Pantone Color Report – Spring 2013

Tags

color, inspiration, Pantone, trends

Emerald, Dusk Blue, Grayed Jade, Alloy, Sunflower, Linen, Tidal Foam, Monaco Blue,  Vibrant Orange, Poppy Red, Lemon Zest, Tender Shoots, African Violet, Nectarine

Here are my picks for Pantone’s Spring 2013 Color Report!

If you pay any attention to fashion trends then you have surely noticed “Emerald” popping up all over the place.  Pantone named this gem Color of the Year! Personally, I consider emerald to be more of a fall/winter color but who can argue with Pantone?

My favorite color of the season is the minty-green “Grayed Jade.”  I also love “Lemon Zest” and anything neon right now.  I only wish there were a pink in the bunch, since I’ve never been a huge fan of purples.

What is your favorite color of the season?

Pinteresting Things to Try This Weekend

Tags

crafts, DIY, fashion, jewelry, Links, Pinterest, pony beads, projects, tutorial

I don’t plan on spending much time indoors this weekend. What, with possible 80 degree weather and a yard that is in desperate need of attention.  But if you are in a crafty mood, here are a few fun tutorials worth trying out!

Try this Ombre Bead and Chain bracelet from Fab You Bliss.

If you do get out doors, pick up some twigs to make into this bracelet from Happy Hour Projects!

I think these parakeet mirror necklaces by Mich. L in LA are SO CUTE that I made one the night I pinned it.

Get the kiddos involved and make some cute suncatchers with plastic pony beads using this tutorial from I’m Feelin Crafty.

Make this simple yarn tassel necklace with Say Yes to Hoboken.

Enjoy the sun in style by whipping up a fancy pair of sunglasses!

And don’t forget, May 12th is Mother’s Day! Stop by the beach to grab some pebbles or sea shells and make her a one of a kind piece of jewelry!

Hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

All links found via Pinterest.

Style Inspiration – The Great Gatsby

Tags

diamonds, flapper, inspiration, pearls, Roarin' 20's, style, The Great Gatsby, Tiffany's, trends

Links: Daisy, Earrings, Necklace, Hat, Headpiece, Dress.  All links found via Pinterest.

I don’t know about you, but I am so excited for this latest adaptation of The Great Gatsby to hit theaters.  The Great Gatsby was one of my favorite high school reading assignments and I have always been a huge fan of Baz Lurhmann’s films.  The way he incorporates music and imagery into his story telling is fantastic.  Just seeing the previews, I am already impressed by the casting.  Leonardo Di Caprio is going to make the best Gatsby yet (sorry Robert Redford,) and the chemistry between he and Carey Mulligan’s Daisy Buchanan looks to be hot to say the least!

What I am most looking forward to, however, is the dynamic styling of the 1920’s. Beautiful beaded dresses. Long stands of pearls. Diamonds and lace.  As spring marches forward, I expect to see more of these timeless items becoming trendy once again.  I plan on trying to incorporate as many of these things into my own jewelry designs and there may even be a “copy cat” project coming up!

What do you think about the Roarin’ 20’s and the styling of The Great Gatsby? Let me know in the comments!

Dazzling Dollar Store Sunglasses

Tags

crystal, DIY, sunglasses, Swarovski, SWAROVSKI Elements, trends

Would you ever guess that these fabulous shades had rather humble beginnings at my local Dollar Tree? Of course not! That’s right, they only cost $1. So of course I snatched up several pair to play with.  I have some other styles in mind  that I’d like to create (like this pair from I Spy DIY) but this is what I decided to make first.

Supplies:
Swarovski Elements Crystal Filigree 
Flat Back Crystals 
E6000
Rhinestone Chain
Tooth picks

Steps:
1) Glue the crystal filigree into place.
2) I had to use a piece of tape to keep my crystal filigree into place while the glue dried.
3) Put a small puddle of glue onto a scrap of cardboard.  Dip your tooth pick into the glue to apply a small amount to the rhinestone. This glue dries really fast, so just use a small amount at a time.
4) Using a fine nose tweezer, set your stone into place.
5) Place the largest sized crystals first. I chose three different sizes to work with.
6) Then stick your next largest into place.
7) The sides of my sunglasses are not symmetrical. You may want to sketch your design out ahead of time for better results. But hey, I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl.
8) Fill in the rest of the space with your smallest size crystal.

Variations:
Try gluing some rhinestone chain across the bridge of the glasses for a retro, bling-ed out look!

Hope you have as much fun making yours as I did making mine!

 

 

 
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Procession of the Species – My Photo Diary

Tags

art, Arts Walk, local, Olympia, parade, Procession of the Species, Washington

A happy alligator snapping at the parade watchers.

This incredible float was created by over 800 school children and is constructed out of recycled grocery bags!Here is the back side of the whale.  The rib cage was made out of plastic cups and the arm bone was created out of plastic silver ware! 
Dancing lions.
See the elephants feet? Plastic buckets!! I can’t imagine how hard it was to walk in but it sure looked awesome.
A woodland fairy sitting on amongst the toad stools. A rather impressive giraffe hanging out with a pair of box turtles. And this guy here… is a gooey duck. I don’t know what you thought it was. Tarzan swinging through the jungle vines. Some cute little moths gathering around a light bulb. See that little girl in the pink? She was not a big fan of this spider. Nope, not at all. I’m not sure what kind of fish this is. My daughter called it “the bad one. Remember? From Nemo?” A beautifully constructed zebra.
A pretty butterfly spreading her wings.A flamingo and a family of frogs.Dandy lions aka “wish flowers” as yelled by the woman standing behind me.

As you can see in the background, the sky was pretty dark and rain was imminent.  The rain managed to wait until well after the parade was over to start to fall.  And even though it was windy and cold, a good time was to be had by all.  Another successful Procession of the Species if you ask me!

Local Love: Olympia’s Spring Arts Walk XLVI

Tags

art, Arts Walk, crafts, local, Olympia, parade, Procession of the Species

Click on the image above for this years map and schedule of events.

Tonight kicks off my favorite local event, the 46th Annual Spring Arts Walk.  Olympia’s Arts Walk is a celebration of community, local goods, handmade crafts, art and music.  Young and old, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

There are so many things to see and do.  All of the local downtown shops have art displays and activities.  Tonight from 5-9 the Hand’s On Children’s Museum is offering free admission.  At 9:30 tonight the Element of Spirit Luminary Procession begins.  My family and I went for the first time last year, and let me tell you, it is a sight to see.  Set to begin after dark, the parade is illuminated with twinkling lights and (flame-less) candles.  Percussion instruments provide the beat as participants dance down the street.  While it doesn’t quite compare to the Procession of the Species, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Speaking of the Procession of the Species, now in its 19th year, this parade is one of a kind.  With rules like “no spoken or written words” and “no motorized vehicles” it’s not like any other parade out there.  Groups and individuals from all over the community gather together in spectacular hand-made costumes celebrating nature and the local culture.  Nothing captures the unique personality of Olympia, Washington quite like this event.

Right before the Procession is another one of my favorite (can you tell I just love this event) features of Arts Walk, Chalk the Streets! While you wait for the parade to begin, local organizations hand out over 7000 pieces of chalk to kids (and kids at heart) to decorate the path of the Procession.

Arts Walk is really one of a kind and if you are local, I encourage you not to miss it.  The celebration is as unique and innovative as the people who live in this city.  I feel really lucky to call such a diverse and creative place my home.  If you aren’t local, I’m sorry you will have to miss it. But be sure check back next week as I plan on posting lots of pictures of my experience.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

For more information about Olympia Arts Walk and the Procession of the Species read these great articles from Thurston Talk! 

Color Inspiration

Tags

color, design, Design Seeds, inspiration, Links

When it comes to choosing colors, where do you get your inspiration from? Does it come from nature? Or perhaps fashion inspires you?

I tend to draw most of my inspiration from other crafters.  Pinterest is a great resource to get ideas from.  I also get inspired by clothing and fashion.  Most of the jewelry I design comes about because I have an outfit I like but don’t own the accessories to match my vision. So whats a crafty girl to do besides make them herself?

One of my favorite blogs for color inspiration is Design Seeds.  With daily posts, inspiration is never more than a click away.  Below are three of my recent favorites, Color Sprung, Ranunculus Color, and Cherry Palette.

So tell me, what inspires you? I would love to hear about where you get your color inspiration from!

The Fanciest 10 Minute Necklace You Will Ever Make

Tags

crystal, earrings, necklace, project, Swarovski, SWAROVSKI Elements, tutorial

This necklace, made with Swarovski Elements crystal components, is quite simple to make yet it packs a big punch.  All you need (besides the crystals) is a few jump rings and a foot or so of chain.  It took less that 10 minutes to put together.

As you can see in the pictures, you simply use a jump ring to attach each of the Black Diamond crystal pieces (graduated in size from smallest on the outside to largest in the center) to the Swarovski Elements crystal filigree. Then connect chain and a simple lobster clasp with some more jump rings and you are done!

And there you have it, a fancy crystal necklace that looks amazing.  It can be paired with a little black dress for date night or with simple jeans and a white T to jazz up a basic outfit.  No one has to know it only took you 10 minutes to make!

Need a matching pair of earrings for your night out? Click on the link below for a free downloadable PDF!
Simply Fabulous Earring Tutorial

Enjoy!!!

10 Recycled DIY’s for Earth Day

Tags

DIY, Earth Day, Links, Pinterest, project, recycle, repurpose, tutorial

This is the view from my office! Its finally looking like spring in the Pacific North West! 

In honor of Earth Day, I have put together some great jewelry-related DIY’s using recycled and repurposed materials.  I want to try and make everything on this list, especially the book jewelry box (number 9, below).

1) Repurpose an old t-shirt into T-Shirt Bracelet
2) Turn a plastic soda bottle into a pretty jewelry stand.
3) Make this T-Bar Jewelry Display from paper towel tubes.
4) Save up your pop tabs to make this cute bracelet.
5) Don’t want to buy a gift box? Make one out of a toilet paper tube!
6) Convert a single earring to a Pendant or Charm Bracelet
7) Use a shoebox and some scrap fabric to make a ring holder.
8) Make paper beads from old magazines.
9) Salvage an old book to make this pretty jewelry box.
10) Create gorgeous pendants out of old keys and vintage earrings.

Please share your creations in the comments section!

 

 

 

Links found via Pinterest.

 

Pebble Necklace for Mother’s Day

Tags

beads, birth stone, crystal, DIY, gift, gift idea, jewelry, Mother's Day, project, tutorial

I love sentimental jewelry. And I have a daughter that loves to collect little things, like rocks and sea shells (and sticks and leaves and flowers). Whenever we go to the park or to the beach, I end up with a pocket full of whatever interesting little thing she picks up. So when it came time to start thinking about Mother’s Day gifts for grandma, I thought I would try to make something out of the things she has acquired along our many outings.

Today, I will be showing you how to make a pendant out of a pebble that was found on a recent trip to the beach. For this project you will need the following:

* pebbles (or any other small found item)
* jewelry chain
* 22 ga. craft wire
* jump rings
* head pins
* lobster clasp
* Asst. Swarovski Elements Crystal in birthstone colors
* Asst. TierraCast charms (if desired)
* E6000 Glue

1) Wash your pebble off (I used dish soap and an old toothbrush) to remove any dirt or grime that may be on it. Cut a piece of craft wire about 12-24 inches long depending on the size of your stone.
2) Make a wrapped loop with one end of your wire.
3) Bend the wire 90 degrees about a quarter inch down from your loop.  This will be the height of the wrapped cap on the stone.
4) Holding the wire snugly to your pebble, wrap the wire around until you get your desired look.
5) The wire cap will not stay attached to the stone. Separate them and set the cap aside.
6) Apply a generous amount of glue to the pebble.  Place the cap back on the top of the pebble and hold it in place until the glue has dried enough to keep the cap in place.  I recommend allowing the glue to dry for at least an hour (24hrs is ideal) before handling the pendant.
7) Using jump rings and head pins, make charms out of your crystal beads.  I chose different shapes for each birthstone.  Attach the crystal charms to your pebble to create one large pendant
8) I wanted a longer necklace so I used about 26 inches of chain.  Add your clasp and you are done!

Variations: If you would rather use a sea shell than a pebble, glue a small bail to the back for an instant pendant! You can also add a charm to the pendant in addition to the birthstones for an even more personal touch!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial today.  Please share with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using hashtag #shipwreckbeads! I would love to see your take on this necklace.