BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!!!

New fall items are here!!!

To celebrate the launching of my new fall line on envedesigns.com, and my upcoming birthday in October, I'm having a giveaway for ONE FREE PAIR OF EARRINGS OF YOUR CHOICE (any value)!

All you have to do is post a comment here with your responses to the following:

1) Of my signature designs on envedesigns.com, which is your favorite and the style you'd most likely/frequently wear:

- 50-inch wrap necklaces
- wrap and thread necklaces
- sliding Y necklaces
- stackable necklaces
- stackable earrings

This will help me decide what designs to make more of!

2) Which is your favorite piece from what's currently available at envedesigns.com?


That's it! Your answer to these two questions is your entry into the drawing. You can also double your chances by joining my mailing list (send an email to subscribe@envedesigns.com). If you're already on my mailing list, just mention that and you automatically double your entry. Be sure to include your name and email address with your response here.


One winner will be chosen at random on October 22nd (my birthday), so check back then to find out if you've won! :)

it's no big secret...

Hi everyone, my name is Ngan, and I am a jewelry addict.

Every time I'm anywhere near a jewelry boutique, counter, kiosk, or even street vendor, I have to look. HAVE TO! Even for a quick second. You never know when you'll discover that one piece of jewelry that you've been missing from your life. And all I need is a second to spot a personal treasure. So I never miss an opportunity. I can't take that chance you know.. life is short!.. and there are many pieces of jewelry yet to be discovered.

Ever since my childhood during the 80's, I've been a big fan of accessories. I remember being in my elementary school years, plotting out my next day's outfit with the same precision and thought that would require an architect designing the next Eiffel Tower. Everything had to be perfect down to how I was going to wear my hair. And every outfit HAD to have the perfect jewelry accent.

Keep in mind, I was absolutely NO fashionista. My parents, sister, and I immigrated from Vietnam.. and I can't say this is a sweeping statement for all immigrants, but many of them are not rich (news flash, right?). We were no exception. But what I had, I made the most of. So my jellies sandals went with my k-mart shorts and flea market shirt.. I had the perfect headband atop my crimped hair, and topped everything off with some 80's era jewelry.. in all its neon, plastic, and gargantuan glory. By the way, I didn't have a crimper either (that was a luxury item), so making due meant braiding my hair in tiny braids the night before and sleeping in them. Sometimes this looked good.. most times, it was atrocious.. but I rocked it anyway. Anything for fashion, right?

Back then, I couldn't afford to buy everything I had my eye on, so I started making my own jewelry... out of everyday materials (like paperclips.. no kidding!) and breaking apart the old jewelry I did own, I managed to mangle together some wearable pieces.. at least in my memory, they were wearable. I had so much fun doing it that most of the time, when I did manage to buy jewelry from the store, I would end up modifying it somehow. And this childhood tendency evolved into what it is today. Not much has changed. Although I have to say for the record, that I no longer use paperclips.

I've always made my own jewelry in some way shape or form, but only recently did I decide to share it with the world (wow, that sounded way more glorious than it really is). I started making jewelry for family and friends and they were the ones who encouraged me to expand on that and get my jewelry "out there". So that is why I started envedesigns.com. I also recently discovered etsy.com (absolute heaven for me) and opened up a little shop there. This site is heaven because it is overflowing with absolutely amazing handmade treasures.. just about anything you can think of. And jewelry GALORE!!! Even though I make my own stuff, I still admire and buy other artists' work.. there's so many great pieces out there.. it would be so boring to limit myself to my own stuff!

Aside from being a jewelry addict, I am also an etsy addict (www.etsy.com). I spend way too much time on it and you will probably hear more about it in this blog.

So although my life hadn't always been about jewelry, it certainly is now.. since I've had my baby and have put my professional career on a temporary hold. Creating jewelry and developing this small jewelry business on the side is a great outlet for me, as much as I love *insert sarcasm* doing laundry and dishes and cooking every day.

Oh one more thing.. I am also a shoe addict. More of that later.

What is eNVe anyway?

Well, I guess I should start things off with an intro, right? I never really know what to write in these things... what to say, what not to say. I will try to keep it short and simple (but as you may soon find out, that doesn't always happen).


My name is Ngan (and NV are my initials). Why the two e's surrounding the NV? Well those are just squiggles that I use when I sign my initials sometimes (see banner). There, mystery solved! :)

This is not my first blog. I've been journaling since my awkward teens and traded ink for pixels during my college years (when email and the internet first came around.. hard to believe that there was once a time when those things did not exist!). I am tangential (hence the parentheses). Sometimes I'm full of thoughts and ideas, other times... well... yep... nothing. (I'm also a big fan of ellipses).... I am starting to chip away at my 30's, I just completed my PhD in clinical child psychology, I have a new baby boy who just turned 9 months old, my husband and I just celebrated our 1 year anniversary yesterday... You can do the math. ;) ..and while I'm staying at home full time for our son, I've also started my own little hand-made jewelry business. It's definitely a new era in my life. So many significant changes happened to me this past year.. and I feel that it's just the beginning. Of what?.. no idea.. but we'll find out together. I believe that my 30's will be a decade to document. And what better way to do that than a fresh new page, ready to catch any thoughts that happen to spill onto the keyboard.

So what will I be writing about here? In general, I decided to start this blog to supplement my jewelry websites: envedesigns.com and envejewelry.etsy.com. I wanted a place where I can document my creative process and let you know what jewelry designs I'm currently working on. And on occasion, there will be some jewelry promotions and giveaways here (probably a couple times each season). It would also be a great place to feature random things I happen to find while wandering around the internet. You'll also get a smattering of random topics here and there. That pretty much covers it!

Most importantly though, this will be where you can leave me feedback on my designs. You can also go through my design archives (click on the icon in the left column) and rate the designs. That would help me to know what people like or don't like so I can make more of what you like! So if you have a free minute, click away!

I think that's sufficient for now. I'm new and don't know anyone here on uber. So if you happen to stumble on this page by some random miracle, please say hello!