Along For the Ride at a Private Trunk Show

We have such an amazing team of Creative Strategists here – smart, witty and stylish women who represent our brand to a ”t”.  Dawn (dawn@cayetanolegacy.com), our Creative Strategist who manages our sunny Los Angeles market, describes here what it’s like to handle just one part of her job, running private trunk shows (and this is in addition to the press opportunities she secures, boutique relationships that she manages, looking fabulously well dressed all the time, etc., etc., etc.!).  Here is just one snapshot into the life of our CS’s. 

Enjoy!

The Cayetano Sisters

I always enjoy hosting private trunk shows.  It’s nice when someone is gracious enough to open up their home.   Often times the area I am provided with varies in size and space, so it can be a lot of fun getting creative.  I look forward to how best to show off our beautiful and sparkling jewels!

I wanted to give you a look into one of these shows, and an outdoor one no-less. It was a beautiful sunny Southern California winter’s day (temps in the mid-60’s), and I wanted to showcase our pieces in a way that would best catch the light and draw the ladies over to the show once they arrived.

I set up the table in mini “themes”. At one end of the table, I featured a variety of pieces in a small trunk. From that point the shopper would flow into our recently launched Spring '13 Collection which includes our new clutches featuring the color of the season - emerald green! 

Our Spring ’13 Collection also includes statement necklaces in rose, turquoise, and purple as well as our new bangles and cuffs. I also included framed pictures of some of our recent press features (inclusion in Harper’s Bazaar and other media outlets) throughout the display.

As you move further along the display, the shopper then moves into our Holiday ’12 sale necklaces and our Classics Collection. For this particular show I didn’t group these items by color, it was more of how all the pieces flowed together as a whole in style and color. I also placed several pieces on our black bags to form a nice contrast against the white cloth of the table. I will say, that typically, I feature the pieces on our bags with or without the white cloth. It really sets off the jewelry!

Finally, at the other end of the table, the shopper saw a mix of more of our Classic and Sale pieces. I also used my iPad to feature a slideshow with music to give that ambiance of shopping in a small boutique.

When the ladies walked in - with the sun sparkling off the German crystals - they were immediately drawn to our jewels. This particular space allowed me to show a large variety of Cayetano Legacy Collection pieces in a beautiful way and everyone remarked on how gorgeous everything looked in this setting!! :)  Hope you like! 

- Dawn

{Recipe} Holiday Treats - Pretzel Kisses

It's the holiday season and along with it comes the bountiful treats from cookie exchanges, the box of chocolates from coworkers, the plates of homemade Italian cookies from neighbors, even the unwanted fruitcake from your aunt with 6 cats on Christmas.   

As much as we complain about our unwanted pounds and unwillingly add another notch to our belt, we love it :)  

One of our fav treats that are always a staple at our holiday parties are the "Pretzel Kisses" treats.  Gail introduced this to our family a few years back and since then, its been part of our tradition to make them together with the family over the holidays.  Not only are they addicting, they're super easy to make.  

We wanted to share the salty and sweet goodness with you so here's the easy, no hassle recipe for you :)  Enjoy!!!

(Image courtesy of Spoonful )

Recipe:  Holiday Pretzel Hugs and Kisses

Ingredients:

Bite size waffle shaped pretzels (we find the buttered flavored ones by Snyder's to be the best)

Hershey's Kisses and Hershey's Hugs

Holiday colored M&M's candy

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F

- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay down individual pretzels all over the sheet

- place an unwrapped Hershey's kiss or hug on top of each pretzel

- Bake for 4-6 minutes (note that white chocolate melts faster) until the chocolate feels soft when touched with a wooden spoon

- Once the chocolate is soft, take out the cookie sheet and quickly press an M&M down onto the center of each kiss/hug

- Let the treats cool for a few minutes and place in the fridge for at least 10 minutes or so to set.  

Note:

 -make a LOT!  WE always find ourselves making a second batch, underestimating how fast these really go so save yourself the time and make a large batch from the beginning

- these make great giveaways and presents so get creative and think of all the fun ways to package these bite  sized treats.

{Special Holiday Collaboration} Miadore for the Cayetano Legacy Collection

We have a special collaboration line coming to you for the Holidays.  The Cayetano Legacy Collection teamed up with one of our favorite designers from the Philippines, Yekky Balingit of Miadore.  His designs are beautiful, fashion forward, works of art.  He was just recently awarded "Preview" magazine's "2012 Emerging Fashion Talent Award." Its truly an honor to work together with him to create this special line for you.


Our Miadore + CLC collaboration launches on Thursday, November 15.   Its a 6 piece couture capsule that exudes glamour, color, and luxury.  Each piece is one of a kind and NOT replicated so once its gone, its gone.  So be sure to check out Cayetano Legacy Collection on November 15th.   

"Tanushree" from the Miadore for CLC collection

Here's a little bit more about Yekky and how Miadore came about.

MIADORE was born in the era of DIYs. The first few pieces were made out of boredom and an after-office hobby. Fortunately, last December of 2009, I was able to meet the great Rajo Laurel, and from there—as they say—the rest is history.

Q- how did you start designing jewelry? 

A - It was a night of bored and same old routine, that I decided to put up a small business. The first few pieces consists of left over fabrics from my Mother. Everything was random. It has this peculiar and uneven shape that I found interesting - nothing that can be found in the market.
Every time I wore my creations to work and always received a lot of compliments . I even thought of selling them in selected bazaars. 

Q - how did you come up with the name Miadore?

A - MIADORE came from my parent's nicknames MIA and ADOR. While the 'E' stands for my real name Erik. It is my homage to them.

Q - where does you inspiration come from?

A - Every day, everything and everywhere. I always keep my senses open.
The whole world is full of special textures and meaning...it just depends on how it is interpreted.
Q - if you had to describe your design aesthetic in 3 words what would you say?

A - Paradox. Bi-polar. Odd. 

Q - where can we find your designs

A - Right now, I'm a consignor at House of Laurel (6013 Villena cor. Manalac Steet Poblacion, Makati City Email : houseoflaurel@gmail.com )
and Unisex Rewind by JP Singson (126-B West Ave Quezon City             +639228391866      )

Q - any big plans for your line in the near future?

A - Hopefully, a studio then a boutique then Anthropologie. *Finger's crossed*
Q - how would you describe your personal style?

A - Odd. :) Layered casual sometimes draping, muted one day then neon next and oh nothing too formal it makes me itchy. It depends on my mood to cut it short. :) I can go with anything as long I have good pair of shoes. 

Q - if you were to share one piece of advice from your personal experiences, what would you say? 

A - Be pessimistic because with all that negative vibe along the way comes something fantastic and marvelous in the end.

Friday Inspiration

Woo-hoo for Friday!  Today we're working on our Spring 2013 line and wanted to share some of our inspiration with you.  We're completely obsessed with Manish Arora's Spring/Summer 2013 shown during Paris Fashion Week last month - full of vibrant colors, rich textures of fabric, embellishments, and all things reminiscent of the designer's Indian heritage.  While his clothes are absolutely amazing, of course it was his jewelry on the runway that caught our attention.   He collaborated with the famous jewelry designer, Amrapali for a perfect blend of pastels set in rich gold settings. So, here's some great pictures to leave you with you for the weekend. Enjoy and have a fab weekend!!!!!

Pictures courtesy of StyleBistro

{Poll} Help Us Create our Holiday Line

Hi loves!!! We're so excited for you to see our holiday line coming up within the next few months - its full of color, crystals, glitz, glam, luxe fabrics, and everything perfect for the holiday season. But we need your help!! You be the judge. We're hosting a poll on facebook. Help us choose which of these 3 options you'd like to see in our Holiday 2012 line. All 3 styles are bib style collar necklaces perfect for your holiday party attire.  Let us know what you think -  the poll will be open through Tuesday, Oct 2 at 11:59pm EST.

Option 1: white raw edge howlite stones with black crystal inlay with gold Japanese seed beads 

Option 2: orange raw edge howlite stones with multicolored iridescent crystals surrounded by gold Japanese seed beads

Option 3: A black version of our Fashion Night out necklace using black onyx stones surrounded by gold, silver, and black seed beads  - we had such a overwhelming response to our fashion night out necklace that we had to create another version

Vogue's Fashion's Night Out 2012 with CLC

As you probably know, Vogue Magazine has coordinated the annual nationwide extravaganza Fashion's Night Out, where thousands of retailers are throwing parties, showcasing select products, and keeping their doors open through the night.  Here at CLC, we're doing one better - we're opening up our personal closet to you. 

We pulled out this gem of a design that we created for ourselves and now, just for today, September 6, 2012, are offering this limited edition style to our fabulous friends as well.  This amethyst, collar style statement necklace utilizes genuine amethyst stones and Czech crystals accented with black, gold and lilac seed beads (enforced with black felt backing, with ribbon tie closure).  We only have one (yes, it really is from our personal closet!) but will custom create any that you order.  Retail price of this Fashion's Night Out special: $119. 

Want one for yourself?  Send an email to info@cayetanolegacy.com with your order.  We'll take it from there.   

Today, September 6, SPOIL YOURSELF. 

The Office

Happy Monday, loves!  We wanted to give you a little peek into our worlds today :)  We all live in different parts of the country, we have different tastes, different styles, and of course, different offices.  So, just for fun, we figured we'd show you how our work space looks on a daily basis - OK, maybe we tidied up a bit for these pics, but none-the-less, you get a visual of how our daily life looks in our different Cayetano Legacy offices.

Karen, who lives in Atlanta - handles all of the creative and production aspects of the business so you'll find tons of jewelry samples, colored pencils, and magazines laying around.

Gail, who lives in Los Angeles - handles all of the marketing and PR for the company so you'll find her office right in the heart of Los Angeles with her plush purple chairs ready to meet potential clients, her business books and her motivational quotes framed for the world to see what she is about.

Christine, who lives in New Jersey - handles all of the operations which includes managing our CLC inventory - so you can say her office is literally swimming in jewels, aka - "The Treasure Chest." She's an avid collector of designer coffee table books and her little shih-tzu, Sumo, oversees her to make sure she doesn't take any of the jewelry out of inventory for her own personal use.  :)

{Chicago} The Windy City

A fun post by our Chicago Creative Strategist, Raquel, on her love for The Windy City.

"The other day I set up our pop-up shop at one of my favorite boutiques in Chicago, Cerato Boutique, located in the Southport Corridor of Lakeview, the neighborhood in which I live. Owner, Tracey Glibowski has a great sense of style and fills her fresh, modern boutique with local design talent and independent labels. Be sure to stop in and catch our pieces that will be displayed until August 20th.

The tree lined streets of the Southport Corridor is home to many great boutiques, bars and restaurants. One of my favorite places to brunch is Southport Grocery and Cafe. 

Everything here is fresh and made-from-scratch, it's no wonder there's a wait list on the weekends, especially to sit on their patio. They also sell locally produced fine food groceries. I love ending my meal with their salted caramel ice cream.

Just around the corner of Southport is Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. 

The Wrigleyville area during game days can be a lot of fun but only if I'm participating. Otherwise, I try to avoid the crowds at the over 35 bars there where it's acceptable to act like you're in your college glory days. 

Down the street from Wrigley Field is Sheffield's Chicago, where my friends and I enjoy spending our down time. 

This laid back spot features a beer garden, over 50 beers on tap, 18 hour smoked BBQ, and 3 indoor bars with different vibes in each room. You can find me on a random tuesday sporting a baseball cap in the corner, or a saturday dressed in my favorite outfit of the season requesting my favorite songs.

Heading towards the lake in Lakeview, you will run into Boystown, where one of the largest Pride Parades in the nation happens every year here. 

This year around 850,000 people attended this event in all their glittery, colorful, costume glory! Once in a while you might find me dancing the night away at a LGBT bar with friends who live in this area!

Finally, one of my ultimate favorite places to go in Lakeview is Belmont Harbor on Lake Michigan. 

I am lucky to have amazing, fun friends (I actually met a few years back at a Cubs game!) who own a boat that's docked here. There's nothing like being on the water surrounded by close friends and sky scrapers. These are just a few of the many reasons why I love living in Chicago."

{How To} Braid Bun

One of our fun and fabulous Creative Strategists - Jess - who represents the Philly region had the best no fuss hairstyle last week.  She said it was so easy she even shared a tutorial for all of us!!!  Love her!

The Braid Bun, once perfected, can be done in under 1 minute!  It's easy, chic and perfect for keeping the hair off your neck in the Summer heat! Enjoy!!

What you'll need: A hair tie.  That's it!

Step 1: Braid your hair to the very ends.  Pinch the end of your braid to avoid any loosening.

Step 2: Keep the braid pinched and begin wrapping it counter-clockwise (right-handed) or clockwise (left-handed) as you would a traditional bun.

Step 3: Once it feels secure and the braid is wrapped into a bun, tuck the pinched pieces of hair into the bun, hold the bun in place and use a hair tie to secure it.  Make sure the hair tie holds down the ends of your hair or the braid bun will fall out.

 

Step 4: Enjoy the compliments on your adorable new 'do! 

 

(Giveaway) "Spring Awakening"

"Spring Awakening" Giveaway 2012

Welcome in Spring while supporting small businesses! By clicking all the ‘Like’ buttons below, you are entered to win the great prizes pictured here, while also being exposed to some fabulously delicious businesses. THREE lucky winners will each win FOUR of the prizes featured below! How amazing is THAT?!

Interested? We thought so. Here's how to enter in 2 easy steps:

1) Click on ALL of the 'LIKE' buttons below to promote the small businesses on your Facebook wall. Please log into your Facebook account if prompted to do so.
2) Fully complete the form below. We promise not to share your personal information with anyone!

Yes, it's THAT easy. Entrants that fully complete every step are officially entered into the contest. Contest ends on March 27, 2012, at 5pm EST. Must have a US mailing address to enter. By submitting your entry, you agree that the companies featured below may occasionally e-mail you about their products and services.

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First Name

Last Name


Email Address


Mailing Address

(Where should we ship the prizes if you win?)



Phone Number

(We'll only call you if you've won!)


Select your T-Shirt Size
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By submitting your entry, you certify that all of the information entered above is true and correct.

Our Pinterest Judge

As you know, we're running a fun, Valentine's Edition, Pinterest contest and we've asked designer, Chandra W of The Designski to be our guest judge.  She was the very first person to introduce us to Pinterest and we've been hooked since.  (Not sure yet whether to love her, or hate her for that :) )

CLC sat down with this design power house to learn more about what keeps her going.  Here's our summary of Chandra along with a tidbit from our Q&A with her.

Chandra, who hails from Alexandria, VA by way of Marlborough, MA, is the uber-talented Graphic Designer & Small Business Owner behind Designski.  She works with a wide range of clients, from the corporate sector to the nonprofit world to the excited brides, on a wide range of design needs.  According to Chandra, "It is very rewarding to learn about the client, develop a strong visual foundation, and see them grow and succeed."

She describes her style as creative prep. "I am very practical and tend to wear a lot of classics, but also like to add my own creative touch. I often do this through accessories – it’s an easy and fun way to add creative, personal elements. I especially love pieces with a story behind them..."  

What’s your favorite part of the work that you put out?   

CW: Getting to really know each client is a perk of my job. Not only do I get to be creative every single day, but I get to help people out – that feels great. This really comes together when developing branding for a start-up. It is very rewarding to learn about the client, develop a strong visual foundation, and see them grow and succeed. 

How would you describe your personal style?

CW: I think of my style as creative prep. I am very practical and tend to wear a lot of classics, but also like to add my own creative touch. I often do this through accessories – it’s an easy and fun way to add creative, personal elements.

 I especially love pieces with a story behind them -- whether that’s wearing a silhouette Etsy necklace from my sister, my great grandmother’s vintage sapphire ring, or a handmade piece like a Cayetano Legacy necklace.  There is something special about all those pieces and it makes me proud to wear them.

Pieces that are versatile and can quickly be dressed up or down really work for me. For example, simply switching out necklaces or going from flats to heels to have a more refined look. The Anna necklace is one of my new favorite pieces. I can wear it with a thick cable knit sweater for a day look or a simple black dress for a wedding or party.

What attracted you to Pinterest?

 CW:   Pinterest saved my desktop. As a designer I am always looking for inspiration, and every new project requires research and observation. I previously kept inspiration folders, just like the different Pinterest boards, on my desktop for all my different projects and interests. Now, it’s incredibly easy to catalog and reference these images. Looking at an entire board, I can quickly see the connections and patterns among the pins. I’ve started testing it out with a few wedding clients and it’s been an effective way to collaborate and clearly establish their look.

 What I also really like, as an observer, is that Pinterest is a great platform for small businesses. You’ll see a piece of art, accessory, or a design that isn’t on every single blog -- seeing that repined again and again is inspiring to me. I love seeing and sharing beautiful, funny, meaningful, and interesting things.

 I knew there was no turning back when instead of “Google-ing” something I started searching Pinterest.

Check out some of Chandra’s work, and get to a know even more about her, here:   http://thedesignski.com

Statement Streetwear

Love all these looks on the street.  Love how they each incorporated a statement necklace into their look.  Its amazing how innate one's fashion sense is. 

image courtesy of http://www.whowhatwear.com/

image courtesy of http://www.whowhatwear.com/

image courtesy of http://www.fabsugar.com/

image courtesy of http://www.vanessajackman.blogspot.com/

image courtesy of http://www.prettyfearless.com/

image courtesy of http://www.inthemoment.moderndestiny.com/