Rebecca Tollefsen Blog

Giveaway: Win an Entire Year of Jewelry from Rebecca Tollefsen

2015-11-23T13:53:00.000-05:00

This month my jewelry line, Rebecca Tollefsen, turns seven! I'm celebrating by doing my annual giveaway: Win an Entire Year of Jewelry from Rebecca Tollefsen. Click here to enter. Winner will be announced on 11/28 at 9pm.

Around The Studio

2014-08-13T10:55:00.001-04:00

Some photos from around the new studio.

- This tiny tool is one that I use often for several 'procedures' throughout the day.

- A sunny afternoon in the studio.

- Adding thank you notes to each package before heading the the post office.

- A bridal consultation at the studio.

- I've been trying to bring in fresh flowers to the studio each week. I've also installed some shelving and brought plants in as I continue to cozy it up here.

Images: Rebecca Tollefsen

Five Best

2014-06-05T11:12:00.002-04:00

As always I've included a mini mix to listen to while browsing this week's links - click the player above to listen along (email & feed subscribers click into the post for the player). The playlist is featured on grooveshark which is not supported by Safari. You can listen to it on any other internet browser.

1. This song by Tweedy (Jeff Tweedy w/ his son) with Lucius. Love cool collaborations like this.

2. Warm weather lovers unite. Five must see parks this summer.

3. Apparently creepy Tumblrs are a thing: this and this.

4. Happy adopted dogs heading to their new homes.

5. Advice from Hunter S. Thompson.

Archive of Five Best posts.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen via instagram

Around the Studio

2014-06-02T12:02:00.001-04:00

Some shots from around the industrial mill mill where my studio is located.

- The building my studio is in. I've always been fascinated by the industrial mill town and even took a course on the history of the mills in college. I started a personal photography project documenting little scenes from the mill district where my studio is located. The mill district has a rich history from an interesting time period. When I think back through the years our wedding reception was held in one of the renovated mill spaces. I went to college in another renovated mill space. I've worked in two renovated mill spaces and lived in the row house neighborhoods that used to house the mill workers for easy access to the mills for their demanding work schedules. The history of the mills and the redevelopment of the spaces in this town fascinating.

- My dad has been a huge help in getting my studio off the ground. He's cleaned and painted the walls (no small feat - they were a mess in more ways than one!). He washed the floors three times, repaired a clock and repaired/spraypainted a storage cabinet. He also delivered this trash bin to me. I'm very thankful and super lucky. My dad is the best!

- The elevator in my building.

- Over the past eight months or so I've been collecting vintage chairs for my studio space. It started with this one which was a holiday gift from my mom for my shipping table. Then my mom and I found the copper and chrome wire chair pictured above. I am recovering the seat of the chair and this photo was taken on a day when I was playing around with different fabric options. I have a three other chairs that I'll share later on once I get a chance to take a photo of them. I'm hunting down one last seat but haven't found that perfect chair yet from any of my vintage/antique/secondhand sources. If you have any good leads on that sort of thing let me know.

- A shot of the timeworn floors and beams in my studio space from when I first moved in. So full of history - its neat to think about all of the things that have taken place in these spaces for years and years before me.

Images: Rebecca Tollefsen

Playlist May 2014

2014-06-02T10:56:00.002-04:00

Some music I listened to during May 2014. I'm excited to see Lucius and Deer Tick next month. Listen along right here.

1. Waiting on The Day - Tall Tall Trees
2. Mean Streets - Tennis
3. Lights Out, Words Gone - Bombay Bicycle Cluc
4. Turn It Around, Live - Lucius
5. Nothing to Show For - Nathaniel Radcliffe
6. Only For You - Heartless Bastards
7. Spend The Night - Deer Tick
8. Everlasting Light - The Black Keys

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Around the Studio

2014-04-28T18:07:00.001-04:00

I'm really falling in love with my new space. I've been setting up and people have been starting to visit.

- photo of my bench just after I set it up last month.
- a photo of a section of my shipping station just before setting it up. I've since switched it around a bit.
- my bench just after moving in and prior to setting it up.
- a couple of days after I moved in I had a photo shoot in the new space and this is a behind the scenes of Andrea putting on a necklace for the shoot.

Images: Rebecca Tollefsen

March 2014 Playlist

2014-03-31T17:17:00.002-04:00

Hi There! I uploaded a new playlist of songs that I've been listening to a lot in the month of March. It includes quite a few live songs. Listen along right here: March 2014 Playlist

Evil (Live) - Phox
How Loud Your Heart Gets (Live) - Lucius
In Memoriam - The Oh Hellos
On The Run - Westward The Tide
Distant Light (Live) - Dr. Dog
Song For Zula - Phosphorescent
Doubt - Wye Oak
Roll On (Live) - Josh Ritter

Also, did you know that 8tracks has an app? I just found it about a month ago. I've been plugging my phone into my speakers while I am cleaning, etc. Thought I'd share because I'm really enjoying it lately and thought you might too.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Around the Studio

2014-03-17T10:29:00.002-04:00

Production work at The Dedication Company. Each locket in the line is vintage and most of them are in rough shape and need repair. I refinish each one to new condition. The locket shown here have been repaired/restored and are ready for a final hand polish before being turned into custom lockets.

My dad finished his work on the new studio and its ready to go. I'm excited to move in.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Bedroom Inspiration

2014-03-10T13:37:00.003-04:00

I've been browsing tons of bedroom inspiration because we are moving around our room to incorporate a beautiful 1940s era hutch my grandmother is passing down to us. The piece is beautiful and it will look gorgeous our light and bright bedroom. We currently have our bed at floor level so here's a floor/platform bed roundup to mark some inspiration for our bedroom: floorbeds/platform beds, simple & uncluttered space, white walls with muted tones for bedding & accents.

Images: top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right all found via our Pinterest board: A Good Bed

Playlist: February 2014

2014-02-28T09:39:00.001-05:00

Yay! It's the weekend. Do you have any good plans? Hope you have a wonderful one! Listen to February's playlist here or on Spotify.

Civilian - Wye Oak
Can't Hardly Wait - The Replacements
Wild Soul - Langhorne Slim & The Law
Television - You Won't
Holy Roller - Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
Krampus - Houndmouth
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - Delta Spirit
Don't Think Twice It's Alright (Live at Budokan) - Bob Dylan

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Around the Studio

2014-02-21T15:00:00.003-05:00

Prepping the move to the new studio. Beyond excited.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Four Styles of the Basic Black Jumpsuit

2014-02-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

What do you do when there's a foot of snow on the ground in New England? You look at summer clothing all day. These black jumpsuits have simple, clean lines providing a great blank canvas for that perfect necklace or pair of sandals. You might even be able to get away with pairing these with a top and booties for colder months.

one, two, three, four

Find some colorful/print jumpsuit options here, here, here and this very slinky black jumpsuit here.

Five Best Things On The Web No. 53

2014-02-14T23:05:00.001-05:00

1. As always I've included a mini mix to listen to while browsing this week's links - click the player above to listen along (email & feed subscribers click into the post for the player). The playlist is featured on grooveshark which is not supported by Safari. You can listen to it on any other internet browser.

2. Check out this page for a dose of complete sweetness.

3. The March 2014 issue of BeadStyle Magazine includes an interview with me where I discuss building your brand.

4. Oliva Pope's coats. Oliva Pope's gowns. Oliva Pope for President.

5. Currently loving: these words, this winter weekend look & my current herbal tea blend. This is such a pretty updo. Does anyone have any tips on how to do my hair like that?

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Around the Studio

2014-02-13T15:09:00.001-05:00

Gemstone love. Working with rutilated quartz, labradorite, green vesuvinite and chrysocolla.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Four Breakfast Ideas For Your Upcoming Weekend

2014-02-07T08:50:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things is big, homecooked breakfasts on Sunday mornings. Here's some of the recipes that have my attention.

Tomato Breakfast Pie - Drizzle and Drip

Chipotle Black Bean, Rice and Egg Skillet - Naturally Ella

Scrambled Egg and Basil Sandwich - Darling Magazine

Veggie Quinoa Breakfast Bowl - Reclaiming Provincial

For more breakfast ideas and many other recipes go here.

New Studio Space!

2014-02-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

This is the view from one of the windows of my new studio space! Yay! I've been casually looking for space for the past year but was pretty specific about what I had in mind. My new studio is located in a historic renovated mill building which has some other local businesses, photographers, artists and musicians who rent studio space as well as storage units. My spot is a 300 square foot space that was formerly a rehearsal room for a death metal band. It needs a lot of work before I move in as the walls are currently a deep gray - almost black - and are quite beat up. My dad has been at the space the last couple of days scraping and scrubbing the walls so we can add a fresh coat of paint. We'll give the wood floors a good scrub and then I'll be set to move in.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Playlist: January 2014

2014-01-31T12:10:00.000-05:00

For this month's playlist I hit 'shuffle' on my iTunes and made a mix from the first eight songs to play. I'm not sure why iTunes recycles the same artists so quickly when it shuffles.......

Listen to the mix January 2014

The Feeling Kind - Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Friends - Led Zeppelin
Yo Mama - Peggy Sue
Blue Eyes - Middle Brother
Who's Lovin' You - The Jackson Five
Tonight - Lykke Li
Bonzo's Montreux - Led Zeppelin
Bust a Move - Young MC

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Around the Studio

2014-01-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

- A few of my tools bunched together in pretty pottery.

- A corner of my space - clean and bare. My workspace looked like a storm surged through it after the holidays. On my first day back after the holiday break, I spent a full day cleaning and organizing for the year ahead.

Images: Rebecca Tollefsen

Five Best Things From Around The Internet No. 52

2014-01-09T12:16:00.002-05:00

1. As always I've included a mini mix to listen to while browsing this week's links - click the player above to listen along (email & feed subscribers click into the post for the player). The playlist is featured on grooveshark which is not supported by Safari. You can listen to it on any other internet browser.

2. A fun roundup.

3. Revival of grunge & plaid?

4. If Breaking Bad characters left Amazon product reviews.

5. Currently loving: this to hang at home, this looks amazing, right?, now that we've made the full plunge into winter (and it's damn cold this year) you'll find me in something like this until Spring arrives, also loving this.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Playlist: december twenty thirteen.

2013-12-31T10:54:00.000-05:00

Here's my playlist for December 2013 with my favorite photo from the year as the cover art. Stream the mix right here here or on Spotify. That link will take you to all of my mixes as well.

How Long Must I Wait // Dr. Dog

Better Days // Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Inside and Out // Feist

Taro // Alt-J

More Excuses // Bibio

Can't Help But Smiling // Devendra Banhart

Fake Empire // The National

After Hours // Velvet Underground w/ Nico

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Five Best No. 51

2013-12-30T10:37:00.000-05:00

Hey There! I took a break from updating my blog during the holiday season. After finalizing my upcoming collection for Rebecca Tollefsen Design & having a bustling holiday season at The Dedication Company I'm glad to be back to my regular posting schedule today.

It's been a while since I did a Five Best post - I think about five or six months. It is back today for the 51st installment with a little bit of an updated look.

1. As always I've included a mini mix to listen to while browsing this week's links - click the player above to listen along (email & feed subscribers click into the post for the player). The playlist is featured on grooveshark which is not supported by Safari. You can listen to it on any other internet browser.

2. Who was your favorite movie or tv character from 2013?

3. The Meanings of Selfie.

4. The Dedication Company was featured in Life Beautiful Magazine's Holiday 2013 issue.

5. Currently loving: this heathered sweater, matching accessories, getting cozy, this simple space & dark nails (the color I'll painting mine next).

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Happy Holidays from Rebecca Tollefsen Design

2013-12-25T20:39:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope the holiday season holds much love and light for you and your family today and in the New Year.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen

Playlist: November 2013

2013-11-07T11:22:00.001-05:00

I had to talk myself out of bed today. It's a dreary Fall morning - the kind when you want to curl back up in bed instead of getting up to go to work. While I waited for myself to wake up I brewed a cup of coffee and made this slow & mellow mix to keep me company while I worked this morning.

click here to listen on 8tracks or on Spotify

Brother - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Rivers and Roads - The Head and The Heart
Resolution - Matt Corby
Wooden Heart - The Peach Kings
The Sad Sun - Deer Tick
Used To Be - Beach House
Brother - Lord Huron
The One I Love is Gone - The Secret Sisters
Faithful Heights - Night Beds

Image: John Tollefsen

Yurt Life

2013-10-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

Bird calling

Spent this beautiful Fall weekend in a yurt in the woods. Much needed relaxation and the weather was on point.

Images: Rebecca Tollefsen

Like a Drop of Water

2013-10-21T11:42:00.001-04:00

Some motivation for your Monday.

Image: Rebecca Tollefsen