All Things Superman

So I have this friend, you all have heard of her, she orders a ton of custom work from me (for which I am forever grateful for) and recently she asked me to make her a number of pieces for Comic Con.  I was all too happy to oblige and had a ton of fun with it.  

So first, let's talk about my new favorite medium in the world.  SHRINKY DINKS! Oh my lord I am addicted.  It allowed me to make a ton of custom pieces for my friend that I knew would be solely hers.  One this necklace and earrings, I did the Superman logo.  I also used my rivoli drop earrings in sapphire to make the earrings.  

I am so so happy with how these came out.  They have the wonderful sparkle of the Swarovski rivolis and yet are still playful with the logos.  

Next I moved onto the necklace.  I took a picture of Superman and inserted it into a bezel drop, then filled it with ICE resin.  When working with ICE resin make sure you have a number of pieces to fill at once.  You have to mix at least an ounce at a time and if you don't use some of what is mixed then you have to throw it out.

I made beaded links with Swarovski pearls in the gemstone colors line, which are coral and lapis.  I then used a silver plated chain to connect everything together.  I had another shrinky dink of the logo so I added it as a drop behind the pendant.  

You Can't Take the Sky From Me

So yes, I had more shrinky dink fun, in the form of a Firefly inspired set.  With shrinky dinks, you can pretty much do whatever you can think of.  Does anyone know what the symbols to the left are?  The bottom one was definitely the most time consuming, but was SO worth it.  

I wanted this set to be more earthy and simple, in keeping with much of the show.  The main pendant on the necklace is another ICE resin piece (this, like the shrinky dinks, will be a recurring theme) with our favorite captain's portrait.  

Using some mocca crystals and another couple line diagrams of the ship from the show, I also decided to make a simple pair of earrings.  The way the ship came out, I had to utilize it in another way.  

With the complexity of the line figure, I felt that the earrings should be simple as well.  I was really happy with how this set came out and may make more in the future.  

Flower Drop Earrings

So I recently got my hands on some acrylic flower beads.  I thought that they really suited being made into earrings, so with some Swarovski crystals in hand I thought I would see what they came out like.  

I really felt like the paddle pins would give a nice finish to the flower.  I had some mixes of crystals so I just thought I would see what would come of it.  I got the flowers in not only clear, but a number of other colors as well. 

The construction on these was pretty simple, but with the different colors of both flowers and crystals, some of them took on completely different looks.  

A number of these are available in my etsy shop, Just Another Symphony, so be sure to check them out! 

Object Obsession: Rivoli Drop Earrings

I know that it has once again been a while since I have posted anything.  This is for a number of different reasons.  One is that I am still dealing with the grief from my father's death.  It is not something I am likely to get over any time soon, but I will try to stop disappearing from my business and blog.  Another is that I had a huge custom order from a friend to make the jewelry she wanted for San Diego Comic Con.  This took up a lot of my time, especially considering I had a vacation in the middle of all of that as well.  Anyways, onto what I wanted to talk about today.  Rivoli drop earrings!

I just love making these.  They can be made in a number of different bright and vibrant colors and you can personalize them with really anything that you want.  I might have gone just a little crazy with them.  

The findings I used are made especially for the Swarovski rivolis.  I used a Loctite gel adhesive to secure them, though some people prefer an epoxy or other adhesive.  The loctite gel is just my personal favorite for when I don't want to have to mix 2 part epoxy and believe me, a little of this stuff goes a loooooooong way. I cannot tell you how many times I got glue on my fingers when putting in the crystals because I had used a little too much glue. 

You can do anything you want with these really.  I experimented with adding chain to them, as well as just a simple flower drop, which you will see in some of the pictures that follow.  The varying colors in the rivolis really lend themselves to a lot of different designs. The findings come in a a few different finishes, and most of those that I used were either a shiny silver or a gunmetal finish.  I especially love how the heliotrope and turquoise crystals look in them. 

The earrings in the next few pictures were made for a friend. She basically handed me the rivolis and told me to have fun with it, so I did.  Sometimes that is the best way to create jewelry, to just be handed an item and then let your imagination go wild.  I had some of these gunmetal keys in my stash, so decided to try a pair out with them.  I also have a heliotrope pair that is similar available in my shop. 

I also have a version of these pink earrings available in my shop.  Check them out!

Sometimes making this type of stuff ends up being the best, because it is just fun and you never know what is going to come out of it!

Candy Drop Earrings

Now available in my Etsy store!

These earrings are fun and a great pop of color.  With the different colors and combinations that you could use, they could work for any season or occasion.  With this pair I decided to with a bright combination that suits the spring and summer.  

I started with the earring findings, some smaller jumprings and two sided epoxy drops.  

The earrings have a lovely S-curve that have loops attached, which can make for adding some interesting drops and dangles.  One thing to keep in mind is the distance from the loops to the bottom of the hoop, so there does need to be some consideration regarding the size of the items that are used. This is part of the reason that I used the smallest size of jumpring that I could find.  

With this pair, I decided to do a set pattern of colors from side to side, but you could completely randomize them.  I laid out the colors that I wanted to use, and then prepared for the second earring to make sure I had what I needed.  

All in all, these came out great and are a pop of color that will suit a number of different outfits, occasions and other situations. 

Springtime Colors

I am loving bright colors for springtime.  While I enjoy pastel colors, I just think that pops of bright colors are refreshing and great with practically any outfit.  Plus, if the weather is a little dreary (as it can sometimes be in the spring) these bright colors can help to cheer you up. 

See this bracelet in my shop!

Mixing the bright colors with some pastels, such as the blue seen in the bracelet to the left, can also make some great combinations.  This bracelet, has a fun color pop as well as some great design elements that could make it work with many different types of outfits, whether they be casual or formal.  

These and other flower earrings are currently available!

Flowers in these colors can also be great pieces for spring, and transition well into summer.  Mixing these colors with darker finishes, such as the black wire in the bracelet above, or the gunmetal elements in the earrings to the right, also change the way the pieces look.  Instead of standard gold or silver finishes, these darker finishes set off the bright colors more, at least in my opinion.

See all of my wood pendants here!

These types of pieces are the perfect way to show and bring our your whimsical side. I love the pendant to the right because it has a vintage feel, but the flowers are those nice bright colors that go well with the light toned wood.  The way the transfer was made shows almost a texture to the image, even though it is smooth.  Also, it was positioned in such a way that the image seems to go off and continue from the edges of the pendant.  

Simple pearls earrings go with formal or casual designs.

As you can see from these designs, the colors look good in both simple pieces and more complicated designs.  In the end, what is important is enjoying your jewelry pieces and having fun! Maybe on the darker days you can go with these brighter designs to remind you that sunshine is on the way. 

Object Obsession: Wood Disc Pendants

So....sometimes you start making a certain style or type of piece, and you kindof...sortof...maybe get a little obsessed with making it.  This has happened to me with wooden disc pendants.  I get these pendants with no embellishment whatsoever and then add decals, transfers or rub ons.  

They can then have any type of look.  Some are playful while others will be more whimsical.  I sell them both in finished pieces as well as by themselves.  

The different tones of the woods can go with different images and words, but I find those decals/rub ons that are more opaque work better.  Those with translucency will lose much of their effect when placed over the wood, especially with the lighter tones of wood.  

While I have a number of them available for sale individually in my etsy store, I am thinking of making more and more of them into finished pieces.  You can always play off of the colors in the image, as well as the tones of the wood. 

The disc pendants do already have a hole drilled in them, but it is rather small.  I find that they work well with small ice pick bails, but may not work as well with jumprings.  You would definitely need to use a jumpring thinner than 18 gauge.  

So this is the item that I keep making.  Eventually I will run out of ideas of how to use it, or run out of images to put on it.  We will see which comes first. 

Winged Wine and Champagne Necklace

This necklace is part of a set that was made for a friend at their request.  The earrings have appeared in a previous post. 

 As with the earrings, the color scheme was silver, golden shadow crystals and Crystal Bordeaux crystal pearls. To add to the focal component of the wing, I also used a navette pendant in the golden shadow.  I knew that most of the necklace length was going to be composed of chain, so I wanted to add some beaded links in between the lengths of chain.  I actually had made a couple for use with the earrings and ended up not using them, so I reserved them for use with the necklace.

It took some adjusting for me to get the links, drops and other components put together and I actually ended up taking it apart a few times.  Don't be afraid to do this! Sometimes it ends up better if you try multiple options before settling completely on your design.  I had started with one idea, but once put together, I didn't like the way it looked.  Being flexible enough to take it apart is a great factor of the creative process and will sometimes end up making your piece even better. 

I love the way this necklace turned out.  I ended up putting one of the drops behind the wing drop and one in front.  Both of them in front took too much away from the wing itself, so I changed things up a bit.  With the earrings, this necklace makes a great set.  While they were created for the purpose of the holiday season, they could easily be worn any time.

Winged Wine and Champagne Earrings

I made these earrings (as well as a matching necklace which will be seen in another post) for a friend who gave me the main components as well as the color scheme, but otherwise let me do what I wanted. I started with the wing drops, as well as some Crystal Bordeaux crystal pearls by Swarovski as well as some golden shadow crystals in varying shapes. 

The crystals and crystal pearls are the only color in the piece, but still an accent to the wings.  I didn't want to overwhelm the wings, so I ended up re-working them a number of times til they were exactly as I wanted them.  I knew that I wanted a couple of dangles with the crystals, but again did not want them to be more than an accent to the wings.  If they drew too much attention, then not only would they overshadow the wings but there would also be too much going on.

I made a number of drops and beaded links to try and figure out the direction I wanted to go.  After connecting the sterling silver filled earwires to the wings, I was able to use them as a template to figure out how I would like everything to lay.  I used a silver plated chain as it went well with the silver color of the wings, and overall, I am happy with how these came out.  The friend that I made them for loved them, and that is what really matters. 

More Fun Stretch Bracelets

I've discussed making these bracelets in earlier posts, but with some of these designs I mixed things up and thought I would share some photos.  I know winter and the holiday season are over, but it's never too early to prepare for next year! 

It's been a while....

I have somewhat neglected this blog and jewelry making for the last couple of months.  I have had far too much going on in my personal life that required much more of my attention.  There are certain things in life that just take precedence and are more important.  I apologize that this blog and my jewelry making were put on hold, but it was something I had to do.  I won't go into extreme details, as the pain is still too sharp, and there are some things that I prefer not to share here.  The short version and the most important information is that after a battle with cancer and liver failure, my father passed away.  Thankfully, in the past couple months I was able to spend time with him and help my parents, which is what was most important to me.

I have a few blog posts already prepared that need to go up and will hopefully be available soon.  I'm working on getting things started up again and getting back to my creativity.  Thank you all for understanding and sticking with me!