Bloom 9 at the Coast Collective

The Coast Collective is welcoming in spring with its 9th annual Bloom show!  The opening is Saturday April 1 from 1:00-3:00pm, and the show runs Wednesday to Sunday until April 16th.

The beautiful photography art on the poster is by the amazing Penny Pitcher, who has three other pieces in the show as well, so if you like what you see, you should definitely come check it out!

I have a Forget-me-not Fringe necklace in the show for a bit of springtime vintage charm:

Hope to see you there!

Red at the Coast Collective

Hello everyone!  I am pleased to announce that I will have four pieces in this year's Red show at the Coast Collective!  They even chose a picture of my earrings for the show's poster, which is absolutely thrilling!

The show runs until February 26 during the Coast Collective's regular Wed-Sun operating hours and features work by a large number of artists in a whole variety of mediums.  It's a great place to buy unique locally handcrafted gifts for your sweethearts for Valentine's Day.  Or to pick up something for yourself if, like me, red is one of your favourite colours.

I have four pieces in the show, which they've displayed beautifully.  I'll be posting pictures from the opening on my instagram (@whisperedreams) if you want to check those out, but for now, here are the pictures of my pieces which I submitted for jurying purposes.

First, the earrings as seen in the poster:

They're made with tarnish-resistant brass wire and cherry-red miracle beads.

Next up is another pair of earrings.  I'm really excited about these because they're the first finished piece I've made with a new tool, a jig.  It lets me make a greater variety of wire forms than I could with just pliers and pens or dowels.  They're a flirtatious and romantic pair of chandelier earrings:

They're made from tarnish-resistant brass wire, glass bead drops, and Swarovski crystal bicones.  I look forward to making all sorts of snazzy things on my new jig in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

I also included a necklace and bracelet of the beaded pearl variety, in my hematite-black seed bead and burgundy glass pearl colour scheme:

The bracelet for the show is actually a little different than the one pictured here, because I decided to make one with a heart-shaped clasp.  With the hearts, I call this design Dark Romance.

I hope you can make it out to the show to see my pieces in person, as they really are lit beautifully.  The rest of the show is gorgeous as well, with a whole variety of mediums represented.

Next post should feature a bunch of bright colours as I get ready for spring.  I already have some beautiful violet miracle bead freeform coil earrings I need to photograph in some nice sunshine, and hopefully I'll manage to put together some items in a floral theme.  Follow me on instagram for more frequent updates!

On Photography

As stated, now that I have completed my lovely new website, this blog is going to include more info about my design process, etc.

One of the things I'm working on right now is coming up with new and interesting ways to photograph my pieces.  I don't have a light box, so lighting is always a challenge when trying new things, so for now I'm keeping it fairly simple.

As you may have noticed, I recently found some charming heart-shaped clasps.  I decided to try echoing that for a photo of one of my harlequin necklace and bracelet sets:

I think it worked out pretty well.

In an effort to make things seasonal, I also decided to try photographing some pieces with a paper snowflake I had cut out.  The piece itself ends up being a smaller portion of the photo, but I hope the symmetry of the snowflake pulls the eye to the center.

Here's a snowflake with an iris seed bead and dark grey glass pearl bracelet with a heart clasp:

And here it is with my candy cane coil earrings:

I think the lighting on the earrings worked out better, though the bracelet looks a bit sharper.

I also tried a few other variations with the candy cane coils.

The first is the earrings within a heart made from candy canes:
 

I think next year I will try and get some red and white candy canes (no green) and maybe a bit shorter, but I think it's a cute idea.

I did have one small red and white candy cane, so I tried to lay it next to the earrings on their card:

It works to get the idea of candy cane colours on the earrings across, but I like the candy cane heart better.

Finally, I tried hanging them on the scarf of a cute snowman I bought at a local craft fair.

It's cute, but I think maybe they get a bit lost.

Overall, my favourite of the fun photos is the snowflake one.  Which do you like best?

All of these items are available at my Etsy, along with several others including a lovely donut wrap with a beaded chain($59):

And for those of you in the Victoria area, if you don't want to shop online at Etsy, the Coast Collective's annual Gifts and Wishes show is on until December 23rd this year, and I still have several pieces available there.

If I don't post again before the new year, I hope everyone has a warm and wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year!

One Day to go for 10/10/10!

There's only one item left to be revealed in my 10 items over 10 days with a shop wide 10% off celebratory launch event over at my Etsy shop (coupon code WEBB10).  The event is to celebrate the launch of my new website at www.whisperedreams.com, so if you haven't checked it out yet, please do!

So here's a quick summary of the pieces I've posted since my last blog entry.  All the prices I list are in Canadian dollars and before the 10% discount.

The first are a pair of candy cane coil earrings which can be worn seasonally or year round as a subtle way of showing off your holiday spirit ($20):

The next is the honey-golden and earthy seed bead and caramel glass pearl sweetheart bracelet with a heart-shaped clasp ($20):

The following day I posted a sleek and simple sea glass design in non-tarnish silver-plated copper wire ($20):

Day 7's piece was a flirty and feminine sweetheart beaded pearl bracelet in pink seed beads and white glass pearls with a heart-shaped clasp ($20):

I posted a lovely gold seed bead and white glass pearl necklace with a filigree clasp on Day 8 ($39):

And today I posted a matching sweetheart bracelet in gold seed beads and white glass pearls with a heart-shaped clasp ($20):

So please check in at my Etsy shop tomorrow for the 10th and final item of this celebration event, and if you want your orders to arrive in time for Christmas, remember to order soon!

(I don't know about you, but I'm feeling the holiday spirit.  I got a cute little snowman decoration at a local craft fair, and he offered to model my candy cane coil earrings for you!)

(I think he looks rather good in them!)

I'd also like to remind everyone that Thursday, December 1st, I will be at the Coast Collective for my shift at their annual Gifts and Wishes show and sale.  The sale started November 23 and runs until December 23 and showcases a lot of beautiful art by local Vancouver Island artists.

I'll be there (probably shopping, haha) so you should stop by to say hello and to ask any questions you might have about my jewellery or my process or anything else that may interest you.

Gifts and Wishes 2016 and new pieces in Etsy

Gifts and Wishes 2016 has begun at the Coast Collective's beautiful new purpose-built location on Wale Rd!  The show runs from November 23 to December 23 during the Coast Collective's regular hours (Wed-Sun, 11-5) and features work by many Vancouver Island artists.

I will be there on December 1 from 11-5 if you want to stop by and talk to me about my art.

The Coast Collective is also running a promotion on their Facebook, so be sure to check that out before heading over.  Sounds like you could win a free art print!

Speaking of promotions, my 10 items over 10 days with a shop wide 10% off (coupon code WEBB10) is in full swing at my Etsy shop!

The pieces for days 2 and 3 can be worn as a set.  It's a harlequin style beaded glass pearl necklace and bracelet with heart clasps, making it a great gift to show your loved ones some warm fuzzies!

The necklace is $39 (-10% with WEBB10) and the bracelet is #20 (-10% with WEBB10), and if you buy more than one piece at a time, you'll save on shipping. 

Be sure to place your orders soon if you want them to arrive in time for Christmas!

Small Treasures 2016

Hello Everyone!  I'm excited to tell you that one of my necklaces was accepted into the Small Treasures show at the Coast Collective.  The opening reception is tonight, November 4th, from 7-9pm, and I will be in attendance.  If you cannot make it tonight though, the show runs until November 20th.

The piece I have in the show is my lovely sea glass pendant on a braided beaded chain:

As stated in a previous post, this piece features a silver-plated copper wire wrapped piece of Vancouver Island sea glass with a large starfish charm hanging on a braided, four-strand chain of seed beads and freshwater pearls.

It closes with a lobster claw clasp paired with an extender chain to make the length adjustable to suit various necklines.  I'll be selling it at the show for $99.

Small treasures is, in the words of the Coast Collective, a "Gallery exhibition of smaller works of fine art perfect for gifting."  The opening reception is tonight from 7-9pm at the Coast Collective's Wale Road location.

The Small Treasures show runs from November 2 until November 20th during the Coast Collective's normal operating hours.  While I only have the one piece in the show, I have recently restocked my gift shop inventory at the same location, so you can look for me there as well.

I hope you can make it out and enjoy all of the beautiful artwork on display!

New Pieces and Big News

Hello Everyone!

I have some new pieces for your perusal and a big announcement, which I may as well get out of the way before we get to the pretty pictures.

The announcement is that I will soon be launching a genuine website for WhispereDreams Jewellery.  There you can view a large gallery of my work sorted into useful categories instead of scrolling through archives of blog or clicking on the label tag cloud on the side here.  I'll also have info and links on shows and venues, although I will of course still post about those here.  I've also launched a facebook page for my business, which I will endeavor to keep updated with new pieces on a regular basis.

I'll post again once the website goes live.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of pieces I've been working on lately.

The first is a new sea glass pendant on a braided chain made from seed beads and genuine freshwater pearls.  I love the challenge of wrapping all the different shapes and sizes of sea glass I find, but it does make me miss working with colours, so I plan on making quite a few chains like this.

 This one blends iris seed beads with silver-core icy blue and silver-core clear seed beads for a cool and liquidy blend that matches nicely with the silver-plated copper wire, the silvery starfish charm, and the white sea glass.  The dark freshwater pearls add a nice contrast.

I've finished it off with an extender chain to make the length adjustable.

I also have a few new pendants without chains.  The first two are silver-plated copper wire on white sea glass:

The next is made from gunmetal brass wire over white sea glass:

And the final piece is copper wire on white sea glass:

I'll post again soon, once my website launches, and also to announce my fall/winter show schedule.

Gifts and Wishes 2015

Well gentle readers, it is now time to announce my final confirmed Christmas show of the season.  For the second time, I will be participating in the Coast Collective's Gifts and Wishes show which is a gallery-style show running from November 25 to December 20.  (December 20th is also the Coast Collective's final day in its present location, so if you haven't been out to Havenwood, I recommend you check it out before they move to the Holiday Inn Express on Wale Road.)

I was there on Wednesday, and it's an absolutely gorgeous show this year!  There's a huge variety of stuff, from what's shown in the above poster to pottery, gourd art, metalwork, glass art, watercolour paintings, acrylic paintings, handcrafted bookmarks, art cards, and completely adorable monster stuffies...  I will be there again on Saturday November 28th and on Sunday December 13th.  I'll be bringing home-made pinwheel cookies this Saturday, and if I am feeling ambitious I'll make traditional Bavarian Christmas cookies for my December shift, if baked foods bribery works to get you to swing by.

Baked goods are not what I'm selling, however.  So without further ado, here are some pictures of the jewellery you can find at the gallery show.

For fans of my pearl and seed bead jewellery, I included a couple necklace and bracelet pairs in some favourite colours.

First up is my classic harlequin design, which someone recently pointed out to me could also be called a ying yang design since it has the curves and balance of black and white.  (bracelet $20, necklace $39)

And for those wanting warmer tones, I have the rich caramel pearl and coffee-brown seed bead combo (bracelet $20, necklace $39)

To go with the pearl necklace and bracelet sets, I have some of my freeform coil earrings.

I have a nice winter pairing of silver-plated copper wire and snowy white glass pearls ($20):

I have a silver-plated wire and greyscale ombre set that would go beautifully with the harlequin/ying yang nelckace and bracelet set ($20):

And I have a pair of silver-plated copper wire with lavender miracle beads.  These ones feature smaller/tighter coils.  The miracle beads never quite come out in pictures.  The best one is the second from the top on the left-hand earring.  The beads seem to have a glowing layer around a bead in the inner core.  Or maybe a shadow layer around a glowing inner core.  Anyway, miracle beads have a bit of an optical illusion going, and I love it, but it doesn't photograph.  ($20)

In warmer tones I have an elegant brass wire with creamy white glass pearls for a sense of classic, old-fashioned luxury with a modern twist in design ($20)

And for those liking a bit more colour, I have brass wire with white and caramel glass pearls ($20)

The final pair of freeform coil earrings features copper wire and white glass pearls for those who like to play with a less common metal in their jewellery ($20)

I also have some of my new triple drop earrings at this show.

The first are in silver-plated wire with deep indigo freshwater pearls ($20)

I also have another pair of my lovely and elegant favourites with the rose-coloured freshwater pearl drops and brass wire ($20)

And a pair of my new favourites (I'm allowed to have many many favourites, okay?), the gilttery shooting star design featuring gunmetal wire, hematite stars, and Swarovski crystal bicones:

These ones actually sold on Wednesday, but I'll bring in another pair on Saturday, only with silver-plated wire instead of gunmetal.  I figure these guys are great for holiday-season parties, especially New Years.

And last but not least we have some sea glass.  I realize it's more of a summer thing, but no WhispereDreams collection would be complete without it.  I have included two sets.

The first is silver-plated copper wire on white sea glass with indigo pearls.  (Pendant on black cotton cord $25, earrings $39)

The second features brass wires and pale peachy freshwater pearls.  These earrings are a bit different because they more closely echo the pendant design and have the pearl dangles hanging right against the sea glass instead of above or below.  (pendant on black cotton cord $25, earrings $39)

And there you have it!  If you buy lots, I'll make new things, haha.  Hope to see some of you there either this Saturday the 28th, or on December 13th.  Remember, I am bribing you with cookies!