Tuesday, April 30, 2013

mother's day discount



"mother is a verb, not a noun" -proverb

#truth

when I was little I'd make my mom pasta necklaces {remember when you would use markers and glitter to turn macaroni and bowtie pasta into colorful accessories in art class?!}. 
now I make her gemstone necklaces and bracelets. while the quality of my materials has improved, the same sentiment is there. 

so in honor of mother's day, I'm offering 20% of all purchases on my website. I also love custom projects so if you would like me to design and make a one-of-a-kind piece just for your mom, send me an email {katie@katiebartels.com} and we can come up with the perfect gemstone piece {unless you think she'd kill for a pasta necklace} for your mom. 

the ultimate nail sparkle


diamonds + nail polish = heaven.

when I first heard about azature's black diamond nail polish I was very intrigued. 267 cts of black diamonds in a nail polish?! amaze. however, with a price tag of $250,000, this is sadly not a bottle I will be adding to my nail polish collection (which is now up to 76 bottles #addict). 


but, now there is good news! 

azature just launched a collection of diamond-inspired nail polishes, at a much more affordable $25 a bottle. my personal favorite is the canary diamond inspired polish, pictured above.










Thursday, April 25, 2013

laser cut love


I've been a long time fan of all things laser cut {hence my janna, hannah, sarah, and emma earring collections} and I was thrilled to see my janna earrings featured in this post on CeciStyle

Monday, April 22, 2013

milwaukee: the gem of the midwest

last weekend I went to milwaukee, wi, to visit one of my college friends who hosts an annual themed bar crawl. fact: I will travel for a good themed party. and my friend jon bellante knows how to throw a good theme party. I had high expectations for the weekend and those expectations were exceeded. milwaukee is a true gem and I can't wait for my next visit. here are some snaps from the weekend:


as a fan of both bloody marys and bacon, I was thrilled to
sip a bloody mary with a bacon, pickle, cheese, and string bean garnish 
within about an hour of landing

the trip really kicked off with a tour of the lakefront brewery. we had
quite possibly the most entertaining tour guide of all time

oh yes, there was cheese. mj {college friend who lives in nyc who
came with me on the adventure} and I made finding cheese and cheese accessories 
a top priority. I was super excited about my "that's what cheese said" tee shirt

bellante brings all of his guests to the "bronze fonz". I came prepared 
and added some bling to the fonz {my natalie necklace}.

prom! so the bar crawl, "a night to remember", had an 80s theme. 
I rocked neon and glitter bangles, my natalie necklace in neon lime, neon pink earrings,
and a fabulously tacky light purple and iridescent sequin dress. bellante is pictured 
at his in-home tap in his tuxedo with tails, naturally.

mark and cameron (top left) are featured in their thrift store {cue ryan 
lewis and mackelmore} purchases. a massive bird of paradise
flower corsage won my pick for best corsage. and below is a photo
of mj, bellante, and myself striking a classic prom pose

a night and a trip to remember

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

ellements magazine feature!

super cool moment: my designs were featured in ellements magazine AND made the cover! the shoot was styled by the talented brooklyn-based stylish michelle christina and I couldn't be more thrilled with the fabulous looks she put together.


my sarah earrings in orange were featured on the cover!



the natalie necklace in gold and neon lime

the sarah earrings in orange


Thursday, April 4, 2013

new items added to sample sale!

I've added new items to my online sample sale! head on over to my website to check out the sale.
anne {labradorite} necklace

barbara {jade} bracelet

betsy {calcite} bracelet


claire {pyrite and jasper} bracelet



kara {agate} bracelet



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

march in instagram

cocktail ring and cocktails

obsessed with my new pillow from a moroccan souk

best tea name ever

launched my spring collection!

working on my mackenzie earrings

pops of color!

behold, my new postcards

fell in love with this shoe

had a trunk show at Crush Boutique in boston

sunday stroll on the high line

my designs at moxie boutique in boston!

celebrated st.patrick's day with green juice and earrings

meatballs=brainstorming fuel

DIY project, diamond made from washi tape

gemstone buying trip!