I like to call this my “necklace renovation”  but you can call it a major overhaul, repair, face-lift or upgrade!  I designed this necklace four years back for my super sweet sister-in-law Sarah and she loved it but wanted to make it a short necklace rather than a long necklace.

I took it upon myself to completely revamp it and make is something to brag about.  It’s cool to see how far I’ve come in terms of jewelry design in just a few years.  Check out the before and after photos.

Before:

After:

So everyone’s always asking me if  make guy jewelry and the answer is always haha NOPE, totally not my thing.

However the sweetest lady Sheila asked if I could I could repair a necklace for the guy she’s dating.  It was a necklace his grandfather had given to him and it broke.  She wanted to surprise him for his birthday with a fixed necklace with a fresh new cord.

I’m a sucker for surprise and sentimental jewelry so I caved.  Honestly at the time I had no idea what I was doing but that’s what good old Google is for.  And I love taking on a challenge and learning a new skill.

So it took a few tries but I was able to repair it and now I’m proud to say I can successfully do a “slide knot.” And the good news is he LOVED it!  What a thoughtful gift.

Now don’t be asking if I’ll be starting a MEN’S LINE cause I doubt that I’ll be doing that anytime soon.

I’d love to hear what you think of the repair.  Comment below or share it with your friends.

I was definitely WOWED by such a great response to our Neon Yellow Clutch Giveaway!  We had 158 entries!  Yall are awesome!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

So I figured since there was such a large amount of entries I would throw in, yes mam, another SURPRISE GIVEAWAY!

So make sure to read the whole post to see if the winner is you!

Neon Clutch Giveaway Winner:

Congratulations ***Whitney McCloud*** for winning our Neon Yellow  Clutch!  You are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE it. 

And hey you!  Yeah, all you who didn’t win.  Don’t worry because you can still purchase one of these neon yellow clutches in my online store.  And the best part is now through August 2nd I’m giving away a free giftcard to Courtneyorillion.com.  It’s a 10 for 10 deal.  Ten days after the launch of our new clutch line you get a $10 giftcard with your clutch purchase.  It’s pretty sweet!

Surprise Giveaway Winner:

So I figured since so many of you took the time to enter my clutch giveaway, I would throw in another suprise giveaway winner. 

This giveaway is for a $30 gift certificate to courtneyorillion.com!

Congratulations ***Jina Hebert***  for winning our SURPRISE giveaway!  You’ve got lots of great new stuff in my online store to choose from.   Get to shopping!

Leave a comment below to congratulate our winners or to let me know if you’d love more giveaways in the future.  I’d love to hear from you!

Read what we think will help you have a super fun swimsuit shopping experience.

1. Before you go shopping, Melissa Schatzle suggests this: “Try to get a little bit of a tan first. Tanned skin looks slimmer and better than white skin.”

2. Get a little glammed up. Fix your hair, put on your makeup and hey why not paint your fingers and toes. Doing this will give you a boost of confidence when you’re staring yourself down in the mirror.

3. When you’re getting dressed the morning you’re planning on shopping for your suit remember to keep it simple. Every article of clothing you wear must come off and on every time you jump in the dressing room. Leave your toe socks at home.

4. Don’t stress about your body. You are beautiful! Every curve, stretch mark and freckle. But if finding the perfect suit to flatter your figure seems stressful, Laura Henry suggests to, “Have a cocktail before going to try on.”

5. When choosing a suit, don’t feel like you have to expose every inch of yourself. I love Anne Catherine LeBlanc’s advice on this. She said, “Just because it doesn’t ‘show you off’ doesn’t mean it can’t be cute!” So true!

6. Color is key when shopping for the perfect beach attire. Caroline Orillion suggests to “[Choose a] color that looks good for your skin tone.”

7. Try on lots of different cuts. Don’t always play it safe. Something you would have never tried on may be the most flattering.

8.  Here’s a pinboard I created with lots of swimsuit ideas to help you keep it classy.

WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE!!!!

Want to look as good at the end of the night as you did at the beginning? I’m thinking YES.

Watch our STYLE TIP TUESDAY video blog below for some great tips on how to do look glamorous ALL NIGHT!

Style tip tuesday video blog:

Share our video on your Facebook Page!

Check out this week’s giveaway winner’s new jewelry:

After hours of bead store ransacking, we found the perfect combination of freshwater pearls, crystals, and filigree findings that would do exactly that.  The final look of the jewelry truly brought out the richness and sophistication of her style.

Her wedding was nothing less than an overflow of the love that she shared with her new husband Brenner.  I am honored to have my jewelry designs as a part of the memory of her wedding.

Learn how to do a quick and easy updo in this STYLE TIP TUESDAY video blog by jewelry & hair accessories designer, Courtney Orillion. Watch it now and leave me a comment to let me know what you think!

Congratulations to this week’s giveaway winner: Brandi Hebert!