ending Monday the 29th.

Happy Shopping!!

Blue Orchid Necklace


Turquoise Pendant Necklace



Lucky Horseshoe Necklace

Wire Wrapped Chalcedony Earrings

Pin It I've just finished photographing my new series of Wire Wrapped Chalcedony Earrings. They are a rainbow of color! I love them!

Each stone has been artistically wire wrapped in a generous amount of sterling silver wire. The ear wires are hand formed and hammered by me! All the silver has been oxidized and brushed for a shiny contrasting finish.

HOT PINK


BURNT ORANGE


AMBER


OCEAN BLUE


AQUA BLUE


CORNFLOWER BLUE



See them listed in my Etsy shop here!

Me and Nate Berkus hanging out at the Brooklyn Flea Market

Pin It It was a gorgeous, seasonably warm, fall day on Saturday. We ventured into Brooklyn to walk, (and eat our way) through the Flea Market. There was so much to see, it was a bit overwhelming at first. We decided to start with some delicious food from some of the many food vendors. Matt had pizza from Pizza Moto, and I had a veggie huerache from Martinez Food Vendors.

After eating lunch, I noticed Nate Berkus in line for some pizza. He graciously allowed me to interrupt his lunch to snap a photo! Later on I saw him again interviewing some of the furniture vendors...he must have been there to film parts of his new show.

Me and Nate Berkus


From there we pretty much ate our way through all of the food vendors, and did some shopping. We sampled some amazing carbonated juice from our friend Antonio of Brooklyn Soda Works. The apple ginger was our favorite. Matt had a maple bacon cupcake from Kumquat Cupcakery. Of course he picked the one that had the largest piece of bacon on it.

Maple Bacon Cupcakes


We also sampled a few different types of raw chocolate bars and truffles from Fine and Raw Chocolates. Matt picked out three of his favorites since he is the choco-holic. Later on for his "snack", Matt tried the pork sandwich from Porchetta.

Some Ball jars from one of the vintage vendors.


Ride your bike to the flea and get a tune up.


Lunch #2 (Grilled ham and cheese and a malt milkshake from Milk Truck)



It was the perfect day!

FREE Jewelry Giveaway for Facebook Fans

Pin It I've recently started a Facebook Page to spread the word about exclusive offers and sales in my Etsy shop. Enter the contest for your chance to win a free pair of L.Rose Designs earrings of your choice!

Help me get to 500 "likes" and you could win a free pair of earrings! Here's how:
1.) Click here to visit L. Rose Designs Facebook Page.
2.) If you haven't already done so, click "Like" at the top of the Facebook page.
3.) Suggest the page to your friends who you think would like the page.
4.) Leave a comment on the page saying that you did so.
5.) Once I receive your comment, your name will be entered to win a free pair of earrings of your choice!

The lucky winner will be randomly picked when I reach my goal of 500 "likes". The more people you suggest, the sooner you could be a winner! The winner can chose a favorite pair of earrings from my Etsy shop. I will send them directly to you, or to someone who you think deserves a gift from you!

Thanks! ♥ Lauren

New Custom Stamped Design Jewelry

Pin It I've recently invested in some new design stamp tools, which I am very excited to use. Thanks to You Tube I've been able to watch some tutorial videos about hand stamping. I practiced a few weeks ago on some inexpensive cooper sheet. This is an example of the script that I will be using to create some of the custom initial pieces that I have been dreaming up!



These tools are easy to use. I have a stainless steel bench block and I just purchased a 2 lb. brass head mallet since I wasn't happy with the amount of pressure that the 1 lb. hammer was giving me. Hopefully with some more practice I will have some new pieces to add to the shop!





Stay tuned for some of the finished pieces. I should have them up in the next few weeks!

Tutorial: How to oxidize sterling silver jewelry without the use of chemicals. Yipee!

Pin It Oxidizing sterling silver is a great way to add some contrast and character to your jewelry pieces. I also like the rustic, vintage feel it gives to the silver. Oxidizing does not have to be done using harmful chemicals. Here is an easy and economical way to add a patina to your silver all while being eco-conscious.

You will need:
One or two eggs (depending on how much silver you need to darken)
Some water
A saucepan
A pair of tongs
Dish soap
A ziplock baggie
Your sterling silver to be oxidized
A polishing cloth

Step One: Boil some eggs. Place your eggs in enough water to cover your eggs and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes then remove the sauce pan from the heat. Let the eggs rest in the saucepan for about another 10 minutes.



Step Two: While your eggs are boiling, clean your silver. You can very easily use mild dish soap and water. Cleaning your jewelry will remove any oils that have gotten onto your silver from your fingers. This is an important step to ensure that the oxidation is even. The silver will not oxidize if it is not clean.

Step Three: Use your tongs to transfer the warm eggs (it is important that your eggs still be warm) to a ziplock baggie.



Step Four: Place your sterling silver in the ziplock baggie with the eggs and seal the baggie, making sure it is completely air tight.




Step Five: Use the back side of your tongs or the palm of your hand to smash the eggs. Make sure you really break up the yolk since the yolk is the source of the sulfur, but be careful not to puncture the plastic bag. You may get some egg onto your silver, but don’t fret….it can be washed off!



Step Six: Wait patiently. I recommend checking the jewelry every few hours. When you see the color that you like, gently open the bag and remove and clean your jewelry. I usually leave my jewelry in overnight to get the coloring that I prefer.



Step Seven: Polish your jewelry to highlight the patina. You can simply use a polishing cloth to rub the areas in which you want the silver to show through.

Finished Chalcedony and Sterling Earrings!



Using eggs to oxidize your jewelry is an environmentally safe and inexpensive way to achieve a desirable dark patina. It may take a little more time than traditional liver or sulfur or “silver black” methods, but it is much more earth friendly and economical.

New Agate Slice Necklaces

Pin It I love the look of these Agate slice necklaces. I've seen them called different names (druzy, geode, agate slab, etc.), but I am sticking with Agate slices. :-) I have a bunch in a variety of colors, but for the purposes of these necklaces I used the brightest in the bunch. Hot Pink, Purple, Teal, and Aqua. I simply wired them to brass chain. They are quite the statement necklace, but they are super easy to wear. I made a purple one for myself that I have been wearing all summer and have gotten many compliments!

Sapphire Blue Agate Slice Necklace



The swirls of colors on each piece are gorgeous and unique. No two are the same!

Because each agate slice is one of a kind, I will be updating the shop with new ones as these sell so check back often! And if you don't see the color you want, contact me and I will make you a custom necklace.

Teal Agate Slice Necklace


Hot Pink Agate Slice Necklace


Electric Purple Agate Slice Necklace



See all of the current necklaces in my Etsy shop! Thanks for looking :-)

Summer Road Trip (in photos)

Pin It I'm sad to say my summer is coming to an end. I was fortunate enough to do a bit of traveling around the U.S. for a few weeks, and had an amazing time.

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Thought I would share some of my favorite photos from the trip...Enjoy!


Forsyth Park -- Savannah, GA


Bourbon Street--New Orleans, LA


World's largest wind farm -- West Texas


Sandia Peak Tramway -- Albuquerque, NM


White Sands National Park, NM


My husband Matt at White Sands


Double Rainbow...so intense!!!


One of New Mexico's many beautiful sunsets!

My Etsy Shop is Four Years Old!!

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I am celebrating my shop's fourth birthday this week! As a thank you to all my wonderful customers these past four years, I am offering 30% OFF my entire shop from June 30th- July 5th! Just type "Birthday Sale" in the message to seller box when you are checking out (do not submit payment). I will send you an updated invoice through paypal within 24 hours.

Click here to visit L. Rose Designs shop!

Here is a sneak peek at some new goodies coming soon....

My wedding has been featured on New Jersey Bride's Blog!!

Pin It Check out New Jersey Bride's website for an article about our "mustache" wedding! I am so glad I decided to make these for our guests. It was really so funny to see everyone wearing them and having so much fun with them!



I got the idea from watching an episode of Martha Stewart. Easy directions for crafting the mustaches are available on her website. She also supplies templates! My favorite was the imperial. I made three different shapes and used 4 different colors of fabric to accommodate everyone :-)

Shop Update TODAY!

Pin It I will be adding some new goodies to the shop today! It has been long overdue. Here is a sneak peek of what you will find.


Feathered Friend Necklace: Silver

Enlighten Earrings: Blue Chalcedony and Turquoise Glass on Brass

Turquoise and Carnelian Chandelier Earrings on Sterling



Amazonite, Jade and Wood Bracelet with Bali Silver Toggle

Our Fun, Fabulous Mustache Wedding!!

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Matt and I were married on May 30th at the Abbie Holmes Estate in Clermont, NJ. It was a gorgeous day and we were so happy to be surrounded by so many of the amazing people we love. They say "a picture speaks a thousand words" so here are a few thousand words courtesy of Kella MacPhee our talented photo journalist!

With this ring....

Pin It Thank you to the amazing jewelry artists who designed our wedding rings for us!!!

Laura from SimplyAdorning worked with me to create a wedding band to match my antique engagement ring. She did an outstanding job, and I love my ring!! The floral detail pattern is a close match to the design on the engagement ring. She was a pleasure to work with, and even went out of her way to find the floral pattern for me. Go to SimplyAdorning's shop to see her other handcrafted jewelry.




The husband and wife team of TitaniumKnights designed Matt's simple, stylish wedding band. The titanium ring has a comfort fit bevel design, and features a two-tone finish. It is quite simple but beautiful, just like Matt! They will custom make your ring for you in any width. Matt did not want his ring to be too wide, so they were able to make the width 6mm. We had the ring in less than two weeks from the time we ordered it! Super Fast!




Together Forever

My engagement ring came from Israel Rose in New York City. They have the widest range of estate and antique jewelry that I have ever seen! Their website is a dream to look at if you are into vintage jewelry.
New York Estate Jewelry
My ring is a platinum and diamond ring with tiny sapphires. It is from the Edwardian era, dating back to the early 1920's! I wish I knew who it belonged to...my grandfather, (who was born in 1919) said it must have been worn by a beautiful, classy woman! I think he's right :-)