Jewelry Trends Grapevine

With fall almost upon us and Spring 2009 fashion week almost over in New York, I thought I would write a little post on the Fall trends in jewelry for 2008. Most of us are not as advanced in trends as designers so we are just now worrying about the fall trend for this year.

Of course I chose jewelry for a trend post because, well, I make jewelry. A lot of the handmade community, that I have heard or spoken with, does not follow trends. While I applaud that, I admit that, at the very least, I keep a close eye on the trend. I know that other designers will be religiously following these trends each and every season. So, why shouldn't I follow my heart's design ideas but throw in a few trendy pieces as well?! Besides I can't make fun of a really horrible upcoming trend if I don't know what it is, now can I?

Through the trend grapevine, I have heard and listened to the call for the fall jewelry trends. While there may be a few varying trends, the one thing that remains constant is Big, Bold jewelry is it for this season. I'm talking like statement pieces. Things that you can see across the room. Of course, this means that people will be wearing less jewelry. Instead of wearing a whole ensemble, they will be choosing a single or maybe two statement creating pieces. This includes men's jewelry as well.

Another thing that is pretty consistent is jewels. Seems people are going to be wanting pretty colored gemstones on everything. This could be one large colored stone or lots of little stones. Either way, jewels are the way to go.
Here's a few other things I have heard mentioned: layered necklaces, cuffs, natural stones like jade and turquoise in the beading community, flowers on necklaces/bracelets, and big colored stones in men's jewelry.

Lastly, I'm going to leave you with the fall color chart from Pantone.

Now if copper was the ultimate metal to have I'd be set.

Project Runway

I will continue with home improvement roundup next week. For right now,...

Can we just talk about Project Runway for a second? There won't be any spoilers because I, of course, missed the last like 5 minutes because I wasn't paying attention.

OMG! I loved last night's episode. The contestants had to design an outfit for a WWE Diva.

All right. I have to make a confession. I love WWE wrestling on occasion. I watched it every weekend when I was a kid, but of course back then, it was called WWF. Yeah, I know it's fake, but I like to call it my stories. Some people have their soaps. I have my wrestling. I don't watch it all the time, but I do like to watch it every now and then.

Let's get back to the show. I thought this challenge was hilarious. You could see on most of the contestants faces that they were in total despair over this challenge. It only got worse when they mentioned they would have to shop at Spandex House. HA! The people that I thought would have whined the most didn't. They actually grabbed the challenge by the horns and went for it. Sweet Pea I must say did have the toughest customer. Candace does like a lot of flair and a lot of sexiness. She's like the Las Vegas Strip all rolled into one person. I could definitely see her wearing that outfit if it only had had lots more sparkle on it.

I have no idea what Ricky was thinking. I mean, seriously. A bathing suit with a gold lame coverup?! What the heck was that? It wouldn't have lasted five minutes even in a pretend match.

I'm so glad they had to do this challenge. A lot of people are probably thinking what did this have to do with fashion? Well, you know what? Somebody has to design these clothes for these girls. Also, you never know who is going to come to you and want to commission you for a special piece. I could see Maria coming to Chris in the future for more outfits. They were a perfect fit.

Lesson to be learned: Open your eyes to the possibilities.

Birthdays, Fashion, and Jewels

I had such a long hellish weekend. I hope your weekend was better. First of all, I would like to say thank you to all of you who wished me a Happy Birthday. It was the best part of my birthday, and just warmed my heart. So, thank you.

I received my clutch from Moxi, and I just adore it. It really is heavenly so head on over to her shop and check out the others she has for sale. I feel so marvelous, fabulous, and chic with my clutch. I finally broke down and bought myself a pair of shoes. Well, two pair actually. Those are the shoes in the picture. I love strappy heels, but because I am tall anyway I don't normally buy them. I fear Jenn from Stilettoheights has been a bad influence on me. I adore my shoes! Once again, another step into the world of fabulous and chic.

As another sign that Jenn has been influencing me, I also bought an InStyle magazine. Yes, I did buy a fashion mag. I forgot how much I loved them. My favorite part is always the rich and expensive looking ads. I got lost looking in the magazine and can't wait until I get another issue. While I was reading it, it had an article about their website. Go check it out. Not that it is the be all and end all of fashion sites, but because you should just for fun. There is a place to mix and match clothing, enter to win beauty products that have been featured, and get a newsletter that tells you what your favorite stars did the night before. Check it out just for the fun of it.


The collar necklace in the above picture is my latest creation. I have discovered how to weave wire. Very time consuming, but utterly and totally worth it! I created this necklace for the Creative Challenge on Etsy last week. Last week's challenge was to create something inspired by your favorite flower. I chose vine flowers. Not my favorite, I have to admit, but a very close second. The centerpiece is a handmade glass cabochon from Willow Glass. The necklace can be found in my shop.