now back to work

A follow up... Halloween was a success!  I've pushed store bought costumes off for one more year!!!  I knew The Boy would come through with an idea and it was a marvelous one at that-lots of fun to make!  So, while I was explaining The Beans costume to pretty much everyone, Alice from Alice in Wonderland after she eats the biscuit in Rabbits house and grows out of it, The Boy was having a grand time flying around in his bat costume!  The wings were made of black material and metal clothes hangers to create the bone look.  Her costume was felt all the way plus the dress-super cute, and she wore the whole get up, which was amazing.  They both turned out pretty ok if I do say so!  Now that my fun is over, I MUST get back to work

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this year will be

Halloween time is upon us.  Which means a hiatus from jewelry and an obsession with the kiddos costumes--(little insight on me, I go overboard on costumes and birthday parties).  Im struggling with the fact that The Boy wants a gruesome store bought piece of plastic. So sad, but Im still holding on to a small hope he will change his mind.  Thankfully, The Bean still doesn't know any better.

Year one for The Boy was Charlie Brown, then a garden gnome, next came the astronaut with a handmade papermache helmet, then the robot.  Last year was fun, The Bean was an owl made from some felt and a sweatshirt and The Boy was as per his request a werwolf--so far the most fun to make! Though Im swamped with new ideas for jewelry and have been non stop making, Halloween is my time to take a break and have some fun!  

The Boy 2010

The Boy 2011

The Bean 2012

The Boy 2012

sneak peak

Heres a little something (not a lot) to get you wondering about whats to be seen at
The Handmade Market.  Join Haden Designs and A LOT of amazing designers  this Saturday May 4th from 11-5 at Cobblestone Hall in downtown Raleigh.

If your a really hard core shopper, you can come early from 10-11.  The early bird special is $5 for first dibs!

***Dont forget, Mothers Day is next weekend...Just sayin'.***

spring

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”

―Margaret Atwood 

Lately, most days its true.  I have had a very hard time trying to stay in doors to get anything done.  You see we have moved, and our new place is amazing.  We were fortunate enough to move into a place that was loved by its original owners for almost 50 years! They left us with the most amazing yard for spring.  Every day I go out to see what plant has come to join the others.  Its a new season with new found motivation and creativity, if I can stay out of the garden long enough...

Spring color inspiration

collaborate

Judah Ross clothing 

Lets see...The majority of 2012 I've been pretty busy getting into the swing of things with another little one.  She just turned one!

Haden Designs has been slow going but its getting amped up--Its been a very busy October!  Just finished some exclusive pieces for Judah Ross.  Oami, the talent behind Judah Ross, and I often pair our wares.  She has an amazing clothing line and what goes better with clothes but jewelry?  A few months ago we did a photo shoot with some of the pieces I made for her and her Fall/Winter collection.

Orbit Necklace

Tatooed moon earrings

Seeds Necklace

Isis Necklace

brooklyn flea

Its always a must when visiting Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Flea.  Unfortunately, it started right after we moved in 2008--Probably a good thing for me.  During a recent trip we decided we would make a morning of it there, get our coffee and chocolate croissants and meet up with some good friends.   Still some of the same vendors from the last time, but there were a few new ones that really caught my eye. One in particular was the jewelry by FORT fort.etsy.com.  She had an amazing display draped with intricate chain crochet necklaces.  I was instantly drawn to her rough wood display which was complemented by the different textures and colors of chain.  She uses incredibly fine chain and crochets it to create an almost dripping look for some necklaces and also crochets it around crystals and and stones.  I of course had to buy one, and I have worn it daily ever since!

Fort display at Brooklyn Flea

Etsy items

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.

inspiration...leather?

Wow! It has been nothing short of crazy around these parts the past couple of months. The year is coming to a close and it feels like it went by in a blink. Just recently I have gone off on a design tangent and I cant get enough of it...leather. Anyone who knows me would think that they just read that wrong seeing as I was a vegetarian for almost 20 yrs. I have never worked with leather, or ever thought I would be working with it, but I really enjoy what can be done. Its so versatile-You can cut it into shapes like working with a sheet of metal or you can use it like strands of chain, oh the possibilities! I love combining textures in my pieces so this was one more to throw into the mix.

Sometimes inspiration is hard to come by. Luckily, this new design inspiration came at the perfect time. I have my very talented friend Oami to thank for it! She is the creator of a clothing and accessories line, Judah Ross. I have been a huge fan of hers from the moment we met and we decided to trade our wares. My first Judah Ross piece was a mono print market bag (this was just the beginning of my collection). Recently we were both at a show where she brought me a bag of leather scraps-the same leather which she had used for some of her market bags. When she asked if I wanted it, I accepted not having any clue at the time what I could use it for. As soon as I started working with it, my mind blew up and I couldn't stop coming up with designs. As a creator you love coming across this kind of inspiration. So, thank you Oami, and I hope everyone likes the direction Haden Designs is headed!

its finally time

Thanksgiving is over and now its finally appropriate for me to listen to my Christmas music. I could probably listen to it year round. Its also time for holiday shopping and decorating. I am busy getting ready for one of my favorite shows The Rock&Shop Market. This year it looks like it is shaping up to be a pretty amazing event! It has grown so much since I started participating in it a couple of years ago. This year they have turned it into a block party!!! Heres the skinny... and Ill leave it up to them to explain...

"Shop local this Holiday season. Mark your calendars for the 11th Rock & Shop Market/Block Party this Saturday December 4th from 12-6pm at two venues in Durham: Motorco Music Hall & Fullsteam Brewery across the street. The venues are located at 723 & 726 Rigsbee Ave. Durham, NC 27701.

There will be food trucks (Only Burger, Klausies Pizza, DaisyCakes, Slippin Slidders), 60 designers selling their wares, a fashion show and the bands The Ox Magnolia and Onward, Soldiers! Admission is $5. First 50 attendees receive a free shopping tote. For directions and a list of all the designers visit www.rockandshopmarket.com. Plenty of free parking is available. More details on our facebook invitation."

So, make sure you plan for the event! I have lots of new chalkboard necklaces, holiday earrings for those party frocks and some new necklace designs-I hope to see you there!