Our First Jewelry Class!!

 Thank you to everyone who joined us for our wire wrap jewelry class.  Together with Jen Rea, of Jennifer Rea Jewelry by Design, Mimi and Lu held it's first jewelry making class at Cecilia Boutique in Mission Hills.  Our intent was to have a class that was fun, relaxing and accessible.  It was great to see each person come up with their own unique design, choosing from a colorful selection of beads and stones. Everyone walked out with a new skill and a pair of earrings they designed and produced themselves. (Not to mention they were treated to a 15% off discount at Cecilia Boutique on any purchase they made that day!!)

More classes will be scheduled soon so stay in the loop by checking in on our 'classes' page, joining the Mimi and Lu mailing list (click on the green envelope!), adding yourself as a fan on our Facebook page, or following us on Twitter.

Hope everyone had as much fun as I did and looking forward to hosting more classes soon!!

What's Love.

Quite a pair.

It's never too late for true love. Ask my grandma. Sometimes I'd catch my 90-something year old grandparents flirting. Sometimes it was hard to remember that their 16 year marriage started when they were in their late 70's/early 80's.

My "real grandfather", and my grandma's first husband, died in a car accident 32 years into their marriage. They owned a nightclub and bowling alley in rural Ohio and had 5 children, one who died at birth. Of the remaining 4, one has Multiple Sclerosis, one has battled Brain Cancer (twice), one has Multiple Myeloma (form of bone marrow cancer) and the the fourth, my mother, is the "caretaker". At 96, after seeing her family through every hardship, there's still one thing that consistently puts a smile on her face- Muxie.

My grandma "Sito" and Muxie, dancing on my wedding day.

After my grandma's first and second husband's passed away, she reconnected with a man she'd known from her days in the nightclub. Muxie had been the owner of Budweiser's midwest distributing company and was the one who delivered beer to her bar so many years prior. It didn't take long for him to pick up and move to California to be with my grandmother. Together at last, they were each others' true love. I've never seen her glow and giggle as much as she has with him.

Muxie is the only grandfather I really ever knew. He felt like a grandfather. In typical grandparent fashion, he'd always have cash appearing out of his pockets when we'd visit, insisting we put it in ours. Everyday, without fail, his signature lunch was a fried bologna sandwich and a Budweiser. Ordering anything but a Budweiser when we were out to dinner was a no-no. At 98, he was still 'sneaking' potato chips and cookies, hiding them from my grandmother. He was goofy in his own quiet way and caring in a sweet and subtle way. When his sight started to fail him and he could no longer drive, he plucked flowers from the backyard to give to my grandma on her birthday. He was a giver his entire life, involved with his community, even putting kids through college who weren't his own.

A couple days before he died, my grandmother (who, may I remind you, is pushing 100 years old) told me these have been the best 16 years of her life. What an interesting perspective to consider-- No matter how you feel today, whatever you are struggling with or whatever paths in life didn't seem to turn your way- you can be 50/60/70 years old and you just never know- the best may be yet to come.

Loved by so many, he will be missed. I know he'd want us to munch on some potato chips and toast him with a Budweiser in his honor.

Love you, Muxie.

Bruno "Muxie" Paolina 1913-2011

Gold WHAT?

 
When asked what my gold jewelry is made of, nine times out of ten, I get one of two responses to my answer of "gold filled"- Either a look of utter confusion or the response- "Oh it's plated" (not true!) I thought I'd address it here, since it can be confusing and seeing that the difference between GOLD PLATED and GOLD FILL is tremendous! Here is the actual breakdown:

Gold Filled:  Gold filled is an actual layer of gold-pressure bonded to another metal.  Gold filled is not to be confused with gold plating as filled literally has 100% more gold than gold plating.  Gold filled is much more valuable and tarnish resistant.  It does not flake off, rub off or turn colors.  Anyone who can wear gold can wear gold filled without worries of any allergic reaction to the jewelry.

Gold-plated: A base metal such as steel or brass is dipped into a bath of electroplating solution, with a lump of solid gold. When an electric current is applied, a thin layer of gold is deposited on the metal. Since the plating is quite thin, the plate (and hence the color) on findings can wear off if not cared for properly.

Vermeil: (Pronounced: Vermay) is sterling silver that has been gold-plated. Most vermeil is plated with 22K-24K gold. This is a good combination for those with allergy to normal, plated jewelry items. The difference between vermeil, and gold-filled, is in the thickness of the gold and the base metal used. In vermeil, the base is sterling silver. 

Government Regulation:  Gold filled items are regulated by the government versus gold plate which is not regulated at all.   In the jewelry industry the quantity of gold must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total product.

 Lifetime Products:  Gold-Filled items are generally considered lifetime products, and the gold layer will not wear off, as it will in electroplated products.  

Love connector is plated with a matte gold

Most Mimi & Lu jewelry is Gold filled. I do incorparate pieces that are vermeil or plated and that is always noted in their descriptions. Sometimes it's because I think it's a special piece that is not available in gold fill or it's because I want to offer some budget friendly pieces in my line.  My recommendation with anything plated is to take extra precaution when it comes to care. Don't wear in the shower (or ocean!), put on after you apply lotions or perfumes and store in an airtight container or baggie. 

Now that we have that cleared up, I want to quickly address the rising price of Gold and Silver.  To give you a good idea of how much it's risen, in June of 1999 the price was at a low of $252.90/oz.(troy ounce) In January of 2008, it hit $865.35/oz. In March 2011 it hit $1432.57/oz. Since April 2001 the gold price has more than tripled in value against the US dollar. Silver has seen similar jumps.

Melissa Cuff is made from a very heavy gauge of Gold fill wire

Ive tried to keep Mimi & Lu's prices constant and always consider the price of metal when designing a piece. It has not been easy to adjust to the rising cost of these metals. I think it helps for the customer to know the value of the metals in order to understand the price of a piece.(and can therefore have a greater appreciation for the piece they purchase) If there is a long gold filled chain or if the wire used is a thick gauge, the price will likely jump.

I welcome any questions about this and I hope it's help clear up any questions about what metals I use, why and their value.

Pick one thing up, and put it away.

It's been over a MONTH since the last blog post which is shameful. I could give an entire laundry list of excuses- some very good ones- but if you know me, you know how much I hate excuses. Instead, Ill just tell one story.

Carefree kid.

When I was a kid, I was - how should I put it- messy. My brain was in a thousand places at once and eventually my room would explode into piles of laundry and stacks of school supplies. When it became time to clean up, I'd often feel overwhelmed and my mom always said the same thing- "Just pick one thing up and put it away" - So that's what I would do. Pick one thing up, put it away- pick another thing up, put it away. It always worked.  Luckily, I've managed to leave (most) of the piles of laundry behind me but tasks pile up and feel overwhelming that mantra still plays in my head- "Pick one thing up, and put it away."

A couple weeks ago, my computer crashed. While most of my files were saved- my website was not. It was still visible and working online but within my program it vanished and I just so happen to use a particular program where it cannot simply be reloaded, it must be rebuilt piece by piece, page by page, link by link. I felt heartbroken that hours and hours of work had slipped away so suddenly. The task of rebuilding something I'd worked months (years?) on was overwhelming but once again my mom's mantra replayed in my head-"Pick one thing up and put it away." In this case, it was about starting with one piece, one page , one element and then moving on to the next. Tackling it piece by piece thinking only about the page in front of me and not about the million other pages to go.

Carlina Bracelets

It worked. And Im thrilled to say the website has been rebuilt and in the process I was able to rework the site and add NEW pieces and pages. A few pages are still under construction but I hope you'll take a peek at the new pieces and let me know what you think! You might find a few other new surprises as well. (Classes!!) If you are  a frequent Mimi & Lu website visitor you might need to refresh your pages or clear your cookies to make sure you are viewing the updated site.

And when things in your life start piling up, you're overwhelmed and you just don't know where to start say to yourself- "pick one thing up, and put it away." and it'll work...(I promise!)

Luv, Luv, Luv

I'm thrilled that the Mimi and Lu  'Luv Necklace' was featured in this BEAUTIFUL (and delicious) post on TheKnottyBride.com!! I love the necklace shots and was and a bit surprised how well such a dainty piece photographed.  So take a peek at the post and tell me what you think! I already know you'll want to reach right through your computer screen and eat all those amazing treats!

 

 

View the Knotty Bride's Valentine's Post in it's entirety here.

Get your own Luv necklace here! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

We know you'll LOVE this giveaway!!

It's almost February! Wow. I apologize for being so absent during the month of January....I expected a slow down after the holidays but one thing rolled into another and here we are just as busy as ever.  Don't worry, I'm going to make it up to you, but more on that later.

Many projects have been in the works & keeping Mimi & Lu busy. Brought my jewelry to a shoot with Exquisite Weddings Magazine a couple weeks ago - so much fun! Can't wait to see the pics in their March issue with the new Mimi & Lu bridal pieces.

I'm also excited to be adding another sales rep in Florida and a couple in-house interns! The Mimi & Lu team is growing and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Mini Puffed Heart Necklace

A new branch of Mimi & Lu is also in the works, which will include consulting and assisting other up and coming designers to navigate the sometimes overwhelming world of selling your own handmade goods. More on that soon...

So I said Id make it up to you and here you go: I will be giving away this dainty and delicate Friendship Heart necklace for Valentines Day!! The chain is 18" and the charm is a mini puffed heart in 14Kgoldfill. More on it here.

Entering to win is EASY. Simply comment on this blog post and make sure to include your email. Then you are ENTERED!

ADDISTIONAL Entries for:
-Following the Mimi & Lu Blog
-Following Mimi & Lu on Twitter
-Becoming a Fan ("Like") on Facebook

Be sure to mention in your comment if you have done any of the above (or already do)! Contest closes Feb 4th 1p.m. PST. (contest open to US only-must ship within continental US)

And remember to get any other Valentines Day jewelry requests in ASAP.

GOOD LUCK!!

BE HAPPY

Now how about that for a New Years Resolution?

Let me introduce you to my cousin, Dino. He was once deemed the “Laker Fan of the Year. (Literally-brought through the locker room and onto the court.) He’s the president of the Metallica Fan Club (No joke- Los Angeles Chapter). Dino is son, husband, father, Godfather, uncle and brother and has always been the ‘rock’ in his extended family of 50, not to mention life of the party.

Dino also has cancer.  In November of 2010, Dino was diagnosed with a very rare form of bladder cancer- Neuroendocrine differential Small Cell cancer of the bladder. He's already undergoing chemotherapy and faces bladder removal surgery soon. While this type of cancer is aggressive, we know Dino is a fighter and will be back at the Laker games in no time.

Ok, so we normally don't use the word HAPPY and CANCER in the same sentence but Don't Worry Be Happy Shirts have brought those words together.  DWBHshirts.org is a fundraising tribute to Kevin Carlberg and have welcomed Dino as one of their cancer warriors.  The DWBHshirts organization raises funds to help people with cancer pay medical bills and help to find a cure by selling shirts that spread the message of happiness and optimism.

Buy a DWBH shirt and 40% of your purchase goes directly to helping cancer patients pay their medical bills and allows them to focus on healing and being happy.

To buy a shirt or other DWBH product in Dino's name, please visit www.DWBHshirts.org. Simply shop their store and upon checkout, put "Dino" in the area where you can make a note to the Seller.

(Not only do they carry an amazing message, but they are stylish too! (even Fergie loves them!))

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

P.S. PLEASE email me a pic of you in your DWBH shirt so we can show Dino the love!!