The new series use beads, metal findings and bright colours. I like using text on these so if you think of anything you'd like to see, let me know!
Don't forget my Christmas in July Sale finishes Sunday 24th July (that's tomorrow!!). Use coupon code july10 to get 10% off your cuff order :-) But hurry!!
Christmas in July Sale!!!
I'm having a Christmas in July sale in my Etsy shop until 24th July. Use coupon code july10 to get 10% off your entire order. Also, check out the SALE section to find jewellery already 30% off!!
Here's a few for you to look at:
So, I was going to show you my Halloween costume.... but I can't get the photos off my camera just now! I managed to take the memory card out so the photos are on the internal memory.... and I don't have the cord with me.... Stupid Joanne!
While I work on getting the photos off my camera, here's some autumnal jewellery for you instead :-)
In my stash of beads there has been a bag of leaf shaped beads. It has been sitting there for a while, waiting for me to find a use for them. Finally, the idea for my autumnal wire and bead necklace seemed the perfect project!
This necklace is made from copper and brass coloured wires, wrapped together with glass and plastic beads from Europe. Scattered between the gold, red, brown and orange beads fall the leaves, whilst displayed in the middle, wooden seed-shaped beads remind us of pine cones and chestnuts descending as well.
This necklace is fully adjustable with a gold ribbon closure. This piece will make a statement worn against dark colours or will nestle warmly with a harmoniously coloured ensemble. Bring the warmth of bonfires and the crisp crunch of Fallen Leaves to your jewellery box!
This shell sat on my desk for about three weeks while I worked out how to wire wrap it without taking away from its natural beauty. I loved the spiral of this shell so I tried to emphasise it with wire curling around it, but it wouldn’t stay put! Finally I worked out that wrapping vertically would not distract from the natural shape and would mean I could attach the shell to a necklace.
I used dark coloured wooden beads and chocolate coloured hemp cord to bring out the dark colouring of the shell. I used copper coloured wire to wrap the shell to add a little colour to the piece and introduced blue glass beads from England to compliment it.
This piece seems very sophisticated to me, with its mix of colours and textures. The dark colours seem to make the blue beads and copper wire sparkle.
This piece is currently available for sale in my store here
I made this piece in the same way I made my Sea Gypsy Necklace. As I wasn’t going to sell my Sea Gypsy necklace I figured I could use the same look with this piece of worn shell I found in St. Kitts. It conveniently already had a hole in the top, which made me automatically believe it had to be made into a necklace. I used the pre-existing hole to create a wire shank and added a swirl at tie the piece in with my other work.
As with the Sea Gypsy necklace I gathered together pale hemp cord, wooden and glass beads. I used five strands of hemp to make the main cord, threading the wooden beads from Miami on all five strands. I threaded the glass beads from New York onto a single strand so they nestled between the others partially hidden.
I like the dramatic affect of this necklace – the central piece is chunky and bold, while the hemp is finer, hiding the smaller, more delicate glass beads.
This piece is currently available for sale in my store here
I’m back on my ship! I thought I’d managed to miss the madness of the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland by staying home for an extra two weeks…. But my flight to the US was still an hour late leaving because air traffic had been moved south into our flight path to avoid the new cloud! Ah well, I got here in the end. My ship is currently out of New York and in tribute here is a New York inspired craft!
Last summer, the cruise ship I was working on was based out of New York. While I was there I designed an outfit that I felt represented the ship , including a necklace. I finally got to create that necklace recently and really like the way it came out. It is a choker made out of blue and turquoise glass beads inspired by the Statue of Liberty. I even got the beads from New York! Nestled in the centre is a crystal bead that catches the light, maybe the light of hope?! What do you think?
This is currently available in my Etsy shop here
Today, my mum and I went to the Weald of Kent Craft Fair. It rained all day! We had a good time and spent lots of money anyway! It gave me lots of ideas about where I want my stuff to go and how I could display my wares if I went to a craft fair. We also went into the supplies tent and I bought some Angelina fibres to play with. I'm planning on making lots of sparkly stuff!!
Also, I now have a shop on Folksy, the UK handmade marketplace. Please go check it out and let me know what you think!
And now some of my crafts! I mentioned my Rock belt before, back in February when it was National Embroidery Month. It was quite difficult to get good photos of this piece because it is quite long and the embroidery is fine. But after a photo shoot with my dancers, I think I cracked it!
My Rock Belt is made from the waistband of an old pair of jeans that my best friend cut up for his Hulk Halloween costume. He gave them to me to add to my stash and this is what I made from them. It has frayed denim and chains hanging from it and is hand embroidered with rock symbols and words. I drew each of the symbols myself and chose bright colours to realise them on the belt. I imagine this piece being worn low on the hips, maybe with a band tee and some dark skinny jeans. I think you could wear it casually during the day to punk up your outfit, or out with your best threads to a gig!
Seaglass junk bracelet by Deezie
Blue Handmade Beaded Necklace by TheRetroRainbow
Ever After Button Bracelet by magpieandbutton
Circle Cell Ameoba Hand Embroidered Quilt Square Applique by KBKExtras
Upcycled Button Ring by jennifermagnesi
Secret Garden Button Necklace by SmallButtonBigHeart
PS... Salvaged Mutiny is now listed at the Home Based Jewelers Showcase here
Nothing seems to be going right lately. As I have said previously, I’m currently not on my cruise ship as I came home for my Grandmother’s funeral. It all went very well, thank you for asking! However, I’m now stuck at home because of the volcanic ash cloud crisis. “But Joanne, the ash cloud has gone away!” I hear you all cry. Yes, I know, but at the beginning of the week my employer decided it would be safer to keep me at home for two more weeks to save me getting stuck somewhere. This decision and new flight bookings were all made before BA pushed the first flight through! Ah well, more time for crafting I say! And to top it all off, my other Grandmother is now in hospital with a suspected heart attack…. When it rains it pours apparently! To cheer me, and you, up here’s some new crafting…
When I picked up this piece of shell in St. Kitts, battered smooth by the power of the ocean, I knew it had to be made into a necklace. I wire wrapped the top with white coated wire, then chose beads that reflected it’s colouring. I chose a pallet that made me think of wood or bones bleached in the sun on a hot dry beach. I used frosted white glass beads found in New York and pale wooden beads from Miami Florida. I strung the whole thing on pale hemp to give it that washed ashore feel.
I think the neutral colours and simplicity of this piece will work well with many outfits. It is currently available for sale in my store here.
I got a little bit of time to myself this weekend, so I overhauled my site and added new items to my Etsy store. Leave a comment to let me know what you think of both!
See my website here
See my store here
And now for some new craftiness...
I found this chunk of shell in Aruba and it reminded me of a pelvis bone ;-) I liked the bleached quality of its colours, but also liked the negative space created by the central column. Rather than combining it with just pale beads I opted to use it as a base to showcase brighter colours… like the blue of the sea where I found it.
The shell is wire-wrapped with blue coated wire. It is accompanied by wooden beads from Miami, Florida and glass beads from New York and Germany. The harmonising sea grass coloured hemp and blue green beads bring the power of the ocean to this piece.
This necklace is currently available in my store here
And finally, it's my Dad's birthday today. So everyone say Happy Birthday to Mr. Donn!!
Each member of my family has picked out pieces that they want to keep for sentimental reasons and the rest we are selling, giving to charity or throwing away…. But some of the stuff that could be thrown away I have rescued to create with. Once we have finished I plan to sit down and make a necklace in tribute to my grandmother. I had this idea pop into my head soon after I arrived home and I have been finding the perfect materials to make it with all over my Nan’s house…. It’s almost as if she is finding them for me and leaving them in my path!
The necklace is going to have a mermaid come seaweed theme, so in preparation and for inspiration, I had a wander around Etsy to see who else had used this theme. Here are three of my favourites:
Sargasso Sea Choker by Skywatcher1121
This choker combines trinkets and fabric, and idea I have been toying with for my own designs.
The Mermaid Queen in Purple Charm Bracelet by Poetsummer
Yet more trinkets, I like the idea of lots of little bits on the necklace, just like Ariel’s collection.
Nautical Statement Necklace by Bionicunicorn
This piece uses several strands of varying length and construction to make up the necklace. Another idea I am toying with myself.
So keep your eyes peeled for my own creation, appearing here soon and go check out the stores of these creative peeps!
Today's entry is going to be a bit twee!! First off, lets do the good news!
I was rummaging through pieces of coral and shells I had collected in Aruba when I found this. A piece of coral with odd colours that inspired me to do something odd with it. I created the choker band out of pink metallic fabric machine embroidered with a scalloped design. I then played around with pink coated wire and made swirling links to attach the coral to the band. The choker closes with a pearl and loop made from knotted thread.
I think this choker is fit for any rambunctious mermaid making her way in the world!
It is available for sale in my store here.
And now on to the not so good news... depending on how you look at it. I was informed by my office today that I am going to receive additional training in April to work with Nickelodeon Character Costumes... Now in some ways this is a good thing. It is a new skill for me to learn and I will be able to put Nickelodeon on my Resume. However, I fear I will be cleaning kid's puke off Sponge Bob... which is not so good! I didn't sign up for slime and kid's snot, that's for sure. Right now it i probably best to focus on the positive ;-) So yay for new skills! Bring on Dora and Sponge Bob.... where they are going to fit in the dressing room I will never know!!
I found this little shell in Aruba and loved its strange colours. It inspired me to juxtapose materials when making it into the centrepiece of a necklace. I experimented with wire-wrapping, making looped links to hold the shell along with wrapped pearls from Germany in harmonising colours. I then lengthened the necklace with sea grass coloured hemp.
I think this piece is delicate and subtle, emphasising the bold colours of the shell itself. Let me know what you think!
This piece is currently available for sale in my shop here.
On a personal note, I’m thinking about relocating. With my cruise line phasing out my production company I have been looking for a new job, maybe on ships, maybe on land. I’ve applied for a few things back in England but I have a friend in Tennessee who might be able to find me something…. I’d just have to work out work visas and stuff. Anybody have any advice they’d like the share? I’d much appreciate it! - Leave me a comment!
In this post I wanted to share some of the Handmade Love! When I get home from my current contract (10 weeks to go!) I want to start having a regular blog post dedicated to showcasing handmade items that I really like. Let’s call this my first one, inspired by my good friend Sara Mahoney.
I hand embroidered a dress for my friend Sara (see my blog post Sugar Skulls Dress here) when she was on the ship with me back in November. In return I just received my birthday present from her…. A hand embroidered cushion case with a Geisha on it! Now the Geisha is poignant to us as we worked on a show together called Garden of the Geisha, but Sara also knows I love Ed Hardy stuff, and his Geisha design is one of my faves. Isn’t she gorgeous! I have it hanging on the wall of my cabin right now, but when I get home I am going to get a cushion for it, I can’t wait!!
Company Of Wolves Necklace by Hoolala
On to my second plug. It’s Euro Week on Etsy this week as they open their European Office in Germany. Even though my items are currently being shipped from the US, I am actually a European Etsy seller, being from England when I am not on ships. I decided to have a look around Etsy for fellow British sellers and stumbled across Hoolala. In particular I found her Company of Wolves necklace. This is going to be my birthday present to myself (my birthday is on April 10th – remember the date!) as it has my favourite quote from said movie incorporated into the necklace – Sweetest tongue hides sharpest tooth. I am in love! Hoolala has many other amazing creations in her Etsy shop so check out this fellow British artist!!
