The Washington, D.C. -based Dhoonya Dancers held one of their largest performances of the year on Saturday, November 7th at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center in Silver Spring, MD. The show was titled Bollyb!end 2: A night at the Bollywood Film Awards which, through dance, celebrates the glitz and glamour of India’s most popular film genre.

Shown here on the red carpet are two of the colors of custom-designed barefoot sandals that we handcrafted for one of their dances.  They matched the magenta and green costumes worn for that performance.  The sandals were a big hit with the crowd and with the dancers! 

And just so you know, the dance troupe is available for private parties, wedding receptions or any type of event that is looking for some fabulous, up-beat and colorful entertainment.   Contact Priya via e-mail on their web site http://www.dhoonyadance.com .

Remember that we will custom-craft barefoot sandals for any occasion in any color so if you know of another group of dancers who might like to add bottomless sandals to their costumes – just send us an e-mail at jan@jewels-by-jan.com

How many L.B.’s have YOU gained from all the leftover Halloween candy?  Ugh!  Now that the bats and goblins are all tucked away until next year, we can reflect back on the photos taken at Halloween events we attended.  Here’s Jan as Mother Nature and her husband Les as Father Time.  The party we attended was at the home of good friends and not only did they have great decorations but they had a graveyard complete with tombstones and fog, awesome food (jello shots too!)  and even their own D.J.!  You can bet everyone was enjoying the music – especially when “Thriller” started! They really know how to throw a great party. 

Mother Nature even wore a pair of barefoot sandals made with green leaves – but unfortunately, no one took a picture of them.  

Needless to say, we all have another year to come up with ideas for next year’s costumes!  Now it’s time to get ready for giving thanks.

JAN

Brides-to-be…this post is just for you! Depending where you are in your wedding planning, at some point you will be choosing your wedding day jewelry accessories.  With SO many stores, so many sites, so many choices…what’s a bride to do?

If you’re a savvy consumer (which of course you are), you will put more stock in your friends’ opinions and independent product reviews.  Since my goal is to provide my followers with useful information I would not be doing my job if I didn’t tell you about Looney Maiden Jewelry.

Recognized by The Knot as well as top bridal magazines, Judith Cartier Oliver has created over 700 individual styles of affordable bridal jewelry, bridesmaid jewelry, flower girl jewelry and wedding hair accessories.   With 90 Swarovski crystal colors and 30 pearl colors to choose from, you’re sure to find just what you’re looking for.  If you don’t,  Judith will make it for you.  She’s worked with countless brides for over 15 years to create exactly what they are looking for.  And now, Judith and I have “teamed up” to accessorize you literally from head to toe. 

Call us the “Dynamic Duo”!  Together, we will make you look gorgeous….and more.  I will handcraft custom beautiful foot jewelry to match the jewelry pieces that she creates.  Keep in mind that we haven’t forgotten about your bridal party.  Whatever colors you’ve chosen for your wedding – Judith and I can coordinate the perfect wedding day jewelry accessories that will turn you and your attendants into the most beautiful wedding party . After all, feeling beautiful is the best way to start a new chapter in your new life!

Spring is here and that means being able to finally give your feet some well deserved fresh air after being crammed into boots all winter long. Today’s indie designer, Jan Hansen of Jewels By Jan, designs fabulous footless sandals that will have you ready for spring break or the perfect beach wedding in an instant.

Tell us a little about yourself and your work. I’m recently re-married, living in beautiful San Diego and working full time for a clinical research organization. Designing beaded foot jewelry for my own company Jewels By Jan is what I do nights and weekends. My sister Pat and I are partners in the business. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, where I’m originally from, but the distance has never been an issue (thanks to cell phones and the Internet). When we handle orders for our barefoot sandals, she ships to the eastern half of the U.S. and I ship to the western half and we both take turns with international orders. We’ve been creating original designs for over five years. I’ve always been a creative person - I do calligraphy, scrapbooking, rubber-stamping and now work with Swarovski crystals, pearls and glass beads. I created our Save the Date cards, wedding invitations and made all the wedding favors for our wedding on 7-7-07. I really enjoy all types of creative pursuits.

How did you get started as a designer? The idea to design barefoot sandals began in 2003 when a friend brought back a pair of barefoot sandals from Cancun. I’ve always loved going to the beach so when I saw the sandals I thought they were very unique. When I tried them on I really loved how they looked but … they were missing something. If I were to make them I would use the smallest beads possible at the toe. This sandal had thick beads. (I know people who are uncomfortable having something between their toes.) I knew that seed beads are so small they would work perfectly. Another change I envisioned was to make the sandal more feminine ¡V- maybe even glitzy. Women love things that sparkle so replacing wood beads with glass beads and crystals would be in my “design plan”. Finally, I felt that the sandals needed something more, something that would tie the whole design together … a focal point or centerpiece. The perfect answer was a shank button and I knew that there had to be a multitude of beautiful shank buttons out there! So that was how I began designing sole-less sandals -¡V I took an idea, added my own personal touch and the Jewels by Jan foot jewelry with the “medallion-in-the-middle” (our very own distinctive look) became our signature design.

What inspires your work? Most of our design ideas come from the latest trends, color combinations and themes for beach weddings. I also try to stay informed of all wedding-related news, popular beach wedding locations, traditions, etc. We learned early in our business that beach weddings were our niche market simply because when you’re in the sand, wearing shoes is just not practical. I suppose you could wear flip flops but there’s just something about flip flops (no matter how decorative) with a beautiful wedding dress that takes away from the romance and importance of the bride’s “look”. Ninety percent of our sales are from destination beach wedding brides who’ve realized that not only can they be barefoot (and oh-so comfy) as they stand and say their vows -¡V they can wear something lovely and sparkly on the tops of their feet. This concept is what drove our marketing focus in the direction we needed.

We try to keep our collection fresh and exciting, adding new colors and designs when we see what we’re missing. Pearls are still very much a part of the wedding tradition so we make sure that our bridal collection contains a variety of pearl designs. Currently we’re in the process of adding a few Black & White Wedding bridal footwear designs. While this theme has always been around, wedding coordinators are seeing a slight re-emergence of the 40′s classic style and old Hollywood glitz & glamour. One design is made with black and Swarovski crystal beads and the other with black beads and cream pearls. In addition, with spring and summer wedding season approaching we consulted with one of the top wedding coordinators -¡V Linnyette Richardson-Hall from Premiere Event Management in Baltimore, MD. Since planning weddings are such a large part of her business, she sees and hears what brides want as color themes. For the 2009 season she’s seeing the orange/pink combo as well as orange/tiffany blue. Navy and yellow is another pairing that she’s seeing brides use.

Another concept we’re focusing on is making brides and bridesmaids aware that there IS an alternative to wearing those gorgeous (but tight-fitting heels) all day and all night on the wedding day. I’m sure you’ve attended many weddings where the bride and her bridesmaids kick off their heels and dance barefoot. What better opportunity to slip into a pair of Swarovski crystal barefoot sandals? A special pair just for the bride and matching sandals for the bridesmaids in the colors that match their dresses will keep them accessorized (and comfortable) as they dance the night away!

Who are your favorite designers? I love sexy shoes -¡V always have. A pair of sexy heels brings out the woman in me. Legs were meant to be seen and the style of the shoe makes a world of difference. I’m a fan of Salvatore Ferragamo, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik (although their designs are a bit over MY budget). Their feminine styles transform a woman’s nice legs into gorgeous legs. Daniela Swaebe is also fabulous jewelry designer, whose pieces are incredibly beautiful. And a jewelry designer I just learned about, Lisa Pavelka, who creates some fabulous jewelry with beads and clay.

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? For me personally, I MUST have my lip liner and my eye makeup! I can’t leave the house without putting on lipstick and doing my eye makeup. A little eye liner, mascara, eyebrow pencil and a little shadow in the outer corner for depth. Everyone who knows me will attest to that. I have small eyes so when I started wearing eye makeup I learned a few tricks on how to make my eyes appear larger. I also wear aqua-tinted contact lenses -¡V every little bit helps! And lip liner helps define my lips and my smile. As far as fashion, I LOVE dresses and I’m SO happy to see that the new spring and summer styles are much more feminine than last year. Designers are using more vibrant colors rather than the black and white I saw everywhere last year. I enjoy dressing up for work -¡V makes me feel like the woman I am.

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? You bet! If you have that fire and passion to create something, follow it. It’s a gift. Get opinions, network and go after the right people who can put your creations in front of those who need to see them. I can’t stress the “passion factor” enough. I learned in a class sponsored by the San Diego office of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (S.C.O.R.E.) on “How to Start and Manage Your Own Business” that to be successful in any business venture you have to have a genuine passion for what you’re doing. If you have that … the money will follow. Even after over five years in business, the fire is still there, burning just as bright!

Where can people find your work? You can find Jewels by Jan Barefoot Sandals on a number of web sites (several wedding web sites) but our own site is http://www.jewels-by-jan.com. We’re listed in several online drop-ship directories and through those listings, we’ve set up numerous wholesalers with all the information they need to sell our products. We have an online store at Girl Shop Spot and we’ve just added another online store on the Black Shopping Channel Online Mall. You can also find our bridal footwear at an exclusive retail boutique in Maui at The Shops at Wailea called “The Enchantress Boutique” and also at “Bikinilicious”, an upscale swimwear boutique in the ultra-modern, island city of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. So … you just never know where you’re going to find Jewels by Jan beaded foot jewelry!

Posted Apr 3rd 2009 by Mallory Whitfield - Stylelist.com

Each sandal is designed by first selecting bead colors that go good together. Then they are laid out in a pattern on a bead mat, making sure there are adequate spacers to help accentuate the bead colors. Usually, it is decided ahead of time whether to use gold or silver accent beads. Right now, silver is very popular. Real sterling silver is not used because it is far too expensive.

For the most part, Czech glass beads are used that have been formed into a variety of shapes, pressed, faceted, bicones, rondelles, etc., along with spacers that are either pewter or metalized plastic.

Once a few “patterns” of beads are completed, the design is evaluated and if it is not acceptable, the whole design is taken apart and started over.

The sandals are all handmade and labor intensive. They are made in sizes 5-10 with 1/2 sizes included and all of those sizes are standardized so exactly the same amount of cord is used each time.

The stringing material is called “Stretch Magic” and it is a strong size, .7mm. It is strong enough to handle repeated, gentle stretching, yet small enough to fit through the hole of the beads.

The sandals come in a matching organza drawstring bag with detailed instructions indicating the 4 ways they can be worn.

by Jan Baker, Designer and Creator of Bare Foot Sandals

If you’ve made the decision to celebrate the beginning of your lives together as husband and wife in a supremely romantic tropical surrounding, your wedding day attire will be an important detail. Because we want your important day to be as special as possible – we’ve designed beautiful barefoot sandals to complement your tasteful style and the bride’s chosen color scheme.

Wearing shoes on the sand is not only impractical but also uncomfortable. Now you can enjoy the comfort of our bottom-less, beaded foot jewels to adorn your feet like twinkling lights.

Photo left provided by Iva from Arlington, VA. “I got lots of compliments on the sandals I wore … Thanks again for all your support, you were wonderful, and the sandals really made my beach wedding outfit so much nicer! Thanks, Iva”

Each pair is handmade in the USA with meticulous attention to detail. We’ve created OUR sandals in 3-sizes using durable, elastic cord and very tiny seed beads (for your comfort) on the toe portion of the sandal.

Ours is a one-of-a-kind design, right up to the medallion gracing the top of your foot. Our handcrafted bridal sandals come in 11 lovely bridal designs – from casual to elegant. These also make great bridesmaid gifts!

“Hi Jan – Here’s the promised photo of the wedding and your georgeous feet jewellery!!! They were greatly admired by all. l thank you again” — Barb R.

“HI JAN, JUST WANTED TO DROP U A LINE AND SAY THANKS AGAIN 4 THE SANDALS. I GOT ALOT OF COMPLIMENTS ON THEM…THEY WERE SO PRETTY, SEXY, UNIQUE AND COMFORTABLE. U ASKED FOR A PICTURE SO I AM SENDING A FEW.” — AMY G., Wanamingo, MN