new look

October so far has been, well, a bit busy.  Thanks to the feature in Country Living Magazine I have been kept very occupied making *chalkboard* necklaces.  Along with all of that I have been working on new designs for the holidays.  Right now Im into the cuff bracelet...the perfect addition to any fall or winter look.

leather wrapped brass cuffs

one year anniversary

This weekends events at SparkCon will mark the 1yr anniversary of the *chalkboard necklace*!!!  Thats right, I introduced it at last years SparkCon here in down town Raleigh NC.  What started as a fun experiment and kind of a quirky play on SparkCons street chalk drawing event actually turned into something.  Little did I know what would come of these little bits of personalized jewelry, but it's been a great year for them!  They will be making a return appearance this year at bazaarSPARK.

Come join all the festivities and check out Haden Designs at bazaarSPARK.
Saturday Sept 17th 10-6pm
Sunday Sept 18th 11-4pm
The bazaar will be right in the thick of it on Fayetteville st and Davies st, here in downtown Raleigh.

Hope to see you there!

What Fall has to bring...

I must say, Fall is by far the best time of year.  Looking forward to cozy clothes and boots, harvest soups, and of course a trip to the local Starbucks to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte-I cant wait! October is going to be a huge month for Haden Designs and its all starting with one of my Chalkboard Necklaces being featured in Country Living magazine!   Its a really great feature on personalized jewelry-and what better way to do so but with a mini chalkboard!

Check out my Etsy shop for the one featured and for lots more!

keeping secrets

Recently I had a request for a locket necklace. I am always collecting lockets to use in my designs. Here are a few I came up with...

summer styles

Here are some of the new earrings I've been working on. You can also view more of the jewelry in my portfolio--link is in the left column.

Enjoy!

Durham love and 15 min of fame

I've always had a love for Durham, though admittedly I don't get there as often as I'd like to take advantage of the yummie eats and eclectic shopping opportunities. Well, now is my chance! Durham's new visitors guide is out with the cities best places to check out and events to attend. It also features a picture of yours truly selling Haden Designs jewelry at last years Rock&Shop Market held at Motorco and Fullsteam Brewery!

feather light

I have gone full steam ahead with these earrings. They have been my go to style for the summer because you can wear them with anything!

Choo Choo...

Im on my way to Chattanooga this weekend with my friend Oami of Judah Ross for the Chatty Crafty event! Cant wait!!! I have been busy coming up with new designs to reveal at the show. Here's a glimpse...This is repurposed leather that has been block printed and screen printed. These necklaces are perfect for summer-nice and light weight.

Ill be posting to Etsy shop next week when Im back so stay tuned!

its no joke

Its April first and no foolin', a Haden Designs *chalkboard necklace* is featured in BRIDES magazine! Check it out on page 84. They are on sale in my Etsy store.

bracelet, or necklace? How about both.

I have been on a kick lately with this leather thing and I have been combining it more with chain and semiprecious, or gold beads. I really like wearing the bracelets, they add just the right amount of accessory to any outfit. Recently I discovered that my tripple wrap bracelets were just the right length to wear as a necklace too! And, because I love to layer, they look great paired with another necklace-I usually wear it with a *Chalkboard* necklace.

BRIDES magazine

I have my first jewelry debut in a magazine, or should I say my *chalkboard* necklace has its first debut! A few months ago I was contacted by BRIDES magazine asking if I would be interested in sending a few pieces to get photographed for the April 2011 issue. What?!?! So, I sent a couple of my *chalkboard* necklaces and the round locket with the gold chain made it! Since this is my first experience I have NO idea what to expect. I have been working on making more product...a lot more product just incase, right? Anywho, be on the look out for the April issue of BRIDES magazine and we'll see if the necklace made it!

lots of sanding...

then comes the priming and painting...

(did I mention I have a lot of these?)

testing, testing...

After several rounds of tests...'by George I think Ive got it!'

Near the end of 2010 I came up with a new design for Haden Designs, the *chalkboard necklace* was born. But, with any new design comes a period of trial and error. I introduced about a dozen necklaces at a show and I soon found out how popular they could be when I sold out of them within the first couple of hours. I went straight into production mode. I had never painted on metal before so I began to do some tests. I started off with different techniques of prepping the surface for paint, then came the importance of drying time, a different type of charcoal pencil and the sharpness of the tip...Ill spare you the rest of my experiments. Unfortunately, there were a few pieces that slipped through the cracks and didn't hold up. Torn paint was the problem. It would occur if the paint was still wet from wiping off the chalk and then writing on it immediately following, or the pencil tip was too sharp. Thankfully people contacted me and I was able to get them a new necklace. When making a new product that is what you hope for, that people will give you a second chance to make it right. So, if you havent contacted me and you had a problem, please do liz@hadendesigns.com. I would love to have the opportunity to replace it.

Over the holidays I delved deep into researching and experimenting painting on metal. I now have a new way of making the *chalkboard necklace*. So far, I have had no problems with this new technique...Hooray! (and I have put them through the ringer!) Now that that is fixed, I am going to expand some of the designs, so be on the look out.