Tag Archives: crafts

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Published Again :)

I’m so thrilled to be published again in the latest issue of Jewelry Affaire (on sale today)!  My “Love Letters” (originally named “Enveloped”) series as well as my “Miracle of Love” necklace were featured.  I hope you enjoy them.

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Where’d You Get Those Shoes?

So I was thumbing through the latest issue of Bead Trends magazine and saw an advertisement featuring fashion designer turned scrapbooking queen, Amy Tan of Amy Tangerine.  The ad was for a new Signature Series book about scrapbooking projects.  Now while I’m no scrapbook queen myself, I know a cute pair of shoes when I see them.  In the ad, Amy has on the most adorable aqua mint flats with little black bows.

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I searched the web for said shoes with no luck, so I decided to contact Amy herself.  I found her blog Amy Tangerine and sent her a note asking “Where’d you get those shoes?”  To my delight, she replied right away, but not to my delight she said she got the shoes in Brazil 😦 She did let me know the shoes are from a brand called Melissa.  Again, I went to the internet and searched for the coveted Melissa flats.  I did find them on a few sites, but they either didn’t have my size, the right color, or they were several times what I was willing to pay.

Being the resourceful artist that I am, I decided to just make my own.  During my previous web searches I’d found some cute, affordable Mossimo flats at Target.com that seemed pretty close to the color I wanted.  When they arrived today, I went upstairs to my studio and after digging through my box of “fibers” I found a black silk ribbon intended for jewelry making.  With a little glue, I was able to make a reasonable facsimile for under $35.  I am planning to wear them tomorrow with boyfriend jeans, a blazer over a white tee, and top it off with some fab jewelry.

Melissa flats next to my version:

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Finally Published

JA Winter 2013I say “finally”, but it was only 8 months ago that I set the goal to become a published artist before the end of 2012.  I emailed Beth Livesay, then Managing Editor of Jewelry Affaire (my favorite jewelry magazine of all time) and included a few photos of pieces I thought might be worthy of publishing.

To my surprise, Beth replied quickly and asked me to send in the pieces.  One day after the deadline I’d set for myself, my unique jewelry creations were included in the Winter 2013 issue of Jewelry Affaire (it hit newsstands on January 1st).  I’ve since sent in several other pieces to the new Managing Editor, Christine Stephens, many of which have been selected to appear in future issues of Jewelry Affaire.

So if you’ve ever dreamed of being published, go for it!  And be sure to check out my shop on Etsy StrandedInTheCity because I’ll most likely sell a few of the published pieces soon.

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A Style Altering Moment

Have you ever experienced a moment that changed the way you design?  I had a moment like that in the Spring of 2011 when I discovered Jewelry Affaire magazine.  I hate to really even call it a magazine since it’s much more like a quarterly book.  The photographs overwhelmed me.  The techniques I saw were different from anything I’d ever imagined.  Because of the talented artists featured as well as the efforts of the magazine staff, my mind was opened to a whole new world of jewelry design.

Before picking up this issue (which I’ve probably read dozens of times since) I didn’t realize I was limiting myself by only using new jewelry components.  Once I realized that almost anything could be considered jewelry making media, the possibilities seemed endless.  A large portion of my designs now incorporate vintage jewelry or findings or found objects.  After discovering Jewelry Affaire, I bought both previous back issues (the magazine was new and only published twice a year at that point, but now it’s quarterly) and also bought up the past few years of its sister publication Belle Armoire Jewelry and I’ve bought every issue of both magazine since.

I’m very proud to announce that I will get to join the artists I admire when some of my designs are featured in the next few issues of Jewelry Affaire.  Even if you’ve never made jewelry before, I encourage you to check out the Winter issue on sale January 1st.  Not only will you get to see some of my work, you’re sure to be inspired in your own creative journey.  To see more of my work in the meantime, visit my etsy shop StrandedInTheCity.

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Bonkers Over B’sue

I just wanted to share some of the jewelry I’ve made using swags, ornate plaques, and necklace bases from B’sue’s Boutiques.  Visit her shop here, like her on Facebook here, and you can even join her creative group on Facebook here!

Some of these pieces have already sold, some are in my personal collection, and some are still for sale in my etsy shop StrandedInTheCity.  Enjoy!

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Kicking off June with fun summer bracelets

June is here and that means cookouts and lots of weekends soaking up the sun poolside, or if you’re like me, balancing the jewelry-making madness inside with spending time outside.  While most of the jewelry work I do would be difficult to take outdoors, the following idea is a pretty easy one to work on anywhere.  Last night I made four wire-wrapped bracelets and covered them in tons of colorful glass beads.  These bracelets only require 2 materials (beads and wire), a pair of round-nose pliers, and a pair of wire cutters.  I love to take my bead soup bowl, sit on the couch, and make these while I watch tv.  They’d also be easy to make while sitting outside by the pool!

I learned this technique from Joanna Hanna, owner of Crescent Moon Beads in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (you MUST stop in and visit her if you’re in the area) http://www.crescentmoonbeads.net/.  I may add a tutorial in the future to share the technique with you, but for now enjoy the photos and visit my shop on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/strandedinthecity to purchase one 🙂