February Photoshoot

 

www.taylormccutchan.com


Photographer: Taylor McCutchan
Model: Willow Brook
MUA: Jen Siqueiros
Hair: Tricia Davidge


Couldn't wait to share a few pics from the photo shoot earlier this week.  I'm so excited, can't wait to see the rest.  Had a blast working with this team of people.


*Clicking on any of their names will take you to their facebook pages so you can check out their other work. 

Copper Quartz Inspiration

Last week when I was down visiting my beautiful cousin in Huntington beach we stopped by an Anthropologie store and I stumbled upon this amazing copper and quartz crystal box.  I couldn't afford the beautiful little box even though it was calling my name, so I took a picture with my phone instead.  Last night, I was going through my inspiration pictures and put this one to good use creating these copper and quartz crystal point earrings.  They will be listed in my shop this week.

Barnes & Noble Inspiration

Went to Barnes & Nobles to look for a book on tape.  

Their selection sucked, so I wandered over to the craft section.  

Spent an hour flipping through jewelry books and found a little inspiration.

Thinking about giving the bottom right a try. 

 

Love Inspired Jewelry

Love Me Sweetly Pearls & Rose Quartz Layered Necklace

With Valentines Day right around the corner, I've been inspired to create some love themed jewelry.  I love the combination of pearls and rose quartz, not only are they beautiful together but their meanings are both lovely too.        

Pearl:  The symbol of feminine wisdom.  There is much folklore and tradition about the pearl.  It was said in some early cultures that the pearl was born when a single drop of rain fell from the heavens and became the heart of the oyster. Pearls have been referred to as the 'teardrops of the moon'. Others believed that pearls were formed by the passage of angels through the clouds of heaven.
    Pearls inspire femininity and increase self acceptance. They lift your spirits and make you feel calm and beautiful, reminding us to walk with dignity.

Rose Quartz:  The stone of unconditional love and infinite peace.  It is the most important stone to use when working with the heart chakra.  It purifies and opens the heart on all levels, most importantly promoting self-love.  It’s gentle vibrations are calming and reassuring, making an excellent stone to use in trauma or crisis. 

It can be used to increase self love, draw more love to you, or reignite love in a relationship.  It can help restore trust and harmony.  It helps soothe the heart after love is lost, increase feelings of self-worth, and open you up to new love.


Check out WillowLily this latest addition to the shop and other natural stone and reclaimed vintage pieces.

My Fluffy Assistant

Was taking pictures of a this necklace this afternoon so I can get it listed and got more than I anticipated.  My not so helpful assistant LunaBelle made it in the picture too.  She's more trouble than help in the office, she loves to knock stuff over and thinks every spool of ribbon is just asking to be unraveled. On the positive side she gives great cuddles and kisses, so we keep her on staff as emotional support.

Newest Copper Healing Pendants

These are two pendants I've been working on today.  They aren't finished yet, but I'm hoping to have them completed, named, and listed in the shop by next week.  They are made with hammered copper and then wrapped with freshwater pearls, amethyst, rose quartz, agates, and turquoise.  If only one ends up in the shop it's because I've decided to keep one.  I'm always a sucker for wearing amethyst and rose quartz close to my heart.  Who couldn't use a little more stability and love?

Roses & Pearls Bracelet

This is my newest bracelet, made with cream colored freshwater pearls and rose quartz.  The inspiration came from a set of bridesmaids jewelry I just completed for a girlfriend's wedding.  Since then, I have been dreaming and creating in creamy whites, pale pinks, and little splashes of glamorous crystals.  It's all pulled together with a silver toggle, which bares my favorite ancient symbol. 

Rose quartz  is the stone of unconditional love and helps align the heart chakra.  It will not not only help with heart healing and self love, but it will draw more love to you.  If you are already in a relationship it will encourage harmony and unconditional love.  This stone is perfectly complimented by the pearls which also encourage self acceptance.  Pearls invoke a feeling of beauty, calm, and dignity.  They are a perfect example of transformation; a ragged, rough grain of sand growing into a object of great value and beauty.  There is something very raw and yet feminine about this delicately textured piece.  It brings us back to the simplest and purest thing in life, love.     

WillowLily Creations Update!

My jewelry line WillowLily Creations is now being sold at Affinity Skin Clinic which is located at 1151 Hilltop Dr. Redding Ca 96003. This is just the first of many places I will be selling my jewelry in the future (I'm setting my intention).

My etsy site also just got a new banner. You can check it out at WillowLily Creations. It was purchased from another Etsy shop, Lisas Menagerie, she did a wonderful job and was very quick. It took me months to choose, so I'm thrilled to finally have a real banner up for my site.

I have been working on some new pieces and while I was down in southern California I was able to spend some time at the beach and have brought home some amazing treasures that I will be incorporating into my next pieces. There will be more info about this soon.

Newest Earrings

I just finished these gold Fleur de Lis earrings with crystals. I upcycled the gold fleur de lis pieces from an another pair of clip-on earrings that I inherited from a very interesting older woman in Arizonia. The crystals were taken from a necklace I received on the same trip down to the border. I'll be posting these on WillowLily my jewelry site in the next few days.

This is a lousy picture, but you get the idea. These were constructed our of the band of an antique watch. They are very sparkly and pretty. I'm not sure they are completely finished yet. We'll see if they evolve into anything else.

Check out more of my creations at www.willowlily.etsy.com

Creativity Strikes...Finally!

My creativity has been a little lacking, and by a little I mean I had none. Every time I sat down to work on my jewelry or art, I'd come up with a billion excuses why now was not a good time. My favorite excuse being 'I better get online and make sure the airline tickets to France I should have bought 3 weeks ago are the same price.' I obviously don't struggle with procrastination at all. By the way, the tickets to France are still the same and I think I'm almost ready to buy them. I figured you've been dying to know.

Anyway, so last week on a scorchingly hot day I drove past Joanne's fabric and decided it had to be cooler in there than inside my car. I don't use the air conditioning in the car unless I have an important date to go to, hence I don't use the air conditioning. Joanne's was delightfully cool inside and I took my sweet time going through the aisles filling a basket with beads and other items imperative to jewelry design. I also got some crafty stuff to start making prototypes for fascinators (pretty hair clips) for Cam's upcoming wedding. I finally got in line and waited behind the slowest woman on earth. She couldn't decide what she wanted, she thought everything she grabbed was on sale and argued with the cashier, then she couldn't find her debit card, and when she did she decided after swipping her card that she wanted to pay for part of it in cash. These kind of things annoy me to no end and I was doing some very loud and deliberate yoga/meditation breathing to calm myself down. I am pretty sure I was making everyone around me uncomfortable because 1) I could hardly contain my frustration (I don't hide my emotions well) and 2) I was breathing so loud it sounded like I was in labor. I finally made it out to my car, which felt more like an oven and went home.

The next day I sat down and spent some quality creative time in my artist studio aka my disaster of a room. I played around with some hair clip designs, what I came up with is nothing like what Cam wants for the bridesmaid in her wedding, but it gave me chance to play and get used to working with hairclips. I also tried my hand at making rings. It was fun and they came out a lot better than expected. I also created some wire and freshwater pearl earrings. These all turned out pretty well and gave me some hope that the well of my creativity hadn't run dry.

I am hoping to stay on a roll and set aside a little time for jewelry stuff daily. I think this would keep me better organized and help me retain some of my creative leanings. If creativity and art are a muscle you have to work it regularly, right? Then I have to go to the next step and list things on Etsy, that's a whole other battle I fight with myself.