Kaleidescope Woman

Bonjour, mes amis! As I'd mentioned in my last post, I've been influenced by pretty colours and pastels lately (it must be visions of sugar plums dancing in my head already!), and wanted to show you just a couple of pieces I've made this week.

But first, allow me to offer a huge thank you and congratulations to my sweet customer Vanita all the way in India! She has just opened a brand new home furnishings store called 'Bioscopewalli', which roughly translated means 'Kaleidescope Woman'. That's her - the woman who turns the kaleidescope for you, as you enter her fantasyland of furniture, art and - yes - even jewelry!

I was so flattered that she asked me to whip up a few brooches for her to sell in her new store!

Now for my own Etsy shoppe,the following necklace is one of my favourites to date, featuring a hand-painted portrait pendant of a 'southern belle', which I hung from another old pendant of amber glass and enamel.

I added lots of candy-coloured gemstones, good enough to eat!

And this 'blue mary' bracelet is the first piece in my upcoming line of holiday gift ideas. I will be featuring lots of new designs, priced very affordably for the season.

Please stay tuned next time for more items from my gift collection, including new earrings. Until then, have a beautiful week, and many thanks again to Vanita! :)

Where Does the Time Go?

I've been keeping very busy in the studio this week, but somehow even though I've quit my 'day job', there still never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

Between jewelry design, photography, blogging, shopping for vintage goodies, getting them listed on Etsy, and shipping sold items, I don't know how I ever had time to work before! (I know this is cliche, but true.)

But I'm not complaining! I love all of it! Here are some of the pieces I've recently completed, available now at The French Circus.

The pieces in the photo below were given to my rep for the wholesale market.

Please stay tuned, since I'm stocking up for the holiday season and will be featuring some pretty pastels and candy colours soon! Have a beautiful week! :)

Black Velvet

Bonjour, blog friends! As I ease slowly into the transition of working on jewelry full-time, I am still faced with mixed emotions. Will I be lonely without my co-workers? Will I be able to earn a living? What if I run out of vintage jewelry supplies? But, the good news is that I'm getting more sleep, more exercise, and am able to spend more quality time with my family! A pretty nifty trade off, eh?

The past few days I've been playing with black velvet and the colour black in general. Maybe it's the onset of Halloween that did this to me...

This double-layer necklace features a sterling siver Virgin Mary pendant, moody rhinestones and vintage rosary. It really sparkles with a dark elegance!

Next is my 'le bebe' bracelet. I lined the inside of a very old paste frame with more black velvet, and added a bronze Infant of Prague icon.

Black and white cameos from the 1940s are encircled in rhinestone hoops and accented with garnets and bows in these lightweight earrings, perfect for holiday parties.

And I am just in love with these bronze heart charms, accented with sparkling grey labradorite briolettes.

These charming tassels are so versatile.

Finally, I was lucky enough to find this Paris souvenir patch at my recent jaunt to the local flea market! I instantly knew it would make an uber cool bracelet!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my latest offerings, now available in my Etsy shoppe. I know that if I keep busy, doing what I love, the answers to my fears and questions will fall into place. Thank you for supporting me in my endeavors! Have a wonderful week!