The Fashion of Unexpected Findings - Part 1

Hi and welcome to the book blog tour for Unexpected Findings: 50+ Clever Jewelry Designs Featuring Everyday Components
by Michelle Mach. Yesterday, Michelle kicked off the blog tour with her post here. Today, the tour stops with me and my jewelry gal pal, Lorelei Eurto. I'm incredibly grateful to Michelle for inviting me to contribute projects to her first baby...I mean, book! :) I'm extremely passionate about jewelry books, myself. I own many in my personal library. I have a prized collection of author signed books that are particularly special to me and I have even written a few of my own jewelry-making books. I consider it the highest honor to be a part of a book in any way, shape or form.

Michelle's book focuses on non-traditional uses for regular, everyday jewelry findings. I thought this idea was so creative, playful and exciting when I first heard about it, but at the same time, I felt completely challenged by the whole concept! I was nervous and a little bit scared. It's not everyday that I'm using conventional jewelry components outside of their intended purpose. The idea is pretty revolutionary. It is such a different way of thinking and approaching jewelry design. Everything I had ever known about components had to be turned on it's head, sometimes literally.

The pressure was on. Was I creative enough to come up with compelling projects for this book? Would I be able to use the findings in a unique way and still deliver a piece of jewelry that was beautiful, stylish and wearable all within the coming deadline??? Yikes! Sounds like a tall order to me, but I was more than determined to be a part of Michelle's vision for her book any way that I could. There was no doubt about that. I was up for the challenge. I racked my brain for ideas. I dedicated much of my time and energy. I'll be honest, I worked my tushie off on the projects for this book and I could not be prouder of the results!

My Jewelry Projects:

It's a little tough to talk about Michelle's book without mentioning the clever use of jewelry findings and the innovative ideas. That is what the book is about, of course, but I want to focus on a different angel. I'm going to be highlighting the fashionable aspects of the finished jewelry projects as a whole. I'm lucky enough to have 5 designs published in Michelle's book. I'm sharing 4 out of those 5 with you here. The fifth one I'll leave as a surprise! I created stylish pieces that I absolutely love and would wear myself everyday. My jewelry is always fashion-driven. That's what I'm passionate about. That's what's exciting to me and that's what motivates me to create.

Making a jewelry piece that merely uses a finding in a clever way would never do. It has to be fashion-forward with wear-ability and quality in mind. So, with that fashion focus, I thought it would be a fun idea to present my designs from the book along with clothes and accessories to show you how I would style them and reinforce the look and inspiration I had in mind when I created each piece of jewelry. Each of the four looks represents a particular fashion season and/or a fashion style that I love to express and wear.

Vintage-Inspired Spring:

Inspired by a favorite vintage gift shop, I created "Sadie's Secret". A romantic and feminine necklace you can't help but feel pretty in. Plus, it holds a quick-change secret! Tear drop pearls, vintage rose waxed linen cord, seed beads and antiqued brass come together to create this elegant look. The outfit I pulled together to pair with the necklace evokes a soft feeling of the past with fresh, modern style. Light pink colored jeans and lace blouse from Anthropologie.com.

Playful Summer:

Inspired by the free-spirited and playful nature of Summertime, I created "Fiesta". A fun and colorful wrap necklace or bracelet. A versatile piece. It can be worn long, doubled up or wrapped around the wrist several times. Bright, beaded silk tassel dangles dance around a strap of leather lace. This relaxed, Summer outfit makes me feel good. It makes me smile and all I can think of is sunshine and fun! Tote bag and Maxi dress from LuckyBrand.com.

Bohemian Autumn:

Inspired by an October trip to Vermont, I created, "Leaves of Gold". An eclectic, bohemian statement necklace. This piece reminds me of giant green mountains dotted with gold and orange trees against a bright blue sky. With wooden beads, multiple strands of seed beads, sodalite and gold leaf dangles knotted on orange waxed linen cord, it's the perfect Fall statement. This outfit makes me long for leaf peeping and pumpkin lattes. Skirted sweater and suede booties from Anthropologie.com.

 Any Season, Southwest Style:

Inspired by the growing leather jewelry trend and my love for classic Southwest looks, I created, "Westward Bound". A pair of leather fringe statement earrings. Coral red, turquoise and leather lace bring together the timeless elements of the Southwest. This outfit satisfies my urge to channel my inner cowgirl. Riding boots and print top from Sundance.com.

I hope you have enjoyed this peek into Michelle's book. Please join me again later for PART 2 of this post where I hope to feature more fashion-forward jewelry designs by some of the other talented book contributors. So many fabulous projects in Unexpected Findings by my fellow designers. I have quite a few favorites. I can't wait to highlight them here on my blog and tell you why I love them and what makes them hot jewelry designs for today's fashion trends. Stay tuned for that!

Thank you for stopping by today as we celebrate the launch of Michelle Mach's book, Unexpected Findings: 50+ Clever Jewelry Designs Featuring Everyday Components

What would a party or celebration be without gifts? Leave a comment here on this post for a chance to win some fabulous giveaway prizes from the book's author, Michelle Mach!

Unexpected Findings Giveaway Prizes:
 
Grand Prize: $50 Etsy Gift Card to be used at any Etsy shop where gift cards are excepted!

First Prize: Fun with Findings Kit. Everything pictured above, plus more!
Second Prize: An "Unexpected" Mystery Pack of Findings from Michelle. (No photo. It's a surprise!)

The giveaway is open to all visitors except the book's contributors and author. Contributors and author are welcome (and encouraged!) to comment, but won't be entered in the drawing.

One comment per person per blog post for a maximum of eight chances to win if you visit and comment on all eight book-related posts during the September 15-19, 2014 period.

We'd love for you to help us spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. No extra entries, but lots of good karma!

Michelle will contact the winners by email this weekend (Sept. 20-21) and post the winners to her blog next week (Sept. 23). Remember to leave an email address in your comment for her to contact you, if you win.

Blog Tour Schedule - September 15-19, 2014

Monday, Sept. 15
Michelle Mach

Tuesday, Sept. 16
Lorelei Eurto
Erin Siegel - YOU ARE HERE.

Wednesday, Sept. 17
Cindy Wimmer
Erin Prais-Hintz

Thursday, Sept. 18
Andrew Thornton

Friday, Sept. 19
Denise Yezbak Moore
Molly Schaller

Thanks for checking out Unexpected Findings: 50+ Clever Jewelry Designs Featuring Everyday Components
Have fun hopping this week! Be sure to check in to Michelle's Blog next week to see who won the random drawing!

Disclosure: If you make a purchase of the book via the links I have provided in this post, I will receive a small amount of Interweave affiliate credit. Thank you!! 

Introducing Punk Chic Jewelry

With lots of help from Ornamentea, I've authored my first e-book! I'm extremely excited to present to you, Punk Chic Jewelry: 16 DIY Jewelry Projects to Add an Urban Edge to Your Wardrobe. The book is available on Amazon.com as a kindle edition e-book. Anybody can read kindle books, even without a kindle device. Simply download the FREE kindle reading app for your PC, Mac, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Just look for the Kindle Reading App on the right sidebar of the Amazon book page. I don't have a kindle and I downloaded the app, myself. It was quick and easy! 

These are 3 projects from the book. I'm just giddy to tell you that Ornamentea has created Limited Edition Punk Chic Kits for ALL the jewelry projects in the book! Whooo Hooo! How cool is that? Click here to see all the projects and all the kits!

I had an absolute blast coming up with jewelry projects for this book. It was such a thrill to explore the design style of “Punk Chic” and how I wanted to interpenetrate it. Punk is an exciting, hard-edged genre of fashion that I felt drawn to create around. That’s interesting because I would consider punk to be a little outside my comfort zone. I think that’s exactly why I find it so intriguing! The projects you’ll find here are the result of a personal journey. I pushed myself just a little. I challenged myself to design something against the norm and outside my usual aesthetic, while still being relevant and fashion-forward.

Modern punk fashion or “Punk Couture” is a mix of anarchy and glamour, a more grown-up version of old-school punk. I created jewelry that is street cool yet sophisticated , edgy yet elegant, tough yet pretty and sassy yet playful. I adore every piece. In fact, I can’t wait to order more supplies from Ornamentea.com, recreate each piece for myself and add them to my own collection of jewelry to wear all the time. With a palette of shimmering gold and silver tones, mixed metals, black, white and neutrals, the jewelry pieces in this book are versatile. They’ll go with anything in my wardrobe and they mix and match well with each other. Most importantly though, these projects are easy and fun to create and the finished jewelry makes me feel hip, happening and oh-so-chic when I wear it!

I’d like to thank Cynthia Deis, Queen Bee of Ornamentea for believing in me and my ideas. Because of her, I’m able to design whatever I want from Ornamentea’s vast inventory of supplies and materials. Cynthia makes it easy for me to create fun, fashionable DIY jewelry projects. I love designing for her. I’m proud to consider myself a member of the big O family. I look forward to our journey ahead and continuing this wonderful partnership. Click here to read Cynthia's blog post about our journey to creating this book! I’d also like to thank Caitlin Palmieri. My tutorials for Ornamentea and this book would not be possible without her. She works graphic magic! Her eye for style and design are right on point.

Last, but not least, I'd like to thank you, the reader of this book. Without you, none of us would be here doing this. Thank you for your interest in this work and for your support. I appreciate you more than you know. I hope you enjoy the projects in this book as much as I did creating them for you (and me).

 Need some inspiration for Punk Chic Style? Follow our board on Pinterest!

Interview at Beading Daily!

 I am just thrilled to pieces that editor, Jennifer VanBenschoten gave me the opportunity to answer a few questions for the Beading Daily community regarding our new book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords. Read the full interview with me over on the Beading Daily blog!

A Jewelry Accord: Making of a jewelry book: Tools, Materials and Fin...

 Hey, Everyone!

Check out my post on A Jewelry Accord blog. There's a little sneak peak and an update on our book!

A Jewelry Accord: Making of a jewelry book: Tools, Materials and Fin...: "Today, I'm going to give you a little update and a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of our upcoming jewelry instruction book due out in ..."

Call For Contributors Reminder!

Don't forget! If you are interested in being a contributor for our upcoming book, A Jewelry Accord: 50+ Innovative Styles Using Leather, Lace, Ribbon and Cords, you must have samples of your work submitted to the Jewelry Accord Flickr Group by December 1st! Yikes! That's only one week away!!!

If you're just tuning in or you need a recap, please go to the original blog post and read carefully for all the details about the book and how to submit! We've seen some great designs so far submitted to the Flickr group! Check it out, if you haven't taken a peak. Some wonderful inspiration there! Lorelei and I are thrilled with the response to our call out, so THANK YOU to everyone who has responded and submitted jewelry! You are going to make this a really tough decision on us!

Also, if you haven't submitted up to 5 designs, we encourage you to do so, really show us what you can do with those cording materials!!! As for the rest of you, get busy beading over the holiday and upload your designs to the Flickr group! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Book and a Call for Contributors!!!

Dear Friends,

I will be writing my first jewelry-making instruction book with my good friend Lorelei Eurto! Yes, that’s right. Lorelei and lil’ ol’ ME! :) The two of us will be co-authors of an upcoming jewelry-making book for Interweave Press! I am just beside myself. This is literally a DREAM COME TRUE for me! I have always LOVED all types of jewelry-making books. I have tons of books in my beading library that I’ve been collecting for years. I’ve flipped through my books dreaming of my own book many, many times. I never thought it would happen this soon! I am so happy to be sharing this experience with a great jewelry designer and friend.

I don’t know if many of you know this, but Lorelei was the first jewelry designer to contact me when I entered the blog-o-sphere over two years ago as a new ceramic bead artist. She was the first to buy some of my ceramic pieces and the first to introduce me to the beading blog community. We have stayed in constant contact with each other since then and we have become close friends over the last two years. Lorelei has never let me down. She has always been there for me personally and supported me in all the different directions I’ve gone in with my bead-making and jewelry-making career. When I was a new ceramic bead artist, she supported me. When I changed my style and look of my ceramic pieces, she was right there cheering me on. When I found out I was pregnant, she was happy for me. When I announced I was leaving the ceramic world to pursued more of a jewelry-making career, she was again one of the first to support my decision and my change. I’ve always been able to count on her. She is a good friend. I am so happy and honored to have her working on this project with me and I can not think of a better person to be doing this with.

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS:
We want this to be fun and exciting for you as well! We are sharing this opportunity with all of you here in this beading community. We are looking for jewelry designers to contribute projects to our book! Yes, that’s right, YOU could be apart of this with us and have YOUR work “out there” and published in a BOOK and get paid for it!!! What could be better than that! We have chosen one contributor already, but we’ve decided to open the field up and give some others a chance to be part of this project. We are looking for one other designer, possibly two. If you are chosen to contribute to the book, you will be paid on a per project basis. We would like up to 5 projects from each contributor. Your jewelry designs and complete instructions will be printed in the book along with your name and contact info. You will also receive a free copy of the book when it is published. We are excited to be able to take an opportunity like this and share it. We hope you will be really enthusiastic about this upcoming book project! So, now you want to know what the book is about, right? Well here it goes:

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: A Jewelry Accord: 50+ Innovative Styles Using Leather, Lace, Ribbon & Cords
A fundamental jewelry-making instruction book with a focus on the use of alternative materials in beaded jewelry such as, leather cord, suede lace, waxed linen cord, cotton cord, silk cord, ribbons and other cords. This book teaches how to incorporate these materials into jewelry designs using basic jewelry-making techniques such as stringing, wire-wrapping, knotting and braiding.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Do you enjoy using cords, ribbons or fibers in your jewelry? Would you be super excited and pumped to have your designs published in a book? If your answer is YES to these questions, then you could be who we are looking for!
There are some rules and requirements, so please read carefully.

• Please US residents only. We are very sorry, we wish we could invite absolutely everyone. :(

• We can not accept any projects that have been previously published.

• Your projects must represent original work by you.

• You must create your projects using basic jewelry-making techniques such as stringing, crimping, wire-wrapping, wrapped loops, knotting, simple braiding, etc. Think Stringing Magazine. Look through the techniques section to get an idea of what would be appropriate for this book. You may use more than one technique in a single piece.

• Necklaces and bracelets only please.

• Your jewelry projects must incorporate at least one type of cord or ribbon material in each design.

• We encourage you to use various cord and ribbon findings to finish off your pieces such as crimp-style or fold-over style cord ends, glue-in style cord ends, cone findings, clamshells, knot cups, ribbon ends or clamps, etc. Please look around and see what’s out there on the market today for options.

• We encourage you to use art beads and/or artisan made findings and jewelry components, if you want to, although this is not a requirement.

• We also encourage you to try incorporating more than one type of cording material in a single piece. Try mixing suede lace with silk ribbon or linen cord with leather cord or whatever combination you can come up with! Have fun with it! Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to experiment with the materials! 

• If you are chosen to contribute to the book, you will be responsible for supplying a complete materials list, list of tools used, complete instructions and a resource list for each of your jewelry projects.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. If you think you might be seriously interested in this opportunity, please fill out this form and send it ASAP.

2. Please join the Jewelry Accord Flickr Group and start submitting your jewelry designs that fit the above mentioned criteria. To be considered for the book, you must submit at least 1 jewelry design. You may submit up to 5 designs. We ask that any and all interested individuals to please have your jewelry designs submitted to this flickr group by December 1st 2010. Thank you!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us. My email is in my profile. We are looking forward to hearing from you! Please feel free to spread the word on this CALL out! Happy Beading! :)