What do you think of this colour combination? I think this might be my winter palette! I normally stick to white, black, and clear but this year I think I may live on the edge!
New Westminster Cultural Crawl
Happening Next week! I’ll be stationed at Good Omen Shop in New Westminster from 11-5 both days!
Metamorphosis 39: Sterling silver family stackers
I started following Jen Pistor on Instagram and quickly realized that her fashion philosophy would make her a perfect fit for my Metamorphosis project! She writes and shares about ethical and sustainable fashion (among other things - check our her blog here). And…it turns out that she lives just up the street from me!
I scheduled Jen’s metamorphosis for September, and shortly after, she reposted the image in the gallery below (from @fashiontakesaction) that reads: Thrifted. Borrowed. Swapped. Vintage. Used. Handed Down. Reused. #SecondHandSeptember
It’s like the stars were aligning for this specific metamorphosis project!
My metamorphosis project involves using old jewellery that we no longer wear because it is broken, outdated, etc. I find ways to reuse items as is if possible and if not, I melt them down and turn them into something new.
Although I can provide people with new materials, I really love melting down people’s old jewellery. Not only is it fascinating to see what kind of jewellery people bring me, sustainable business practices’ are really important to me and using recycled materials is a huge part of that.
Jen brought me an assortment of her old silver jewellery and mentioned wanting some stackable bands. Here’s the thing: they may seem simple to design, but when you’re making something for someone who is an advocate of slow fashion, you really want to make something that isn’t just your average stackable band.
(Sidenote: Slow fashion is the movement of designing, creating, and buying garments for quality and longevity. It encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints, and (ideally) zero waste.)
Getting a sense of Jen’s style was pretty easy thanks to the deep creep I did on her instagram (go to her IG here) and blog. I have a new appreciation for the colour yellow thanks to Jen and how she wears and styles the colour! As such, I decided to add 14k yellow gold to the three stackable silver rings I chose to make her.
One band has five mini-hydrangeas in 14k yellow gold to represent each member of her family (hydrangeas are her favourite flower that make her think of her grandmother). They aren’t symmetrically placed nor are they perfect. At first this made me nervous but nothing in life is perfect which is what makes things imperfectly perfect. When I told Jen this, she added that she is an advocate of body positivity and loving ourselves in however shape we come so this ring actually really speaks to her! How perfect!
The second band at first just seemed like a design that would pair well with the hydrangea-band, but as I made it I got thinking about all the dualities in life but especially those of motherhood. We may be mum’s, but we are still women with individual personalities outside of what motherhood requires and it’s important for us not to forget that. We can't pour from an empty cup so it's important to take care of ourselves.
I set the third band with 12 citrines (yellow! And also her birthstones) because mum’s are always on…24 stones would have been more accurate to represent 24 hours in a day but I was thinking of a 12 hour clock.
They can be worn together or alone and pair well with most outfits.
I have learned so much about the fashion industry from following Jen on Instagram and I would encourage you to do the same. We can all do a little more to help create a more sustainable world and education is the first step!
MIST 2020
These are the stones for my next collection! Hoping to launch sometime between Fall and Winter!
When fall rolls in, so do the misty and foggy mornings. These silver sapphires, pyrites, and jaspers look misty and encompass all those grey Fall days!
Sunset 2020 is LIVE
This collection was inspired by the last few pink sunsets summer gifts us before our grey rainy West Coast fall arrives!
I love how this collection turned out and already miss working on it!
30 Day Posting Challenge
Hi everyone! It’s September and all that back-to-school energy has me feeling inspired to do a 30 day posting challenge! Head over to my Instagram to follow along! Have lots of pretty things to share this month!
Metamorphosis 38: Multi-gem statement hoops
Photos: Before: old jewellery/After: new earrings
Katrina has been waiting a long, long, long time for her Metamorphosis! As in, it was supposed to be finished last July. That’s over a year ago…insert embarrassed face here.
So why did these take so long? Well simply because I couldn’t decide what to make her and I kept putting the job off! At first I was going to make her a cuff with larger stones but something about the design wasn’t jiving with me. I put the cuff away for a month to see if with time my inspiration would come back to me. Nope! I reached out to her to see how much she wanted me to use the larger stones she was hoping I would use and she too had decided that maybe they were too big. On to the next idea!
I played around with some earring ideas but wasn’t feeling them either. Then I decided to make a necklace and started making all the settings only to realize the necklace wasn’t going to look the way I wanted it to with the stones I was working with. So I benched that idea as well!
Last but not least, I revisited the earring idea and got inspired by some photos she had sent me. Katrina has short hair and likes bold earrings. I started putting things together and bingo, everything started falling into place! I used a bunch if her stones but I supplied a few extra to make sure the earrings were balanced albeit asymmetrical. And I learned that setting gem-cut stones (cabochon would have been better!) in bezel settings on wire hoops is hard. Many times I warped the hooks and then had to re-shape them!
Glad I finally got Katrina’s metamorphosis done and to all of those waiting for metamorphosis, I promise I won’t take so long to finish your jewellery!
Crystal Oracle Deck
Got this crystal oracle deck and I love it! I got it from Amazon because the local stores I frequent did’t have it! It doesn’t have all the crystals I work with but it’s got the basics!
SUNSET 2020
I was hoping to have this collection finished earlier this year but as you can see, the running theme for this year is “better late than never!”
This collection was inspired by the last few pink sunsets summer gifts us before our grey rainy West Coast fall arrives!
Hoping to have this collection finished by labour day (September 7th, 2020)…but just in case, don’t hold your breath!
FOREST 2020 is here!
“A walk in nature walks the soul back home” - unknown
This collection is inspired by meditative walks in nature. I am lucky to live in place full of trees and magical forests. The last few months have made us all slow down and I’ve used a lot of that time to connect with nature. As a result, it became more important than ever to help do my part for this beautiful world we live in. I have decided that $5 from the sale of each item in this collection will go towards planting a tree with Tree Canada (learn more here).
I am happy to finally share this collection with you and I hope it inspires you to spend more time in the forest!
SELLING AT: Sunday Small Goods
Trying something new! For the months of July, August, and September, I’ll be selling jewellery at Sunday Small Goods on Main street in Vancouver! Check out their Instagram here or website here.
They will be selling an assortment of my classics pieces and best sellers! Go visit! And feel free to take a photo and tag me on Instagram!
Metamorphosis 37: Redo - Charm Earrings
Gold hoops with interchangeable charms
Ella’s hematite ring was metamorphosis 17! Since then, styles have changed and it was time to turn that ring into something else!
She mentioned she wanted some earrings and this idea immediately popped into my head. I used the small hematites from her ring and the silver to make the settings. I decided to add some moonstone charms as well so she could change them for a day/night look! As for the gold earrings, I traded her silver for what the gold earrings cost me. I don’t make this style hoop in small sizes as they are a lot of work and much cheaper to buy pre-made (because they’re usually machine-made).
As I mentioned in my earlier post, the point of Metamorphosis Redo is to show people that I don’t mind melting down things I’ve made in the past. Sometimes people are nervous to ask me to melt things that are outdated. Please don’t ever be nervous! Styles change and I am always happy to melt things down!
Metamorphosis 36: Sterling silver and Moonstone Ring
Sterling silver and moonstone ring
Haven’t done a metamorphosis in awhile! I’ve been meaning to and have another two on the go, time has just gotten away from me!
For this metamorphosis, Tara wanted a new wide-band ring with a lighter stone. She had plenty of stones but they were darker than what she wanted, so she purchased this moonstone from me.
I tried repurposing some of the bands she had on other rings as the base for this ring but the bands were weak once they were cut down to the size I needed to make a new triple-band. So instead I used a set of three rings that I had lying around. I didn’t make them (these types of rings are machine-made - it’s not that they can’t be made by hand but it would take forever and be very expensive and they wouldn’t be “even'“ so you either buy the beaded wire and make rings or you buy the rings already made). I bought the trio once for a project but then never used them and I found them again while I was working on this ring so I think it was kind of meant to be!
I made the vessel for the moonstone, attached it to the ring trio, then set the stone and polished it. It’s simple and it wasn’t one of the most complex things I’ve made but I’m really happy with how it turned out.
2020 Mountain Rings
My 2020 mountain rings are almost here! The waxes are ready. Just waiting for my casting guy to get back to work so I can finish them!
I only make a handful of these every year! There is one left in my shop from 2019. Once they sell, I won’t make more until the following year.
Forest 2020
I often make jewellery with neutral colour stones yet I’m always drawn to green stones, especially in Spring! It’s is my favourite season! I take extra long walks to admire the beautiful greenery.
This past winter as I counted down the days to spring, I started sorting my green stones and set aside a couple to make a collection of jewellery with. Enter March 19 (first day of Spring) and the stones were still on my bench.
One day I went for a long walk and all the plants seemed extra bright and alive. When I got home I drew up a spring collection of just a handful of pieces and called the collection FOREST. I’ve started working on it. It’s going to be done closer to summer than spring but that’s ok, better late than never right?
New word for 2020: Discipline
As I hopped into bed last night, I thought about my word for 2020: streamline. I chose that word because "I knew that my focus for the new year had to be quality over quantity. To take on less projects but ones with more value that really speak to me. To find more efficient ways to get things done faster while still being true to my standards."
Then covid19 hit and all my plans were cancelled or postponed! Talk about the universe giving me what I wanted: you want less projects? HERE YOU GO!
I am bummed that my events have been postponed but I also realize that it was actually a good thing. I was ready for a few projects but also a little overwhelmed.
Anyways, we're going on a month at home and it occurred to me that my discipline sucks. I'm not being harsh on myself, I'm all for giving myself grace. But I think maybe I give myself too much grace. I will literally stop what I am doing to go nap because I'm just too tired (I'm never tired enough that I can't finish writing an email...common girl).
Last night I played a game on my phone for three hours and I didn't even notice the three hours had passed. The day before I did the same. Now don't get me wrong, the game was fun and brought me joy. But when I was done playing, I also thought, I could have played the game, read, and worked on a personal project that would have filled my soul and made me happier than this game.
So last night while I was loathing myself for going to bed so late because I was addicted to a video game, it dawned on me that I really aught to change my word for 2020 to DISCIPLINE. It's like we're in a wrinkle in time where the universe is giving us all the time we want to get those projects we've always wanted to get done and somehow we're not doing them. I have been doing a lot to be honest. I have a million projects on the go. But the things I dream about the most are the ones I have been skirting around because they require me to dig deep and it's much more satisfying to tick the easier back-burner jobs and goals off my list.
Today I woke up rejuvinated and on a mission to not waste this precious time. I can't change the situation we're all in and stressing about it isn't going to get me anywhere. Might as well put my energy into finding the discipline I need to get successfully get things done!
How are you coping with your new covid19 normal?
Obstacles are detours in the right direction
One month ago I was writing about how excited I was for how this year was shaping up. As of today, almost every single one of those plans has fall apart. We live in uncertain times, things are changing from day to day.
I am bummed that some of the events I signed up have been cancelled but in the grand scheme of things, it'll be fine for me. There are a lot of people who can't put food on the table because those events have been cancelled. My heart is bleeding for so many people right now.
I'm trying to be positive and think "obstacles are detours in the right direction". Maybe those events weren't meant to be. Maybe when they're rescheduled they will be even better than before! Maybe the universe is asking me to focus on other areas of my business that I haven't been focusing on before I make the time for these events.
Whats happening in the world is definitely forcing businesses to rethink how they function and how they do business. It's forcing the world to wake up. The catalyst for change is usually something big and scary. These are scary times we're in and I we will come out of it stronger. Just remember to have courage and be kind. Help those in need. Help your community. The only way we're all going to get through this is by being a community of caring people.
Stay safe friends!
Metamorphosis Redo
This year my Metamorphosis focus is on redo’s of old metamorphosis!
I have two non-redo metamorphosis planned for this year but the rest will be redo’s and I’m really excited about it!
A lot of people are scared to ask me to melt things down that I’ve made them in the past. Never feel bad! Styles change!
I decided to use metamorphosis as a platform to show people that it’s ok to melt down jewellery I’ve made them. So stay tuned…the first redo will be coming soon!
Word for 2020: Streamline
Last year I did a lot. My word for 2019 was ENERGY. The thing with energy is that the more you do, the more energy you have. Which can be great! But sometimes, when you're super motivated and energized, you commit to more than you probably should. Or at least I do. I learned a lot because of everything I took on last year, but I also found myself burning out after intense bouts of work.
I didn't really have to think much about my word for 2020: the word just naturally popped into my head as soon as I started thinking about my 2020 goals. I knew that my focus for the new year had to be quality over quantity. To take on less projects but ones with more value that really speak to me. To find more efficient ways to get things done faster while still being true to my standards.
I'm really looking forward to 2020! How about you? What's your word for 2020?
Metamorphosis 35: White gold, moonstone, and mother of pearl ring
Kat came all the way from Seattle to be part of this project! She left me her old grad ring that she never wore and trusted me to turn it into something new!
Kat was super organized in regards to sending me information of what she liked and didn’t like. I always love when people have visual references of their preferences because sometimes things get lost in translation or my idea of something is different than theirs!'
To make Kat’s ring, I melted down her white gold ring (see photo of it below) and made a plain band. I picked moonstone and mother of pearl for her ring because they are alternate birthstones to hers (pearl/alexandrite). Her grad ring had an alexandrite but I didn’t want to repurpose it. I made the settings for the stone and then soldered them to the band. After the ring was cleaned up and polished, I set the stones with the middle piece still between the settings. Cutting it out before I set the stones would make the stones harder to set since the band would be weaker once cut. After the middle piece was cut out, I gave the ring one more polish and voila!
