Feathers, Art Deco, and Crystals. Oh my!

Okay, so admittedly some of this will be old news for some of you. However, almost immediately after I made my last post, a wave of inspiration hit me like a speeding semi. I swear, I fell over and everything. Anyway, a few Etsy supply searches, sketches, and aha moments later/after that, I had a clear idea of what I needed to do. Overall, the aesthetic will be very light/feathery and ethereal mixed with a few strong art deco-y pieces. The color palette will still be whites, off whites, and various pastels. For the art deco pieces, I'll make these! I did a few spiral shapes and descending tier drawings that I think will look stellar as earrings and necklaces, respectively. So, the pieces I'll be focusing on are lace and feather headbands, lightweight yet big earrings with lotsa bling (feathers, nouveau/baroque shapes, and probably one art deco spiral pair), ladylike cuffs (maybe reusing some appliques-may need help on this one), and bold bib necklaces.

This week, I'll be focusing on a mini-overhaul of my Etsy shop as well as trying out a few new things to make my blog and shop more fun and interactive for anyone who keeps up with my jewelry. I've been told people read my blog, but it's one of those things that I'm never really sure of. Anyhow, I think I'll start working on the line and ordering supplies once I see the bad news of this month's credit card bill. I'd hate to spend money that I only think I have. Money aside, I'm happy to say I feel like I really milked that spurt of inspiration I had last week. I'm already thinking about a new mini "line" (I can never get used to calling it that, honestly) to do after I wrap this one up. It will be a little more true to fall fashion in style and colors. The solid ideas definitely aren't there yet, but the gears upstairs are turning.

I'm thinking this new line will consist of bold fuschias, cobalt blues, and chartreuse hues and will be inspired by a very glamorous night life that yours truly definitely doesn't have. Stylistically, it'll be poppy (but in good DGAJ taste) and will include lots of spheres, lucite pendants, and the like. I promise it won't be anything too obnoxious, by my standards at least. I've already got a playlist going to be paired with it- I mean, if you're going to have a night life theme, you've got to have music, right? I am my father's daughter (for anyone who doesn't know my dad, he loves all things super-themey even if it's way too much).

The good fortune Friday, I'm happy to say, also bled over into the music sector of the AJ realm. Definitely always a good thing. I've been editing old songs I wrote, adding on to newer songs, experimenting with sounds a little more, etc, etc. I also twisted Claire's (awesome friend from high school, she was in band with me) arm to lay down some drum tracks for me (Thanks, Claire!). Now if I could just get that process to go a little faster, *says in a Lumberg voice* that would be greeeeat.

Action Jackson out!

Back to the Drawing Board

For the past few days, I've had mad scientist syndrome and have been obsessing over new jewelry ideas. Even though AFW's done and over, my adrenaline's still making my brain constantly tick and I've just got to get these brain waves to materialize somehow! With fall, my very favorite fashion season, coming up, I thought it would be really awesome to challenge myself to make a cohesive new "line" of about 10-15 pieces. I figure it'll kick the ole thinker into gear and will be a good challenge for me, and what Type-A doesn't love a good challenge? In my spare interspace web hunt time, I've been been browsing for new ideas and muses and have been stewing on everything I find.
A really great idea came to me the other day to use Bioshock, a seamlessly crafted art deco-style retro anachronistic post-apocaliptic first person shooter game (see above image), as my inspiration. The game is set in a dystopian underwater futuristically retro (hence the anachronistic aspect) city and many of the game's themes and storyline concepts are based on Ayn Rand books. *Enter brief tangent* Personally, I HATE first person shooter games (as a player) because they are way too fast paced and there are too many weapon & item options for my level of gaming experience and style. However, when my boyfriend was showing me some of the games he'd been playing and replaying (which he does on a regular basis since he's an avid a.d.d. gamer), Bioshock really stood out to me (the same can be said for Fallout 3). It's one of those games that I watch and wish I had the gamer skills for because it's got an enticing story, beautiful aesthetics, and an overall great feel to it. Anyway, since my hobbies take precedent over my improving my first person shooter game skills, I've had my boyfriend play the game for me. *End brief yet semi-relevant tangent*

So what does this mean for the new jewelry line? Definitely burlesque/flapper-inspired feather headbands with crystal accents. I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to make those. And that's about where the idea well runs dry. How anticlimatic is that? I did some extensive art deco supply and jewelry searches on Etsy yesterday and just wasn't really happy with what I found. The super angular pieces available would be tacky-kitschy vintage when paired with Swarovski crystals (and yes, I DO feel the need to put those on everything I make), and so many people already do that kinda thing. Plus, I'm not really into that style in the first place. All of that made me feel very torn and stumped because I really liked the idea of translating Bioshock into jewelry, but I hated the parts and pieces that were readily available to me. When I told my go-to roomie about my predicament, who I ask for advice on everything, she suggested I try putting my spin on art deco instead of the other way around.

Simple as that might seem, that seemed to resusitate my frustrated beaten down brain. Admittedly, I'm still kinda stumped. It may be one of those things I have to put on the shelf for a few days and come back to. I really want to do a lot of whites, creams and pastels, but since fall's coming up (even though the Texas weather won't admit that til November) I feel obligated to do emerald greens, cobalt blues, plums, and deep reds. Another point of feeling torn. Oh well. I guess my mutual inspiration and cold comfort in all of this is Tarina Tarantino's been able to make a few art deco pieces that really work (see above, side), so maybe I can too?

Action Jackson out.