"Leading Moms in Business Competition" Winner!

Thank you to all of my loyal customers, friends and family who have supported me and watched as The Elegant Bead has grown from a hobby to a business over the last 15 years.




Cathy Mittelman Begun, owner/designer of The Elegant Bead, has been designing her jewelry collections for the chic, trendy, classic women and ingenues for the last 15 years! Her eye for color and ability to mix pearls, stunning stones, a hint of sparkle along with the unique accents make her designs truly special! Prom, Bridal, Motherhood, everyday and every occasion in between, The Elegant Bead has the perfect piece of jewelry for you!

As a mom, I have been fortunate to be able to create and build The Elegant Bead while spending time with my children thru school and all of their activities. In turn, they have watched, learned and also helped me in many facets with The Elegant Bead from customer mailings, home boutique trunk shows, and larger craft shows and customer service. I feel like we all have had a win-win situation and feel great that I have been able to teach them the finer things about being a mom and entrepreneur!

I am looking forward to continuing to make everyone "shine and sparkle!'

Thanks to www.StartUpNation.com and www.LadiesWhoLaunch.com for hosting this competition.

Orange - The 'It' Shade

Orange is such a vibrant, dynamic and happy color, but people either love to wear it or say they can't wear it when it comes to clothing, but they are more willing to enjoy it many other ways ~ such as eating, cooking with oranges or while they enhance their homes with the tropical scent from lotions, candles and that will transport them to the tropics! A big bowl of oranges also looks great on the kitchen table in a beautiful bowl especially in a contrasting shade; two of my favorite color combination's for this are royal blue or a lime green! The color contrast is lively and oh so much fun! Dream a little dream...



The hues of orange are quite varied and cheerful. The shades range from bright to muted ~ think of these colors of orange, tangerine, mango, peach, cantaloupe, coral, crystal copper, cognac, pumpkin. Go for orange if you want to step out in a brightly colored day dress. Each will look a little better on certain hair and skin tones. The most universally flattering bold color, it has warmth and comes in countless shades. For those with light hair, skin and eyes, go for a sunny cantaloupe. Brunettes with brown eyes and olive complexions, try a mango. For darker complexions, a deep tangerine is your best bet. (InStyle, What to Wear Now, October 2010)






With so many shades of orange you can put together many ensembles from your closet. As we head into fall and winter, orange is a perfect color choice to pair with a classics palette of camel, beige, winter white, navy and grey. Talk about brightening up a dull day and your mood will be elevated! Turquoise and fuchsia look great when combined with all of the shades listed above, although some may think it's more on the summer tropical side. Mango and fuchsia is a fun color combination to wear together - looks fabulous with denim! Add turquoise earrings and voila! you're good to go! I love both of those combos paired together and wear them all year round! Lately, many shades of orange and coral have been seen in more winter fabrics so these hues can be enjoyed all year. A soft purple hue is also very complimentary to orange without coming across to forced.

Have fun and try a shade of orange that makes you smile ~ maybe in a unusual pair of earrings, unique necklace or bracelet, belt or purse and even in your home decor with that vibrant bowl of oranges or even treat yourself to a bouquet of orange flowers! You'll be radiant!