My latest inspiration has come from an unexpected source...

With the success of the Oh Deer Statement Necklace in the etsy treasuries, I've realized a new inspiration source I've been tapping into without much thought...my customers! You see the Oh deer necklace was a collaboration with friend/stylist/blogger/banana bread baker extrordanaire, courtney skoczek (of closet chic blog). Courtney originally came to me with an idea she had to make a necklace out of an actual antler and chain, but she wasn't sure about how exactly to go about doing it, which is where I was supposed to come in (although that wasn't exactly the case). Being the clever, resourceful girl she is, Courtney ended up figuring out the design and putting all the components together on her own (you go girl). Later, I found more vintage antlers and so I contacted Courtney about working together to expand on her original idea and bring a couple more versions of the necklace to life to sell in my etsy shop. With the help of Courtney (both the inspiration she provided and the connection with her grandfather, who helped us with the sawing down and drilling, I was able to create these unique statement necklaces that have been getting great response so far on etsy! I definitely see more collaborations with Courtney in Little Gems future! Want to know more about Courtney? Check out her blog at: http://closetchic.tumblr.com/

Another inspiration source has been Little Gems customer and friend, Stacy Herbstreit. Recently, Stacy came to me with an item she found on another etsy sellers page that she really like and wanted to use as a starting off point for earrings she is having me design for her. The earrings are very unique in both the length (a whopping 7 1/2 inches long - which happens to be standard length of most bracelets), and also in the use of found objects, specifically vintage bullet casings. Since, beginning the design process and working with Stacy to create her desired earring design, I've become further inspired to use other size bullet casings in other jewelry items I plan to create in the future.

I've always known that my customers were the best source for insight, but now I'm learning they can also be a wonderful source of inspiration - especially when it comes to creating custom items for them. Thanks to all my wonderful customers for continuing to keep me inspired and excited about designing jewelry that's both inspiring and exciting in return!