Busy Bead Up

It seems appropriate that I post some of the jewelry I have been creating on Mondays since lately it seems like I can only get around to setting time aside to create in the first place over the weekend! Here's what I managed to pump out this weekend: Last Christmas I gifted one of my dearest customers, Nilsa, a thank-you necklace on the house. Nilsa said that she really liked the necklace I custom made for her friend for Christmas (read all about it here!) and that she would like something kind of similar that she could wear to her upcoming beach vacation. For some reason a long, brown toned dangly thing came to mind, something that could go with a dress and a swimsuit :) Nilsa looks great in browns and oranges and especially likes pieces with an unexpected color combination. I knew that I would want to eventually blog about the piece, since the piece itself would be unlike anything I have ever posted on Etsy before, so I asked my artistic brother (the one who is currently -- still -- living with us) to draw a dress form of a person on which I could sketch the necklace concept. After looking at a few pictures of Nilsa, he drew a, uh, rather artsy figure, on top of which I drew my idea of what the necklace could look like (made of shells, pearls, and crystals, knotted by the torso): When I showed Nilsa the sketch, she replied: "Those drawings are awesome. Thank you to your brother, for making me have a banging body. =) I love the idea of the necklace. I love the design. Gorg! Can I make a teensy request for a pop of color. A turquoise or aqua marine???? I think that would seal the deal for me. My oh my. Love" Turquoise it was! After a few hours of conceptualizing and creating, I came up with this: I am really happy with the result and know Nilsa will be, too! I have thought about putting the item on Etsy, but the piece itself pretty much depleted my fall-colored pearl supply and I don't know if I want to reinvest in more (it was kind of nice to feel like I really - and finally - got use out of them!). I can't wait to post pictures of Nilsa in the necklace and on the beach! I recently (and randomly?) got 4 orders for the wire wrapped birds nest necklace I created a few months ago. All of the orders were for mommies-to-be, except an order I got from a loyal client who has a friend who recently had her 4th bebe! At first I thought that making the necklace with 4 pearls would be harder than making it with 2 or 3, but it proved to actually be easier since the pearls formed a circle naturally (I usually have to heavily manipulate the wire to get a line or triangle of pearls into a circle shape). I have since updated my Etsy listing to include a picture of the nest with 4 pearls -- I heart it! I also met with a client who asked me to make her June-wedding jewelry for her bridesmaids. I had a blast with her and can't wait to blog about it after the pieces are finished! I'll keep you updated! :)

I love you, Wednesdays.

Because, seriously, Friday is still 2 days away. I love you, Wednesdays is my bloggin' attempt at a.) shutting up about my products and sharing the love of others' with others! and b.) sharing sources of inspiration that often stands behind my jewelry and creative process. Summer's a beach, right? I mean that in the nicest way possible :) If I were to ask the question, "What symbol comes to mind when you think of summer" on Family Fued, I am will to put money on something beach related being one of the top answers (ding ding ding!). And I wish I could say that I would prefer basking in that top answer in my spare time on the weekends and be perfectly happy. "But Christyn," you implore, "You live in Los Angeles? Isn't love of the beach a requirement for residency?" Good, insightful question, my blogging friend. I, in fact, don't really care for the beach. Well, let me rephrase that, I enjoy spending a few hours on the beach when it's a perfect 78 degree sunny day and there is no traffic. And no trash on the beach. And no loud, drunken people getting in the way of my view. And no public toliets to endure. And no sunburn (I am a born-red head - there is ALWAYS a sunburn involved). And the long drive through Los Angeles traffic just to get 10 miles to the nearest beach (which, to me, is Malibu). And the feeling of utter exhaustion when I get home. I would much rather spend my time at home in the air conditioning making jewelry that reminds me of the beach than spending time on the subject of the jewelry itself. Call me crazy. In fact, I really do enjoy beach-related art/items/jewelry - much better than the beach itself (cause, let's face it, a cute necklace won't bite me nor requires that I use a sandy, dirty public toilet!). Lately I have been really fascinated with the contrast of delicate gold and the cream white of shells or pearls, like the gold sand dollar necklace on the right (which is being used in wedding as bridesmaids necklaces for the second time this summer!). I am also digging red coral and turquoise color combination, as seen in this "Under 'da Sea" pearl and coral necklace (above). These fun little necklaces make enjoying the beach so much cleaner and less time consuming -- plus I don't have to embrace LA weekend traffic in order to enjoy them! I actually have sand dollar and sea horse charms at home that I have yet to play with, and LOTS of shells in which I need the husband to drill holes into so I can use them as charms!

Etsy is full of good Beachin' products - especially products in the color scheme I am digging - reds, teals, and creams! These colors alone, let alone when they represent all that is "simple" and artistic about the beach, totally inspire me to stay indoors and create! Go figure!

LuckyBluebirdArt, seasonaldelights, pillowhappy oliodesigns, pillowhappy, dedeetsyshop thetrendytot, beachgrasscottage, pillowhappy

I think it's safe to say that I have a bit of a crush on Pillowhappy - cause, come on, what great accent pieces! If only drooling over these items could get me a tan... So, what inspires you today?