Custom-Made Creative Vision

I occasionally get asked to create a custom piece of jewelry, which is equally exhilarating and terrifying. Exhilarating  because it's a challenge to combine my creative vision with that of my customer's, and terrifying because...what if they don't like it?

Luckily, I've always been able to breathe a sigh of relief upon delivery - so far, happy customers all around!

Here are a few special pieces I've done recently...

Wedding Lace Necklace...

Wedding Lace

Amanda asked me to create a necklace using lace from her mother's wedding dress on a background of mint green / sea green. She never came right out and said so, but I could tell that this was being made for a special day, either her own wedding or as a thoughtful gift for her mom. She sent me a swatch of ivory lace in a flower and leaf design to work with. Since the background color was to be in a sea green and the whole necklace set in antiqued brass, I felt that the leaves in the lace would work better than the flowers. To me, the flowers would be the obvious choice, and might seem overly sweet and trite. The leaves were a little more earthy. Again, this all comes back to combining my creative vision with the customers - would Amanda like this direction?

My nail-biting came to an end when I received her email - she loved it!

Family Photo Necklace...

Family Photo Birthday Present

I met with Sharon recently to discuss a special gift for her niece's upcoming birthday. She brought in a photograph of her older sister, the mother of the recipient, as a young girl holding a puppy. Sharon was thinking about either having a ring or a necklace made, but there were some additional considerations. Her niece is actually older than Sharon, so we had to think about what would be easiest for her to manage. We settled on a necklace with a slightly larger pendant on a longer chain that she can slip over her head. I also added a large lobster claw clasp, just in case. Sharon's niece favors pink, so I clustered two shades of pink crystals and one champagne faux pearl together to offset the pendant. It was important to Sharon to include the dog in the pendant, so I re-sized the image a few different ways to see what would look best. There was also a tear in the original photograph, easily repairable in Photoshop. The end result is completely custom-made with some slight modifications to accomodate the birthday girl.

Frodo the Dog Ring...

Frodo Ring

Mark has many women in his life (his mother, his wife, 3 daughters, 1 daughter-in-law and  granddaughter), and they are all the lucky recipients of some amazing jewelry finds. I always enjoy seeing his choices, and when he asked me to make him a ring for one of his lovely ladies, I was thrilled. They have a beloved family dog named Frodo, and he sent me an image from his phone* to use. Frodo was a little challenging, because his fur is so dark that he just looks like a mass with eyes and a tongue. The oval shape of the ring was perfect, however, because it echoed the shape of the dog. I reeeeally wanted to put a tiny heart in the ring as well, but knowing how Mark cringes at anything too "cute", I figured this was one time I had to put my personal vision on the back burner.

Family Tree Charms...

Family Tree Charms

This last project was something really special. Lisa contacted me in the hopes that I could help her with a meaningful anniversary gift for her parents. She wanted to present then with an entire family tree, complete with a charm for every family member. This project involved help from everyone in Lisa's large family - 13 in total! (To me, that's large, but then again, my local family is pretty small.)

The whole family

Lisa and her family very generously sent me copies of their family photos, with each one labeled with who the family members were and which face they wanted me to use from which photograph. I used a slightly larger charm for her parents' wedding picture (they look so glamorous, don't they?), which was to remain in black and white, and the smaller charms for individual people (remaining in color). Once scanned, I focused on the individual faces, printed my test sheets and final sheets, and began work. Finally, I wrapped each charm, double and triple checked that I wasn't forgetting any of them and that I had all of the Lisa's photos packed, and sent the package off.

The finished tree

And here is the finished family tree - doesn't it look great? Lisa found the wire tree on Etsy, and there are plenty of empty branches for future grandchildren! I felt so honored to be asked to help create such a meaningful, unique gift for this family



*I usually prefer to scan hard copies of photographs instead of using a digital image, especially one from a phone, although I can use those as well. I've found that your image is MUCH clearer with a scan, because I can use a very high resolution - not so with phone images!

Catching the Craft Show Bug

If you think all's been quite on the Western Front recently, you'd be correct. That's because last Sunday I participated in a great local show called Patchwork! It was my first experience vending at a craft show (but so much more than a craft show!) and I had a great time!

In the morning, fueled by adrenaline and coffee

My little table, filled with 100 - yes, 100! - pieces of handmade jewelry

NEW collage necklaces - these were so much fun to make! Coming soon to Sweetpea Studios

Just look at all those umbrellas!

Long Beach, seen through my super dirty car windshield as we were driving away at the end of a looooong day

James and Carly were fantastic helpers! Even though James was sick, he still spent the day in Long Beach with me, helping to set up and take down my booth and being a great moral support. Carly did an awesome job as a cheerleader - together, she and James had a system of bagging items that went so smoothly I barely even saw it happen! Friends came out to support the show, and I was so happy to see some friendly, familiar faces among the crowd. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

With nearly 200 vendors there, I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm really pleased I got up the courage to even apply in the first place. Everyone was so friendly, and it was a day to just let go and enjoy the process. I'd definitely apply again - could I have caught the craft show bug?

If you missed the Long Beach Patchwork, there's still one more left! #PatchworkShow Santa Ana will take place Sunday, June 15th at 2nd and Sycamore. I won't be vending there, but I plan on attending! It's a great community of crafters and creative individuals that should definitely be sought out. See you on the 15th!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Let's catch up and talk about Sweetpea Studios ...

There have been some changes in how I'm working, as well as a whole bunch of new ideas that are being brought forth - I'm so excited I can barely think straight! (What I'm really meant to be doing is getting our apartment ready for a visit from a good friend and her newly walking baby. Bear in mind that we are two people who don't have children and really don't have any friends that live in the same country with children and therefore very little experience with this sort of thing. But we love Eleanor, and we love Eden, and we're thrilled she's coming to stay!)

Necklace Packaging

Earring Packaging

Ready to give as a gift!

I've re-done some of my packaging and also the packaging photos. The old photos had to go. Blech. Now comes the task of updating all of my nearly 100 Etsy listings. What a process!

Heart Shaped Flower Vines adjustable ring - acrylic on origami paper

Petite Amour collage necklace

There are new products, too! New necklaces and rings that feature miniature acrylic paintings and paper collages. What I love about doing the paintings is that I don't feel like I have to be a stellar painter - the images always look like what they're supposed to be, which amazes me every time I do one.

Included in the new products is a line of customizable heirloom jewelry - they're only just starting to appear in Sweetpea Studios, so we'll talk more about that later. They're already at Chemers Gallery, with pictures and information to follow. So stay tuned!

And, just like wearing the same hairstyle year after year, sometimes a girl just has to change things up with a re-vamp.

Remember this Etsy banner?

Now it looks like this:

It looks a little more consistent with this blog and the direction I'm going in. I was sad to take down my old banner, though, because the sweet pea drawing was one that James did at my request. (Plus it took me ages on Photoshop to get it the way I wanted...) But...change is good.

Another project I've been working on is a jewelry collaboration with ceramic artist, Lisa Mertins. She creates whimsical pendants made out of porcelain, and I create some of those acrylic paintings I mentioned. Together we make up Lisa & Jenn - you can find our jewelry at Chemers Gallery in Tustin. Here's a small sampling:

Available at Chemers Gallery

Also available at Chemers Gallery

Lisa is a lovely person who is just so creative. She's always coming up with funky ceramic vessels and birdhouses, and oh yeah, she does printmaking and also illustrates children's books - so stinkin' talented!

hello.sweetpea.jenn@gmail.com

And the mailing list! I'm offering a mailing list!! (If you'd like to sign up, please email me at hello.sweetpea.jenn@gmail.com with the subject / message "I'm in!") I'd like to send out a monthly email with shop updates, new products, and a suggestion or two of an art exhibition or museum to visit. Unless it's something super-douper important/exciting, I won't deviate from the once-a-month email In fact, it will probably end up being less than monthly, because, you know, life. So come on, let's keep in touch! 

So, what do you think? Don't be shy - come find me on Etsy, Facebook, or email and share let's be friends!

Yoga Love

There's a great yoga studio that's opened quite recently, and if you're in Orange, you're in luck! It's called The Yoga Mat, and it's run by Courtney and Natalie with a keen eye on the local community. I took my first class with Courtney yesterday, and OMG did she kick my ass. Achey as I felt afterwards, I also felt lighter in spirit, a miracle based on the difficult week I'd just had. (Jury duty, family illness, etc...)

Not only does The Yoga Mat have a great studio, they also have a small shop that features the work of local artists, and I'm thrilled to say that my necklaces are currently residing there! Like I said, Courtney and Natalie are focused on tapping into the local community and aim to have a local featured Artist of the Month. They've worked hard to ensure that they're promoting sustanability, with most of their displays coming from secondhand shops and friend's garages.



Handmade Necklaces by Jennifer Geisert

Check out some of the goodies you'll find on my necklace tree:


Lotus Blossom convertible necklace



Butterfly & Gold Flower photo necklace



Brown & Olive Green reversible fabric necklace



Brown & Olive Green reversible fabric necklace

As an aside, I left Orange for London 10 years ago today. I remember being on the airplane, so tired but unable to sleep. Every time I would doze off someone would wake me up for something. When we finally landed and got to the flat we were renting, my parents and I went for a walk to look at the Thames. It was raining and humid, and I hated the greyness of the city, then old gum on the sidewalks, and the brown waters of the river. I thought the buildings were ugly and the sight of the moss growing on the statues made me feel physically ill. Of course, those first impressions changed completely and I think London is one of the most beautiful and intriguing places in the world. I'm sad that there's been rioting there this weekend, and even sadder knowing that lovely friends of mine are living so close to it that they were unexpectedly caught up in it on their way home from a night out. I'm sad that my husband's family live so close that they heard sirens all through the night. I know that this will pass, and I know that there are people stepping off airplanes right now ready to embark on a new adventure, the same way I was 10 years ago.


Heart in Finsbury Park