What I’ve been up to lately, Covid-19 edition.

As so many blog post start, “sorry I haven’t posted in awhile”, so begins this one. Most of my non crafting energy, since my last post has gone into building my website, which I hope you’ve had a chance to look at www.RichardBradleyDesigns.com . Meanwhile, during this new era of Covid-19, I haven’t been doing any craft shows and I’m learning to make my business more “virtual”. So, in the spirit of virtual marketing, I present to you my first self made fashion video.

Selecting A Band For Your Tiara Or Crown

I’ve made a variety of bands so far and it seems I’m still getting requests for yet other styles, so the purpose of this post is to let you know what I’m familiar with and how each one works. I hope this helps you decide what works best for you and that my readers give me feed back on what people are looking for.

The first type is the vertical comb tiara…

For this style all the ornamentation is attached, perpendicularly, to a hair comb and there are rings attached for bobby pins.  This is a good choice for flat, less puffy hair styles and it’s good for short hair and works better on real hair as opposed to wigs.

 

The most popular is the basic headband…

This type is a basic U band with a ring at each end for bobby pins or a stretch cord, elastic or ribbon to secure it.  The band sits at an angle and the ornamentation is vertical.  Most of my clients find this to be the most comfortable choice, especially performers who need to make quick costume changes.

 

Then there’s the head band with an under-wire…

This is recommended for larger, heavier pieces, the under-wire allows for more bobby pins to give added security.

Of corse, I’m always exploring other options and if you have any suggestions, I welcome them most eagerly!

#MyPinkPlanet

Thinking Beyond The Dead Of Winter

Yes, it’s the dead of winter, there’s a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature is in the single digits.  So, to warm myself up I must think of spring and work on new items that bring warm thoughts of Carnival Balls and Summer Galas.  With that in mind, I bring you this “Gilded Lily” tiara.

 

This piece is now available in my Etsy Shop, but may be subject to prior sale.

Here’s some close up views for you…

#MyPinkPlanet

Sea Monsters In Bristol Rhode Island

I’m really enjoying my new retail venue, The Hotpoint Emporium, such a wonderful group of friendly and supportive people to be involved with.  Another of the many things that makes this place such a joy to be a part of is the location, just one block from the Narragansett Bay.

The whole town offers such nautical charm it seems only natural that I came up with some ocean inspired jewelry.  So, with that being said, I’ll be offering this selection of limited edition Sea Monster earrings.

So be sure to stop into The Hotpoint Emporium at 39 State St. Bristol RI 02809 and check out all of my latest designs.  Oh, and follow my FaceBook page to see when I’m in the shop, I’d love to meet you in person.

Welcome To The Hotpoint Emporium

For those of you who don’t follow my FaceBook page, My Pink Planet, I’ve recently been accepted into an artist co-op called the Hotpoint Emporium.  It’s in a lovely old eighteenth century building in the town of Bristol Rhode Island overlooking Narragansett Bay.

I went in the other day to set up my inventory, what a nice group of people, and the other work that was still coming in when I left looks very promising.  Here’s some photos of what’s been set up so far, notice my fancy new jewelry display case, and they let me put my “Prisoner Of Love” necklace in the window too!

The store opens this week, but the grand opening is scheduled for November 3, 2017.  So I hope to see you soon at the Hotpoint Emporium, 39 State Street, Bristol RI, 02909

The Gallery Z Project

There’s a lovely little art gallery in Providence called Gallery Z, it’s primarily a fine art gallery but they show a nice selection of crafts as well.  I’ve been showing my work here on occasion for quite some time and now they’ve given me a display case, well, actually half of a display case.  So I’ve renovated the case with a grey ultrasuede background, made some custom display fixtures and signage and shall refer to this as my Gallery Z project.

The lighting in this gallery is very flattering to the artwork, but not so conducive to photography so please excuse the quality of these photos.

My goal with this “Gallery Z Project” is to have a new collection for them every two months.  For June and July, 2017 I’m showing my Linear Compositions line, I think it makes for a playful summertime look.

Meanwhile, if you have a chance, please have a look at my etsy shop, I truly appreciate your support.  (My Shop)

#MyPinkPlanet

An Update To My Creative Challenge

So my 12 week creative challenge is moving along at a steady pace, I’ve been concentrating on more elaborate pieces which take more than a day to complete, that’s why I no longer post every day now.  For today though, I thought I’d share these two pieces that are coming together quite nicely.

I’m calling this the “Warrior Angel” tiara.  I may add a few elements to it still and there are some tiny rings soldered every here and there for hanging beads from, I like my jewelry to have moving elements.  I’ve been wanting to use these cobalt blue stones and spiral beads for quite some time, there’s many old stones and beads hanging around my studio just waiting to be used in just the right design, some of them I’ve had for more than thirty years.  I think I’ll have this gold-plated, if the stones stand out too much after plating, maybe I’ll enamel the leaves like I did in this mask. 

The other piece I’d like to share is a brooch that will be part of a necklace.

This one is a commission based on this piece. 

The customer wants something more colorful, with a biological theme and in a silver plate.  I hope she likes it!

#MyPinkPlanet

Gaining Momentum With My 12 Week Challenge

I got up bright and early this morning and put together this whimsical little tiara.  In the center and off to the sides you’ll notice the spiraling empty settings, after I have this piece plated I’ll be setting pearls into them.

Just to be sure you’re aware, all of the items posted during my Twelve Week Creative Challenge have a raw finish and will be plated, patinated, and/or enameled at the end of this motivational project.

#MyPinkPlanet

12 Week Creative Challenge Update

So, now I have more motivation for my twelve week creative challenge.  I’ve been accepted to a juried show in New York, It’s part of an event hosted by The Imperial Court Of NY called a “Night Of A Thousand Gowns“.

I’m very grateful for this opportunity, I always enjoy designing for drag queens and showgirls.  Now I’m faced with the challenge of creating some spectacular pieces to insure the success of this venture.

As always, thank you for following my blog and be sure to check out my Etsy shop if you have the chance.

#MyPinkPlanet

 

Update to My Twelve Week Creative Challenge

Well I’m sorry to say that, although not over, my twelve week creative challenge has been greatly interrupted.  You see, I’d developed some pretty severe kidney stones making a surgical procedure necessary, after which there were some complications.  So with the crippling pain and the grogginess caused by so many painkillers, I was unable to produce anything creative for several days.

I did get into my studio whenever possible and worked on some items that had already been started.

I had a lot of fun with this necklace with all of its flowers and monsters.

In addition to what I’ve shown you in this post, I’ve managed to assemble a lot of small component parts, not worth showing, for larger pieces yet to come.  I’m feeling much better now so I’m resuming my creative challenge, I’ve lost track of which day I left off on so my updates won’t be as specific going forward.

Thank you for following my progress.

~Richard

#MyPinkPlanet