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.

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.

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

 

Day Eighteen of My Tweleve Week Creative Challenge

Today I felt like getting back to my jewelry bench, so for day 18 of my twelve week challenge I made these “Goddess Of Love” earrings.  The beads are a very dark red, capped with little crystals, and at the bottom are cast cupids.  I may still add a heart or little dove inside the crystal cage, but for now they are finished.

Please keep in mind that the items I show in the twelve week challenge posts still have to be electroplated and are in their raw form.  Also the photography is the result of quick snapshots so I promise you everything will look much more impressive in the final post.

#MyPinkPlanet

Day Six Of My Twelve Week Challange

I spent most of my studio time today tidying up a bit, a small part of a huge daunting task In doing so I came across a pair of owl head earrings that I’d begun many years ago, so as of today, they are complete.

#MyPinkPlanet

 

Hey, I’m On Instagram!

So, if you have a chance, have a look.  click

I’m kind of new to this so any advise is most welcome.  And, if you follow me, It will give me a chance to see what you’ve been up to as well.

Okay, the set is complete! What do you think?

You might remember, a while ago, I did a post on a commission I was working on?   Well, the set is completed!  I’d love to know what you think, so feel free to leave a comment.

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Here’s a link to the original post CLICK .

Hey, I Got A Commission!

I’m very excited about this latest project, a lovely etsy customer saw this necklace and earrings on my web shop.

Now they’d like a matching tiara.  So, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with my followers my approach to the design process, and the steps I take in creating such a piece.

The first, and most important, detail is communication.  I find visual aids, in addition to written communication, most helpful.  So here is my proposal…

To begin with, let’s take a look at the necklace.

It’s a very detailed piece and has lots of movement, but I think to create an inverted version of it should do the trick.

Now, it’s important to use your imagination here, these are just raw stones in un-plated settings, laid out on a piece of paper.  This is just to get an idea of size and shape, got it?

Okay, now I need you to imagine the square and pear shape emeralds to be surrounded by crystals as shown in the following pictures.

The stones that surround these parts have been ordered and should arrive any day now.  When they are added, this piece will have a fuller more blinding effect.

Also, in the necklace there are some emerald glass beads, these beads are no longer available and I’m having a hard time finding any that match.  I’m not sure they would add much to the tiara anyway, but I’ll see what I can come up with.

So, here’s an overview of what the set will most likely look like at this point, and please use your imagination, as I mentioned before, this is a very raw interpretation of the finished project.

Stay tuned for future posts on this project, I’ll do updates when I get feedback from this client.  Meanwhile, why not have a look at my shop CLICK.

Update:

Well the customer feels that they need something with more presence to it, in other words LARGER.  They like the “Roberta” tiara (click Costumes, Tiaras, and Masks at the top of this page) and would like me to make a similar one but taller.

Of course I’m always happy to make big and bold pieces , “less is a bore” as they say, so here’s the plan.  Since the design of the proposed tiara is somewhat different from the existing necklace, and might over power it, I’ll create a second necklace and earrings and let them choose what works best for them.  These two photos are just quick snapshots of various pieces laid out to indicate what I propose the finished items will look like.

Thanks for following my blog, and I’ll have another update on this project very soon!

Update:

Okay, the set is complete!  What do you think?

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And, as you can imagine, I failed to resist the temptation of trying on these beautiful jewels myself.

Cleaning House

Well it seems that winter is upon us and although I prefer the warmer weather, I’m looking forward to a creative hibernation in my much neglected studio.  In preparing for this I realize that a good cleaning is in order.  So as part of my organizational effort, and to raise funds for future projects, I’ve decided to sell off some of my design portfolio from the 1980’s, and at some very good prices too.

If you see anything here that interests you, then please visit my online shop by clicking HERE.  If you see something you like in the “Vintage collectable” section, and it exceeds your budget, feel free to make me an offer, but please be reasonable.

Thanks for checking out my rosy little world,

~Richard