From their website: A downright full blasted attempt to mess up the social scene in Atlanta. In our humble and itchy opinion, this city needs more! We are not promotors, we are not clubbers, we are not affliction, we are not smart, we are not good looking and we are not sure. A mighty trio formed from an arguably handicap ex mascot, a strikingly attractive nomad gal from somewhere and a remarkably strong small man known for busting butt and taking names, we are Marshall. No, not Marshall. We are jean shorts, we are fake gold, we are the tears of a clown and the sparkle in your eye. Our battles lie with black outs and bar feet and we leave no man behind. We encourage helmets and loathe last call. Our goal, our mission, our quest, our job, our desire, our speed, our caffeine, our size, our milkshake is to create unforgettable times and dope beat rhymes. That was a lie, we don’t rhyme. We will create the most fantastic and unique events while birthing an environment fit for the common man and notable kings of 3rd world countries. In the land of social clubs, we easily pull 8th place. We are a social mess.

Amazing. I don’t even know what else to say…except SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE ME TO MONSTER JAM PROM.

dang!

xx, L

I met Erin my freshman year of college when we pledged the same sorority. Hailing from Chicago, IL, her adorable mid-western accent earned her the nickname “Pahms” as she would tell us about her high school cheerleading team.

Anyway. Pahms Erin has always had sensational style and a creative fashion sense. I’d whip out a few rush pictures circa 2000 where she managed to make a t-shirt and khaki shorts chic as evidence…but I promised I wouldn’t.

Erin has been creating jewelry for herself and her friends for the last 20 years and has now decided to share her work by creating her own line!

Introducing…Estell Designs!

I asked Erin what prompted her to start the line, and she gave me the Q+DD: “When I became engaged, I had a blast putting together the perfect ensemble: Badgley Mischka gown, Erin Cole veil, Stuart Weitzman shoes… but it was impossible to find appropriate and amazing wedding jewelry. It seemed like everything available was either insanely expensive or tacky. I could not believe that brides on a budget were being forced into wearing rhinestones and vermeil. I eventually made myself a pair of earrings using 14k white gold and a gazillion white topaz briolettes. Amazing.

Fast forward 2 years…I found myself virtually laid off from a job that was hit incredibly hard by the recession. My husband and I were laying on the beach in Phuket, Thailand and he said, “Why don’t you just try selling your jewelry?” in response to my professional conundrum. I really don’t know what was more romantic – the scenery or his unwavering support. I quit my job, bought tons of supplies, hired a web designer and the rest is history!”

Her pieces are so delicate and feminine and timeless. Witness:

Erin uses solid 14 karat gold wire, chain, and findings in all of her jewelry, but will make custom pieces using sterling silver and gold vermeil if you’d prefer. All the beads are genuine precious and semiprecious gemstones which she hand picks for each lovely piece.

Please visit her website here to view her entire gorgeous handcrafted collection.

Perfect for bridal or new moms…or any special occasion!

I have to wonder, though, Erin…were the gorgeous grape cluster pieces inspired by your pahm pahms?

xx (+LML), L

As I have mentioned before, I have a thing with stationery. I love love love to send handwritten notes. It’s warm and personal and in this age of digital technology, people LOVE to get snail mail. Fact.

Another fact: the winter holidays are an excellent snail-mail opportunity. BUT, a word to the wise – holiday cards can be stylish, clever and gorgeous or they can be nerdy, cliché and c.h.e.e.s.y. And if you wait too long to get yours, you’ll be stuck with the latter. Trust. Also, it can be especially hard to find cool Hanukkah cards. You have to start early.

The time is NOW, my friends.

Check out these spectacular cards I found:

Available here at Pinecone and Chickadee

Available here on etsy.com.

Available here from Rock Scissor Paper

Available here from fabulous Julia Farill at Red Bird Ink. Please see my previous post about Julia’s stunning work here.

Inside: "Pez on Earth." Brilliant.

Available here at Papercards.com

Available here at Pancake and Franks.

Available here at Vigocard.com

I will tell you, though, that I also considered doing tongue-in-cheek family photo card with Olive…

…but I didn’t think I can get her into a reindeer costume. Ssssigh.

xx, L

In fact, the first time I ever spent any real time with Romi was at Amy’s Atlanta bachelorette weekend back in 2006. I am here to tell you that after dinner on the first night, 3 of us all ordered the watch off her wrist by noon the next day and I was already scheming on how to copy the rest of her ensem. True story.

The girl’s just got a gift.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I heard she decided to channel all that fabulousness into her very own line of jewelry!
Predictably, it. is. GORGEOUS.

When I asked her what inspired her to start her line she said, “I took a jewelry making class in high school and another one after college and just fell in love with all the aspects that go into creating each piece… from designing to choosing the colors to making the piece myself. I love fashion and keeping up with the trends. Mostly I wanted to make cute jewelry that is affordable!”

Here are a few of Romi’s favorites:

Positive Energy

Love Letter (features hand-cut initial and heart detail)

Crazy in Love (the center heart charm features a single 1 pt. diamond accent)

Romi hearts Josh!

Flutter (24K gold plated filigree butterfly)

Instant Shimmer (stretch to fit most wrists)

Lola James Jewelry (lovingly named after Romi and husband Josh’s sweet pup) is available at a handful of boutiques in Miami but never fear: we Atlantans are able to purchase online at the recently launched www.lolajamesjewelry.com.

Now to decide which pieces…

xx, L