new collection launched

Recently I shot my newest collection of jewelry with the help of three amazingly talented women- Kelli Ryder, my teammate at Rue and a talented stylist, Anna Marks, an wonderful photographer, and Sarah Long of Sarah's Ambitions, shown here as my stunning model.

I'm thankful that they got a great reception at the Rue office and our Editor-in-Chief chose to give a sneak peek of the still-in-development lookbook on Rue Daily. I've saved my favorite images for Rue so hurry over and check it out.

Then get your summer shopping done online on my online shop or BRIKA.

new percent jewelry

What's this? Oh yes- new jewelry on percent.etsy.com! As you can see, I've been very inspired by crystals and natural stones, as well as playing with new textile materials. There are even more new items than I've shown here, so hop on over and take a look.

Plus, this is only the start of my new collection so I have more pieces that aren't listed or that are still in development. Stay tuned for more percent jewelry news.

international present of mystery

This morning, as I was getting ready for work, an international package was delivered for me. I couldn't remember any recent purchases so quickly tore it open to find an elegantly wrapped box. Inside the box was a pair of gorgeous golden earrings that looked vaguely familiar. After checking my Etsy Favorites, I realized I had saved them over a year ago. Luckily, I couldn't wait to wear them and put them on immediately (okay, after snapping a few pictures.)

Still unsure of their origin*, I checked the package again and found a card for Cynthia Del Giudice Jewelry and the cute little card in the top image that simply reads "Thanks, Katherine! Hope you enjoy! xoxo, Cynthia!" I definitely will, Cynthia, I just need to figure out who sent me these!

*I suspect my mother.

kickstarter

At A Fair to Remember on Sunday, I met Laura of Yes & Yes Designs who makes the delightful jewelry shown above out of a genius repurposed material-- old books! Laura was delightful to chat with and shared her Kickstarter with me. Check it out, you can get some sweet jewelry and support a local artisan.

Not into jewelry? Food more your thing?

My friend Russell in Richmond is also doing a Kickstarter for his farm, Ringer Farms. Ringer Farms grows local food for local chefs, food I enjoyed dining on in many of my favorite Richmond restaurants. They recycle beer grains from a local brewery into mulch for their soil and need help purchasing new equipment to keep up with demand and the changing weather patterns they are dealing with. Support Ringer Farms here.

jewelry workshop update

Very excited to reveal more details on the jewelry workshop I will be leading at Sticky Art Lab on March 31 from 4-6pm. It's for all ages, 6 and up (6-12 with an adult.) I'll be teaching a variety of skills but the focus on YOU creating a unique piece of jewelry using a combination of new and reclaimed materials.

Bring your favorite necklace that broke, jewelry from your grandmother and random baubles you never wear and remake them into something totally unique and just your style! In this workshop, you will learn to craft your own beautiful necklace out of repurposed jewels and materials. Additional bits and beads, along with the technical tools to create jewelry, will be provided. Things to bring: beads, charms, old necklaces, favorite bits of seaglass, chain (broken is okay!) and whatever other shiny objects catch your eye. You will learn the skills of beading but more importantly the possibilities of repurposing jewelry into new creations. 

It's a steal at only $15! Don't miss out! Reserve your spot by emailing info@stickyartlab.com or call 510.981.1148. Sticky Art Lab is located at 1682 University Ave in Berkeley. 

Rope Necklace and Sherbet Necklace- Final Necklace a Day Post

I can't believe it's the last day of February. While I may not have a perfect attendance record, I'm glad I challenged myself to make jewelry every day and, for the most part, list it on Etsy and blog each piece's story for you. Here are two last necklaces. And your last day for 20% my Etsy shop with the special code FEBRUARY.

[Rope and Pearl Necklace]

The first was inspired by a post on I Spy DIY about rope necklaces. I've been playing around with ideas for quite some time and a trip to the fabric store this morning to buy elbow patches ended with this amazing blue rope. I used the inspiration from I Spy DIY but added my own glam spin. Blue rope and a vintage pearl necklace combine for this abstract statement piece.

[Sherbet Necklace]

The second necklace has been in my head for days, just waiting for more beading wire and. I knew I had to get it done as part of this challenge! I thought it would be a snap to pull together, but ended up going through several iterations. This necklace took almost three hours to make! I've lost the light to take nice pictures of these in action, but I hope this snapshots will suffice for now.

During a Necklace A Day I made one piece of jewelry each day. See all the daily necklaces here. I was joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who was crafting and blogging as well.

Cozy Necklace- February Challenge Day 28

[Cozy Necklace in Gray]

It's almost the end of February! Shortest month but it was jam packed of exciting adventures. I'm feeling much more like a Bay Area resident- I was even called for jury duty! Don't forget that there are just two more days for the 20% discount during the February Challenge. It ends tomorrow at midnight! Check out my shop for all the new goodies made this month. 

Today's necklace is a repurposed tshirt cut into strips that wrap around themselves. This necklace is highly dynamic and as it's worn, the strips curl together more tightly. I added a fun vintage brooch for a bit of shine. I have made other necklaces in this style and they always are eye catching. You'll get tons of compliments whether this is layered over a party dress or just paired with jeans and (another) tshirt.

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well.

new jewelry: february challenge

I've been great at keeping up MAKING new jewelry every day with my February Challenge. As you can see, posting it each day has been harder. It's almost 1am, and I'm excited to share my newest pieces. They'll be up on Etsy soon, but leave a message if you must have an item you see here. Otherwise, keep posted on my Etsy for new pieces. And all February Challenge pieces are 20% off with the coupon code "FEBRUARY."

See, I have been busy!

Sailor Necklace- February Challenge Day 16

[Sailor Necklace]

Preppy with a modern twist, this Sailor Necklace is strung on blue baker's twine. Pink and blue beads made of recycled glass in Africa mix with brass cubes. The bright colors and nautical theme make me want to head out on the Bay on a sailboat. It's a bit chilly for that right now but put this necklace on and you'll be all set for summer.

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well.

Golden Geode Necklace- February Challenge Day 15

[Golden Geode Necklace]

This collection of purple pearls and beads have sat in a plastic bag together in my jewelry "to do" box without quite coming together perfectly. Today, they finally did. A few extra additions of the gold pearls really put it over the top. Plus we all know I love a gold chain.

Today is halfway through the Necklace a Day Challenge, and while it has been a challenge, I'm loving really digging into my work and finding something new each day. Thanks for all your support and kind words!

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well.

Be Mine Necklace- Day 14 Necklace

[Be Mine Necklace]

 I thought I was going to do something pink or red and a little saccharine for Valentine's Day but I ended up playing around with a piece of repurposed black leather and created this instead. I'm not wearing it because I'm sporting a red cardigan my great grandmother made. (Or may have paid someone to make and then claimed she had made it. There is not of that going on here.) Still, this is one heart necklace you can give your sweetie to wear year round.

The details: black leather that I used my exacto skills to carve a heart out in the lower right corner on a strand of neon green vintage lucite beads from Japan.

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well.

Three times the necklaces- February Challenge

[Cora Necklace]

I may be late, but these three necklaces seriously have everthing I love working with to create jewelry- tons of beading and bling, vintage pieces, mixing textures and textiles, and even simplicity. Yes, simplicity. Check out that last necklace!

First up is a six string necklace with vintage pearls, blue seed beads and translucent purple glass tube beads with a sparkly vintage brooch on one side. It's statement-y, but actually not too big of a piece. I decided to name it after my grandmother. I think she would have liked the colors.

[Fringe Necklace]

 Next up is a STATEMENT piece. Full stop. Two layers of trim are sewn to a gold tone chain with the trim going all the way around to the sides of your neck. Layer with a simple dress and you'll be stunning. I first made one of these to wear to my brother's rehearsal dinner and everyone thought the necklace was attached to the dress. I made some matching earrings for this necklace, but those are mine all mine. The necklace is, as all February Challenge pieces are, up for grabs on Etsy. 

 

[Repurposed Monet Necklace]

Lastly, simple. I was playing with layers of this chain and decided the unusual shape should continue to be the main attraction. Three layers, simple vintage chain necklace. I even left on the original tag from the maker- Monet.

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well.

Necklaces 8 & 9- February Challenge

[Apple Necklace]

 You don't have to be a teacher to want this apple necklace. Vintage lucite in green and blue and two strands of awesome flat gold chain hold this vintage apple charm with a jade colored natural stone "leaf" dangling. The lucite I found at my favorite Bay Area bead store recently and is originally from Japan.

[Calcite Necklace]

Close friends will recognize this necklace as a riff on one I wear frequently myself but these calcite stones are too amazing not to share. I wirewrapped the stone to attach it to an amazing gold toned rope necklace. I love the hazy pink color of the stone and how it vaguely resembles weaponry while remaining feminine.

Necklace Ten coming soon!

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well.

Serenity Necklace- February Challenge Day 7

[Serenity Necklace]

For those of you who like your jewelry to be a bit calmer, today's necklace is the Serenity Necklace. It's classic percent jewelry- a mix of vintage beads, chains and natural stones- but in a very simple piece that you wear daily.

The chain is the same used in the Cascading Necklace, but the best part of this necklace is the  beautiful vintage beads hung off center. With light blue, purple and magenta, they add interest in the otherwise organic feeling necklace.

The lighting has been poor and Partner-in-Crime hasn't been home to help me take pictures of my necklaces being worn, so apologizes about the low quality of this pictures. The colors on the top image are true to life.

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well.

Necklaces Five and Six- February Challenge Days 5 & 6

[Glass and Pearl Necklace]

 

Okay, a necklace a day gets even tougher when it overlaps with my first weekend off in a month. Instead of making a necklace yesterday, Partner-in-Crime and I lunched at Thai Temple, ran errands for the house, took Gracieface to the dog park, and even went to a potluck in the city. Since I didn't get it posted yesterday, today is a two-fer.

Day Five's Necklace is a multistrand necklace with two strands of pearls in cream and gray, gold chain and green recycled glass made in Africa. It hangs from a cream ribbon and is adjustable to whatever length you'd like to wear it.

[Sydney Necklace]

Necklace Six is the Sydney Necklace, named after my friend Sydney who gave me the amazing necklace that is the base of this piece. I wrapped it with orange, lime green and blue embroidery floss down one side and continued the blue onto the charm. A shorter piece, this necklace sits on your collarbone.

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well. If you'd like to join the challenge, email me at kat.mceachern (at) gmail dot com.

Prism Necklace- February Challenge Day Four

[Prism Necklace]

 I'm especially excited to share photos of this necklace because I'm on Instagram! If you follow me on twitter, you got to see a special sneak peak this morning. Then I was off to Marin County for hiking on Mt. Tam and lazing on the beach in Bolinas. 

I've done many necklaces with chandelier crystals before, I cannot get enough of them, but this is the first I've combined with natural stones. These are dyed green stones that are an incredibly variegated green. Simply gorgeous. The Prism Necklace is available now on Etsy and I have a handful of these green stones left. I have the feeling they won't make it through February!

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well. If you'd like to join the challenge, email me at kat.mceachern (at) gmail dot com.

Neon String Necklace- February Challenge Day 2

[Neon String Necklace]

Happy Groundhog's Day! (And happy birthday to my big brother.) Apparently we're getting six more weeks of winter. If this makes you crave something bright, today's necklace is for you!

[Wire wrapping]

A bright pink neon string has been repurposed to replace my usual gold chains. Neon is everywhere (including my purse) so why not around your neck? On the string is a big bright orange wood bead with three light blue clay beads on one side and six on the other. The blue beads have a great variegated color that adds texture and interest. Hangs perfectly offcenter just below your collarbone. This piece is finished with wire wrapped ends that keep the string secure and let it lay smoothly on your neck. The Neon String Necklace is now on Etsy, get it before it's gone!

[Necklace two]

A Necklace A Day will continue all of February. See all the daily necklaces here. I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well. If you'd like to join the challenge, email me at kat.mceachern (at) gmail dot com.

February Challenge- A Necklace a Day

[Champagne cupcakes from Some Kitchen Stories]

Happy February! In my family, February is a month of celebrations because of the many family members with birthdays. My sister just escaped being a February baby by one day and was born on March 1- of a leap year! My brother and I still lament not being able to constantly tease her about being four years old on her sixteenth birthday.

This February I won't get to celebrate with any family members in person, but we'll be celebrating everyday on the blog with a new necklace every day! I'll share a bit of a story of the necklace and it will be up on Etsy for puchase. Making, blogging about and listing on Etsy is a big task to undertake daily but I'm excited to both spend more time on my craft AND more time sharing it with you!

Plus, all Necklace a Day necklaces will be 20% for the month of February with the code (what else?) FEBRUARY. 

To make this even more exciting, I'm joined in this challenge by a fellow East Bay Arts Collective member, Gwen of Gwen Harlow Design who will be crafting and blogging as well. If you'd like to join the challenge, email me at kat.mceachern (at) gmail dot com. See you tomorrow with the first Necklace a Day jewels.

make it, gift it: DIY button ring

[Vintage button collection]

A few weeks ago I posted my excitement about participating in the Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap and the Holiday Gift Swap, both organized by some awesome bloggers. The deadline for mailing out treats for both was recently and I wanted to share what I created. Today I have a diy instructional for my gift- button rings.

I knew I wanted to make jewelry and making rings from vintage jewelry and buttons is an easy diy that anyone can do. To start, you need one or more buttons (or other bauble such as a rough gemstone, cocktail earring piece, etc) and a ring blank. Ring blanks are available at craft and bead stores.  

[I decided to create a layered look with the large tortoise shell buttons and various small gold and colored buttons.]

[You'll have to remove the back of the button if it doesn't lay flat. Use pliers and just work it back and forth.]

[Use E-600 glue (from a hardware store) to secure the ring blank to the button. I added a strip of fabric, also glued down with E600 to add stability. If your ring blank has a large flat surface then this is not needed, but if your ring is only circular, like mine, then it is helpful. ]

[Your ring is ready! Here is what they looked like before being mailed.]

 

[I added fun bows to the packaging, just because I love gifts.]

Thank you so much Freshly Picked for putting together this awesome showcase of crafters! Over the past week, I've received adorable notecards, holiday coasters, and a necklace from a repurposed tie. I'm looking forward to the last few arrivals and to sharing my Great Cookie Swap recipe with you tomorrow.