A whole week already!

Where does the time go? Well, at least I have something to show for it...for the past few week I have been hard at work designing some new pieces and finalizing how they look. I am pretty happy with the results, but they are not quite ready to post, so you can check them out here.

An awesome purple shell and brass focal piece with peridot glass and brass chain.


Pink & Orange Vintage Lucite beads and brass chain.


I am now working on expanding a few designs from this winter and adding other color schemes, I'm rather excited about these and they will be posted this week.

I also finsihed my painting, Yay! I made myself try something a bit different, not sure how much I dig it, but at least I worked through it!



OK...back to work...

In the last week...

For an entire week I have basically done the bare minimum of work...I'll admit it...I bought a car on Thursday and have spent the majority of my time driving it around. I have had some cars that I liked just fine in the past, but I have never owned a car that I lusted after and then got to have it...so I finally got back to work on Tues and have been designing, painting and catching up on office work. It was amazing that I actually got the laundry done on Monday, and it took a long time because I kept leaving the house! I also managed to not post an item of the week yet...although I put up a new line last week with 4 necklaces, so it’s not that bad of me. To complete the dorkiness of loving my new car:

So this next Monday there may be a few goodies up my sleeve in the new section of the web site...stay tuned folks...although I heard it might actually snow and I really want to test out the all wheel drive action...

Brass Love Necklaces Now Available!

The new line of Necklaces titled Brass Love are now available for sale on Manic Trout. The line currently features four designs and for any of the necklaces you may request any length chain that suits your fancy. I have to admit that I was completely influenced by a new bag I bought this summer for fall, as soon as I bought it I began the quest for vintage brass and have been rather pleased with how this line has come together!

Here are the two most recent additions to the line:
Love Fool

Love Blind

Sneak Peek at New Necklaces!

Available on Monday at Manic Trout...a new line of Necklaces named Brass Love will debut for sale. I have been collecting the materials for this line for months now and am thrilled to kick off Valentines Day shopping with them. Made of vintage brass chain and components, these necklaces show off a mini collection of vintage and new charms that dangle from a large vintage loop in the center and finished off with a beautiful vintage brass spring ring clasp.

Here are two lovelies from the line:
Lucky Love

Slave To Love

Bits & Baubles

Its a blah day here in Millbrook. Its raining and dreary and I am not being that productive. Usually if I force myself to at least sit at one of my workstations then something will come out of it, but so far...nada. So I thought I would share a few lovely photos that Tyler took of my studio.
My collection of vintage buttons and typewriter keys, which I ripped off old typewriters and then got discouraged when I realized all the typewriter key jewelry out there already, so now they sit in one of my favorite old Ball jars. The big ball buttons will one day soon be button rings, I do love them so...

Bottle Caps mid production...all they need are magnets now and they will be packaged and ready to ship off to The Sampler, Haute Market and with every package I send out.

I still have not worked on that painting either, I am hiding from it. I have become stuck with it and the only way to get through it to keep painting...ugh.

Very exciting news...the Valentines Day gift guides start to debut this week...I know, I can hardly believe it myself...and I have designed a new and very different line for everyones favorite Hallmark Holiday! As this line will debut Monday on IndieShopping, I figured I should have it on the website...so as my resolution dictates...I will have the Brass Love Necklaces posted early Monday morning (before I go to bed early). Check back here on Sunday for a sneak peak...

Makin' Stuff

Call it a bad trait, call it a part of being type A, call it whatever you want but the truth is that I am an extremely competitive gal. So as great as it is that my bf has a new hobby, I am still quite capable of taking my own pictures too...so I am a bit, ahem, inspired shall we say, to hold my own. Which of coarse means that I will have more things to post and therefore more to read and basically we all win in the end.


So this week I have been gearing up to debut a few button rings that I have yet to post, and they are real beauties, I am really excited about these! The new rings are all made form vintage Lucite ball buttons, one of which is so large it’s obscene...and it’s inlaid with rhinestones too! I almost decided against keeping it, but as I do with all rings that I design...I make a prototype and wear it around for a while to assure that it is foible free, and I fell in LOVE with this one...if nothing else, it will draw endless attention to you and offer a ton of conversation opportunities!

Just so you don't think I just sit around all day makin' rings and nothing else, I will give you a peek at a few works in progress currently in my studio...

I am having some issues with this one, I have been working on it for a few days and its a bit different from what I have been doing for the past year...I loved it until I saw a photo of it and now I want to throw it out the window instead of working through it...

I began pulling together the last two series I had done in this one...merging what I learned through each process into one...

I am much more pleased with this painting after I saw it in a photo...I'm trying to keeping pushing myself and my materials...
well back to the studio I go...paintbrush in hand.

Happy New Year!

I spent the ringing in of the new year updating the Manic Trout site, yes very exciting I know, so some thing have been changed around a bit. I deleted a bunch of stuff and combined a few catagories, added the new items and updated the press page...it was a great feeling to have a bit of organizing done at he end of the year, a perfect start to 2007!

To try and stay on top of my goals for the year, I have already posted my first "New Item of The Week".

The Dots & Loop Necklace is whimsical, funky and full of bright color...Vintage resin beads alternate with glass bead loops to create a fabulous addition to any outfit!

Also posted today is the painting series "Which End Is Up?" which was painted earlier this past year and plays with color, texture and good old gravity, I love this series and am excited to finally have it on-line!