Designing Jewelry in Chaos – A Girl Can Dream

I don’t want you to think that my kitchen renovation has come to a complete standstill – it has not! I am behind in my postings because it has been such a busy month for me – preparing for a jewelry trunk show, organizing the IFDA Tableau fundraising event for Ryan House, traveling and playing the "corporate wife" seemed to take up all my time recently.

The last time I took photos of the kitchen progress was about a month ago so; I want to make certain that these photos are documented. Sadly, just like everyone that tackles this type of renovation I have been no exception to delays during the project. Trying to make some type of dinner (or foraging for takeout meals) every night for almost 3 months has taken its toll. I am really ready for this to all be over – the novelty has definitely worn off!

Before the project started – I thought it would be easier than our kitchen renovation in Boston had been because: (a.) we were not tearing down to the studs (b.) we were keeping our cabinets – just replacing the doors and re-facing (c.) we were not replacing the floors at this time – that will be phase two (because I am certain what I want will be ridiculously expensive and hubby is not in the mood for spending – who can blame him!) and last but not least (d.) we have a fairly large laundry with counter space, cabinets and a sink. Piece of cake – right!

We moved the microwave, toaster oven, a hotplate (found in storage from my office in Boston), and a few (very few) necessities for cooking into the laundry room just as the hammers began to swing during demo. Our extra garage refrigerator (just outside the laundry room door) has become much more important than I had ever anticipated. You try to make dinner with only a 3’ long section of counter space! It is a wonder hubby and I have not murdered each other – talk about too many cooks in the kitchen! Even Barbie’s dream kitchen makes our laundry room kitchen seem spacious. You would be amazed at how handy the top of the washing machine can be when you are trying to make a salad!

In the midst of all the dust and construction in the kitchen as well as the cramped reheating of take out food in our laundry room– I found the kitchen of my dreams. Obviously this Beverly Ellsley kitchen is an East Coast kitchen, which is where my head belongs even though my body is living in the Southwest. If I still lived on the East Coast, this kitchen has some of the most delicious elements I could imagine. I adore the idea of the parquet island top with the metal banded edge and also the magnificent refrigerator doors that look like French carved panels. The limestone floors, delicate appliqué details on the glass door panels and the beautiful over mantle just speak to me – this is the most elegant kitchen I could imagine. Some of us look best in blue jeans and a t-shirt and others look best in a ball gown! I fall into the latter category – I LOVE formal – and that applies to my interior design preferences as well. You better believe a girl can dream!

Back to reality. . . about a month ago, this is where we were. The upper cabinet boxes have now been installed and the walls of the island are up. Let’s not forget the upper cabinet lighting and the under cabinet lights are also installed and blaring! These photos were taken just before my kitchen took on the appearance of a spray booth for the lacquer finish of the cabinets. Actually that was probably the worst part of the entire process so far (and no photos of that little mess) – the dust was unimaginable even though Tim, our painter of five years, brilliantly constructed an exhaust system for the fumes and dust. It was a wonder my housekeeper, Blanca, did not resign on the spot!

In the family room, a very large hole had to be cut into the drywall in order to check the vent after the fireplace was put back into position. Once the vent was checked and secured, the large chunk of drywall was put back into place, taped, floated & textured. At least that was quick and fairly painless (except for the expense) and we will now have a quasi-real fireplace rather than the “fairy tale” fireplace that the original owners had installed.

Somehow through all the mess, I was able to get a few new jewelry designs for the Fall ready to go and just in time for the Trunk Show at Do me a Favor. Unfortunately, several of the newest designs, sold at the Trunk Show, were completed just days before the show and I simply ran out of time for photographing. Not to worry, I have lots of new ideas for Fall/Winter that still remain to be made up – so keep checking the web site. New designs are being listed as they are completed.

We are now in the home stretch for the kitchen renovation so. . . perhaps the next posting (following shortly) will begin to look a bit more like a kitchen and less like a mess!

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Don't Forget: Karen Sugarman Designs Trunk Show at Do Me a Favor This Thursday

Karen Sugarman Designs will be one of the featured artisans at Do Me a Favor in Phoenix for their highly anticipated Fabulous Finds Trunk Show this Thursday, October 1, 2009 from 10AM – 6PM.


I fell in love with this store within 30 seconds of walking in the door – everything just felt right and the staff could not have been lovelier. Even in the chaos of preparing for an event the next day, I knew this was the perfect place for my jewelry designs. It has now become “home” to my creations and the Fabulous Finds Trunk Show will feature my newest Fall ’09 necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Do Me a Favor – an exquisite gift shop with the most impeccable array of gifts for your friends, your home, your baby, and yourself is the destination atelier in Phoenix for savvy gift-giving mavens of impeccable style.

In addition to their thoughtful gift suggestions and gracious customer service – Do Me a Favor offers the most ingenious, creative and delicious gift wraps you have ever encountered. Seriously . . . the gift inside almost becomes secondary to the stunning gift wrap!

Do yourself a favor and be certain to attend this wonderful Fabulous Finds Trunk Show event!

http://www.favorfinegifts.com/

Do Me a Favor

835 East Camelback Road

Phoenix, Arizona

602.200.0190

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Designing Jewelry in Chaos – Who Moved My Island?

Someone mentioned to me recently that they were reading my blog to see the progress of my kitchen renovation, but wanted to see what the project looked like in the “before” photos. Of course they also mentioned that it was a “unique” concept for a blog – interior designs as inspiration for jewelry design. Well, I am afraid to say. . . it is a strange combination - but it is my life. I was an interior designer for 25+ years until I moved to Arizona and decided to try my hand at jewelry design. This of course, is the Cliffs Notes version of what happened.

Kitchen Before All The Mayhem Started

As it turns out, I actually had taken some photos of the kitchen and family room before we began this little odyssey. The last two weeks have really been about moving plumbing & running electrical lines in addition to more demo.

Family Room Fireplace Before

We bought this home from the original owners who apparently thought “outside the box” on some of their ideas. Such was the case with the fireplace. When we moved into the house, much to my chagrin, we were dealing with an electric fake fireplace that was truly an eyesore. It was not until the painter was changing the color from a very unappealing flesh color to riotous red, when he discovered what appeared to be a wood burning fireplace unit that had been pushed back into the recesses of the corner with the electric fireplace taking center stage! The entire concept was unimaginable to me! Who in their right mind would prefer fake logs to the real deal? I had to go outside to check if we actually had a chimney. Eureka – we did!

Family Room Fireplace After "Mantle", "Crown" And Electric Fireplace Are Removed

Suffice to say the idea of hooking up the original fireplace and getting rid of the ridiculous “mantle” that was apparently installed by someone with a severe case of vertigo and also removing the equally absurd decorative “Santa Fe” crown – was like finding a stash of diamonds for me! This idea has been stewing around in my head for several years, but I had no idea what might be involved in correcting this little horror or how much it might cost. Since the kitchen and family room are visually one space and we were making a mess anyway – it seemed like a good idea to rip everything out. More demo – more dust!

Kitchen Island Moved 6" - A New Wall & Base Cabinets Installed

There was a light at the end of that dusty tunnel. When the house was built, I suspect the crew must have been working on a Monday after a hard week-end of partying. The lines for the plumbing in the island were much too far away from the rest of the kitchen – 57” to be exact. As a result, the island made for a space planning nightmare! I made the decision to move the island back 6” to give us a smidge more room around the table. This little folly is pretty much like fixing a gunshot wound with a ban-aid – but it’s the best we can do! In any event, the island was torn down, the plumbing moved, a wall constructed and base cabinet boxes installed. The jury is still out on this idea.

My Favorite - Calcutta Oro Marble

Today the crew will begin the process of making the templates for the marble and I am so thrilled. My hubby knows that I have a radar for choosing the most expensive items in the showroom and this marble was no exception. Once I got a look at the Calcutta marble slabs – nothing else would do. Of course, that means we are already very much over budget. The truth is that even though I will take the blame for this budgetary disaster, hubby really liked the Calcutta as well and it became the inspiration point for the kitchen.

Somehow (and I don’t really even understand this myself), I have been a very busy bee making up jewelry for custom orders in the midst of all this confusion. Beading must be much more therapeutic than even I realized!

Densely Embedded Tourmilated Straws Create A Very Dramatic Feature Bead

Merlot Colored Pearls And Softly Cupped Petal Pearls Create A Dramatic Cluster

Since red is the color for fall - I decided to make up some earrings with some intriguing tourmilated quartz beads falling from a cluster of merlot red pearls. I loved the way they turned out and will probably make up a necklace using the same colors to add to the “Flora Collection". These colors remind me of the velvety deep red found in Celosia or Cockscomb. So, here I am again, designing jewelry in the midst of chaos!

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Designing Jewelry in Chaos – What Lies Beneath

Okay. . .we are really hip deep in it now! It’s official. . .it’s too late to turn back! The kitchen demo has not only begun, but it is now a work in progress. This is clearly not the glamorous side of interior design! When hubby agreed to let me give the kitchen a facelift – I’m not certain he realized it would be deja vous.

Just before we moved from Boston to Arizona we underwent a massive renovation that went on for what seemed like forever. As a matter of fact, the paint was barely dry when we were transferred. We endured six months of dust, confusion and make-do meals and I don’t think it is my husband’s finest hour (or mine for that matter). Renovating a kitchen is probably the most disruptive remodel a family can make.

Furniture shrouded in plastic




The island will be the last item to be removed

We let the dust settle from the kitchen demo and went off to Boston to see our newest grandson last week – knowing what was waiting for us when we returned! On Monday, the carpenter just had some drywall delivered and it allowed us to get back into our routines after the visit to Boston. Tuesday was a bit more demo & dust. Yesterday was a busy day with the roofer showing up to remove the clay roof tiles in order to cut the hole for the range hood. In addition to the confusion of the hole being cut in the roof, the electrician showed up to continue running more electrical wires for the glass upper cabinets we are installing now that we have removed the soffit. Throughout all of this, I am feverishly trying to work on a fundraising event scheduled for this November. I think it was a bit too much.

Cooktop, soffits and three upper cabinets removed

OOPS! The Vent hole is in a roof valley - DO OVER!

Last night, I must have needed some bead therapy! I decided to pull off the plastic that is shrouding my jewelry supplies and dig around for inspiration. You would be amazed to see just how many gemstones are condensed into such a small area. Eureka! I finally found the luscious Pink Amethyst faceted beads I was looking for and the rest of the evening was all mine for “creative therapy.”

I was trying out some new ear wires I had commissioned. I must say that between the new design of the ear wires and the fact that they are Argentium (anti-tarnish) – I am a very happy gal. I have had these beautiful Pink Amethyst beads for several months and finally felt like the time was right to make up a new design. I love the look of the gently saucer shaped petal pearls with the sweet little violet-pink colored centers. They remind me of delicate flowers perched on top of a yummy candy.

Hopefully, by my next posting, the kitchen will be a bit further along and looking like it is making some progress toward being an actual functioning kitchen!

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A Week Full of Surprises!

We all have busy lives and, suddenly, mine is no exception. In addition to coordinating the IFDA Arizona Chapter’s Tableau fundraising event for Ryan House and all that entails, I had the additional insanity of packing up my kitchen in preparation for a demo scheduled for next week. I knew it was going to be a crazy week, but had no idea what a week of surprises it would turn out to be! I am not saving the best for last!

I got a call late morning on Monday from my son Chris, that he and his dear wife, Stephanie, have a new bundle of joy! Brendan Harrison Jones arrived in a hurry. . .he could not even wait for the Dr. to get her scrubs, gloves & mask on! Thank goodness Chris has big hands and was able to react quickly. . .he was the hero of the day. Now that’s what you call being a “hands on” father!

Mother, son & big brother, Timmy, are thrilled to meet one another and things have hopefully settled down now that everyone is at home. Snoopy, the black lab “fur baby,” may be the exception. . .he is still getting used to the sound of little Brendan’s crying. Boy, are they going to have their hands full! I guess we will find out in a week when we go for a visit to meet our newest grandson. I can barely wait!

As if having a new grandchild was not enough, I was featured in an interview for World Artisan Gems blog site on Monday as well. I am so delighted to have been included among such talented artisans from all over the world. If you are not familiar with this site, and you love gorgeous handcrafted jewelry, please make certain you check out this blog – www.worldartisangems.com. Don’t forget to leave a little comment so we know you visited.

My last little surprise of the week came on Friday morning. I was featured in the Ruby Lane “Creative Hands” July newsletter in the Artisan Spotlight section for my creations utilizing shells in couture jewelry designs. I have blogged about my childhood fascination with shells before and I guess I am not the only person that is mesmerized by them!

All in all, this has been a week full of wonderful surprises – a gift of new life and two jewelry features. I just hope next week’s demo is not a trifecta of bad surprises! You know what they say – good & bad news comes in threes!I will update posts on the kitchen renovation as it progresses.

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The Flora Collection – How Does Your Garden Grow?

I’m not certain about the rest of the design community, but I always have a list of potential designs just waiting to be tried out. As a matter of fact, an entire folder in the computer is full of inspirations, sketches and ideas just waiting to materialize. Design ideas are gleaned from a variety of sources – fabric, paint colors, art work or even something as “pedestrian” as a favorite pair of shoes!

I recently decided that I should try out a new design idea for summer that is a “twist” on an older collection. Eureka! The Flora Collection was born. The first design of the collection was created as a prototype for a California bride with a “Woodlands” theme for her wedding. Since we were incorporating pearls in woodrose, grays and ice blue I was inspired by the pussywillows we used to pick as a harbinger of spring in the woods in Massachusetts.

Since Mother Nature is really the best designer – it was easy to be inspired by all the stunning variations of her handiwork. Hubby and I spent so many summers on Nantucket, where hydrangeas are profuse, that their gorgeous spectrum of colors became the next point of inspiration for this new collection. This stunning rainbow of colors - pale greens, blues, pinks and violets was wonderfully simple to replicate into this new design.

The third necklace of this new collection was inspired by the sea and has been aptly named “Les Fleurs de la Mer” (Flower of the Sea). A gorgeous collection of freshwater pearls, seed pearls and petal pearls are mixed with a sprinkling of dainty little aquamarine beads, culminating with a most spectacular moss aquamarine pendant.

My little folder of inspirations is still just bulging with new ideas for this Flora collection. Hopefully, I can make up enough floral inspired designs to create a gorgeous bouquet of flowers!

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Social Networking and Six Degrees of Separation – Sort Of!

I have been an avid fan of an interior design blog site called Cote de Texas for over a year now. It is an informative as well as humorous missive about an interior designer from Houston named Joni, and her wonderful connections, discoveries, trials & tribulations. To say that I am addicted to reading it daily is at best. . . a kind comment. Joni is a truly dedicated blogger (unlike me) who has even been know to sit in her car during hurricanes so she can plug in her laptop for power and blog away! Now that’s real dedication!

To my delight, her post over the week-end was regarding her attendance at an event in Houston where she met the world renowned designer, Bunny Williams. It seems Bunny was in town during a launch of her newest line of furniture - BeeLine Home. Joni’s accounting of this lovely event was really adorable and funny - especially the saga of her “stalker” buddies and the ever popular – must have – ginormous handbag (I can relate to this myself)!

A portion of Joni’s blog showcased a very unusual accessory from the BeeLine Home that immediately sent off whistles and bells for me. Bunny’s adaptation is called a “Vanity Tower”. The function, as explained by Joni, is to secret away rolls of toilet paper. Here is where the six degrees of separation begins.

Early in my interior design career in the Boston area, I had a shop called Necessities which carried an assortment of home furnishings, gifts and antiques. One of the most endearing and prized objects I purchased during this time, was an adorable pair of reeded antique columns with charming little scalloped shelves. They were a pretty shade of green and just the right height to display all the dainty little Limoges boxes we carried. Naturally, I have no memory of the provenance of these little columns but, suffice to say, they looked as though they were handmade and were quite old. When I decided to move my design office to Newbury Street and close up the shop years later, I sadly parted with the little columns and they found a new home.

During the time I had the shop, I was asked to participate in a fund raising event at the Ritz Carlton (the original one across from the Public Gardens – since sold and now known as The Taj) for the Boys & Girls Club of Boston. The theme of the event was “The Power of Style”. Each designer was paired up with a “style icon” and was asked to produce a tablescape honoring them. I was chosen to create a table as a tribute to Sister Parish (ostensibly know as the doyenne of American decorating) due in part to my “no fear” use of colors.

Since Sister Parish was widely known for not only her brave use of colors as well as all things cozy and comfortable (including her penchant for inserting floral print fabrics and American hand made quilts into many designs), I decided that my table would be named “Lunch at Dark Harbor”. Dark Harbor was the name of the house Sister Parish owned in Islesboro, Maine and where she had passed away the previous year.

My tribute to Sister Parish consisted of a luscious floral linen tablecloth from Brunschwig & Fils and of course the ever present quilt. Additionally, a grouping of charming little handmade ceramic houses created the centerpiece and handmade (by me!) grass and garden critters encrusted chargers complimented the colorful majolica oyster plates.

Years later when my design office was securely ensconced on Newbury Street, I decided to do a massive renovation to our home in Andover. Those little antique reeded columns were still on my mind and I really cursed myself for letting someone else adopt them! Clearly, I could not call up the buyer and ask to purchase them back so. . . I did the next best thing. Completely from memory and old photos of my shop, I had the little columns reproduced and installed as a design element in my gorgeous new kitchen. I was a very happy camper.

After suffering through the massive renovation for over 6 months, I thought I was finally going to able to enjoy the fruits of my labor and hubby was hoping for some long awaited home cooked meals! The paint had barely dried on the walls when we found out we were being transferred to Arizona! Rats! Foiled again. . .someone else would now be enjoying my gorgeous home including my charming little column shelves!

Now here is the irony - I once had a pair of antique reeded columns that appeared to be a handmade – one of a kind pair – purchased in Maine. I was chosen to create a tablescape tribute to Sister Parish’s Dark Harbour home. Bunny’s connection to Sister Parish was as her employee. I was astonished when I saw the charming little columns (so similar to the original antiques) reproduced by Bunny’s Williams BeeLine Home while reading Joni’s Cote de Texas blog.

Gee, maybe I should ask the buyer of the antique columns if I can purchase them from her again. . .who knows. . .maybe, just maybe, they actually came from the Sister Parish estate (not so far from Boston)!

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