Layer or Stack? Stack and Layer? Neither or Both?

So much confusion – do you layer or should you stack? The question is are these two very different styling mantras or are they really just different words for the same thing? Personally, I think I use the words interchangeably; but maybe I’ve been wrong all these years? Sure as heck wouldn’t be the first time and I am sure it’s not going to be the last! Do you layer necklaces but stack bracelets? Head spinning? I know mine is…well, it does all the time; but that’s another story best left for another day! Back to the jewelry and I’ll try to stay on track here! Lay down your bets now!

Pantone Summer 2015: Aquamarine

Always a sought after color – Pantone describes aquamarine as being an airy blue with a dreamy feel. Sounds tranquil, doesn’t it? Add to that cool, calming, open and expansive and once again Pantone says it all. I often wonder how many writers they have working on the task of color description! Way more than one I assume! As for the energy of the color – it is thought to help reduce stress and give you courage! I don’t know about you but I can sure use that these days! Life seems to be spinning so fast that at times all I can do is muster the courage to hang on tight and wait for it all to slow down a bit.

Pantone Spring-Summer 2015: Toasted Almond

“Celebration time is here…come on!” Yes, dating myself again; but I’m old…so what…it’s expected, right? Song lyrics aside, it is that time of year when we gravitate toward sun-kissed neutrals in fashion. We dance for joy as we put away our heavy coats, scarves  and boots and look forward to putting together looks that are a bit lighter in fabrics and, sometimes, in color. Toasted Almond, one of Pantone’s Spring-Summer 2015 Collection colors, certainly leads us in that warmer direction. (Is it just me or does that last sentence sound a little fashion editorial-like?) Surprisingly, I do have quite a few items of clothes in my wardrobe that are similar to Toasted Almond – but it is odd; taking a quick glance in my closet, I see the color primarily in comfy over sized sweaters that are perfect for colder days of fall and winter. But wait – that doesn’t stop me from wearing the scrumptious Toasted Almond during the warmer days of spring and summer. How?

Pantone Fall 2014: Misted Yellow

Misted Yellow – with just a hint of spice. I'm thinking that sounds either very exotic…or a bit like Dijon mustard! And, for me, and perhaps all you moms out there, a third image comes to mind; but I’ll spare you those details! Yes, Misted Yellow is a color selection in the Pantone® Fashion Report Fall 2014. How do I feel about yellow? I really do love it, but I struggle with wearing big hunks of yellow, misted or any other hue, in my clothing. In fact, I don’t think I have one thing that is yellow…do I? Sadly my skin and hair color really aren’t that chummy with yellow – but pushing that fact aside I still sneak yellow into my look. How? You guessed it…jewelry and shoes.

Would You Believe Eight Years?

Wowza! In February 2006, as a way to showcase and sell my jewelry designs, I officially started my blog. At that time technology offering budget-friendly formats that made it possible for little guys like me to have a fully functioning website/online store didn’t exist. Hard to believe, I know; but it’s fact! So I figured that a blog  was the next best thing. Fast forward eight years and not only is my blog still up and running (three hundred and twenty-two posts) but there is a fully functioning very lively separate website and online store highlighting about two hundred jewelry designs along with stories of their inspiration and creation!

Collars & Chokers & Trends, Oh My

While I love necklaces, I have never been a fan of a collar or choker style that is worn higher on my neck. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not so happy about how my neck looks and the fact that it has never been or ever will be swan-like; or if it’s my general claustrophobic nature kicking in that makes me feel as if I am being strangled when I wear anything tight. Who knows, maybe it’s just the name “choker” that sends me over the edge. Where is Freud when you need him?

Friendship Bracelets – All Grown Up

So much talk of macramé and friendship bracelets in fashion these days…and I am loving it. While regular followers know by now, I just need to tell all you new peeps that my jewelry roots are in macramé and beads. Yes, indeed, I started making and selling jewelry in 1967 in Southern California – height of the hippie and bohemian era. While I was what I would call a beach kid – my knotted and beaded cording designs fit the bill for all factions during the early years.

34 Degrees? Hooray -- Cozy Sweater Weather!

Sing along with me..."it's the most wonderful time of the year" – yes, I know those lyrics were actually penned for Christmas – but I’m singing them today because I love the crisp cold sunny mornings and clear-sky twinkling star evenings of fall. Such a rebel, me! 

Ring Around the Carnelian - Item of the Week

“Oh-h-h, oh-h-h, oh-h-h!” That’s what you and everyone who sees you will be saying when they get a look at this necklace. There is no way I could get a full-length shot of this 48” beauty, so I wrapped it around Lulu, the neck, so you could see most of the beads.

A Mash of Our Own

No secret, I love a mash of bracelets…always have, always will. It tickles me that the world of fashion has finally embraced the look as well. These days you don’t have to look far to see your favorite fashion blogger or models in an editorial spread donning loads and loads of bracelets. While I love the look, there is one thing that I think I do a bit differently from the norm. Maybe it has to do with my fascination with rocks and gemstones and how I showcase them in my jewelry designs or maybe it has to do with my being slightly claustrophobic. (Bet you weren’t expecting that now were you?)

Seen on the Most Famous Women -- Yes, That Would Be You!

Part of me wants to shout “I don’t care what celebrity has worn what in any movie or video” – but then I know full well that saying that could come back and bite me in the butt thus quenching any spark of interest from stylists and wardrobe gurus around the world. (But, didn’t I just put it all out there? Yes, I did so I doubt that “coming to a screen near you” will be in my vernacular anytime soon!)

The Touch, the Feel

The touch, the feel...no, surprisingly I am not talking about cotton. You're probably thinking "come on it is jewelry and it is all about the look, so what's with the touch and feel stuff." Well, while the look is important, for me jewelry serves another purpose. You see, I am a "fiddler" -- not the kind of fiddling associated with a musical instrument; but the kind of "fiddling" that happens when my fingers have to be busy. I've never been able to sit perfectly still -- no matter the location (frequently to the dismay of those in close proximity). I can't help it, I have busy hands and I am an annoying foot wiggler as well -- so I doodle and I knit and I wear jewelry all while wiggling my foot. Be forewarned - you might not want to sit next to me on a flight and I am okay with that!

How Do I Love Thee?

Let me count the ways. It's the best way to spend a Saturday morning...playing with jewelry. Thank goodness I have a business that I absolutely am head-over-heels in love with -- otherwise, I would be sitting here complaining to you all the time. Now, that would be fun, right? I was posting a few new pieces to the site this morning which, as you know, usually includes pix of different ways I like to style the piece. It hit me today that the options are limitless, really, limitless. I thought it would be fun to show you a few ways I styled one of my favorite styles -- the soft bangle.

Oh Boy -- Here Comes Fall!

As much as I grumble about the rain and gray skies during the non-summer months here; these past few days I find myself feeling happy that the weather is changing and fall is upon us. I think what I like most about the cooler days, is the fact that I can wear my uniform: t-neck lightweight sweaters -- the perfect canvas for jewelry. Today, I donned my uniform for the season. As you've probably figured out by now -- I love bracelets -- mainly because I can admire them all day long. Talk about self-absorbed; but it's true! However, when I put on a oatmealish heather-like sweater this morning, I figured it was the perfect day to give my poor old neckline a treat. So, that's just what I did. I started with a rutilated quartz number (#0302) similar in style to the yellow jade one shown here. Then, I added the yellow jade dazzler. Thinking that would be plenty of pizazz, I stopped there...for a moment. Then it hit...a flash of brilliance; and, it wasn't from the light coming off of one of the stones on these necklaces! It dawned on me that I don't remember ever...as in ever...layering the rainbow hickoryite necklace with either of these two necklace styles. In the blink of an eye, I had my sample nestled in with the other two and I love the look. If you like the look of wood, which I do, you'll love the look and feel of rainbow hickoryite...as it looks much like wood, but has gemstone weight which makes the entire piece feel rich to me. I tried to get a pix of all three necklaces on Monica the Mannequin; but they wouldn't stay as I think she doesn't have the strong square shoulders I do (!!), so I finally gave up and went for just two. I think you get a pretty good idea of how they all came together.

While I was taking the first shot in the natural light of the studio, I had another flash of brilliance. (Do you think it could be all the Pure Inventions green tea I've been drinking lately making my brain fire a bit faster?) The second pix is the result of that moment -- yellow jade meets carnelian -- in a lovely mix of vintage-inspired gold links. You know, when it comes to jewelry, I do think the styling options are limitless. That's what I love so much about it all. I don't care what the particular piece is -- there will always be a variety of ways you can wear it. It's my hope, that all of you are encouraged to be as creative as you want -- like I said in my last post -- I never color within the lines -- why would I want to do that when there are so many unique options just waiting to be discovered?

A Little Gift...It's a Good Thing

Today I spent the morning wrapping up items that I am donating for a fundraiser for Junior Achievement Arizona. I love to give when and where I can but it is always a bit of a challenge to select the items to include. I always want to make sure that I choose something that is a good fit for the women in attendance in hopes that they will bid on the pieces. Today, the choice was easier for some reason.

Making My Own Sunshine

When you live in a part of the world where days and weeks and even months can pass without seeing or feeling the sun, you've just got to learn to make your own light and warmth. So, that is exactly what I did this morning. I donned this lovely yellow jade, crystal quartz and smoky quartz super long necklace -- worn over an ivory turtleneck. It's just what I needed to spark the day. No sunshine always makes me think back to some time I spent in Oslo (yes, the Oslo way up there in Norway). I happened to be there during the time of year when the sun really never sets -- it just moves from one side of the sky to the other. It is a strange sensation -- hard to keep track of time without looking at your watch. I suppose that if you live with that experience year after year you get used to the idea. But for me, those were the longest 10 days of my life, which really felt like one day that just wouldn't end. I remember complaining to some Italian docs I was working with about too much sun and too much light and they kindly listened to my whining as we sat outside in the sunlight of a restaurant in the middle of the early morning at a time when most people were at home sleeping soundly. Well, maybe living in the Pacific Northwest these days is payback for all that silly whining -- a personal lesson for me in the joy of sunshine and how there can never be too much!

Girl Gone Mad!

Just when you think you know my style of design I go and do something that throws you off...but just a little. I have long had a fascination of all things small (thus explaining many of the men I dated over the years!) -- and many of those tiny things can be found in the least unexpected places, including hardware stores. Sigh...should a normal girl (I use the word loosely today as a self-descriptor) get giddy in a hardware store? All those nuts, bolts, wire, slugs (not the squishy kind that grow to the size of manatees here in Oregon, but the metal kind of slugs is what I'm referencing), cording, rope -- oh the list is endless. While it wasn't really a hardware store, one of the many part-time jobs I held while in undergraduate school was working for a sailboat manufacturer in Belmont Shore. Anyone who has ever owned a boat knows how many bits and pieces of things it takes to keep them sailing. And, in those days all those glorious bits and bobs were all brass. Well, no surprise, I had a blast finding the most creative way to incorporate those pieces into bags and jewelry -- even then, back in the day, I was clearly well on the road to lunacy -- finding a way to work small things into my life.

That being said, while in Tucson 2010, you can imagine my joy when my niece discovered a vendor who carried tons of twisted wire in all kinds of metals, sizes and shapes. It was a proud moment for an aunt...knowing that I have had some influence on the girl over the years! She finds the best things -- and since she is quite young, her vision is much better, so often she finds things I miss altogether. She's the perfect picker and Tucson Gem Show shopping companion! Over the months I have played with several of the those magical wire beads -- working them into pieces that showcase my personal spin. I love surprises -- mixing metals, textures, colors and the totally unexpected and I think it shows in my jewelry. Here are two pieces that have recently been added to my web site, which means they are at this moment in time, for sale -- and don't despair, there are similar designs sitting on the bench in my studio as we speak. But, believe me when I say that most of these pieces are truly "one-offs" -- meaning there is only ONE of each design. So my best advice to you -- if you see it, buy it. Nothing is worse than seeing something, deciding you can't live without it, going back to buy it and truly make it your own only to see that darn "Sold Out" tag at the end of the item description. Bummer! Okay, back to work...for all of us now. Oh, I am at work right now. I have so much fun with the business of jewelry, I sometimes forget that it is actually what I do for a living! Hope you're as lucky as I am -- I love what I do!!!

Turquoise, Rainbow Hickoryite and Assignments

Today I was feeling as if I needed to be a bit grounded. Somehow yesterday got away from me and all the things on my "to do" list just didn't get done. I felt a bit like a hamster on the treadmill -- running as fast as all get out but getting no where even faster. When I see and wear turquoise it always makes me happy -- and the Jay King Mine Finds three-strand beauty shown here with one of my rainbow hickoryite designs makes me feel very happy, relaxed and focused. I first started working with rainbow hickoryite several years ago after discovering it in Tucson; it felt lucky from the get-go. Don't ask me to explain it -- I just get these "funny feelings" at moments in my life that things are on the right path. When I held the beads that day I felt a warmth radiate from them. Maybe because they remind me of my dad for some reason -- he always took me along to buy the exotic woods he used in creating his guitars -- so my love of fine woods was honed at an early age. And, maybe because when I see beautiful stones like these, I am reminded of the greatness of Mother Nature, and I understand the importance of doing her proud with the jewelry I design. While my thinking makes me feel very small -- I understand that no matter my size I still have an important task to tend to while on this planet. I do believe that if I can make one person happy when they see or wear a piece of the jewelry I make then I feel as if I am doing the job that I was assigned. I know, I know -- maybe a bit philosophical for this time of day -- but one of the hazards of working alone -- I spend a lot of time in my own head without interruption or censorship. That can be a blessing or a curse -- today I think it's a blessing.

Thank You weezies.com!

Happy day for me here -- weezies.com included a review of three of my favorite bracelets on their site today. As I write the word favorite -- I had to laugh at myself as I think every piece I make is "my fav!"

Sure Signs of Fall

I don't care what the color Gods have to say about it -- to me fall will always mean burnt oranges, browns, deep russet and greens. In jewelry those colors translate as carnelian, red agate, green aventurine, smoky quartz and deep green freshwater pearls. Of course, I have to toss in some glittery Czech glass fire-polished beads to represent the sun as it bounces off the colors of autumn.