Creating Fits: A few requests

By LL in KC

After a brief sabbatical due to work, I finally had a little down time to start working on a few new necklaces. Yes, I have done a few here or there when the need arose. If you follow The Right Fits on Facebook, you might remember this necklace from a few weeks back:

{Inspired by Stella & Dot Bahari necklace}

However, even though I've made a few necklaces, and attempted to make a few more, I haven't been doing it as much as I should - especially since I have been picking up beads left and right. Anyway, after posting the above necklace on Facebook, I had a few requests for something similar. With the purpose of creating something for someone else, I finally found the time over the last two days to sit down and make a few new necklaces. 

{White waterfall necklace paired with a kelly green silk button-down top from Nordstrom Rack}

{Mint swirl necklace paired with a mint top long sleeve top from Target}

{Mint and gold necklace - inspired by the Bahari necklace - paired with a salmon Cynthia Rowley lace top}

I'm glad that my close friend shares my love of the color mint. Making the two mint necklaces for her just gave me an excuse to go shopping for more mint! Now if only I could get by with wearing them myself first!! 

Have a great weekend! Hope the weather improves for those of you who just got more snow!

Creating Fits: Two New LL Necklaces

By Cool J in Minneapolis

You know what else I love about hanging out with LL in Montana?

Necklaces!

I returned with two new accessories, courtesy of LL Originals.

This green and gold number! 

Green and gold...Packer colors?

And she also gave me the below gray and gold necklace, which paired perfectly with my Madewell Gray Sweatshirt dress. Yes, Minneapolis has a Madewell store at the Southdale Mall now. Check it out! This dress is casual and so, so soft. I feel like I can accessorize it with lots of bold colors...or original necklaces made by LL!

Thanks LL for the two new great accessories!

Creating Fits: Necklaces for Button-Downs

By: LL
Even though I haven't gotten around to showcasing it on this blog, I have been throwing a fit over button-down shirts with statement necklaces. Since button-downs are a staple in most professional wardrobes, you can only image how often my co-workers have witnessed this look over the last few weeks. Seriously, what is not to love about this look:

{Elbows and Knees}

Or how about with the infamous J.Crew Bubble Necklace:

{Pink Blazer Fashion}

Or try adding an additional layer in a crew-neck sweater or cardigan:

{Pinterest}

With this new obsession, I found myself running out of solid statement necklaces to mix up the look. So why not make a few? Here are my latest pieces:

 {Coral & Silver Linings}

{Turquoise & Gold Balls}

{Clouds in Gray Skies}

{Lime Green Circles}

I like to pair the coral and silver necklace with navy and green tops. I wear the turquoise and gold necklaces with grays and chambray. The gray necklace I've worn with mustard and oranges. And finally, the lime green necklace looks really good with plum.

As always, if you are interested in any of these necklaces, let me know. They are all hand-crafted and I am always looking for a reason to create new fits!!

Creating Fits: Thanksgiving Treats!

By Jessie

LL is definitely the creative one on this blog. She makes amazing necklaces and other jewelry; I just enjoy the benefits, hehe!
Yet I'm trying to do my part to add to the arts and craft portion of the blog. And of course, what better place to go for ideas than Pinterest.

Last night's project: Candy Turkeys!

Last night I decided to attempt this little craft project to bring along to our family Thanksgiving celebration next week. I thought perhaps my nieces would get a kick out of them; technically, they are placecards, but I'm not sure if I will add names or not.

How to make these little cuties:
Source: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/11/oreo-turkeys-and-cookie-pilgrim-hats/

Dusters picked up the supplies for me on his way home. Lots of healthy stuff, like double-stuff Oreos, Whoppers, candy corn, Reese's peanut butter cup minis, and plenty of frosting! The checkout lady at the grocery store must have given him a double take, as that's a LOT of sugar for a grown man!

The turkeys are made from two Oreos stuck together with frosting, with a Reese's peanut butter cup for the body, a Whopper for a head, and candy corn for feathers.

We had to use tweezers to put on the eyeballs.

All done! 

The Pinterest source showed these little cuties as placecards for the big meal. 

Yes, I realize now that I forgot a few steps, like the feet and the "wattle" (yep- that's what the red thing under a turkey's beak is called!) Clearly, the above turkeys are a bit more professional looking than mine!

But hey, he's still cute right? And he'll taste just as good!

Creating Fits: Necklaces for Fall

By: LL
Since my birthday (which was last Thursday), I have been battling a horrible cold that nicely hampered my husband's and my weekend plans and birthday celebration. However, what this cold has done, is give me some spare time to work on some necklaces. Here are two new ones that I created this weekend and am getting excited to wear this week (once I am back to work).

I took inspiration from the Anthropologie Stormy Sea necklace (below).

I decided on a more autumnal palate. I choose glasses beads in two different sizes and placed them on a bronze chain using a head pin. Since the beads had a fairly large hole for the head pins, I used a small bronze bead as an accent and for security at the bottom.

{My interpretation - Fall Bushels}

For the second necklace that I made, I based it upon Stella & Dot's Bahari necklace.

Even though I absolutely love the blue and gold combination, I decided to use more of a green/turquoise with silver accents. I strong the beads on wire and then put them all together on a chain. 

{My interpretation - Santorini}

I hope that making these two necklaces will jump start my motivation to finally inventory all my jewelry-making supplies so that I can get back into this hobby again.

Also, a piece of food for thought - the Stormy Seas necklace and Bahari necklace are both over $100. Each of the necklaces that I made probably cost me $20-$25.

Creating Fits: Bib & Medal Holder

By: LL
Previously, I posted about creating fits to display your fits. I showed the wooden medal display that my father made each of his road racing daughters. Don't get me wrong, I love the display that I have, but I was excited to come across this display through Etsy. It has two pieces - Race Bibs and Running Medals.

I have already shared the concept with my dad, but wanted to share this will other runners who might be struggling to find ways to display medals or bibs, at least someplace besides a folder in a file cabinet like mine are!

The price on Etsy is $49 and you can order pairs or just one of the displays above. I think it is great that they even put the thought into the different sized bibs that races give out.

Creating Fits: Collaborative Creation

By: LL
While in Bozeman, MT, Cool J and I stumbled upon a quaint bead store downtown on Main Street called Old Bozeman Beads. They have a great selection and excellent customer service. And, let me say that it was great fun to spend a little time in the store with Cool J as we worked together to pull beads for a necklace design that she wanted. Much to the dismay of our husbands, we did laps around the store while balancing our trays and coffee. It was a great change to have a little collaboration on a necklace, as I normally have to depend on my own taste with choosing supplies. Here is a look at the process to DIYing my most recent necklace.

Cool J had this necklace in mind:

{Anthropologie Seraphim Necklace}

So, after long deliberation, we slected these beads:

After returning home, I began work on the necklace, which has a total of six strands: 3 of each pattern. There are eight different styles of colored beads and two different styles of gold beads (one for the necklace and one for the rings). Whereas I was using this necklace as inspiration, I try to change the design just a little bit with each of the ones that I make. So, I spent quite some time playing around with the patterns.

Once I was happy with the combination, I strung the beads using 0.5 mm wire. It is important to make sure that each of the strands in the same pattern are as close to the same length as possible (I know that this can be challenging with beads that are a variety of shapes). Then, I used gold-plated crimp beads to pinch of the ends of each strand and looped the ends through a small, gold-plated link. I connected the smaller links (two on each side) to a larger gold-plated chain. Make sure to loop the strands through one another before looping them through the small link (to create the center of the necklace).

Finally, I struggled with the rings holding the strands together midway through the necklace. I could not find the right beads (and maybe if I stumble upon them, I will change the necklace design), so I used the large, gold-plated links to group the strands and connect them to one another on each side (a total of 3 on each side).

Here is the finished product:

I might make some slight adjustments prior to shipping this out to Cool J, but there is something fun about working together on a necklace design. It also helps me when my creativity is lagging. Thanks, Cool J!

Creating Fits: Knotted Necklace

By: LL
Taking inspiration from this Anthropologie necklace:

I decided to combine multiple different strands of beads into a knotted necklace. Whereas the Anthropologie necklace used pastels, I wanted to use up some of the extra beads that I had laying around, so I went for a more vibrant collection of colors in different textures, using turquoise, coral, brown, mustard, and silver.

The necklace is a bit heavier than I would have liked, and it was difficult to get the knot just right. But I think that it is still a fun statement necklace that will compliment multiple outfits. Here is one example of how I wore it the other day.

Details:
Wool Coat: Gap Outlet (2010)
Sweater: J Crew
Black Jeans: Old Navy Rock Star
Boots: Macy's (2009)

As you will notice, due to the heaviness of the knot, it pulls down to the center and doesn't necessarily stay offset like it is meant to, but that is something that I worked to adjust by shortening the necklace.

Creating Fits: Silver and Gold Chains

By: LL
I used to think about gold and silver chains as something out of the '80s and early '90s - not something incredibly modern or fashionable. But, over the last few seasons, chains - large and small - have been reinvented and are once again trendy. It took me awhile to embrace this trend in my designs, but over the last few weeks, I have been inspired to begin using them. It also doesn't hurt that I have come across some great chains and links to use. (My new place for raw materials - clearance areas in jewelry departments where you can find bargains on pieces to break down and use the materials, which is what I have done with a few of the chains in these pieces).

{Sparkler in silver & navy}

{Ornamental in textured greens}

{Links & Chains in silver}

{Links & Chains in silver bracelet}

{Links & Chains in gold bracelet}

I made the first necklace (Sparkler) to go with a dress that I am wearing to a wedding at the beginning of the year. The second necklace (Ornamental) you might recognize from here. And the last ones are made using deconstructed jewelry from clearance department store pieces (seriously, you would be amazed what great deals you can get on materials in these areas - think Charming Charlie, JC Penny, and Burlington Coat Factory. It is fun, too, to take an "ugly" piece and turn it into something fashionable!)

Creating Fits: Displaying your Fits

By: LL
Let me put this out there first: my dad loves woodworking. Pretty much anything wood-related that someone in my family discovers and covets, my dad will make it - and he will probably go even farther to give it some extra detail or flair. This includes, but is not limited to, cedar chests (which are ideal for storing wool sweaters), book shelves (tall, narrow, short, wide), jewelry boxes, shoe organizers, you name it.

I think that he especially enjoys a challenge - something that he has never made before and for which he doesn't have the exact measurements, so he can "wing it," as much as engineers ever really "wing it."

So, imagine his delight when Cool J asked him to create a way for her and her husband to tastefully display their growing marathon medal collection. Yes, she gave him some ideas of ones that she had seen during her research of the idea, but he more or less took the design on himself and created a piece that is functional and also displays the medals in an organized, artistic fashion. (This is the one he later made for me).

He also has been kind enough to make all of his daughters, and many of our friends, dresser-top, rotating necklace holders - which have only gotten fancier and more functional over the years. These are perfect for keeping your favorite necklaces on display and avoid tangling them in a drawer or dish. 

And, most recently, my dad solved the common problem of "whose bridesmaid dress is whose" at my wedding this past summer, when he made beautiful wooden hangers for me and each of my bridesmaids. This was a major hit with the girls who can now use them to hang a favorite outfit on the back of a door, etc. 

| (c)Tiffany Brubaker Photography |

I think that we all, in one way or another, enjoy showing off our favorite fits, and keeping them organized. Plus, there is something extra special when they were custom-made by someone you know. 

Creating Fits: Southwestern-Inspired Jewelry

By: LL
One hot fashion trend you might have noticed for Fall 2011 is what is called "Navajo-Inspired" or "Southwestern-Inspired" prints and accessories. (Please note: after the recent Urban Outfitters debacle, I will refer to the trend as the latter of the two). This fashion trend includes signature "native" prints and color combinations for anything from maxi dresses to bags to socks to shoes (as seen here). And much to my childhood memories' delight, Minnetonka Moccasins are back in style (more on that later).

I was inspired by this fashion trend for the fall and put together a few different "southwestern" pieces, playing off the turqouise, browns, and corals that are common in traditional Southwestern United States jewelry.

Southwestern Diamond Bead Necklace

(reserved as gift)

Southwestern Diamond Bead Bracelet

Southwestern Ten Strand Necklace

Southwestern Eight Strand Bracelet 

(reserved as gift)