Enamel sugar skull hair clip with fused dichroic glass beads

My customers are constantly challenging me to think outside the box -- which I love. I'm pretty creative, but I enjoy it when others come up with a great idea for me to work with.

A friend of a friend recently commissioned me to make a Christmas gift for his daughter: a colorful enamel sugar skull barrette.

I haven't made too many accessories outside of the usual necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings, but I was eager to try. I purchased some barrettes from the drugstore and got to work.

I didn't want to make the skull too big since it's going to be worn by a little girl. I wanted it to be comfortable in her hair and to not get tangled. I made a smaller version of the sugar skulls I've made for pendants and fastened it at the end of the clip.

Her dad asked that I make the piece very colorful, so I tried to think of patterns that a girl would enjoy. I added little hearts for eyes and rainbow stripes. Not all girls are traditionally "girly," so I didn't want to go overboard in using pinks and purples.

Once the skull was attached to the barrette, there was a lot of extra room, so I added a few glass beads to complete the design. I really like how I have two kinds of glass work on the piece: the enamel and dichroic. They mix well and I really should combine them more often.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to return to my enameling class this semester, but went so I could work on this skull. I ended up making two other pendants and a pair of earrings, so it ended up being worth my time. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do for the spring, but I'm not quite ready to say good-bye. I can't enamel at home because I don't have the space for a proper kiln and I would miss it if I weren't able to do it. It's just been harder to find time to squeeze in the class between my other jewelry work and musical gigs.

Anyway, I hope this girl likes her Christmas gift. I always get a little nervous when people buy my work for someone's birthday or as a special present. Hopefully, my skull will make her the best-dressed kid in her grade school. :-)

Check out the rest of my handmade jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Weird tales from the craft fair: Wainwright House in Rye, NY

Happy Hanukkah to my readers who celebrate! This weekend, I got into the holiday spirit by participating in the Dickens Festival in Rye, NY -- a town in Westchester, about an hour out of NYC. The event was held in the historic Wainwright House:

How amazing is THAT? My mouth fell open when the cab pulled up to the front door. I love old homes and couldn't believe I'd be selling my jewelry in such a gorgeous place. The home was once owned by a wealthy family, who was very influential in local politics and real estate. In 1951, the house was turned into a holistic learning center.

The inside was just as beautiful:

My table was right below the fireplace. My husband was intrigued by the lady in that painting. No one could tell us who she is, or was. But I enjoyed having a set up in such a cool location. Here's a closer look at my Naomi's Designs booth:

There were 30 vendors set up around the mansion. There were also carolers, crafts for kids, a hand bell choir and a live "elf on the shelf" who'd pose for photos. Oh, and there was a large table set up with free coffee and cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. I had a few too many!

This was a beautiful, well-organized event, but the vendors were disappointed in the number of people who came by. Maybe 50 people stopped by my table all day. I was certainly hoping for more. It was also billed as a "Dickens Festival," but there weren't many Victorian touches. There was one older man who wore a old-fashioned top hat, but other than that, no one was in costume. I'm not sure why they didn't just call it a holiday fair.

Still, I did sell a few items and consider any sale a victory. I was especially pleased because two enamel pieces were purchased. A pair of little boys bought one of my enamel pendants for their mom. The price was right in their budget, so they split the cost and each handed me a bill. They were so cute! I wrapped their present in a bright, red box with a matching bow. They were very excited about that bow. Ah, to be young again... Anyway, I hope Mom likes her necklace.

Another customer bought one of my sugar skull necklaces:

I could tell this woman has interesting tastes, because she was already wearing funky, unique jewelry. Her necklace contained a giant lipstick pendant. How fun! After she bought my skull, we had a long discussion about the significance of decorative skulls in Mexican culture. I'm very attached to certain pieces and this was one of them, so I'm glad my skull has found a good home.

Another customer who made an impression on me was the girl who wore a T-shirt with an elephant on it. I'm guessing that she was maybe 13. I told her that my niece, who is a few years younger, loves African elephant and wants to work with them when she's grown up. This girl shared that she also loves elephants and "adopted" one through her school's environmental club. She explained that they sent funds to a sanctuary that rescues orphaned elephant babies. "Maybe your niece can work there," she said. The girl then tried on a bunch of my items and I helped her choose blue wire wrapped daisy earrings. "All of your stuff is sooooo cuuuuute!" she exclaimed. I think that's the ultimate compliment coming from a young teen, right?

Overall, it was a nice day, even if business was slow. We did get to look out at this view:

Jon watched my booth for a while so I could take a walk around the neighborhood. I'd never been to Rye before, and it's gorgeous! The mansion is right by the water and all of the other old homes in the area are stately. People in Rye ain't poor, that's for sure.

That evening's weather was pleasant, so Jon and I walked the 3 1/2 miles into neighboring Harrison so we could have dinner at a little Peruvian restaurant called Quenas. Jon had beef heart kabobs and I ordered the aji de gallina, which is a chicken stew made with a creamy sauce. The food was delicious and capped off a long, but good day. Jon says that it would've been worth going to Rye even without the sale, but I appreciate him tagging along to help me.

I don't think I'll do this event again, unless it's better advertised and they can get more people. However, I'm glad I got to discover a different neighborhood and will certainly visit Rye again. It'll be even more enjoyable if we can walk around without my bags!

Check out my handmade enamel and wire wrapped jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Silver wire wrapped wine glass charms with Swarovski crystals

I've never been a very big drinker. Sometimes I crave a glass of sangria, and I'll usually have some punch at parties, but other than that, I can take or leave alcohol. I'd rather save the calories for chocolate!

That said, I didn't know that wine glass charms even exist until last evening. We always spend Christmas with my friend Scott's family and I asked what I should get his parents this year. He suggested I make them a set of wine charms. I didn't know what he was talking about until he explained that people attach little charms to their wine glass stems so they can tell whose drink is whose. It's a clever way to keep track of your beverage -- and they look very festive.

They're also apparently very popular, so boy, do I feel as if I were left out of the loop. But I studied some designs and came up with my own version of wine glass charms:

I made these the same way I make many of my jewelry pieces: I used 20 gauge silver plated wire, which I adorned with multicolored Swarovski crystal bicones. I then attached a small filigree clover and a larger glass bead. Each bead is a different color so guests know which drink is his or hers.

Scott wasn't sure how I'd get the charm to stay on the stem of the glass and thought I might make a little chain. Instead, I went with a simpler "cuff" design, which is easy to attach and remove. You squeeze the end together to tighten and pull apart to take off the charm. I have to say, it does stay put! I tested it by holding the glass upside-down and shaking it, and the charms did not fall off.

My original design had a larger filigree piece to which I attached a Swarovski crystal heart, but Scott and another friend noted that the charm should not dangle off the edge of the glass. I modified the piece and came up with this version. The hardest part of making the set was assuring that the charms were equal in size. It's difficult enough to get both earrings in a pair to match up, but now I was working with four pieces.

Scott's idea for wine charms was great and these make such cute gifts or party favors. I hope his folks like their Christmas gift. I'll bring a bottle of wine, as well -- and I know they'll like that!

Check out the rest of my jewellery at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Making Handmade Jewelry: Beads For Love Event

I've participated in many charity events relating to music, but this week, I was involved in a wonderful program that called upon my jewelry-making skills. A bunch of us from the 92nd Street Y signed up for "Beads For Love" and visited a nearby elementary school so we could help students make beaded holiday gifts for their loved ones.

About 30 5th grade girls signed up -- and about 25 adults! Seriously, there were as many adults as kids present and I feared that some volunteers wouldn't have anything to do. But everyone managed to find a kid or two to befriend, and the event was a success.

I sat down at a table with two lovely girls, I and K (I'm only using their initials for this blog). Both seem to have a flair for design, especially I, who made a complex necklace using small and large beads. Though her piece was only made of one strand, she hung her beads in a way which made it look as if it were a two-strand necklace. It was stunning!

Several bead manufacturers donated materials so we had beads in every size, shape and color. But the girls' favorite beads were these large, round gold balls that looked like disco globes. They were practically fighting over them; luckily, we had more than enough for everyone!

My job was to help the girls finish their jewellery and crimp the ends. We had a mishap when I dropped her necklace and all of her beads went flying. She was almost finished with it at this point and I expected her to freak out. I certainly would have! Instead she burst into giggles. "You know, you're handling this a lot better than many adults would," I told her. "Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself," she said as she re-organized her beads. "Besides," she added, "Getting upset won't fix my necklace." Wow! Wise words from a 10-year-old! I'll think of her the next time I make a mistake on a piece and have to start over.

As K and I worked, we had plenty of time to chat and they told me all about their families and favorite subjects in school. I was disappointed, though, to learn that this school doesn't offer art or music classes. When I was in elementary school, these were my favorite subjects and I think it's important for kids to have an outlet for their creativity. Unfortunately, art and music are usually the first classes to go -- especially in NYC schools, where budgets are tight. It's a shame, because these girls could've beaded all evening if we'd let them. The two hours flew by and they were sad when they were told it was time to go.

The good news is that I spoke with the Y's jewelry program director and he says that he's already in the process of trying to make Beads For Love a more regular program. It would be great if we could visit the school (or even multiple schools) once a month. The director is trying to set it up so the workers would get paid, but honestly, I'd do it for free.

The Y is closed for the holidays so I'll be away from enameling for the next few weeks -- but this was a really nice way to finish up the semester.

Tales From Enameling Class: More enameled Christmas ornaments -- and a Christmas cat tree!

Class was crazy this week! A couple of my classmates blamed the eclipse or the fact that Mercury is in retrograde. I don't know if I believe in that, but everyone was behaving strangely.

People kept losing things, from small pieces of wire to large projects. The handle on the kiln stuck. One student accidentally broke another's piece.

Meanwhile, the newcomers are learning how to navigate the crowded classroom. When shuffling back and forth to the kiln with your items, you have to do a bit of a "dance" in order to weave between the work tables and other students... but these women kept bumping into everyone. I'm trying to be patient because I was new not that long ago, and I know how difficult it can be to adjust. Look at me and soldering!!! Still, the class was chaotic.

The good news is, I finished four more enamel Christmas cat ornaments!

I made a black Santa cat, brown and orange cats in stockings, a ginger tabby angel cat and another gingerbread cat. What's funny is that after I sifted the brown powder onto the gingerbread cut-out, the glass left a brown cat-shaped outline behind. "It looks like a murder scene!" a classmate joked. The orange angel cat had black burn marks on the face. I'm not sure how they got there; perhaps the kiln was a bit too hot? But I covered them with the black tabby stripes.

I purchased a tiny tree for the ornaments and had a good time hanging them. I've never owned a Christmas tree, but think it looks very festive. Maya, our cat, likes it, too; when I was trying to work yesterday, she kept nuzzling the tree and pushing it over. Finally, Jon had to pull her away so I could finish my orders. I've heard stories of cats climbing into trees and got a little taste of that!

My craft fair is in two weeks and I'd like to have at least a dozen ornaments completed by then. My tree is still a little empty and I'd love to fill it up. Meantime, you can check out the rest of my handmade wire wrapped and enamel jewellery at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Tales From Enameling Class: Handmade Enamel Christmas Ornaments!

For the past few weeks, I've been logging extra hours at the Y so I can use the kiln and finish my handmade enamel Christmas ornaments. So far, they're coming along nicely! At this point, I've officially finished and listed three -- and am almost done with five others.

When I posted the items on Etsy, I wanted to create a holiday feel, so I photographed the ornaments on top of a green cloth and then took some pictures of them hanging from an ivy bush:

At first, my classmates chuckled at me making cat-shaped Christmas ornaments, but after seeing all eight lined up, they were pretty impressed! They then came up with ideas for displaying them. One suggested I make an enamel tree. Another suggested I make an avant garde copper tree. Honestly, both ideas would require a lot of work -- and I wouldn't really be able to sell the trees -- so I'm just going with a store-bought mini tree. But I like that my classmates were getting so into my project and were being so supportive.

As of now, I have a craft fair scheduled for November 7. I'd love to have all 20 ornaments completed by then, but I realize it's a tall order, especially since they're taking longer to make than I'd thought. I want them to look good and don't want to rush the process. I'll be happy if I can have a dozen done, though, and I think that should be doable. A dozen will still look nice on my little tree.

I'm off to saw out some more copper ornament bases so I can continue with my project. Right now, you can purchase my angel cat, Santa cat and gingerbread cat -- all limited edition Christmas decorations. You can also see the rest of my handmade wire wrapped and enamel jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

New Project: Handmade Enamel Christmas Ornaments!

I know, I know, it's been a really long time since I've posted. Well, we were on vacation for a few weeks and it's been a pretty quiet summer in terms of my jewelry businesses.

Happily, things are picking up! So far, I have two craft fairs scheduled for the fall and class stars again in a few weeks.

In retail, September typically means the start of the Christmas season. Yes, it's realllly early, but I've seen many stores put out the beginnings of their holiday items along with the back-to-school stuff and Halloween costumes. I guess some people like to get their holiday shopping done well in advance so they don't have to contend with crowds -- and can enjoy Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, etc. without having to worry about everything else.

For this year's holiday, I'm trying something new: I'm making cute enamel Christmas ornaments. It seems like a natural thing to do with enamel, but I haven't made pieces this big. Anyway, my ornaments are all cat-themed:

Obviously, they are still unfinished. I won't have access to the kiln until class resumes next month so for now, I'm cutting out the metal shapes from 24 gauge copper. I drew those shapes free-hand, by the way, and then used each of my initial cut-outs as my pattern. I made angel cats, cats in stockings, cats with Santa hats and gingerbread cats. I think these Christmas ornaments will be colorful and fun, and when they're finished, I plan to hang them from a tiny Christmas tree.

From a distance, it looks like I'm making cookies or paper dolls, but working with metal -- even metal that's pretty thin -- can be dangerous. I'm using extremely sharp sheers and any rough edges of the copper can slice through your skin. I've actually spent much more time filing the ornaments because I want the metal to be smooth for the enameling process. I have a bunch of cuts on my fingers from my work, but that's okay.

This past weekend, my childhood friend Lani came to visit and wanted to try her hand at cutting out a metal shape. She thought it would be like cutting through paper and was surprised at how tough it is. With some work, though, she managed to make a little fish, which she called her "Sharknado" (after the movie, of course):

At first, she didn't want to file down the points, but gave in and let me do it after she poked herself. Her plan is to paint her shark and put it on her living room shelf.

As of now, I'm almost finished with Phase One of my ornaments. My plan is to make 20 to start -- and then make more if they sell well. I'm very eager to get to enameling, but I'll have to wait. Meantime, enjoy your Labor Day weekend.

Check out my jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Tales of peeing Santas and more wire wrapped jewelry designs

Last Saturday, I sold my jewelry at Astoria Market's pop up shop, which was held at St. Paul's Church in Midtown Manhattan. The beautiful, old church is right near Columbus Circle and has a huge, cavernous hall, which is where all of the vendors were placed. The weather outside was definitely not frightful -- it was gorgeous, actually -- and New York City was full of tourists.

Unfortunately, this event which should've been very high traffic only attracted about 50 people. It seems like the organizers basically took our registration fees (which were pretty high) and ran, and didn't bother to do much advertising. I never even saw the organizers at the event. Usually there's someone there to check you in and say hello, but no one official seemed to be around. Most of the vendors were very angry and swore not to go with this company a second time. This WAS my second time with Astoria Market and my first fair with them was also a bust, so I agree: they don't seem to know how to get customers -- or just don't care.

As usual, though, plenty of interesting things happened throughout the day! It began at 8:51 a.m. when my husband and I took the LIRR in to Penn Station. Usually the morning trains are pretty quiet on weekends, but on this one, we found seats near a group of drunken, rowdy Santas. Jon didn't believe that they were drunk ("It's too early for that," was his argument), but all of the Santas were holding beers. One then had to well, go, and used his water bottle. Yep, he did his business right there on the train! Talk about being naughty...

Once at Penn Station, Jon and I saw hundreds of people dressed like Santa. Apparently, these people -- and the drunken train Santas -- were participating in the annual SantaCon. Still, seeing so many of them at once was surreal and kind of funny.

Once we made it to the church, I set up my booth and settled in to relax as someone turned on holiday music. Though I don't actually celebrate Christmas, I really like holiday songs and enjoy getting into the spirit of the season. Some jazzy versions of Christmas songs played for a while; the classic "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" then played. And played. And played. And played. And played. The song literally played over and over again for at least an hour. Finally, Jon decided to do something about it so he found the guy who was supposed to be in charge of the music. That guy explained that his booth partner had left for a while and he couldn't get up to change the CD. Aside from the fact that his booth would've been fine had he asked someone to man it for him for a few minutes, I don't understand why he didn't ask someone to change the CD for him. But whatever, this is what Jon offered to do. My husband then mercifully turned off "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and the church hall erupted into grateful cheers. Jon was hailed a hero!

Since we didn't get too much traffic, I had a lot of time to work on projects so I made some new wire wrapped items. Here's my wire wrapped spiral bangle bracelet:

And this is my silver wire wrapped snowflake necklace:

While I unfortunately didn't get to see too many customers, I did get some great feedback from other vendors. Many of the other jewelry designers were impressed with my work and enjoyed watching me in action as I made my pieces. One woman asked if I teach classes! All of this was very encouraging.

I'm a little disappointed because the holiday fairs in which I participated didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I'm not sure why -- maybe I picked the wrong ones? Happily, I had many online sales so it was still a profitable time for me. I still plan to do fairs next Christmas, but I'm not spending a lot on registration fees. I'll stick with small, inexpensive events.

I'm glad that my online stores did well, though. It's nice to know that my work is appreciated!

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations. To purchase my novel, check out REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Handmade Wire Wrapped Jewelry Christmas Style

Earlier today, I posted a photo gallery of blue and white wire wrapped jewelry pieces to honor my holiday, Hannukah. Though I don't celebrate Christmas personally, I still love the holiday and look forward to it every year. I enjoy walking around our neighborhood and looking at the Christmas lights. I also have a great time at others' Christmas celebrations! So in honor of Christmas, here are some of my favorite red and green jewelry pieces:

Happy holidays! Free shipping through Christmas at Naomi's Designs on Etsy! To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations. To purchase my novel, check out REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Handmade Wire Wrapped Jewelry Hannukah Style!

Happy holidays from Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations! What have you been doing so far to celebrate the holidays? Have you been shopping or decorating your home? We celebrate Hannukah in my family so on Saturday, my husband and I threw a Chanukah bash -- and had a great time. Jon made latkes and homemade sangria, and we ended up with more food than we could handle!

Anyway, the traditional Chanukah colors are blue and white. So in honor of this festive Jewish holiday, here are some of my favorite blue and white wire wrapped jewellery pieces!

Right now, I'm busy selling my work at holiday fairs and am getting ready for some upcoming parties. But stay tuned for my 2013 collection! Meantime, free shipping through Christmas on all of my Naomi's Designs pieces on Etsy! To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations. To purchase my novel, check out REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.