Wire Wrapping Techniques

On some jewelry, lapidary and gem forums chatter has been wire techniques. I’ve been asked by several people lately from these forums what is exactly a wire wrapping technique.

There is the traditional wire wrapping done mostly on the East coast, from what I’ve found of many wire wrappers. This is the Victorian style with big looping and swirls; most over-do the technique and end up overshadowing the gemstone.

Another technique that is emerging on the West coast is more of a free style or form. This form of wire wrapping is being referred to by East coasters as ‘just wire holding’ and not even a real technique. The free form follows the form of the stone or just creates different corners to hold the stone among the wires.

Emerging somewhere in-between is a very unusual technique, wire sculpture where the individual has really used their imagination and done a mix of many techniques; traditional, free form, and soldering. This is really more of a form of artwork and very intense.

It really doesn’t really matter what type of technique you use, as long as you create something that is unique, a piece of art that you are proud of to share with everyone else!

Design Inspiration

I'm toying with the idea of using this Annie Selke fabric as the spring board for designing our new house. I got a swatch from Calico Corners over the weekend and I really like the large-scale of the pattern and the variety of colors: celadon and kelly green mix with navy blue, periwinkle and a soft blue-gray on a background of mahogany (which would play well with our dark wood furniture). In person it's really quite lovely.

Since each room on the first floor opens onto one another, the idea would be to use these basic colors throughout the downstairs, but in varying quantities and degrees so that, while each room would tie in with the next, they would not all be identical (I'm going for something more subtle than that). For example, in the dining room, I think this fabric would translate to navy blue walls with a soft white trim. In the large two-story family room, I would keep the gray paint I selected through the builder (which is a great cost-saving measure giving the cost to repaint that amount of square footage), and bring color in with furnishings (like the navy Crate&Barrel couch I've been eyeing) and accessories (like this green throw). In the bedroom, we could go lighter with a soft blue-gray on the walls, incorporate some purples for interest and depth, and reuse much of the existing accessories in our current master bedroom.

Of course, while I would probably incorporate the 100% cotton fabric in the family room as pillows or even an accent chair, I would not be using it in other rooms downstairs. I also think that I'd temper the feminine, and slightly exotic, floral print with more geometric and clean-lined fabrics like a stripe or even a subtle zig zag, like the Indra Citrus print, also from Annie Selke for Calico Corners:

[Editor's Note: This fabric is a bit greener, and a lot less brown, in person.] As for the upstairs, I plan on reusing our existing living room furniture and accessories. I think the apple green touches that are in my rug and pillows would help relate the largely cream, brown and gold palette to the downstairs' color scheme.

Altogether, the color combination (pulled from various Behr paint colors) for the house would look something like this:

So what do you think of this palette? Also, what colors define your house/apartment? Any colors you're particularly drawn to recently?

The Hills Girls' Jewelry Style

The ever-popular MTV show, The Hills, has made quite an impact on teenage girls and young fashionistas across the country. The stars of The Hills are ones to watch both on-screen and off. With their laid back cool Southern California style to their clubbing adventures, these girls always dress to impress. Head to toe, they rock the latest and greatest trends in accessories and jewelry. Here, we examine some our favorite Hills looks. See which star you relate to most.



The Hill Girls: Lauren

The star of the show(The Hills), Lauren opts for classic well-made pieces. For her everyday look, she keeps it simple and chic with star-shaped jewelry sets and starfish pendants that are youthful but fun. For work, Lauren likes to be a little more grown up, although she adds her own mark by wearing the pieces in a contemporary way. For example, she takes a simple strand of pearls and pairs them with a high ponytail and headband. The necklace is elegant but not too rigid.

The Hill Girls: Heidi

The girl loves attention. She likes to be in the public eye and wear jewelry pieces that will get her noticed. Heidi loves chunky gemstone rings and giant oversize bangles in gold. She's also been seen sporting a beautiful cross pendant necklace as an everyday look. For Heidi, less is definitely not more. She's more into fun fads that have scene-stealing power.

The Hill Girls: Audrina

This beach babe likes to take risks. She isn't afraid to try out the hottest thing on the style circuit, but her look is always pulled together and effortless. She prefers skinny jeans and tank tops with long pendants during the day. Her favorites include a bejeweled owl necklace and a pair of ooh-la-la lips on a short chain. Audrina wears metallic pieces well. She sports the bohemian chic look with layers of beads and cuff bracelets. She likes a little bit of sparkle, but nothing too over-the-top.

Read related article:
Copy the Jewelry Style of your Favorite Twilight Character
Four Jewelry Style Ideas On Mother's Day

Do Knot Miss This Jewelry Statement!

We are constantly keeping our eyes open for the latest and greatest in jewelry styles and trends. This season, the knot is dominating the style scene, especially when it comes to statement necklaces and bracelets. Finding new ways to wear current pieces is always a challenge, but you might just be able to re-work what you already have to pull off this look.

The knotted necklaces can be quite bold or more feminine, depending on your goal. If you have a long necklace of beads or pearls, then you can easily create a knot down the front, or off to the side. Right down, asymmetrical designs are really hot and there are some fabulous pieces available. Multi-strand chain link necklaces with knots or buckles are all the rage and can be worn alone or with other pieces. For a daintier look, try a lariat style necklace. This means that the necklace does not connect with a clasp. Instead, it is knotted or tied. Alternatively, an Algerian love knot pendant necklace in sterling silver is great choice. This celeb favorite symbolizes joy, health and wealth and makes a great everyday accessory or a gift for a friend or loved one.

Knotted bracelets and cuffs are at the top of the 'must have' list this year. They are a bit edgier than a standard cuff bracelet and are an expressive way to wear the bold jewelry trend. For daytime, try sterling silver, while nighttime looks call for CZ rhinestones.

If you really love this trend, then consider knotted jewelry sets. You can easily wear the earrings and necklace together, and mix the bracelet with different accessories for another outfit. These pieces are fun and add something a little bit different to your look. Don't be afraid to wear several shades of metal woven together if you are looking to really grab attention.

East Meets West

East meets West in this design of Southwestern culture; graduated AZ Turquoise nuggets meet together to center on a Chinese Turquoise pendant encased in a bold silver off elongated design. Wear this at a medium length or longer with the extender and fishhook hoop style earrings featuring the same AZ Turquoise nuggets.

This and other unique gemstone designs are at Timeless Designs!

Craft Shows – My 2 Cents

Another post sort of a follow-up to the one from Monday; yesterday was a Spring Craft Show that I have done for the last 3 years. This is normally one of my best Spring shows and I was surprised at the results of the craft show, which has made me step back and re-evaluate doing Spring/Summer craft shows entirely.

It was not for a lack of advertising that the show did, they always do a ton of advertising. But what was experienced was very unusual and I wonder if the state of the economy is really having that much of an effect on the overall spending habits of customers. The show is only one day and usually is wall-to-wall people; not this year. The show opened as usual at 9:00 a.m. and there were no customers until almost 10:30ish and at best it was a trickle all day long. This is a show that is usually a steady stream of customers from the time of opening until close at 3:00 p.m. Again, not this year, and the weather was beautiful, a little on the muggy side, but still, I can not contribute the weather to the poor turn-out.

In visiting with several vendors on/off all day, I came the conclusion that all shows, not just the church shows, but even the big stable weekend market days in and around the area are experience the same ‘no-show and no-buy’ experiences. One comment that was made by a customer is that job situations are just not stable enough for them to buy anything right now; only the stables, but they wanted to get out and support their church’s annual function.

Does this mean the possibility of church craft fairs may be coming to an end? Not many vendors I know are signing up for shows, until almost the last week before the show, for almost the same reasons; they can’t afford to do the shows when there are no buyers. On the other hand, what does it mean to the big weekend market days in the area; an end to a weekend get-a-way to browse and purchase from local area artists? From different forums I’m hearing that some shows are still going strong; people buying and no lack of economy driven slow down; while in other areas, many are struggling and disappearing because they can’t afford to stay in business. I don’t know for sure and since I don’t have a little crystal ball, it’s hard to determine whether or not to continue with the Spring shows or wait to see what Fall shows bring.

Decorating a [Pretend] Nursery

I've decided to consider the ground-breaking an official green light to start thinking in more concrete terms about decorating the new house. The hardest part to decorating any space (at least for me) is getting started, and I often find that the best place to begin is a particular paint color or fabric. With that in mind, I ordered some fabric swatches from Calico Corner and Mod Green Pod. Two of my favorites from Mod Green Pod are above and, while these aren't really the types of patterns (or colors) I would use in a family room or master bedroom, they're exactly the sort of fabrics I'd use in a girl's nursery.

Before I get any further with this, I should state for the record that I'm not pregnant. And, quite frankly, I have no intention of getting pregnant any time in the next year or so (sorry Mom!). That said though, as more and more of my girlfriends have children, I've found myself attending quite a few baby showers recently -- and, in light of several more impending births over the next 6-8 months, there's no indication that's going to change any time soon. As a result, I've been buying a lot of baby gifts recently and, naturally, have babies on the brain.

The great thing about decorating children's rooms is that you have total license to have fun with it: Be loud. Be whimsical. Be silly. Since I'm not generally a fan of pastels and I tend to avoid anything too precious, I like the idea of taking the typical pink or yellow girl's room and turning up the volume. The bright raspberry and gold are the perfect anecdote to cutesy, and yet the damask and butterflies are still pretty and age-appropriate. I also think it's silly to drop a lot of money on "temporary" furniture like changing tables and cribs. After all, in but a few short years your little one will have grown out of both. Instead, I'd go with some inexpensive pieces from Target or IKEA and then blow the majority of my budget on great fabrics and accessories that will surive the transition from nursery to child's room.

Because the fabric choices are rather loud, I'd keep the wall color quieter. Here, I chose a soft yellow paint (Sunshine) from Serena & Lily. Of course, you can find a similar color in less expensive paint, but I still think it's worthwhile to spring for low-VOC paint when you're painting a baby's room (or if you're painting while pregnant!). For furniture, I'd go with Dwell Studio for Target's Silver Lake crib ($249.99) and Silver Lake changing table ($249.99), but I'd swap out the minimalist hardware for some maximalist pink glass knobs ($8/knob) from Anthropologie. I think the tension between the modern furniture and ornate hardware would be very interesting. The straight lines of these pieces will also cut the sweetness of the patterns on the fabrics, as well as the curvy femininity of some of the smaller accent pieces. For crib bedding, I'd go for basic white, but I'd have [my mom make] the crib's bumper and changing pad cover out of Mod Green Pod's Butterfly Jubilee fabric in raspberry/honey ($39.75/yard).

Because every nursery needs at least one comfortable recliner, I'd add IKEA's EKTROP MUREN recliner ($299), which is actually quite comfortable. I'd take the slipcover taken to a seamstress though and have it copied in MGP's Wee Jubilee in raspberry ($39.75/yard). And of course, I'd throw in a coordinating pillow (or two) in the Butterfly Jubilee. Next to the chair, I'd place Serena & Lily's Curvee Shelf Table ($369). While it's a little more expensive, this is a piece that could easily see a baby well into adolescence. On top of the table, I'd put the Pagoda Lamp ($179) for some ambient light and another hit of bright pink. The curvy lines of the lamp and shade will compliment the side table and work well with the feminine patterns. For curtains, I'd hang floor-to-ceiling curtains (probably using oversize grommets) in the Wee Jubilee. Inside those, I'd hang Pine Cone Hill's pom-pom peony window sheers ($128/pair), which I spied in this month's House Beautiful.

Finally, for artwork I'd avoid anything too cutesy in favor of something more graphic, like framed black & white silhouettes of mommy, daddy and baby (and perhaps even Olivia!). Miss Crowland does some outstanding digital silhouettes for a great price and, since they arrive as PDF files, you can size (and reprint!) them to suit your needs. Also, if you missed my round up of great children's artwork, go HERE to see what I'll be gifting at upcoming showers or perhaps even keeping for myself one of these days!

...If you haven't already figured it out, I'm still not much farther in on decorating the new place for real than I was before I ordered the swatches. Oh well, still plenty of time. Even so, I'm always amazed at how much easier it is for me to decorate imaginary spaces than real ones. Does anyone else have this experience?