hand painted seating cards and table cards

DIY seating cards and table cards. I took a large sheet of Bristol Board which is pretty sturdy and painted the large heart with water colors so its still light enough to write the names and tables on. After the watercolor dried I cut the sheet into 2x2 inch squares. With this type of seating cards you have to be careful when you write the names on. If you mess up you can't just write a new one because each peice is part of the backround picture! Also make sure to write them in alphabetical order!!

To tie the seating cards into the tables we had the table cards handpainted as well. These are just on watercolor paper 8.5x11 painted as a flat sweep of color with a little variation in color. We had our tables named after cities in Brazil  (seeing as I've now married into the Brazilian world!)

Nana's vintage bottles on all the tables too!

Photos by Kyle Hoffman Photography

handmade clutches vs. bridesmaid flowers!

Instead of having all my bridesmaids carry flowers that will be put down right after the ceremony and forgotton for the rest of night, I decided to make them clutches! They looked great next to my flowers and with the flowers in their hair as well. The lace doilies,pearl and touch of ribbon and fabric peice on top also match the boutineers for the guys!

I picked out the fabrics to match the color scheme of my flowers all in
different patterns. Each Clutch has a clasp sewn into the inside as well as
message to my bridesmaids written on the inside.

I also added a few little goodies to the inside including, mints,
chapstick, hairties, and deodorant!

 

Photos by Kyle Hoffman Photography!

13 Forest Gallery - Tag show -closing Friday!

Hurry up and head to 13 Forest Gallery on Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington for the Tag (you're it) show! The gallery tagged 10 artists who were featured in the Gallery for a month , then those artists tagged 10 more who were then featured for a month of their own. There is some amazing work from all different mediums. Including one of my own so hurry up and take a peak before it ends this Friday!











(sterling silver necklace)

Here is my piece for the tag show. Not only is this a piece of art to display on your wall but it also a jewelry box of sorts holding a removable brooch hanging on the right as well as a removable sea urchin necklace in sterling silver!


Sea of Adornment
sterling silver anenome necklace; sterling silver, copper and pearl brooch; acrylic, colored pencil, charcoal on paper display piece
$400 necklace, $700 brooch, $1,275 display piece with necklace and brooch

One of a kind bridesmaid necklaces - 6 girls 6 designs!

One of the best parts of planning a wedding is planning what everyone will wear. Not only did I get to pick out all the dresses but I had the pleasure of making all of the jewelry for my wedding party as well, along with clutches for the girls instead of flowers, and all of the boutonnieres for the men!

Each necklace is hand peirced out of copper and stamped with a lace texture. Each necklace is unique in design and pattern to the next. All 6 necklaces have a patina and fresh water pearls placed throughout the necklaces.

 

            Necklace Photo: Kyle Hoffman

For the Maid of Honors (my sisters) their necklaces were powder coating with a white paint and brushed back through to see parts of the metal.

 

 

 

engagement rings, bridesmaid jewelry, and wedding creativity!

I have been soo busy these past few months and Im so sorry to leave my blog hanging! I've been so busy this summer with family and friends but also planning my wedding!!

I wanted to create as many unique attributes for my wedding as possible, some related to jewelry of course and some a bit more of my creative side!   I'll be posting quite a few right in a row to catch everyone up on what Ive been up to!!

First off, Being a metalsmith I couldnt stand the idea of wearing a ring that was most likely mass produced. I do appreciate it the ring I got from my fiance very much and it certainly was beautiful! However, I really wanted to add my grandmothers diamond too it and a bit of my own personal touch.

(sterling silver, gold accents, diamonds and a yellow sapphire)

Photography: Kyle Hoffman Photography

Our wedding took place at Zorvino Vineyards in Sandown, NH

July 27th 2012

Not only did I re-design and re-make my own ring but I also made my Husbands ringas well!

Both rings have a lyric written on the inside...

Hers: it's always been...
His: there's no end...

 "You and me" by Soja
It's you and me, it's always been
And how I feel about you, there's no end, end
But you make me chase you around, all around
And then you need me there when you fall down, down
And when this dance is done,
You and me are still the only one
Well since our time begun
And I'm still with you even when your gone
When this dance is done,
You and me are still the only one
Well since our time begun
And I'm still with you even when your gone

Significance of the Yellow Sapphire

Happily married couples give credit to the Yellow Sapphire for its presence in their lives. The yellow sapphire is also said that if you seek to sort all marital problems, then it is the solution for you. The Power of this gem is such that the girl that you desire will be yours forever and if a girl will wear this gem then she will get married early!

Bolo tie, in progress!

In Enameling II Ken Bova assigned us to make a Bolo Tie. Being from New Hampshire I wasn't too sure what that was so I looked it up and apparently its basically a tie but looks kinda like jewelry too. So we had to design our Bolo Tie based on a specific person. I chose to do mine about and for my dad(he is an architect) and in the final result you will see a bit more about him really reflected. For now I have a simple sillhouette of a building that a drew and pierced out of copper. The plan is to have 4 layers, this being the top enameled component, then a thick layer of plexi to give it some depth then a sheet of paper cut from a blue print of his, then another back plate. Not sure exactly what I'll be doing with the finials at the bottom of the bolo cord. Guess you'll have to wait and see!

Erin Gardner's studio visit!

So I had the pleasure while in Oregon for spring break to meet up with Erin Gardner and check out her studio. Although we only had a chance to get together for less than an hour it was totally worth it. I spent part of the day  in Portland shopping a enjoying the unique city then made my way to Erin's studio. She's got a great space with Meg and it was awesome to see how such a successful Jeweler sets up her space. It is pretty overwhelming when you are about to graduate from school and be pushed off with nothing more then a few tools you may or may not have purchased along the way. Its refreshing to see someone maintain that creativity and flourish in the arrt jewelry world like Erin does. I saw a sneak peak of some of her new work and I even made it out with a pair of her red silhouette earrings! I highly recommend checking out some of Erin Gardner's recent work and projects.