halloween №1

handmade halloween thank you tags
  Halloween does something to me where I’m ready to drop any previous values or beliefs I held and just make a pile of cheap novelty jewelry.  Its a holiday about kitsch - about cheap (albeit, overpriced) costumes and having fun, and I want nothing more than to be all about that fun.  Every year I’m faced with the struggle of A) compromising the integrity of my jewelry to pump out cheap halloween goodies in droves or B) make one or two well designed (and probably pricy) pieces where I’m firmly satisfied with the piece, but am left hoping for the niche clientele that will actually buy it. 

  I should probably abandon the notion of festive jewelry altogether at this point. These two courses of action being farther apart than ever have moved into the realm of extreme and in the next day or so will have nullified themselves.  If I haven’t started anything by the end of the day I may as well just move on and plan for November.

favorite vampy cuff made in february 2012

  However, saying no to working halloween into my jewelry is another thing I grapple with.  It's so sad to do.  If I do say no all of that enthusiasm dies a hard death.  It’s the only holiday that moves me to the point where my work is fundamentally effected.  Then again, I am a fan of gothic and horror and it may very well be an underlying theme in my work at points all over the calendar and not just at Halloween, but the holiday gives me the excuse I need to go over board like those people who can never have enough decorations in their yards at Christmas.  Those people are my favorite, anyway, as they make up for my lack of Christmas decorating. 
  
  I do have jewelry laid out for early November to have my store fully stocked come the holiday season.  It’s an elegant winter pallet (elegant like Morticia): a lot of black and gold (yes lots of black, it's a rather witch-y collection) and another guest color that I’ll reveal when I’m closer to presenting the work.  It may be something where, at the beginning, I lightly blend in some Halloween themes.  

  Speaking of holiday jewelry, this much can be said I’m not kitsch about my work when attributing winter holiday themes.  Red and green aren't neutral and are a bit trickier when you're going for chic.  I usually whimp out and stick to wintery colors.

novemeber stash
  And then there’s Thanksgiving.  Does anyone really decorate for that holiday aside from hanging up your children's handprint turkeys? or plastic cornucopias here? or turkey fan for the table there? Brown and orange seem easier to deal with, but Christmas and Thanksgiving, while I love them being about family and food, aren’t inspiring to me stylistically.  This is why I'd never survive in a fashion challenge reality TV thing: can't think outside of the box enough to make the themes work for me.  I can't make them work, Tim!!!

  All of that being said, I have been working at it and will be introducing a few Halloween pieces that are juleemclark approved.  They’ll be arriving to juleemclark later this week in all of their ghoulish glory.  The idea is to run with what I mentioned above and transiton the theme into the Novemeber jewelry.  I'll start out heavy-handed with the spooky and ease up over the next couple weeks. 

  This actually seems perfect to me.  I feel the older beliefs and practices that the new tradition of Halloween is based upon only supports this timeline.  And maybe while I won't be contirbuting to someones halloween costume, come a certain point, everything will still be relevant and a lot of people will still appreciate the style.  

so pretty. so shiny. so sinister
  So this week will be the only overtly Halloween themed week at my store this season.  That isn’t to say, though, that the black and skulls and witches will come to a stop after October.  To me the spooky season rides along side the days leading into and out of winter when nights are long and even day are dark and overcast.  


xoxo~~








Comments

Popular Posts