Flower Power or Spring Fling

Many of the styles that I see lately remind me of the sixties, the pallazzo pants, the knit sweaters, tie dye everything, it's all so retro.  So to get into the spirit of the retro look I made these laser cut flower

earrings.  They evoke the feeling of spring with flowers everywhere but they also fit into the flower power category.  I mean really, just look at them, the frame is the shape of a flower and then inside the frame are lots more flowers.

I think these earrings would be great with a simple white shirt and blue jeans, but wear them with a tie dye t-shirt and a denim skirt and you have a time warp into the 60's.

There are only one pair of these earrings and you can see more pictures in my Etsy store.

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog.  Please feel free to make comments.

It's been a while, how have you been?

Yes, I know, my last post was in June... I've been either a slacker or way to busy to write, hmm, well I guess it's been a little bit of both.  But I'm back and will make an effort not to be gone for such a long time again.

While I've been gone I have been very busy creating and selling jewelry.  Just recently I started a new line of pendants called the Cheryl collection, inspired by a wonderful lady who loves to challenge my jewelry making skills.  A few weeks ago she came to me asked for a long necklace that has a heart pendant with a lot of bling.  Cheryl and her sister are singers and she wanted something to wear on stage with this gorgeous black dress that has a high neck and plain front.  So I made her this...

I was so inspired by the technique that I used that I started making other pendants using the same techniques and came up with 3 that I will be selling in my Etsy store in the Cheryl Collection section.  It may take a week or so to get them posted, but meanwhile here is a preview for you.

He Loves Me

The camera put the yellowish tint on this daisy but it's actually clear.

Time 2 Rock

Let It Snow

That's a little of what I've been up to.  I hope you will continue reading.
Denise

Challenge Week 48

As the end of my challenge draws near I look back and find that I’ve tried new things and have stretched my creative ability. I don’t think I would have made some of the items that I’ve featured without this challenge pushing me.  The earrings that I made for today’s challenge is one of those times when I have gone outside my comfort zone.

 I took an item that I found in a jewelry store.  I had no idea what I would do with it but like the look and feel of it.  When I got it to my work room and put it with several different items I decided to combine it with a Swarovski Rivoli and came up with beautiful vintage-look earrings.  The backings on the Rivolis are made of antiqued copper and remind me of lace doilies.   I used the deep blue Rivolis to compliment the color of the copper.

These are one of a kind; I doubt you will see them in any other shop.   

Challenge Week 39

Hello, and welcome back.  This week I have another piece to add to my Treasure Island Collection.

This necklace is made from Czech Beads called Blue mixed with Sand and black faceted glass beads with gold color glass seed beads. It is 18" long and has a great clasp to finish it off that is a TierraCast antique silver bali-style toggle clasp.

This is the third piece in the collection and I will be adding more each week.  I'm very excited about making a collection because there are so many different configurations of these beads swirling around in my head, and it's such a great mix and match way to go. I hope you like this collection as much as I do.

I've placed it in my Etsy store with more pictures for you to see.

See you next week.

Challenge Week 38

This week I have started a new collection called Treasure Island.  This collection started because I had ordered some Czech glass beads called “Blue and Sand mix”. You know how each monitor shows color differently, if you go to a store with TVs you will see that the picture looks a little different on each set. So I didn’t pay much attention to the color of the beads when I ordered them. Then they arrived and I realized that blue and sand mixed together make green.  This is the basics of art class.  So these beads arrived looking like the manufacturer didn’t quite mix the color completely and you can see green, sand, and brown and sometimes hints of light blue.  I like them and think they are very unique, they remind me a little of camouflage but the facets and shine of the bead bring the style of the bead upscale from the casual style of camouflage.  Then I had to decide what other beads to use with them and of course I used black and a little gold seed bead, which brings out the sand in the Czech glass.

The purpose of this new collection is so you will be able to buy different pieces of jewelry that coordinate with each other but aren’t necessarily a matched set. I’m going to make different styles of earrings or bracelets or necklaces using beads from the collection.  This way you can choose a style that you like that goes with other pieces in the collection.  This is my first attempt at a collection and I hope that you like the concept.  Leave comments, tell me what you like or dislike about have a collection.  If you like it I will make other collections too.   I was thinking about a birthday collection for each month.  What do you think of that?

The first two pieces that I made with these beads are for this week’s challenge.  I started with a bracelet and added earrings.  The bracelet will fit a 7 inch wrist and I think will go with a lot of styles and outfits.  I can see it with a black suit and gold blouse for work, or with a pair of khakis and a polo for casual.  The earrings are 1 and ¾ inch long, hanging from silver plated French hooks.  Wear them with a black or tan top and a skirt or jeans and to complete your outfit.

Next week I have a necklace planned to add to the Treasure Island collection.

You can find both of these items in my Etsy store. 

See you next week.

Denise

Challenge Week 35

Happy New Year!  I hope the New Year brings you much peace, happiness, health and prosperity. 

For the challenge this week I got out my bead stash and decided to use some of the beads that I have been thinking about for a while.  I bought these rectangular shell beads a couple of months ago along with the leaf charms intending to make “something” with them.  The idea floating around in my head was either a necklace or some earrings.  When I put the beads on my bead board the necklace just seemed to fall into place.  I didn’t have to change it around, the way I placed the beads the first time is the necklace that is shown in the picture. That doesn't happen often.

Sometimes I struggle with a project, switching the beads around or adding or taking away beads, but this one was there the first time and the thing is I like it very much, I hope you do too.  The rectangles are mother of pearl, the pearls are glass beads, the leaves and the clasp are antiqued silver. The necklace is 18 inches long and drapes nicely when hanging.  The clasp is called “Del sol” and finishes off the necklace with flair.

This piece will be on my website within the next few days.  I will also be adding many pieces of jewelry to my website in the month of January.  Since my stock was depleted during the holidays my goal is to put a total of 30 new pieces up there, so check often.

Here is my web address www.jewelrybydm.com stop by and see if there is anything you want.

Have a great weekend!

Denise

Challenge Week 33

This week I have a special treat for the guys in the audience.  I made a masculine bracelet.  Most of my jewelry is for females however, I have made some cufflinks and tie pins.  It surprised me that most of the male jewelry that I made has sold.  One gentleman at a craft fair told me that he didn’t see many things for men and he was disappointed, so that’s what gave me the inspiration to add the cufflinks and tie pins.

One of my co-workers asked me to make him one of the new macramé bracelets that they are showing in the stores.  He wanted all black, so I used black hemp cord and 8 mm black onyx beads.  The bracelet fits an 8 inch wrist and can be adjusted by either pulling on the cords at the end of the bracelet to make it smaller, or pulling the bracelet apart to make it larger.  The piece that keeps  the bracelet closed is also the mechanism used to adjust it. 

I have several new orders for this bracelet so it may be after the first of the year before I put one in my shop.  If you would like to place and order for one I will need to know the size, in inches, of the person’s wrist and the color beads you would like.  It’s too late for Christmas but you can always put a certificate in an envelope letting the person know that their gift has been custom ordered. To place a custom order please send an email to me at denise@jewelrybydm.com and I will get back to you with an expected completion date.

Have a very Happy Holiday season and Happy New Year!

Challenge Week 30

Halloween has passed and the commercials are in full swing with gift ideas for the holidays.  I received an email today that I thought was a great idea, this is unusual for me because usually I cannot stand getting the forwards and just delete them. However, this email said that we should all buy American for the holidays. This means giving gift certificates for local services like car washes or oil changes or beauty services like hair cuts or manicures. It also suggested buying from local artisans. If I can help you with this in any way let me know, and not just my jewelry, I know people that make all kinds of hand made items from guitars to paintings, photography, t-shirts and sweatshirts, cards, scarves, toys and more. Let's get our economy back on it's feet by buying American and buying local.

Now I will get off of my soap box and get back to the topic at hand, week 30 of the 52 week challenge.  This pair of earrings is a little different from my usual conservative look.  I like the animal print look but rarely wear it because I'm a bit shy when it comes to bold prints.  These earrings bring the animal print in without being too bold. For those of you that aren't afraid of the bold prints I salute you and for those of us that shy away, lets just try something new.  I think that if you wear these with a black  or white sweater and a nice silver chain it could be a very classy look.

The earrings are the size of a quarter, so they aren't too big and they have a nice finish to them.  Each pair will have a little bit different pattern on them so don't expect the exact look of the earrings shown above.  The pattern is quite close though.  I bought these beads in New York on one of my lunch hour walks, it was a short string of beads, so there will be limited quantities.

You can find these and other earrings on my McLachlan Design Studio website.

Challenge Week 29

It has been a while but I am back and on with the challenge.  I thought that it was only going to be a week or 2 that I wouldn't be able to write. The move took longer that I thought, actually it was delayed because of hurricane Irene, then the following 3 weeks I had family obligations.  With the move came the loss of internet connection and on and on.  Finally I'm back, with a great pair of earrings.

 The earrings that I did for this week are hoops. This is my first time making hoops and I am very pleased with how they turned out.  I used sterling plated wires and put Czech glass flowers with silver spacers to create light weight, beautiful earrings. The earrings are easy to put on, just slip one end of the hoop into your ear and then click the end in place.  Simple!

Named after the woman that gave me the idea, I call them Crystal Hoops.  I work with Crystal and she asked me to make hoops for her with clear and silver beads, so I used crystal beads for Crystal. I've also made these earrings in different colors, and you will be able to see them on my website in the near future.

Crystal says that she wears these earrings a lot because they go with everything, so I made a pair for myself and also one for the website. If you have a color that you would like in these earrings let me know and I will custom design a pair just for you.  Contact me at denise@jewelrybydm.com

It's good to be back, I hope you have a great week!

First Craft Fair

This past weekend, November 7th and 8th I had my first two craft fairs. They were both successful in their own way. Saturday I sold a few things and got the experience of my first craft fair. The 2 vendors right by me were very nice women that I know through the SOMA Artist Guild, Jo and Ann, so I felt comfortable. Pictured on the right is my booth on Saturday.

Sunday I was on my own, and it was outside. It was a little cool in the morning but ended up being a beautiful day. It was a little breezy and kept knocking down one of my displays, so that kept me busy. I met some very nice people and sold some items, just enough to cover the cost of my table. All in all it was a good weekend.

Of course I had to make some purchases and I did by some cards from Jo Bradney who makes some wonderful charcoal drawings, then reproduces them into cards. Check out her Etsy store at www.etsy.com/shop/JoBradney and Ann has great t-shirts and prints, her store is www.etsy.com/shop/BeastlyBeasties. On Sunday I bought a piece of pottery that is a honey pot, it's so cute and reminds me of Winney the Poo, that was from Karen of Burnt Mill Potters and her Etsy store is www.BurntMillPotters.Etsy.com

I sold lots of eyeglass holders and badge holders, charm bracelets, rings and earrings. My next show is on December 5th at the Bridgewater Raritan Middle School, Merriwood Drive in Bridgewater, NJ from 10 am to 4 pm. This is an all hand made fair, no commercial items will be sold. If you can make it, stop by my booth and let me know that you read my blog and I will give you a 10% discount on your purchases.