pink and silver update

wanted to include a some pictures of the completed pink, pearl and silver necklace shown only in pieces in my last entry. i think it came out wonderfully. this was created for a mother from her daughter as a birthday gift. it is special to work on projects like this.

in a nutshell

i love designing pieces specifically for the recipient, whether it is for you, your mom, sister, best friend, grandmother, etc. i aim to add of the persons personality within each. that being said, the necklace has a lot of me in it as well. i began my love affair with beads while traveling years back. instead of collecting postcards from different cities, i was fascinated with gathering beads from all over the world. many of those beads are still incorporated in my necklaces today, so bits and pieces of my life experiences are past to those who wear my necklaces. when i begin designing a necklace, i sift through the jars of different beads to create a palette that suits the recipient and also the vision i have for the piece.

above is a selection of beads used to create a pink based necklace with silver accents

i have always been drawn to asymmetrical design over symmetry, so that is something that can be expected in my necklaces. they are formed in a manner to cause the eyes to jump around, struggle to find a favorite bead, create adjacencies that seem to make no sense, yet when viewed as a whole form wonderful harmonies.

in the necklace above, the asymmetry is quite drastic. one side is all freshwater pearls while the other side a collection of bold colors in different shapes and sizes. this asymmetry is able to create a balanced piece. click here for more pictures of this necklace and the others in the collection.

i began experimenting with alphabet beads, testing out ways to use them in a more sophisticated manner than i did when i was a kid. they are now a staple on my necklaces. on the back of each necklace, i always include two beads, reading "love m". each piece is a part of me, and made with much love.

i expanded on the signature to add quotes to necklaces, a way to further personalize each piece.

there are no limits when it comes to necklaces. i keep working to further push the confines of "traditional" jewelry with every new piece.

my BIG move

recently i moved, simply from one bedroom to another, yet i maintain that it was not that straight forward. i am still putting my life back together but what excited me most about this new room is the space available for a workspace. good golly now has a formal home; even if the rest of my life is still yet to be organized. i purchased a desk off craigslist and took it upon myself to refinish it. typically these projects end up sitting in my parents basement or garage for years, but this one needed to get finished to house the boxes, jars, and cases of beads that previouslly resided in the living room, whether the roommates liked it or not. half of the problem in making necklaces is that i do need time to walk away from them, and figure out if i love the arrangement, and in doing so i used to have to clean up everything. well now i am loving the freedom to leave my creative chaos and know i will not be bothering others. my desire to make was stifled by my hate for cleaning and now i have no excuse but to design, design, design. now if i could only get myself to clean and organize the rest of my belongings.

much improved from the chipped white it used to be

the new workspace, small but much needed!

and a much deserved thank you to my brother pat for all his help with the painting, moving, well... basically everything.

westport=heaven

this past weekend i retreated to this little place called westport,ct or more well known to my circle of friends as "heaven", where the weather reports call for a "delightful day" and the temperature is never below 75. this little slice of heaven and some incredible landscaping made an amazing backdrop for an impromptu photoshoot showcasing some of good gollys finest past creations.

lee and brian get hitched

good golly designs made its wedding debut this summer at an amazing philadelphia wedding. lee and brian got married in june and you know who :) got to make the necklaces for the wedding. working with a gray and yellow pallete, i had a great time creating different yet complementary necklaces for all four bridesmaids. the necklaces were made with freshwater pearls, antique gold broaches and an assortment of yellow beads. here is what i came up with...

the beautiful photography was shot by rebecca barger

http://www.rebeccabarger.com/