Friday, March 20, 2015

Build A Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques, Coral Law of ab:coraldesign, Part Three

Woohoo...finally we are almost to the end of this journey. I can't believe I can make it with my impatience. First of all, I would like to say thank you to Brenda Sue from B'Sue Boutiques who hosted this master class for 54 artists. Also I would like to thank for all the participants who have left encouraging comments to me here in the blog or on facebook.

Let's see what I made first. And then I would like to share what I have learnt from this challenge.

peace by piece abcoraldesign

This challenge requests five pieces at least. While I saw other artists making more and more, I was discouraged for a little while. However, my spirit came back after I realized after this challenge, it will be the real start not the end. Even it took me a long time to design one piece, I am planning to make more later on.

About the name:
If you have read my first blog post about this challenge, you will have found that my inspiration for this line is from peace. It takes a long time, a lot of effort and many steps to achieve a peaceful society. Piece by piece of all our inputs are important to that so I name my line "Peace by piece".

About the engraving words:
Besides the part of jewelry design, the most difficult part for creating this line is the choice of words that reflect my thoughts. I took some pictures on the street and at the exhibition for my inspiration.



 In my first and second blog post for this challenge, I have showed these designs. The first pieces is "和平" (Peace) while the second pieces i s"珍惜" (To treasure). Please check my old posts if you want to know more about their meanings.

Peace in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign





To treasure in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign


In my third piece, I used "怒" and "恕" which means "anger" and "forgiveness" respectively.
"怒" is composed of "奴" (slave) and "心" (heart). When you are angry, a slave is in your heart.
However if you choose "恕", you "如" (follow) as what your "心" (heart) tells.

Anger and Forgiveness in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign


In my forth piece, I used "自由" (freedom). We all want freedom to do what we want. However, there are many constraints in reality. We cannot be selfish to just fulfill our needs. I hope people can be more considerate when you are striving for your freedom. 

Freedom in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign


The fifth piece is "心" (heart). I created this line from solely what inside my heart. I am so glad I could use jewelry to express myself. I don't follow the trend in the fashion world but I follow my heart. I hope you like my line.

Heart in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign




Reflections from this challenge:
Thanks for Brenda Sue's and other participants' advice, I was enlightened to create a cohesive line that is not only one of a kind but also be able to repeat. I used to make once for each design as I like to create. When the number of design grows, my style gets distracted. Also the pro-design time like photography is so much that I can't focus on my design. With this cohesive line, I can repeat the design while keeping each piece unique as I engrave and paint every piece.

Besides creating a cohesive style, I have also started to think about the difference between collection and line. Up till this moment, I am still figuring so hopefully I can share my research in my next post.

One of the important point of selling a line is the pyramid of design. More items for simple pieces and less items for over-the-top design. Certainly the price goes up along the pyramid. However, I haven't created some in the middle. Probably I will make some bracelets. The four pair of earrings are closed to the bottom while the necklace is at the top.

As I am not very good at matching color, I take this challenge as a practice for finding color in the same category according to the theory in the book "Color me beautiful" by Carole Jackson. Luckily I met a new friend who is a specialist in color theory. She has shown me how to distinguish color into Spring, Summer, Autumn ans Winter.
When I was matching the color of glass beads, I put the beads on the color chart to see if they are in the same season.




Thanks for reading. Please share this blog if you like "Peace by piece"

Before you go, hop to other blogs of my mentor and classmates.

Brenda Sue Lansdowne
Marcia Tuzzolino
Jann Tague
Judy King
Linzi Alford
Cynthia Wainscott
Carole Carlson
Lynn Stinten
Marica Zammit
Catherine Shattuck
Michaele Collie
Mary Craig
Lee Koopman
Erin Whitacre
Monica Casady
Leila West
Cindy Peterson
Leila Belcher
Gloria Allen
Pamela Anger
Tammy Adams
Lynda O'Mara
Elizabeth Hildreth
Dana Hickey
Janet Calardo
Maria Clark
Lori Beekman
Jennifer Kroeger
Amy Jorgensen
Robin Reed
Ingrid Anderson
Louise O'Shields
Susan Killam
Mary Katherine Deis
Nike Bottalico
Susan Bowerman
Kristy Le
Jan Peters
Mitzie Crider
Gina Hockett
Linda Anderson
Alexandra Sefton
Melida Boman
Teresa Shurter
Melissa Latimer
Renee Hong
Nadine Edris
Lori Meyer
Jennifer Merrill Williams
Denise Lussier Poirier
Renee Allen
Autumn Adams
Elizabeth Owens
Kat BarronMiller
Sandra Ballard
Coral Law
ab:coraldesign (you are here!)
I treasure your comments!
Posted by at 56 comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Monday, March 16, 2015

Cherry Blossom line


 While I was working on my Build a line challenge, I was distracted to work on these. (Yes, I am easy to be distracted but I can't help.) I like working on contrast color and the combination of green and pink always give me a feeling of spring.

First I degrease the brass and let them dry overnight. Then I put swellegant metal base and patina on them. It's very fun to see how the color changed over time.


After a day, when the patina is totally dry, I rub some off and paint Vintaj patina on them. Again, after it's dry, I rub some off. If the result is not satisfied, I redo it. Like the bangle, I feel the color is not vibrant enough so I redo it. 


When all the paints are dry after another 24 hours, I seal them with Vintaj and Swellegant sealer. I prefer the first one but the second one gives a more matte look.

After all these processes, it's time for real design. I really like Czech glass beads as they come in different color and very cute shapes. 

Viola! These are some of earrings and bangle I made with the brass with patina. 



Posted by at 3 comments:

Friday, February 20, 2015

Build A Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques, Coral Law of ab:coraldesign,Part Two

Design Process
While many participants of this challenge is on the way to build their lines, I am kinda stuck at how to build a cohesive line which is very crucial.
As mentioned in the last post, my concept of this line is to use engraving Chinese to express my thoughts through the arrangement of stampings. Before I started, I didn't have any idea about how to make a real cohesive line. I looked for all the stampings in pairs from the box where I keep all B'Sue products. 


From what I have, I picked the connectors as the first trial so for the second design, in order to be cohesive, I used the silverware one and engraved "珍惜" which means "to treasure".  

We all know many natural resources are reducing, animals are extincted, forest is getting less, ice is melting and etc. Yet, many people are still not aware or ignore the situation. As parents, we want to give the best to our kids or next generation but not many think about what our ancestors left to us are environmental problems. All of us need to change our habit by reducing energy use and waste and treasure what we have. 

abcoraldesign earrings

Back to the difficulties I encountered. In the past few weeks, I saw many participants are creating their lines with components of the same theme/materials in one or different color. The video about disassembling a statement piece into smaller pieces, shared by Brenda is very inspiring. However, the more I see how others create their lines, the more lost I feel.

Should I stick with these connectors to create bracelets and necklaces as well?
Should I use one color only but with different stampings?

I hope I will figure this out soon.

New insight about one-of-a-kind design
I always like to make unique design as I don't like duplicate my design unless customer requests. I thought this could add more value on my jewelry. From my experience, it does but it also has shortages. One of the problem is time. Every design needs to be described and photographed for my online shop, which took a lot of time for my design. If I create a cohesive line that can be duplicated, it could gives my customers an impression of my style and also saves my time in post-design. Will this affect those customers who like one-of-a-kind? I hope not as I can still alter each design within the line to create a unique design for these customers. As the line can be duplicated, the other advantage is that it can reach more potential customers who may help promoting my jewelry. Instead of one customer wearing one design, it could be several customers wearing one design.

Stay tune for the final hop on March 20th.

Before you leave, check out other participants of this challenge. 

Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques
1. Marcia Tuzzolino
2. Jann Tague
3. Judy King
4. Linzi Alford
5. Cynthia Wainscott
6. Carole Carlson
7. Lynn Stinten
8. Marica Zammit
9. Catherine Shattuck
10. Michaele Collie
11. Mary Craig
12. Lee Koopman
13. Erin Whitacre
14. Monica Casady
15. Leila West
16. Cindy Peterson
17. Leila Belcher
18. Gloria Allen
19. Pamela Anger
20. Tammy Adams
21. Lynda O'Mara
22. Elizabeth Hildreth
23. Dana Hickey
24. Janet Calardo
25. Maria Clark
26. Lori Beekman
27. Jennifer Kroeger
28. Amy Jorgensen
29. Robin Reed
30. Ingrid Anderson
31. Louise O'Shields
32. Susan Killam
33. Mary Katherine Deis
34. Nike Bottalico
35. Susan Bowerman
36. Kristy Le
37. Jan Peters
38. Mitzie Crider
39. Gina Hockett
40. Linda Anderson
41. Alexandra Sefton
42. Melida Boman
43. Teresa Shurter
44. Melissa Latimer
45. Renee Hong
46. Nadine Edris
47. Lori Meyer
48. Jennifer Merrill Williams
49. Denise Lussier Poirier
50. Renee Allen
51. Autumn Adams
52. Elizabeth Owens
53. Kat BarronMiller
54. Sandra Ballard
55. Coral Law
ab:coraldesign (You're here!)
Posted by at 48 comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, January 23, 2015

Build A Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques, Coral Law of ab:coraldesign, Part One


Old Stone Carving - taken at Confectious Temple in Suzhou, 2013

 Thanks for dropping by. I'm Coral Law of ab:coral design. I can't wait to share with you the first blog of the Build a Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques. This is part one of the Build a Line series of blog hops, where I will tell you about myself and my design path, and why I decided to be part of this challenge.   The challenge is really a master class of sorts, and will span three months and there will be three hops, total.  We have 55 participants.   All of us will be working hard to create a cohesive line of jewelry and share our design process together.   At the end, we will develop a complete line of jewelry with a minimum of five pieces all in our chosen style. As a no-specific-style designer, it's really a challenge for me. 

 Why do I make jewelry?
I used to buy jewelry from local shops. Once I bought a necklace for almost USD100. Not soon after, instead of feeling satisfied, I felt disappointed as I found that the materials are not very good and it's properly mass produced in factory. Then I decided to make my own jewelry. 
Here is my first design with some found objects and old buttons. Even I have been creating different styles for the past few years, my love to my first design never changes. 

Though the challenge has been announced for a while, I did not have the motivation to join as I thought I would not have time. But I need to move and think forward. We are all busy at least that's what we always tell ourselves. Time can be manged so just be brave and step up. This challenge also gives me a chance to think how to make jewelry in a cohesive way and express more about myself. 

 About my concept for this challenge

 The concept of my line is very simple. I am planning to engrave Chinese characters on Bsue findings to make mostly symmetric or asymmetric earrings. The Chinese characters I am going to use are not some popular or random words. I pick the words based on my feelings towards things happening in the world. In the past few months, there were many sad news happened around the world while people were frighting for themselves. Therefore, the first word came to my mind (or this concept came to my mind) is "和平" which means peace. If we change the way to read this word, it becomes "平和" which means calm. If everyone is calm, peace is achievable. 

 Another meaning of this line is the combination of handcrafted Chinese characters and USA made stampings. Open up one's mind to accept different culture is also a key to have harmonious world.

 Here is the process of making the first pair of earrings. 




Dada..
However, the stampings I am going to use may be random. This is something I need to work on during the journey. If you want to join my journey, please sign up my newsletter or follow me on facebook, instagram and twitter. 
Before you leave, check out other participants of this challenge. 
Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques
1. Marcia Tuzzolino
2. Jann Tague
3. Judy King
4. Linzi Alford
5. Cynthia Wainscott
6. Carole Carlson
7. Lynn Stinten
8. Marica Zammit
9. Catherine Shattuck
10. Michaele Collie
11. Mary Craig
12. Lee Koopman
13. Erin Whitacre
14. Monica Casady
15. Leila West
16. Cindy Peterson
17. Leila Belcher
18. Gloria Allen
19. Pamela Anger
20. Tammy Adams
21. Lynda O'Mara
22. Elizabeth Hildreth
23. Dana Hickey
24. Janet Calardo
25. Maria Clark
26. Lori Beekman
27. Jennifer Kroeger
28. Amy Jorgensen
29. Robin Reed
30. Ingrid Anderson
31. Louise O'Shields
32. Susan Killam
33. Mary Katherine Deis
34. Nike Bottalico
35. Susan Bowerman
36. Kristy Le
37. Jan Peters
38. Mitzie Crider
39. Gina Hockett
40. Linda Anderson
41. Alexandra Sefton
42. Melida Boman
43. Teresa Shurter
44. Melissa Latimer
45. Renee Hong
46. Nadine Edris
47. Lori Meyer
48. Jennifer Merrill Williams
49. Denise Lussier Poirier
50. Renee Allen
51. Autumn Adams
52. Elizabeth Owens
53. Kat BarronMiller
54. Sandra Ballard
55. Coral Law
ab:coraldesign (You're here!)
Posted by at 88 comments:
Labels: , ,

Why Pearl?

It's timeless.

"Pearls used in Edwardian jewelery were used to symbolize purity, wisdom, honesty, and integrity, and Edwardian jewelers and fashion designers loved them for their understated elegance and their natural beauty. Pearls worked perfectly with the popular motifs of the day that included styles adapted from the ancient Greek, Roman, and French Baroque periods of history. Pearl jewelry could be seen throughout the courts of King Edward of England, and on the wives and daughters of the newly wealthy railroad and automobile barons in the United States." selected from Beading Daily.

 I have been selling all sorts of high quality pearl jewelry to my friends and relatives. I am glad they all love it. 










Posted by at 1 comment:

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Tassel earrings




Not many people can carry tassel earrings unless you have a very special character and style. I made a pair of yellow tassel earrings a while ago and put it on my etsy shop. One day, they were sold and later I found that my customer is a very talented jazz singer Deborah Bond. She is very kind and sweet. From her instagram, I found she was doing a lot to empower women. I feel so blessed to meet such a great person. Later, she ordered more tassel earrings. 

Here are some pictures her wear the tassel earrings. 



She has even ordered some for her friend.


Posted by at 1 comment:

Friday, January 09, 2015

Love is all around if you are aware.
Posted by at 3 comments:

Monday, January 05, 2015

Haven't updated my blog for a long time since I left Hong Kong. From time to time, I miss my hometown where it has my best memory. Every time I come back, I see more new and less old buildings. Development is necessary for keeping the economy but the change does make me sad. This picture was taken at To Kwang Wan when I was waiting for the airport bus. This district is undergoing a big renovation. Very soon, it will be totally different.

Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

What can we do?

這幾天,每次看到新聞報導,報紙,聽到電台傳來的消息,總令我留下淚來.傷心的不單是因為四川的災民,還有的是為何人總是遇上災難才會懂得珍惜;sars的發生,令人更懂得注重衛生,做個有公德的市民.其實我們平時是否應想想生命的可貴呢?這次的傷痛需要一段很長的時間來修補,幾個月後,有幾多人會知道他們仍需要幫助呢?

如果某天沒有電,你會想是否因自己過度用電?如果某天沒有水,你會想是否因自己曾浪費食水?
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, May 05, 2008

愛思考

無論什麼時候,我的腦袋還裏想想著一些東西.不過當我沒有把它寫下來的話,我便會忘記,可能與沒有吸收足夠的DHA有關.每當是別人的事,我可以給予一些很有效的建議,但到自己身上時,便好像沒有腦似的,什麼也想不通.
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, March 10, 2008

Meaningful weekend

My legs haven't been tired like now for a long time. It's good though. That means I have utilized my time. In the past weekend, I went to the Hong Kong International Jewellery Exhibition where I had seen many jewellery designs but they were not appealing to me. Instead, the display is more amazing.
On sunday, I went to the Orbis Charity Walk with my friends. We started at about 9:30 and finished at about 2(I guess). It's really a good outdoor activity. My friend, Kermit seems haven't talked for a long time as she is the one who can talk and walk. I'm not blaming her but it's just the way she is.
Posted by at 3 comments:

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

結婚一週月

今天是結婚的一週月,剛巧閱讀了一篇有關異地情的訪問，有很深的感受．

雖然我們沒有如被訪者背後的宗教信念，但我們的感情沒有因為遙遠的距離而變淡，相反我們掛念對方的程度與日俱增，即使習慣離別，但每一次都比以前更想念對方，他由一個不愛傾電話的男朋友變成一個習慣每天和我談數次電話的丈夫。

自從我們一起，不少人問我:「你們是怎樣溝通的? 語言不同，溝通有問題嗎?」對於這點，我很想在這裡跟大家分享我的看法：其實人與人的溝通在乎坦誠和你有多願意去表達自己的感受，即使說著同一種語言，你不去說，假設別人明白你的想法，最終只為引起誤會；作為一個女仔，當然希望男朋友明白自己的意願和想法，最理想的是他們能熱切地和議自己的想法，還不時把心中所愛的東西送到手上，但試問有幾多人做到 ?做到的人又真的會出現在你眼前嗎?清醒一點吧! 我也曾經這樣糊塗，但後來我主動地把自己的想法一一說出，和他好好溝通，正因為我們的語言不同，我們更會把事情說清楚，以免大家誤會，慢慢地我們便建立了互相信任的感情，每次吵架後，他都會迫我說出我的感受，當大家都明白對方的想法時，便再學會體諒和包容，這些過程只要你有耐性慢慢學習，必定會找到你幸福的一生。

最後，我很想說愛情不等於Shopping，並不是有條件便可以左選右選，沒有感覺不應該是一個藉口，對別人不斷的批評和埋怨最終只會傷害自己，這一刻不如想想自己可以做什麼來讓別人開心，想不到的，應該去做義工，感受一下如何施比受更有福。
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The last time I wrote on blog is in November. It's been quite a long time. Well, at this moment, I'm married. I have a lot to write but at the same time I don't know what should write first. That's me. I know to myself, I'm quite harsh and demanding. Maybe that's why I'm not really happy about the wedding day as there were some imperfections.
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, October 29, 2007

2 more months

兩個月後的今天我將會踏進人生另一階段.回想過去的時光,快樂的片段總比不快樂的多,這是幸運的,更幸運的是我經常將一些不快樂的片段遺忘.在我腦海中,大部分都是中學和大學時與好友的點點滴滴.不過,他們也一樣嗎?
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, September 30, 2007

我們的中秋節

某天回家,看著八月十三的月亮,中秋節又到了.
忽然想起中學時到彩雲村後面的一個山頭賞月,我們一行人拿著燈籠走上山,各人除了帶著不同的生果,食物,還帶著興奮的心情,大家你一句我一句,嘻嘻哈哈地很快便上到山.
我們一班朋友那時的友誼在正如當時燒得紅紅的蠟燭,猛烈地燃燒著,雖然現在並沒有那麼熱烈,但那種餘溫還拿在心中.
現在的中秋節,我們再不能像以往一樣,大家都忙著,有的還要把晚餐時間一分為二,分別到兩邊的父母家過節.
有人說外國的月光特別圓,我卻認為飛鵝山上的月亮是最圓.
將來當我在別的地方時,我一定會更懷念這個我心中最明亮的月光.
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

走糖走青加底加腩汁

今天晚上無意中發現了一間賣墨魚丸的食店,由於它是在一條小街,感覺像尋到寶,找到一樣別人找不到的快感是難以言喻的.
這間麵店的白磚牆上貼著彩色繽紛但不同款式的海報,當然字體也不一,與那些設計精緻的餐廳相比,你不能找到有什麼可欣賞,但它卻為很多獨個兒進餐的人提供了一個最溫暖的地方,身边除了一對情侶外,其他的都是獨個兒吃著麵,有一邊喝啤酒的,有一邊講電話的,表情都總是有點硬bonbon的.
當進食至一半的時候,有三位食客下單,他們要求較硬的牛筋,走糖的檸水,加腩汁的撈麵....聽到這裡,心裏不禁一酸,將來當我離開香港時,我不單掛念香港的食物,最不捨得是這種具有香港人特式的服務,試問哪裡可以找到這樣彈性的落單要求呢?我們都被寵壞了.
Posted by at 1 comment:

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

很干淨的手

看我的美甲,它是由一位男孩幫我弄的!這世界真的變了很多,性別好像已不是一個人的身份一部分.男的做女的工作,女的做男的工作








Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, August 11, 2007

摺紙

還記得小學的時候,很愛摺紙,一步一步地摺,若能看得明白,將那些平面圖變成真實的立體圖,那是很有滿足感的事.或許自小便很愛做勞作,小手工等等,故現在對陶藝和首飾自設計都很感興趣.

小時候曾經摺過一個紙盒,很有日本味的,蓋子上還有立體的小花瓣,但現在怎也摺不到,那便到網上找找,竟被我發現到這個網址http://glynnorigami.co.uk/Boxes.htm, 看似複雜的摺紙步驟,不消十分鐘便讓我看通而且摺成一個盒子了.這種滿足感是否如迷語被猜中,不同處被找出一樣呢?
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, August 10, 2007

Websites for beauties

1. Are you wondering what to buy for your next skincare product? Check this out. www.urcosme.com

2. The founder of this website is a handsome guy. He knows more about beauty than you.
www.niuer.com.tw

3. Do you get sensitive skin? Try out the brands recommended by the doctor.
www.lovelyskin.com

4. Feeling puffy? Maybe this can help.
www.104beauty.com

5. Cosmetic is a magic but how to make it come true.
www.dhc.com.jp

6. What are J girls crazy about? No.1 Japanese beauty website.
www.cosme.net

7. It's time for clubbing. Let's put on some perfume.
www.1976.com.tw
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, July 23, 2007

幸福的黃金比例5:1

曾經看過一篇文章,內容提及幸福的婚姻,這個話題也切身吧,相信大部分的男女都希望有一段幸福美滿的婚姻.過去幾年看過不少朋友的婚禮,每一次都令我感動,看著好友與另一半認真地宣讀誓詞,甜蜜地擁吻著,幸福的感覺滿潟了,美滿的婚姻隨之展開.

但願十年後,二十年後,他們的婚姻仍然幸福美滿.
為何我這樣感慨呢?

或許是聽到不少香港的情侶或是夫婦埋怨他們的感情淡了,已沒有當初甜蜜的感覺,即使一起,生活亦淡而無味.結果一是分開,一是保持關係,但各自精彩.

怎樣才能維繫一段幸福的婚姻呢?我們能把它像果醬般當它最甜美的時候放到冰箱雪著嗎?即使可以,也不能雪一世啊!

這篇文章提及到心理學家在訪問過無數對夫婦後,發現了一個神奇的幸福的黃金比例:5比1.這個意思是,在婚姻中感到正面的,愉快的情緒是負面的,懮傷的情緒五倍.這些正面的情緒是由稱讚,欣賞,感謝,感動,驚喜,幫助,表達愛意,開玩笑等而來的,而負面的是由埋怨,挑剔,責罵,誤解,自視過高等等而來的.

這個比例有一份是負面的,換言之,幸福的婚姻不一定是完美無暇的,每人都有其缺點,令人看不順眼的地方,兩人相處總有衝突,問題是當相方存著衝突時,會用什麼態度和方法去解決,要知道不理性所作的決定是極有損害性的,不能回頭.

我們不奢求減少負面的情緒,因這未必是控制範圍內,但增加正面情緒是可以由自己作主的.

相信大部分人都發覺負面情緒或事情帶來的影響遠比正面的深而遠;你會記得失戀時的痛苦,但初戀時的甜蜜感覺卻隨時間慢慢消失,你會記得一個人對你做過什麼不好的事情,但不會在意他/她關心你替你解悶的時候.若負面情緒帶來的影響是正面的兩倍,你有一半時間開心,一半時間傷心的話,整體的情緒都是負面的.

那麼若要做到5:1的效果,你的好心情一定要比壞心情多起碼十倍!當你心情好,既自信又樂觀,即使對方有什麼不對,也可一笑置之,繼續生活得開開心心.

從今日開始,在心裡放一個袋子,將所有快樂的,正面的,使人欣慰的心情儲起來,以備不時之用.

"贈人玫瑰,手留余香",想把這些香氣放在袋裏吧,不妨多贈你的一半一支玫瑰.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
09 10