We love lattices!

Hand pierced "Lattice Pendant," brass.

I don't often hear the word "lattice." That's why I had so much fun creating and making this elegant pendant. If you visit the jewelry section of this blog, you'll also see a photo of the piece there because it's one of my favorites.

This design concept began with a diamond shape. Many doodles and sketches later, the intricate swirls became part of the design. If you like this item and want to learn more about it, drop me a line!

Heart Attack.

You've seen them before. Now they're back! It's almost Valentine's Day and great designs have popped up in the shop. First up--the Graffiti Valentine:

Graffiti Valentine Card

Hearts bending and stretching... Buh-bump! Buh-bump! ..... color exploding in pinks and lavenders....Buh-bump! Buh-bump!....and you're overcome by oodles of doodles!

Okay, maybe it's not that serious, but you can spread the love with this wicked cool valentine. Here's a peek inside:

Love, graffiti style.

Option #2- The Flaming Heart card:

Flaming Heart Card

This design has been a top seller, keeping in pace with the popular Holiday Shoe and Happy Birthday Sneaker designs. Check out the history of the Flaming Heart Card here.

Finally, I daren't end without some sweet words from the heart:

So, dear readers 

I bid you adieu

With words and jpegs

And gifs

I dare say

May all your greeting card

Wishes come true

And jewelry abound

From Cardallegiance...

Happy Valentine's Day!

 --xxoo,                                                             

Cardallegiance                                                

Cheers!

"Champagne Thanks" card

Cardallegiance is back after a brief hiatus! We're well into 2012, but this latest card design was directly inspired by a new year's gathering. Long story short, I whipped this up in about an hour in gratitude to my awesome host. Materials for this quickie design include heavy brown cardstock, metallic pens, and Prismacolor pencils in hot shades (I love how they pop off the page).

Check out a few more views of this card:

Inside view- "Champagne Thanks," sans message

Back view- "Champagne Thanks"

 Stay tuned and follow me on Twitter.  A new version of this design will appear soon in the Cardallegiance Etsy shop!

Keep It Natural.

Wood and turquoise-hued beaded bracelets

There's nothing better than the beauty of nature. I felt like channeling some of that awesomeness when putting together this simple design. The chunky wooden beads caught my eye first. I spent a long time debating what to do with those puppies and bracelets seemed like a natural fit. I particularly like the stacked look:

 Any way you look at it, versatility is a wonderful thing. That's why I love my "stackables!"

Fun with Fibers!

"Starburst Medallion" Necklace

It's autumn. The air is getting cooler, the leaves are turning brilliant shades, and I'm getting the urge to snuggle up into something warm. Naturally, yarns and fibers come to mind. This necklace is part of a series featuring cotton fibers and sterling silver wire elements. I was inspired by the Ojo de Dios ("God's Eye") which probably came from the Huichol Indians, native people of Mexico. Read more about that here.

To see more shots of this necklace, visit the Cardallegiance Etsy site. Stay tuned for more designs in this series and until then, stay warm!

Boo!

"Boo!" Halloween Card

Halloween is almost here and Cardallegiance is commemorating the holiday with two new designs! The first one, pictured above, channels old, cracked stone (the kind you'd find in an old mansion or as part of a tombstone, perhaps?). Here's a shot of the inside, too:

"Boo!" card- inside message

The second design, seen below, was inspired by jack-o-lanterns of recent years. Is it a bit cannibalistic? You be the judge. Someone asked me recently if this hungry pumpkin card would work for a child and my response was, "depends on the kid." Little children and the "G Rated" crowd weren't the intended audience for this card. It's more probable, however, that older kids, teens or adults would go for a design like this.

"Hungry Pumpkin" Halloween Card

Pumpkin Card- inside message

Keep it simple and inspire some fright this year by sending one of these fresh designs to someone.

......and have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Lattices and Filigree

Brass "Lattice Pendant"

The filigree earrings I made (pictured above) have been popular recently. Since these earbobs remind me of a "Lattice pendant" crafted some time ago, I thought this would be the perfect time for an entry about lattices and filigree.

There's something charming about the delicate swirls and elegant wirework typically found in filigree. When I first discovered these diamond shaped filigree elements, I thought they called out for some great decoration. Initially, I made an earlier version of the earrings that  incorporated an aqua teardrop. However, the most recent incarnation of the design (seen above) uses a garnet colored tumbled stone.

Much like filigree, pierced designs-- like the "Lattice pendant" pictured above-- can incorporate great decorative elements. I was inspired to create this "Lattice pendant"  because of my attraction to angles and swirls of all types. Thus, what started out as an experiment in geometry culminated in the creation of this elegant rhombus.

How was the "Lattice pendant" made? The physical process involved drilling, piercing, sawing, soldering, and polishing by hand. Perhaps the next series of this type will involve multiple castings.Such mass production would  cut down on time and cost. Then in future collections, you may see more lattices from Cardallegiance with a few slight modifications to vary the design.

Cheers to beauty and all things swirly, delicate, and filigree! Check out the filigree earrings and new selections in the Cardallegiance Etsy shop.