my vacation in photos

I'm in Palm Springs this week for Thanksgiving with Dan's family. We are staying at the La Quinta Resort in a cute little villa called Casablanca...I bet you can't guess how it's decorated?! Oh yes, old photographs from black and white movies, mostly Casablanca, of course! The views and architecture is like nothing I have EVER seen!

the hugest, biggest christina kober designs sale EVER!

Ok...so I can't hold it in any longer! I'm SOO excited to share this idea! I tried to wait, I tried, but I can't do it!

I love advent calendars. I grew up so excited for the next day to find the little door for the day and and have my precious piece of chocolate. {Until I realized that there was nothing stopping me from opening all the little doors and eating all the chocolate in one sitting. Then proceeding to hide the evidence by closing the doors back up so my parents would be "never know"} This year, I decided it would be fun to celebrate the holiday season with an advent calendar of sales!

Beginning on December 1, I will reveal the sale and promotional code for the day on here (my blog) and via email (don't forget to sign up!). Each day will be a new sale and a new promo code for you to use on my etsy shop! How exciting right?! And the more people that participate, the better the final surprise on Christmas Day! WOO-HOO!

hello, i love you

Holy cow, I can't believe it's already Wednesday! This week is slipping by...and then I'll be in Palm Springs. (tonight I'm going to get my suitcase out and begin the packing process)

I have been dying for some herringbone tights. I think herringbone is the epitome of winter & what better way to wear it than as tights!
1. j. crew dream tori ruffle cardigan: this cardigan has been on my list of things to buy. but unfortunately if you follow the link it has sold out. and it doesn't look like they'll have anymore! what a BUMMER!

2. christina kober designs fortune cookie lariat: ok seriously, who doesn't love getting a fortune cookie at the end of your meal at a chinese restaurant. these little fortune cookies are hand formed and each fortune is hand stamped by myself. you can get pre-made fortunes or create your own! (this one says "you are going to have some new clothes." yes, i really did get that on a fortune.)

3. gap essential featherweight cami: i buy all of my camis, tanks, and tees from gap. they have great quality, they are super soft, last through more than one washing without shrinking and you can usually get great deals (buy 2 get 1 free, 2 for $20, etc).

4. via spiga suri bootie: at first i was very leary of the "bootie." but I have found that they, this style especially, really make your legs look long and shapely.

5. kate spade sparkle herringbone tights: i have yet to find kate spade to do anything wrong? i love the slight sparkle these tights have, great for a holiday party.

6. j. crew wool flannel shorts: why not wear shorts in the winter?

7. i think red lips would really top off this look!

are you part of an and?

me: "I am."

you: "What does this mean?"

me: "I am part of an and: Christina & Dan. The concept being that the 'and' connects Dan and myself. The 'and' representing love, friendship, commitment, a relationship."

you: "This tiny three letter word represents ALL of that?"

me: "Yep, and so does the ampersand symbol (&)."

you: "Well, why do you bring this up now?"

me: "That's a funny story let me share, hopefully it makes sense!
As many of you know, I have a line of initial pendants called the block letter necklaces (formerly mommy & me initial necklaces). The design was inspired by the little alphabet magnets my mom would keep on the refrigerator to help me learn spelling (clearly not grammar). My idea, which is still coming to fruition, is that the letters are given to a mother or grandmother, each letter representing the first initial of the child's name. So as there are more children added to the family, there are more initials added to the necklace.


In addition to wearing multiple letters, you can also add the birthstone of the child to the bottom right hand corner of each initial (more on that in another post)."

you: "Oh, very cool. But what does this have to do with the ampersand?"

me: "Well, I also had the idea that a couple (dating, married, etc) could have their initials on a necklace. But without an '&' symbol it just looked like a jumble of letters. And I felt that the addition of the '&' was really important to the symbolism. Then I started thinking more about it, maybe I shouldn't be so literal. The & makes the relationship, it is what connects the two people, maybe have the & stand alone. VOILA, the idea was born! (plus it just looks cool!)

So I present to you the sterling silver block ampersand, now for sale in my etsy studio!"

happy friday

Wow, I can't believe it! I hit 200 sales on my etsy site today! (and about a week ago I hit 1000 people who "hearts me")

I feel like I've really hit a huge etsy milestone and I just wanted to share with you my excitement! I will have to do some sort of giveaway in celebration! So stay tuned you will be hearing about it soon!

Speaking of giveaway, don't forget to head over to Sara Plays House and enter to win a Sterling Silver Fortune Cookie Necklace with your own custom fortune! You only have one more week until the drawing!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will be taking it easy this weekend & working in my studio!









ps: here is a little preview of one of the options I'm working with on my logo!

hello, i love you

Every year since I can remember, my parents and I drive down to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday (yes, I spend 8 hours in the car with my parents). My Grandparents had 4 daughters and all 4 families come together to celebrate, eat, exchange Christmas presents, be thankful, and eat. My cousin and I have also started our own mini tradition of shopping until we drop on Black Friday. It is definitely my favorite holiday.

This year is going to be different because I'm going to spend Turkey day with Dan's family in Palm Springs, CA. While I'm REALLY excited, there are other parts of me that are nervous and sad. Nervous because well, who wouldn't be nervous to spend an entire week with your boyfriend's family! Sad because I am going to be missing my family something fierce. For me to agree whole-heartedly to this trip Dan had to promise that we will be spending New Years in Florida with my family AND we will go to Thanksgiving with my family next year.

Well getting back to the excited part, of course my mind automatically thinks of what should I wear?! Can I just say that the weather will be in the high 70s!!! So, today's Hello, I love you is something to pack for Palm Springs.
1. j. crew cashmere-silk splendid cardigan - I chose this because even though it's going to be warm in Palm Springs, I will be cold!

2. forever 21 soft knit striped tank - going for the nautical look in the desert.

3. christina kober designs 18K bubble necklace - I think gold looks amazing on tanned skin (which I will hopefully have). This necklace can be made custom in sterling silver or a mix of sterling silver and gold, different lengths...the options are endless.

4. anthropologie grand proportions belt - I love the look of a wide belt slung across your hips. Something about it is sexy to me.

5. dvf armor pants in white - even though it's after labor day, I wear white wide-leg pants. I am actually wearing some today! And can I just say...DVF, swoon!

6. kate spade bamboo espadrilles - I love these shoes. I have them in white and wore them so much I broke them and immediately replaced them. So comfortable. I love this color too!

7. calviree extra large poppy tote - I love the jute webbing and canvas handles. It looks like a super sturdy bag for travel. I just discovered CalviRee on Etsy earlier this week. Patty has some great designs. If you haven't already noticed, I love handmade bags.

playing catch up.

I apologize for my absence. I have been running around playing catch up since my being sick 2 weeks ago. I'm ALMOST all caught up, although I'm sure something will pop up that I have pushed to the back recesses of my mind.

I barely realized Halloween past and it was November. Shame on me! And in my rush these past few days I haven't even taken photos of what I have been doing...but I'm going to share anyway!

1. A few custom fortune cookie orders to complete. One in particular I love! As a special birthday present for his wife, a man asked me to make a fortune with her favorite quote: "I'll eat you up - I love you so" If you aren't sure what this is a quote from, its Where the Wild Things Are. (I am DYING to see this movie)
   
2. While working on the custom fortune cookies, I have redesigned them. There were some problems with the Fortune Cookie Lariat in particular and I'm really excited to re-post these in the next few days with the "NEW" same but different design.
3. I am reworking my logo and packaging to have a more consistent style. I hope to unveil all of this before the holiday rush.
4. I had a small trunk show at my friend, Miranda's house. Thank you to Miranda for hosting and all the lovely ladies that came by!
5. I am participating in the Whimsical Wares Show this Wednesday through Sunday. I dropped off all my initials and new Fortune Cookies on Monday. Let me tell you if you are in the Atlanta area (Marietta to be exact) this weekend, you should DEFINITELY check this show out. There are tons of great goodies there, including of course my jewelry! ;) But it is also in the most amazing house.
6. I had a custom order for a vermeil mommy and me initial pendant. For those of you who don't know, vermeil is sterling silver with a thin coating of 18K gold on the outside. So it keeps the cost down while also giving you the look of 18K gold. downside: it's not permanent.
   Because I work at a jeweler supply store, and my dad is pretty awesome, he let me experiment with a plating machine and vermeil some of my peices. It was WAY too much fun and I'm looking forward to making a line of vermeil initials!
7. Last I want to tell you guys about a giveaway I'm doing on a blog that I follow. Sara Plays House is a great blog that is about Sara and her family. She has two adorable daughters, who keep her busy and writing entertaining posts, like her Saturday Night Art Show. Definitely a great read! So hop on over to Sara's blog and check it out, and while your there enter to win a CUSTOM FORTUNE COOKIE NECKLACE!!!
   

san francisco...finally

Wow! This trip has been long awaited and so was this post. All last week I was dying to post about our trip. Oh, I loved this city! I can't wait to go back and explore more.

I first want to explain that for my birthday all I wanted was a new camera. A digital SLR camera. Dan bought the camera for me and I received it a week before our trip! I knew it was going to be an adjustment from my 3 year old cannon elph...but wow I learned that I have no idea how to use an SLR. But I had a lot of fun taking photos anyway!

We had one day to spend in San Francisco and I had a list of things I wanted to do...

1. Golden Gate Bridge
2. Fisherman's Wharf
3. Walk Lombard Street
4. Ride on a Trolley

Dan was such a trooper (he was sick the whole time), he planned the day so we could check off the things on my list, he posed for pictures, and he was willing to explore each and every little corner and street I wanted to turn down.

The day began with the Golden Gate Bridge. It was amazing. The haze was just lifting over the city. The weather was perfect. Warm in the sun with a great breeze, but not enough to need a sweater.

After exploring around and picking up a post card to send my Grandma, we headed over to Fisherman's Wharf where we would park our car and leave it to explore the city. When we got to Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 39), I quickly got the impression it was not the "San Francisco experience" I was looking for. So we headed to Lombard Street. All the while, I was snapping photos of everything.

At the top of Lombard Street there was a Trolley stop so we hopped on. Only to have our trolley stall and we had to have a truck come push us down a hill! We finally made it down to Union Square for lunch. Where we stopped at Hubert Keller's Burger Bar.

I was really excited to go to find Burger Bar because I love Top Chef & Top Chef Masters. Hubert Keller was a guest judge for Top Chef and a finalist on Top Chef Masters (and in my opinion should have won the show). So we go into the restaurant and let me tell you the menu was amazing; kobe beef, buffalo, oyster mushrooms, shaved truffles, pan seared foie gras, proscuitto, grilled half lobster, avocado...I mean really, talk about a good burger!

So as we are ordering Dan taps me on the shoulder, "Turn around...you won't believe this!" Oh, yes, Hubert Keller was THERE!!! We talked the entire delicious meal about grabbing his attention and taking a photo, which of course I completely lost my nerve and eventually had to have the waitress bring him over. And what do I say when he comes to our table... something to the tune of "it was a really good burger, Chef Keller." REALLY?! THAT WAS ALL I COULD GET OUT!? But none the less we got our photo! (oh and look at that burger! buffalo with oyster mushrooms & carmelized onions)

After my embarrassing lack of conversation with Hubert Keller, Dan and I hit the pavement again. We explored the streets, walking in stores (if you are ever in San Francisco you should definitely check out Saks Fifth Ave ceiling...it's gorgeous!), walking through Nob Hill, Chinatown, the Financial District and then ending up at the Ferry Building.

This is where I completely fell in love with San Francisco. I can't even explain exactly what it was about this area. The Ferry Building is a Marketplace with local produce, wine, breads, ice cream and gelato, cute housewares and restaurants. The shops are inside but there is a backside of the building overlooking the bay bridge and the Ferries. As the sun is setting, (on the opposite side of the city) the shadow is cast over you creating this beautiful, romantic setting. I was so overwhelmed I didn't even take any photos!

We walked down further and found Pier 7. It was like a movie with the lamps and the wood walkway.

For dinner we walked back to the Ferry Building and ate at the Hog Island Oyster Co. One of Dan's former co-workers met us for dinner & drinks. We sat at the bar and watched our oysters get shucked (which we ate 48!) and had the most delicious clam chowder.