Designing 2010

I am deep in design mode. Designing what I want the year to look like for PKK Design and what new designs I will add to my collection. I am building inspiration from many different places in my world. One of them is Alexander McQueen's Spring 2010 line. The colours are rich tones of turquoise, sea green, orange, golds, and royal purples. The textures are fantastic and reptile like. Many of the pieces look like they are made up of lovely bits of gemstones and metal. And those shoes!

In the Jewelers Studio...

On Saturday I had the opportunity to teach my dear friend Greg some jewelry making skills.
Greg bought some lovely little pearls when he was on a beach in Africa a few years ago, with the intention of getting them made into jewelry for his Mom and Sister one day. I suggested that he join me in my studio to make them himself. I thought that Greg would find moving metal pretty fun. We started by hammering out two circles with a disk cutter and
then doming them in a dapping block.

Then Greg textured the metal with a ball bur at my bench.

We had two perfectly textured silver domes.

Then Greg's partner Dave and our beautiful friend Becky came by with Hanukkah Cookies.
Happy Hanukkah!

I let Greg take a short cookie break and then I made him get right back to work.
Like any good teacher I made sure to always look sternly over his shoulder while he worked.

Of course, no jewelry would be complete without a little bit of colour.

So, i sifted some transparent purple enamel over the textured silver
and then torch fired the piece.

Here are the finished pendants. Nice Job Greg! It was so much fun having you work in my studio with me!

New York in the Winter?

I have been fantasizing about going to New York for a while now. Lately I fluctuate between talking myself out of it and talking myself into it.

Reasons to go:
"From The Village to Vogue"
An exhibition of Art Smith's modernist jewelry at the Brooklyn Museum.

His work is amazing. I, of course have only seen it in pictures.
Getting to see it up close, I think, would make my knees weak.


Another reason is the Guggenheim.
If I walk into the Guggenheim,
I'm not certain that I will ever want to walk out.
Right now they have an exhibition of Kandinsky.
Kandinsky is my favourite artist.
There is something about his paintings
that give me a physical reaction.
Something inside of me stirs and I want to wrap
my whole body around his art.

I love the colours. I love the intricate pattern. I love the boldness.
I have visions of being at the Museum
surrounded by only his paintings and wanting to
just lie down and let the amazing energy of his work fill me up.
I'm not sure how lying down on the floor
will go over at the Guggenheim.....

It's All About Me Ring

I have a thing for rings. I remember when I was little I had a board game called "Rings on your Fingers". I think it was like memory, only you had to match these little plastic rings and when you made a match you could wear the rings on your fingers. I loved it. It is one of those toys I wish my parents never threw out.

This is the "It's All About Me" ring. Sometimes we all need to be bold. We need to ask for exactly what we want. We need to stand up for ourselves. We need to be noticed.

For more amazing rings check out one of my favourite blogs ever
The Carrotbox.com. She also has a thing for rings.

Go Slow Life in Progress

I spend a lot of time trying to slow down. My brain is always creating new things. New designs for jewelry, new ways to market myself, new projects to take on. It is fun, exciting, and always interesting. However, I know that I get some of my best ideas when I can convince my brain to slow down, to stop thinking of a thousand things and think of only one thing or even better nothing. In one of my busiest of busy days I was in one of my favourite stores in the Westend and found this notebook by Papaya Art that spoke to me, Go Slow Life in Progress. It has been my sketchbook and mantra ever since. I am pretty much in love with everything that Papaya Art creates. Rich colours, pretty delicate patterns, interesting and unusual colour and pattern combinations, and the odd profound statement thrown into the mix. They even do sweet little necklaces.

Salon D

I grew up in a little town called Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, BC. Although I have been a city girl for a very long time now and absolutely love living in Vancouver, a little piece of my heart will always be on the Island. Which is why I love having Salon D in Nanaimo carrying PKK Design.


De Orrell owns Salon D. I met De's husband Darren, a very cool tattoo artist and body piercer at a jewelry trade show in the summer. He bought one of my favourite necklaces ever, pictured on De above, to give to De. I later got the opportunity to go over to Nanaimo and meet the lovely De and see her beautiful salon, that she has literally started from scratch. She found an old run down house in downtown Nanaimo and turned it into a high end, modern, and stylish Salon.

This article on Salon D is courtesy of the Nanaimo Daily News.

The Red Hot Show

Take The Plunge Necklace.

I am soooo excited that my Take The Plunge Necklace has just been chosen for The Red Hot Show at Calgary's prestigious Influx Jewellery Gallery!