Are you struggling to figure out the perfect pretty for the favorite ladies in your life? Well the can help you find the gifts that every girl on your list will cherish.
Now I'm not saying that you should always generalize and compartmentalize your loved ones, but when trying to buy a gift that she will adore and actually wear, you may need to figure out what kind of style she has.
Does she always look timeless, is impeccably dressed and polished and her home full of furnishings that never go out of style? Check out gifts for .
Is chrome a staple of her home, does she prefer clean lines to chaos...is simple her style? You should check out gifts for .
Is she happiest outside, is always ready to wander through the woods and wears all eco friendly fashions? You should check out gifts for
Does she spend her spare time in thrift stores, fill her home with found treasures from a bygone era and love the thrill of the find? Check out gifts for .
Was Punky Brewster her style icon, is her closet filled with color and chaos and does she have a habit of using things for the opposite of what they were intended? Check out gifts for .
Does she have subscriptions to Vogue in several languages, is her closet more up to date than her date book and can she name every model on the runway? Check out gifts for a .
Hope this helps with your Holiday Shopping...and ps...it's ok to buy for you too!
Or I heart Lions, or there's a heart hanging off of that Lion's paw! I've adding to my collection of critters over on pinterest, so I thought it was time to share...
As the whole point of this blog is the inspiration and digital sketchbook of my profession as a designer, I thought it would be fun to share the power of great inspiration. Besides this digital version, I have three large boards hanging in my studio upon which I stick inspiring images and I keep a few small notebooks in which I create collages of inspiring images. I admit that as the internet has such a plethora of images, I now update the books much less frequently. I have also stopped subscribing to as many magazine in which I find these images, as I see the editorial spreads online before they come out most of the time anyway.
A few years ago I was hanging out in my studio with a few girlfriends and we were talking about creative inspiration and these books I keep. I took one out and realized that I could pinpoint with some of the pages the necklaces I created from the images on them. It's amazing how without even noticing it, I was transferring the connection my mind made with these photos into jewelry....so cool that I went through one of my books today and looked for a few examples to share...
Can you see how the images provided inspiration? What inspires you?
That's the positive spin I am putting on my brake light that kept turning itself back on the last few days until it drained my battery and I had to get a very pricey new one delivered to my house. At the same time that I noticed my dead car, I realized that when you park under certain trees in Texas when it rains, they cover your car in sap. Yuck. After a 3 hour venture to find a car wash open in the rain and grocery shopping during the busiest time of day I came home in need of calm repetitive motions. So I reduced all prices on and jewelry. We're talking 60% - 75% off the original prices here! Take a few minutes to browse through the sales and take advantage of my stressful day...stock your gift closet for the upcoming season of needing last minute gifts or just buy yourself something pretty...because you're awesome and have most likely had a bad day recently as well.
It's time for the monthly giveaway at Manic Trout!! This month, one lucky winner will receive a of their choosing!
It's so simple to enter...all you have to do is pick your favorite bracelet and share it with your friends via Facebook or Twitter with the buttons on the page:
Then come back to this post and comment where you shared and you are entered to win! You will find all 7 of the bracelets .
You may enter until Midnight on October 31st and the winner will be announced via the Blog, Newsletter (sign up over in the right hand column) and via on Tuesday, November 1st.
I am so excited for today, as the Vintage Scarf Bracelets are now available!! I waited a few extra days to release them as I decided to also debut a line of necklaces I designed before I moved to Texas and a twist on the Paris In The Springtime Necklace from a few years ago. I am in love with how much color is in the new designs and I hope you are just as excited about them as I am!! So with much delight, I give you three new lines of jewelry...
Vivi You're My Thrill Bracelet
I think its wrong for me to like one of my own designs as much as I do these bracelets!
I dipped into my vintage scarf stash to find the perfect patterns to re purpose into the awesome . Sewed into slender strips, the scarves loop through vintage brass links with a deep patina to create a stunning and elegant statement pieces.
Lorin Dig That Crazy Chick Necklace
The are One of A Kind creations with Vintage Lucite hand knotted with Persian Yarn and surrounded by beautiful glass. The Toggle Clasp is accented with a Vintage Button, making the back view just as delightful as the front!. Yes, that's right, there is only ONE of each colorful bauble, so if you fall in love with one, make sure you grab it fast!
Lamia Gimme Some Lovin Necklace
For those of you craving a bit of color, but want to keep it simple...or more versatile, meet the . A long strand of brass chain balances 2 trios of colorful glass asymmetrically. Perfect for layering and easy to wear with a variety of necklines.
If you want to check out all of the new jewelry in one place, you can do so !
Today is one of those rare days...ok well yesterday was one too...when I don't have to leave the house not even to run errands, meet up with anyone or see loved ones. I cherish these days. I spend almost the entire time in the studio. I take breaks to work out, walk Faye and eat...and that I do at my desk. It's awesome.
One of the things I have done this weekend is finalize and make the first of a new line of necklaces. Some of you may remember the Paris In The Springtime Necklaces. The were made of glass and vintage lucite beads, hand knotted on colorful Persian yearn with a vintage button clasp. Each one was one of a kind and bursting with color. Well, the new design are basically the older sister of the Paris in The Springtime Necklaces and I heart them. They will be available this week along with the Scarf Bracelets. Yay!!
The older I get, the more I subscribe to the idea of buying a much smaller quantity of clothes each season, but making sure the ones I buy are high quality, timeless and look great on me. I pretty much wear a daily uniform of solid shirt with a printed full skirt and flats. When I dress up, I switch to a dress and add heels...and the dresses I choose almost always have a defined high waist and full skirt. Like I said, I know what works. The only downside is, I sometimes get a bit bored with what I have. Lucky for me, I am a jewelry designer, so I have access to an unlimited supply of jewelry to instantly update whats already hanging in my closet. I will admit though that there are a handful of pieces that I wear constantly and in fact only add a few new pieces to the rotation each season there as well. What can I say, I'm a busy girl, I don't have a great deal of time to spend figuring out what to wear!
One of my favorite ways to stay in the moment with my classic wardrobe is to check out the Pantone Colors for the season and accessorize with those. I love color, and its so fun to see what designs come out each season in the new palettes! Above is the Fall 2011 Pantone Color chart, they are all so pretty!
Now that you know what the most stylish colors are, you need to consider what the jewelry trends are for the season. This fall, three basic ideals stand out...
1. Bigger is better. Wearing one statement pieces goes a long way...and means you have to less to decide on that day!
2. Mixing metals is fresh and modern. Go ahead...mix gold and gun metal!
3. Layering necklaces is a simple and cool way to create your own unique look. Mix a few long chains, or even pile on the shorter chunkier styles, how you do it is up to you!
Well, now you are armed with the knowledge of the colors and styles of jewelry to adorn your self with for the season...how will you do it?
Farah Zsa Zsa Bling Ring Fuchsia
This Fall, I have three Zsa Zsa Bling Rings that I plan on rotating as they are such an easy last minute addition of color! The gold crystal wrapped in a gold , the pale blue crystal wrapped in a gunmetal and for really adding color, the amethyst crystal wrapped in fuchsia ! I personally prefer the crystals as I can wear them during the day easily too.
Vanir Mermaid Parade Necklace
As big necklaces are already my thing, I plan on wearing the as the green is perfect for fall...and I love the lion with his little heart hanging off of his paw. I also have been waiting for cooler weather to break out my current favorite Mermaid Parade, the ...and it's so perfect for this seasons colors!
Just You & Me Necklaces
For the layered look, I LOVE to wear all four of the at once, the vintage charms look gorgeous hanging all together in a cluster!
Earring wise I still go to the Sweetest Thing Earrings as they can be worn with big necklaces and add a little color. The , and are the perfect pink for the season!
Amana Material Girl Earrings
I have been really loving big earrings at night though...and I plan on making the a staple of my Fall night looks...they are made with vintage sequins and are light as air!
What has been getting me really excited for fall though are the new bracelets! They will be available next week and are made from Vintage Scarves and are so comfortable that you can't even tell you're wearing it. The only problem I have, is which one I will wear?
So what are you buying for this season? Do you treat yourself to a closet full of clothes, add shoes and jackets or update the accessories? Would love to hear what you're excited about this season!
I have been collecting critters on recently and since I saw my first real Texas Armadillo the other day, I have become a tad obsessed. Who me, get obsessed...never! Oh and the Armadillo was actually dead on the road...but still. Perhaps that's why I became obsessed with images of alive Armadillos...
Just the face
As a baby
3 of a kind
With a caption
In a hand
by Alexander McQueen
In a bucket
Made of brass
In the grass
By Manic Trout
Holiday Armadillo
ps...if you come across a brass Armadillo like the one above, please let me know...I'm obsessed with bras critters too...obviously!
I am finally getting the recap together from Fashion Week. As my apartment will not be ready until September 10th, I have been staying with Adam...and he moved this past weekend. Chaos is beyond what my life has been.
I however am finally enjoying a few quiet hours of solitude and catching up as much as I can. So I can now share how the Jewelry Showcase went! Note that I sadly took very few photos that night as it was crazy busy...I'm pretty bummed about that...but what can you do.
I was invited about a month ago to be part of the Jewelry Showcase during Austin Fashion Week, the showcase is a curated event of the best 16 or so designers from around the country. I was BEYOND nervous leading up to the event and to make my stress levels soar, my moving pod had not arrived and I had no display. I spent the few days before scrambling around at Ikea, Home Depot and Michaels trying to gather materials to build a new presentation. I had no idea how it would look or if it would even work when set up. Without the pod, I also had nothing to wear. Adam being the awesome boyfriend that he is, declared that he wanted to buy me a new dress for that night so Holly and I set off on a mission that morning which took us to 7 stores before we found a dress that fit right, but we did it!
The event was at the in Austin, a historic and gorgeous back drop for the show. We had the second floor, the center of which was the runway and podium and then there were two rooms off of it where the jewelry designers were all set up. When you walked into the room I was in, Manic Trout was the first thing you saw...I thought that was pretty awesome.
As you can see, I was pretty happy with how the display turned out...not bad for starting from scratch...I did miss my glass blocks though.
Those images are Manic Trout in the press...it looked impressive shown all at once and I think a better display than the usual binders that I had been using. The whole night was a whirlwind of new faces and the fashion elite of Austin. Business cards were changing hands in a blur and the swarm of press and the fashion elite was intoxicating. At one point during the evening I was even interviewed for the CW Austin!
Being set up around the room was only the tip of the iceberg though...the highlight of the event (and the part that made me want to throw up when I thought about it) was the presentation part of the evening. Each designer had 3-5 minutes to give a speech and 4 models to show jewelry on. I was editing my speech and trying to mentally slow myself down up until the last second I got up on that stage.
It went well...although the lights went off in the middle for no reason and it caused me to stumble over my words for a second, but both the lights and my speaking ability quickly recovered! I finished up with..."I am excited to share that even though at the moment my life is trapped somewhere in transit inside of a moving container, as of this week, Manic Trout officially calls Austin, Texas home!" which received such a loud applause and shouts from the audience that the co-coordinator asked me when I stepped down and returned back stage what I said to receive the loudest applause of the night. It felt good.
Hello!! My name is Sierra and this is my digital sketchbook where I share my life as a designer living in Austin, TX. Check out the about page to find out more about me and what goes on here!
