Dogwood Arts Festival in Full Swing

The Dogwood Arts Festival has been going on for several days and with the early Spring everything is in bloom. This weekend is the festival on Market Square. Three days of entertainment, good food and of course art and crafts from local and out of town artisans. This is my first show of 2012 and I have several new items that I been working on during the winter. I am looking forward to seeing some old friends and meeting a few new. The Show schedule is Friday/Saturday 10am- 8pm and Sunday 11am- 5pm The event is free admission. For more info go to www.dogwoodarts.com/market-square-art-fair/

Is it Spring Yet?

I know we haven't had a harsh winter here in Knoxville, but I'm starting to feel cabin feverish. For me Spring brings the excitement of shows and getting back out in the public. Now I'm getting ready for a Bridal show in March. I have to say my progress has been slow at best. Making bridal and prom jewelry is not new to me, but in the past I have had a client with desired style or theme in mind. The challenge is to take someone's idea and make it a reality in silver, gold, crystals and gemstones. The reward is when they see the finished piece and say, 'that's it' and I see their excitement when they try it on for the first time. For the last couple of weeks I've been trying to create 'samples' as I sketch out the designs and play with Swarovski crystals and colorful gemstones with words like elegant, vintage, modern and traditional streaming in my brain. Even though the design was created for a milestone occasion I want the originality and creativity of the piece to feature and timeless style to be enjoyed for years to come. More photos to come.

who's on Pinterest?

Who's heard of a cool (new to me) site called Pinterest? This is such a great way to share ideas, products, recipes, clothes, books, etc. Actually anything that is interesting to humans... and thats a huge category. I've only been playing around with it for a couple of weeks, but its crazy addictive! I've posted some of my jewelry using photos off my website and I have to say it's great getting a message saying, 'someone likes your earrings' or 'someone repinned your photo.' Not to mention the great simple recipes I've used, and unique crafty ideas I've found for not a lot of money. I recommend this site and I see it being used as a wonderful reference tool. Look out google.

First Week of January

It's the first week of January and trying to make use (or excuse) of our first snow day. Spending the day organizing and planning for my first shows. I have received my acceptance into the 2012 Dogwood Arts Festival, April 13-15. I'm looking forward to this years events and hoping for some beautiful spring weather! Also I will be participating in a Bridal show event in March, details and more information to come. I love working on bridal jewelry, the entire process of picking out stones and crystals to match the brides maids dresses is so much fun. Working with the bride to match her vision and exceed her expectations is a great feeling of accomplishment for me. If you are planning a 2012 wedding this event should be a great place to start. I will be posting more details as we get closer. As always contact me if you have any questions, denae@designbydenae.com

Paula Lynch Web Design

Can't say how excited I am have a new facelift on my website. Paula Lynch has done an amazing job! Her insight and ability to make your business a reflection of your personal vision as well as competitive on the Internet is awesome. If you are thinking about an update for your existing site or starting from the ground up, I can't think of anyone better to take you thorough the journey than Paula. www.paulalynch.com She welcomes your ideas and questions.

10 days until Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner we have 10 days of shopping left. If you have any custom order requests I have 5-6 days to comfortably get out any requests. Thanks for a great year! This has been my most successful year to date for Design by Denae and I'm looking forward to 2012. Typically this is a slow time of year, but I have lots on my plate with new design ideas I want to try, as well as the new sterling silver PMC. Also, we are updating our website to meet customer needs a well as a face lift. I know everyone is busy shopping so be safe and save the driving hassle, order online :)

Rainy Days are Good Work Days

It's a wet Wednesday and I don't feel like struggling with the umbrella, I like to make days like this a studio work day. Turn up the ipod, hair up in pony tail and comfortable clothes make the day complete. Even though I still have holiday shoppers and orders to fill I find myself thinking about the Spring and new designs I might try. I say try because anytime I try a new technique, like using color highlights to accentuate the silver, there's always a bit of error. Rarely does it work the first time like I plan. Sometimes the challenge for me, is to put aside what I thought I wanted and accept that there might be a better way and I just found it by mistake! When it's done I'll post some pictures of my trial and error...