'Tis the Season for Tassels!

I am so officially obsessed with this tassel thing.  I love to take apart old jewelry and make it new again and tonight I made another tassel, this time using an end cap that I took from something that I no longer like.  I cut up an old necklace into three pieces to make the bracelet portion.  I have to say that using an end cap like this makes the tassel look way more polished than my first attempt (a few posts ago).  The charm is from yet another pendant that I took apart.  The bracelet I am wearing with it is from Banana Republic.  I like them both together, it looks very holiday to me! 

Gingerlove in My Heart

My friend, Mary Koziol, is a very talented artist, jewelry designer and a wool felter.  And her lovely vintage-infused jewelry designs are on Etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/shop/gingerlovedesigns).  If you don't already know about Esty.com...go there now!  You will not be disappointed.  A few years ago, I actually sold my pieces on this site too.  It is a great cooperative of artists and you can find countless, unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.  I cannot say enough about this site, it is really special. 

I just ordered these gorgeous earrings today from Mary's Gingerlove Designs shop on Etsy.  I had been looking for a pair of copper earrings and these are a perfect fit to mix in with my other current favorites.  The bead in the middle is no ordinary bead either, it is actually a swatch of vintage fabric that Mary has stiched and molded around a wooden bead for effect.  Beautiful!  I have never seen anything like this.  Can't wait to get them in the mail!

Learning How to Make Wrap Bracelets

I have long admired the layered look of the very popular wrap bracelets that seem to be everywhere these days.  I have seen some for $200+, for designer versions.  I happened to have some waxed linen laying around from a previous project so I found this great tutorial on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-QS85GBRcY).  I am quite pleased with the results on this first try and already have several other versions in the works.  I added the pink tassel out of embroidery floss as kind of an afterthought and a nod to my previous tassel necklace project but now it is my favorite part of the design!

Merry Wrist-mas!

My friend Jennifer from work came to me with this lovely bracelet design a couple of months back and I said, "it is a perfect project for holiday presents!"  And away we went.  Many a lunch hour spent at the bead store (Bead It) and a couple of wine-and-beading-get-togethers, and voila, a rainbow of cozy bracelets were produced for our friends and family! 

This was a fun project although there were some learning curves along the way.  Tying slip knots for bracelets like this is tricky and required a lot of trial and error and some help from a knot tying expert (aka. rock-climber-engineer-husband-Casey).  But I have to say the end product is very boutique-y sweet.  We used all real stone beads, leather and gold wire.

Take that Emma!

It is all about the inspiration and the essence is definitely there.  I took the liberty of doing a mixed metal approach with copper charms and an antiqued silver chain.  For the tassel, I happened to have some embroidery floss on hand in a color that is a very close match to the original inspiration!  Which by the way is way easier than it may seem thanks to some helpful tips from the ladies at Bead It in Greenwood Village.  I am very happy with the result and have been wearing this for two days straight now.  :)  Would I like Emma's gold version in the Lancome ad still? Well, YES!  BUT, now I can at least calm down a little on this latest obsession.