Photos

All my photos were taken by the lovely Brooke Heckaman. Here are some of the rad ones we got that I won't be able to use on Etsy:

New Items!

Last weekend I booked at room at the Sir Francis Drake to take photos of some new items.  I'm adding altered vintage clothing to the site so there are pictures of that, fur pendants, new body jewelry, pins and a couple unique vintage jewelry pieces that I've found. Here are a few teaser shots.  The rest will be up on etsy this week!

Chain Gang Pin

You're a Stud Army Jacket

Elvira Studded Slip Dress

Ferocious Leopard Caplet & Mr T Vintage Gold Chain

Granny's Fur- Tan fur pendant on gold chain

Belle de Couture: Expired Goods Giveaway!

More BLOG LOVE  Jen at Belle de Couture is featuring a Q&A and giveaway for Expired Goods.  Enter to win a Long Sherlock Monocle Necklace!

Belle de Couture: Expired Goods Giveaway!: "Hey darlings! I have another giveaway for you! :) Check out the Expired Goods etsy shop! Leila, the shop owner, creates unique jewelry wit..."

Summa Summa Summa Time.

As I sat here in cold, rainy San Francisco I was wondering why I've sold 5 items in Australia in just 2 days.  My roommate asked if I was selling body jewelry pieces (yes) and then said that it is probably because it is summer there.  Amazing the things someone will think of when they're a former buyer for Macy's, it never even crossed my mind  :P  Hopefully it'll sell just as well here when it warms up in the Spring!

Painted Ladies

My friend Sophia Coyne does the most amazing hair and makeup for weddings, television, fashion shoots, and all special occasions.  Her style is very natural and flattering, she's definitely the only person I would let near my face on my big day.  Check her out if you're going to be in the Bay Area!  Painted Ladies.  She gave me a shout out in the partners section of her site for making custom jewelry My Shout Out!

My First Blog LOVE!

Expired Goods was featured in a blog for the very first time.  Check out Apollonia Mardez!  She writes about fashion, music, love and more.  I'll be following this blog regularly especially to see the fashion and quotes.  She has impeccable taste!  I'm drooling over the Rachel Roy dress featured on Nov 15th.

Here is the entry about ME:

“They say time waits for no man, and neither does this WOMAN” (Joss Stone 4+20)
New York is her home, California is her heart, Vintage pieces are her passion, the 1940’s is her favorite era…Leila E decided to create a jewelry line that would be dedicated to all of these: Expired Goods.  I have never been of fan of wearing watches- but I’ve realized the importance of a good timepiece and I instantly fell in LOVE with this “Que Hora Es Bangle”….now I’ll never be late!
Happy 5th year anniversary in San Fran!!!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/expiredgoods

Such a Stud.

I got a studder and studded my first piece.  It's a corset.  I'll be studding more corsets, military jackets, sweatshirts,  t's, etc.  Although it's hard to tell in the picture, the studs are alternating gold and silver.  I'll have to take another with something better than a blackberry but here it is:

Sales!

I didn't think much would happen with my etsy site until I promote it more but I'm already selling to people all over the world.  I've made sales in NY, UK, CA, WA.....very exciting.  My next step it to start self-promoting and trying to get fashion blogs to feature my site.

Photo Shoot.

I finished my photoshoot with photographer Brooke Heckaman and I'm SO happy with the results.  Even the untouched photos look amazing.  She's great with lighting and angles and made me look much better than I do in real life.  Here are some of my favorite photos that I won't be using on etsy:

Hilarious:

Me with my audience, Orla:

My Website is UP!

Ok, it has been a very long and busy summer so this was a long time coming.  My Etsy site is finally up, see it here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ExpiredGoods

I will put more items up tonight, at the moment I only have 12 of 30 items listed.

Furry Pendants!

I realize that fur is a bit controversial but I have nothing against it when it is vintage. The fur used in these pendants comes from vintage rabbit pelts. It is beautiful, soft and looks great in the metal settings I've used. These pieces are avant-garde and perfect for your fall/winter wardrobe! More colors and styles to come. (My apologies to all the animal lovers this might offend)

My First Sale!

My site isn't completely up yet but I already made my first sale! What do you know, it's a monocle necklace, which coordinates with my last post. Here is a picture (sorry for the image quality, it was taken on my blackberry):

Monocles.

I started wearing a monocle about a yr and a half ago...I'd like to say I knew they'd blow up. Here is a Hermes ad I just saw in Vogue. Luckily I made some long monocle necklaces to sell when I finally get this etsy site up!

Up Next.....

I loooove these ties made by Motto and Crest! I want to use them as inpiration to make unisex ties from vintage fabric. I'm taking sewing classes now so I actually have the ability to make these things.

http://www.mottoandcrest.com/

Here are a few of my favourites (I threw the "u" in bc it's a British company). #2 is made of leather!

Jewels.

My jewelry is ready to be sold, I've made 30 pieces that I will have up on Etsy very soon. I've got to say that gathering enough vintage chain and other materials is more time consuming than actually creating the pieces. This weekend I'll be taking the close up photos of everything. Next week we will start taking the more fashionable, full-body shots with styling and clothing.

Shoulder to Shoulder

(Photo from Gilt.com)

Awesome Stool.

I love this stool, saw it at the Met in NY. I'd like to recreate one for my bedroom since it goes w the nature theme. Maybe I can do something w fur and jewelry now that fur is more acceptable? Sorry for the crappy photo it was taken w my blackberry.

I'm going to miss my friends.

Here I am w my closest friends in the world. Sadly, we are all spread out btwn NYC, North Carolina and San Francisco.

NYC.

Ok, I'm terrible at taking pictures but I went to the Hells Kitchen Flea Market which was pretty amazing. It's 9am-6pm every Sat and Sun at W 39th btwn 9th and 10th. I was able to find some really great chain, pearls and a couple key holes. I wasn't shopping for myself but they also had vintage designer bags for very cheap, awesome clothes and furniture. I will definitely hit this up next time I'm in NY. Although I didn't take any pictures of the flea market, here is one of me karaokeing in one of the harnesses I made. I love karaoke.

Supplies.

Here's a picture of some sketches I did and another of part of the random mess of supplies on my bedroom floor.

Watches.

You can never have enough watches. I love old watch parts, pocket watches, broken watches, etc. A while back I bought a bunch of broken old watches on ebay and I wear them as bangles. check it out.....my friend's face here is classic (bottomless mimosas on a Sunday). One negative is that people ask me what time it is and I have to tell them I don't know bc none of them work.

New York, New York.

I'm headed to Manhattan tonight. I'm hoping to hit up some flea markets and vintage shops to get ideas and buy supplies!

Love Pearls.

A. Necklace by Lanvin
B. Ear Cuff by Husam El Odeh
(photos from vogue.co.uk)

Neat.

Here are some pieces I love that were shown at the Central Saint Martins BA Jewelry Design Show back in March. A bit obscure yes, but I still got some ideas from them:

a. Neck piece with Knuckle dusters by Agata Kosel

b. Should Pieces by Michelle Kirana Oh

c. Head Chandelier by Ralph Masri

d. Body jewelry by Karen Rothwell

(photos from Vogue.co.uk)

Now with more 30% Stuff.

No, my site still isn't up yet but I have more ideas. While I'm starting with jewelry, I will also sell vintage shoes and purses on my etsy site. I'm hoping this will serve to satiate my shopping habit and keep me busy. I've never tried to sell my artwork before but I started a new style that I'm really enjoying. It integrates vintage items as well so I'll slowly add some of that over time.

Etsy & Email!

Much to my surprise, Expired Goods is not a business name that has been registered by anyone else. My new email address is ExpiredGoods@gmail.com and the etsy site I reserved is www.etsy.com/shop/expiredgoods although there is nothing in the shop yet.

Inspiration.

I LOVE old stuff. Everything from antique furniture to costume jewelry and vintage shoes. The 40's-60's are my favorite decades and I like to mix in pieces from back then with new pieces. I already have an idea of what I would like the photos of my jewelry to look like. Newer hair styles with classic clothing, a mix of old and new. I suppose the look I'm describing is kind of like Gwen Stefani. She is able to mix very current looks with the pin-up style without looking like she is in costume. I would like the photos to be sexy without being over-the-top or too risque. Here are some examples I found online:

Hello!

I've been buying components for my jewelry like mad. All 100% vintage, I'm buying up beautiful chains, monocles, whistles, compasses, tassles, pocket watches, etc. I'm addicted to online shopping so now I have to wait for it all to arrive. I can't wait to start making everything. I will focus on necklaces but will also make some bracelets and hair pieces that connect to earrings, who knows what else. I have some great ideas but I don't want to give anything away until everything is ready to sell.