Wearing the Red, White and Blue

With Memorial Day just past and the Fourth of July coming up in just over a month, the color combination of red, white and blue is a popular and patriotic theme to work into one's wardrobe here in the U.S. Whether you are looking for that perfect accessory to go with a total red, white and blue ensemble or you just want to add a spot of the color combination to your daily wear, let Eclectic Design Choices help you procure that perfect piece.

My EDCCollective Etsy shop has a few ready to ship red, white and blue accessories. Dangle the red, white and blue from your ears or clip it onto your purse or backpack with a zipper pull. A patriotic necklace for the math geek can be found in my EclecticSkeptic Etsy shop. In addition if you contact me, I would be happy to work up a custom piece of jewelry or patriotic pull to fit your wishes.

If your Fourth of July celebration includes watching a parade, gathering with friends and family for a cook out or enjoying a day on the lake, remember the sun screen. If you live in an area where you get to set off your own fireworks please follow directions, use common sense and have fun.

Design This – Retirement Gift

One of my son’s former and really awesome teachers retired earlier this year. My dilemma was trying to decide what she might enjoy and use post retirement. She was very involved with Math – Science competitions as a teacher, but it didn’t feel right to contemplate gifting math or science geek jewelry as she was leaving teaching. I decided to contact a friend of hers to see what some of her favorite things were so that I could put together something that would fit with her post teaching likes.

I was told that this teacher loved all things related to the ocean and that purple iris were her favorite flower. I also remembered that she had purchased a pearl and amethyst bracelet from me a few years earlier. I pondered what to do with this information as I looked through my jewelry supplies and photos that I had taken.

I found two images of purple iris in my photos. A couple of days later while at another friend’s house, I saw that she had two different purple iris blooming. I asked if I could come back and take some photos for a project that I was working on. I came back later that afternoon and took several shots of each type of purple iris. That gave me four different types of purple iris to work with, perfect for a set of note cards. These flower images were a delight to work with and I came up with one image of each type of purple iris for each card of a four card set. While working with the images I also came up with a wide variety of digital variations that I will be printing and matting as photographic art.

During the process of developing the iris note card set, I found some great double sided seahorse charms while I was at a trade show. I already had some spherical amethyst beads and pearls that I paired with the seahorses to make a pair of earrings to go along with the purple theme and this teacher’s love of the ocean.

If you need a special gift for someone on a special occasion, I’d be happy to brainstorm a custom solution for your gifting needs.

Design This – Necklace to Match Bracelet, Part 2

It has taken me a bit longer than I had intended to find time to write/fit in the second part of my “Design This – Necklace to Match Bracelet” post. If you need a refresher on this challenging project, please see Part 1.

I was excited when my order from my supplier arrived. One of the rose quartz pieces pieces seemed perfect to compliment the soapstone bead of the bracelet and what was even more exciting to me was that one of the filigree beads that I had ordered as a possible companion to the large filigree bead in the bracelet actually was flat and delicate enough to serve as an accent on the oval piece of rose quartz, much like the silver decoration on the soapstone bead. The other filigree bead was perfect for spacers between sections of the necklace.

I laid out a design and asked my customer to come back and check it out. She suggested a couple of changes and asked about the possibility of a pair of earrings using some of the same components as in the necklace. Now that we had a final design, I got to work putting together the different sections and joining them together. I sent a photo of the almost completed necklace for approval. When that came through, there was just one thing left to do, come up with the perfect length.

My customer came back for a “fitting” and we decided that the best option would be to make it adjustable. I didn’t want to just add a standard extension chain however since my customer planned to wear this with mostly uncollared shirts. I didn’t want the clasp to look lopsided on her neck in the shortened position, so I came up with a double clasp extension chain that would allow the clasps to be symmetric at any length. Since I still had a bit of work to complete the necklace before it could leave and my customer was really excited about her new jewelry set, I sent the earrings home with her then. Soon thereafter she was able to pick up the necklace and wear the completed set.

Since the bracelet that I was trying to match was so complex and a necklace of similar complexity was desired and because I had so many matching materials, it was very helpful to be able to accomplish part of the design process of this custom order in person. Don’t let this stop you from contacting me though if you have a piece of jewelry or an outfit that needs a special companion piece and you haven’t been able to find it anywhere. Most of my custom orders have been easily handled by email, including photos at various points during the design process.

A Little Patriotic Bling

If you haven't found that perfect red, white and blue accessory for your Fourth of July and Labor Day festivities, I can help. You still have almost two weeks from today to order so that your patriotic bling will arrive in time for the 4th, but don't delay as I only have one of each ready made and ready to ship.

It's the little touches that can really add the wow factor to your patriotic ensemble. From EDCCollective, you can choose from a pair of red, white and blue lampwork bead earrings or a zipper pull. The zipper pull is great to bling up a variety of items from backpacks to belt loops to purses, anything with a loop to clip to. For the math geek, EclecticSkeptic has a red, white and blue pythagorean theorem (right triangle) necklace.

While you are enjoying the holiday festivities and looking good in your red, white and blue please remember to stay hydrated and apply a quality sunscreen so that you will finish the day in as fine a form as you started out.

Design This – Unique Peacock Feather Earrings

I love to get messages from previous customers asking if I can make ….. . I received one earlier this year from a customer that I have done several custom pieces for. I enjoy designing for her, she has a gorgeous style that really works for her that I like to refer to as elegantly funky. She likes her jewelry and accessories to be unique and one of a kind.

The request from her this time came in the form of an e-mail stating that she had been holding one of the custom peacock feather pins that I had made up to her ear and wondering if I could make a peacock feather earring for her. Since I know that one of her signature bits of style is to wear mismatched custom earrings such as this pair of moon and star earrings that I designed for her last year, I realized that she might have actually meant just one earring, but I thought I had better verify this. It turns out that she was thinking of just one feather earring but with a coordinating small stud for the other ear and she wanted the earrings to be silver in color.

Guided by this input, I mocked up a pair of earrings for her to look at. I selected silver plated shell style posts that I could hang the feather or a short dangle of crystals from. Then I chose a peacock feather to trim for the one earring that would be adorned by a coordinating dark AB coated Czech glass bead and suggested a stack of three of the same Czech glass beads for a short dangle from the other post. After receiving a thumbs up on the design, I assembled her new custom mismatched peacock feather earrings.

If you are interested in having your own custom piece made but only have an inkling of what you want, a good place to start for inspiration is by browsing my photo albums on my facebook business fan page.

Design This – Statement Earrings

While I have had the pleasure of creating many custom pieces for other people, sometimes it comes in handy to be able to whip up something for myself. A few months ago, I found myself in need of some statement earrings to go with an outfit that I wanted to wear.

I was going to be emceeing a charity wine tasting and silent auction. A few days before the event, I went through my closet to find a suitable outfit. I decided on a short sleeved black blouse adorned with sequins and beads worn over a velvet textured maroon long sleeved shirt. Now I needed to pick accessories. The folds of material in the neckline of the maroon shirt precluded wearing a necklace and I thought a bracelet would pretty much get lost under the long sleeved shirt, so I needed to see what earrings I had to work with. While I had some simple silver and/or pearl earrings that would have worked, they were more subtle than I wanted, since the earrings would be the major addition to this outfit.

So I grabbed the beaded blouse and headed to my supply station. My goal was to create a pair of lightweight clip earrings that had sparkle, movement and picked up the colors from my blouse. I pulled out a pair of silver plated, hinged, screw back clip earrings, all of my crystal and Czech glass beads that picked up at least one color from my blouse and some sterling silver chain. I played around with several combinations and finally settled on the beads and chain that I wanted to use. I made up four short crystal sections using silver headpins for each earring. I suspended each of these sections from different lengths of sterling silver chain. I then attached the chains
to the loop of each ear clip.

These earrings are long enough and have enough sparkle that they don’t get lost, but rather are the statement earrings that I was trying for. They are wonderfully lightweight and their sparkle and movement give them a lot of life as I move.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation and would like something designed especially for you, please contact me to see if I have the materials needed and enough time to design something to fill your needs.

Design This – Turquoise Crystal Necklace

Not all of my custom orders come from Etsy alchemy requests. Earlier this year, a friend asked me to show her some of my completed designs and materials in colors that she liked to wear. We sat down with what I brought and she picked out a couple of things and made a wish list of others that she wanted to add to her wardrobe over time. This post is about a jewelry set that I designed around a strand of turquoise crystal beads that she particularly liked.

Initially, my goal was to just create a necklace design using the strand of crystal beads. The length necklace that my friend wanted was longer than the strand of beads, so I needed to incorporate some spacers or other complementary beads into the design. I had other beads in the same color as well as a variety of faceted glass and crystal beads that I thought would help showcase the large turquoise crystal beads. I strung up a variety of beads in different patterns to see what my friend liked the best.

She liked the small, faceted, AB coated Czech glass spacer beads the best. They did a good job of adding length, without taking away from the turquoise beads that she liked so much. We also discussed the pattern of spacers and large beads in the necklace. To add more emphasis to the turquoise beads, the final design was to include several of these beads grouped together in the front of the necklace without spacers.

There was a pleasant surprise when I laid out this pattern to the correct length. There were four extra large turquoise crystal beads. I sent a photo of the necklace and a suggestion for a pair of matching earrings before I beaded anything up. My friend was thrilled with being able to have matching earrings, so the custom necklace became a custom necklace and earring set.

If you have a particular color or style that you would like incorporated into a custom piece of jewelry, I’d love to hear from you and see if I have the materials to turn your vision into reality. You can contact me through my Etsy shops, EDCCollective or EclecticSkeptic, or send me an e-mail.

EclecticSkeptic adds Math and Science Geek Themed Items

In an effort to blend my love for math and science with my love for creating things, I have put on my thinking cap to come up with items for the math and science geek. My goal is to create items that not only are attractive, but that will be appreciated on a deeper level by someone with the appropriate math or science background. EclecticSkeptic has a brand new section, geekery, for these items, in addition to its broad assortment of flying pig (aka pigasus) items. At this time this new section is stocked with two of my new designs.

If you or someone you know is a math geek, the fibonacci necklace is a great accessory. I have gotten several compliments when I wear mine, just because it is a colorful and pretty piece of jewelry. The people that I know with a strong math background also appreciate what it represents. This necklace is available in silver plated chain and findings as well as the gold plated seen here. You can also arrange to have me customize the colors that represent the first five numbers of the fibonacci sequence for you.

Perhaps you are more of the science type. Then the hydrogen atom earrings would be perfect for you or for any female science geek on your list. (I'm working on ideas for the math or science guy geeks too, so stay tuned.) The electron is represented by a movable fluted gunmental plated bead. Other colors of faceted glass beads can be used to represent the proton of the hydrogen atom. Please contact me about the availability of the customizations that you are interested in.

Let EclecticSkeptic help you display your love of math and/or science with style.

Custom Birthstone Jewelry

Ever since I did a custom bracelet order for a customer last summer using colored crystals to represent the birthstones of the people to be represented in the bracelets, I have pondered jewelry designs that could easily be customized for customers with the birthstone colors of their choice. After much thought and research, I have come up with designs, using materials that I am confident that I can replenish as needed, for custom birthstone necklaces and earrings.

For the necklaces, I envision representing mom and dad with inline crystal sections. The child(ren) are represented in a pendant crystal section. This can be added to as a family grows. Of course, anyone dear to you can be represented in any of the crystal sections.

I am currently offering two basic necklaces at a couple of different lengths and price points. Custom lengths are also available. The first photo shows a 17 ½ inch necklace made with silvertone figaro chain and findings. It has two inline crystal sections and a central pendant crystal section. The second photo shows a 16 inch necklace using the same layout of crystal sections, however with your choice of gold plated (as shown in the second photo), or silver plated figaro style chain and findings.

Custom birthstone crystal earrings are also available. The base style uses three birthstone colors of your choice as shown in the first photo. They are made with gold plated or silver plated ear wires and findings.

Custom birthstone jewelry is a great way to keep your loved ones close at all times. It also makes a great gift for a new mom, grandmother, etc. Who you choose to represent is up to you. Let me know the months that you want represented and in which crystal sections on a necklace or in what order for earrings. My contact information can be found at EclecticDesignChoices.com.

Design This – Earrings to Match Costume

The perfect accessories for a costume are like the icing on a cake. They should complement the costume while supporting the theme and not detract from it. Whether your costume is for a play, Halloween, a party, a convention or other fun event, I’m always happy to brainstorm a solution to your needs.

A general Etsy alchemy request for “Earrings To Match Harlequin Jester Costume” caught my eye. There was a sketch of the costume and it suggested to me some materials that I had on hand. The request also included a need for hypoallergenic ear wires. I stock a variety of colors of niobium ear wires for people with sensitive ears so I was off to my supply room to put together a mock up for the request.

The basic pattern of the costume was an angular, geometric one in black and white. I had some square, white shell beads as well as some black gemstone cubes that I thought would lend themselves to this project. I included a gray pair of niobium ear wires in the photo of my initial design idea. (photo #1)

The person that placed the request liked the basic design but wondered if I could add some of the blue accent color in the sketch. I had just picked up some awesome blue sponge coral beads that seemed to be the perfect color and had some that were small rounded cubes that I suggested adding as a dangle from my original design. I also suggested a dark blue pair of niobium ear wires as an option. (photo #2) After looking at a photo of my other available blue sponge coral beads, my customer decided to go with the dangling cubes and the dark blue ear wires that I had suggested.

All that was left now was to make up the earrings (photo #3) and get them shipped to my customer. I think the shapes and colors of the materials of the earrings will be a good fit for the design of the costume and the niobium ear wires will both add a bit of color and provide a hypoallergenic solution for comfortable wearing for sensitive ears.

If you would like for me to brainstorm a solution to your accessory needs, please click on the “request custom item” or “contact EDCCollective” button in my shop.

Fellow Etsian Sightings – SkepticZone

Ok, I must admit that Richard was not an Etsian when I had the opportunity to sit across from him at a conference this past summer. He opened his Etsy shop (SkepticZone) shortly thereafter though, so I think it should count. Richard does really marvelous origami that you have to see to believe.

I actually had met Richard the previous year and marveled at his pierced earring origami creations. I don’t have pierced ears however, so I just window shopped. This year, I decided to look a little closer and realized that they would be easy to convert to clip earrings. The tiny, precise folds of his creatures are amazing. I found a pair of cranes that I just had to have. Now just two changes and they would be ready for me to wear. One, was the aforementioned conversion to clip earrings. I replaced the ear wires with hinged screw backs. I also wanted to find something to dangle from the loops under the cranes. Upon looking through my supplies, I found some small freshwater seed pearls that worked perfectly.

Richard’s origami skills are not limited to cranes however. He also creates flamingos, elephants, dinosaurs and more. (Oh my!) He treats the paper creatures so that the earrings will be durable. Currently his affordable earrings include free shipping anywhere from Australia.

Richard is the author of several origami books if you need some guidance in order to try your hand at this craft. You can also find some of his “how to” videos online, such as this one on the somersaulting horse. These step by step videos could get you hooked on paper folding in no time.

Autumn Themed Etsy Treasuries

There have been some wonderful autumn and Halloween themed treasuries recently on Etsy. I would like to share some that my items have been included in. Click on the images to see enlarged views.

My Autumn Glass Earrings were featured in "Bourbon on the Rocks".

Treasury curators seen to really love my Autumn Beauty Feather Pendant. It has been featured in three treasuries; "Persimmons and Plums", "autumn orange from EART!" and "There's no such thing". Will you be the customer that loves it as much as the curators and add this lovely accessory to your collection?

Earring Solution for Metal Allergies - Niobium

For some people, even upgrading to 14K gold does not alleviate their skin sensitivities or allergies to metal, especially nickel. Even in more pure forms, gold and silver are often still alloyed with small amounts of nickel. In the past, someone with severe metal allergies had to purchase expensive titanium or platinum earrings in order to be able to wear them. Today there are also coatings available on the market to buffer your skin from the offending metal. This is not a permanent solution however. For a less expensive, permanent solution try niobium ear wires.

Niobium is so affordable, it isn’t just for people with skin sensitivities. Niobium is a silver gray colored metal. However, it can be anodized with differing thicknesses of niobium to produce an array of exciting colors.

There are many craft wires available that match or compliment the anodized colors of niobium. Some very fun earring combinations are possible when you are not constrained to just silver, gold or copper ear wires. I have just designed my first pair of outrageously colored, fun earrings. (Update: These earrings have been sold, however if you are inspired by the colors of niobium ear wires in the photos and would like for me to design a pair of custom earrings for you, please contact me and let me know what your color preferences are and I’d be happy to design something for you.) You can see my currently listed niobium ear wire earrings in my shop, EDCCollective. (Most earrings in both of my shops can be changed to niobium earrings. Contact me for details.)

Add some color to your ears and be kind to them as well.

Vintage Items Featured in Etsy Treasuries Too!

A couple of my handmade items found their way into Etsy Treasuries earlier this year. Since then, three of EDC's vintage items have been featured also. Click on the images below to see enlarged views.

EDC's red enamel earrings were featured in the Black and White and Red All Over treasury.

EDC's vintage wooden toy rocking horse was featured in Accomplices For Your Inner Child.

Most recently, EDC's Santa Monica porcelain squirrel was featured in the Lone Star Spotlight treasury.