Design This – Custom Music Themed Necklace

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about some new music geek items that I developed for my EclecticSkeptic shop as a result of a custom order. Today I thought I’d share with you the necklace that sparked the new items.

Ever since I made the first pair of custom cufflinks for my customer to give as a gift, she had talked about wanting some type of custom charm necklace using the image I had developed. She tends to wear a lot of black and silver jewelry and she had showed me some styles that she liked and we brainstormed what components drew her to them. I had the opportunity while I was putting together a supply order this past summer to add some components to it that I thought could be worked into a custom necklace that would suit her.

Once I had my shipment, I scheduled to meet my customer. I laid out my new supplies as well as ones that I already had on hand. I asked her to pick out the pieces that she liked the most. I mocked up some suggestions based on what was left and after we had a necklace design in place my customer asked about the possibility of a charm bracelet too, made using a heart that didn't make it onto the necklace. I then took down some measurements to work from.

One thing that I still had to do was to come up with an image of a keyboard for one of the charms for the necklace. I took several close up photos of my piano’s keys and worked up a couple of photographic art images. The charm images needed to be black and white but I loved one of the intermediate color steps so much that I saved it to come back to later. (I used this image on the new piano keys necklace that I added to my shop earlier this year. I have also framed it as a ready to hang piece of photographic art. I will have it with me next week at my Dallas show.)

While I was working on this image, I put together enough of the necklace and bracelet to be able to do a test fit, got approval to go ahead, put the rest of the pieces together after finalizing the piano keys charm image and delivered them to a very happy customer.

Happy customers always make me happy too. It’s great to be able to create something that is special to someone. If you would like to discuss the possibility of a custom creation, please contact me. I have completed many custom orders long distance in addition to local ones as described in this post.

See Eclectic Design Choices at Dallas Handmade Arts Market

Your chance to see me and my creations in person is just around the corner. I have four shows currently planned during the fall show season at which you can shop offline from my EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic Etsy shops and more. My first show of the fall season will be the Dallas Handmade Arts Market in Dallas’ Design District on October 4 and 6-7, 2012.

While I will be inside the Dallas Handmade Arts Market all three days, Thursday, October 4 is a special event outside of the regular weekend hours of the market. Thursday from 5 – 10 pm, Cole Street will become the Design District Market with street vendors and food trucks. Inside the Dallas Handmade Arts Market you will find local artisans as well as live background music, and complimentary wine and champagne.

Saturday and Sunday, October 6-7 will be business as usual at the Dallas Handmade Arts Market. The goal of the market is to give artisans a space to showcase their work on a rotating basis. The market will not look the same from week to week. Expect to find something new each time that you visit. Their regular weekend hours are Saturdays from 10am - 7pm and Sundays from 11am - 5pm. I hope you’ll get a chance to come out and browse through the talented artisans that will be sharing space at the market with me and my work on the first Thursday and weekend of October.

EclecticSkeptic Expands Music Line

The new and improved music themed cufflinks, that I introduced to my EclecticSkeptic shop and wrote about developing earlier this year, have been a popular item. Over the summer when my friend, whose earlier custom order prompted the development of the cufflinks as a stock item in my shop, requested a custom music themed necklace, I took the opportunity to brainstorm some new music themed jewelry items for my shop using some of the new supplies and tools that I purchased to fill her custom order. (Stay tuned for the “Design This” post about her custom necklace.)

So far I have added music note earrings and a necklace to my music geek line. For the earrings, I am using the music note graphic that I designed for the cufflinks. The earrings, like the cufflinks, are available in silver plated or gold plated styles. Unlike the cufflinks however, the image of the sixteenth note and music staff are printed in a very dark brown instead of black when paired with the gold plated earrings.

The necklace incorporates an image that I developed in the course of working on the custom necklace order. The image is a close-up of piano keys and has a vintage quality to it that nicely complements the antiqued brass tone bezel and chain that I used to complete this necklace.

I have always enjoyed the challenge of a custom order. It is a bonus when custom orders are a catalyst for new items for my shops.

Thanks for the Treasuries - August 2012

Five different Etsians let me know that they had featured one or more of my items in a treasury during August. Eight August Etsy treasuries, that treasury makers let me know about, included one or more of my items. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during August. (Click on the collage to see a larger view.)

I really appreciate being featured by the treasury makers. To thank them, I have listed below (in alphabetical order) links to the 5 Etsy sellers that let me know that they featured at least one of my items, as well as an item from their shop that I like.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the shop links of anything that catches your eye.

ArtSortOf
Here you will find jewelry holders and personalized items such as signs, wall decor and housewares.

BrankletsNBling
This shop carries affordable handmade jewelry for every occasion.

HotDogCrafts
Items such as buttons, fridge magnets, necklaces, pocket mirrors and keychains may also be customizable.

TheYellowRoses
Rag dolls, teddy bears, stuffed animals, pincushions, quilts, & wallets are handmade with love & great care here.

TICC
Here you will find an assortment of handmade crafts including jewelry, candles and crochet items.