Shopping at Tiffany & Co. - care to join me?

I have always been a big fan of Tiffany & Co. I love their chunky sterling silver necklace designs dripping with hearts and large toggle clasps. Their creations are so classic and elegant that I get a lot of wear out of them - and this is how I justify the ridiculously expensive prices. Yes, I do realize that I'm paying for a brand but I don't care!

A year and a half ago I treated myself to a gorgeous sterling silver heart necklace and a charm bracelet as a treat for my birthday. I promised myself at the time that I would buy myself a charm to celebrate special moments and momentous achievements - but I'm embarrassed to say I forgot. I delved into running my own business and designing my own jewelry line, and consequently my gorgeous new charm braclet lay...charmless and unused. I have focused on making gorgeous creations in my studio but I never get to keep them. They all go out the door to someone else.

It's my boyfriends birthday in a few days so I popped over to Yorkdale mall to buy him a gift. On my way there I picked up this gorgeous new charm from Tiffany. I've been working so hard this year and I spend so much of my time designing things for other people, it's time to give myself a treat to acknowledge my accomplishments. I want something that I don't have to lift a finger to create.

When I was a little girl I had an old teddy bear I carried around with me EVERYWHERE. It was such a comfort for me to drag around. I still have him - he's old, full of holes and his head lolls to the side, but now he reclines in a special corner of my room in peace and quiet. I figured carrying THIS bear around is a bit more dignified.




What do you think of my newest charm?

Maui

Meet Maui! Here she is enjoying a catnip stuffed mouse I bought for her on etsy.com. She carries it around the house all the time now and it's gotten quite fuzzy with use. If you toss it across the room she'll retrieve it just like a puppy. We give this toy two paws up!

Here's where we bought "mouse" from: www.Vivalechat.etsy.com

We have our eyes on this one next:

30 second video featuring some of my creations!

I was experimenting with movie making today guys! I designed a quick video featuring some of my favorite creations. It's really short (30 seconds) but gives you a glimpse at my 2009 collection. Let me know what you think!

Flamboyant Flower Ring

I am branching out and bit and starting to experiment with simple ring designs. Grenada is a constant source of inspiration for me so I turned to a picture I took on vacation of a Flamboyant flower and used this as my color palette. I love the bright orange, yellow, and reds in the flower you see on your left. I wanted to be able to wear it on my finger - and hence my "Framboyant Flower Ring" was born.



This large embellished ring, inspired by Grenada's Flamboyant Flower, is just bursting with vibrancy and color. Tonnes of finely wrapped Swarovski crystals explode in a radial of orange yellow and red - offset by blackened sterling silver forming a hot, smoldering coal type effect. It's like peering into a fire pit when you have this little beauty shimmering on your finger. It conjures up memories of sultry Caribbean nights, the heady perfume of tropical flowers, and a mesmerizing fire on the beach.


The ring is designed to worship movement. The Swarovski charms spill from side to side as your hands stir, only halting when you do. The overall shape is constantly in flux and playing around with this ring on your finger gets addictive.


I intend to expand upon the concept of rings with movement more in the future. Stay tuned for new designs! This ring can currently be found in my online store: www.MeghanT.etsy.com


Enjoy fire child!

Fire Child

Nothing beats the fiery tropical sunsets you are privileged to
witness on warm nights in Grenada. It's as if someone struck a match and decided to light up the heavens. Like a bonfire, deep reds, oranges, and pinks lick across the sky, until darkness descends and mutes everything with a cool inky blackness. No sunset is ever the same, and we’re constantly amazed at the majesty of nature. Who needs a painting in your home, when you can walk out onto your balcony, and be stunned anew each and every evening. I have been on a beach theme lately, and I wanted to try to capture the essence of Grenada's sunsets just before darkness descends. I believe these earrings do Grenada justice, don’t you think?

These stunning luxurious crystals have been painstakingly wire wrapped in oxidized sterling silver, and hung from thick sterling silver rings. I utilized a decent amount of silver in this creation, so these Sunset earrings have a nice weight to them, and feel good in the palm of your hand. My earrings are always comfortable, and hang gently from your ears.



Don’t have time to escape some place special this year? No problem. Live vicariously though these earrings and marvel at the smoldering Caribbean sunset captured in these crystals, which are now swinging from your ears.


Enjoy the burn fire child!



Length from top to bottom: 5.5 cm
Material:
Swarovski crystals – 2.6cm by 1.5cm
Oxidized sterling silver



P.S.


These earrings recently made it onto the front page of Etsy THREE times! Now that's star power! They are a hit in the Caribbean and are my number one seller offline.

From the cellars

Lovers of red wine - unite!

These earrings are a homage to the large wine cellar my boyfriend has in our basement. He's a bit of a wine connoisseur and I like to encourage his hobbies(especially whey they benefit me directly). I am passionate about my red wines and looking at these earrings reminds me that some of the lovely Pinot Noir's and Merlots we have stashed away downstairs need to be drunk before 2009 is out. Better get on that.

Featuring a lovely polished burgundy colored tagua nut slice, wire wrapped with oxidized sterling silver wire, and decorated in a fringe of faceted onyx and ruby beads. Perfect for that special wine tasting party I know you plan to throw this summer!




Enjoy!



Length from top to bottom: 5cm

Material: Tagua
Sterling silver
Onyx
Ruby

Party Time!

Yay!

It's party time!

I love seeing people throw confetti. It looks like such fun. I worry about my hair sometimes though, because when I'm rocking my curls you can't really run your fingers through your locks to pull out the little bits of paper that land in it. Well...you could but your hair would end up a frizzy mess. Maybe I should clarify and state that I'd love to be on the throwing end of a confetti storm. If you see me coiffed and dressed up - please- direct your confetti assault at my partner who has straight hair and can take it (guys don't care much about hair anyway).

These earrings are simply a bit of fun I conjured up in my studio. They're not meant to be taken too seriously. Toss them on with a tank top and away you go.

Featuring gorgeous colored tagua nut diamonds(in bright pink, lime green, and purple) strung together with gold filled links and hanging from a stamped 14k gold filled ear hook. I alternated the color sequence on each pair of earrings because I liked this slightly quirky look.

Enjoy!

Length from top to bottom: 8.9cm

Material:

Tagua nut diamonds (purple, magenta, lime green)
Gold filled links
14k gold filled ear hook

Lance Aux Epines Cottages - What's cooking?

I grew up loving Lance Aux Epines Cottages. It's an adorable little tranquil resort on the island of Grenada. I've watched it change over the years and grow into something incredible. The staff are old friends, the gardens are always so inspiring, and the color makes me want to drop to the grass with a sketch book and start designing. I love going down to the beach for a swim, sheltering under the tiki style hut by the water, or grilling home made burgers on the conviniently located bbq.

Do you know the manager, Tim Brathwaite? Well I recently came across this video online and nearly died laughing. He's been increasing L.A.E Cottages web presence and I couldn't resist sharing this with you. Want to see what's cooking? Follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=227593845614&ref=mf

Enjoy!

MeghanT

Louis Vuitton meets the Spice Isle (Grenada)

I am a self professed Louis Vuitton addict. I have a list of purses I intend to buy during the course of my lifetime (when I become famous of course). My friends think I'm crazy but I don't care. For now I am content with my little Louis Vuitton clutch that my boyfriend bought me (out of pity) several years ago. Every now and then I take it out of its box, admire it fondly, and then squirrel it away for special occasions.

As soon as I looked at these seeds I knew something was familiar about them. It didn't take me long to figure out that they reminded me a lot of one of my favorite red handbags: the Louis Vuitton Alma GM (a classic of the house). It's a gorgeous large monogrammed vernis leather purse and it's form is perfectly echoed in these lustrous red seeds.

These seeds are very special. This variety come specifically from Grenada (the Spice Isle) and were hand gathered by a lovely local resident. I pick a small supply up when I visit each year in December. I hand drilled them in my studio, polished them with special oil, and then suspend the gems on 14k gold filled rings. Simple, understated and elegant! Luxury straight from the Island of Spice (Grenada).





Enjoy!

Explorer

Fresh from my studio! Here are my new "Explorer Earrings". I wanted to design something that captured my sense of restless adventure. I was wishing I was away traveling in some distant location, but after some self reflection I decided that there is adventure to be had in every day life; even if I'm stuck at home toiling away (albeit joyously) in my studio. It all depends on your attitude and point of view.

I am really please with how these turned out. I think they are perfect for the new tribal chic trend. I found these beads about a year ago and I've been waiting for inspiration to strike so I could make use of them.

I hope you enjoy my latest creation!

MeghanT

Paradise Plums

There are some strangely exotic treats to be had in Grenada, if you’ve a sweet tooth and a sense of adventure. This necklace is named after Paradise Plums – locally made balls of hard candy consisting of copious amounts of sugar and essence. They’re an eye catching bright red and yellow color, reportedly walking a fine line between sweet and eye wateringly sour. My Grandmother says when she thinks about them her mouth puckers up. For some reason they haven't been on shelves in Grenada for a long while. I’ll have to see if I can ferret some out when I’m next on vacation! They don’t sound like something I’d want to chew on, but they’d make funny treats to leave out for unsuspecting guests.

This colorful fringe necklace features a whole rainbow of eye catching tagua nut (vegetable ivory) slivers and ornate bali beads. They’re wire wrapped with oxidized sterling silver wire and are topped off with genuine turquoise briolettes. Everything hangs from a handmade sterling silver chain and is easy to get on and off thanks to an easily accessible oversized lobster claw like clasp at the front.

Material:

Tagua nut (vegetable ivory) slivers

Turquoise
Sterling silver beads
Sterling silver wire
Sterling silver components


Enjoy!

Lazy Lagoon - Grenada

One of my favorite places to hang out in Grenada is at by the waterfront in St. Georges at a bar called Lazy Lagoon. Well, actually, the hotel is called Lazy Lagoon and the bar is called the Horni Baboon, but I didn’t think that would be an appropriate name for these earrings! Local people use these names interchangeably to refer to the bar so it’s not a big deal.

If you’re ever in Grenada on vacation you really should check out this hangout. They’ve undergone renovations recently so they can handle bigger crowds. You’ll feel right at home in this club paradise, tiki bar like complex. The music is always great, delicious snacks are readily available, and you’re bound to run into someone you know if you stop by in the evenings for a drink.





The crystals I used for these earrings kick up a whole spectrum of amazing colors and they immediately made me think of Lazy Lagoon. The waterfront sometimes has a weird iridescent sort of inky oil slick like shimmer to it, thanks to all the boats passing around, and when the sun lights it up I swear there are patches that look just like these earrings! (In case you’re wondering…no… don’t recommend you swim in the water! Get a lift to Grand Anse Beach instead and take a dip there at one of Grenada’s most famous beaches!)




Enjoy!

(these earrings can be viewed on my website at: www.MeghanT.etsy.com )

Jewels in unexpected places

I am constantly on the lookout for new material to work with. I am attracted to anything new, unusual and colorful and I am always amazed at what I unearth on my travels. Recently I stumbled across the most amazing beetle wings. Their jewel toned color took my breath away and I find it hard to believe that something so spectacular exists like this is nature.

I am releasing a whole beetle wing series of earrings and will be expanding on this design theme over the next few months. I have been working on these wings in my studio; polishing them up and shaping them so I can use them in some of my earring designs. So far the feedback I've had from customers has been really positive.

Every time I look at these gorgeous wings I conjure up something new I'd like to do with them. I keep all my wings in a little golden treasure box on my desk until I'm ready to work with them. When an idea strikes I look for a matched pair and away I go!


These earrings (see image on left) are themed after Grenada's Grand Etang rainforest. They remind me of leaves, shimering in the sunlight after a rainstorm. I wire wrapped a citrine gemstone and positioned it so it's appears to be dripping off the tip of these wings, like a bead of water quivering on the end of a leaf. They're gorgeous in person and guaranteed to get you attention. These are featured on my etsy shop (www.MeghanT.etsy.com). I will be designing more beetle winged themed creations so keep checking back at my shop!