Help for Our Angels

In just under a week from today, Katya Valera jewelry gets to take part in a very special event.

The Roanoke Strollathon for Rett Syndrome Research is to be held Saturday, September 14 in Roanoke, Virginia. This yearly event is dedicated to raising funds toward cutting-edge research with the goal being a cure for this devastating neurodevelopmental disorder.

Children with Rett Syndrome typically begin developing normally after birth and then development regresses, often a few months into life and affecting girls much more often than boys. Here is a description of the syndrome that I've found extra helpful and easy to understand, written by the mother of a child with Rett Syndrome; please take a second to read it here.

These children, or Rett Angels, as they are often lovingly called, are in essence trapped in their own bodies, with their words and feelings unable to be expressed in the ways of other children their age, as they often cannot talk, walk, feed themselves, or control their movements. Yet these Angels have their own way of communicating, particularly with their eyes, and capture the hearts of everyone they come in contact with, a phenomenon anyone who knows one of these Angels can attest to.

My beautiful cousin Isabella was diagnosed about 10 years ago, and she is the giver of so much joy in our family. We are all so thankful for the Angel we have been blessed with.

Every cent donated to Rett Syndrome research brings these children closer to help, and a cure. If you have even a couple of dollars you would like to contribute to this cause, you can donate here, or on my aunt's page here. :)

Another exciting way you can contribute is by bidding in person at the silent auction at the Strollathon, where you'll have tons of awesome items to choose from, including these one-of-a-kind items by Katya Valera!

These long cluster earrings are composed of various purple beads with silver accents dangling from gunmetal kidney hooks:

And assorted beads in Virginia Tech shades make up this clustered bib necklace on double strands of silver tone chain:

I'm so thankful to be supporting Rett Syndrome research with my jewelry! Please share this info with friends, and thank you so much in advance for any help you can offer!

Made Just for You!

As I mentioned in my last post, even though my Etsy shop is currently empty, I've really been cranking out lots of new pieces  (see them here). And lots of custom orders!

Several times people have given me a bracelet or necklace of theirs to remake differently or upcycle into a completely different piece for them, and it's so much fun!

This bracelet was once two strechy bracelets that were too tight. Now it's a cuff bracelet the perfect length!

With beads left over for earrings!

The beads on this necklace once made up a thin stretchy bracelet. Now a one-of-a-kind, dainty necklace!

And this necklace is one of my favorite pieces I've made. I love how just white beads from simple, unwanted stretchy bracelets could be linked and braided into such a gorgeous focal point! And the customer loved it too. :)

Do you have beads you'd like used in a piece, or a piece of jewelry you want upcycled into something completely different? Feel free to message me on Facebook or Etsy to discuss a custom order!

Just a Few Dozen Brand-Spankin' New Pieces!

You may have noticed that my Etsy shop is currently empty... :( But that doesn't mean I'm out of items by any means! I'm currently in the midst of party season so am holding off on listing items until there's a break from parties long enough to do so.

But in the meantime, I'm still cranking out pieces--somewhere near 100 since we moved and I finally got all my supplies unpacked and settled in.

So for now, all the pieces up for sale are available for your viewing and shopping pleasure on my Katya Valera Facebook page here.

While you're there, under my photo albums, you'll find all the Available Bracelets, Available Earrings, and Available Necklaces, complete with prices. Pretty self-explanatory. :) You'll also find Matilda's Favorites, which contains my my antique mannequin Matilda's past and present personal favorites, and Only One Ever, a collection of the pieces that I absolutely do not have the supplies to duplicate--so act fast!

You'll also see the Custom Orders album and the Found Their Happy Homes album, which is all the pieces that have sold in 2013. I just love all my pieces so much I have to have an album for the ones that have left me...

So take a look! If you see a piece already sold that you love, or would like something made similarly, feel free to message me on Facebook or on Etsy, and we'll talk! And if you see a piece for sale that you would like to buy, just let me know, and I'll happily list it just for you on Etsy!

The Cordelia Collection: An Extra Touch of Elegance

Yet one more collection at Katya Valera has its own distinct qualities: the Cordelia Collection.

While the Journey Collection and the Juicy Collection cover everyday wear, the Cordelia Collection offers pieces perfect for evening and formal wear and special occasions. 

The contents of the collection are always changing, but every piece is ready to give you that added touch of elegance.

Which one do you love?

Aw, Katya Valera Loves You All Too!

Well, my Summer Giveaway is now over, but one lucky lady now has her free, one-of-a-kind Katya Valera necklace!

 

I love having giveaways! But this one held added interest for me, besides getting to give away a necklace. This giveaway worked a little different from my last one: I asked you, my customers, to tell me what you love most about Katya Valera jewelry by choosing from 7 very carefully considered options to make it easier for those voting (and I hear even that was hard enough!). 

Katya Valera is, by name, jewelry you love, and based on the responses from my dear customers over the past year and a half, I know it’s true! :) But I was curious to know more specifically what you love about it.

The responses were very interesting, and they also made me very happy! You do love the prices, the everyday wearability of so many pieces, and the huge range of styles, with so many pieces being so unique.

But there was a tie between the two things you all love the most—the fact that every piece is one of a kind or one of very few, and the fact that when you like a piece, you absolutely love it!

And that makes my heart so happy because that tells me you love buying limited edition jewelry, as opposed to mass-produced pieces, and also that you get as excited about my jewelry as I do!

In the business of jewelry making, it’s pretty common practice to make a piece, realize it’s popular, and then make the same piece over and over again dozens of times to keep selling it. It’s extra risky to make limited edition pieces—that’s a lot more variety to choose from for the buyer but that much more of a risk for the seller, with the fear that some pieces might never find their happy homes. But I've chosen to stick with the one of a kind route because it’s more enjoyable for me, there’s much more room for creativity when you get to design a brand new piece every time you sit down, and I had hoped it would be more exciting for the customer to know they’re getting a piece that no one else has. And now I know you love it that way too!

Regarding the other most-chosen answer, I simply adore jewelry, period, in addition to making it. So getting to read people’s comments about how much they adore their new pieces, or better yet getting to see them ooh and ahh in person at a Katya Valera party, is exactly the reaction I want my little children to get!

So in short, I know what I love most about Katya Valera, and I know what I had hoped you all love most about it—so thank you so much for letting me know what you really do love about Katya Valera jewelry! :D

 

Summer Jewelry Giveaway!

 I’m super excited to announce that it’s time for Katya Valera’s Summer Giveaway!

The first necklace you could win is part of the Journey Collection and features a bronze butterfly pendant and bronze/gold heart charms placed along a wide bronze chain. Such a unique look!

The second of the necklaces is also part of the Journey Collection and features a fun assortment of pink and silver beads along thin silver chain. This bib necklace is perfect for summer!

And the third necklace you could win is part of the Juicy Collection and features juicy (of course) orange beads in various sizes and tiny clear beads along thin silver chain. Definitely a bright and happy piece!

Entering is easy, and also very valuable to me—just head over to the Katya Valera Facebook page, where you’ll see a photo with a question and several answer options. Just comment with your answer of what you love most about Katya Valera, and you’ll be entered into the drawing!

The poll closes at 11:59 PM (EST) on Friday, July 19, with the winner randomly selected and announced shortly thereafter.

So go ahead and enter! You could win jewelry you love!

The Juicy Collection: Jewel Tones Galore

There is not a perfectly sufficient word in the English language to adequately describe the beauty of translucent, jewel-toned jewelry (or translucent, jewel-toned anything for that matter...). I love such hues so much that my entire wedding theme was composed of multiple jewel-toned shades.

So I have seized upon the word juicy, which admittedly means different things to different people, and lovingly apply it to anything that is translucent, jewel-toned and ... yummy (a synonymn for juicy, of course).

Think jello! ;)

Just filter any color through what it would be as jello, and you've got juicy. :)

Mmm, juicy-ness... :)

So of course there had to be an entire Juicy Collection!

See something you love? Take a look at my Katya Valera Facebook page to see how to purchase and to see even more juicy options!

The Veranda Collection: A Touch of Victorian Elegance

Something about the elegance of clay roses, often displayed against filigree, ornate backdrops, gives the pieces from Katya Valera's exclusive Veranda Collection a certain Victorian look.

Clay and resin rose jewelry are actually what first attracted me to Etsy and to learn to make jewelry to begin with, when I was searching for bridal party jewelry for my wedding.

Each rose begins as polymer clay fit into a mold and then carefully popped out, baked, cooled, glazed, and glued to its chosen base over a period of a few days. Quite a process to get to these results!

These clay flowers can be made in virtually any color, and with single or mixed colors. Have a color combo you'd love to see? Just let me know, and I'll see what I can do!

Which piece do you love? :)

The Journey Collection: For Every Day of Your Journey

You may have noticed that every Katya Valera piece is part of one of several exclusive collections. The first of these is the Journey Collection.

Here is just a sampling of the many Journey Collection pieces.

All one-of-a-kind necklaces.

 The Journey Collection includes all the pieces perfect for everyday wear—to work, to school, just out and about.

So much variety!

True to Katya Valera’s limited edition tradition, the Journey Collection pieces are just as unique as those found in the other collections, but their styles lend them especially well to everyday wear, and they're often the pieces that you’ll find yourself wearing with everything.

Which one do you love?

See something you love? Get more info on each of them and browse even more Katya Valera pieces at my shop here! :)