White Elephant Sale Extraveganza!

If you haven't heard about the White Elephant Sale (WES) in Oakland, it's time to get on board and look forward to next years rummage sale.

WES is the largest rummage sale in northern California. Hosted in a 96,000 sq. ft. warehouse filled to the brim with anything and everything you could possibly imagine. On the advice of a friend I went to check out the vintage jewelry for some inspiration.

Though there was plenty of cheap little necklaces and bracelets lining the countertops, the good stuff was tucked away behind glass. There was amber, turquoise, ruby and even a few diamond necklaces, broaches, and rings. What really caught my eye was the authentic Native American jewelry with engraved silver and large turquoise stones. Each of these pieces took such care and focus to create and they are still coveted decades later. So this week I'm going to focus on putting a little extra love and long-lasting quality and design into each of my pieces.

The Elephant the started it all (or maybe not, but they have an amazing collection of White Elephants!)

For the Music Lovers out there...

Last week my husband and I went to the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco to see Rafal Blechacz, a Polish pianist who won the annual International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2005.

The Theatre was beautiful and the every seat was filled. Rafal truly has a gift and talent for music and has been traveling the world playing everywhere from Morocco to Germany to France and winning awards all along the way.

It was such a treat to see him play and I want to bring that musical spirit to my jewelry as well. I'll be working on incorporating a melody into my pieces... so keep an eye (and ear) out for my harmonious works!

The Show Program

Trunk Show Success!

The trunk show last week at Alina B. was quite a learning experience.

I found that because I had a Thursday afternoon deadline to present my Spring Collection, it forced me to dedicate all my time and effort to creating new pieces. Forced to be hunched over my jewelry table for 15 hours a day was an unexpected way to really get me excited about my Spring Collection and start pushing more pieces out.

The trunk show was not only a success for selling pieces and getting more people interested in my jewelry, but worked as a way to catapult me into spring. And now that it will be raining all week, I'm sure I'll have a few more extra long dates with my table of gems.

Fantastic Trunk Show this Thursday & Friday!

Look out! Valentine's Day is fast approaching and it's a perfect holiday to celebrate the people you love - even if you're single.

My jewelry will be hosted at Alina B. in Walnut Creek on Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th from 4 - 7 pm.

There will be champagne and cupcakes from the delicious Kara's Cupcakes!

Don't miss out on this fabulous opportunity to share the love this Valentines!

Alina B. is located at 1378 N. Main St in Walnut Creek

If you can't make it to the trunk show, there's still time to find that perfect gift... See more options on my Etsy page!

Hope to see you all there! 

New Photos!

A Santa Cruz Mini-Break of Inspiration

This weekend I drove down to Santa Cruz to visit my eldest daughter at her new apartment and it was the perfect weekend to do so.

The weather here has been foggy and cold for over a month, and I was happily surprised to find that the sun had come out for my day long vacation. It felt like summer again and the warmth, sun and sand fed my imagination for new pieces. It was so relaxing to feel the sand beneath my boots and the sun on my face. I hope to create jewelry that will evoke that 'day-at-the-beach' bliss.

The jagged cliffs falling into the coast brings such a natural contrast to life and I want to incorporate that to my pieces as well.

Not only did our beach adventure get my mind thinking about new creations, but spending time with my vibrant and enthusiastic daughter made me want to include a more care-free attitude to my works.

The day was beautiful, relaxing and brought many new ideas to the forefront for my spring/summer collection. Thank you Santa Cruz for such a lovely mini-break vacation!

Hello 2011!

New Year's Eve has come and gone, and now it's time to get back to business and reality. The time has come to review the successes and failures of 2010 and improve and correct them in 2011. I'm working hard developing an updated a business and marketing plan, which includes a complete overhaul of my website.

Besides re-vamping my business it's self, I am also introducing new materials to my designs.
Silk, wool, folk fabrics, and more. Here's a few bracelet cuff's I've made out of felt and floral deigned folk fabric from Poland. Each bracelet is different from the next and is sewn with a unique design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bohemian / Folk Bracelet Cuff

Other than working with textiles, I am looking into working with resin as well. Baubles & Beads in Berkeley and San Rafael as well as The Crucible in Oakland have courses on working with resin for jewelry and 3D designs that start as soon as next month. I'm excited to have more control and direct input in the production, not just the construction of my pieces. With the skills I'll learn from the resin workshops I will be able to create my own pendants, beads, and bracelets like never before.

Keep an eye out for my new designs!