Little Creatures Necklaces

When I write for fun, I write funny. When I draw for fun, I draw cute. I can't help it! The illustrations on these necklaces are little creatures I have drawn for my daughter Sophie since she was tiny. They are beloved in our house and beyond. And now you can take one home for yourself in necklace form.

Pictured above (from left to right) are Bunny, Puppy, Kitty, Bear and Birdie. They are all 100% guaranteed to bring a major dose of cute-i-tude to your life and the lives of those around you. They are all hand drawn by me, and hang on a really lovely sterling silver bead chain. And at $15, they're a steal! Only available at my Etsy shop.

Lower Prices!

I have been able to streamline my production processes in some fantastic and satifying ways, and decided to pass the cost savings along to my lovely, lovely (or macho, macho, depending on who's buying) customers. Go have a look around the shop, and enjoy the savings!

How I Perform Demolition on Creative Blocks

{It's not too often that my personal blog and this jewelry blog intersect, but this post seemed to be relevant to both - particularly because two new favorite jewelry artists are featured! So it's here and it's there!}

Someone recently asked or input on how a creative block looks and feels to me, and how I get past it. The first part was easy: a creative block for me is apathy. There are no interesting ideas in the world - and certainly none in my brain, which is both disheartening and depressing.

The second part of the question, how I get past a block, was harder to answer. But after thinking on it for a while, I realized that — whether I do so intentionally or not — I am almost always rescued from creative blocks by immersing myself in excellent work done by others. And in fact, sometimes I get so inspired that I end up with the problem that lies opposite on the creative block spectrum: a tidalwave of new ideas so huge I'm nearly crushed by it. (I do prefer this problem, but it has its own set of challenges.)

All that to say I've recently struck gold (somewhat literally!) in finding three new sources of major inspiration, and they've gotten me all aflutter with new ideas. Thought I'd share them here.

Line Vautrin: A French jewelry designer who worked in Paris from the 1930s through the 1980s, Vautrin's work, life, and style are all so fascinating, beautiful and charming. I'm already interested in learning how to work with precious metal clay, and Vautrin's aesthetic is pushing me into desperation-to-learn mode. (More information about the bronze bracelet above is here.)

Heather Moore: Moore, a.k.a. Skinny LaMinx has been a favorite designer for a long time, but I just started reading her blog recently. Somehow she manages to be witty, fun, substantive, intriguing and inspiring all at the same time. Her work makes me want to drop everything else and start designing screens for printing. The above fabric (which you can find and purchasehere) was inspired by cave paintings. Cave paintings!

David Neale: An Australian goldsmith with a blog, his work and his ideas and his inspirations are just so resonant for me. He is also ridiculously smart, funny and charming and generous with sharing his process.

About the series of brooches the above image belongs to (see them all here) David says: "I realise that the making of botanical jewellery is so historic and commonplace,- like some sort of universal default decorative subject...which leads me to ask myself: 'is it boring if I do it too?' Well, I am never bored by plants themselves, be it the humble Lawn or the honoured Flower Behind A Girl's Ear. So a challange hangs over my work; 'Can I say something unique and valuable in the age-old conversation that is botanical jewellery?'" I believe that he has succeeded in doing so!

How do you get past creative blocks, I wonder?

Pretty, Awesome, Pretty Awesome Treasury

Etsy seller Damjana of Lodddelina curated this supergorgeous Treasury, and was kind enough to include my Laurel necklace in French Blue and Brown. She also included things from two of my favorite Etsy shops, which I might as well blather on about now:

Lotta Hellberg of Inleaf Design made those sachets on the bottom left. Her work reminds me a bit of that other Lotta (Jansdotter) in its subtle color palates and natural textiles, but Hellberg's work tends toward the more refined and sophisticated, and I really love it. Plus, she creates her designs by printing with *actual leaves* - a technique I've tried and love, though my results have been vastly inferior to Lotta's!

Sharon Montrose's photo of a goose is in the second row in the middle. I love the way her use of the glowing white backgrounds bring into stark relief some aspect of each creature's being. Plus, they're really, really pretty : )

And now thanks to this Treasury, I've got a new favorite Etsy shop - Kuutydruk! Shop proprietess Moonika who hails from Estonia (Kuutydruk means "Moongirl" in Estonian!) is making laptop sleeves (second row, far right) as well as CD organizers, iPod covers and handbags out of linen, and embellishing them with traditional Estonian embroidery designs. I love the juxtaposition of a centuries-old sewing technique on covers for new-fangled techno gadgetry.

So - thanks again Loddelina for this amazing collection, and for making me part of it!

A Tiny, Superquick Survey + Another New Style!

Hello readers and jewelry aficionados! Two things for you today:

1) The Superquick Jewelry By Jessica Survey!

I wanted to invite you to take my tiny, superquick, 6-question survey about Jewelry By Jessica. Hopefully it will benefit all involved: you get to ask for what you'd like to see more or less of, and I get to do your bidding! Well, something like that : )

The 6-question survey is right here - it truly should take you about 3 or 4 minutes to complete. Anonymous is fine, but, for those of you who have online businesses too, there's a spot to leave your web address. As a thank you, I will either Tweet or blog about your work and your generous spirit!

2) New Constellation Earrings

"Another new style already!?" you may be asking? That's right - I am on a creative bender. The Constellation earrings in Ivory are available right now at my Etsy shop: www.jessicapoundstone.etsy.com. It's my first foray into offering kidney wire-style earring hooks. I have been wearing them around for days now, and I am so happy to report that they are super comfortable, super secure, and, like all of my jewelry, extremely lightweight. In fact, you might forget you're wearing it, except that everybody is gong to keep complimenting you on it : ) More colors to come soon - feel free to make a request!

Okay over and out: here's the link to the survey one more time before I go... http://bit.ly/3S3FH8

Big, Bold, Vibrant Chunky: New Wood Bead Necklaces at My Modern Beads Shop!

So in my last post, I mentioned wanting to make something small and delicate - the Simple Circle necklaces did the trick. Apparently to balance things out, I needed to make something that was big and bold. The chunky, in-your-face, go-big-or-go-home beads in these necklaces refuse to be ignored. Can you handle them? I believe that you can.

These babies are one-of-a-kind, so if you like one, grab it. They are only available in my Modern Beads Etsy shop, and are $12 buckaroos each.

Simple Circle Necklaces: Modern, Minimalist, Colorful, Fun!

I guess there's something about Fall and the whole back-to-school vibe that gets me wanting to make new stuff. Despite that fact that there are a bajillion other things I should be doing (oh, say, cleaning the house, washing dishes, etc.) the idea for this necklace took hold and wouldn't let go. So I ran with it. Literally, ran. As in running up and down the stairs to my basement studio to shrink, experiment, perfect, paint, etc. whenever I had two moments to spare. (Oh, my aching calves...)

The result? Sweet, delicate, vibrant circles of color. The circles measure about 3/4" in diameter, and hang on a high-quality 16" sterling silver snake chain. (You could substitute an 18" chain, leather cord with a magnetic clasp, or a sterling silver bead chain if you'd rather. While we're at it, you could also request this necklace in any color I offer, or in a custom color of your choosing. You're the boss!)

All in all, a charming little charm necklace that packs a big color punch. Just what I was going for! Only available in my Etsy Shop, www.jessicapoundstone.etsy.com $15 each.