an adventure into applique!

My work held another lunchtime "how-to" session this afternoon and of course I couldn't resist attending another one. Fellow Urban Inc. employee and crafter extraordinaire, Kayte Terry (http://www.thisisloveforever.com/ ), taught us how to applique. I have tested my hand at embroidery before but it was exciting to finally experiment with this technique. It was hard to get my perfectionist side in check since I only had an hour to learn and complete the project, but it was so much fun. Here's the result:

something's hiding in here... take a look

I am in love with Something's Hiding Here for so many reasons... one, their point of view and aestethic is amazing... two, their attention to detail is flawless... three, I am in awe of the fact that they manage to do all that they do... four, Shauna and Stephen are possibly the cutest couple I know... and five, Shauna happens to be a regular source of knowledge and inspiration to me because I am lucky enough to get to work with her 5 days a week. The list could go on and on really...

Of course, I am a dedicated reader of Shauna and Stephen's blog... http://www.somethingshidinginhere.typepad.com/ ... and when I saw these photos by Carl Zoch using their "mustache envy" in wedding portraits, I could have kicked myself that I didn't think of it for my own wedding! Visions of my guests using these wonderful hand-crafted mustaches on a stick in the photobooth I rented for the day keep flashing in my mind and it is just another reason why I dream about reliving my wedding 10 different times in 10 different ways. Sometimes the most obvious and brilliant ideas are right in front of your face!

book art

There is something about black ink on aged, yellowed book pages that I love. I am inspired by books in many ways, including their use as a canvas or medium for art. One of my all time favorite artists/ concrete poets is Tom Phillips. His work, A Humument, is beautiful, both visually and verbally. (You can see this entire work at http://humument.com/ )I am mesmerized by the artists who use books as the medium for their sculptures. The clean cuts and attention to detail in these works is truly inspiring. This work by Su Blackwell is breathtaking and happens to be inspired by one of my favorite stories:My hand is not quite as steady and trained as needed for the level of detail I dream about in carving my own book sculptures (because, believe me, I wish that it was!!!) but I love incorporating books and book pages into my work in my own way. Other than using old book pages in my jewelry, I dream of a day when I can mass produce jewelry boxes carved out of books as my jewelry packaging. Here is my first attempt at achieving that dream (featured with 2 of my bezel set rings)... practice makes perfect, right?!...

my love for all things handmade

I love etsy. Who doesn't really?! And it's not just because I am an etsy seller. I love seeing and feeling connected to so many others out there that love creating things with their own two hands. I am inspired by the ideas people have and it pushes me further in my own work.

I stumbled across this etsy seller and I am completely inspired by the beautiful details in her work. I love silhouettes... I mean I LOVE them. But this artist's work is on a whole other level. She cuts all of her work by hand and the delicacy of each piece is amazing:Please stop by and visit her etsy site: www.papercutdiecut.etsy.com... trust me, it will be soooooo worth the visit!

I 'heart' monograms!

Maybe it's because mine recently changed due to marriage, but I have been loving monograms this past year. My "wrapping paper" for Christmas this year was upholstery fabric with the recipient's initial embroidered on it. But there is something about monogram jewelry that I am totally enamored with! I made this necklace shortly before I was married... I was so excited to have a new letter to my monogram:I gravitate towards certain letters. I love the letter V (my grandmother's name was Violet) so it felt very natural to name my company Villette and I love using the V wax seal as the design on my gift boxes. I get all of my wax seal supplies from an online company called Nostalgic Impressions. I loved this place before, but I recently discovered that they are now carrying monogram wax seal jewelry! Check out their selection: http://www.nostalgicimpressions.com/category_s/227.htm

fabric flowers and soft details

You may have noticed already the rise in fabric being used within jewelry lately. I have been experimenting with it myself for a little bit now and I am loving the contrast between soft and hard materials. Here is one sample:Fabric flowers seem to be adorning the necks of women everywhere (or at least they will be soon!). And I am currently obsessed with searching the internet to find ways to make different flowers out of fabric. I am in love with this necklace from Anthropologie as a twist on fabric ranunculus (and, again, I am loving the mix of soft and hard materials):This is quite the statement piece but when worn right can really make an outfit. If you are not quite ready to make the plunge into such an extreme necklace, I recommend the scarf/ soft necklace hybrid. I fell in love with the etsy designer, Necklush, about a year ago and immediately bought two scarves in one shot. Love 'em! (Check them out at http://www.necklush.etsy.com/).

Made in Philly!!!

I saw a poster for this website today and I am totally in love! It is a company based in Philadelphia that sells products that are made by people in Philadelphia. As if I couldn't love Philly even more! Check out their site: http://www.madein-philly.com/

I will definitely be going to their next event. What a great way to bring a community of local designers and artists together.