chrys-a-lis upcycled jewelry

introducing chrys-a-lis, my new line of upcycled adornment. i have decided to re-focus creatively and now all my attention lies in my new endeavor. i thank all of you who have supported succulessence over the past year. please look to my new website for wearable antique treasures!

chrys-a-lis has emerged out of necessity. the concept of a chrys-a-lis is one i truly resonate with, the transformative process of the caterpillar in its' cocoon as it goes through the complete metamorphosis into a butterfly.

i decided to spin myself a cocoon, morph into something new and emerge with wings. finding my way back to my true passion for distressed, worn objects. with age, character and history, i now incorporate these things into my creations. there is so much beauty in the inherent richness these objects gather as time passes.

may you enjoy their stories as much as i do. xo- crystal
www.chrys-a-lis.com

welcome to the world, little one!

this is my sister-in-law, diane, & her new little girl, reagan. one day old.

and this cute little porcelain bassinet was her mom, susie's, from when diane was born in 1978. it's been tucked away all these years for this special moment this past saturday when reagan was born. i created a little succulent memento for them that is so precious & meaningful. 

welcome to the world, little one!

xo - crystal

diane's vintage baby shower

my sister-in-law's baby shower was so damn cute. seriously, it's fun to be a girl when you go all out like this. ladies, let that femininity shine!

upcoming indie street fair!

hello all! we are really excited to be participating in this street fair. we are joining forces with carmen of www.soaptart.com. she will have her deliciously fragrant, all-natural flirty soaps & other fragrant goods for sale.

we are putting together an AMAZING booth, combining all of our vintage treasures, paper-lit night ambiance and lovely, UPcycled succulent creation. we look forward to seeing you july 22nd in hollywood!

xo - crystal, john & carmen

apple & instagram - we love you!

we love our new iphones & instagram photo app! it frames our work in a whole new light & love the aged-photo effects that enhance our look completely. we've been dragging our feet a little about new technology, but now we're very okay with it. we can use our beautifully-designed apple devices to swipe credit cards & take amazing photos with the new instagram camera. what more do you want?

green long beach festival - 6/9/12

an exciting day of local art, music, education & activities

we're really excited to participate in the festival, as working with this group of fellow "greenies" has been amazing. we have a great lineup of live bands, live painting, local art & handmade goods, a fashion show, educational workshops, and (of course) yummy food trucks.

succulessence will have a booth there with lots of fresh, upcycled succulent gardens to choose from. all vessels have been collected in the los angeles area over the past few months & all succulents are grown locally from a small, independent grower.

we invite you to show your support of our local community at this free event & enjoy a beautiful saturday down by the long beach marina.

this week's best finds...

 all to be converted into planters next week!

and last, but not least, a glass sparkletts water jug for our pad! we have been looking for one + this one is very cool. just gotta find the right water dispenser to match it's character.

 

we have been hitting the flea market circuit and really enjoy it! last week, braving the rain at the long beach city college antiques market really paid off. so many treasures.

after having our first booth EVER last month at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, john + i got great feedback from the public. we sold every last small sugar, creamer and pitcher we had planted in, hence the constant search for more tiny things to upcycle and convert into living treasures that have so much more character + value.

it's really a delight to look at an object with the vision that it can (+ will) be more than it is at this moment. appreciating the warmth + character that older objects possess, we give new life to these unique, sometimes fancy, tarnished, rusty or dented containers that would likely be deemed unsightly or for special occasion only (+ in need of a polish!) + tucked out of sight in a box or cabinet. 

now, with our creative re-purposing + addition of easy-care succulents, you can put the garden on your bright windowsill + enjoy it every single day.

life is really all about the small things...