Kathryn Designs Artifact Amulet to appear on "The Vampire Diaries"

     On my birthday, I got an amazing phone call! A few months back, I had submitted a piece of my jewelry to the stylist for the hit CW show "The Vampire Diaries" via The Artisan Group.  It turns out they want to use my necklace on the show!  My Artifact Amulet Necklace is scheduled to be worn on the show on episode 12, season 5, which will air in December.

Artifact Amulet Necklace by Kathryn Designs

     I was inspired to create an "elegant dagger" design, using Goldie Bronze metal clay and a lovely faceted smoky quartz stone. The result is a unique piece of art jewelry that combines old world design with a modern sensibility.

     Click HERE to read all about it! I will post updates once the show airs in December.

Hot and not bothered: Moving to Atlanta!

The heat has been over the top here in Maryland!  It has been a busy month for me as I prepare to relocate to the Atlanta area (Marietta, to be precise).  Nothing like cleaning out the basement you've been avoiding and dragging out way too many heavy boxes with a 107 degree heat index.  Who needs a sauna?  My skin looks fabulous :)  I am very excited about the clothing, books, and other household items that have been donated.  I also shredded a metric ton of paper.  It feels liberating to scale down a bit.

Things will be a little slow in my shops during August as we settle in to our new place.  I've been busy creating 100 necklaces that will be gifted to the celebrities attending the GBK Gift Lounge for The Primetime Emmys. Thanks to The Artisan Group, my jewelry will be on display at the gift lounge and swag bags received by those attending.

Here is a peek at the bronze and carnelian necklace I am making for the swag bags:

Bronze and carnelian necklace

Carnelian has been called "The Artists Stone" because of its association with creativity, confidence, and increased energy.  It has been associated with protection from negative emotions.

I am thrilled about this gifting opportunity and about moving!  It is beautiful in western Maryland, and I have meet some wonderful people here, but I miss city life.  Okay, suburban life-- near a big city :)  I am looking forward to new adventures!

Thanks for reading.  I will be updating soon with some exciting changes for Kathryn Designs!

Photo by Crystal Lynn Photography

Kathryn Designs: Now obsessed with metal clay and some exciting press

It is hard to believe that it is already February.  Between the holidays, a bout of the flu, and lots of creative irons in the fire, I have been a blog slacker!

I was so honored to have my business and my "story" featured in WomanScope NewsMagazine.  Thank you to Jewel McFadden for writing such a beautiful article about my business and the inspiration behind my work.

 I am also thrilled to share a link to my faceted gold bead tutorial as featured in the February/ March issue of The Maryland Women's Journal.  If you click the link and visit the site, you can download a PDF of the full issue, which will include photos of the project.  The necklaces I created using these beads are headed to the set of a talk show, to be gifted to the host of the show and the executive producer in a special segment about Oscars Swag Bags.  More details to come soon about this great opportunity via The Artisan Group!!

{No Time for} Fool's Gold Necklace

Kathryn Designs "Fabulous Facets" polymer clay beads

I have also been busy cooking up some new jewelry made with "Goldie Bronze" metal clay.  I have to say, I LOVE this clay! I just listed a few pieces in my shop and have several more on the way.  I have decided to add a whole new line of bronze clay, white bronze clay, and silver clay jewelry to my collection.  Could this be my new obsession? 

Goldie Bronze metal clay pendant with lab ruby cabochon

Kathryn Designs at the GBK Gift Lounge for the American Music Awards

After all the excitement for The 46th Annual CMA Awards, I am thrilled to have another great gifting opportunity so soon!  Via The Artisan Group, my Gemstone Teardrop necklaces will be gifted to celebrities attending the GBK Gift Lounge for The 40th American Music Awards.  The gift lounge will be held in Los Angeles on November 16th and 17th.  The award show airs on ABC on Sunday, November 18th.

Gemstone Teardrop Necklace

In shopping news.....Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are fast approaching.  I will be offering some great deals on my Kathryn Designs Website.  In the meantime, check out some amazing offers via The Artisan Group Deals page.  My gemstone flower cuff is currently on sale for 60.00 (normally 80.00) until November 18th!

Gemstone Flower Cuff

Feeling grateful and blessed for all the wonderful, supportive people in my life.
My heart goes out to those who are still suffering the after effects of Hurricane Sandy.
<3kathryn

Be a wrap star this holiday season: Beaded wrap bracelet tutorial

A preview of my bracelet tutorial, as featured in the upcoming November/ December issue of the Maryland Women's Journal, Montgomery County Edition.

We all know the holiday season can become stressful and hectic. Based on my background as an Art Therapist, I cherish the process of creating as a way to relax, recharge, and restore a sense of playfulness to my life.  As a full time jewelry designer, I fell in love with these chic and easy to create wrap bracelets.  Try this simple project to add a little rejuvenating sparkle to your holidays.  Memory wire makes these bracelets versatile, as they will adjust to fit any wrist.  

Tools and Supplies:

• Heavy duty wire clippers (do not use delicate jewelry clippers with memory wire)
• Round nose or chain nose pliers
• One package bracelet sized memory wire
• An assortment of beads.  Use beads of the same color family in different shades and styles for a fun Boho-Chic look.  
• (Optional) Hollow rubber or velour tubing, cut into various lengths. 

To assemble the bracelet:

• Decide how wide you want your bracelet.  For the pieces pictured, I used between 5 and 8 loops of coiled memory wire. Cut the wire slightly longer than the finished piece will be.
• Use the pliers to curl or loop back one end of the bracelet.  Hold the wire firmly in one hand, and use the pliers to curl back the tip of the wire, against the direction of the curve in the wire.
• Start beading the wire, using either a repeated pattern, or have fun using random placement.  For one bracelet, I used various lengths of velour tubing with crystal and turquoise beads in symmetrical groupings.  For the next two, I used a random selection of blue or black and gray beads.
• To avoid tangles in the coiled memory wire, hold the wire perpendicular at the end that is not looped, and allow the beads to travel down the coil to the looped end.
• When you have completed beading the bracelet, cut the wire just short of 1/2" from the last bead.  Make sure the beads are pushed tightly together, then create another wire loop.
• Voila! Your bracelet is complete.  If you are like me, you will want to create another! 
• Add some beaded dangles and charms to the end loops for some added punch :)

Note: Wear protective goggles when cutting memory wire, as small pieces of cut wire could cause injury. 

Use pliers to curl back the tip of the wire by going against the direction of the curve in the wire.

Wrap bracelets and rings now available in my shop too..http://www.kathryndesignsjewelry.com

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Kathryn Designs is headed to Nashville and The 46th Annual CMA Awards

Once again The Artisan Group has given me a chance to venture into new territory!  My work will be featured in gift bags and on display backstage at the official gift talent lounge for The 46th Annual CMA Awards, airing LIVE on ABC November 1st at 8/7p Central. I grew up in Kentucky, so country music is a natural fit for me!

I decided to go with a sparkle theme.  For the celebrity and press gift bags, I created Gemstone Teardrop necklaces using gorgeous CZ stones and natural moonstones.

Country Music Collection

For my backstage display, I went a little more elaborate.  I decided on a Gemstone Amulet Necklace, Hinged Gemstone Cuff, and a Fine Silver and Polymer Horn Necklace. 

I really obsessed over how to display these pieces!  I ended up making my own display shadow box by staining a plain wooden box with a white wash, then using scrapbook paper for the background.  I wanted something that would really highlight the colors in my display jewelry.  My fingers are crossed that the celebrities like what they see! 

For a limited time, I am offering a sale on anything from this collection.

Kathryn Designs Shop

Gifting for the stylist of the hit ABC show Pretty Little Liars

I am thrilled to announce that my jewelry was selected to be included in a gift bag for the stylist for the hit ABC show Pretty Little Liars..  Thanks again to The Artisan Group for another great opportunity!
I am hoping I get to see my work on one of the fabulous ladies of the show. The show airs on ABC at 8/7 Central on ABC and it is addictive!  If I find out my bracelet will be on an episode, I will be sure to let you know :)

In other news, I have two great events coming soon.  First up is a great shopping event called "Girls Night Out" on Facebook on October 10th.  I will post more details in a few days.  There will be lots of fun, bargains, specials, and giveaways from 13 wonderful handmade shops!

In November, Kathryn Designs will be showcased and gifted to the biggest names in Country Music backstage at the CMA Country Music Awards!! Watch LIVE on November 1st at 8p/7p Central on ABC.  I am so beyond thrilled and thankful for this opportunity via  The Artisan Group.  More details to come soon.  I am finally catching up with my blog.

Watch LIVE on Nov. 1 at 8p/7p Central on ABC

Mixing My Media: Metal Clay Plus Polymer Clay

I have worked with Precious Metal Clay and Art Silver in the past, but for my most recent creations, I wanted to try out some of the cool new base metal clays.  I have been a huge fan of Hadar Jacobson's work for several years.  In addition to being fabulous artist, she makes and sells different types of metal clay in powder form.  I love this idea, because there is no concern about the clay drying out. She provides detailed instructions on mixing and firing the various types of clay. The mixing is pretty simple.  It just involves adding distilled water to the powder until the right consistency is achieved.  The firing is a little more complicated, as I learned through trial and error. Best of all, base metal clay is far more affordable than pure silver or sterling silver clay.

I used Hadar's White Bronze Metal Clay for my first experiments. I test fired a few simple shapes and they came out just fine.  However, when I fired my first few "real" pieces I realized they had not sintered because they were thicker than my test pieces (sigh....). Fortunately, all was not lost, and I was able to re-fire most of the pieces at a slightly higher temperature and they were a success!

Here is the first piece I made combining White Bronze and polymer clays:

White Bronze and Polymer Clay Heart Necklace with Garnet

I made a textured dome form out of polymer clay and added a garnet cabochon and some swirly designs. 

I wanted my next piece to be more complex, so I decided to make a test piece with polymer clay only and THAT project became a very fun distraction with a life of its own for several days!

Amulet in Polymer Clay with Fire Opal CZ and Garnets

Here is the White Bronze and polymer clay version:

White Bronze and Polymer Clay with Pink Sapphire CZ, Lab Ruby and Pink Tourmaline

I used a layered construction in both pieces to add an element of depth.  I will absolutely be doing more with metal clay in the near future!

In other news, I was fortunate to have my work included in gift bags for the press at the GBK Gift Lounge for the MTV Awards, as a member of The Artisan Group. 

Press Release for GBK Gift Lounge for MTV Movie Awards

Don't you love a nice suprise? Kathryn Designs on the myStyle Shop-It List!

I was so thrilled and honored when I saw that my mosaic bangle was included in the April 12th myStyle.com Shop-It List!

Handcrafted Mosaic Bangle

As my shop is still fairly new, I was very excited to get such great exposure on the very chic myStyle.com.

I was even more honored when I saw that my item was included with beautiful items including a Yarnz Printed Cashmere Scarf, Michael Kors Project Suede Fragrance,  and gorgeous candle from a fellow member of The Artisan Group, Deborah Carducci of Villa Lusso.  

My journey continues, and I have two exciting gifting events coming up via The Artisan Group.  First up is a Mother's Day gift bag that will be received by amazing celebrity mothers.  Kathryn Designs will also be a part of the GBK Gift Lounge MTV Movie Awards press and industry mixer gifting.

I feel so grateful that I am able to pursue my dream and build my jewelry business.

Polymer clay plus gemstones for Rachael Ray!

I am very excited to share my latest opportunity via The Artisan Group!  I am contributing a necklace that will be included in a special swag bag for the lovely Rachael Ray.  I have recently become interested in using gemstones in my polymer clay jewelry, and decided this was the perfect time to focus on gemstones as I created a unique piece for her.

Rachael Ray, photo by The Heart Truth

Here is the necklace I will be sending Rachael:

Necklace featuring a lab sapphire (orange padparadscha) and natural garnets from
Kathryn Designs

I read that her favorite color is orange, so I decided to use a gorgeous orange lab sapphire.  I paired it with four natural garnets.  The background is luminous peach, pink, and gold, and the bezel was hand formed using polymer clay.  I am so excited about this new direction for my work!  Here is another sample of a piece I created using a beautiful Olivine CZ and moonstones:

More to come as I pursue my newest obsession in jewelry making!  I have lots of stones that I have purchased over the years, and now I know what I will be doing with them.

Here's hoping Rachael loves her new necklace! 

Signs of spring: Polymer clay jewelry by Artfire Artisans

I am about "this close" to turning on the air conditioning today!  I guess spring is here in Maryland.  At least, I hope it is, because I am not a fan of winter.  In honor of this lovely weather, I would like to feature some lovely work by a few of my fellow guild members from the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild on Artfire.

First, I found this gorgeous necklace by member Averilpam:

Disc Bead Necklace in shades of blue, brown, cream

I love the beautiful sky blue color of the disc beads and the contrast with the brown beads, plus the organic feel of the disc beads that she created for this piece.  That blue color just sings "spring" to me!

Next, I came upon this lovely retro styled flower pendant by Christina Kosinski Designs: 

Retro Necklace with flowers

She describes this pendant as having a retro, hippie, 1970 style and I agree!  I am always a fan of vintage inspired jewelry creations and I think she really captured that 70's feeling in a modern and creative piece of jewelry.  

Finally, in honor of spring, I found this lovely flower necklace by Strange Whimsy:

Pink, red double petal flower necklace

This pendant reminds me of a dogwood blossom, and that is one of my fondest spring memories from my childhood in Louisville, KY.  I really love the pretty, soft colors she used in this, as well as the sculptural effects of the petals.  

I hope spring is here to stay!

Kathryn Designs Featured at GBK Oscars Gift Lounge- Part One

  Displaying my work and creating 100 necklaces from my Open Locket Collection for the GBK Oscars Gift Lounge was a remarkable experience. From a business standpoint,  I gained a tremendous knowledge about creating my work in larger quantities, while maintaining a "one of a kind" appeal.  Valerie (founder) and Nikki (managing partner) of The Artisan Group did an amazing job at every aspect of planning for the event, providing feedback and guidance, and making sure each member was well represented at the event.

Here is a photo of The Artisan Group's Display:

The Artisan Group at GBK Oscars Gift Lounge

As you can see, it looked amazing!  Here is a little close up peek at my display pieces:

Kathryn Designs' Display Jewelry at GBK Gift Lounge

I was glued to my iPad during both days of the event, as Valerie was posting updates about some of the celebrities who visited the display and picked up swag bags.  To name a few:  Melissa McCarthy, Kevin Nealon, Marcia Gay Hardin, Dermot Mulroney, Hector Elizondo, Penelope Ann Miller, Kristi Lauren, Frankie Muniz, Penny Marshall, Cloris Leachman, Josh Sussman, Tess Hunt, Reshma Shetty, and Jon Bernthal (oh boy, I am big Walking Dead fan, but I doubt he wanted to pose with my jewelry!!)

I got great feedback on Twitter from Jane Emery of LA's The Place, Los Angeles Magazine!  

Twitter / Jane Emery: @KathrynJewelry @theartisa ...

twitter.com

‎@KathrynJewelry @theartisangroup Very imaginative and nice~! Adored it!

I will find out this week which celebrity posed with my display piece!  In the meantime, I got word that the lovely Chelsea Rendon, of the movies "A Better Life" and "Nine Lives" loved my work and was interested in my display piece, so I will be sending it to her! 

Chelsea has also been featured on the television shows "Flash Forward" and "Judging Amy"

Chelsea Rendon on IMDB

More to come!  Thanks for reading and all the support during this journey!

Giveaway winner, and I got a new camera!

I just completed the Random.org drawing for my Oscars swag necklace giveaway and the winner is World's Edge Beads!  I will be emailing the winner with this information,  and will also post this result on my Facebook Page. 

I am sending out a huge thank you to all those who entered and left such kind words with their comments! I really appreciate your support.  I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to focus on my jewelry making at this point in my life. 

I recent news, I have purchased a new camera in an effort to improve the quality of my product photos.  The number one comment I hear from people who purchase from me online is "your work is so much prettier in person."  This leads me to believe my photos are not what they could be!  I am so excited to have my first Digital SLR camera and fancy macro lens.  I am hoping I can become somewhat proficient at using them!  My goal is to capture the depth and colors in my work with better clarity and make the photos "pop."  Here is my first effort:


http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/4366684

 I think it is an improvement, but as I am a complete novice at "real" photography, there is still plenty of room for growth.  I am looking forward to learning.  Thank goodness for "Dummies" books and the internet!

Again, thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway!

Cracking up: Creating a necklace for Cari Cucksey of HGTV's show "Cash and Cari"

It has been a busy and exciting few months here at Kathryn Designs!  I have plans to post about several great events (including a giveaway of one of my "Open Locket" necklaces that will be featured at the GBK Luxury Gift Lounge for the 2012 Oscars).



Cari Cucksey



 For now, I will focus on the latest amazing opportunity provided to me by The Artisan Group.  We are creating a special gift bag for Cari Cucksey of the HGTV show Cash and Cari.  Cari is a treasure hunter extraordinaire!  On her show, she helps people unearth hidden treasures and arrange estate sales of their finds.  She also has a fabulous shop called Re-Purpose, located in Northville, Michigan. It is loaded with vintage and consignment goodies. Cari has an eye for forgotten items that are really valuable and lovely treasures in waiting!

This gifting opportunity for Cari was just the motivation I needed to finally find a good use for some cracked china I have been saving for some unknown reason.  I took a deep breath, and smashed up a plate that was too cracked to use.  Then I reassembled some of the pieces and set them into polymer clay.  I used resin to coat the piece for added strength.  I was so pleased with the outcome, that I will soon be offering these pieces as a new line of jewelry in my shop. I cannot wait to start creating more similar pieces!  Special thank you to the lovely and kind Ann of AnneFannie Crafts and Green Acres Cottage on Etsy.  I ordered some tile and porcelain nippers from her beautiful shop and she gave me some great tips on finding more plates to use!  Check out her mosaics and vintage inspired tags. 

My 100 necklaces for the GBK Oscars Gift Lounge are finished and ready to roll!  I will be posting more soon about my experience creating so many pieces.  I am very excited that Hagerstown Magazine has interviewed me for an upcoming article about local jewelers.  They are also coming this week to take some photos for the article, so I guess I will be making my studio look semi presentable! 

Wow, Kathryn Designs made necklaces for Zooey Deschanel and Jessica Alba!

     Finally sitting down to write about the awesome experience of creating necklaces for Zooey Deschanel and Jessica Alba. As a member of  The Artisan Group, I have been given the fabulous opportunity to participate in special gift bags for these two talented ladies.



Photo by Joe Cerehino



  Zooey Deschanel is currently starring in the Fox series New Girl, and you might remember her from the movies Almost Famous and (500) Days of Summer, among many others.  She is also a talented musician and singer and has released two albums with M. Ward, under the name She & Him.  

She is quite the style icon, so I was a little daunted by choosing a necklace to create for her.  I decided to create one of my Open Locket necklaces, since it is the style I am gifting at the GBK Luxury Gift Lounge for the 2012 Oscars.  Fingers crossed that she likes it! 



Open Locket Necklace



Photo by Lindsey 8417



    Jessica Alba is known for her role in the television series Dark Angel as well as her movie roles in Sin City, Fantastic Four, and Good Luck Chuck.  She is married to Cash Warren, and is the gorgeous mother of two children, Honor and Haven.

Again, I was overwhelmed by the idea of creating something for this talented lady.  To celebrate her beautiful children, I decided to create a custom necklace including a collage of the birth month flowers of her two girls.  The flower for Honor is the rose (June) and Haven's flower is the poppy (August).



Custom Birth Month Flower Necklace (collage images from artcult.etsy.com)

I had so much fun with these two projects! I am so honored to be a member of The Artisan Group.

I am still working on my 100 necklaces for the GBK Gift Lounge for the Oscars.  I am hoping to finished with them by this weekend.  I am up to my neck in resin lately!  I will be posting photos soon. 

Happy holiday season!

 







Special Swag Bags for Jessica Alba and Zooey Deschanel!

I am so thrilled that thanks to The Artisan Group, I will be creating necklaces for the lovely Jessica Alba and Zooey Deschanel!

For Jessica Alba, I am working on a necklace in this style:

I read that she has the Sanskrit word for "lotus" tattooed on her wrist, so I was tempted to use this exact design. However, I will probably go with my first plan to redesign the piece so I can include the birth month flowers of her two children, Honor and Haven. I am so inspired by this idea that I will be offering birth month flower necklaces in my Artfire shop in the near future. I just sold the above necklace so I am busy making more lotus necklaces too!

For Zooey Deschanel, I will be making an "open locket" necklace similar to this:

I am so grateful to have the chance to gift these awesome celebrities!
When I have the pieces finished later this week, I will post them.

I am also donating an open locket necklace to a fundraising auction for

here in Washington County, Maryland. I am honored to contribute to such a well respected program that does so much good for the community and families.

Great Giveaways!

There is still time to enter two fabulous swag-a-licious giveaways!  The first is an Emmy's Blog to Blog Giveaway sponsored by members of The Artisan Group and hosted by Ashley of Fancy Designs.  One of my retro flapper girl necklaces is among the prizes.  The second is The Artisan Group HUGE 2000 Facebook Fans Giveaway.  I am gifting a lovely handmade open locket flower necklace as one of the prizes. 

More to come soon....so very busy working my hot little hands to the bone making jewelry!  Thanks for checking out my infant blog :)