Baltic Amber

It's been a while since I've posted and I'm so excited to be back and share with you what I've been up to lately. Our little baby "O" has just turned one! He's crawling around everywhere as fast as can be and on the verge of walking. There's so much I want to share about baby O and what we've been up to but first I really wanted to share something that has been so helpful with O's teething. Baltic Amber!! A friend told me about the healing powers of Baltic Amber for her baby during the teething period and how much relief it brought her little one. O's been wearing his for 9 months now and has never needed Tylenol or anything. Once I accidentally misplaced his Baltic Amber Necklace and both my husband and I noticed a difference in his fussiness immediately. Coincsdence? Maybe! But we are totally convinced that the Baltic amber works to relieve his pain from teething. We were so happy when we found his necklace because I knew it was obviously helping him tremendously. Here's a little bit of information on how Baltic Amber works... Baltic Amber necklaces are made to wear, but not to chew! Among other things, amber is a natural analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-inflammatory. When amber is worn on the skin, the warmth of the skin releases trace amounts of healing oils on the skin. Commonly known as "teething jewelry," baltic amber has been a natural and traditional European remedy for teething discomfort for hundreds of years. We bought baby O his necklace from Inspired by Finn and I can't tell you how much I recommend just giving this necklace a try for your little one to help relieve pain from teething. Have you heard of Baltic Amber being used for teething babes? Has it worked for you? I'd love to hear your experience with it? Cheers! KK

The 2nd Annual Lowcountry Artist Market: handmade, vintage, local

Lula Boutique will be at the 2ND Annual Lowcountry Artist Market!
Saturday, November 13Th
10:00 am - 3 pm

Etsy.com inspired Event featuring anything and everything Handmade, Vintage, and Local!

On Saturday, November 13Th, the bands, lights, and music generally filling the Music Farm will once again be replaced by handmade jewelry, vintage clothing, customized home goods, and a variety of talents from all over Charleston. The Music Farm will have the bar open, so patrons can enjoy beverages while they shop.


Check out these fabulous Etsy shops for a preview of the goods that will be available at the Artist Market tomorrow...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/seekvintage
http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkelsteins
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SoMommySew
http://www.etsy.com/shop/candyshopvintage
http://www.etsy.com/shop/dodelinedesign
http://www.etsy.com/shop/perlaanne
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LulaBoutique
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mdtrott
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PiperBlue
http://www.etsy.com/shop/demidesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LowellAndLouise

This is such a fun event where you can do all of your Holiday and Christmas shopping while purchasing handmade and local. How fabulous is that!!??! If you are in Charleston and can make it, I hope to see you there! Do stop by Lula Boutique and say hello. :)

Upper King Design Walk RECAP

The Upper King Design walk 2010 was fabulous! Here is a look at my display for Lula Boutique:{check out that OLD Charleston window in the background. LOVE!!!}

{new handmade jewelry designs in shop now}

Charleston Mag put together some highlights from the night into a video. They stopped by and filmed Lula Boutique jewelry and my thoughts on the event! Yay!!

(Lula Boutique is filmed at 3 min 16 sec) :)

It was a great night! Everyone really seemed to have a fun time. Great shopping, music and cocktails! Thanks to Rachel Gordon for hosting local artists and fashion designers at the event. It was just fabulous!!

Upper King Design District Fall Design Walk

Lula Boutique jewelry will be at ONE boutique on King Street tonight (at Fashion Designer Rachel Gordon's fabulous shop!)

Charleston's Upper King Design District will celebrate the Fall Design Walk, Thursday, October 21 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. will officially open the event.

Oh, and did I mention cocktails will be served?! Hope to see you there!! :)

Dock Side Fashion Show II

HELLO friends!! {apologies for my absence from the blog}

Lula Boutique has been in full swing around Charleston and is about to launch a brand new website this weekend!!

First things first. Lula Boutique will be at the Dock Side Fashion Show downtown Charleston tomorrow. You can come and shop my handmade jewelry in person and see some fabulous local fashion designers including Sarah Maxwell, One Love, Clewis Reid, Eden Boheme, and Cavortress as they grace the runway with this season's collections. It's sure to be an inspiring night!

{Video from 2009 Dockside Fashion Show.}

I hope to see you there. If you are unable to make it, I will post photos of the event here on Monday. :) Hope you have a beautiful weekend!

The Lowcountry Artist Market RECAP!

It was a hot and balmy June day here in Charleston this past Saturday. The sun was out, the crowds were ready and the Piccolo Spoleto festivities were in full swing.

The Lowcountry Artist Market was a real hit! The patrons started pouring in at 10:00 even though the event didn't officially begin until 10:30. The Artist Market was hosted at The Music Farm, downtown Charleston, which is a small music venue where Charlestonians like myself can see their favorite bands preform, such as Modest Mouse and Ingrid Michaelson.

I was so pleased with the outcome of the day. I had a total of
30 jewelry sales and was even asked to do a trunk show for a bridal shower. I can't even count the number of business cards that were taken---I was constantly refilling them. I even managed to get a full page of email addresses for my newsletter sign-up. I had several customers ask me if I had a boutique downtown or if they could find my jewelry in local shops. It was a fabulous experience and I am really looking forward to the next show!

It was such a busy day, but I still managed to take a quick walk around the market and meet some local Etsy sellers. It was wonderful to meet the sellers of the shops I had seen time and time again on Etsy.

Some of my favorites included...

Merry Mint
Mu-Yin Jewelry
May Bee Clothing
Dodeline Design
Candy Shop Vintage
Perla Anne

All of these ladies had fabulous displays and their talent truly shined through their work. Mollie of Mu-Yin Jewelry has had over 4400 sales on Etsy alone and that's just one venue she sells through! Now THAT is inspiration!! :)

{A special thanks to Kristen, Manager of the Music Farm, for having the idea to host an Etsy inspired event here in Charleston!}

Featured in Charleston City Paper!

........................................
A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by Kinsey Gidick from the Charleston City Paper.

She wanted to know about my jewelry and involvement with the Lowcountry Artist Market here in Charleston. Can you imagine how excited I was when she contacted me? I was thrilled!

Then last week, the Charleston City Paper called again. This time it was Kaitlyn Iserman, the City Paper's photographer. She wanted to come by and do a photo shoot for the article. Wow! Seriously, such fun!!


Here's a little blurb from the article:

"Karen Young runs Lula Boutique, which sells vintage-inspired handmade jewelry. She got started on the site three and a half years ago. Gastaldo discovered Young's jewels while working on her nuptials and subsequently asked Young to be a part of the Artist Market. "I'm hoping I can meet other artists and find other boutiques to sell in locally," Young says. Currently, she ships worldwide and has pieces in boutiques as far away as Australia. "I'm at the post office a lot," she laughs."

{You can read the entire article here if you'd like.}

If you're in or around Charleston, do stop by tomorrow, June 5'Th: 10:30 - 5:00. I would love to meet you and I'm sure the other Etsy sellers would too. We're going to have a lot of fun!
Saturday, June 5th
Lowcountry Artist Market

Music Farm
32 Ann St
Charleston SC 29403

Etsy.com inspired Event featuring anything and everything Handmade, Vintage, and Local.

On Saturday, June 5th, the bands, lights, and music generally filling the Music Farm will be replaced by handmade jewelry, vintage clothing, customized home goods, and a variety of talents from all over Charleston.

The Market will be open from 10:30 am until 5:00 pm. Featuring upwards of 40 vendors, the Market will provide a variety of local jewelry artists, vintage clothing dealers, custom children’s clothing, home and fashion accessories, as well as artwork – all from the Charleston community.

The Music Farm will have the bar open, so patrons can enjoy beverages while they shop.

Hope to see you there!

Charleston Market!

Every Saturday we head to the local market...

*we go to... support local and our community farms.
*we go to... see our friends and neighbors.
*we go because... brunch at "Market Fresh Brunch" is sooooo good!!!
*we go so ...we can sip freshly squeezed lemonade under the shade.
*we go to ...relax and enjoy the day.
*we go because... we love Charleston, South Carolina!

*Oh...and we go so I can sift through my cookbook and choose a birthday cake for my sweetie.

THIS one looks PERFECT!!!

I still need cherries for that cake though...

Cheers,
KK

Vanity Bench Makeover with Dolce!!

Fabulous fabric makes me want to create and Tanya Whelan's "Dolce" line is so incredibly fabulous.

Her designs are some of my favorites!!

{Me out with sister, shopping for fabric and "inspiration" for a vanity bench makeover!}

I went with this pink and orange geometric number. LOVE it!! Accompanied with a coat of fresh white paint---my little vanity bench will soon be fabulous!!

Fabulous "Dolce" fabric by: Tanya Whelan

Sister shopping and being inspired. I quickly reprimanded her to..."Put that jewelry down, we make our own jewelry!!! ;)

I'll post "before + after" photos of my little vanity bench makeover---fashioning the new "Dolce" next week.

I hope you ALL have a lovely weekend.
See you on Monday!

Fabulous weddings and such...

After my "vacation" from blogging and a jewelry hiatus, I am finally back!!

It's been a whirlwind these past couple of months. My sister was married last week and I was her "right hand girl" the entire time. Through all of the preparations and planning, we grew even closer than I had ever imagined. It was a marvelous wedding (we are seriously considering becoming fabulous wedding planners because we have mad wedding planning skills!!)



My sister, Susie, is my best friend and being by her side as her Matron of Honor was, well....Truly an HONOR!

{Pleas NOTE: She only became a Suzilla once the entire time. She came up with that name herself. So clever. Bridezilla + Susie = Suzilla.} ;)

Here's another shot of the happy couple. She was GORGEOUS to say the least. A natural beauty. ...And her new hubby, let me just say that our family is thrilled to have him be a part of it now!!

Congratulations you

Charleston Love Birds!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!! This is just the beginning of seeing some of my lovely sister, Susie, as we are "partnering up" and she will be working with me on jewelry and a bridal line for trade shows (We have a trade show coming up this JUNE!) and boutique orders to boot. You might even get to meet her, as she will be guest blogging from time to time and help me keep this lil' old blog going!! I have the intentions of some guaranteed weekly posts---NOT the usual "annual posts"--hahah!!)

We have a lot of plans coming up and I am so excited to share them you YOU via blog-land!

See you soon!
Cheers,
KK

Welcome March.

I can't help but to get giddy this time of year. We're about to have a string of sunny days in the high 60's and I am already dreaming up my new Spring wardrobe!

J.Crew, Anthropologie, and Boden are among my favorites and I've been drooling over their catalogs and plotting the endless possibilities for the new pretties I'll be wearing this season.
I am just loving the simplistic look and soft colors of this outfit from J.Crew. Oh I must have this!

Cheers to good weather and spring fashion! :)

Romantic February...

Hello February.
( My how you snuck up on me.)

I will tell you, it's all about ROMANCE and grace this month. I want to fill February with pink & red & warmth---maybe fill my wardrobe and home with a little more sas!

Yes, that sounds good.

Maybe I'll put on some red shoes?

If these vintage red heels were my size (just a bit bigger please) I would most definitely snag them!
Ooh...maybe they'll fit you?! Found at MyCocoonVintage for only $36! Just fabulous!

*gorgeous photo by : skippy designs*
{if I didn't already have a lovely green bike,
I would certainly be cruising around on this PINK one.}

Hope you have a fabulous day!
(maybe with a little sas too!)

A New Year and Homemade Bread

We had such a wonderful holiday spent right here in Charleston! Seriously, it was terrific & special. Our family was gracious to make the 10 hour plus drive from the North so we could all be together for our favorite time of year.

Goodbye to 2009. I really enjoyed you. Really. You were a memorable year in so many ways {happy & sad} and I will keep the memories close.

So, how did I start the New Year? Well, I made homemade bread of course... and then hubby and I flew a kite on the beach even though it was freezing cold, overcast and a bit rainy. It was still perfect if you ask me. (well actually, I guess perfect would be warm and sunny with light breezes.)

Can you see the kite? That little thing flying above the pier? Yes, that's it. haha! Not a good photo. It was taken right before the wind came and slammed my kite to the sand! It was pretty while it lasted.

About the bread...I made a loaf of bread on New Years morning (to accompany my annual New Years "Maryland Crab Soup"-which I've made for 4 years in a row now. Traditions traditions. I'm a sucker for them.) and now I plan on making homemade bread every Sunday. It was soooo good!!

Homemade bread... As you most likely already know, there is just nothing else like it. Seriously. Especially when you eat a slice hot out of the oven with organic creamy butter and local drizzled honey on top. YummO! I used the recipe from the Apples for Jam cookbook. It was so easy and quite rewarding. Loved it!

Welcome 2010! I am glad you are here and will happily grace you with my traditions, old and new.

January 1, 2010 5:13 PM.
{and lastly...A New Years Day Sunset taken on an evening walk with hubby after the rain let up.}

Let the baking continue...

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I am still baking up a storm and really enjoying it too! So, what's on the dessert menu for tonight? Gingerbread men! Homemade gingerbread men decked out in their proper attire of icing and special design. YummO!


Here's a photo of my last batch (batches!!) of cookies I made for my friends. All packaged up and looking pretty next to the tree. Oh how I LOVE this time of year!

Check out that paper lace too. Isn't it fabulous!! Umm...I'm sorry, but I LOVE paper lace and I just adore the way the boxes turned out.

Lastly, here is my mess. My daily mess as I fill orders. Thank you, thank you to my customers for giving me the chance to have this good mess. ;)


I hope y'all are having a fabulous week!
{...and baking lots of cookies too!}

Baking for friends...

My holiday tradition of baking cookies {a secret family recipe} for my friends is keeping me busy today!

144 cookies to be exact! I'm in the "flurry" of all of the baking & packaging & wrapping as I type. ...and I finally mailed my Christmas cards today! phew...just in time.

Next on the list...

Homemade Marshmallows! Thanks to my new candy thermometer, (shipped overnight by my Mama who wanted to make sure they turn out just right) I will be able to "perfect" the soft fluffy goodness that will melt into our coco this Christmas.

Learning to balance & good habits too

I'm starting my resolutions early this year
and practicing yoga every day.

I didn't mean for it to be a "resolution" but that's kind of what it ended up becoming for me and I am ready to fulfill my personal challenge.

So far it's only been 3 days in a row and I must say that I thoroughly love it! I am looking forward to it. All the new stretches and poses I'm learning and breathing techniques...I'm beginning to realize what all the hype was about. Yoga is my new favorite good habit and I plan on doing it every day.

{Now I just need to master the pose shown above. Balance. It's all about balance this coming up year.}

Beloved December

A favorite time of year has begun and you know what that means. Holiday and seasonal decorating!

{images courtesy of Martha.}

I'm really loving the "doily snowflakes" hanging in the window below...

I've been on a hunt to track down as many white vintage doilies I can find. They will be heavily starched and hung in the window by thread. If we can't have real snow in South Carolina then we might as well have vintage snow! Don't you agree? ;)

{Welcome December and I am HAPPY you're here.}

A free lip gloss just for you!!

Plant Love Lip Gloss...A fabulous & exclusive offer from Puresha!!

Remember when I told you about Puresha, right here? Well, they are being extra generous and are offering my readers a FREE Plant Love Lip Gloss with every $50 purchase at their shop. Ummm....is this fabulous or what??!!

Plant Love Lip Gloss is packed full of all natural ingredients such as Grape seed oil and Apricot wax. The earth friendly packaging is eco-certified, entirely recyclable and produced in a mill that has no carbon footprint. Now, that's something to get excited about!

Here are the fabulous details...

*Spend over £30 ($50) and receive a FREE Plant Love Lip Gloss worth £12 ($20).(while stocks last.)

*The code for the free lip gloss is: lovegloss

*This offer is good for Lula Boutique readers until December 7, 2009.

*Choose your lip gloss color here (8 colors to choose from)and email Sara at sara@puresha.com to let her know.

Thanks for the fabulous offer Puresha! Now I'm off to do some "Cyber Monday" shopping...

Thanksgiving 2009

We hosted our very first Thanksgiving dinner

this year and it was simply wonderful!

We gave thanks with our out of town guests and loved ones while enjoying delicious food and lots of pumpkin pie & hot apple cider.

Oh how I love pumpkin pie with cider!

{father-in-law playing guitar and my sister on the ukulele.}

My musically inclined family entertained us with a guitar & ukulele duo. Mainly playing The Beatles and Cat Stevens.

Lovely. Simply lovely.

Hoping your weekend was a lovely one too. :)

PURESHA {Eco-Chic Beauty}

I am thrilled to announce that my line of jewelry is now being sold at one of the most fabulous shops! Let me introduce to you,

PURESHA "Eco-Chic Beauty", located in the UK!!! I am in LOVE with this shop and I am convinced that you will too! You must check it out if you love trying new beauty items such as...

MAKE-UP

SKINCARE
BATH AND BODY
PERFUME
CANDLES

{just to name a few}

and now JEWELRY!! Yay for that!

Oh, and did I mention that it's all

organic and eco-friendly??? Yes!! Even better, I say!

So, if you have a second or two, please do check it out. This shop is like a breath of fresh air!

{PS...I adore this lipstick and believe I must have it.}

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!