Stocking up at the LA Jewelry District!

Knowing it would be one of my last times in LA for awhile, I made SEVERAL trips to the jewelry district to stock up for my Fall Line and whatever is to follow thereafter! I went a month before we moved and stocked up... but then went back a few weeks later and stocked up again... and after making the 200 necklaces sale, I went back when I was in town one last time and fully stocked up - again! That makes 3 full stock up trips - which resulted in these:

::ah!::

::pearls!::

::and gemstones!::

::and turquoise!::

::and crystals!::

::and findings - oh my!::

In addition to stocking up on jewelry for my fall line, moving cross country, planning my hub's ordination, and making those 200 necklaces I mentioned last week, I made sure I didn't forget one of the most important tasks on my list -- an outfit (and coordination jewelry!) for myself to wear to the ordination event! I found a chic pink dress with a high collar early long before the event and the move (on sale at Macy's!), and topped it off with my hub's black tie as a sash and some CUTE Steve Madden shoes! I knew I needed to make a fun and bold necklace to coordinate. During one of my many re-stocking trips downtown, I spotted some pearls and immediately knew what to do... here is the final outfit! (Sorry that picture to the right is ghetto-tastic, it's the only one I have of the whole outfit)!

Sue's necklace looks like mine - because I custom made it for her last year!

And on a final note, I finally got a job here in KC! I will be serving as a chaplain at a large Trauma Level 1 hospital downtown - and the best part is that it doesn't start until September! Which means I have between now and then to totally tackle all these supplies I have accumulated and make a killer Fall Line! Yeehaw! Here are a few previews of the line, in a semi-4th of July fashion!

Yee-haw Cowgirl It Up necklace on Etsy

The Chuck: All-Star necklace on Etsy

Happy 4th of July!

Custom Cowgirl Bracelet

I got a lot of custom orders during my jewelry party. Though this was totally thrilling, I will admit it was a bit overwhelming as the main thing I wanted to do after the months of preparation going into the party was to take a break from creating for a week or two! No rest for the weary! When my co-worker Melissa saw a Chinese-themed charm bracelet I had on display at the jewelry party, she immediately said "I want one like this!" I at first figured she wanted me to create a bracelet from scratch for her, though after meeting with her for breakfast one morning to discuss the bracelet (my first "consultation" of sorts!), Melissa explained that she had a sterling silver charm bracelet that she wanted to spice up. She presented me with 7 necklaces and bracelets from her "hippie days," all adorned with silver beads, turquoise, teek-wood, and coral. She had envisioned that I could take the beads from the necklaces and put them on the existing sterling bracelet. She found this picture as her inspiration: "The funky-chunkier, the better!" Melissa instructed. I'll see what I can do! I ordered some sterling ball-headed pins and a rustic looking sterling silver toggle clasp and went to work. I tore apart the necklaces and bracelets and took an inventory of what I had to work with: Here is the "before" picture of the sterling silver bracelet Melissa provided - with two headpins worth of beads for starters...And here is the after! Melissa LOVED the bracelet when I gave it to her at our company Christmas party - and went on to show and explain to EVERYONE at our table the story behind the piece! I will admit, this is not something I would think up to do on my own, but with the help of all the materials Melissa provided and the inspiration piece's picture, I think we hit the nail on the head! Check back on Wednesday for stories of how I commissioned others to make custom-pieces for me this week!