Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Name Bracelets For Children

Shiny black nickle findings with polymer alphabet beads, pearl charms, and fuchsia butterflies


Something I have done for children several times by special order is make Name Bracelets.  The bracelet  above was a birthday gift, and I have several requests for Christmas.  If this is something you might be interested in, or even a child's charm bracelet without the name, please contact me at mgjuxtapose@gmail.com and I will be happy to accommodate you.  Most children's charm bracelets are $10.00.  Alphabet beads are white or black, generally acrylic, although sterling or pewter or polymer clay are available for an additional fee.  If you are local there is no shipping.  These make great presents and/or stocking stuffers!

Thank you for stopping by!


These items are available for purchase at my Artfire Studio


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Saturday, November 13, 2010

Jane Austen's Heroines

                                                                     


HEROINES:
first row L. to R. Marianne Dashwood, Jane Bennet, Anne Elliot
second row L. to R. Elinor Dashwood, Elizabeth Bennet, Catherine Morland

I spent an inordinate amount of time at the public library this past summer.  Hot summer days/nights are more conducive to reading than almost anything else, and I was determined to read a fair amount of classics (as opposed to trash, news, or non-fiction). 


I ended up reading almost all of Jane Austen's literature.  I also viewed most of these versions in film.  I found that if I watched the film first, I ended up having to read the book to capture the true essence of the characters.  Discussing Jane Austen is it's own genre, and not what I intend to do in this post.  As I've said before, I'm always thinking about and noticing jewelry, and my mind began to create adornments for these characters.



Sense And Sensibility

Elinore Goes to London




Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are sisters who lose their father
and thus their home and their inheritance at the ages of Seventeen(Marianne) and Early Twenties (Elinor).  Unless you watch Ang Lee's film version (1995) and then Elinor appears to be a spinster in her 30's---or older because she is played by Emma Thompson.  At any rate, Elinor is the sensible one, and Marianne is the emotional one, and their story chronicles their journeys to love.

I used sterling earrwires, Swarovki crystal light grey pearls, crystal studded bead caps, large gem-cut Windsor blue crystals, and  an aurora borealis Swarovki crystal on a decorative headpin.
Marianne and Elinor






Marianne is a romantic, strong-willed but impressionable young girl.  Swarovki crystals adorn tiny teardrop chandeliers; lever-back ear wires.



Delicate Marianne measures only 1 3/4 inches long
 




Pride And Prejudice


Jane and Elizabeth Bennet are the eldest in a family of 5 daughters.  Their mother's life revolves around marrying off her daughters'  Much hilarity and drama ensues.  Elizabeth (Lizzy, Eliza) as the second daughter, is the main character.  Early in the story, she meets Mr. Darcy, whom she perceives as arrogant and proud.  He is not very impressed with her (or her family) either, but things change, and that is what the story is about.




Antique brass bead cones top large pink crystals.  Pale pink pearls are cradled by antique brass bead caps. Tiny pink crystals dangle.

'Lizzie At The Ball'
Based on 'Pride And Prejudice' 2004
Lizzy goes to a ball in Netherfield, given by the eligible and amiable Mr. Bingly.  She has her hopes set on a military man, Mr. Wickham, who does not show up at the dance as promised.  She does, however, begin to bewitch Mr. Darcy without intending to.


Jane, the beautiful, but shy eldest daughter and Mr. Bingly are in love.  Friends conspire to keep them apart for various reasons.

Baroque Swarovki crystals are suspended on delicate silver plated chain.  They are offset bySwarovki bicone crystals. 


'Modern Jane'


Persuasion

As a young woman Anne Elliot becomes engaged to an intelligent and ambitious man of the English Navy.  Her family and close circle of friends however think she is beneath the match as Captain Wentworth is not wealthy.  She is persuaded to break off the match.  Seven years later, he re-enters her life, but he still cannot forgive her for the past.  Anne has never married, and at a young age, she 'loses her bloom'.  However, after Wentworth's reappearance, she begins to grow beautiful again...



'Anne In Bloom'

Gold pearls encased in antique brass bead-caps, dangling olivine crystal and tiny golden pearls.  'Vintaj' antique brass ear wires.



Northanger Abbey

Family friends invite 17 year-old Catherine Morland to accompany them to Bath for a long holiday.  There she meets many new friends, including some that share her passion for Gothic novels.  She also meets the witty and accomplished Henry Tilney, who believes she is too influenced by the literature that she exposes herself too...


'Catherine Visits Bath'

Black nickle lever backs and bead caps with gem-cut garnet crystals.  Wrapped wire globes finished with tiny garnet crystals.


Breezy day, and about 34 degrees when I was outside shooting these photos.  However, I always like to get a shot in natural light






Literary Heroines, All Together



200 hundred years after publication, these books, and these characters remain vibrant in our culture, thru their original publisher and particularly in film.  During Austen's time, British culture was considered advanced, and yet women were still subjugated to men, whether it be their father, brother or husband.  And yet, they still had the same universal hopes and dreams that we cherish today.  This is what makes Jane Austen's literature timeless.  Her books are a  testimony to the human spirit.



Thank you for stopping by!




These items are available for purchase at my Artfire Studio

ArtFire - Buy Handmade - Sell Handmade
















Sunday, November 7, 2010

Japenese Maple

 It's the time of year to be inspired by the beauty that surrounds us.  The colors and the coolness of Fall are eagerly anticipated here in the US South.

Maple, particularly Japenese Maple, always puts on a memorable show.  Once again, these earrings practically made themselves!













Of course, I had to make a bracelet to match.  Antique brass cones and spacer beads, as well as oval rings.  Large gem-cut garnet crytals, along with smoky topaz and olivine bicone crystals are the centerpiece.
The bracelet is adjustable,and features a toggle clasp. 

Better together!


Here is the photo that really got me to thinking about it.  Of course, I think about jewelry all the time.  And that is a true fact.




Thank you for stopping by!




These items are available for purchase at my Artfire Studio

ArtFire - Buy Handmade - Sell Handmade

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Polynesia Travels...and How My Mind Works



Dalmatian Jasper Pendant
 
I find great joy in creating one-of-a-kind jewelry. Different things inspire me, and I really don't control the muse, I just try to channel it.  Sometimes it's something as simple as a focal point.











I saw this wonderful pendant in my favorite bead store and wondered (obsessively!) what I could do with it. 
When it went on sale, I bought it.  Then I pondered it for weeks.




****************************************************************



Don't you hate it when you lose an earring?  I always save my orphans, hoping against hope that I will find the other one and I will again have a set.  I saved this orphan because my best friend bought these earrings from a street vendor in San Francisco in the mid '70's and gifted me with them.  They were simple, but super-cool.   Somehow I started viewing the orphan up against the pendant, and an idea began to form in my mind....

On the left is the original inspiration for this group...thanks Reg!

Making some updated earrings did not solve my necklace issue, but it did get me started.



Polished heishi beads were a perfect match.  And everything looks good with Swarovki crystals.  I fell in love with the creamy tiger-eye mother-of-pearl and the shiny, cubed obsidian, especially when I put it all together.


Neutral can be YUMMY!


I liked the obsidian enough to make it a focal point for the bracelet



So now I had a group that took weeks to put together, with natural elements from all over the globe.  How to give it a decent name?


Dalmatian Jasper:  Mexico
Obsidian: Western United States
Shell Beads:  South Pacific
Crystal:  Austria 



The word 'Polynesia' kept running thru my brain.  The shell beads were definitely that.  But how do you tie it together with North America and Europe?  Unless you travel.... 



And that is how the concept 'Polynesia Travels' came to existence.


Thank you for stopping by!

These items are available for purchase at my Artfire Studio

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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Celtic Wisdom---Eternity

This was a a series that, once again, took on a life of it's own.  I found the pewter Celtic Knot in the button section of a fabric store, and that started the process. 

The round, flat 'calendar' beads were a lucky find, and I already had the pearls.  In the back of my mind I had been trying to find a way to combine them; opposite in shape and color as day and night...

Finally, the large 'Sunrise/Sunset' fire-polished Czech glass beads add the final link to the bracelet and an ancient narrative.

 




Jewelry photography can be tricky, but in a stroke of good luck, the setting sunlight hit these earrings giving them an other-worldly glow.

One of the things I like the best about this is the wide range of wearability it affords.  They will look good with jeans or business casual, even some evening dress. 

Thank you for stopping by!

These items are available for purchase at my Artfire Studio


ArtFire - Buy Handmade - Sell Handmade