Empower a Child

Helping others feel beautiful is our company's mission because of how important it is to me. A cause near and dear to my heart is North Texas Food Bank's Food 4 Kids program, and I have been blessed with being one of the chairs. Our loyal blog readers are familiar with the program, but for new followers, Food 4 Kids provides 8,250 children in need in the Dallas area with backpacks filled with food each weekend during the school year.  

Me with Lael Brodsky and Kathryn Beach, my new co-chairs
for North Texas Food Bank Food 4 Kids Program

We just celebrated surpassing our $350,000 projected goal all the way to $415,881 in donations for the Food 4 Kids Program for the 2011-12 fiscal year - a huge success for our board.  Katherine and Eric Reeves hosted our Wrap-Up event for our end-of-year at their home a couple of weeks ago.  It was a beautiful gathering with a great energy celebrating the money raised for the Food 4 Kids Program.

Me with Kim Schlegel-Whitman and Katherine Perot-Reeves,
my 2011-2012 co-chairs -- I will miss them but I know they will
be just as supportive behind the scenes, no doubt!

Here's to a great new year of raising money to help the children of our community!  

P.S. Please let me know if you have an interest in getting involved in this great cause--by volunteering or potentially being on our host committee.  xxoo  Elizabeth

Butterflies & Ballgowns

Partial image of "Sympathy in White Major - Absolution II," 2006

I took a quick trip over to Tate Modern to see the Damien Hirst exhibit.  I have been a fan of his butterfly canvases, so seeing Sympathy in White Major - Absolution II up-close was amazing.  These particular canvases are always laid out in incredible mosaics of butterflies.  Butterflies symbolize change.  And life is always changing and evolving, as my designs are always changing and evolving.

Crematorium, 1996

Hirst's other works are perhaps a bit over the top for me, as their aesthetic is not necessarily beautiful, but extremely thought-provoking, such as the gigantic ashtray above filled with used cigarette butts, Crematorium.

With the beautiful ladies of Astley Clarke!

A highlight of my trip was visiting with the lovely personal shoppers of Astley Clarke, our retailer in the U.K.

Some of the ballgowns on display at the V&A -- the ballgown in the center image was worn by Princess Diana 
on a state visit to Hong Kong in 1989

A minute's walk from my hotel was the Victoria and Albert Museum's exhibit "British Glamour Since the 1950's". The exhibit opened to celebrate their newly renovated Fashion Galleries, and features sixty jaw-dropping designs worn at social events over the past sixty years. It was inspiring to see these one-of-a-kind couture ballgowns up close, reminding me of the artistic genius behind today's most renowned design houses.

A pectoral disc from the jewelry exhibit, made in Ghana before 1874

I also took a little tour through the jewelry collection at the V&A -- one of the most comprehensive collections in the world, with over 3,000 European jewels from ancient times to the present day.  I only had 1 1/2 hours before the museum closed, and now I must return one day to finish my tour -- there is just so much to see and take in!

My new favorite beverage

I love finding new treasures while traveling -- I was hanging out at my friend Lauren's home in Belgravia, and she offered me this incredible ginger beer by Fever Tree made in the U.K. (non-alcoholic) -- now it's my new favorite drink.  Lucky me -- their website says it is available at Spec's here in Texas.

P.S.  Hope you are all keeping cool -- I'm certainly trying to escape the heat down here in Texas!  Until my next post...

The History, The Architecture, The Shopping...More British Adventures!

My trip to London was truly a cultural experience -

every element helping me to experience the city as an

artistic center with rich history. 

Street view of Charlotte Street Hotel

Views from my room at Number Sixteen

To start, I stayed in two hotels within the Firmdale Hotels family, which both equally evoke the British culture in unique and different ways. Charlotte Street Hotel is humbly sophisticated and a minute's walk to Soho, while Number Sixteen in South Kensington is a bit more tucked away from the hustle and bustle in a neighborhoody area.

Approaching St. Paul Cathedral                                                  Me in front of Windsor Castle   

Just walking around London was an experience in and of itself. The rich history of the country, the thousands of years of royal families, and wars and conflicts are like secrets waiting to be told throughout the city.

Harrod's!

While it is one of my dreams for Harrod's fine jewelry department to carry my jewelry line, it was fun to play anonymous shopper in one of the largest retail stores in the world. I had so much fun there--it's so easy to get lost in the many levels and departments.  I was simply mesmerized in the pet department by all the incredible bedding options for my dogs, Lexi and Whitney!  

Harrod's Pet Kingdom & Spa Entrance

I then ended my lovely evening there by eating a fabulous burger and yummy fries in The Diner, one of over 20 eateries within Harrod's! 

P.S.  Stay tuned for my next London post on butterflies, ballgowns and ginger beer.

From Waco Cotton Palace to London

My mother and I -- isn't she glamorous?

I just returned from a rejuvenating trip to London

for an intimate wedding of my longtime friend, Lauren.

It was full of friends, family, and cultural experience.

My supportive father, taking pictures for his blogger wife

The beautiful bride, in a beautiful Jenny Packham wedding gown, with her godmother

Lauren is a dear friend of mine whom I met when 
we were seventeen (!!!), both of us Duchesses in the Waco Cotton Palace. Her godmother, Jo, lives in Waco and is essentially the reason for our friendship. Jo flew all the way from Waco to attend her goddaughter's wedding in Lauren's friend's home, Groombridge Place in Kent. 

Diane Kordas (a London-based jewelry designer) and I 
on our way from the house to the reception

You might recognize the romantic setting from  

the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice
(which I love by the way), in which Groombridge Place 
served as Longbourn, the Bennet's family home.

An image from Pride & Prejudice

The couple of the weekend

It was a celebration of love in a gorgeous setting, 

amongst close friends and family.

P.S. Though it was the reason for my traveling across the Atlantic Ocean, the wedding was but the first of many memorable experiences during my trip to London -- more to come!

From Vegas to London!

The first week of June, my sales team and I debuted 

our new Fall 2012 collection at the Couture Show 

at the Wynn Las Vegas! Booth #908 became our home away

from home for the five days of the show, 

thanks to months of designing, planning and decorating.

Our cute booth!

With two of my sales people, Michelle & Whitney

 We enjoyed quality time with our retailers 

both in and out of the booth; events like Capri Jeweler's party 

at Lakeside allowed us to sit back and catch up with retailers 

as well as make new friends, like mini Elvis!

I'm currently in London for a dear friend's wedding

and meeting with one of our retailers, Astley Clarke. 

So much to be inspired by here...more to come, soon!