Another feature on Etsy - 4 in one week, yippee!

I cannot be happier! This is the 4th feature on Etsy this week and 1st for Bunnies Can Dream in a little while. A good way to end September. Let's hope more to come...

3 features in 1 week - way to go Moldycupcakes!

Moldycupcakes - my cute shop featuring gifts of $10 or less, is just a playhouse for me. I play with fabric and make really adorable packages of cuteness for anyone who's in for the game. So it really pleases me that I got 3 features this week. Everyone loves colors! :D

So here are the features. Click to visit them on Etsy.

Debute of the rose collection (finally) and behind-the-scene of the photoshoot!

Following the last few postings of the carved wax sterling silver rose collection, finally the finished products are available for preview!

This new collection is going to be launched under a different brand from Bunnies Can Dream. The new brand will be called "Harlequin & Lionhead". If you are more familiar with rabbits, you would probably notice that these are two specific rabbit breeds. Yes, they are the breeds of my 2 babies, Toffee and Charcoal.

Similar to Bunnies Can Dream, this line of jewelry is also inspired by nature. The main differences are that the focal material is sterling silver, and more than 90% of each piece of jewelry is fabricated entirely by myself in the studio. Another characteristic of Harlequin & Lionhead is that most pieces are "sculptured" from various materials instead of an integration of different elements, making its collection organic in nature.

The new collection will be available in a new Etsy store in November. But I can accept pre-order right now. Just email me and I'll provide you a quote. Currently, custom-made designs are not available but I could do that probably from Spring next year onwards.

Click on the picture below and you will be redirected to the blog of Harlequin & Lionhead, where you can see more pictures of the whole collection. I will be posting more next week on the new blog so stay tuned.

Full Rose Ring, Harlequin & Lionhead

 
This blog will continue to exist for Bunnies Can Dream, and as a more personal blog for me, the designer of Harlequin & Lionhead (because I just love dreamy bunnies and what this blog represents!)

Here is something for you readers exclusively - a quick behind-the-scene of my product photoshoot.

This is actually my little photoshooting booth for both brands. I use it for product close-ups. It's basically my bedroom dresser top with a specific photoshooting light set up, color paper backdrop, and specific props or tabletop. I don't use it as much for Bunnies Can Dream because it's a brand more of natural sunlight and colors. But this would be a must-have for Harlequin & Lionhead moving forward!

I do all photoshoot by myself, including the ones with model. And yes, I am always the model (a struggling designer has no capital to hire expensive fashion models!) To help me shoot, a full body mirror or a small hand mirror is important so I can see how the shoot looks like on the camera.

That's how I did the latest photos of Harlequin & Lionhead. A stark contrast is added to the picture to take out the background of my bedroom, leaving only the pale skin, black hair and black background.
ok, that's all for now! Come back soon for other stories ;)

Behind the scene of the upcoming sterling silver collection

You may remember my earlier posting on the wax rose, well, it came out really nice but I'm working on the finishing so you'll see it soon. Meanwhile, I'm giving you a sneak peek into my workstation and the rest of the rose collection, debuting October! I work with wax to create models for the silver pieces. And my survival tools are 1) tile (as the tabletop), 2) alcohol lamp, 3) 1-2 key dental tools, 4) wax. That's it! Then it's skills, patience and imagination! My collection is all about details. Except for the full bloom rose bracelet, the other pieces are made of small roses. Each rose is probably about quarter inch wide. The roses are put together to form different pieces. The lower bottom of the little case is a pair of 3-rose earrings that can be worn along your earlops curving up, or hang down from your ears. It's an elegant piece. The most stunning piece is probably the full rose ring. It showcases 15 or so roses in a full circle. I also made another ring that is adjustable with the opening on the front that is part of the design. It does not look like an adjustable ring at all. In fact, I like it more when it's opened up! This last piece is a rose wreath pendant made of 6 roses. I'll be posting the sterling silver pieces in the next posting. It's going to be available in store in Oct but pre-order can be accepted! Stay tuned ;)

My business page on facebook is up and running!

After 2 years of stalling, I finally jumped onto the fb business page wagon! It is called "Bunnies Can Dream - Jewelry by Nikisha on Etsy".

Well, hopefully it will make things easier for me and you and everyone. I promise I will not go crazy with the updates.

Click here to go to my page. Click "like" and you'll get free shipping on your first purchase! Of course, your repeat customer discount will still be valid (yes, it can be combined!)

Pass the word ;)

Fashion trend and Etsy finally connects - Part 2, SS 2011

Following the Part 1 featuring Fall/Winter 2010 women fashion trends, here is the Spring and Summer 2011 forecast.

Spring/Summer 2011

Phew, time flies and it's almost 2011. I am still lingering in the memories of summer. Looking ahead into Spring/Summer 2011 is rather quite exciting in the shadow of the cold and bare winter time...So instead of starting of with the themes, why don't we start with the colors this time!

Colors

Lenzing Fibers released it's Q1,2011 forecast! Click here to see the full story or click here to download a PDF version of "Lenzing Color Trends 2011".

Remember "Soften / Energize / Excite" as your keywords when it comes to color selection early next year. It's all about being uplifting.

1) Celebration of the revival. It's all about richness, sparkles and passion!



2) Abstraction - colder colors that work with architectural and industrial designs and fabric.



3) New Classic - nothing loud but just unexpected pairing of colors, design and fabric.



4) Aqueous - as the color suggested, the floating coolness



5) Perleage - Luxe in pastel




Regarding the themes of SS 2011, it's FW 2010 less the jackets, coats, and the roughness. Let's see what the authority of trendspotting, the French trend agency NellyRodi has to say (These are themes that apply to clothing and accessories). I've captured the concept boards here for you. Click here to download the PDF of the full descriptions.


1) Tiny Pleasures. Keywords: "Sensitive, Romantic, Poetic, Timeless, Spirtual"



2) Exotic Junk. Keywords : "Wild, Anti-establishment, Neo pirates, Disobedient, Dazzling"



3) Elitist Elegance. Keywords : "Charismatic, Off-beat, Seducer, Precious, Aesthetic"



4) Color Therapy. Keywords : "Frugality, Simplicity, Joy, Sharing, Durability"



The story of colors and themes are coming together. Cannot wait to see what's in store for us next year!

I'm still working on getting the Etsy treasury together that goes with the trend posts. Hope to have that ready next week! Stay tuned.

Fashion trend and Etsy finally connects - Part 1, FW 2010

After seeing weeks and weeks of Etsy Finds and all the nice comments from everyone, I think it's time for intervention. Who says handcraft community cannot catch up with what's hot in the real work out there? Well...sometimes we don't. Honestly I'm first to raise my hand that I'm one of those people who just enjoys being who I really am on Etsy. But if we are to put out trends in a blog, we should do it properly shouldn't we?

I've gathered from a few sources in media and online to bring you just a snapshot of the trends. I have started looking for them on Etsy but so far it seems like a tough task. I'm sure you guys are out there, once I get past the "optimized" search engine on Etsy...

Fall/Winter 2010

1) Ultra-feminine 60s (think MadMen)





2) Sleek and confident 70s (Stylized and modernized Charlie's Angels)





3) The Military Turns Feminine





4) Sexy and Exposed (Lingerie outerwear)





5) Bold and Graphical (Cut-outs!)





(From #6 onwards are all elemental pieces that can go with any of the 5 looks above)

6) Leather

7) Camel coat

8) Double-breasted jackets (sex neutral, more masculine)

9) Lace and see-through

10) Knee-high socks and white stockings

The trick to modernizing a look is to mix and match to create a surprise. Or if you are sticking to the original, get really good quality pieces rather than just inheriting from your grandma, or as 2010 goes, your grandpa.


On accesorizing:
Layered rings or bracelets, warrior or tribal inspired, knee-high boots, clutches, aviation fur collar/scarves are all good.







Colors:




Check out more here:
http://www.fashionising.com

Look again, this is wax!

Yes, this is a black rose made with wax. It's my first attempt at making a big sheet-wax rose. It's pretty realistic looking in its current wax form it actually looks like a corsage.


Inspired by Philip Treacy's Rose hat which appeared recently on Project Runway, I want to make a large full bloom rose bracelet. The flower is made of sheet wax, and the band will be in the form of a rose stem with one thorn. The final piece will be cast in sterling silver with oxidation to mimick blackness of the real rose.


Working with sheet-wax is not that easy. It softens with human body heat and hardens in room temperature. With uneven temperature on the same sheet, the wax is easy to crack or form fold line.


The one I have is 20G (over 1mm thick). To create the pedals with the natural edges, I mold the wax into thinner layers. The problem however, is that when wax model is thinner than 1mm, it's hard for precious metal to form successfully during the casting process.


Another problem is that the piece will become heavy with metal. This flower is under 2 inches wide in diameter and about 1 inch tall. As it is, the bracelet in sterling silver will weigh over 50grams! Of course, that also means it will be an expensive piece! But then again, what's a bit of weight on your wrist for a really beautiful piece of statement jewelry ;)

Well, we'll see if I can overcome these issues somehow. I'm still working on it and I'm hoping to finish it next week. Meanwhile, a collection featuring small roses are being done. I'll see how my baby looks like on Thur and if it works out, I'll update you with the picture of both the wax and metal pieces in the coming post!

The new precious metal pieces will be available for purchase at a new Etsy store I'm opening. More info to come so stay tune!