Something different.

Chatted with a sweet gal at the last event I did. We were talking about our favorite jewelry. She likes to switch out her earrings everyday to match what she wears. Her necklace, however, never changes. It was a little heirloom charm from her grandmother with her initials. I am terrible at switching my jewelry and even worse at wearing my own designs. This isn't because I don't like what I make - on the contrary, I never make something I don't like. I just don't get around to changing out the ornaments. Some days I get it together just enough to not frighten people when in public. But I digress. Back to the jewelry... When I do wear jewelry, I often find that it stays with me for days on end. So I do understand the value in an everday piece. Something pretty, effortless and will go with anything.

Thinking about these qualities, I came up with a new line for my Etsy shop. I have named this section of my shop "Petit Cadeau" - "little gift." The necklaces I design for this line are pretty little accents for everyday. Enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MeganKathleen?section_id=10488303

I love Autumn.

My fascination with golden colors extends into the seasons. I love living in California. And I love autumn. Some might think those two loves are a little incompatible. This is partly true. Being in southern California specifically, there are few opportunities to see the leaves turn. Every now and again you will see a burst of gold among the evergreens, and well, brown brush, but it can be few and far between. But, I am pleased to say we do have other reminders of the shift from summer to fall. My favorite is coming outside in the morning to a clear sky and a crisp coolness.

A year ago, I had an opportunity to visit a place that does see the leaves turn. I met one of my best friends for a wonderful break in New Mexico. We stopped and took pictures on a drive from Taos to Santa Fe. This one is a favorite. Happy Fall.

Love note.

I have am in the middle of a love affair marked by deep admiration and well, a fair amount of lust. With whom you ask dear reader? With neither a person nor a thing, but with an entire period in jewelry design and fabrication - the Mughal period.

There isn't any way for me to fabricate pieces with the magnificent opulence of jewelry from this period but I did recently find a site showcasing the work of people who can.

http://www.shahjewelry.com/index.html.

Click around the site to learn more about Mughal jewelry and see beautiful examples. This wonderful site is part of Shaw Jewelry - click around that site to see contemporary pieces made by a very talented jeweler in Maine, Sam Shaw.

I admire the amazing use of color that can be seen throughout the period and have tried to capture a little of that feeling in some of my newer pieces. I tend to think my own style is more Western in arrangement, and unquestionably simpler by comparison, but I can't resist creating a sort of tribute to what, I think, is one of the most captivating styles of jewelry ever made.

These pieces will be posted soon in my online shop: www.megankathleen.com

Just proving a point.

Blue, white and gold are so lovely together. At least I think so.

Still prepping...

Taking a break to check email and whatnot. Thought I'd post a link today. This is an album on Facebook that will eventually be part of my Facebook business page for MeganKathleen. Happy Friday to all!

MeganKathleen - Current Pieces

Boutique prep.

No exciting photo for this topic. Boutique prep consists of the following:

- Full count of pieces, looking for holes in the inventory. Always good to have a solid selection of each category: necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

- The above runs simultaneously with checking pricing and any necessary re-tagging.

- Everything is then boxed for transport in the most efficient way possible for retrieval and display. After vending for events where I needed to set up or tear down quickly, I learned there is virtue in tossing things into divided trays. This is done with a great deal of care though. Sort of. No matter how much I like things bagged properly and put away, there simply isn't time and it's not nice (or smart) to keep someone from going home after a long day by allowing my ocd to rule. This can all be done when back at homebase.

- Next up: the displays. This looks like popping a dozen boxes of neckforms, spin racks, table coverings, signage,  packaging supplies... I could go on. Each event is different, so I need to make sure I have enough table coverings for my space. Sometimes I need the tables themselves. A chair is good too: standing = crankiness = scaring people.

- The "mock-up" comes next. To aid in an efficient set up, I try to figure out what will go where. This can tend to make my house look like some sort of mad trunk show explosion but it's worth it.

- Box it all back up and load the car.

And there it is, my activity breakdown for the next 2 days. This will be the first event of the Fall/Winter season. I hope we get off to a good start. Send me some positive waves Moriarty.

Blue, white and gold.

No, I do not speak of my elementary school's colors (these colors work much better in jewelry than in polyester tartan). I doubt I'll ever tire of these three together. The combination works so nicely for all different hues of blue and gold too - pale blue aquamarine, royal blue lapis, deep blue sapphire and yellows like lemony citrine and warm topaz. Maybe I'll post another piece using that combination, just to prove my point. <wink!>

Ongoing favorite color scheme.

I have been working with different stone and color combinations - ruby and turquoise is fast becoming a favorite. There is something about these vibrant colors together that I can't get enough of.