The AIMEE--The design that brought this blog to life

My friends and family are the best!  They are a huge pool of encouragement, my biggest fans and I don't even have to pay them to be nice to me.  Shyrlene, the very same friend who talked me into blogging, has requested several custom pieces over time...see how nice she is.  The latest request was for a necklace and earring set for Aimee, who loves loves loves purple.  Purple...that was the extent of the direction...ok it's a start.

Purple Purple Purple

There are a few looks that I've enjoyed making lately, one is wrapping glass pearls in ribbon, so I knew that would be the start of the piece.  Other design elements I find striking is juxtaposing metal chain with the glamour of the pearls and sparkles, along with making the whole thing asymmetrical.  I think an asymmetrical design gives a piece versatility...you can wear it this way or that or even symmetrically...how ever your heart desires.  The vision is coming to life and now I need a trip to the store, because even though I have 53895 purple beads...I need more to chose from.

Pearls wrapped in ribbon

To make sure I was on the right track, I sent Shyrlene and her son a photo of the prototype, asking for feedback.  They jumped into the design process with glee, sending me back a drawing of alterations...have I mentioned Shyrlene has a background in design.  People enjoy contributing to the design, it puts a little bit of themselves into the gift, which just makes it much more meaningful to both the giver and the getter.
      

Prototype

Of course, a piece needs a bling focus to be complete.  This one was made from a bead soup of purple hues, pearls and all beads that sparkle, all mounted on headpins and attached to one end of the chain.  For the earrings, I found a combination of beads that I liked in the focus piece, copied them and ta-da...instant matching earrings.

Now how pathetic is this...I never took a picture of the completed piece.  But never fear, I have texted Shyrlene to see if she can get Aimee to take a few photos.

I'm also curious to find out how Aimee wears it...how does she prefer the focus piece to sit on her neck...to the left or to the right or in the center.

Thanks for stopping by today...Lizz