New necklace design-Vinyl heart necklace

I'm usually not one for sappy stuff but I just couldn't help myself when I found this translucent cherry red record. I made the cutest heart shaped pendant with it. It's dripping with sticky sweetness and I love it! The red color is super vibrant. I polished the silver behind the vinyl to a high-shine to help reflect any light hitting the back of the necklace. After all, if I'm going to do the lovey-dovey thing, I'm going all out. It's posted up in my Etsy shop now, and was featured on Modish last week!

New pendant: Sterling and vinyl lotus

Here's the new custom piece I just finished last week! I riveted hand pierced sterling silver sheets to vintage vinyl. There was a lot of precision cutting to do on this piece and I was skeptical that I would be able to recrate the vision I had for the design. I usually don't try to pierce areas that are too small for my file to fit into, but this particular design demanded it. I utilized my saw blade as a make-shift file and it worked really well to clean up those small areas. In the end, it turned out a lot nicer than I imagined it would. I hope the recipient loves it as much as I do!

Etsy Pick: Soku

Soku has been an Etsy favorite of mine for quite awhile. I think a lot of their designs are fresh and unique (and sometimes a little traditional). With this design Soku manages to embody the delicate aesthetic of wire with hardwood. Anyone who is familiar with my style knows earrings like these are right up my alley. In fact, this is the very design that made me check out Soku's shop in the first place.



I also really like the juxtaposition of materials in this acrylic and wood design. It is put together using acrylic rods as rivets. Being someone who uses rivets often, I can appreciate the precision needed for this type of construction. You can find both of these pieces and other Soku designs in Soku's Etsy shop.

Sterling and vinyl pendent.

Here's a revamp of an older design of mine. I have finally perfected making the rivets disappear and it has improved the design tenfold. The prototype of this design was originally intended for ME but I gave it to a friend as a gift and ended up taking a different design for myself. Yes, I took the one with the flaw. A drill bit broke off in the metal and I wasn't able to remove it. So, that's the one I wear (no pics of that one here with me, unfortunately). So, this one will have to find a new home. I listed it on Etsy last night:

New earrings!

Here's a new pair of earrings I made which are now up in the shop. This shows the 5th and (hopefully) final alteration to the pattern. The last pair I made (which I own) are a bit bigger than these (1.25" diameter) and tend to weigh down the ear. I made these a little smaller so they don't tug as much. They're my favorite earrings!

JUNKPRINTS SPECIAL!

Chanel, the fantastic mind behind Junkprints, has offered free shipping* for any of you lovely readers who are interested in purchasing something from her line! All you have to do is enter "Junkprints luvs Sewcial Suicide" in the seller notes. So, if you dig her line, (And how couldn't you?) now is the perfect time to pick up a little something to put a smile on your face. Thanks, Chanel!

P.S. I love the jacket pictured above. A lot.

*The promotion is valid until 8.30.07

Etsy pick: Junkprints

Ok, so I found this little shop a few weeks back called Junkprints. I tucked it away in my special little place reserved for future Etsy picks, aka, a Gmail folder. I just pulled it up and had nearly forgotten how much I LOVE this girl's work! And, I believe there are new items up since the last time I visited. Oh, how I wish moving wasn't quite so expensive, because I really could go for this hoodie right about now:


Everything about Junkprints' work speaks to me. I love the artwork, the prints on the inside of the hoods, the positioning of the artwork, and the colors. It has the street vibe that I am consistantly drawn to. The artist also shows her sense of humor while remaining relevant to current issues which is something that I appreciate and adore.

Etsy pick: Margaux Lange

Jewelry rarely makes me sigh but I actually released an audible one when I came across the work of Margaux Lange. I LOVE the originality and craftsmanship of this jewelry! In addition to using the doll face parts and sterling silver, the pieces have epoxy resin detail-a medium I've been dying to use. The purple lips really POP in this setting (which, by the way, has been sold to some lucky person). This purple face ring is one of my favorites but every time I check her portfolio I find another. You can see this design and more at Margaux Lange's Etsy shop, her website portfolio, or on her blog, Midge's Mind, where she also discusses her work.

Etsy pick: Lake

Yesterday I found this ring by Lake on the Etsy home page. This is a very playful industrial design called Rolling Ruby which was created in lightweight aluminum and strengthened with sterling rivets. I love the color choice for the stone though it looks a little more fucshia to me than the blood red I naturally associate with rubies. I think the contrast between the metals is beautiful-I like the shiny sterling bars and steel spring against the matte finish of the aluminum ring. I've never worked with aluminum, which is surprising because I find aluminum fascinating. Aluminum is very soft so I imagine this ring would get dings pretty easily, though, in a design like this, it would only add to its character.

New stuff!

I made some new stuff for the Art vs Craft show that I completely forgot to post! ¡Ay, caramba! Here are a couple of the flex-frame clutches/wristlets that I adore so much. I got a lot of positive feedback on them at the show but nobody bought any...The blue floral clutch is on my Etsy page and the neutral clutch is at Niche.
Though neither of those are my favorite as far as print goes, they ended up being the most popular style I brought to the show. The bag on the right was made with vintage floral fabric that has splashes of neon pink, which I love.

I also made some of my sterling and vinyl pendants for the show.
I sold this one at the show. The other design I brought is currently
at Niche.

Etsy pick: Ndeur

HOT. These shoes are so hot I believe I started drooling when I saw them. They may possibly be my newest obsession. I found Ndeur, the artist/designer, today on Etsy. Ndeur's designs are being sold on Etsy at The Rage's Etsy store. The Rage is a store out of Toronto, Canada that showcases Independent Designers and Ndeur is a Parisian artist living in Canada. There's a lot of great street oriented design coming out of Canada these days, if you haven't already picked up on it...

Etsy pick: Tadworks

I've been trying to avoid posting Etsy picks directly from my Etsy favorites list in an effort to find new designers but I just can't hold back any longer! I'm in love with everything in Tadworks' Etsy Shop.



She hand makes these little characters, named Po, out of polymer clay. There is so much detail in such a small space. YAY! How could you ever be sad with one of these little guys sitting next to you? They are so adorable! And they all have cute little companions or props that give them each a distinct personality. Someday I hope to have a little Po friend for my desktop.

Etsy pick: Cecilia Jane

I love these! More than that, I think she has some pretty original elements in her designs. She seems to have a knack for detail which is something I can appreciate.



Here's another great example of her exceptional attention to detail:



Her original designs can be found on Etsy @ Cecilia Jane.

Pin cushion

I've finally had it with my pin cushion. I have one of those generic tomato pin cushions you can buy at any craft/sewing supply store. The green felt piece on top fell off years ago, but, not being one to easily discard items, i 'fixed it' with glue. The glue made the pins difficult to push in; still, I refused to throw it away. Now the felt is falling apart, the threads are coming undone, and the thing just looks crummy. I've never been a fan of the tomato pin cushion and I was reluctant to buy it in the first place. Back then (1998?) I couldn't find another option. I have now:

These cushions from Giant Dwarf are adorable, one of a kind, AND recycled. I may finally be ready for a replacement!

Etsy pick: Muttsywonder

This seems to be a very popular design from Muttsywonder.
This particular shirt sold out before I could post it! I love grey,
and I especially like the contrast between the grey and
red on this shirt.