A Red, Red Rose

Brigid Collection photoshoot, by Aileen Devlin

A Red, Red Rose

by Robert Burns

O my Luve is like a red, red rose,
     That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody,
     That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
     So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
     Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
     And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
     While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare the weel, my only luve!
     And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
     Tho’ it were ten thousand mile!

 

“A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns. Public domain.

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Here's to a prosperous 2015

This year was full of so many wonderful and amazing memories.  It was also a year of incredible growth for me, professionally and artistically.

It's ironic though that I've somewhat put off writing this post, mainly because I've wanted to enjoy a bit of downtime and give myself time to just relax and process everything.   But I can't put it off any longer, as in the back of my mind I know that it's time to move forward and plan for 2016.

So with that said I'll go over my top 5 highlights of the 2015.

1.  The Brigid Collection rang in the new year with a wonderful burst of fertile energy.  And honestly, Brigid (my patron deity - the smith, healer and mother goddess) could not have been a more appropriate name. 

We shot the collection in a cemetery with a beautiful couple, Ashleigh Bowden and Christopher Johnson.  And I teamed up with some amazingly talented people, Aileen Devlin (ya'll know her by now!), Amanda Adkins of the Lucky Owl Shop, Meagan Wilson of Meagan Wilson Makeup and Ryan Shackleford (videographer). 

I'm incredibly proud of this collection and the beautiful lookbook.  It's probably one of my favorites.

Brigid lookbook, Photo by Aileen Devlin.

2.  The Bast Collection

Another collection and lookbook that I just loved.  It was so perfect and appropriate.  I'm a bit nervous that I won't be able to top it but I'll definitely try! 

Bast OOAK necklace, photo by Tara Locklear.

 3.  I participated in more shows than I ever thought I would and I received some great press for it.  Like the feature below in the Washington City Paper article.  Crafty Bastards is one of my best shows and I was incredibly happy to be accepted in my old 'home' city. 

Indie Craft Experience show in Atlanta.

 4.  I received some amazing custom jewelry requests that challenged me.
I'm just so blessed, I thank my angels and lucky stars for the wonderful people that believe in me and my creativity.  Caroline Hedgepeth commissioned me to make a very sentimental momento mori piece for her father.  Which is probably one of the most special pieces I've ever made.  Pictured below.

Another commissioned piece with a faux sapphire held in place with silver crow claws. 

 5.  I have my first official assistant/intern, Ashton Neibel. 
Ashton contacted me in mid August regarding an internship, which I can't say how time appropriate this was, I needed her help and assistance more than ever before.  Ashton is super talented and dedicated to the craft of jewelry and I'm just so grateful for her.

There is probably so much more I could review and write about but honestly these are the best parts of what happened this year. 

As always, thank you for reading!

Stay lovely and have a happy new year!!

xoxo

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Song by Allen Ginsberg

Photo by Aileen Devlin

 SONG

The weight of the world
             is love.
Under the burden
             of solitude,
under the burden
             of dissatisfaction

             the weight,
the weight we carry
             is love.

Who can deny?
             In dreams
it touches
             the body,
in thought
             constructs
a miracle,
             in imagination
anguishes
             till born
in human—

looks out of the heart
             burning with purity—
for the burden of life
             is love,
but we carry the weight
             wearily,
and so must rest
in the arms of love
             at last,
must rest in the arms
             of love.
No rest
             without love,
no sleep
             without dreams
of love—
             be mad or chill
obsessed with angels
             or machines,
the final wish
             is love
—cannot be bitter,
             cannot deny,
cannot withhold
             if denied:

the weight is too heavy

             —must give
for no return
             as thought
is given
             in solitude
in all the excellence
             of its excess.

The warm bodies
             shine together
in the darkness,
             the hand moves
to the center
             of the flesh,
the skin trembles
             in happiness
and the soul comes
             joyful to the eye—

yes, yes,
             that’s what
I wanted,
             I always wanted,
I always wanted,
             to return
to the body
             where I was born.

"Song” by Allen Ginsberg from Collected Poems 1947-1980. © Harper Collins, 1981.

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Two more shows to go

Whew....are you feeling as busy as I am? I do love the holidays but as a jeweler and business owner it is seriously the busiest and craziest times of the year. 

I'm trying to balance time with family and also getting all these orders out the door.  The post Thanksgiving shopping was in full effect and I'm so grateful for all our dedicated customers and followers that purchased Eilisain Jewelry. 

With that said, there are still two more holiday shows we're doing and about 4 days to increase our inventory.  I'm lucky though because having an assistant makes it a whole lot easier!

Anywho, I wanted to remind you that we will be in Columbia, SC for Craftyfeast in 2 weeks and we can't wait!  Here is the link to the FB event invitation if you'd like to RSVP. 

We hope to see you there and stay lovely!
Lisette
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Washington DC City Paper featured the Brigid Bridal Collection

I have to say I've been quite fortunate to receive press lately, especially from participating in local craft shows.  Prior to the Crafty Bastards show in DC several weeks ago, I was contacted by the City Paper for images of my work to be included in the insert of their weekly publication.

And I simply love the way they paired Eilisain Jewelry with Heart of Gold headpieces, they look perfect together! And on the front page of the vendor sneak peek, it really made me happy.  

Brigid Collection rings, photo by Tara Locklear.

The awesome photo Tara Locklear took of the Brigid Rings

One other way I've been very fortunate is to have a fantastic photographer! Tara does such a great job of not only photographing my pieces in groups like the image above but she also edits them very well.   It's been such a relief to trust someone to know how to photograph my pieces just right and Tara get's it.  So if you ever need a person to photograph your work I highly recommend Tara Locklear!

As always, thanks for reading and stay beautiful!
xoxo
Lisette
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Nature as the backdrop

I received more shots back from my photographer, Aileen Devlin of our shoot back in March and they're just so perfect.  Aileen arranged some of the pieces on mossy grave stones and in a lil bath and it was so fitting. 

Several necklaces on a tombstone

This shot works so well with the herkimer diamonds, clear reflection matched with the clarity of the stones.

And the moss is beautiful against the silver.

You can view the full photoshoot on my website.
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Stellar shots of the Brigid Collection

As I'd posted in several months ago that I finally buckled and hired a talented jewelry photographer (ahem, Tara Locklear).

And here is the product of them, but I need to preface this by saying that for some reason Blogger has muted the background of the images and they are not white as they should be so please forgive the weird gray background.  You can see the perfect images here, on my website.

Brigid Bridal Collection of rings. 

Super lovely set with smoky amethyst.

Faceted genuine amethyst with dyed mojave turqoise.  I want these for myself SO bad!

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The Brigid Collection is finally here!

After much buildup and anticipation I'm very pleased to unveil the Brigid Collection, a collection of jewelry for the lovers and the dreamers (you definitely don't need to be a bride to purchase them!). 

For many reasons I'm very proud of this collection and the project that went into it.  Especially when quite of bit of energy and preparation goes into it, such as the video and photoshoot.  But I'm so happy with the outcome and most especially the people that worked with me on it (read the previous post here for all the deets).  

This collection is also very close to my heart because of naming it after one of my patron deities, Brigid.  I've prayed to her and sought her guidance many times in my life.  And for what she represents (smiths, poetry/inspiration and fertility) those are big aspects of my own life.  Oh and Ostara (Spring) is my favorite time of the year, the earth is reawakening and shifting, birds are chirping...it's beautiful!

So here I present to you the video we shot at the same time as the photoshoot for the collection.  I was very fortunate to find Ryan Shackleford (through my previous videographers) and as a videographer he was super professional and great to work with. 

the love in this video is real...Chris and Ashleigh are partners in life, aren't they just the sweetest???!!!

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The BRIGID COLLECTION is almost here

The tension and excitement is really building for the Brigid Collection.  And the photoshoot/videoshoot made it even more special. 

For this shoot/collection I wanted to work with new and old people, such as Aileen Devlin.  Aileen and I have worked together for two shoots (Vespa and Valkyrie) and our chemistry is great.  I never really need to direct or tell Aileen how to capture my jewelry, she just gets it.  As for the rest of the team, I couldn't have found more talented individuals.

Amanda Adkins, owner of The Lucky Owl Shop, creates really beautiful flower bouquets, arrangements and flower crowns. So I knew Amanda would need to be a part of the shoot, then came on Meagan Wilson a freelance makeup artist. Lastly, I was able to grab two gorgeous dresses from my girl Paula Chrismon's shop, The Closet Consignment Boutique as well as blouses from Catalog Connection both located in Uptown Greenville. 

The day was beautiful and breezy and the setting was perfect - a cemetery! When I told some friends they were a bit confused but to me, it works so well, marriage is meant to last until ultimately you pass into the next life so why not shoot the collection where others have gone to depart but are buried next to their spouses and loved ones?

Photo by Aileen Devlin
Model: Ashleigh Bowden
Flowers by Amanda Adkins of The Lucky Owl Shop

Stay tuned - the Brigid Collection drops the first day of spring - March 20th!

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Upcoming shows and events

Spring is my favorite season, I love it for many reasons - the birds are chirping more, flowers are beginning to bloom, the weather is warmer and well, my birthday is also right before spring!

And the major part of Spring is all the wonderful outdoor events! I've been applying to shows and I finally got into one, I'll be a vendor at the Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philaphelphia on May 9th-10th. 

Art Star poster.  Find more info about the event here.

And I'll be releasing the Brigid Collection on the first day of Spring, Friday March 20th.  This is the first 'bridal' collection I've done and it is a small yet well edited collection of rings and one of a kind pieces for the unique bride. 

I made pieces that were simple and affordable.  I put the term 'bridal' in quotes because as much as I'm putting a name on these pieces, really they don't have to be for a bride just as much as my other collections have been used as ceremonial pieces for weddings. 

And I decided to name this the Brigid Collection after the Celtic Goddess Brigid; she has been one of my patron deities and a triple goddess.  She represents the fire before the summer months, she is the Goddess of Imbolc (one of the pagan sabbaths).  There are many stories and tales of Brigid, she is the the bards muse, the patron of Smiths and herbal healing.   

I hope you'll visit and stay tuned for more images of my new collection and as always, thank you for reading.
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