Bridal Shower Favors - Succulents in Painted Vintage Wooden Spools

I know, I know...this is supposed to be a jewelry blog. But on occasion, I get a little carried away with other crafty projects and I like to share them. My latest endeavor was inspired by my sister's fabulous wedding color palette, her love of succulents and a Maine yard sale score of 25+ vintage wooden thread spools with great old labels.

I will also admit that I've been slightly obsessed with Best Made Co.'s painted axes for quite a few years, as well as Norquay's (suspiciously similar) gorgeous artisan painted canoe paddles which appeared on the market last summer, so this idea of handpainting something wood with fun, striped colors has been floating around in my head for awhile.

First, I got out my ancient acrylics from art school (amazingly, they're still good!) and mixed colors until I got a perfect match. The wedding colors are inspired by the USA and UK flags (she's American, he's from Liverpool), but toned down a bit. So instead of straight up red and blue, they're closer to poppy and turquoise. The gorgeous invitations were designed and letterpress printed by Paper Parasol Press.

I cut thin strips of masking tape and used them to section off stripes on the wooden spools, then painted areas of red, white and blue. Once the paint dried, I taped new stripes and repeated to achieve the effect of multiple stacked colors. No two spools were exactly alike. Some even started out with really unique forest green wood, so I kept a little of that in for variety. I finished each spool with a clear varnish to seal the wood and protect the paint.

Next, I made my way to a nearby garden center and selected the tiniest succulents I could find, being mindful to select varieties with small root structures so they would fit inside the tiny spools.

After that, I used a drill to enlarge the spool holes slightly (although I had purchased tiny succulents, the roots were still too large for most of the spools). I glued tiny pieces of wooden dowel into the bottom of each spool to act as a stopper. Then I used a chopstick to carefully layer some dirt into each spool, gently nudged the roots down into the holes and filled in the area around each one with more soil. Special thanks to Donni, who blogs at The Magic Onions, for providing some planting tips! I do not have a green thumb at all.

The finished product was too cute for words! I was really happy with the way these turned out. That said, they were a bit underwhelming on a large table...I'd probably recommend placing each on a small plate or printed paper coaster if you have the time and budget.

Custom Handmade Bridesmaid Gifts

I absolutely LOVE making custom jewelry – especially when weddings are involved. Whether I am designing wedding bands or handcrafted earrings, it is a tremendous honor to be thought of for such a monumental occasion. So when my friend Ali was planning her wedding day and asked me if I'd make handmade gifts for her two lovely bridesmaids, I jumped at the chance!

Works in progress – stamping, hammering and forming

The bride already had an idea in mind, which is always helpful, and knew she wanted to give her BFFs sterling silver bracelets. We worked together to refine the design – an elegant hammered cuff, a little bit wide, but not too chunky. The bride came up with a personalized message to be stamped on the inside of each bracelet.

A secret message inside – with love from the bride

The finished product

Two custom bracelets for the big day!

The bridesmaids LOVED their gifts and even wore them during the wedding. I couldn't be more flattered to have been chosen to be part of this beautiful occasion.

If you have a special event coming up, why not give your loved ones personalized handmade jewelry as a gift? Contact me to discuss your ideas anytime!

Custom Wedding Band for the Groom

My dear friend Meredith was married over the weekend, and I was extremely flattered when she asked me to create a Lofted Designs original for her groom's wedding band.

Her engagement ring contains a hidden heart in the setting just below the diamond, and she requested that a hidden heart be incorporated into his ring as well.

Bride's ring with secret heart in setting

I started by creating a 6mm wide band using 19 gauge sterling silver sheet metal. The bride came up with a simple inscription using their initials that incorporated the secret heart. The groom isn't particularly flashy and wanted a ring that wouldn't be too shiny, so I completed the band with a matte, brushed finish.

The ring fit perfectly on the first try (amazing!) and they were wed on September 7th, 2013 on Martha's Vineyard. Wishing Meredith and Winter Anderson a lifetime of happiness!

Photo courtesy of Kristen Shull (friend of the bride)

Looking for a custom wedding band? I love working with couples to create truly unique wedding jewelry. Contact me to learn more.

Geek Love - Custom Binary Rings

Just in time for Valentine's Day! I recently had the opportunity to create custom his and her rings for a couple with "I ♥ You" spelled out in binary code. How sweet and nerdy is that?!? (For those of you who aren't super nerds, binary code is a computer language where  data is represented digitally using zeros and ones.)

To create these bands, I first measured and cut strips of bare metal sterling silver to size for each ring. I then hand-cut the tiny hearts and stamped the code using 0s and 1s:  01101001 ♥ 01110101.

The next step was to hand-forge and solder each ring. Then they were polished to a shine and shipped off to their new owners.

The couple was very happy with the finished rings and can now proudly show off their love for one another every day.

Interested in your own custom his & her rings? Contact me today via Etsy or email me directly to talk about your ideas!

UPDATE - October 2013: 
Binary code rings are now available in my shop all the time!

Wedding Inspiration – Alicia & William

On June 23rd, I was privileged to witness the marriage of two of my closest friends – Alicia and William. It was a truly magical day filled with laughter, sunshine, dancing, singing, happy tears and the most genuine and joyous revelry imaginable.

When the bride requested my earrings as gifts for the women in her wedding party, I was tremendously honored. She clearly had a vision for the day and knew she wanted the ladies to wear my brushed sterling silver teardrop earrings. Modern and simple, they would go with anything, which worked out great since the four fabulous ladies in the "wedding posse" (as they were called) were told they could wear anything they wanted.

Images by Jess Sheldon, Hazel Brown Photography

In these photos, the lovely Lizzie can be seen wearing Lofted Designs sterling silver teardrop earrings. Thanks to Alicia and William for including my jewelry in your special day! And special thanks to Jess and Lizzie for allowing me to share these photos. 

If you have a vision for your wedding that calls for something uniquely handmade, I hope you'll consider Lofted Designs accessories. Sterling silver tie bars also make terrific gifts for groomsmen. 

Custom Cufflinks - Men's Jewelry

I recently had the opportunity to make custom cufflinks for the first time. This was exciting for three reasons:

1. I always love the challenge of making something new.
2. Making a gift for a man for a change was great! Almost all of the jewelry I make is for women, and coming up with ideas for men is usually a daunting task.
3. This was a very meaningful gift, and I was thrilled to be able to make it happen. Allow me to explain...

My client and her husband had vacationed in Newfoundland. It was a memorable adventure involving challenging physical feats, and they both agreed it was a vacation they would never forget. Along they way, they had collected some interesting green stones as souvenirs.

Rocks from Newfoundland

Cut to a couple of months ago, and she needed a birthday present for him. What a great idea to turn those souvenirs into a meaningful gift! I was more than happy to help out.

Custom sterling silver settings

Cufflinks in action

Custom gifts are so thoughtful and I am always happy to help. If you have a great idea (or even just a really cool rock or two), I'd love to chat!

Seaglass Jewelry for a Seacoast Wedding

Beautiful bride Jess is tying the knot this weekend! I had a great time working with her to create a collection of one-of-a-kind seaglass jewelry as gifts for her bridal party and family members. They fit her beach wedding theme perfectly and will be keepsakes of the big day for many years to come. Congratulations, Jess and Alex!




Seaglass Bracelets




Seaglass Pendants