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eco friendly etsy jewelry

La Elle Dee Da

I discovered Elle’s jewelry at a Branch Out  trunk show put on back in February. I purchased a pair so I can attest to how great these are in person.  Needless to say I was pleased when I stumbled upon her work again! Elle takes vintage glass Mardi Gras beads and repurposes them into earrings. She also sells handmade cake stands and jewelry pedestals from reclaimed vintage plates.

 Mine all mine!

Tell us a little about yourself and the items you create.

I’ve always liked to craft, and have always tried to make things instead of buying them and that includes jewelry. Right now I’m really into making earrings, and the glass beads I get from antique strands of Mardi Gras beads are perfect because they have history. I want to make glass Mardi Gras beads wearable!

Obviously New Orleans plays a big part in your work, especially the vintage Mardi Gras beads. What inspires you the most about this city?

All the crooked lines.


Giant Shell Leafs Giant shell leaf earrings

Any big plans for the future, and where else can readers buy your jewelry?

The best place to see everything I’ve made is ElleDeeNOLA.etsy.com. Right now my earrings and vintage jewelry pedestals are available at Branch Out on Magazine Street.

What do you do when you aren’t making jewelry?

My wonderful boyfriend and I like to travel when we can. When we’re not out exploring other lands, we’re exploring our own city.


Double-Decker Blue Glass Cube Earrings Double decker blue glass earrings

Define southern style.

To me style is not about high-end expensive purchases, and it’s not about living one certain fabulous unattainable lifestyle. Down here, your style moves at your speed, fits in your budget, and makes sense in your day-to-day life. We don’t really have time or patience for much else. 


New Orleans folks know about style. I think it happens quite naturally. Fashion here has never been about the latest magazine trends. Fashion has always been more individual than that; more inspired. In New Orleans, we have entire sections of our closets devoted to weird costume pieces from the last ten years of Mardi Gras and once in a while we work those items into an outfit quite well, I’d say. 


Life Advice Dice Life advice dice


Once a year we have a city-wide art walk where we re-discover why white linen is so perfect for this city – because August is f*cking hot. and yes, high heels are fabulous, but try rocking them down a hundred year-old herringbone-patterned mortar-less brick sidewalk, not so fab. So our southern fashion has evolved and taken on trends of its own. And THAT is truly fabulous.


Perfectly Square Pedestal Perfectly square pedestal


Show Elle some love by visiting her Etsy shop!

Twitter: slowsouthstyle Facebook: Slow Southern Style

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