Hot Ticket

One of the new collections I've been working on is called "Hot Ticket" - and is made using images from old concert ticket stubs. You can purchase ready-made ones in my Etsy shop or at What The Rock?! or Wholly Craft! Each one is unique - and I can also create a custom order for you from one of your own tickets.

Get It Together...

I need a swift kick. The past week and a half has been filled with utter laziness (including a great trip to MD/DC...photo above is from the National Gallery of Art). Now I must get back on track. I have summer craft shows to prepare for and retail locations to re-stock. 

I could use some words of encouragement! And maybe better time-management skills as well. 

On the plus side, I am starting a new line of jewelry that incorporates glitter and resin. I find that the hexagonal glitter looks a bit more sophisticated than the typical square kind. Below is an example of one of my new glittery pieces: "Ruby Slippers" pendant necklace. Look for it in my Etsy shop soon!

Resin Pendants

After what seems like a million mess-ups and endless experiments later, I finally got my resin pendants to be exactly how I want them!!

The secret is finding a good bezel setting.

Scrabble tiles also work as a great backing for a found image (so do dominoes!)

Here is my ode to the Arcade Fire: it's the "Neon Bible" necklace!

The image I used for this pendant came from a large photo pf a vintage Tiffany lamp.

These last two pendants serve as reminders that the cold & flu season is upon us!

I call them the "Germophobe" necklaces. If you would like to purchase one of these necklaces, please visit my online shop! Custom orders are always welcome.

Busy.

My favorite person in the world moved to San Francisco on Monday. We cooked some yummy dinner on Sunday night (amazing garlic pan-fried asparagus!!) and just enjoyed each other's company.

It's a good thing I am ridiculously busy, or else I would just mope around all day.
Upcoming projects include:
1) Finishing work for Tiny Canary *indie design market* and getting last-minute supplies for my table.
Here is a preview of some of the new goodies that will be for sale at the Sweet Stella Designs table at Tiny Canary (On Sunday, November 18th only!).



2) Labeling my December/January contributions for The Sampler and mailing those out
3) Working on my thesis
4) Helping with centerpieces for my school's Scholarship Dinner
5) Keeping up with my Etsy site

Here's a project that I am very excited about:
I will be collaborating with Lori of Midsummer Muse to make some adorable gift sets for the holidays. Pictured is the first set: Golden Autumn perfume oil and vintage Lucite and Swarovski crystal earrings.
We will be debuting the gift sets this Sunday at Tiny Canary in Columbus, Ohio!

Bead Bounty

This past Sunday, I went to a bead show. It was on the small side (about 10-15 vendors) but still overwhelming enough that I had to walk around several times before I could decide what I wanted.

In addition to the bounty above left, I picked up some yummy furnace glass by David Christensen, honey-colored resin beads, cranberry quartz, and two funky coral beads that look like apples.
My bead orders from Etsy have slowly been arriving and last week I squealed when I got my green Lucite jellybean beads as well as an assortment of glass, metal, plastic, and wood that are great for fall.
Within the next week or so, I should be getting some great vintage Lucite cabochons and beads, as well as the doming resin I ordered to make new pendants.
Look for photos of my new work soon!

I'll be working hard over the next few weeks for Tiny Canary: don't forget to stop by on Sunday, November 18th! There will be lots of new items as well as old favorites. And also be on the lookout for a special collaboration (Holiday gift sets!!) between Sweet Stella Designs and Midsummer Muse.

New Creations

I've been busy this week, trying to cram in some jewelry-making before I have to start teaching again. Here are some of my creations using vintage stamps and found images with a pour-on resin as a protective coating:

Petite Pendant Necklaces

Vintage Stamp Chokers

Floral Earrings

Also, I am very happy to announce that some of my jewelry will be available at Tigertree in the Short North (Columbus, OH)! So head on over to 17 E. Brickel St. for locket-shaped resin pendants, oval Lucite dangle earrings, and little teacup rings.

Adventures In Resin

I think I may have finally figured out the trick to Envirotex Lite pour-on resin! Last time I tried, it didn't fully cure and I was so sad that my pretty pendants and coasters were all sticky. And since it's a chemical reaction and not a dry-time issue, the surfaces were still sticky after a week.

So, I tried again! This time, I was armed with good advice I received from the Etsy.com forums:
1) If your mixture proportions of resin and hardener isn't perfect, it will not set up and cure to a rock-hard finish. However, if you have a bit too much hardener in the mix, it's not the end of the world. Too much resin, however, means stickiness.
2) If it's humid, put your items (if they're small) in a barely warm oven. The resin cures fastest at 90 degrees, 50% humidity.

I have a gas range, so my oven is always warm because of my pilot. And the oven was perfect to use today because my apartment feels like a sweltering jungle rainforest.

So here's my resin pendant gallery:

Cells
My own artwork: Pitt artist pen and colored pencil on paper
collaged on to wooden discs

Dudes
Found images on silver-plated charms

Retro Flower
Found image on a mini domino

Stardust
Patterned paper and tons of glitter in a tiny frame charm

I still have to wait until Tuesday for the resin to fully cure. But I can tell that it will set up just fine. Yay!