a surprise gift

I am a lover of vintage books... if I had the room, I would have a rather large collection. (In fact, my dream house has a room entirely composed of wall to wall bookshelves.) I love the hard covers, the fragile discolored pages, the illustrations, the smell! So imagine my surprise when I came in to work on Monday and a vintage book on jewelry design was waiting for me at my desk... a gift from one of my coworkers. She saw it and knew it was for me. Very little has changed in the techniques but the material is far more thorough, rather than broken down step by step into charts or bullet points like most newer jewelry design books are now. Don't get me wrong, these are great when you are in the studio and you need a quick answer, but there is something about reading chapter upon chapter of discussions on jewelry that the nerd in me loves.

accessory fun

The Italian Vogue Accessory magazine is here!!! I will be entertained for hours.

simply mad for mad men!

I was recently turned on to Mad Men and now I am hooked. This show, amongst it's other merits, is delicious eye candy. Joan being my favorite of them all, with her clothes, hairtsyles, make-up, and most importantly her bombshell figure. She makes me want to run out and buy a form hugging dress!

chain designs

Lately, I have been trying out different ways to manipulate chain in necklace designs. Nothing extravagant is really added to the necklace; just simple silver chain connected in a pattern to create a intricate design at the neck.

This necklace is composed of many different styles of silver chain. I twisted and weaved strands of chain together creating a knotted tangle that at the same time is remarkably beautiful. A very simple yet statement-worthy necklace. Small loops of chain are pulled out to simulate an almost lace-like quality around the edges.

Small pieces of chain are evenly linked together to create a lattice-like effect. The chain was oxidized to give the delicate lines a more impactful presence.

Here different lengths of chain are linked at one location on either side of the neck. The different lengths creates a cascade of silver down the neck. I left the silver polished to maintain a shine that catches the light, looking like a ripple in water when it moves.

On this necklace I added small brushed silver teardrops, layered on multiple lengths of chain. When looking at the small silver charms alone, they look simple, but when grouped together they act as multiple reflective points along the neckline.

The patterns one can create is endless. I cannot wait to try out more designs!

seattle

So I am back from Seattle, and I am happy to say it was an amazing visit. Seattle was on my top 5 have-to-see cities in the United States so I was glad to be able to check one of those destinations off my list. It was quite an enjoyable trip, being work related or not. We had some free time to walk around the city the first night we were there, one destination being Pike Place Market. It was interesting to see so many facets of retail in one location, from fish markets, to fruit stands, to stationery stores, to jewelry boutiques. One of the things I noticed about Seattle is that stores really care about their signage. In Philly, you are lucky if you get a sign telling you where you are... but in Seattle there are so many cute, personalized signs that announce not only the retailer's name but also manages to communicate the feeling of the store, by well selected fonts and images.

And of course, it wouldn't be a real trip to Seattle without the Space Needle. Here is a view of it from the block of our hotel:

a walk in Philadelphia

I was walking around Center City this weekend and some cute accessories two girls were wearing caught my eye. I am often inspired by what people are wearing around me. I feel like my eye is always looking out for something new. It is also a test on what your mind remembers... it would be a fun experiment to glimpse something quickly, make a replication from memory, and then look back at the original and see what you took away from it. I am sure the designs would vary greatly but would hold some similar key points! So here they are... one cute black bow headband and chain link earrings:I am headed off to Seattle tomorrow for work for a few days and I plan to be chock full of inspiration when I get back! I'll share photos as soon as I can!

titanic... I love it... so shoot me!

After watching Revolutionary Road, I had a slight desire to rewatch Titanic. It had been quite awhile since I had last seen this movie in entirety, but I decided to make the 3 hour commitment this past weekend. And once again, I wasn't disappointed (and I am not ashamed to admit it!). The look of this film is breathtaking... the set design, the costumes! I am a huge fan of Kate Winslet and the history behind the Titanic, but even if you are not an avid fan of either, this movie is still wonderful eye candy. This movie was a huge inspiration to me when I was younger... it started me on my path to recreating era hairstyles and sparked my collection of vintage hair combs. And after watching it once again, I feel like re-introducing into my life some of the 1910 styles I adopted when I was younger.

knitting update

So, over the last few weeks, I have been practicing my knitting techniques. There is something about repetitive tasks and trying to make something as neat and consistent as possible that I love...

Despite my love for mastering a technique, I have to admit my desire for instant gratification is overpowering. But I am determined to stick with it to complete my dream hoodie scarf in the end...

polaroid love

I have redeveloped my love for Polaroids. This has been an ongoing infatuation for years but the spark has been reignited over the last few months. Almost 2 years ago, my father purchased me a mass quantity of Polaroid film as a Christmas gift because I had once mentioned to him about wanting some for my wedding. I thought "to hell with those cheesy disposable cameras on tables," I would have Polaroid cameras floating around at my wedding! Needless to say, I still have a ton of film left and started to cart my good ole Polaroid camera around for an endlessly fun activity at parties. There is just something about the nostalgia that is endearing.But despite everything, I discovered that this love affair may soon come to an end because the film is no longer being produced and as quantities are dwindling, the prices are skyrocketing. But fear not, lovers of Polaroids... there is still something that can help us get over our broken hearts! I was recently introduced to a website that can change your digital images into Polaroids. Maybe this love can survive after all! (http://www.poladroid.net/ )