Inspired Monday: BHLDN

Have you seen Anthropologie's new wedding website, BHLDN? Where was this two years ago? I absolutely love the jewelry, decor, and fashion on this website. It is feminine and ultimately creative.

The deep jewel tones and the intricate beading in these earrings are fabulous. This collection makes me want to run to my craft room and experiment with gemstones, lace, and delicate chains. You must check out this site!

It All Adds Up

{Metal Botany - Custom Number Charm Necklace}

The subject of numerology has always fascinated me. Are we affected by the day we were born on? Do our names play a part in shaping our personalities? The answers to these questions are still somewhat of a mystery to me. For now, I am just having fun playing with numerology and testing its theories.

To find out your number you need to add up the month, day, and the year you were born.

For example:

March 16, 1972 is 3 + 1 + 6 + 1 + 9 + 7 + 2 = 29

Then you have to add those digits together 2 + 9 = 11

Then add those two together until you get a single digit 1 + 1 = 2

Try it for yourself and see if the descriptions below match your personality.

1

Character traits: Exceptionally powerful and dominating personality. Individualistic and intensely original and creative. An inspired and inspiring leader and a pioneer. Efficient and determined and good at initiating new projects.

2

Character traits: Good at comforting others, inclined to take up fads. Co-operative and good-natured, sympathetic and understanding, helpful, and good at keeping a secret. Gets along well with others but may be shy and timid. Likes detail and settled routine somewhat as long as others are around and may be worried by newness and sudden changes.

3

Character traits: Enjoys being the center of attention, tends to show off and loves to be admired, but is quite often more sensitive then the exterior suggests. Has a tendency to expend energies wastefully in too many directions. With a love of pleasure also may be wasteful with money.

4

Character traits: Steady and reliable. Practical, sensible, calm. Good at managing and saving money. Courageous and honest and ethical in all that they do. Responsible, reliable and extremely dependable.

5

Character traits: Versatile and resourceful, clever and amusing. Good company, good with words, optimistic. Lively, inquiring and outgoing. Someone who makes friends and money easily. Lives for excitement and sensation. Loves adventure and travel, change and anything new. Hates to be tied down, impatient with rules, laws and conventions.

6

Character traits: Equilibrium with others. Enjoys peace between all people. Values comfort and ease and enjoys beautiful things. A negotiator and peace-maker.

7

Character traits: The Mystic, philosopher. Introspective, thoughtful, and somewhat aloof. Quiet, intuitive and meditative with a global perspective.

8

Character traits: Ambitious for power, status, money, and success. May lead to great success or sudden failure. Busy with world affairs. Interested in the materialization of their dreams and desires (into the physical world). This person may lead a life of constant effort trying to achieve their success in all matters and therefore avoid responsibility in their private lives.

9

Character traits: A true humanitarian, a strong desire to serve your fellow man. A fighter for social causes for the poor and unfortunate. High mental and spiritual achievement capable of inspired action and of inspiring others. Many interest and sympathies. Generous and compassionate and may be imposed on. Passionate and romantic. High minded and idealistic, and able to fall in and out of love with ease and frequency. A lover of beauty in all things. May have a difficult early life, but will succeed through determination and resourcefulness. Impressionable, intuitive and quite independent.

Source unknown. If you are able to identify the source, please let me know and I will credit them.

Friday Fashion: Crystal Jewelry

Lately I have been obsessed with crystal jewelry. I love see-through gems especially in the summer time when the sunlight catches the facets and illuminates their color. My etsy website has recently been updated with a some of these feminine creations. Here is a glimpse of a few of my favorites.

Wednesday's Wedding Board: Green & Blue Peonies

So something that I realized when planning my own wedding is that it is best to start with one beautiful piece of inspiration and base all of your style decisions around that one thing. Your inspiration piece could come from so many places: a movie, a picture, a handkerchief, a postcard. Pretty much anything will work as long as you love it.

In this case, the flower fabric by Amy Butler was the piece from which all of the other elements were drawn. When first gazing upon this stunning fabric, certain thoughts came to mind. It made me feel woodsy, feminine, and a bit vintage. The impressions that you get from your inspiration piece will help you shop for items that all relate together.

Sources
1. Wooden Clothespins Inspirations by Faith
2. Glass terrarium Tiny Terrariums
3. Bronze Hair Flowers Woodland Belle
4. Peacock Boutonniere Cherubino Crafts
5. Blue Vintage Hair Pin Bridal Wear
6. Green Chrysanthemum Invitation ReThinkInk
7. Bridesmaid Clutch Oatmeal Lace Designs
8. Amy Butler’s Twilight Peony in Azure Hawthorne Threads
9. Blue Beaded Earrings Metal Botany
10. Bouquet The Wildflower Blog Photograph by Paul Dyer
11. Name Cards Carrie Klein
12. Blue Mason Jars Matt Laura Jones
13. Blue Silk Dress RSchone
14. Vintage Boxes (these would make an unusual ring bearer prop) BC Antiques
15. Crystal Chandelier The Guilded Palace

Treasury Tuesday: Brought to You By the Letter T

Monograms have been catching my eye lately. It's a wonderfully simple way to add a personal touch to most anything. I have been in the process of creating initial pendants to sell on the etsy site. I hope you enjoy this treasury brought to you by the letter T.

'T is for Treasury' by MetalBotany

All things with the letter T.

Beachy White Pillow Monogram... letterperfectd... $62.00	Letter T - 4x6 Individual Al... AnotherFrameof... $4.00	Handcrafted Pure Silver Init... purelysilver $33.00
letterpress t is for TORTOIS... bittersugar $20.00	IRRESISTIBLE T - Initial Sil... FreshJewelryDe... $28.00	Vintage Springtime Personali... glassrealm $15.95
Initial Letter T Vintage Typ... GwenDelicious $25.00	Letter Charm Necklace Pendan... corilightfoot $4.99	Distressed Initial Letter T ... qacreate $34.99
Personalized Initial & Angel... personallyfore... $35.00	Set of 2 Etched Personalized... winstonglasswo... $19.95	Initial T - Brass Letterpre... GwenDelicious $35.00
Set of 6 French Quarter Insp... winstonglasswo... $47.95	Unique initial cufflinks - m... CufflinksForge $190.00	Letter T - 4x6 Individual Al... AnotherFrameof... $4.00
T monogrammed pillow 20x20 HAWThome $32.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Inspired Monday: Wendy Mink

People sometimes ask me where my inspiration for my jewelry comes from. Whenever I am stuck with the design process I turn to my sketchbooks and magazine clippings. I also watch old movies which seem to help me with attaining a certain "feel" to a collection and also help me with color coordination. The movies The Parent Trap (the original version), The Notebook, and Fried Green Tomatoes always boost my creativity. I also love looking at other artists' creations for help. One of my favorite jewelry artists is Wendy Mink (check out her amazing website here.)  Her use of colors, stones, and materials reawakens my love for jewelry making every time I view her pieces. What an amazing artist!

Flowers and Feathers

I have been noticing how beautiful hair accessories have become for both weddings and everyday life. This collection highlights the different ways that feathers or flowers can really add that special touch to your hair style.

Sources:
Top row (left to right) 1. brides.com 2. emmalinebride.com 3. BHLDN
Bottom row (left to right) 1. Bel aire bridal veils 2. this next 3. beauty bridal

Metal Botany's New Packaging

I am happy to present the new packaging for my etsy shop, metal botany. The mood board (see Sunday's post) was a big help for creating my new packaging design. I wanted the feeling of it to be a blend of apothecary meets botanical meets modern jewelry.

The materials I used to create the effect were linen paper, metal brads, apothecary inspired labels, and botanical prints. The botanical tags add color to the inside of the box. When opening the package, you are greeted by a pretty floral print with a short bio note, as well as the jewelry, of course. I try to match the jewels to the colors of the flowers on the tag.  

I just love a variety to choose from, don't you?

Here are some pictures of ready-to-go items from the shop.

I hope this post inspires you to think outside the box on your next project!

Packaging Mood Board

I have been looking for inspiration for my MetalBotany packaging. I think that I've found the perfect mixture of apothecary, old-world, and botany in this mood board. Stay tuned for my next post on the actual packaging design.

Sources
Top (left to right) 1. thekitchn 2. Botanic Artist 3. caldwell home
Bottom (left to right) 4. apothecary jars two's company amazon 5. Les Bon Ribbon 6. terrarium katy elliot

Metal Botany is Treasured!

If you have been keeping up with my recent obsessions, you realize that I love the etsy feature called Treasury. A treasury is a collection created by someone on etsy that features 16 different products from various shops. You are not allowed to include your own products in a treasury made by you. I am so happy to share with you a treasury that features jewelry from my store, metal botany.

'Orange you Glad!' by SerenityLynn

A few things from my favorites that happen to be my favorite color : )

Orange Orchid Earrings MetalBotany $25.00	Graffiti 24x30 peggysu1464 $139.00	Camera Strap- Orange Vintage SassyStrap $29.50
Saffron Orange Eyeshadow SundaraCosmeti... $5.00	Lava Pool: Woven bead ring w... ElephantBeads $10.00	All Around The World Part II... aftershowersho... $36.50
Orange Peacock Feather Earri... LeafLee $8.00	Set of 6pcs - handmade felt ... CocoBella84 $5.98	Split Tree of life Original ... sheriwiseman $
PIF Vintage like- Orange ros... tortugasdesign $	Sahara Bliss (FREE MATCHING ... RachelleD $32.00	Amigurumi Owl MrFunky $19.00
Amplify Lip Tint - Orange B... starshinecompa... $6.75	Star Wars Lego cuff links Or... DaRosa $23.00	Octorok - Loose Vegan Minera... shirocosmetics $5.00
Butterfly Bracelet mamaslittlebab... $45.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

How To Make Jewelry For Your Bridesmaids

I love the idea of making a special gift for your bridesmaids. Handmade items add a personal touch and I'm quite sure that every time your maids wear their necklace, they will think of you.

Here are the tools and materials that you will need:

Tools: Ruler, needle nose pliers, scissors, wire cutters, flat nose pliers.

Materials (per necklace): 17 inches (per necklace) of gold-filled or gold plated chain, 1 lobster clasp, large bead (I used lemon quartz), 2 flower bead caps, 2 jump rings, 28 gauge gold-filled wire (at least 3 inches per necklace).


Step 1: Measure the chain to 8.5 inches. Cut 2 lengths (one for each side).

Step 2: Gather the materials to attach to the chain (one bead, two flower bead caps, wire).

Step 3: Using the needle nose pliers, bend the wire about one inch from one of the ends.

Step 4: Put the chain on the wire.

Step 5: Using the needle nose pliers, create a loop. Wrap the wire around three times.

Step 6: Cut the excess wire with the wire cutters.

Step 7: Put the first flower bead cap on. Then, put the lemon quartz stone (or another stone) on. Last, put the other floral bead cap on.



Step 8: Make a small bend in the wire. Attach the second/other gold chain. Using the needle nose pliers and your fingers, wrap the wire around as you did in step 5. Trim off the excess wire with the wire cutters.

Step 9:  Using your small scissors or pliers, open up the jump ring on the lobster clasp. Attach the jump ring to one of the chains. Use the pliers to close the jump ring.

Step 10: Open up the other jump ring with your small scissors or pliers. Attach the other chain to this jump ring.

Voila! You have just made a beautiful necklace that your bridesmaids can wear again and again!