Charmed, I'm Sure!

Last week I got to work on my very first custom jewelry commission! I originally met with my client over coffee and baked goods while we rummaged through her multi-level jewelry box! She had no idea what she wanted, but as she came across an item that was special to her she would tell me the meaning behind it.

My mind started churning once all these items began to pile up in front of me... and I immediately thought of the combination you see above. I turned her ID bracelet into a necklace and used a sentimental ring and heart pendant she loved as focal points for the piece.

She also had a bunch of charms that she had held onto for decades.... and I squealed with glee as I realized they could all be whimsically combined into a cute charm bracelet! I interrogated her further on favorite hobbies, colors, events and memories she held fondly... and incorporated some of my own charms into the bracelet based on her answers.

My client also had an old unicorn hologram pendant she loved and really wanted to bring it back out into the light again. I wasn't sure how I would accomplish it, but I knew that I wanted to mimic the color of the hologram somehow. I struck gold when I found these iridescent butterflies in perfect matching shades. They kind of look like little bows... which I think makes this necklace super adorable!

I'll be meeting with my client this week to show her what I've come up with, and I'm so excited. The most important part of all of this is that these lovely, meaningful mementos will no longer be stuck in a box and will become awesome conversation pieces.

If you'd like to see more of my custom work or to have me make stuff from your stuff... check out the jewelry commissions page on my website!

Thoughtful Thursdays: Can You Ear Me Now?

Recently I was contemplating what to give a friend for her birthday, when I had an awesome idea. She had purchased one of my upcycled vintage necklaces earlier this year... so I'll make her a pair of matching earrings! I knew she wore both gold and silver, and didn't have any red earrings at all, so I made her a pair in both colors.

Then I had to make it look present-able! I knew she was a fan of Asbury Park, so in keeping with my blog post from last week, I decided to use some vintage boardwalk tickets from 1960 to make the ultimate present-tation!

But a funny thing happened on the way to making these birthday gifts. I recognized that I don't really make earrings to sell, but I loved these so much I think I'm going to start...

Right after I make myself a pair!

Thoughtful Thursdays: Display Ideas!

So I've been doing a little research on new, innovative and interesting ways to display my mixed media jewelry at craft shows.... and think I've come up with a few ideas I like. 

This one here is a hinged wooden frame with wire mesh behind it. Ooooh, maybe chicken wire instead (just thought of that)! I would paint it and distress it and then hang my creations from the wire. This would accommodate lots of jewelry! And it would fold up and store easily... always a plus.

I also liked the idea of using a pretty vintage frame with cork (where the glass would normally be) that I could put pushpins into and hang a few jewelry pieces on. I could use it horizontally or vertically, to showcase a few key pieces. Maybe a few different frames in different finishes and sizes would be fun.

I'm still thinking and drawing out ideas, because I'm still looking for that one stellar idea. Something that looks cool, has that vintage, upcycled feel and that's easy to set up for craft shows. I'm open to suggestions!

Sometimes The Way My Mind Works... Makes Me Giggle

I was always drawn to those adorable, obnoxiously yellow, vintage buss fuse tins. But I stopped in my tracks recently...when I came upon a pair that had the name LITTELFUSE on them! I felt myself take a slight gasp of air as the creative wheels kicked into gear...

Littelfuse.

Little fuse.

Short fuse.

Who has a short fuse?

Ahhh, yes... Joan Crawford... Mommie Dearest!

And so an idea was born. I went to work on it right away. Thinking it out first and then having fun with my man-tools and hand drill.

What was it mom always said? A hand vice between the knees is the most effective form of birth control?

I had some interesting ideas about construction and actually came up with a few concepts. Since I had two tins, I could try a couple different things. One I incorporated into the chain.

And for the other, I created dangling fuses. And of course... anything that opens has to have some sort of collage inside. So here's Faye Dunaway doing her best Joan Crawford "no more wire hangers" impression from Mommie Dearest.

For such an industrial-looking necklace, I needed to soften the look a bit and had fun using different findings and matching beads to tone it down. You can see the finished choker in more detail here and the double tier necklace here and they are both available for purchase.