Out of the box

I like to think of my jewels as precious, but not so precious that they are worn once and wrapped (however lovingly) in a box. I firmly believe that life is for living and savings should be for holidays or pensions!

Every time someone buys a piece for me, I quiz them on how they are going to wear it again. And I often get a similar reaction; 'Oh, I didn't think about it like that.' All I do is ask them to visualise the jewellery or headpiece with a completely different outfit. Generally, it won't be a floor length formal gown. My designs tend to look really good with simple, well cut dresses. Save the decorative details for your accessories.

I didn't have to give this advice to Cliodhna though; she loves to dress up on a daily basis and only owns a single pair of jeans. So impressive! She got in touch though, to tell me that she'd prefer to have her wedding comb on a hairband.

She was going to a wedding and had chosen a divine creation from Dirty Fabulous. The lace dress combined a blush/apricot with taupe underlay and bow. 'V' fabulous as my sister would say!

So here is the 'new' headpiece which Cliodhna loves; she tells me she'll be wearing it every weekend. That's what I like to hear.

You can read about Cliodhna's wedding as well as the bridesmaids hairpin I designed for her sister.

Do you plan to wear your bridal accessories again or have I got you thinking if you're already married? Leave me a comment below or on my Facebook page. I'd love to hear from you.

Rangoli bride Norah

I fall head over heels with hairstyles as much as wedding dresses - they are the starting point for all of my designs. So, when Norah showed me this one, I was so inspired and couldn't wait to play hairdresser with my big can of Elnett hairspray!

Norah visited my studio with her Mum and wanted something really delicate to dress her hair. We had lots of fun trying on different designs. This combination seemed to suit the hairstyle perfectly; a curved rhinestone comb and a scattering of 'Wildflower' hairpins.

"Thank you so much again - myself and Mum just had the best experience going into your studio. I knew exactly what I wanted in my head and you listened and showed us exactly what I was looking for. The slides were perfect!" Norah

Norah - you look stunning and I really appreciate you sharing your photos and for saying such lovely things about me. I'm so glad you enjoyed your experience. That makes me happy too!

Norah wore my 'Wildflower' pearl hairpins and a limited edition rhinestone comb. View my portfolio of designs or have a look at some recent bespoke designs

Photo credit:
Photography by Michael Crean Photography

An Irish themed bridal shoot

I've been dying to share some photos from a recent shoot I did with The Wedding Crew. The theme celebrated The Gathering; so we all dug deep to come up with our own take on what is to be Irish. I wanted to capture that ethereal Irish beauty and soft understated elegance.

Days like this allow me to meet other creative designers and I always come away buzzing with ideas. And I like being able to recommend these talented people to you.

This was my favourite photo from the day. January, (what a beautiful name) captures everything for me that reflects Irish beauty; porcelain skin, delicate features and a mane of gorgeous auburn hair. I designed this new piece especially for this shoot - it combines multi strands of gold crochet dotted with pearl and blue topaz drops. The headpiece continues in a single strand which is woven into the back of the hair. Lorraine Browne created all of the pretty hairstyles.

January and Jordan braved the extreme cold, to model in the sheerest of outfits. We had to wrap them in blankets in between shots!

Sarah Foy designed the dresses. I particularly loved this peach, chiffon-layered design with the tiniest hand-stitched beading trims. January wears a matching gold crochet bracelet with pearl drops. Jordan is the perfect foil in his 'Pennys' attire!

The second headpiece I designed is the 'Gold Lace' headwrap. It can be worn as a wide hairband, or across the forehead as you see here. I'm a big fan of transparent fabrics and this headpiece allows you to see either the skin or hair through the lattice design.

I had already met Claire from The Informal florist and her business name sums up my favourite kind of flowers - ones that look like they've just been plucked from nature and lovingly 'bunched' together! Although in reality, there is much more to it than that, I know. Claire's blog is filled with wild posies and stories about her love of flowers.

And finally, two fairly new businesses that are offering something different - Little Birds Bake made a whole dessert table filled with sweet bites. The coconut cupcakes were a new flavour sensation for me. Dusty Boy Designs are a stationery company run by make-up artist Kate Rose Crean and her husband Justin. Their designs combine vintage and contemporary elements with lots of fun lettering.

The trio that make up The Wedding Crew were busily working away behind the scenes to co-ordinate and capture all of the story. Lorraine Browne styled all the hair, Naomh Kirwan did the make-up and Paul Kelly was the photographer. Thanks for asking me to be involved in this project - it was a fun day working with all of you!

Here's the low-down on all these great businesses - lots of talent for you to choose from;

    The Wedding Crew

    Photographer: Paul Kelly | Studio3
    Photographers Assistant: Feena Kavanagh
    Location: Boyne Hill House

    Hair: Lorraine Browne
    Make Up: Naomh Kirwan
    Bridal Gowns:  Sarah Foy

    Jewellery: Rangoli
    Flowers: The Informal Florist
    Cakes: little birds bake
    Stationery: Dusty Boy Designs
    Models: January and Jordan from Morgan the Agency

Why I love designing for you

Have you ever tried on a dress and loved parts of it but hated the shape or the colour or the scratchy fabric? Thanks for sharing some of your dress-choosing stories with me! Sometimes it's just as important to know what we don't like!

Yesterday I saw this Peter Langner dress over on Wedding Inspirassi. I looked at his collection on my mobile and I found myself zooming in to see the details. And then being sorry that I had zoomed in! Because there were elements of this dress that I loved; the illusion neckline with the delicate embroidery and the dainty striped belt... but I didn't like the fussy bodice or the shape of the skirt.

It got me thinking about how I would love this dress if it had a plainer fabric and a narrower skirt. And then I realised that this is exactly how I work with my customers;

When I first meet each of you, I know nothing about your personal style. And when I talk about your style, I just mean knowing what makes you feel good. I'll get you to tell me your ideas, even if they seem vague to you. And then it's time to try on lots of different styles. Maybe things that you would never have considered trying on yourself; bigger or much smaller, muted or twinkling with rhinestones! I want to know what you like about each piece as well as what you don't. Have you ever considered not wearing a certain item of jewellery at all? Sometimes I need to grab my sketchbook so I can show you an idea that's in my head.

The best part of having a design made for you is that you are involved in the process. And the reason I don't sell my designs to shops is because I want to meet the people who will wear my designs. It's definitely a two-way creative experience. I get some of my best ideas from conversations in my studio!

I've shared some of my recent commissions here on the blog and have lots more examples in my showroom and in my head! If you have an idea in mind, let's get chatting.

Designing a silent bracelet

Yesterday there was a surprise in my in-box. When you lovely people get in touch to thank me and share photos, it means the world to me. Thanks Deirdre!

Deirdre made me laugh non-stop every time we met! She had absolutely no time for people telling her what she should or shouldn't do or wear for her wedding. She had some quirky must-haves (and have-nots). She wanted a 'silent' dress and was appalled by the thoughts of ones which make swishing sounds when she walked (more on this later!) and she wanted to wear a big statement bracelet, despite what everyone else thought.

I like how this girl thinks! Deirdre had a dream bracelet in her mind and had trawled the internet for it. She had spied January Jones wearing a wide pearl cuff and had even managed to source the designer's name. But her hunt for this elusive bracelet was in vain.

So, Deirdre got in touch to see if I could design something similar for her. I was on for the challenge. I started experimenting with techniques to create a solid pearl cuff. This style of piece is very different to my signature style but I loved the simplicity of the pure pearls.

The design of this piece took a long time to crack but I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Deirdre was involved at all stages, from initial sketches right through to her finished piece. At first I was going to add moving pearl drops to the crochet structure but Deirdre was fearful that the moving pearls would make a sound :-) More laughter...

The finished cuff was almost 6cm wide at it widest point. Every space was woven with hundreds of different sized pearls. The photo on the left shows the crochet framework that held it all together. The pearls gave an amazing bubbly, organic texture.

"I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for my beautiful cuff, I absolutely loved it on the day and got a million compliments about it!

What a gorgeous picture - Deirdre's dress was designed by Kathy De Stafford. You can't see the bottom of the dress here but it was a beautiful soft tulle.

Thanks for trusting me to make your bracelet Deirdre and for being so much fun to work with!

For more inspiration you can check out my latest commissions or give me a call to chat about your own ideas.

Image credit:
Photo of Deirdre: Icon Photography

Remembering Grandparents

Recently, lots of you have been showing me photos of your Grandparents weddings. I thought it was time to put our favourite relatives on the stage and hear some stories about their wonderful wedding days! This series is all about the romance, the style and the personalities.

'Love day' is the perfect excuse to share some more glamorous vintage wedding photos. Normally I only post one photo but I just couldn't choose this time! Sian, your Granny looks so beautiful and Gramps looks equally dashing. Sian Sharkey is a hairstylist that I've got to know and I recommend her to you all! That's for another post but today she is sharing photos of her Grandparents wedding in 1945.

So, let's meet Mercedes Munden and Frank Purcell. Apparently these two met at a dance, and were introduced by a family relative. They were both qualified architects and also shared a passion for amateur dramatics.

They married on July 4th and Frank used to joke about losing his independence on independence day! I think a sense of humour is essential for a happy marriage...

Don't they look so relaxed and glamorous? I love Mercede's hairstlye too. Apparently she was always into fashion and style. The couple went on to have eight children.

Sian is delighted to share these images, especially as her Granny died only a few weeks ago. She says that all of the family have followed in their footsteps with their love of music and drama. Check out Sian's website and Facebook page for gorgeous bridal hair-styling.

And here's one final photo of these love-birds. What a stylish and happy looking couple. Thanks for letting me share your family photos Sian!

Do you have photos or know of someone with stories to tell? Drop me an email or leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.

Doodles to designs!

As soon as I hold a pencil in my hand, I start doodling curvy, delicate patterns. Lines meander off across the page. Before I know it, I have designed another headpiece! It's not quite that simple but I love this part of my work!

I'm so inspired by natural patterns and forms. I won a wrapping paper design competition in school when I was 7 and have been a pattern addict ever since :-)

So yesterday, while researching/noodling over on Pinterest, I discovered the amazing photos of Anna Atkins; an English botanist and photographer (who may have been the first female photographer). Her Cyanotype technique involved laying plants on paper with a photo-sensitive solution and then exposing them to light. Look at that fern wreath. Isn't it beautiful?

I don't think it's possible to create patterns that are more beautiful or intricate than ones found in nature.

Anyway, these beautiful fern images reminded me of a piece I designed for a Christmas photo-shoot. Let's time travel back to December. Claire Barry from White Sage Events asked if I would like to design some jewels for a festive photo-shoot. Yes please! It's always a fun challenge to design something new.

The Theme was Luxe Christmas, with lots of gold and red elements. Claire wanted sparkle over bling which is right up my street! I've picked a few of my faves below but you can view lots more over on One fab Day.

The top design is a crochet beaded headpiece which is inspired by ferns. It can be woven into the hair in lots of different ways. The second design is called 'Gold waves'. Those delicious 1920's finger waves were the starting point for this piece :)

A big thanks to Lisa O'Dwyer for allowing me to feature her photos. The images were shot on film which gives a lovely quality to them. The dresses for the shoot were by Patrick Casey and Adah Lynch. Check  out more photos from the day via One Fab Day.

If you like these designs, have a look at some more of my recent bespoke pieces or get in touch if you'd like to chat about your ideas. I'd love to hear from you.

Credits:
White Sage Events - events company
Lisa O'Dwyer Photography
Anna Atkins photos via Wikipedia