Love my Job!!

As I said in an earlier post, I was fortunate enough to be offered a job at Metalworks which is also where my jewellery is sold in Kingston. I am working part-time there which gives me lots of time to create. I work with a great crew:

   Steve Luckwaldt  - Master Goldsmith

   Vicki Westgate  -  Jeweller and Manager

   Miranda Scott  -   Goldsmith and Hulahoop Maker

I am very grateful to have such nice people to work with and to learn from.

Inspiration

In the midst of  the February doldrums I am trying to imagine, design and fabricate my new Spring 2011 line of jewelry. I am in need of a gallery hop or some fantastic magazines with bold colours and interesting shapes for inspiration. I love reading and getting inspiration from home decor magazines. I find that the colours and design of fabric and furniture really inspires me.

What inspires you?

Florals for Spring!!

Here is a small preview of my 2011 Spring Collection. Lots of bright, happy florals and there are lots more to come as soon as I finish sanding and buffing. My hands are a mess but my pendants look great!

Spring Blossoms!

I have been working on these new bezels to fill with resin. I know it's a little early for spring flowers but I cannot wait any longer so I decided to make my own. I am going to fill them tonight so I should have a finished product in a few days. I'll keep you posted!

New Pendants!

Sorry for the delay in between posts but I am recovering from the Nasty flu as I have aptly named it. Hope you didn't have it.
Working on some new Spring-inspired pieces - wishful thinking I'm sure! I am hoping to create some floral and nature-inspired pieces as well as some more bold, colorful jewellery too.

Great Jewellery!

Check out Miranda's blog and her stunning jewellery which you can purchase at Metalworks along with mine (plug, plug :).

She is a terrific metalsmith and I hear she will be updating her blog more frequently, so check in with her and see what she's up to!

She also has a flickr site as well.

Challenge

This was a custom order I completed for a client and just heard back that she loved it. I always hold my breath a little (ok, a lot!). This was mostly her design translated through my hands and a handful of emails and I am so relieved that she liked it!

Custom orders are tricky. I agonize over them but this particular one was a good lesson for me because I had never created a cuff bracelet like this. Definitely a good lesson in problem solving and a confidence-booster in realizing a finished product that the customer is pleased with. 

I'm working on some new resin and crushed glass pieces. It is so much fun to experiment with new materials and find out their possibilities and limitations. As messy as glass is, it does work extremely well. They still have to be sanded and finished but I see a whole new line opening up with lots of possibilities!

Rings!

I have had so much fun creating these rings for my collection!

There are more to finish and photograph though so I'd better get to it!

Autumn Leaves

 With my favorite season comes my new favorite pendants! I just finished these this morning and had to post them. I think they will be a staple in my jewellery repetoire. More colours to come!

Made You Look

Oops, almost forgot to give an update on my Made You Look business venture.

I brought up 61 pieces of my new resin and silver line and I came back home with zero items. Yes! The lovely Sarah took every one for her store and I was so pleased! I honestly didn't expect everything to go!

Actually it was all I had so far, so I am in the process of making more.

Everyone needs a victory now and then... :o)

Nerves of Silver

It is always nerve wracking to show a new jewellery line to a boutique. But alas, if one wants to sell anything, it is one of those things that must be done. So...I am off tomorrow to Made You Look once again in Toronto and another boutique called Beadle.

Luckily I have already met Sarah, the owner of Made You Look and she is one of those people that puts you automatically at ease as well as being a metalsmith and business owner, she definitely understands the plight and process.

Here are my new business cards that I've just designed this morning (yes, I always leave at least 3 things until the last minute! - I think I love the adrenaline rush :o)

Here are a few things I'm taking along with me:

Color Story

I love doing a series based on one to three colors. Here is the beginning of a plum/purple color story. I think these colors are great for any season, don't you?

Finally done!

These look much better now that they've been sanded. My fingers are bleeding but the pendants look great. It is so nice to see an idea realized and be satisfied with it. Not all pieces go so nicely.

On to the next design! Earrings, I believe.

In Progress

Here are some pendants and bracelets that I am waiting to harden or cure. Very messy and not very attractive - yet! I will have them finished by Monday and then you can see the difference.
Until then, have you seen this Geninne's Art Blog yet? If you haven't, check it out! It is full of inspiration from a very talented illustrator.

Finally this line is coming together! Although they look quite simple, it's taken some time to get exactly what I wanted. Actually it is still a work in progress but I think I have more of what I was trying to capture. More to come!

Bubbles in Resin and Silver

Here is a preview of some new pendants I've finished recently. I am in the middle of creating this new line of silver and resin.

Finished Work - finally!

I am finally putting the finishing touches on some new work. I don't know why it's been taking me so long to finish them but here are a few samples to show you. I really had a great time coming up with these designs and will probably continue to make them available for sale. There are lots more in different stages of completion. Hope you enjoy them!

New Work

My new bench will sure come in handy for making these new bezels I've come up with. Hmmm...wonder what will go in them?
Is that polymer clay beside them?

New Jewelry Bench!

As an early birthday gift, my wonderful husband gave me this beautiful jeweller's bench. I cannot wait to actually use it. I have to get a taller chair because it is high. It will probably never be as organized and as neat as it is now so the pictures are for posterity.