These sleek earrings from Australian designer Amber Sceats start our year with a timeless design element…the triangle. Amber’s designs are “Heavily influenced by her appreciation for art, travel and architecture; Amber Sceats is an ode to the abstract. The underlying ‘rock’ element throughout her collections make the pieces uncompromisingly contemporary whilst simultaneously timeless.”
Archive for the ‘we can do this’ Category
Angles are In
Posted in Design, earrings, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged amber sceats, contemporary, Design, earrings, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on January 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Design Team
Posted in art, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged contemporary, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, laurie prophater, lizzie fortunato, ornamental elements, polymer clay on January 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Twins, Lizzie & Kathryn Fortunato founded their eponymous line in 2008 with the intent of creating unique accessories that use unexpected materials. “Lizzie designs the line, while Kathryn, who got her start on Wall Street, oversees sales and operations. Lizzie studied Art History and English at Duke University (where Kathryn majored in Economics) and her interest in “dressing to tell a story” is reflected in the pieces she creates.”
Wish Books Have Arrived
Posted in Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged jewlery, laurie prophater, millennials, necklace, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, primitive, ralph lauren on September 2, 2015| 5 Comments »
The September issues of the fashion magazines were waiting for me when I arrived home. I feel like a child again, dreaming as I turn the pages of the toy catalogs before Christmas My husband pointed out the featured photo from Ralph Lauren. One of the conversations at ‘art camp’ was the interest in chunky jewelry by the millennials. HMMM!!! This may be the perfect addition to my ‘Fall Collection’ and possibly my personal collection. Definitely, a we can do this necklace.
Breaking Down the Complex
Posted in art, color, Design, inspiration, we can do this, tagged art, color, contemporary, Design, inspiration, laurie prophater, monir shahroudy, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on July 21, 2015| 2 Comments »
As a ‘failed’ complex caner, I am always looking for patterns that can be translated into a simple cane. As you study this painting by Iranian artist, Monir Shahroudy, you can see it is a compilation of small pieces.While this artwork has many of the same design elements of a Zentangle, it was completed in 1980.
HMMMM!!!! Possibly, a complex cane is in my future…bit by bit.
Shameless Self Promotion!!!
Posted in art, bracelet, color, Design, earrings, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged alice stroppel, bangles, belle armoire jewelry, earrings, joan tayler, julie eakes, laurie prophater, meisha barbee, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, what are you working on this week on June 5, 2015| 2 Comments »
Typically, I do not feature polymer artists in Ornamental Elements, and leave my studio adventures/misadventures for What Are You Working on This Week. But, after a rather hectic year, I finally wrapped my creative mind around an article for the Summer issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry. I have to thank Joan Tayler for inspiring the article. We participated in an exchange last fall, and she turned my exchange charms into a pair of earrings…so clever.
I have been tempted to write tutorials for digital media, but nothing beats the thrill of seeing your work published and on the newsstand at Barnes & Noble or Michaels. In February, Alice Stroppel, Julie Eakes. Meisha Barbee and I collaborated on a bangle project. On the surface the initial idea appeared to be simple, but each of us found at least one or two challenges before the bangles were completed. You will find an article about our challenges in the Fall issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.
Charming!!!
Posted in bracelet, color, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged american craft, bracelet, charms, color, contemporary, Design, endless jewelry, fashion, inspiration, laurie prophater, polymer, polymer clay on September 4, 2014| 2 Comments »
According to the February issue of American Craft Magazine, 2014 is the year of the charm. “Whether it’s a single statement piece dangling from your wrist or a full-on array, charms are back from the fashion past and more chic than ever.”
A definite ‘we can do this’ inspiration is the Endless Charm Bracelet from Endless Jewelry. Move from leather to extruded polymer; wirewrap charms or create your own from polymer or metal clay; slip everything on memory wire…CHARMING!!!
From Lucite to Semi-Precious
Posted in art, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged alexis bittar, contemporary, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, lucite, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, rings, we can do this on November 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Alexis Bittar began his career as a jeweler selling antique and vintage jewelry on the streets of lower Manhattan. At 22 he began to focus “On Designing His Own Line Of Costume Jewelry, Influenced By The Antique Collectibles He Grew Up Around. He Began Hand Carving His Lucite Collection From Within The Confines Of His One–Bedroom Apartment While Simultaneously Creating A Second Line, Made From Semi–Precious Stones And Metals.” Today, he is described as “One Of The Greatest Jewelry Designers Of The 21st Century”
The basic shape of this Alexis Bittar ring falls into the ‘we can do this category’…and the material is a ‘cousin’ of polymer…lucite!
Design Element for the Ages
Posted in Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged altuzarra, art, contemporary, Design, fashion, interior design, jewelry, laurie prophater, necklace, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, spiral, vogue uk on September 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Nothing is more classic than the spiral in jewelry design. Altuzarra includes several reverse cuff necklaces with spiral accents in his Spring 2014 collection. I think we can place this in the ‘we can do this category’.
Improving Lives
Posted in art, bracelet, color, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged acacia designs, art, Bangle, color, contemporary, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, laurie prophater, mixed media, necklace, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, rings on September 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »
During the next few weeks, I will be featuring exhibitors from NY NOW, a wholesale marketplace for “home & lifestyle”. I was drawn to Acacia Creations because of their work with artisans in Kenya, a country that faces many challenges due to the political climate that has dramatically impacted their tourist industry. “The mission of Acacia Creations has always been to improve lives in a long-lasting and sustainable way. We go beyond fair trade by creating jobs, providing training, and giving back to the community through our education and healthcare initiatives. We work directly with hundreds of craftsmen and women at our Nairobi studio and across East Africa to improve their skills and product designs.”
I have all of these beads in my ‘stash’ of ‘stuff’. It is time to pull out the memory wire and go to work.
Complex Made Simple
Posted in Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged camelot, contemporary, Design, earrings, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, laurie prophater, morgan, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, starz on August 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »
For a tour de force of earring design, look no further than the Starz Original series…Camelot. There is a plethora of complex designs, but many are combinations of shapes or repeated shapes. I found this pair, worn by Morgan to be particularly intriguing…just a series of geometric elements similar to a spindle…very simple to emulate.
Have a safe and happy labor day weekend!!!
Ornamental Elements 