The left image (from valleykatdesigns.blogspot) shows a bird's nest pendant using antiqued copper wire while the image on the right (from handmadeimpressions.blogspot) shows two different versions using silver wire.
A few friends have asked me if I’ve been “nesting” lately (since my first baby is due Jan. 6) and the answer is YES. Especially the last few weeks. I’ve been painting cute bunnies and teddy bears on canvas as well as cleaning/nesting…and in honor of that- I decided to make a nest pendant that I’ve seen occasionally in stores and on the internet. They’re super-cute and pretty easy to make.
This past weekend, my friend and I popped into The Big Crafty in downtown Asheville to check out local handmade creations. My friend, Teresa, was on the hunt for the perfect earrings for a birthday gift so we were happy to find that almost every other craft booth outside had jewelry.
Matt Johnson took a picture of me, Teresa, Shannon and Lauren at the Big Crafty.
(Read this post to the endto catch an awesome video of the Big Crafty made by my friends Lauren and Matt, who are starting up their downtown Asheville business in September called Zapow!, an illustrative art gallery and a place for writer and artist development.)
One booth in particular was run by Mackenzie King and here are some pictures I took of her work:
My first and favorite piece of jewelry was a necklace that transformed into a brooch, hair clip AND into a little toy girl with red hair. I thought she was awesome. And of course the plastic jewel was PRICELESS. (It was called “Sweet Secrets.” I’ll post a fun 80s commercial at the end of this blog about those gems.)
My love for dual-purpose jewelry has continued over the years with poison rings (I’ve never had to put it to use, though), lockets, ring watches…anything that has a purpose OTHER than looking pretty.
These days, I’m becoming more attracted to the pieces that have a classic look, but with a modern secret twist that can allow you to take pictures, use video, save your files to your USB necklace… it’s insane what has transformed into jewelry lately.
What would you like to see double as jewelry? A weapon? A mini computer? I’m sure if you search hard enough or wait long enough you can have it.
After reading “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” I noticed how the the paperback cover design has only made the series more iconic. The strong graphic treatment makes me think of the main character’s bold tattoo and how powerful graphic design can be.
And although I don’t have a tattoo of my own (if I did- it would be the Orin from the cover of the Neverending Story book cover), I love the graphic elements of them. So how can someone who loves tattoos rock the strong look (don’t say temporary tattoos…) without committing?
I was in a one of those hip stores in downtown Asheville, NC a few years ago and spotted neon jelly bracelets galore and thought, “Huh. That retro trend will smolder within a month.” And still I’m seeing leg warmers, huge bracelets, neon earrings, leggings, The New Kids on the Block and Cyndi Lauper going back on tour, Duran Duran coming out with a new album and ‘Jem’ returning to TV on the Hub channel in May?! That’s truly outrageous!Truly,truly,truly Outrageous.
SO, to embrace this snowball of a trend, let’s take a look at some awesome jewelry trends to add some POP to your wardrobe via some of my favorite 80s POP icons:
Molly Ringwald:Talk about a trend-setter! She spotted the “Shabby Chic” look LONG before store chains like Target started lines with that look. But she made it young and cool by mixing soft, feminine pieces with over-sized blazers. (Although I have to say that the ‘Pretty in Pink’ dress she designed and created in the movie was a disaster.)
I explained to these eggs this morning that some of them will survive (be decorated for Easter) but I was in the mood for a hearty breakfast. ... (Breakfast-making picture at the end of this blog)
After Easter lunch, my grandmother would give my brother, cousin and me our own special dyed Easter egg that she had decorated for us. Of course, after over 20 years, I don’t have those eggs anymore. But then, around middle school, my friends and I decided to continue the tradition by meticulously personalizing eggs for each other with themes, inside jokes, or just art that represented our interests- no dyes; we used paints, Sharpies, nail polish, you-name-it (and for ‘forever eggs’- I recommend cheating and getting egg-shaped wood ones from a craft store).
This is an egg my friend, Jordan, painted me in high school. It's Queen's Innuendo album cover (great music).
I think it’s an “eggcellent” gift that’s creative and (unless you’re going for the bejeweled Faberge look) cheap. If you don’t get too detailed, a bunch of decorated eggs can make a great centerpiece (which I plan to make this year.) Also, I’ll even add a way to incorporate eggs into jewelry for this post.
Still a beginner beader and jewelry “assembler,” I’m attracted to projects that have the words “easy,” “quick,” and “step-by-step.” That’s when my brain says, “Ok. Maybe this might really be for the person who can’t even crimp a piece of wire without it looking like it was done with their teeth!”
So I will provide you with links to my favorite project videos and books that say, “No, really. You CAN do this. No in-depth skill or 5-hour block required!”
The following is an adorable video of how to put together earrings from a necklace. A great and simple idea that made me say, “Duh. I should have thought of that!”
A really easy way to make bracelets and necklaces that don’t require clasps is to use a cord that stretches, like Stretch Magic. (The size you buy is determined on how big the hole is in your bead.) The key is to know how to tie knots that won’t come undone. Depending on the weight, you can use the overhand knot, square knot, or surgeons knot. Make sure to pre-stretch the cord and after you tie your knot, put a dab of clear nail polish or jewelry glue, like e6000 on the knot to secure it more. Here’s a video that helps clarify tying knots:
Here's a screen grab of what the Website Kuler looks like when you're making your own color schemes from inspirational pictures.
I’ve recently rediscovered kuler online- an AWESOME Adobe site where you can load your own color palates that (because it’s an adobe site) are accessible from Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. How is this helpful? … The possibilities are endless. You can create personalized palettes from pictures- so- say you’re planning on making a beautiful necklace and you’re inspired by the colors in a flower- you can load a picture of the dress and work from the photo! Same goes from planning color schemes/palates. Here’s a video that shows a more detailed explaination of how to use it:
Coming up with a color palate on kuler can help you pair down your color choices. This necklace, made by Nathalie Mornu, has very simiar coloring to the flower color palate I chose, above.
Good luck with creating, using, and becoming inspired on kuler! It’s also fun to browse around other color schemes users have made. So far, my favorites are “Victorian Lacier,” “Raygun Gothic” and “Cosmic Moss.” …It’s also fun to name your colors! Let me know if you’ve made any of your own!
