new girdle and carcanet set for a customer!

Here are some photos of a jewellery set just finished for an order.

(Had trouble getting the photos to shop up by email, so am putting them here.)

Nice formal "all done" shot

Closeup of centerpiece of girdle on my messy jewellery bench

And closeup of the necklace. I sure love those Montana blue stones.

All in all - a lovely order :) Can't wait to see photos of her wearing it!

Jewelry set finished!

Here's the absolutely GORGEOUS totally finished set of Elizabethan jewelry :) 

Once again, may I say that everyone...EVERYONE should get a photography setup  in their home. This should have been a required class in my training. Cause - I took this picture:

I know, right?

I added bar pins at the center and at the 5th ouch, so that the girdle can be made to follow any bodice front, easily. I've tried it on my dress form., and it works great so far. Back closure is adjustable by about 2"

 

I? Am thrilled with the way these are finishing up. I would be proud to wear them myself, and that's pretty much my bar for things I will sell. 

Can't wait to get them up on my website. 

(Oy, the website.)

Look - sparkly jewelry!

(I just want to make stuff - not websites. Oy)

Girdle design options!

 Here are a few of the girdle designs I've been playing with. I'd love your opinions on these. Also - I wanted to share just cause the photos are so pretty. These can be made with any of the ouches in any color combination, but at this time I only have black stones for the large centerpiece stones in centerpiece option A.

 I've only got the oval rhinestones in claw settings in black right now as well. Other colors are on order :)

So -What's your favorite?

Photography and Carcanet necklaces

I have a new photography studio setup for product shots!

My neighbor and dear friend Cory is a top-notch pro photographer with experience doing both portraits AND product shots, and he came over and we designed and built this frame setup and he had these used lights

I've just ordered the last few things (my own reflecty umbrellas and a proper tripod)

and anyway - Lookit what I can DO now!!

(Shakespeare needs a little hair gel, it seems)

In other news, that is only semi-related to the photography:
- I've started making some jewelry things from the ouches:

I took a jewelry making class, and have sortof exploded with these.
They are called carcanets (kar-kuh-nets) at least according to Webster, that's how it's pronounced. I'd have sure thought it would be kar-kah-neighs, but yannow. Whatever.

Here's a little composite of some grand ladies sporting carcanets.

I LOVE that they come in all colors. I LOVE that they vary in size from close around the neck to sortof wider, collar-of-state-like affairs. I love that they are so fabulously sparkly.
And I admit that although I needed a new crafty obsession not at all, I'm really enjoying it.


Now - to figure out whether they need to be off-the-rack carcanets for sale, carcanets for custom order, carcanet kits, or all three. Cause I can't wear all of the ones I've even made so far!


Anyway - that's what's going on here :)