Blogback Mountain

I've been wanting to do some kind of rad inspiration wall around my desk since I moved in, but hammers keep coming through the wall, which is kind of a buzzkill. Alas, maybe someday...

Chelsea from Frolic is another fabulous Portland blogger and I'm sort of bitter we're not friends yet. Because I'm already friends with everyone else in Portland. Including Danny Glover.

She looks this good while sick and pregnant.

If it wasn't hailing (WTF, Oregon?), I'd be wearing this outfit right now.

I love any clothes that look like they were scribbled on by a mischievous three-year-old, and that sounded sarcastic but I'm serious--I want the entire collection.

Those Sweet Valley High girls were total fatties, huh?

In two cities a few hundred miles apart, two bloggers examined a rack of discounted Tory Burch frocks and said "Ew."

Emi has an idea for new and improved "mom jeans" that is the GREATEST IDEA IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS. And I never exaggerate.

"The Dailies" on Design For Mankind is just about the coolest feature ever (and like I said, I never exaggerate).

Remember my Junior High Fashion Confessions Contest awhile back? Well, all three finalists have their own blogs now (can we pick 'em or what?), and, as you might expect, they're quite entertaining. Check 'em out here, here, and here.

More WTF-ness

I really must be getting a bit of a rep for the 'WTF' fabrics. I've only ever expressed my love for the 'WTF' type fabrics here once and yet some clever people are quick to pick it up.

Kelles who owns Indie Cult Vintage (no, I've not been paid by her to talk her up.... I genuinely like her wares and her attitude if anyone is interested...) has probably checked out the blog a few times at most, yet was smart enough to pick up my 'WTF'-liking vibes and so yesterday, a vibrant bit of floral fell out of a USPS packet. I mean 'vibrant' in the very BIG sense of the word.... all pinks, purples and blues and boldly shaped flowers (again, a colour combo I only very recently explored... gosh... people are ever so observant...).

The loud-as-you-can print on a simply shaped open tunic surprisingly works over a multitude of outfits from my naturally instinctive 'chee sin mui'* ensembles (excuse the English-Canto but it is the perfect phrase that sums up the outfit....) to simpler combinations. Granted the print itself isn't actually all that crazy and it is in a decent heavy matt linen fabric, but somehow the colours jostling and clashing with each other give off a 'loud' effect that only 'chee sin mui's like me love...

*Chee sin mui means 'crazy girl' but the Cantonese sounds better to me as an expression of the above...

Dawn Vertrees Jewelry Designer

Dawn Vertrees must have a special eye that enables her to look at a plant or a flower, to translate that image in her mind to a drawing on paper, to create a wax model of that drawing using wax sheets and wax wire that can then be transformed into a rubber mold, then cast in silver with the minutest detail, so that us poor untalented folk can adorn our necks, wrists, and fingers with perfect replicas of flora that only Mother Nature can create. I am in awe.



It has to be magic. But, as it is with all master magicians, you can't see the sleight of hand.





Pink Quartz Dogwood Slider Pendant



For twenty-five years, Dawn worked as a graphic designer and in the family business of designing trade show exhibits. A desire to try something new led her to create decorative soaps and lotions, but that still wasn't what she really wanted to do.





Gemstone and Leaf Rings

Shown in London Blue Topaz, Garnet, and Peridot Gemstones

"One thing I really like about this ring design are the weaved stems on the inside of the band and although most people will not see the inside of the ring, detail is a personal thing with me. I want to design the jewelry to look as if I went outside picked up fifteen leaves and weaved them together for a ring."



After experimenting with porcelain pottery, Dawn finally found her niche - jewelry making. Using everything from dental tools to heat pens, she meticulously cuts and shapes detailed leaves and flower petals out of thin wax sheets.



Then she creates her lovely floral necklaces, bracelets, and rings from these wax components - building each design, leaf by leaf, petal by petal. When she's happy with the piece, she has it cast in sterling silver.



This is where the magic begins, with a drawing:



Drawing of Orchid and Pearl Pendant

Dawn says: "I'm not sure what goes on in my head when I start designing one of my orchid pieces but when I see those little Phalas (orchids)...it's like looking at little faces and they are all saying...don't forget me."



Artist Statement

Born and raised in North Carolina, I was surrounded by artistic talent from an early age. The first thing I hope you'll notice about my work is the wonderful detail and faithful reproduction of every small detail I put into each piece, but I also hope that you will see the personality that I try to give each piece that brings it to life.



I started sculpting jewelry originally from porcelain. This medium allowed me to sculpt very fine detail, yet shape my leaves and flowers in a very natural and realistic way. However, porcelain proved itself to be somewhat fragile.



The solution was Sterling Silver! So I have successfully applied my sculpting techniques to sterling silver, producing flowing, natural designs. I have found a wonderful outlet for my artistic talents in designing and sculpting my unique jewelry. Every day is a new adventure, and every customer a new friend.

You can see all of Dawn's wonderful creations at her Ruby Lane Store. She even has a blog, Dawn Vertrees.



There, you will find some of the most unique and beautiful jewelry you've ever seen. The detail she creates with every piece is amazing.

See full article.





Related Entries:

Jewelry Career Resources - 08 August 2006

Jewelry as Designer DNA - 13 September 2006

Couture Jewelry Awards - 04 March 2007

Jewelry Designer for Princesses - 08 March 2007

Alexis Bittar Jewelry Designer - 14 April 2008

Lori Bonn Jewelry Designer - 17 April 2008

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Swarovski for the Holidays and a Happy Birthday!!!

First, I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my younger sisters (twins) who turn 50 today! If you don't have a least one sister, you don't know what you are missing. Sisters are the touchstones for who we are; they are our past, and good sisters are our encouragement for our future. So a big Happy Birthday - and a cliche, but it's true nonetheless - you're not getting older, you're getting better!

I've been working on Custom Jewelry this week, but some new Swarovski caught my eye (I made the mistake of opening the package) and I just had to do a little with it. I've been know to get Swarovski shipments and leave them untouched until I had the time to work with the crystals, since when I open any Swarovski crystals I am immediately entrapped by its sparkle.
The first Swarovski that really caught my eye in this package were the Galactic pendants (shown at the top). But, I thought, why use them as pendants when they would be so much more striking and beautiful as earrings? So that is what they ended up being (also a picture of the pair at the bottom of this post). The Galactics have wonderful movement and of course, their sparkle is gorgeous. Perfect for these oddly shaped crystals are these modern looking earwires from the Karen Hill Tribes, so that the result is a very modern earring. I put them in the Holiday Gift Ideas section.
Below the Galactics are earrings made with Swarovski's new green opal crystals. It is a great Christmas green.

Alexandrite Swarovski crystals in their changeable colour are featured in these Swarovski crystal earrings. These earrings have earring posts made of sterling silver; these domed posts are great if, like many of us, you have unsightly holes from years of wearing dangling earrings.
The earrings below are created from huge 12mm bicones, then hung from sterling silver earwires with a flat diamond shape on the front. They are wonderful for a holiday party.
Below those is another picture of the Galactic earrings from the first picture in this post. Most of our other Swarovski crystal earrings can be found on the website in the Austrian Crystal Earrings page or on our Swarovski Bridal Jewelry page.

I hope that everyone is getting on with his/her Christmas shopping. I'm trying to order a few things online, trying to get a head start this year! I adore shopping online, avoiding the crowds, aching feet, and that long drive from this small Arkansas town to Memphis (where most of the Christmas shopping in this area is). While I like people, it's sometimes much easier to keep the Christmas spirit intact when you don't have to circle mall parking lots 3 times to find a parking space scrunched next to someone who is probably going to dent your car or wait for a salesperson who decided to go to lunch just when you were ready to pay for 15 items that you've painstakingly shopped 4 hours to gather together.


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earrings

Thanks to my readers!