She Sells Seashells...

These ivory coloured shells are strung together and accented with clear faceted glass.
You can see some more photos on my Etsy site.

Berries & Cream

The warm weather has arrived and with it comes my latest design... the Berries & Cream bracelet! This piece uses sterling silver headpins to join silver butterfiles, pink and white glass flowers, and pink crystals into one bracelet. It's one of my favourite designs so far!

Sweet Swarovski…

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Swarovski crystal sparkling in the sunlight but I think it is a wonderful sight!

Wedding jewelry has the ability to make you feel like royalty on one of the most important days of your life. I remember wearing my tiara on my wedding day… I loved the feeling of it and still put it on once in a while! Even though I had dreamed of being a princess when I was very little I never thought I would want a tiara for my wedding day. Once I had one on I quickly changed my mind!

A few years ago a dear friend of mine was planning her wedding. She* and I ran off to a designer dress shop in town the first chance we got, it’s not every day you get to try on creped silk! She had never intended on wearing a tiara since it was so ‘girly’ but once she had a gorgeous designer dress on the tiara became the perfect accessory. A princess appeared right before my eyes!! I knew right away that I wanted to make a tiara for her… the only problem? I had never made one before!

It came together wonderfully; the sparkle of the clear crystals as well as dark and light purple crystals (the bride’s favourite colour) combined with small fresh water pearls was perfect. The best part was the look on her face when she opened the box!



*I’ve left her name out in order to protect her privacy… which is also why there is a photo of a disembodied wedding hairdo.

I am always open to designing custom wedding jewelry. A single item or a matching set, whatever you desire! You can contact me by leaving a comment with your contact info or emailing me through the info in my profile. You can also contact me through my Etsy shop.

What did you say about my Grandma?

Finally! I've applied for a table at a local craft show in Ottawa!

The craft show is being run by a local group called Ladyfest Ottawa.

I've never participated in a craft show of any kind but I have attended them and the Ladyfest craft shows are wonderful! They call it Not Your Grandmother's Craft Sale and it has a great combination of artisans offering a unique array of hand crafted items.

I have applied to share a table with a wonderful local artisan, Refashionista. With any luck you will see her textiles featured on here in the near future!

Simply applying to this craft show does not guarantee a table. There are a large number of crafters for a small venue so each application is reviewed by a jury. They have a lot of work to do to and I don't envy them... but if asked I will bribe them with cupcakes.

Fingers crossed!

...and then there was Etsy.

Etsy is an online market place for hand crafted items. It has become a community for artisans to come together and share their advice and support while promoting their creations.

I started my Etsy shop in February so I am a very new member. The number of sellers and buyers makes this place very busy and competitive but the atmosphere among Etsians is full of the energy and excitement you would expect from artisans.

My Etsy shop, Blue Sky Design, is going to be filling up with new creations over the spring and summer months. My current schedule is prohibitive so the majority of the blog & shop postings will begin in mid to late April. Unless of course I'm looking for a way to procrastinate!

Come back soon!

Welcome to the Blue Sky Design Blog!

As I find more free time I will be updating this blog with each of my new creations, alerting you to craft shows and sales, as well as introducing you to featured artisans from all over the world.

I'm looking forward to getting started on this new blog!

In the mean time have a look at my jewelry on Etsy and check out my other blog, Ranting & Raving.

Nicole~
Blue Sky Design