What we wouldn’t do to be in Park City, Utah right now- fully engulfed in the wonderful world of independent film! The 32nd annual Sundance Film Festival kicked off this past Thursday, January 17th and will conclude on the 27th of this month. Started in 1981, the festival is supported and run by the Sundance Institute, “a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences”.

Over the ten day period, attendees have the opportunity to screen films preselected for their captivating stories, partake in cinema-centered panels and discussions, and enjoy live music performances from celebrated artists. With so many exciting things to do (in one of the most beautiful backdrops imaginable) it is obvious why more than 45,000 people flocked to the picturesque town for the festival last year.

Naturally, one of our favorite things about Sundance is having the opportunity to observe the cold-weather wardrobes of the thousands of attendees. From celebrities to everyday film fanatics- the festival’s ‘fashion’ is celebrated almost as much as it’s cutting-edge and creative cinema. We were all smiles putting together the ‘Sundance Styles’ below, featuring the outfits we would be bundled up in if we were bouncing around this year’s event. Whether you find yourself in Park City this week or not, we hope the ensembles below inspire you to explore the equally fun and exciting attributes of independent film. 

Find yourself to be a film-over-fashion type of gal? Enjoy reading the ‘spark notes’ summaries of six flicks featured at the festival this year… or explore all the titles in-depth on the 2013 Sundance Featured Films website. 

 

The word ‘excited’ does not even begin to describe our emotions towards the newest Nissa designs! Featuring some of the most brilliant baubles in the history of our brand, we are incredibly pleased to present our versatile and eye-catching collections of neon jewels.  

There seems to be a common misconception on the fashion front- that it is a tedious task to add color to one’s ensemble during the cold weather months. Our new neon collections aim to prove this preconception wrong while encouraging style-conscious consumers to brighten their day, the Nissa Jewelry way;)

Our neon jewels are separated into two styles- Sydne and Roxy. We invite you to explore the new designs while learning the simple steps to incorporating color into your cold-weather ensembles… 

Spruce up an otherwise ordinary arm party by incorporating a bold new bracelet from our Sydne style….


And ensure that all eyes are on you with one of our easily adaptable neon necklaces from in our Roxy style: 

Both styles will give any outfit that unexpected pop of color that we’re sure everybody is looking for during these winter months.

With just 10 days until the new year, we thought it would be appropriate to give our favorite 2012 Nissa pieces the spotlight. It proved a difficult task to come up with just twelve trinkets but after much deliberation we present to you our most beloved Nissa baubles of this year…

From left to right; top to bottom: 

Casablanca Multi Necklace - Neha Double Cuff - Seminole Earring - Kaya Bracelet
Talasi Jeweled Ring - Kiki Necklace - Jovina Necklace - Grace Earring
Ingrid Earring -  Empire Ring - Clara Bracelet - Sumi Collar Necklace

The Kardashian sisters have long been Nissa Jewelry fans so when we stumbled across a recent blog post from Kim describing her obsession with Chanel’s pre-fall 2012 head jewelry, we knew we wanted to delve deeper into the trend! 

What did we find during our investigation you ask? Just like all women pick the perfect purse to compliment their outfits each day, a high-fashion hair accessory can go a long way in “making” an ensemble! Take a look for yourself…


Kim Kardashian dresses up her black shirt and simple ponytail. 

 
This model opts for a boho look while utilizing some leftover cloth rubber bands. 


Nicole Richie compliments her golden locks with the embellished gold hair accessory!

While perusing, we quickly realized there are hundreds of ways to hop on the ‘hair piece’ trend- yet we felt that a lot of consumers believed it to be a warm-weather option only. Naturally, the Nissa Jewelry Team, took it upon ourselves to prove this stereotype wrong with an Autumn Head Jewelry DIY!  With a few simple materials, you too can channel the pre-fall Chanel collection and have all eyes on your head:)

What You Need:

• Jewelry Pliers
• Jewelry Glue (for glueing stone to gold charm)
• 2 inch chain
• 1 lobster clasp
• 1 13mm stone 
• 2 jump rings
• 20 inch leather cord
• 20 inch suede cord 
• Gold Charm (similar to the one we used)
• 2 ribbon crimp end clasps

And away we go:

1. Accumulate all of the above supplies
2. Glue the flatback 13mm stone to the gold charm
3. Weave the cords throughthe gold charm as pictured
4. Attach the crimp ends to the ends of the cords
5. Attach the jumprings, lobster clasp and chain to the ends of the cords to make your headpiece adjustable

We hope that you go pull out your craft bin and get right on our fun fall spin on the head jewelry trend!

The pumpkin- it is most definitely a quintessential autumn home accessory but in our opinion it has long been due for a little ‘sprucing up’. Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to revamp the image and the use of the orange circular object. Upon first glance, there appears to be a limited amount of paths to pursue in mission: ‘make the pumpkin modern’ yet, we hope that this DIY proves to you that a little glitter, glue and paint can go an extremely long way- especially when storing your favorite baubles! Speaking of those crafty little items, here’s what you’ll need…

Glitter Pumpkins 

• Pumpkin
• Newspaper
• Spray Adhesive Glue 
• Assortment of Glitter Colors
• Spoon (if glitter does not allow for shaking on)
• Sheet of paper (to act as funnel)

…to take it up a notch

• Assortment of Paint/Paint Pens
• Paintbrushes

Here we go! 

First, gather your goodies..

Then it’s truly as easy as 1, 2, 3! 

1. Cover your pumpkin with the spray adhesive and lay it on your ‘funnel’ paper.
2. Shake on glitter- covering the entire pumpkin or use spoon to apply- use paper to collect excess glitter and re-cycle the sparkles. 
3. Ensure pumpkin is ‘glittered’ to your liking. Respray and apply glitter to fix any spots where it does not appear enough used.
4. Pat yourself on the back and admire your new creation! 

Mix it up a little…

Try experimenting with different shapes/sizes of pumpkins and get creative with your paint and paint pens! 

…then bring out the jewelry!

Who knew there were an endless amount of avenues to peruse in the pretty-fying of pumpkins? Probably a lot more than those who thought to use the autumn item to store their favorite jewelry:)

Think fast.. what is the one thing that can make you say “aw” quicker than anything else? Yep, you guessed it- animals. Today, October 4th, is the national day to celebrate the cuddliest of creatures that brighten our day- everyday. What might this holiday be called you ask? The answer is just as short and sweet as your pet, it’s World Animal Day! Started back in 1931 in the beautiful italian city of Florence, celebrations will be held all over the globe to honor animal life in all it’s forms today. 

The meaning and mission behind the holiday has evolved over the decades into an effort to raise awareness and advocate for the endangered and threatened species that surround us. This topic is something that is not frequently thought about- yet, when presented with the facts, it’s hard to look away. For example, check out ‘The Extinction Rainbow‘… it most definitely puts things into perspective.

Earlier in the studio, we were discussing our favorite animals and ‘Penguins’ topped the majority of our team member’s lists. Think for a moment about your parents chatting about the same topic when they were our age. Say they favored an animal such as the Quagga? Never heard of the semi-striped Zebra looking animal? It’s most likely due to the fact that only one picture was ever taken of the creature and it’s species is now considered ‘extinct’. What if we allow penguins to reach that status and the next generation of our families never know the joys of ‘Happy Feet’- let’s not let that happen. 

Today, to encourage each person to ‘do their part’, Nissa Jewelry will be donating 10% of all sales of our animal jewelry to the World Wildlife Fund (WFF)- one of the world’s largest conservation organizations. What would be more rewarding than to look down at your new Jaguar Ring knowing that you played a role in the preservation efforts of it and other endangered species, like the ones below? 

Green Sea Turtle (source)

Victoria-crowned Pigeon (source)

Chilean Pink Flamingo (source)

Polar Bear (source)

Orangutan- we promised the ‘awwws’ right? (source)

Why not peruse our animal offerings and treat a creature in need while treating yourself?

We hope that you’re saying some ‘awws’ and sporting some fine looking animal accessories for the next 24 hours in honor of World Animal Day! In conclusion, cheers to you, dog that adorably cocks it’s heads sideways when it’s confused, cat that falls asleep perfectly positioned in owner’s lap, and heck- even you, pet pigs of the world, may this day be filled with belly scratches and treats galore! 

We’re back with another tutorial and- bold statement- but this may be our favorite yet! We love the spark of simplistic style that the ribbon ring adds to each and every ensemble we pair it with. No lie- it truly goes with everything! You know what we love even more? That’s it takes less than 5 minutes to craft up AND you only need two supplies- can’t get much better than that. Behold, the DIY for your newest (and most definitely noteworthy) everyday ring…

Once you’ve got the Ribbon Ring mastered, you can try doing letters!

What you need:

•  7 inches of wire 
• a pair of jewelry pliers

Last night we took a much-needed trip up to the attic to find all of our packed away fall fashions and boy, was it an adventure.. perhaps adventure is an understatement. Does anyone else get a kick out of sifting through your old belongings? Those things that you just HAD to keep and now come across five years later and just wonder “why?”.
              
Well, while we found our bountiful supply of boots we also spotted our huge bin of fabric swatches and couldn’t resist perusing it. From our plethora of fabric scraps we were inspired to update a pair of our old hoop earrings that have been hibernating in the dark depths of our closet for far too long. Believe us- the 10 minutes you spend on this DIY will breathe a new life into your forgotten earrings! 

What you need:

• a pair of old hoop earrings
• fabric scraps
• fabric glue
• 2 small jump rings
• 2 large jump rings
• 2 ear wires

Is it just us or is there something particularly calming about the pastel color palette? We love mixing and matching the pale hues to turn an average outfit into an eye-pleasing ensemble. Take a moment out of the stresses of your day to scroll through our ‘Pretty in Pastels’ lookbook- we promise it will leave you smiling:)

Nissa Jewelry here to make your Friday a little more fabulous:) We’ve teamed up with Refinery29.com to get you, our fashion-forward followers, discounts to use in our online store! The coupons are applicable to each and every Nissa piece so why not indulge in that pair of earrings you’ve been eyeing all Summer;) Check out the deal here! 

Accessories Magazine has long been one of our go to publications for the latest and greatest additions to our ensembles and we were all smiles when we came across our Neha Triple Cuff in their cleverly named “Midas Touch” feature. Allow us to enlighten you to all things glimmery and gold in the August edition of the magazine…