Twisty

I'm pretty obsessed with spirals. First there were the earrings,

Then came a couple of necklaces,

And now there are bangles. 

What I love about the bangles are the color combinations. Really, anything goes, and since most sports teams have 2 main colors I've done a few sports themed color combos. Even Green Bay, which was difficult for this Pittsburgher. 

So, that's what I've been up to. It isn't much, but with two kids that want to be outside every waking moment of the day, it's been difficult finding time to knit. Really, I should be knitting instead of sitting here and drinking my coffee, but I do have priorities. Coffee first! 

Custom Princess Earrings

Custom orders are quite possibly my favorite thing about handcrafting jewelry. I love giving life to someone's idea, and crystal ball earrings are one of the easiest pieces to customize.

This week's special requests were two pairs of crystal ball earrings, meant for two preschoolers. To shorten them a bit they are on Sterling silver posts instead of ear wires, and they are in the girls' favorite colors. So sweet!

My 2.5 year old daughter was fascinated with all the shininess and pronounced them "princess earrings". Seems appropriate.

Today's big Facebook post asks how you would customize a pair, and that's what I'm asking you, too! Would you choose your favorite color, your birthstone color, or something else?

The year of Emerald

Pantone has once again announced their "color of the year" for 2013, and I have to say, I'm in love!

 

Pantone describes it this way:
"Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony."

I just call it "the perfect green". Its neither too bright, nor too soft; and its a rich, luscious green that, coincidentally, is also the color of my eyes. See? *bats eyelashes madly and dimples*

 

Naturally, the first big piece I did for 2013 needed to feature this gorgeous color. I wanted a special piece, ideally a set, and planned on using real gems and Sterling silver wire.

This is the result. A Sterling silver bangle and earring set, featuring large (8mm) green adventurine gems mixed with smaller (4-5mm) creamy freshwater pearls.

 

For once, this worked out exactly as I imagined it would, and that doesn't happen often! Better still, the response to this on Facebook has been incredible. Every single "like", every comment, matters, and shows me that I'm headed in the right direction. I enjoy hearing what people think of my work. What they like, and what they don't.

The other new piece for 2013 is a pair of silver plated mini spiral earrings with an extra "something"... A single freshwater pearl nestled on the bottom of the spiral. And the credit for the design goes to a lovely customer. It started with a message.

"Could you do this?"

Several back-and-forths later, to clarify the design, and mini spiral pearl earrings were born.

I made two versions, one a straight dangle with the pearl on the end, and one a slightly shorter spiral, then took to Facebook for a popularity contest.

 

Spiral won this one by a landslide, although I wonder what blogland thinks?

What about you? Do you have a style preference on the new earrings? What do you think of 2013's special emerald color?

Dish!

<3

Connect on Facebook HERE and check out the entire collection on Etsy HERE!

I'm ready.

I'M DONE I'M DONE!! The packing, labeling, last minute projects, extra materials, and more packing for open house number two is finished! Thank goodness, because my caffeine buzz has faded to a zzzz.

This time the setup will be confined to one long table, instead of scattered around the room in smaller bunches. The only thing that's missing is a sign for the front of the table, but since I'll be the only artist there I'm not worried about it. Hopefully this will allow people to easily see the entire collection and they won't miss anything.

And once again, if you are in the area I would LOVE to see you! Stop by and say hi today from 1-3pm at 237 Crescent Dr Lower Burrell, PA.

It's Time To PARTY

A couple of weeks ago BooJay Knits went in a new direction - we had an open house party! This first party was an intimate affair, with four guests, who enjoyed homemade cheesecake, brownies, and coffee, while they browsed the collection.

My entire inventory was displayed throughout the room, and I had my bead and wire kits out too, so people could easily choose a custom piece. I also used ritzpix.com to make a couple of magazine style brochures, which showcased the main collections, like colors, pearls, and pea pods, as well as some pieces that I recently sold but could make more of.

I'll be honest with you: I was a giant ball of nerves the day of the party. Everything went amazingly well, although there are a few things I'll be changing for the next one.

DECEMBER 1, FROM 1-3 is the date and time of the next open house. The event has been posted on both my personal and business Facebook pages. If you'd like more information please email me at boojayknits at gmail dot com. Hope to see you there!

If you are considering having an open house, here are three things I wish I'd done the first time that might help you.

1. Do a dry run of your setup. I had an idea in my head of how I wanted it to look, but I totally winged it. This added so much stress to the day!

2. Consider having a central display. I had several small displays set up throughout the room, and while people seemed to like discovering each section, they also missed some things. Next time I will have one large table with everything on it.

3. Take lots of pictures. I took some pictures of the displays but got distracted and didn't get many pictures of folks interacting with things - trying stuff on, smiling, etc. This might be a good job for a helper to do as well, since you may get sidetracked as I was by comments and questions.

Now here are some pictures that I did take. They're all on the bottom because that's how my phone rolls.

the story behind... Pea Pod Pendants

Personalization is a huge trend in, well, everything, really! A quick search online or on Etsy will yield personalized bags, pillows, curtains, signs, stationery, and of course, jewelry. Awhile ago I played with the trend a little bit, and made some wire wrapped nests that could be customized with any number and color of bead "eggs". I marketed it as a "Mother's pendant", since many moms, myself included, love things that represent family to us.

But I realized that while the nests were cute, they weren't me. They weren't BooJay Knits style, not to mention that it seemed like everyone was making them.

So the idea of making something with this level of personalization was set aside for awhile, until a friend asked me if I had ever considered making a pea pod necklace. This is the result of that seredipitous idea:

The original Boojay Knits pea pod pendant

It was an instant hit! Everyone loved the idea even more when I found Swarovski glass pearls to represent each birth month, for further customization possibilities. They are so whimsical, with their shimmering "peas" and tiny wire "vine" accents. Each one makes me smile, and I hope it does the same for you!

The original, with some personalized companions.

One day I may release the pattern for these little guys, but for now I'll just enjoy my veggies in a whole new way!

It's All About the Minis

This summer is flying by! My supremely adorable nephew is here, and me being a knitter and all meant that he needed a blanket. I've known about his impending arrival for some months, but only started his blanket two weeks before his scheduled arrival.

2 inches down, 34 to go

It was certainly a change of pace to work with an actual fiber. I forgot how deliciously soft and squishy yarn can be, and thoroughly enjoyed the marathon knitting.

Squares within squares, finished!

All ready for the baby <3

However, the wee one now has his blanket, so I've dived back into the wire wholeheartedly. First I got out my favorite pearls and combined them with aqua wire and a few darker teal glass beads for a bracelet I call "tranquil seas". Usually my bracelets have an odd number of stitches to make the beads look more random, but this time I used an even number and ran the pearls right up the middle. It worked so well that I'm going to play with the design a bit more, using different materials.

I also had friends and fans help design a deep purple jewel toned beauty. The jewel tones are a great look for fall.

Purple Jewels in the making

And finally, meet the little sisters of the long spiral earrings I did earlier this year. It started with a fan request for a more petite spiral in blue, but suddenly I had four pairs! The only reason there aren't some in every color of the rainbow is I ran out of ear wires to finish them. They're addictive to knit, fun to wear, and make me smile.

The minis are coming! The minis are coming!

I hope you're having a lively summer! Super hot days mean more inside time for knitting, so I'll be posting more stuff soon. There are some gorgeous gems heading my way as I type, which will end up in bracelets, earrings, and maybe a necklace if I'm feeling up to a challenge.