Jewelry trends for spring 2015

Carol Dekle-Foss

Hello everyone! I took a few weeks to relax before the new year so I could refocus my intentions and gain clarity as to what I wanted to accomplish in 2015. It was good for my soul, so now I'm fired up for the new year!  I've hit the ground running...literally.  With my Fitbit snugly on my wrist I've managed to avoid the holiday weight gain by working out almost everyday. 

So keeping healthy is one goal I have for 2015, but I am also working on jewelry pieces for magazine submissions, craft fair and festival applications, and revamping my website. In a few weeks it's back to school where I will be continuing to learn French. Also, My father has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's so a lot of my time will be spent taking care of him. It should prove to be a very busy year, but I am determined to make it the best yet!!!

I recently took a peek at the latest jewelry trends for spring 2015. I should say I never follow trends but some of these have roused my creative juices! 

Here are a few of them that have piqued my interest:

Chunky necklaces

Staci Louise Smith nails this look with her bold and dramatic necklaces. I love how she is able to create such perfect asymmetry.

Irregular Earrings 

Earrings that are irregular and unbalanced. I love these earrings by Kelli Pope for their deep sweeping curves and a pop of black beads placed in just the right spot.

Chokers

Chokers in a variety of shapes, styles and gems. I've always loved chokers so this look has me really excited! After reading about the new trends, I immediately headed to the studio to create this necklace. 

Brass metal

Bold statements in brass. Karen McGovern created this beautiful brass wire heart pendant with a cute little red enameled drop. 

Boho with a modern twist

Boho meets deco. Barbara Bechtel made these lovely star and crystal boho earrings that have a rustic and linear look.    

So those are some of my favorite trends for this year! What about you? Do you keep up to date on the latest trends or completely ignore them? Do tell!

DIY Trendsetting: Leather Tassels

by Barbara Bechtel

Tassels are all around these days in jewelry trends.....Around last fall, I began making my leather tassels and today, I'm going to show you how!

My tassels are made of reclaimed leather, but after you try this easy technique, you'll see it's easily applicable to fabric or a vegan option like pleather or ultrasuede!

Product note: While you can purchase leather sheet from craft stores, I encourage you to source your local upholstery shop for leather scraps or purchase some leather that is reclaimed. My leather comes from Modern Fabrics, where I buy my leather. It is reclaimed leather from the furniture industry and this company purchases and resells it as it would otherwise end up in a landfill. For $20, you can get a whole box full that will last you for years making tassels and other things! Please note, you want the remnants...the other leather listed on their site is for full hides so that link is the one you want.

Supply List:
* Pieces of leather (about 2-3" x 3-4" pieces) They will be different sizes but depending on the thickness of your leather and the size/length of your finished piece, you'll want to gather a bunch of rectangles to play around! Start larger and work your way smaller as you gain confidence.
 
*extra tiny leather rectangles (about 3/8" x 1 1/2") for embellishing and making a loop.

* strong glue. (I use E6000) Make sure your glue is labeled to glue leather. This is a great reference for glue. I would not use a tacky or fabric glue as it will not hold.

*Sharp Shears (use a dedicated pair of long, sharp fabric shears) They will make nice, long straight cuts that will give you the nice fringe you're looking for here!

*metal ruler

*sharpie or marking pen

*wooden clothespins or clips (to hold your tassel while it dries)

*optional: waxed thread or linen and beads for embellishing.

I made this really high-tech diagram for you to see how you'll be cutting your fringe ;0)....You can mark all these lines with a marking pen if you're nervous. NOTE: The heavy black line above the dotted lines is for reference. You're not cutting this line. Normally, the dotted lines I freehand cut and the solid line I mark as a guide to make sure the fringe is even....but once you get the hang of it, you won't need to mark much.....

 Cut your fringe like above. Don't use tiny scissors! You want long SHARP fabric shears to make nice straight cuts.

This is the small tab rectangle you'll use to make the loop and will also form the core of your tassel. Fold this in half, securing it with a dot of glue at the base.

Place your loop at one end of the fringe, add glue and fold over. Draw a line of glue along the top edge and begin folding, taking care to keep the fringe, straight, tight, and even along the top.

Keep folding and adding glue and rolling....eh? starting to look very tassel-y.....

Once you reach the end, secure with a clothespin and let dry for several hours.

Practice making a bunch because it's fun and addictive!!!! Once dry, you can add another small rectangle around the outside of the top to add interest and a little extra security (as in the finished picture of my necklace above) or add a little strand of waxed linen (as in the grey tassel above).....

If you don't like to use leather, consider trying this with fabric, faux leather, or ultrasuede!

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below! Enjoy!