Hi there. I've been taking a break from jewellery in recent months; a new job has meant that I haven't had a lot of spare time. I'll be back on board in 2008.

printers tray, $38 here

Sfgirlbybay is reproducing the Keep Calm and Carry on Poster in Pantone 382! Perfect-o for putting over my desk for reflection in moments of frenzy.

It will add a nice extra touch of chartreuse to the 'pad...and be colour buddies with my Crumpler billiard ball bean bag ("olive" to her friends)...

...SfGirlByBay's Etsy art wall.
...in the same vein, Betsy Walton's art prints
...Shim + Sons blog and aesthetic is making me dream about natural linens
...Boston Terriers, Particularly in silhouette or vivid prints
...Lemon quartz

Image by Atelier OcularSky

It took me two hours to get to sleep last night after finishing Harry Potter.
*yawn*

The answers to the tag I posted about earlier have got me thinking. As well as my complete inability to count to 8 (let's add that in at #5 shall we?) I was thinking about my attraction to all things pretty and ornate. All of my jewellery tends to head in that direction; soft colours, muted tones and lots of intricate detail.

But that's not my personal style at all! Strange no? For instance, today I'm wearing an outfit like this:

Images from Shopbop and Steven Shein for Lee Riot

Oh- I forgot the nails! Black cherries Rimmel polish (beautiful dark plum, yummo!)

Not exactly pretty pretty right? I confuse myself.

By the lovely Rachel of Black*Eiffel

So; 8 revealing things about me:

Hong Kong Honker (see #8) 2006

1. I can't read a map without turning it around to face the right direction (but like Rachel, I'm really good at finding my way back to places I've only been to once. Very useful for all the alleyway bars in Melbourne)
2. Spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes drive me crazy. Yet I have no idea what the difference between a noun and an adjective is.
3. I'm a terrible klutz and am always finding new and embarrassing ways to fall over and injure myself in public.
4. I still dress like a design student (black black black).
6. Gooey uncooked egg yolks revolt me.
7. I can't / don't drive. I never learned and the prospect of getting my license now TERRIFIES me.
8. I'm distantly related to a European royal family, waaaay back along the line. I'd like to think that makes my nose "aristocratic" but sadly, it's from the other side of the family and therefore just a run-of the-mill-honker.

And now...You're it! Yes you!

As I mentioned earlier, my recent bridal commission began with a request for hairpins for the bride. Her dress was an empire style gown with a tulle overlay embroidered and beaded in beautiful gold and vintage pastel tones.

The swatch

We went back and forth on a few ideas; I ended up designing five Swarovski crystal and freshwater pearl pins in coordinating tones for her updo; with rhinestone accents and gold toned brass stampings:

I painted the comb bases to match her dark hair colour and incorporated extra loops near where the beading meets the base (you can see one clearly on the left of the bottom right pin) to anchor extra bobby pins as the bride was concerned about their grip in her notoriously thick hair.

Detail: Each pin was approx. 2 inches in width and 3 in length.

MUCH MUCH More below the jump!

Also; a bracelet and earrings for the Bride:

Simple post drop earrings with rhinestones and sparkly Champagne Cubic Zirconia briolettes. A double strand Light Colorado Topaz Swarovski crystal bracelet with Swarovski rhinestone spacers.

The Bride had a rhinestone detail on the neckline of her dress so decided not to wear a necklace. The bracelet and earrings provide just the right amount of sparkle and tied her look together beautifully.

The Flowergirl's jewellery was designed around her love of pink. I went with a pretty floral design with a muted pink/purple theme, and paired it with simple and age appropriate (11 yrs) drop earrings.

As with the bride's jewels, 14 k gold filled wire, Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls were used. I wish I managed to get a non-blurry picture!

I also designed and made hairpins for the Flowergirl with Swarovski crystals;

I tinted the pins to match her lighter hair colour. By the way; when considering hair pins like these an odd number always looks better than an even number. (Just one of the laws of the universe!)

To store all of these precious b...

A while back a friend approached me to design some pieces for her upcoming wedding. This quickly turned from hairpins and traditional jewellery to a commission for ninety pairs of earrings as favours for the females guests.

It was a lovely idea, and a great way to offset the stubby holders (beer coolers for the non-Aussie linguists) that the boys were being gifted. The bride and I brainstormed, and agreed that she'd pay for the supplies and I'd gift the couple my labour.

We decided on a feminine palette of vintage pastels to match the beading and embroidery in her exquisite gold toned dress;

(l-r) Blush pink, copper, sage, peach and violet. Each pair was replicated in gold (14k gold filled) and silver (sterling), with freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals.

I also made custom gift bags for the earrings; Pashmina with a silk lining. This is where I went completely over the top! Not only is Pashmina a pain to cut and sew, inserting a lining into a bag this small is a complete folly. But they turned out so well:

Silver ribbon for the silver earrings, gold ribbon for the gold.

Bagged and tagged

Ready to go!

They were a great success at the wedding; guests loved them and they were a great icebreaker on the night with people swapping colours between themselves. I even was told that a lot of the guests were wearing them at the brunch the next morning (I missed the brunch as I was a little *ahem* "under the weather" after the previous night).

Would I do this again? For a friend at mates rates- in a heartbeat. But not as a money making exercise; the retail cost would make it prohibitive for almost any wedding. BUT it would be a lovely favour idea for the craft-inclined bride who wanted to tackle it themselves.

The should give you a bit of an appreciation of why I've been AWOL lately! My fingers needed some recovery time...

I'll be back on board soon; I've been enjoying a bead hiatus after a couple of stressful weeks. I'm also waiting for post-honeymoon permission to post a very pic heavy post about a bridal commission I did recently. See you soon!

(Happy Easter Everybody!)

I got a shock when a friend told me that this issue was on sale already! I've had the Caviar Earrings project on the backburner for a while and I'm so happy to see it make print! The team at Australian Beader have done a great job.

(Rose Quartz, Tourmaline and Sterling Silver hoop earrings. For a similar style visit the Modamuse shop)