Fall Jewelry Fashion

Even though it's 100 degrees outside where I live in sunny southern California today, the Fall Fashion Season is well on it's way. All of our bigger US cities have already completed their Fashion week celebrations. New York runways showed Spring and Summer lines for 2013 last week. But before we jump ahead to Spring, let's talk about Fall. What I love most about fall are the delicious scents. Spicy apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, hot chocolate and  warm buttery biscuits...okay I'm a foodie, but for fashion this translates into rich colors and warmer, softer fabrics with layering. Pantone's color report for fall includes Honey Gold, French Roast, and Tangerine Tango. Colors a foodie can get behind! I also love the steely Titanium and muted Rose Smoke. I'm working to blend in these colors to some of my new jewelry projects for fall. Popular material seen in jewelry designs this season are Milky Stones, Light Turquoise Patina, Cabochons, Metal, Shell, and Resin. Vintage Glamour pieces from the 1930s and 1940s are hot especially in hair piece designs and brooches. If you have any Bakelite pieces from the 40s add them to your day to day wear. Collar necklaces and Choker necklaces are tres chic and can add style to any blouse or dress. Earrings are back to long and straight, fringe style, and chandelier. The earring door knocker post style has made a resurgence as well. You can pull out anything Art Deco, Geometric, or Tribal for Fall and you'll be the hit of the party.
Have a great Fall Season!

Bead and Button Show 2012

I had the pleasure of attending the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the beginning of June. This conference is paradise for any jewelry maker or bead enthusiast. My mother joined me for a week in beautiful Milwaukee. We stayed at the Doubletree Hilton downtown which was different for us as we usually stay at the Hyatt. But we liked the location of the Doubletree better because even though it wasn't attached to the convention center, it was only a short step across the street to our classes and the Bead Show. The staff was nice and the room was clean.

Our first class was called Romantic Rosettes which was a bracelet made of beaded rosette flowers. Each rosette takes about 3 hours to complete (yikes!) and the bracelet is made up of 7 of them! Needless to say I have not finished this bracelet. Here is a pic of one rosette and a side project bracelet we picked up for fun.

The next class was a wire crochet class called Wild About Hearts. The teacher was awesome, Laura Timmons and the class was FUN. I really loved this class. It was easy and the possibilities for design are really endless with this technique. I finished the project in class and then bought a kit and made a second one for my Mom. I experimented with some beads I bought at the show later on. The first pic is the necklace I made in class, the second pic is my experiment. 

After that we attended the Meet the Teacher's Conference. This is where all the teachers can set up a booth or table to sell their kits, books, designs, etc. We browsed and met some of the teachers. I bought a kit for a class that was full when I signed up but have not had a chance to start the project yet. 

The third class was the Gran Bellagio Pendant. This project was a little complicated but the directions were very well explained and the teacher, Nikia Angel, gave us a lot of one on one help. The finished necklace turned out beautiful and I get a lot of compliments on it when ever I wear it. I definitely plan on making more of these, even though they are time consuming, the result is worth the time!

After the Gran Bellagio class the Open Marketplace of the Bead Show was open to class participants. The deals were Outrageous! I bought so many beads at $1.00 or $3.00 per strand and just amazing deals all around. I also designed this awesome bracelet as a gift for my guy at the T-Beads booth. This is a new type of bracelet called Regalize and the supplies to make the style are not widely available yet. So it's quite special and unique. He loved it! 

Our last class of the week was called Moonlight Rhapsody. This class was a bracelet design mainly in herringbone stitch with a few other stitches combined. It was a beautiful design and I haven't quite finished it yet but I will post it when I'm done. Almost there!

I left the show feeling very satisfied with a suitcase full of new beads and a head full of new ideas and techniques! 

I recently teamed up with Amber from Canadian Fashionista for a product review and giveaway. I sent her a handmade wire wrapped fire agate Jenuine Articles ring to review and she paired it with some very cute outfits and did a giveaway for her followers. It was so much fun to see what styles she paired the ring with and to read the comments from her followers. This is Amber wearing the ring with her cute outfits. Read her blog. You'll get addicted like I did!

Spring Fashion Trends for 2012

Spring Fashion Trends for 2012

The runway shows and fashion editors have spoken! Let’s shed our winter blues and fashion up for spring. Pantone has provided a bright color palette for spring including pale yellow, tangerine and bright blue. Bright, bold colors are the statement now. Wear them in classic and natural styles showing off big gemstones, geodes and crystals. Big cocktail rings are still in vogue as well as recycled, vintage materials and flower designs. Crosses are all the rage. Try a simple gold cross on a gold chain.

Here is what you should be adding to your jewelry collection this season: button and stud earrings, smaller chandelier earrings, hair jewelry reminiscent of the art deco era, pearls long or short, long pendant necklaces, anything tribal, citrine and fire opal gemstones, yellow gold, large bangles to layer, cuff bracelets, vintage and recycled brooches, and flower cabochons on rings, bracelets or hairpins. Watch for all of these designs in new pieces from http://www.jenuinearticles.com/ coming soon!