Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Confessions of a Reformed Scrooge



        Yes, it's that time of year again.  Time for the frantic to-do lists, retail frenzy, and endless errands.  I admit that until recently, I really got bogged down with all the Christmas hoopla.  I didn't enjoy walking into every store to be blasted by Christmas music and prepackaged gift boxes featuring combinations of jewelry, perfume, and earmuffs.  It all just seemed so excessive.  Nor, I admit, did I like just buying gift cards for everyone, because what is the point of that?  Why don't we all just keep our money?   I am the first to admit that I was a scrooge, and my dear husband was very good to put up with my complaining through the holiday season.  I am proud to say I've gotten over my scroogeness by following these simple rules:1. buy from local stores and artisans as much as you can, 2. let yourself of the hook, and 3. don't worry so much.   I've found that by following these three simple rules, I enjoy the season a great deal more.  When you purchase something from small local businesses and artists, you are really giving two gifts.  You are giving something to recipient as well as the person or business you are buying it from.  Your purchase at a small local store this season may have helped them pay that extra bill that needed to be paid to stay in business.  When you go to a craft show and make a big purchase from an artist, you may have made their day and helped them to stay in business and continue to do what they love.  Sure, the big box stores need your business ( and they always manage to get at least some of mine), but it is the local stores that really need your support this season.  So this season please support us struggling artists and shop owners who rely on the season for your support.  Oh, and about the other two rules....the world will not end if you don't make award-winning cookies and send out Christmas cards.  Just try not doing it one year and see what happens.  Just relax, let yourself off the hook and don't worry so much.  And here is my shameless plug:  I have many unique jewelry designs still available if you would like to stop by and check them out.  Also, I have many designs for sale at Creative Genius Art Gallery in Medford, NJ, so stop by and check them out when you are shopping in downtown Medford ( which you really should be this holiday season).  Online, non-local people, there is still time to ship for Christmas, so check out my etsy shop, facebook page, and blog and find that perfect gift for that unique person in your life ( even if that person is you).  Happy Holidays!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Quieting your inner critic



     So, I meant to write this post at the beginning of the month but life and time slipped away from me with  the craft fair season in full swing.  My big news of October is that I was published in the Autumn edition of Jewelry Affaire magazine, available on newstands now!  I distinctly remember when I mailed this piece in, my ever-present inner critic was trying to convince me that my work was not good enough.  I buy this magazine on a regular basis and am always in awe of other peoples creations.  I very much am my own worst critic.  Luckily, another louder voice asked me "what's the worst that could happen?" (just to clarify: people who hear voices in their head are not necessarily crazy).  When I thought about the answer to that question I realized that the excitement of being published would  be well worth the risk of a little rejection.  But fear of rejection and failure can be a powerful thing and can keep us from reaching our potential.  It is actually very fitting that I write this blog now, as my inner critic has been particularly beastly as of late.  We all know who he/she is.  It is that part of yourself that constantly compares yourself to others and tells you you are not good enough.  Silencing that voice can help you take the chances, and look at  failure and rejection as learning experiences.  Yes, it's no fun when you spend a lot of time working on a new technique and the result is less than satifactory. But, perhaps the next time you try it, you will have discovered (from your failure) hints that will help the next time you try it.  Most everyone has these inner battles at some point, not just artists.  I think the key to moving forward is to learning to not let that inner critic have too much control, and to ask yourself next time you are faced with a challenge "what's the worst that could happen?"

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Heartache


     I've noticed over the years that I am a pretty optimistic, upbeat person, and it shows in the designs I create.  Themes of love, joy, bliss, and dreams find their way through pictures and words into the jewelry that I love to create.  In general, I have a pretty "glass is half full" kind of attituds towards life.  I used this picture in this watchface pendant and the woman is the photo looked anything but joyful and full of love.  She looked heartbroken.  So I chose the word "heartache" to accent this image.  The birds in the pin reminded me of mourning doves, which, although they can be symbols of great joy, their very name provokes feelings of sorrow.  So why would anyone want to wear such a depressing necklace?  Because through dealing with heartache and disappointment comes great strength.  I am a big fan of the book "The Self-Esteem Trap" by Polly Young-Eisendrath, which, if you haven't read, you definately should.  In this book she describes how this generation of over-protective parents have become so concerned with sheltering their children from any adversity that we are raising a generation of children ill-equiped to handle the setbacks of life.  Everybody needs to have go through some heartache, whether the reason is from love, loss, or any other disappointments from life.  It is in dealing with life's setbacks that we find our inner strength, and learn how to cope.  So I say, that this is a necklace to wear to remind ourselves that our spirit will give us strength to deal with life's challenges.  After all, the glass is always half-full.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

In Defense of the Corset

    

     I recently fell in love and purchased this charming little rubber stamp image of the a corset to add to my vast collection of stamps.  I have been fascinated recently with the recent popularity of corset styles in the some of the new steampunk, burlesque, and fusion bellydance costuming, as well as mainstream fashion.  In one way, in struck me as slightly ironic that we've taken to wearing what I'd always previously believed to be a symbol of female repression and turned it into an empowering image of female beauty.  In reality, the requirement to wear a tight corset each day of a woman's life caused fainting and in extreme cases led to bone structure deformities.  Imagine having to wake up each day and lace something so tight around your mid-section so tight that you could barely breath all day, everyday.  No thank you!  Corsets have been around for some time as an undergarment and dribbled out of popularity with the invention of fabrics such as lycra (hello, Spanx!), and the need to use our metal more wisely (war).  So in a way, we are still wearing forms of corsets in our underclothes every time we wear a push-up bra, tummy control girdle, or control top pantyhose.  Now that we are safely away from the era of required tight corset wearing, we are free to wear these undergarments on the outside, dress them up with all manner of silk and in every color and style you can imagine.  So I will continue to make new designs with my fun corset stamp and celebrate the fact that I can wear a fun, pretty corset, if I want to...because let's face it, they do look pretty awesome.
     The centerpiece of this bracelet is a tiny gem size tintype.  Tintypes are photos printed on pieces of metal and were  popular in the victorian era, when corsets were also popular.  The lady in this photo, was very likely wearing one herself (although it is a small picture and hard to tell).  The two copper pieces on the side are etched metal images of corsets.  I'm already very attached to this one so I don't know if I will sell it (or make myself another similar!).

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Style vs. Fashion

     Here is today's confession:  I am not a fashionista.  Don't get me wrong, I love fashion.  I subscribe to InStyle and my favorite TV addiction is Project Runway.  I love to observe the way the trends ebb and flow, I just choose not to partake in 97.7% of these passing trends.  One day it's pleats, the next month everything is jewel tone.  It is very easy for women in today's culture to get totally confused and feel like they constantly need to "update" their wardrobe.  I am also different from many woman in that most women shop for jewelry to match their clothes, while I shop for clothes to match my jewelry.  Imagine how thrilled I was to observe that all of a sudden, lace is in style!  Lace dresses, lace shirts, lace skirts, lace tank tops.  So, I had to take advantage of this very passing trend to stock up on some fun clothes to match the jewelry that I make.  I will continue to wear my lacey clothes long after the trend dies down and everyone is wearing tiger stripes, or whatever else happens to be in style at the moment (and really, does lace ever go out of style?).  When you stay true to what you truly love, you will never be out of style.  You may be out of fashion, but you will always have your own style that is unique to you.  So don't be afraid to buck the trends and go for what you really like.  It is perfectly OK to be the only one in town who doesn't own a pair of UGG boots.   

Monday, June 25, 2012

101 Ways to use rubber stamps

     Believe it or not, rubber stamps are what led me into jewelry design.  A friend introduced me to them just after college and I very soon began obsessively collecting them.  I still remember my first visit to a real rubber stamp store (not to be confused with the meager stamp selection at the big box craft stores) and the feeling of overwhelmed awe, desire, and agonizing choices.  If you have ever been a beader in a bead store, a seamstress in a fabric store, or a knitter in a yarn shop, I'm sure you get the idea.  My first craft activity with rubber stamps was the old favorite, the greeting card.  Long afternoons I would spend (before children!) experimenting with watercolors, inks, embossing powders, and an ever growing collection of stamps.  Of course, I couldn't just make cards forever, so I started to learn about different ways to use them, which led to my experiments making rubber stamped pendents with polymer clay, which then had to be made into jewelry!  Over the years (16 years since I bought my first rubber stamp!) I have continues to discover new uses for them.  They can be used in scrapbooks, home decor, and stamped on fabric.  I have soldered rubber stamp images in glass for jewelry, and made shrinky dink (or as grown-ups who play with this medium like to call it "shrink art") charm bracelets.  Recently I read about a technique called metal etching using...rubber stamps!  Ok, this I had to try!  Armed with etchant solution, latex gloves, goggles, and my good old rubber stamp collection, I gave in whirl.  The results were pure magic, and I can't wait to make some more!  Perhaps I need a few new rubber stamps as well as I am sure I will find 101 more ways to use them!

Friday, May 18, 2012

New Life

     When strolling past the seemingly endless vendors at our local flea market, one often hears the familiar of call of someone saying "everything on this table is just one dollar!".  This works in drawing people into their booth, because people buy a lot of junk simply because it is just one dollar (which explains the popularity of dollar stores).  It was when I was looking at one particular "dollar box" that I spotted it.  Amongst the usual array of tacky coffee cups, discarded paperbacks, and well-loved stuffed animals, sat this small and very antique looking rug.  It had clearly seen better days, but had a beautiful rose pattern on it.  I immediately saw myself cutting it up to make some cool fabric cuffs and using the many yards of antique lace and buttons I've collected to embellish it.  Feeling that flea market shoppers "high" (if you are a flea market junkie, you know what I'm talking about), I went to pay the guy a dollar for this cool find.  As I was handing him my dollar, the guy says to me "this is an old prayer rug, probably from the civil war".   I really wish he hadn't have told me that because now comes the dilemma I often face of "is this too precious/valuable/historical to alter?".  So then the rug sat in a corner of my art room, lonely and forgotten.  Every once and while I picked it up to ponder what this guy told me.  Was this really a civil war prayer rug?  For all I know the guy could have been full of baloney, but it did look very old.  I could picture some civil war woman praying on it for the safe return of her husband, son, father, or brother.  The internal debate continued as I pondered the condition of the rug.  The edging was irreparably damaged in places and it had several burn marks and stains.  I pictured being on some show like "Pawn Stars" and having the guy tell me my rug would be worth much more if it was in  perfect shape.
     It was around the time my grandmother became ill and went into hospice care that the sewing scissors finally came out.  As I read the many e-mails from California about how she expressed to people she was ready to go on and how her body kept holding on despite her wishes, that I impulsively starting cutting away and that rug and never looked back.  Things (and people) sometimes just need the chance to be let go of, so they can be reborn into something new, and the journey can continue.  So did I destroy a valuable historical artifact?  I suppose it is possible, but I have no regrets, just this cool new cuff bracelet.  The theme of the bracelet is "drifting around the world", because grandma liked to travel to exotic new places (and she still is).


Friday, April 27, 2012

Mae West

     I very often use pictures of women from bygone eras in some of my collage jewelry designs.  I am especially attracted to images of women I imagine to be somewhat more rebellious against the societal restraints that were present at the time. I happened to have a great sheet of images from artchix studio and recognized one as the famous actress Mae West.  I admit, I didn't know a great deal about her.  I somehow remember my one of my parents telling about her and one of her famous lines "why don't you come on up and see my some" (they left off the last bit of that line "when I've got nothing on but the radio").  A little more research on her turned up some interesting tidbits, which made me love her all the more.  I found out she was actually jailed (briefly) for her first play (she was a playwright as well as an actress), which she boldly titled "Sex".  She was an advocate for gay rights before people even knew what gay rights was.  She began her movie acting career as a sultry sex kitten at the ripe old age of 38 (that was, and probably still is, considered over-the-hill for a Hollywood bombshell).  If I could choose a single word that I think describes her it would be: unapologetic.
   I find that I admire the unapologetic Mae West because she was true to herself and didn't care what others thought about her.  She was who she was and you could take her or leave her.  I often think I (and probably many others) need a little of Ms. West's spirit in our lives.  I know for myself, I am about as far from unapologetic as you can get.  I have caught myself apologizing to someone when they bump into me, as if I have some kind of compulsive need to beg forgiveness for having the audacity to take up space.  I made this necklace in honor of the great actress, and as a reminder to whoever wears it, to lighten up a little on yourself.  You are who you are and don't apologize for it.  Life is too short to worry so much about what others think because as Mae West said "you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough".

Monday, April 16, 2012

Behold the Power of Shoes

     Truth be told, I'm not a big fashionista.  It's not that I don't like glamorous and fashionable clothes I just have other things to spend my time and money on.  A couple new pairs of jeans could be the cost of some dance workshops I want to take or art supplies I need.  Everyone has priorities, right? I get most of my clothes from our local goodwill store.  This includes shoes (foot germs, bah!).  Every once in a while though, I do get the urge to splurge.  This usually happens around my birthday.  This year was no different, and I decided to hit up our local TJ maxx.  While I was shopping for a new bathing suit (summer's coming!) and some other clothes that might make me somewhat in fashion for a change, I started to notice my shoes.  I realized with growing dismay that the particular pair of clunkers I was wearing that day had been with me since my college years, and looked their age.  Why not head next door to DSW, "just to look"?  Of course, I headed directly to the back of the store where the clearance shoes live.  It was there that I spotted them, the coolest pair of boots ever.  They were perfect!  The price: 129.99 plus an additional 40% off.  The math came up in my head as somewhere near the ballpark of $70-80.  Way more than I was planning to spend on new shoes.  So, I did what any logical girl would do.  I marched up to the counter with my glorious new boots and didn't look back.
     When I saw this single little shoe earring, I knew it had to become part of a special piece of jewelry.  Women have always loved shoes.  They are powerful accessories.  It sounds shallow, but when I wear my beloved boots, I feel more confident, powerful, glamorous, and sexy.  Every girl deserves the chance to splurge on a pair of shoes that she just loves.  There is a little glamour girl in all of us.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Full of steam

     It is always interesting to see what jewelry trends come and go over the years.  Although I have long ago given up keeping up with all the trends, one that I've paid particular attention to is steampunk-inspired jewelry designs.  Steampunk itself has been around since the eighties and is far more than just a jewelry trend (for those of you who for some reason have never heard the term  I'm not going to explain, just ask the great Sir Google).  It is an entire art, music, literature, and performance genre as well as a fashion trend.   It wasn't long after this trend really gained steam (pun!) before the mass production started (straight out of china, of course).  Big name craft stores began to sell faux vintage gears and watch components so you can make your own steampunk jewelry with a quick swipe of your credit card. A general search on etsy will give you over 150,000 matches, most of it jewelry. I knew the trend was really mainstream the day I saw steampunk jewelry in the mall.
     I do not consider myself to be a full-fledged steamager.  I have read exactly zero works of literature in this genre (admittedly, I never even read Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, I've only seen the movies).  I have only a handful of steampunk songs on my ipod by Seattle band Abney Park.  I've never been to the Steampunk World's Fair, which takes place in May every year in NJ (although I'd love to go sometime).  I'm not entirely sure what an airship pirate is, although whatever it is sounds cool! So why do I make some steampunk-inspired jewelry?  I do it because to me, the whole movement embraces creativity, reinvention (see the website steampunkworkshop.com for some real creativity), and  rebellion against the norms.  That is why the centerpiece of this necklace (made from real watch parts, of course) has the words "creative power".  In this crazy world of consumption and greed, we all need a little more steampunk energy.  Oh, and if you are not necessarily a DIY kind of person but still would like to wear this trend in jewelry form, please don't buy it at the mall!  Support an artist or craftperson. That's the steampunk way.
Metal hoop wrapped in lace and buttons!  The pendant is made with real watch parts and is filled with resin.  Embrace the steampunkery within!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Perfection is overrated

     On a recent visit to Clearwater, Florida, I engaged in beach combing, one of my favorite seaside activities.  Clearwater is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the U.S., and also for being great for shelling.  I'm sure that there are true shellers who comb the beaches at night with a headlamp, in the early hours of the day, or diligently check tidal charts to find the best shells.  Myself, I am not one of those people.  If there are great shells on the beach at 5am, someone else is collecting them because I would be still in bed.  So of course, when looking at the shells that are left on the surf by the time I get there, it's slim picking.  Everyone always looks for those perfect shells.  As I walked along the beach, looking for perfect shells, I started to really pay attention to the imperfect shells and realized that they possess a beauty all their own.  I loved they way some of them looked partially carved out, so that you can see the inner spiral chambers.  What eventually happened is that I stopped looking for perfect shells and started looking for the not-so- perfect ones.  Conveniently enough, many of them had ready holes holes perfect for wire-wrapping!  I began to see the beginning of my own souvenir shell necklace.
 I think we can all use this kind of reminder that sometimes, perfection is not the best thing in the world.  I am not perfect, my house is not perfect, my kids aren't perfect, and I'm OK with that.  Furthermore, nothing I make is perfect, and that's OK too.  It was made by a person, not a machine.  obsession with being perfect can result in severe psychological issues (for more on this, see the movie Black Swan).  So let's stop worrying about it so much.  I don't know about anyone else, but I don't feel totally comfortable going to some one's house when it's too neat.  Nothing is out of place and it looks like a museum.  Creepy!  So just leave that  basket of unfolded laundry where it is. Perfection is overrated.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Marie

Everbody has one of those favorite movies that they can watch over and over again and never tire of.  Some people have more than one (me!), but one of my favorites is Sofia Coppola" movie Marie Antionette. I've always been fascinated by her as an historical figure, and fashion icon.  The movie is a virtual eye candy bonanza of jewelry and costume inspiration, as well as an historically accurate account of Marie's early life upon arriving at Versailles at age fourteen.  She has been very much vilified as being an extravagant, spoiled queen, who gambled away France's money while her people went hungry.  I'd be lying if I said there was not some truth to that, but I still have some sympathy for the poor girl.  Imagine being torn away from your family and homeland when you are fourteen and married off to some stranger in a hostile land.  Hey, I'd become a shopaholic too!  What I do find constantly amusing is that her most famous quote "let them eat cake", was never uttered by her (many historians have concurred with this). So why was it not the blockbuster hit I thought it should be?  Who knows?  Perhaps it was because (Spoiler Alert!), there was no bloody guillotine scene at the end.  Ms. Coppola very tastefully ended the film before all that ugliness.

When I opened my etey shop fairly recently, I was most surprised to find that the piece of jewelry that got the most views and and made it to three treasury lists before it was sold was my Marie Antionette collge necklace.  I guess I'm not alone in my love for all things Marie.  I was happy to see some other liked-minded people out there, and I will continue to make jewelry inspired by the unfortunate French Queen.  Even though some of my supplies are running low, I still have an abundance of fabric, so here it is, my latest Marie-inspired creation.  A beautiful collar fit for a queen!  Oh, and if you haven't seen Ms. Coppola's movie, add it to your netflix list, it's really good!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Budget Woes

I recently decided to make my business official and not "just a hobby", so the plunge, started learning about taxes and licensing and opened a seperate business account with well, next to nothing.  Not exactly nothing, but not enough to replenish my dimishing supply of basic findings (clasps, headpins, wire, crimps, etc...),  or to satisfy my ever growing list new tools I would like to buy (rivets, and mandrels, and mallets, oh my!).  Then there is the advertising, professional photography, graphic logo design, upgraded packaging and all these other things that make my head spin with numbers that are not in my account.  So what to do?  Bury myself in a hole and cry?  Of course not!  In times of budget woes people learn to make do with what they have, like taking three small plastic bangles and wrapping them with scraps of fabric and lace that I had lying around my studio.  I will always have my creativity and with that, will always find new uses for things and ways to make do with what I have.  Oh, and by the way, these bracelets will be on etsy soon, so you know, just sayin', I still would like some new tools!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Snow White

I don't very often get into T.V. shows, but recently, I've gotten hooked on the new show "Once Upon a Time".  I also recently finished the book "Mirror, Mirror"  by "Wicked" author Gregory Maguire.  What is constantly amazing to me is how deeply the themes in some of these fairy tales continue to have relevence in our lives.  In younger days I always dismissed Snow White as being anti-feminist pish-posh.  Lately, I've realized the Queen is the one I really identify with.  True, she was a nasty piece of work and I don't recommend giving anyone a poison apple, literally or metaphorically.  Still, she was a women looking in the mirror everyday and seeing the signs of age march accross her face in a time when probably, a women's beauty was one of her only real assets.  And here was this younger beauty, probably a very real threat to her stability, and a constant reminder that she was slowing losing her youthful beauty.
I'd like to think we live in better times than when the stry of Snow White takes place, but as I walk through the aisles at our local pharmacy, past jars full of $30 face cremes promising to make me look like I'm twenty, I wonder how much things have really changed.  Perhaps the queen would not have had to take such drastic measures if she had a good Botox doctor in the kingdom.  In any case, I made this necklace in honor of the Queen, and as a reminder this Valentine's day to look in the mirror and love ourselves, wrinkles and all.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Everything old is new again

       Every store that I go into that sells any kind of jewelry and accessories, I always have to check them out.  Whether it's a high-end department store (which I don't frequent often) or a big box discount store that sells everything from fishing equipment, to diapers, to fashion jewelry, I always pass the jewelry section to check it out.  More and more recently I've seen a trend everywhere I look of jewelry with a faux-vintage vibe.  I've noticed necklaces with vintage looking cameos, pocket watches, keys, and of course, the big owl pendent that has been resurrected from the seventies and mass produced into renewed popularity.  Even big craft stores with jewelry making supplies are increasingly featuring charms and findings with a vintage look.

     Being a girl, I also love bags, which of course, one can never have too many.  I've noticed alot of cute little embellished clutches in stores recently.  Little bags with sparkly things, feathers, fabric flowers have become very popular.  As it happens, little vintage bags are one of those things I have a hard time passing up when I see them in thrift stores and flea markets.  Same thing goes for vintage compacts.  I just love them!  Big or small, fancy or simple, I can't pass them up.  So, of course, I've amassed a decent collection of both.  And what to do with them?  Make a little embellished bag of my own, featuring treasures from years gone by.  Everything old is new again. 

Friday, January 27, 2012

Embrace your mistakes!

This necklace is a reminder of the good that can sometimes come out of making mistakes.  I had made this chandelier pendant a while ago, figuring I would put it on a chain.  Still not so great at soldering the jump rings on, I made a bit of a disaster out of it.  The resulting pendant had lumpy soldering in front and a lopsided loop.  Daggit!  I put it aside in the mess-up pile.  I still really liked the picture on it and wanted to use it for something.  While going through some junk jewelry I found an old wire hoop, probably once part of a choker-style necklace with a dangle.  So, I broke out some silk ribbon, lace, buttons, beads, and wire, and started just wrapping away.  The result was this very fun, elegant necklace that completely hides the lop-sided loop I made.  I love it!  Now I want to make some more!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Horses

Some things in your life you will just alway have a special affection for.  One of those things, for me, is horses.  I was a ten year old horse not you never really outgrew that horse-crazy "phase".  I rode in high college, and beyond.  Always poor, I always found a way to barter my way into riding other peoples horses.  After children I realized that my jumping and showing days are a thing of the past ( I no longer bounce back after a fall like I did when I was twenty).  Of course, I will still get on a horse if the opportunity arises.  Still, I am always still drawn to all things equestrian, which is why I cannot resist little vintage horse jewelry that I find at the flea market.  Moments of "oh, look!  a little earring with a rhinestone horseshoe" are very common for me.  So this necklace is in honor of my inner horse-crazy child who will never truly die.  The one that got up at ungodly hours to braid a horses mane for a show. The one who still loves the smell of horses and the way they will nicker softly at you when you open the barn door to feed them in the morning.  The one frantically wiping the green horse slobber of her nice show jacket that she just put on and her horse decided to rub his face on it before entering the show ring.  The barn rat.  Yeah, that's me, I'm still here.