The Bad Cat Hits the Front Page

Thank you so much to MoonoverMaize who kindly included me in her curation.

All Things Jewelry and Then Some: The Heroes of Handmade: Bad Cat Jewelry

All Things Jewelry and Then Some: The Heroes of Handmade: Bad Cat Jewelry

Damn Etsy Treasury Bug

I think the title says it all.

Vibrant Green

Here is a gorgeous color that would make me look seasick. As much as I really like this shade of green, I don't have one thing made with beads of this hue. I think I have some in my stash, and should probably get moving with creating something.

Post what you have that is Vibrant Green, and I will stumble, kirtsy, and twitter you.

Lavender

Yet another beautiful color selected for Spring. Lavender is so soothing, both the color and the scent. And don't we need this for our economic climate right now? I have a bracelet that on its own looks lavender; but, next to Pantone's shade, it has more of a pink cast.

Post your pieces, so I can stumble, kirtsy, and twitter them.

My Pantone Peeps

Thank you to my peeps from WinkElf, ArtFire, and Etsy who have chimed in on the Pantone color series. It isn't finished yet, there are four more hues to go. I appreciate the positive feedback that has been left and I'm excited to continue. As a small thank you, I have made a Spotlight on byhand.me, and of course am featuring you here on my blog.

Springtime in The Village

I was included in a Spotlight on Byhand.me. It features work of nine artisans from The Village on 1000Markets.com. If you have not checked out 1KM, you should. It is juried and I am absolutely thrilled to have been accepted.

Dark Citron, Pantone Spring 2009

Dark Citron is a yellow based green, that has a sense of serenity. It reminds me of the soft green olive that I saw during my travels throughout the Mediterranean. This calming color would look fabulous in combination with any of the brights chosed by Pantone for this spring. This isn't typically a color I work with, as my eye doesn't travel towards muted greens. However, as I am trying to get out of my comfort zone in working with colors, I added some green fluorite to my stock and paired it with sterling silver. The fluorite doesn't have that touch of yellow to make it an exact match to Dark Citron. Another shade of green that I discovered is called Elphaba, after the witch in the Wizard of Oz. It a yellow based green, that has some darker swirls encased in it. It is more on the yellow side of Dark Citron, but it is a shade I love, because it is fresh and clean. Chartreuse, the transparent glass earrings, again have a bit more yellow to make it a true match to Dark Citron, but again, fashion is about adapting colors to fit one's complexion. Please post links to your pieces that showcase, Dark Citron. I will stumbleupon, twitter, and kirtsy them and would love it if you could return the favor.

Salmon Rose, Pantone Spring 2009

This is truly a gorgeous color. Very flattering on most people and brings color to many complexions. Not a hue to wear head to toe for myself as I'd feel like a frosted cupcake. Fabulous for a bit of brightness when accessorizing.

Show me what you have and I will happily pass your link along to kirtsy, stumbleupon, and twitter.

Fuchsia Red, Pantone Spring 2009

My eyes! My eyes! For me, this color is great as an accent. A bit of brightness without overwhelming the eye. Although I love this color, it typically isn't something I'm drawn to. I only have two pieces in my collection that are similar to Fuchsia Red. What I love about Pantone's picks in regards to my craft, is that it forces me to think outside of my "crayon box". If I were shopping for beads, I may overlook this color as being to brash or bold. I need to stop and reconsider that what I do isn't head to toe. Its jewelry, not a total look.Here is what I have that is similar to Pantone Spring 2009 shade: Fuchsia Red.

So what do you all have that fits in with this vibrant shade? Post your piece and I will Twitter and Stumble you. Please return the favor for me. Its karma, baby.

Palace Blue

Here is a shade of blue that I just love. I gravitate towards medium tones whether its clothing, lipstick, art work, etc. This blue is exciting to me, like something fun and unexpected will happen if it is worn.

Lucite Green Spring 2009

I am seriously in love with this color. To me it evokes serenity. I recently ordered some beads that are close to this color and I can't wait to work with them. I also have a bracelet in my store that is is very similar, but with a bit more blue. But as Leah commented in regards to color in my last post, " I don't think they (the pieces) need to match the Pantone exactly to be very appropriate for spring". I agree wholeheartedly...Pantone provides a perfect starting place and we can decided what we do or do not like, and adjust the hues to our own individual coloring.

Please post your links to pieces in your shop that you feel reflect this gorgeous color, Lucite Green. I am Twittering, Stumbling, and Digging your stuff.

Pantone's Super Lemon

I do love yellow. Its happy, cheerful, optimistic, sunny, and it is a prevalent color in my house in art and decor. Daffodils are my favorite flower, and yellow.

So here are some items from my store that fit into Pantone's Super Lemon swatch. All are not exact matches, but come pretty close. What do you all have that would fit? Please post links to either your store, blog, flickr account.

In addition, if anyone could shoot me an email and tell me how to make a nice and neat widget or something that links back to my shop from the pics below, I would really appreciate it. Apparently the etsy mini only takes from the top of the shop. Not selected photos.

Front Page for the Bad Cat!

How I got out of my creative block...

It had been weeks and I was stuck. Nothing really moved me to create. I was looking for my missing "muse". She seems to depart whenever the mood strikes her and I think she took a long vacation. "On a slow boat to China" is what my mom says when things are taking their time. My muse was on that boat and then hiked across Asia the wrong way to get back. Anyhoo...

I perused Etsy, I wandered around 1000Markets, I browsed my favorite online supply stores...to no avail. I paged through my supply catalogs, looked at beading magazines, went to supply stores...and still there was no creative spark.

Then Etsy Trends posted the Pantone colors for Spring 2009. Now of course these colors were posted back in September of last year when clothing designers were showing their collections. So I feel as if I found out the "color party" too late, but hey! Its still Spring, and it is 2009, I can still make jewelry that coordinates with the selected colors for this season. So I found my muse hanging out with Pantone.

I looked at what I had in stock that complemented the colors and then dug through my stash. I ordered what I was missing in beads and supplies and voila! I was back into creating and have been for the past several weeks. I haven't used every color in their Spring 2009 predictions, because quite frankly, I think a few are ugly. In further blog posts I will include items from my shops that coordinate with Pantone's finds.