As a jewelry designer, I have a good sense of my limitations. One of these is holiday-themed jewelry. I try, I really do, but it's hard for me to get past standard colors and symbols: red, pink, and hearts. Since Valentine's Day is just two weeks away, I thought it would be fun to go around my house (too cold to go outside!) and see if I could find anything that might spark some new ideas. Here's what I found:
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Inspiration Source: Candy Wrappers I love this bright combination of grape, strawberry, and raspberry. Jewelry Idea: I can see making a fun chain bracelet with lots of glass dangles in these colors. Aren't these square Czech glass beads from YulianaG's shop unusual? I especially like the lavender ones. |
Inspiration Source: Scrapbooking Paper I often turn to scrapbooking paper when I'm stuck for a new color combination idea. I like that this paper has several shades of pink, but the sweetness is cut by having some brown and green. The result is a look that's more springtime than strictly Valentine's Day. Jewelry idea: Long, dangling silver earrings with small pink, brown, and green flower beads on wire-wrapped dangles (and maybe one of two hearts thrown in the mix—if you look closely at the paper, you'll see a few.) I think lightweight Lucite flowers (these are from My Julie Jewels) always make great dangles. |
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Inspiration Source: Book Cover Book covers can be interesting places to look for inspiration. The flowers and title in pink made me grab this book as possible Valentine's inspiration. But the more I looked at it, the more it seemed to have a bit of a sad undertone with the gray-blue house and the muted tones of the flowers. It still has design possibilities, since Valentine's Day is not a happy occasion for everyone. Jewelry Idea: This cover seemed to spark an entire story for me, so I think I'd need a necklace to tell it all. I'm picturing a long strand of steel blue beads (or maybe chain that color) and a cluster of pale beads at the front. I like these blue faceted Czech glass rondelles from Treasures by Karen. |
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Inspiration Source: Teacup What struck me first about this teacup was not the roses on it, but the thin gold rim around the top. I rarely use gold in my designs, but what a nice idea for Valentine's Day. Jewelry Idea: I'd look for a porcelain pendant (possibly with a rose or pink design) and pair it with slender gold chain for a sweet necklace. This pendant from Dishfunctional Designs isn't gold, but it is created from a broken dish, which I love. |
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Inspiration Idea: You'll Never Guess This is a close-up of a tissue box! Jewelry Idea: I like the idea of making a monochromatic piece with shades of dark pink/rose. I'd start in the middle of the necklace with the darkest shade of rose and go gradually lighter, although the reverse would work well, too. Look at these cool glass tiles from Judy Mosaic Supplies. I bet you could make some unique jewelry from those! If you don't know how to drill these pieces, you could wrap them in filigree. |
Valentine's Contest
I hope I've inspired you to look around your house for inspiration. If so, there's a Valentine's Day jewelry design contest at Happy Mango Beads with a February 11, 2011 deadline. (I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just passing along the link.) Good luck!