Welcome to my Back Yard Studio

Studio main wall

Finally I've moved into my long overdue backyard studio. It's taken one month short of a year since Trey and I bought the building to get to this point. I'm so giddy. Trey and his friends Andy and Michael did an awesome job. Big thanks goes out to Michael for the professional electrical work.

So let me show you around. Pictured above is my main work desk, which I got for $10 from a friend. It's positioned on the main wall of the studio. Bad feng shui, I know, but it looks good there. The birch drawers on the desk where I keep my beads and supplies are from Ikea.

Inspiration

In front of my work desk is my inspiration wall, which I coated with magnetic paint. Those thumb tacks keeping the pictures in place are actually magnets. Cool, right? I expect that the wall will be covered pretty soon with lots of tear outs that inspire me.

The white cabinet in the corner was actually the laundry room pantry from my previous house. Now it's become a handy storage space for my paints, brushes and random craft supplies. The lanterns draped over the cabinet were left over party lights from Peir 1 that Trey and I were given as part of a wedding gift four years ago. I finally got around to opening them, and I think they're perfect for the space.

From this view the room looks pretty bare, and I know the table is under scale but you work with what you have. I think that once I add more to my inspiration wall it'll balance the look.

Off to the left of the main wall is my secondary work table, which I'll use to package jewelry for shipping and probably for random projects.

I love the ample track lighting in my space. There are three tracks -- left, center and right -- and the lights can be angled any which way. The painting in the above image was done by my hand. It was living in the trunk of my car for the past year and has now found its permanent home. On the opposite wall is another black-framed painting I did that was also living in my trunk. It's main colors are pinks, and it really pops against the aqua blue wall.

The hanging star in the window was bought for the studio from World Market almost a year ago. It catches the light on a bright day just as beautifully as I'd hoped. The curtains hanging in the three studio windows were just completed today. I spent all weekend sewing them.

The fabric, which I absolutely adore, came from Target. The yardage was packaged as a large tapestry throw for a bed, wall or couch. After making the curtains I still have plenty of material, so now I'm considering other accessories to make for the studio.


And that's it for now. I'm sure I'll post more pics as the studio inevitably evolves.

Things I Adore Thursday: Art Posters

Blogger's Note: You may have noticed that I wrote this post on a Friday, thinking it was a Thursday. This is what self-employment does to a gal. It's a miracle I know what month it is.

So I'm starting a weekly post here, "Things I Adore Thursday," where I'll share some of the eye candy I find on the Net that rocks my socks. Here are a few concert posters that caught my eye.

I was so inspired by concert posters, in fact, that I've hand drawn a flier ad for this blog to be given out at the Ruston Farmers Market on May 9, when I'll be selling Petite Minx jewelry. It's a bunch of doodles. Not comparable to the screen printed awesomeness here, but it's my own brand of D.I.Y. Will show you the outcome later.


Ah, Cake. I love this band. It's a throwback to my carefree days. Trips into the country or to the lake on sunny summer days. The boy with the golden hair...

Blah, blah, blah. My sentiments exactly.

Love, love, love this one.


This flier is more in the vein of my D.I.Y. masterpiece. Gotta cut out now and get started on some freelance work. Peace.

New Shop Listings

Island Jaunt Necklace

I just posted new jewelry to the Petite Minx shop and there are a handful of items to be added before I get busy making more. These two necklaces were way fun to make. I love the colors and how the wooden disks on the cluster necklace (below) sound when they clink, clink together.

Wooden Charm Cluster Necklace

In an unrelated note, I took this photo, above, on a rainy day in downtown Monroe, La, as my hubby and I perused the city's annual Art Fest. The colorful balloons were a beacon on the gloomy day and juxtaposed in an ironic way next to the fallout shelter sign.

Back with more later.

New Jewelry and an Outing

Love, love, love this Petite Minx necklace. Pendant-ebony wood; beads are bead chrysanthemum and vintage wood stained a cranberry hue; 19" with a 2" adjustment.

Though I haven't so much as tweeted in the past few days I've still been busy making jewelry, and here are some of the latest creations. While prepping to go on vacation I've been juggling a host of -- might I add random and plentiful -- business related obligations.

So please have patience with me as my Etsy site is relatively barren. After returning from vacation I vow to stock it to the gills.

Left-antique brass chain, shells, betelnut, white-washed wood and plum-hued silk; right- horn "tooth" pendant, black agate beads, antique brass chain and micro-fiber "suede"

Wrapped onto gold-tone wire are a freshwater pearl and an antique brass coin. The cord is micro-fiber "suede."

But it hasn't been all work and no play for me. The First Fridays art crawl in Ruston that I mentioned (last post) was a blast. I stopped by Thousand Words Photography to restock my display, but before I got the chance to mingle with any of the art crawlers my hunger led me to 102/a Bistro where complimentatry hors d'ourves and wine were being served.

Inside 102/a Bistro

The newly rennovated building looked swank and amazing and the food, which includes sushi (my fave) was to die for delicious. Also, I heard from a little birdie that there may be several vegan meals on the menu, too. Hooray!

Well, that's it for now. It's back to work for me.

Restocking Thousand Words; Going on Inspiration Vacation

This evening I'll be restocking Thousand Words Photography (Ruston, La.) with some of my latest jewelry that includes silks, wooden pendants, shells and earthy-hued micro fiber "suede". Tonight is the inaugural First Fridays downtown art crawl in Ruston, and I'll be at Thousand Words for a while meeting and greeting crawlers.

So, perhaps you're wondering what the photos in this post have to do with anything I'm writing about. As usual I've been scouring the Web for inspiration and found some beachy/summery-themed pics that are getting me amped for my vacation to Myrle Beach, SC, next weekend.

These photos are also giving me ideas for more jewelry, some that will be one-of-a kinds, which I'll make available through the Petite Minx Web shop. The pictures beg me to ask the question, "What kind of jewelry do I want to wear to the beach, during the summer or while on vacation?"

Early next week and while I'm away that will be a question I'll repeatedly ponder as I sketch new designs whilst sitting at the beach under a large billowy umbrella. I can't wait to feel the warm oceanic breezes and hot sand between my toes and also doing some shopping at the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. I'm so looking forward to perusing through Anthropologie and Pottery Barn, two of my favorites that I've never stepped foot in once before.

I'll be sure to post pictures of my vacation and my sketches here in the next couple of weeks.

The Possibilities Are Endless

A view from my messy desk while I'm at work creating new jewelry

This week has been a whirlwind of activity at chez Petite Minx. After finally receiving all of my supplies I've begun to make the jewelry that is beyond anything I've ever done. I'm super excited to reveal it all here but have little time on my hands to do so at this point.

More exciting yet, I have an audience this coming Monday with two buyers at a local upscale home and accessories boutique. By Tuesday I'm hoping to have my jewelry on display there. Send me some luck, friends.

By Monday I need to have fabricated one set of all designs in the new line of jewelry. Then I need to get right back to work to make duplicates of each for the gallery that is already selling my work. I just got word that the older jewelry I supplied the gallery has sold quite well. I'm anticipating at the beginning of next month my first paycheck as a self-employed woman. Woo hoo!

The Designer at Work: An Inside Look

Here's a peek at some earrings that will be in Petite Minx's first collection. The "skirt" is a dusty-rose colored wire mesh.

I'm waiting expectantly today to see the first bundle of supplies arrive at my doorstep, but placing that first order wasn't as easy as simply choosing pretty items all willy nilly like I'm used to doing. No, there was much work that led up to that itemized order.

This necklace will be made with a luxurious silk ribbon, peridot seed beads, golden Swarovski crystal connectors and a brass and mother of pearl teardrop pendant.

My creative process begins with scouring online the pages of my favorite clothing and jewelry collections. What brands they are, I shall never tell. But maybe you'll be able to guess once you see my finished collection, which will be for sale online at my Etsy shop, petiteminxbijoux.etsy.com.

Here's a peek at what the pendant will actually look like.

After gathering inspiration I begin to sketch ideas for necklaces, bracelets and earrings. (I made three sets of revisions to my sketches this time around.) After I've designed what the "bones" will look like I decide what materials and colors I'll use. Should the round bead be a 6mm black agate or should it be a 9mm wooden bead?

Then I search my supplier's Web pages for my specs, sometimes finding better materials than what I had in mind originally, which of course sends me back to the drawing board.

More sneak peeks to come. Check back for more of what's to come before the grand opening of the Petite Minx Web shop.

A Tease of the First Collection

All photos from Gudrun Sjoden's Web site.

The week trudges along dragging its feet through the rain-soaked streets of my town while I hole myself up in my office designing page after page of jewelry. After three very interrupted work days I feel I'm closing in on the final sketch and will soon be ordering a treasure trove of goodies that have never graced my workbench before.


There will be silks and feathers; there will be rhinestones and glue; and there will be faux suede. Is your mind at work with the possibilities? Mine is. Of course, don't count out the fact that there will be plenty of beads, charms and chain worked into Petite Minx's very first collection -- a true body of work fit for an artist's portfolio.

The photos above will give you a sense of the inspiration that has shaped my designs for the collection. And soon I should have sketches and samples to post. Until then ...