A Hint of Spring

We are on the cusp of my favorite season, Spring. When I think of Spring, it conjures up images of flowers in bloom, lots of green everywhere, and of course, new spring fashions. I am not a total shopaholic, but I do get the itch to buy new clothing when springtime arrives. And of course, design new spring  jewelry to go with it. 

Unfortunately, my favorite French catalog company, LaRedoute, closed it’s US site. You can go to the UK site and see the current fashions on the catwalk by following this link:

 http://www.laredoute.co.uk/Static/Static.aspx?page=Catwalk-SS09&MEC=RS09:Catwalk:HP:01:01

What would springtime be without butterflies? I have been saving these butterfly wings to make a few microscope slide pendants. Note: The butterfly was not killed to collect its wings, but found deceased by my son Peyton, who knew to pick it up and keep it for me. 

I am always inspired by nature… but fashion does inspire me as well~ why not combine the two!

Birthday Celebration

This past Friday, January 30th, was my birthday. I got to celebrate it in an fantastic way. I went to see Chris Botti in concert with the Baton Rouge symphony on Thursday night. 

For those of you not familiar with him, he is a fantastic trumpet player who toured with Sting and recorded with Sinatra prior to starting his own band.  The rest of the guys include Billy Childs (piano), Billy Kilson (drums), Mark Whitfield (guitar), and Robert Hurst (bass).

They play music that mixes pop, jazz, classical, and other genres. There were two special guests for the concert. First, a wonderful jazz vocalist named Sy Smith who sang the Burt Bacharach tune, “The Look of Love”. The other, a young violinist named Lucia Micarelli who blew everyone away with her two duets with Botti. 

We began the evening at the pre-concert black tie gala where the champagne sparkled and the food was abundant and delicious. And if that was not enough, we had the fortune of staying at the Hilton where the band was staying as well.  My friend Janet and I were having a drink (club soda), in the bar to unwind and who pops in but Mark Whitfield and Sy Smith. Chris Botti poked his head in but did not stay. Somehow Janet and I got invited to join Mark and his friend and former road manager from Baton Rouge named Kirk. Later, Billy Kilson joined us and Janet and Mark danced!  They were all very delightful and gladly posed for photos from admiring fans.

The next day, after catching up on some sleep, we stayed and played in BR for the day.  We had a scrumptious breakfast, did some shopping, and I visited with my son, Peyton. Needless to say, this was a birthday celebration I will remember.  Thanks Janet, Beverly, and Margaret for a great trip!

Janet, Margaret, Liz, and Bev at the Gala

Liz and Bev enjoying the Gala

Liz mingling with guest at the Gala

 

 

 

 

 

Liz, Mark, and Janet

 

 

 

 

Billy "The Baddest Drummer" Kilson and Liz

Sy and Liz

 

Janet and Mark dancing the night away

 

Janet and Liz with Chris Botti

 

Margaret, Liz, and Bev post concert

 

Sparking Creativity

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

Mary Lou Cook

 I have to take time off from jewelry making every now and then. At first, I feel guilty and unproductive because I am not hard at work and not increasing my inventory and selection. Then, I realize how important it is to recharge my creative spirit. Some of my best ideas come from nature. Below are a few pics of me reverting back to childhood. Nothing better than a little physical activity and some roasted marshmallows to reignite the old creative spark!

 

“Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day’s work. I follow in building the principles which nature has used in its domain.”

Frank Lloyd Wright

MEHNDI

Art comes in many forms. One that is intriguing to me is the art of Mehndi (pronounced May-hen-Dee). Mehndi is the application of henna  as a temporary form of skin decoration in countries such as India, Pakistan, and Morrocco. Henna is usually applied for special occasions such as weddings and celebrations. It is usually drawn on the palms and feet, where the color will be darkest because the skin contains higher levels of keratin which binds temporarily to lawsone, the colorant of henna. 

Henna is procured from a shrub, Lawsonia inermis. The leaves are gathered green from the tree and placed in the shade to dry. They are then pounded and sifted to obtain a very fine powder. The compound is kneaded with water to make a paste. 

The henna paste, or mud, is sold in cones. The henna can be applied in beautiful patterns using this small plastic bag (cone) with a small hole pricked into one corner. This bag acts as a mini pastry-decorating tube. When the henna mud is applied, one is directed to keep it on the skin overnight, or for several hours. The longer the mud remains, the longer the color will last. It helps to keep the mud a little moist with a mixture of lemon juice and sugar. The reddish-brown color of henna begins to fade within two days.  It usually last about 7 days. 

I have the opportunity to be ‘hennaed” twice by a very talented artist. I included a couple of photographs taken by my nephew, Lucas. 

A good reference for all things henna is http://www.hennapage.com/

 

 

Wedding Jewelry

Bride

I recently received the link to view the photos of Sholannda and Jacari’s wedding in San Antonio, TX. I had the privelage of designing the earrings for the bride and the bridesmaids.

The bride chose chandelier-style earrings using Swarovski crystals and sterling silver chain. The bridesmaids earrings were designed to coordinate with the wedding colors of burnt orange and kiwi green. I used a vintage faceted Swarovski crystal with 4 mm bicone shape crystal drops and gold-filled findings.

 

 

 

Bridesmaid

Click on the links below to see wedding trends for 2009.

http://www.edytaszyszlo.com/blog/category/wedding-trends-2009/

http://www.weddingbycolor.com/retro248/milestones/34073

More “Looking Glass” Jewelry

 

I have been on a creative streak lately with my collection of chandelier prism jewelry. They are all so beautiful and it has been lots of fun to create one-of-a-kind designs from them.

The first photo is of an amber faceted prism teardrop and round faceted top.  I added citrine, coin pearl, freshwater pearls, and crystals and all this dangles from a gold-filled chain.

The second is an amber drop with biwa pearl and bicone crystal at the top and dangles of rutilated quartz, chalcedony, and freshwater pearls. A leather cord with a rutilated quartz toggle clasp finishes the necklace.

The third is a prism that is edged with gold at the top and bottom and I added biwa pearls, rutilated quartz, freshwater pearl and crystal. It hangs on a gold-filled chain.

The bottom is a larger teardrop prism with antiqued gold on top and bottom. Citrine, glass and biwa pearls with rutilated quartz and crystal drops accent the gold edging. It hangs on a leather cord.

Brunch at Tiffany’s for the March of Dimes

This blog is usually devoted to jewelry and the art of making jewelry but I have to diverge every now and then. I recently got photos from an event I attended as a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. It was a chance to dress up, wear a hat, and meet other women for brunch. It definitely put the “fun” in a “fund-raising” event. I attended with two friends and we had a great time viewing all the creative and beautiful hats while socializing. 

I found my hat at The Time Warp, a vintage clothing store in Baton Rouge. I got a great felt handbag as well. I had purchased the dress from my favorite catalog company but this was the first time I had a chance to wear it. The hat was a little worn but I repaired the netting and added a broach that was broken but that I had saved (I knew there was a reason for keeping it!). My friend Janet was amazed to see the hat transformed since she was with me when I bought it and saw it in its original shabby shape.

This is an yearly event and I plan to attend again… if I can find just the right hat!

Liz, Veretta, Zohra, Janet

 

Through the Looking-Glass Jewelry

Looking Glass Necklace

       

What can you do with a couple of dozen chandelier prisms? You could use them for any number of design elements, ie. fan pulls, adding them to hanging light fixtures, wall sconces, or candle holders.  What about using them as holiday ornaments? Well, if you are a jewelry artist, you make necklaces, earrings, and bracelets from them. Hence, my new collection of jewelry made from chandelier prisms.

I think the clear ones would be beautiful jewelry for a bride. They would be a combination of something old and something new. 

 

These necklaces are definitely “statement” jewelry and would be a lovely addition to holiday attire.

I used a few pages from the Lewis Carroll novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass to name the jewelry.

A Mad Tea Party Necklace

The Catepillar Bracelet

White Rabbit Earrings

 

Alice's Teardrop Necklace

Cheshire Cat Necklace

Desert Jewels and Jewelry

I had the opportunity to be a part of a special presentation for the newest member of the Desert Jewels professional belly dance troupe based in Pineville, LA. Amanda, not sure what her “professional” name will be, was “sworn in” this past Saturday evening. I was privy to the information because I made her “Desert Jewels” memory slide pendant necklace. Of course, she was thrilled and accepted the honor.

The other two members are Ameelah and Arella. Ameelah, aka Jessica, owns a dance studio called Ameelah’s Desert Jewels, http://www.desertjewelsbellydance.com/ 

I took the bellydance and Salsatone classes this past semester. Both are great forms of exercise.

Here are photos taken at Saturday night’s recital. Check out the matching necklaces. Each troupe member has their own. By the way, these necklaces definitely hold up well considering all the movement these girls do during their performance.  Whew!

The Newest Desert Jewel

The Desert Jewels and their jewelry artist

Alexandria Fall ArtWalk

I had the opportunity to participate in the semi-annual Alexandria, LA ArtWalk this past Friday evening. This was my third time to take part in this event. The weather was spectacular,  which was one reason for the good turnout. I met lots of great people and enjoyed chatting with friends, other artists, and customers. My fellow artist, Sonny Monteleone, a Lafayette based photographer, participated as well. He had some great feedback on his photography and plans to return in the Spring. His best seller was his New Orleans streetcar photograph.

The photos are of our table setups prior to the start of the ArtWalk.