Scarlett Garnet Jewelry

Behind the Scenes with Ambitious Pixels

2011-11-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

Josh Fry, the mastermind of Ambitious Pixels, has been filming Scarlett Garnet for a short documentary! He is showcasing small businesses, and has done extensive filming at SG's Kansas City studio, our St. Louis studio, with water-jet cutters and laser cutters in Kansas City, of Garnet's band in KC, and more places around town. We are so excited, and wanted to share a short teaser and some behind the scenes photos with you.

Scarlett Garnet Tease from Ambitious Pixels on Vimeo.

In the St. Louis studio. I'll be sitting at that bench to assemble jewelry.

This pic is taken from behind other side of the camera, looking in between the big lights.

From the other side of the camera! Lights and camera aimed and ready to get some video of me working.

Josh shooting Garnet's band, "The Delighted," playing at our KC Studio during our 5 year anniversary party.

Josh and his wife, Leena, silhouetted against the light shining through our cut metal negatives. Leena conducted the interviews, we even phoned her in to speak with Laura Kathleen, she is just that good at asking the probing questions.

The slate snaps so that one can always match up the timing of the audio and video in editing. An organized memory card of footage also has each section of filming labeled so you can find it again later.

Editing in Josh's home studio in KC. The amazing tools of technology.

Josh has won a regional Emmy for his work with the HALO Foundation, showing their work connecting orphans in Kenya, Africa, with students in the U.S. You can see more of the work of Ambitious Pixels at www.ambitiouspixels.com

Scarlett Garnet "makes it work" with Laura Kathleen on Project Runway

2011-10-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Scarlett Garnet had the honor of working with the talented and lovely Laura Kathleen for Project Runway Season 9. We have been so excited about our jewelry pairing with her garments, we just had to share our perspective online! While there is a distinct difference in our overall brands' aesthetic, Scarlett Garnet jewelry went perfectly with Laura Kathleen's looks, in what Tom and Lorenzo call, "earthy glam."

I met Laura in the fall of 2010 when a group of fashion designers in St. Louis were getting together to discuss ways to expand our businesses and fashion in the Midwest. Upon our first meeting, Laura said right away, "I'd love to use your jewelry for the upcoming runway show!" We met several times and she showed me swatches of fabric and sketches for the Crush Wine and Fashion Show, benefitting Sunnyhill, Inc. Below are some of the pics from that show, where she wowed the crowd with her beautiful flowing gowns, edited detailing, luminescent fabrics and asymmetrical cuts.

The Multi Metal Chevron Necklace stood out with her lightly boned top and loose jacket. We were able to pair several pieces from our newly released (at the time), Spaghetti Western Sunset Line, as well as our steady Nautical Nouveau Line. The Multi Metal Chevron Necklace and similar Multi Metal Chevron Earrings have turned out to be our most popular products to date.

Laura Kathleen's pagoda dress really showed off our Brothel Bling Necklace. I love how the sleeves extending past the hemline creates a bit of drama.

Rocking the Mercury's Wing Earrings with the one shoulder dress.

The Feather Duster Necklace is a huge piece to wear and not for the faint of heart, but Laura's asymmetrical look pulls it in.

You'll also notice the work of milliner Miriam Wiegand. Miriam does amazing hats, completely from scratch, and was recently an artist at the strictly juried St. Louis Art Fair.

We continued networking with Laura through the year as the fashion designers convened and reconvened about potential showrooms, reps and fashion incubator programs in downtown St. Louis. We were all exploring how we could help each other while trying to attain our vastly different goals. I ran in to Laura while I was dogsitting in her new apartment building. She was moving in furniture and I was corralling the most slobbery dog imaginable but she did not shy away from giving Winston a proper greeting!

She told me she was once again trying out for Project Runway, for the fourth time. After speaking with Michael Drummond, contestant on Season 8 and fellow downtown St. Louis resident, she decided to play the card of "privileged girl" for the producers, which ended up being her golden ticket. Before she left for filming, she borrowed and bought several pieces of jewelry to wear on the show. It was hard to grasp at that moment that she was about to be thrust on to the world stage as a contender for Top Designer! She also mentioned that if she should make it as far as New York Fashion Week, she'd love our help accessorizing her runway show.

Laura rocked out several of our designs during the first round of filming, below:

Her team captured the hectic NYC streets as Laura glammed it up, jumping in and out of cabs like a pro! Our Brothel Bling Necklace adds the perfect amount of gold to her black silhouette. Traced from one of the huge chandelier pieces that line the ceiling of our St. Louis studio, this large brass pendant is accented with an asymmetrically placed diamond shaped tiger eye. We also have Brothel Bling Earrings, slightly smaller and paired with a purple Iolite.

Like I said, the paring of SG with LK is not an obvious match made in heaven, but Laura wears the Big Bull by the Horns Necklace well! She paired the longhorn skull with vintage prints in Episode 1, and with a ruffled basic top, above. The piece is water-jet cut from copper and hung on 16" of copper chain. Too big? No, girl. You got it. We do have a smaller, more corralled, version in laser cut stainless, the Steel Steer Necklace.

I think the Crystal Bullet Necklace personifies Laura Kathleen perfectly. She herself is girly and glamorous, shown in the vintage chandelier crystal, but has a little bit of an edge, seen in the bullet casing holding the crystal. "I may look like Barbie, but I bite" Laura said on her Twitter profile. We can't agree more, or make better jewelry to describe it.

Laura bought the Nautilus Skeleton Skeleton, from our Nautical Nouveau line, right after we first met. The Nautilus was an important symbol in her college sorority.

Laura called me in July of 2011 saying, "I need your help with a very special Spring/Summer 2012 collection!" She had just returned from lockdown during the first round of filming and was setting to work on 10 looks for the Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week! In the magic of TV, you only see the top 3 (or 4...) are shown during Fashion Week, but in reality, the top 10 (or 9...) get to create a line for that big night. Laura was on strict hush-hush about how far she made it in the show. I can't imagine how hard it was for her to smile and say, "I am not at liberty to talk about it" when questioned about the outcome or pressed for hints!

As we were preparing for our first big wholesale show, POOL Tradeshow (you can look here for our blog on POOL), Laura brainstormed in Florida and returned with a plan. We met at my studio where Laura explained how she had been inspired by our cut metal in developing her line! She describes her inspiration in this article in the Post-Dispatch, but in short, was going for a "glamorous armor" feeling representing the walls one puts up, or breaks down, during relationships.

She showed some amazing sketches of thee metal dress made from plates of brass and other garments with brass ribbing, and discussed the possibility for further detailing with metal on more of the looks. She knew we had relationships with companies to cut sheet metal and needed our assistance with sourcing the materials. Garnet and I set to work on drawings and the logistics of getting metal cut in the sizes and quantities that would build an entire wearable dress! She needed yards of metal, just as she would need yards of fabric, which was way more than we had ever had cut before, at one time. Luckily for us, our water-jet cutters in St. Louis had some open machine time, and were able to rush Laura's metal cutting through. They raised their eyebrows at the notion of a metal dress, but they were up for the challenge. Laura had a vision for the cuff bracelets which at first involved processes beyond our repertoire. Large scale casting or metal smelting was just a tad out of our range. We later decided to go with a water-jet cut brass, and Laura whipped up a drawing and hand delivered it to the cutters just in time.

To compliment the fabric and style of the garments, our "Glam and Neon" line, then in development, was the perfect pairing. We utilized yards and yards of a chain Garnet and I refer to as "disco chain." Our travel for shows all over the country has allowed us to source materials uncommon in the Midwest, and this chain was perfect. It is brass with black plating that allows the brass shine to come through. It is sparkly without being overwhelmingly bling, and looks great in motion, especially on the runway. Bullet casings were also prevalent as they have a beautiful vintage brass hue and glow, and lend that little bit of bad ass to an otherwise delicate look. We were also able to use some of the actual metal left over from making the armor dress. We rose to the challenge of creating beautiful jewelry that complimented, and not overshadowed, the luxurious fabrics overflowing from MOOD bags in Laura's apartment.

The night before I left to go to Kansas City for final preparations for POOL, I delivered our first round of jewelry to Laura's studio. At about 2 a.m. I got the sneak peak of her gowns and garments for New York Fashion Week and I was blown away. Laura has amazing skills and an attention to detail. She used reoccurring style lines at the hips, black lace overlay, ah-maz-ing fabrics with earthy jewel tones and sheen, and some woven pieces by Michael Drummond. The metal dress was being pieced together on the floor, and varying shoes, boots and belts laid in wait. She has the crucial skill to make a decision and stay on track. Of course she had made changes from the initial sketches I had seen a few weeks prior, but she remained steady on the course.

The deadline for Laura to ship her looks to Lifetime was while we were in Las Vegas at POOL, and we spent part of the second day of that show finishing up her jewelry behind our displays. We overnighted our next batch of jewelry to her from Vegas, after a cab ride and hunt for a late-day last pick-up at UPS! The work of our hands was about to flaunt it on the runway during New York Fashion Week!

Her looks were chosen by Tim Gunn to open the Project Runway Show during Mercedez Benz New York Fashion Week, Spring/Summer 2012. You can see all of the looks on BloggingProjectRunway.blogspot.com, but we'll highlight the Scarlett Garnet below:

The show opener! Parallelograms of brass were water-jet cut in varying sizes to create glamorous armor. Garnet and I toyed around with the initial drawing of the metal so that it would not create a fish-scale look or be confused for actual medieval armor. Some shapes were solid, other were just an outline to reduce the weight and show the black underneath. I love the uneven "hemline" that creates an almost spiral effect. The plates of brass were held together with an insane number of jumprings. Laura added brass to the shoes as well, strips ordered from an industrial materials supplier!

These Draped Orb Earrings earrings were created using extra metal from the dress. A sliver of brass was bent and draped with black disco chain on the inside and outside. They have a great swing and shimmer of movement. Laura had the awesome idea of using some of the bent metal pieces to create almost Edward Scissorhand-esque rings. Subtle, yet vicious.

This Bullet Bling Cascade Necklace uses over 15 feet of chain draped together in a complex web of rings and 22 caliber bullet casings. Still pictures do it no justice, it is so beautiful as it sways from side to side. The cuff bracelet makes its first appearance in this look as well. We had originally attempted to create the cuff using thick brass wire hammered into overlapping spirals, but the cut brass was even stronger.

Laura wired together dozens of slivers of brass to create the shoulder strap of this look. The back is equally impressive. Scarlett Garnet did not create it, but we think it is so killer.

These Crystal Bullet Earrings are similar to the necklace in Laura's Lifetime profile picture. Vintage chandelier spikes are set in 9mm bullet casings. We love combining vintage glam with that element of danger.

The Shredded Disco necklace becomes one with the outfit. Varying lengths of brass and disco chain are draped, with loose pieces hanging to the side. Bullet casings bring all of the chain together in the back, with an adjustable clasp.

In Laura's final look, the metal dress pieces are sprinkled through the bottom of the dress as if the armor had been shredded.

Her show has won rave reviews from industry experts and bloggers alike. Many comment on the "bold yet delicate" jewelry including:

SmallScreenScoop.com found our Nautilus Skeleton Necklace online.

TomandLorenzo.com thought Laura had the winning collection, if she had the chance. They also loved her jewelry.
CurrentlyLovingIt.blogspot.com was obsessed with the collection and jewelry.

After returning from our very successful first go at a tradeshow, I was able to catch up with Laura whenever she was in town. A few lounges in St. Louis hosted "viewing parties" so we could watch Project Runway on a big screen on their outdoor patio! I equate it to local professional sports, but for art and design people.

Watching the first episode of Season 9 at Over/Under in Downtown St. Louis. They projected it onto the wall outside!

In all honesty, watching with Laura, her friends and family, when she won the Episode 3 Challenge was infinitely more fun than watching the St. Louis Cardinals. Sorry, sports folk. The cheer that went up gave me more goose bumps than when Pujols hits a homerun. Or even like 3 in one game during the World Series. Yeah, I said it.

Every week, Garnet and I would tune in from our respective cities, eagerly anticipating Laura's new creations and to see which Scarlett Garnet necklace she would wear next! Although we are not usually big tweeters, we tried to chime in on the hash tag commentary during the show. Because I knew Laura's talent and drive, and I saw how well she was doing on the show, I thought she might win. However, she was eliminated on the 12th episode. I admit, I teared up (watching it the next day on myLifetime.com in the privacy of my own studio. The night before I had begged a bar owner to turn just one of his dozen televisions to Lifetime during the last game of the Cardinals winning the National League playoffs). But I knew that Laura was making the most of the huge opportunity -from hosting the opening night of St. Louis Fashion Week's Project Design, sitting front row for every runway show, to living up to her local celebrity status by posing for pictures with fans. Most importantly, with an eye on her goals, she is already working on her next collection for 2012 to be manufactured locally, even while teaching fashion design at Life for Life Academy High School.

Laura and I at Project Design on October 11, the only night of St. Louis Fashion Week that showcases local designers! She hosted the event, wearing her own super hot creation and our jewelry.

Working with Laura has been a pleasure and an inspiration. She knows her market, and where she wants to be in it. She aims high, but will put in all the hard work to make it to her goals. She knew from the start that reality TV may not paint an accurate or complimentary picture of her, but was excited for the challenges and name recognition it would bring to her line. In person, Laura is always professional, polite, and if she was feeling stressed while producing her fashion week line, she never let it change the way she dealt with Scarlett Garnet. When things did not go right in ordering sheet metal or getting it cut, she never dwelled on the negatives but thought quickly of the next step. I had the pleasure of meeting her parents, brother and close friends in the process, and was warmed by seeing their love and support for her, but also her concern for them as well. She never seemed to balk at my availability for jewelry drop off being between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., because she was up that late, working her fingers off too.

And yes, she is that super cute and sassy in person. :)

I have included a few more pictures of Laura wearing Scarlett Garnet at events and on Lifetime.

The night of Project Runway's New York Fashion Week Show. Laura is going big with the Hinged Chest Plate Necklace

On "After the Runway" show, added on by Lifetime to let designers clear the air. Laura looks so great in the Draped Cairo Necklace.

Right now, Scarlett Garnet is continuously filling wholesale orders for boutiques around the country and Canada. We design 2-3 lines a year, each inspired by a loose theme. Our hand-drawings are translated into digital files, which are then laser cut and water-jet cut, in Missouri, from copper, brass, stainless steel, wood and acrylic. Garnet, myself, and our small production team assemble each piece. We released the "Egypt Noir" line in August at POOL, which has been hugely popular. Close behind has been the "Glam and Neon" line, which includes all of the looks found on the Project Runway and NYC fashion week, as well as our signature shapes cut into neon acrylic. We also have a Men's Line in the works, "Gunslinger," to compliment the "Spaghetti Western Sunset" line we released last year. We are gearing up for the holiday season, booking art shows, trunk shows and home parties, and looking forward to POOL again in February of 2012.

You can purchase Scarlett Garnet at:

Website: www.ScarlettGarnet.com

One of our many awesome retailers (list here)

Etsy page: ScarlettGarnet

You can follow us at:

Blog: ScarlettGarnetJewelry.Blogspot.com

Facebook: Scarlett Garnet Fan Page

Email list: click here

Twitter: @ScarlettGarnet.

We travel all over the country and will be visiting Chicago, Cincinnati, Austin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in November and December alone, so be sure to follow us as we come to a city near you!

We'd like to thank Laura Kathleen for this wonderful opportunity! It has been magical to see our work on Project Runway, and paired with such talent.
Thank for reading!
-Katie

Egypt Noir - Behind The Scenes of Making a Line

2011-09-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

People often ask us about our creative process, how do two women living in different cities create such cohesive and unique lines of jewelry? We're usually so on the go from one project to the next that we barely take time to acknowledge that we've even launched a new line! So, we've decided to smell some roses and explain what goes in to making our lines of jewelry.

We start by choosing a theme, one that truly inspires us, one that keeps us up at night as the wheels turn in our brains and we're haunted by jewelry designs so much we can't sleep. Without a good theme we can really get behind, the creative juices are, well, nonexistent. The themes seem to just come to us, as if they suddenly perch themselves on the branches of our sub conscience and sing their creative songs. For our Spaghetti Western Sunset line, I was inspired by the colors of the sunset, the silly old Italian western movies themselves (don't even think we didn't watch a few for research) and all things Cowboy and Indian. From there, the line just seemed to flow out of both of us. For Egypt Noir, Katie was inspired by a piece of family furniture, a vintage mirrored shelf that features intricate Egyptian inspired details, namely the image of Horus, the Falcon God, with his wings spread wide across the top of the shelf, as if protecting all the intricate pretty things someone would place inside of it. When Katie asked me what I thought of using Egypt as our next theme, the ideas started to flow and we knew we were on to something great.

Given the fact that Egypt is one of the oldest and most well known civilizations of all time, we knew we had our work cut our for us. We wanted to capture the essence of Egypt without being too literal and knew we needed to give it our own perspective. We wanted our line to stand out and to say something. As our brains mulled over this concept, we knew we had given ourselves our best challenge yet. We needed research! We spent hours online skimming through images of ancient Egyptian art and architecture and reading about the culture. We even visited the Egyptian exhibits at the art museums in our respective cities to see some ancient artifacts in person. Katie spent a morning at the St. Louis Art Museum and I spent an afternoon at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. After extensive research, we found our muse, Cleopatra. We wanted to capture the essence of a modern day Cleopatra, in all her glory, and imagine what type of jewelry would be fit for such a queen.

She is sexy, brilliantly intelligent, untouchable. She is sultry and soft but powerful and commanding. She is independent, strong and different.

Meet our model, Joi, she is Cleopatra incarnate.

When we were designing this line, we watched "
Cleopatra" together. We knew that Elizabeth Taylor would help inspire us.

This is an image of Cleopatra that inspired our necklace, Cleo Cameo. We liked the side view and the feather headdress.

We used to hand saw all the metal for our jewelry but in order to grow, we began outsourcing to local laser and waterjet cutting companies. We hand draw all our designs and have them turned into digital files. The machine then cuts our metal by reading the digital files. We wanted to create a modern day Cleopatra cameo and wanted something different. The frame is designed to have an art nouveau aesthetic and the stainless steel Cleopatra is pinned to the frame.

The finished product is really unique. Cleopatra is very detailed and intricate and the frame adds further to the elegance of this piece. We chose a green amethyst briolette to finish the look.

The image of King Tut's sarcophagus is one of the most famous images of all time. We wanted to create a necklace using its essence but didn't want it to be too literal. It was a challenge but the Tut's Treasure necklace turned out better than we could have hoped for.

Tut's Treasure is made from brass to mimic the gold of the sarcophagus. The use of green onyx, lapis lazuli, angelite and coral mimic the colors of the stones on the sarcophagus as well.

It is impossible to think about Egypt and not think about the Great Pyramids of Giza. I wanted to create a fun necklace utilizing their image, something big and bold and almost silly.

I drew the pyramids inside a circle, with everything connecting to create the top piece.

The bottom piece is made from brass to look reminiscent of the desert sand.

The necklace is 27 inches long and doesn't require a clasp.

Pyramid Scape is fit for a queen!

The lotus flower was a huge inspiration to the ancient Egyptians and it is depicted often in their art. The Egyptians saw the lotus flower as a symbol of rebirth. It closes at night and sinks underwater, then re-emerges and blooms again in the morning . Thus the flower became a natural symbol of creation and the sun. We were inspired by the lotus flower as well and used its image in many of our pieces

The lotus comes in blue, white and pink. This Layered Lotus Necklace reflects those colors with hand dyed wood and stainless steel.

The lotus flowers depicted in Ancient Egyptian art were the inspiration for many of our pieces. These appear to have an art nouveau aesthetic, which, of course, spoke to us.

You can see the correlation between our drawings and the Egyptian painting.

We were inspired by the Egyptian falcon god Horus, who was known as God of the Sky, War and Protection. Horus was the sky, and the Egyptians believed that the sun was his right eye and the moon his left, and that they crossed the sky when he flew. The speckled feathers of his breast were the stars and his wings created the wind.

This brass image of horus became the Desert Falcon necklace and earrings which are quickly becoming two of the most popular items from this line.

The use of aluminum chain makes these earrings very light weight. They are so much fun to wear and definitely make a statement.

The Desert Falcon Necklace is stunning! It's made with layers of brass and aluminum chain that are etched to reveal their bright and shiny insides.

We focus on creating at least one new line a year but usually put out two. We really thrive off this creative process and it's so much fun to see our hand drawings come to life. We have a few ideas on the back burner but our themes are top secret until the line is ready to launch. You'll have to stay tuned in to see what Scarlett Garnet creates next!

I've enjoyed taking time to explain how Katie and I create our jewelry. We hope you enjoy reading about our creative process.

-Garnet

POOL Trade Show, Las Vegas, August 2011

2011-08-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry busted into the wholesale rhealm with our first ever showing at POOL Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV this August 22 -24. We did our best to have enough in stock for the Cash and Carry booth and also took wholesale orders. Katie came in from St. Louis to Kansas City several days before the show to help with production. In a matter of days, we turned our KC studio upside down getting ready for the show. We have to say thank you to Maria, Esther, Megan, Gabrielle, and Lorena for helping us get our stuff did. Thank you ladies!

Agh!!!! Such an organized mess...

Finished products were hung on our display fixtures lining the wall of the studio to help stay organized.

All our efforts were immediately rewarded the moment we stepped foot inside the convention center at Mandalay Bay. This show is HUGE! And awesome, and a perfect fit for our blossoming company. We didn't know what to expect but we were sure it would be something good at the very least. It was actually something very awesome, indeed. We kinda totally heart POOL. A lot.

We launched our never before seen "Egypt Noir" line while in Vegas. Why not? It's pretty perfect for this city and show. It was well recieved to say the least.

We introduced a neon line of Jewelry for August's First Friday in the KC Crossroads Art District, where our Kansas City studio is located. We brought a few samples with us and also wore neon jewelry during the show. Needless to say, it was a hit! After selling pieces off our neck and ears 3 times in a row on our second day of the show, we decided that we should include it as a product to be ordered. Thus, the neon line has been officially born. Shapes from our past 3 lines, "Nautical Nouceau", "Spaghetti Western Sunset" and "Egypt Noir" are cast in neon acrylic priced way inside your budget. People asked if the jewelry glowed in the dark to which we replied, "it glows in the light."

As first time exhibitors, we were treated very well. We felt right at home, starting from the email correspondence months out to secure our booth up to the closing day of the show, we felt that we were under POOL's gracious wing. We picked up a copy of the POOL Trade Show directory which was distributed to all vendors and buyers throughout the 3 day show.

To our most pleasant and humble surprise, POOL featured us twice in this directory. We sold out of the Multi Metal Chevron Earrings :)

Day 1 & 2 of POOL, the vendors were treated to free happy hour. Thank you!
The real party, however, took place after the first night of the show, Monday evening on the rooftop of Mandalay Bay, Foundation, nose bleed floor. Vendors, show organizers, buyers, photographers all united and had a fantastic time. Open bar for 4 hours = very hung over vendors for day 2, but we'll all sleep when we're dead, right?

Yup, this is the view from Foundation Club atop Mandalay Bay.
We made new friends and fans during the show, including vendors and show organizers. Kristen, the head honcho organizer extraordinaire of Project POOL's immediate neighbor, loved our "Steel Steer Necklace" so much that her team of assistants bought it for her as a gift. She wore it around proudly and we were ever so happy to see her wandering around the show wearing our necklace.

Check out our new friend from "Costella" Bags sportin some chevron action!

And, finally, the Las Vegas sights...And, some well earned chilaxing time at the pool....

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry is so proud to have been a part of this August 2011 POOL Trade Show. We had such a successful trip and cannot wait to come back. Thank you to POOL Trade Show and to all our fans and friends who are there for us. We appreciate your support!

Scarlett Garnet hearts you all!

XOXO,

Garnet and Katie

Stylism - Japanese Showroom

2011-06-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

When Katie and I were approached by Jasmine via email to sell our products in her Japanese showroom a few months ago, we at first thought it was too good to be true. We replied to her email with a laundry list of questions trying to figure out if Stylism was legit. Emails turned into phone calls and after tons of research and meeting Jasmine in person this past June in NYC, it turns out, yes, Stylism is very, very legit.

Jasmine and her mother run the office in New York where they spend hours and hours searching Etsy and other online websites looking for American bridge jewelry designers to include in their showroom. Once they find the designers they like, the get live samples from them and send them to their showroom in Japan. Buyers can come view the lines in the showroom and place wholesale orders. Stylism also participates in large wholesale markets in Japan where they set up shop and buyers come from all over to look for new products. Instead of us flying to Japan, Jasmine does it for us, takes orders, tells us what we need to send them, takes a percentage of sales and sends us a check. This makes expanding internaionally much more cost effective, although, some day, we would love to visit Japan.

Jasmine is at a wholesale market in Japan even as I type this blog post. We could get a few orders, we could get no orders, we could get hundreds of orders. Either way, Scarlett Garnet Jewelry has made its way overseas to Tokyo. Wish us luck that they'll love our jewelry the way our American friends do!

Stylism is on the 7th floor of a beautiful art deco building located downtown in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan, NYC.

The lovely ladies of Stylism, Jasmine and her mother inside their quaint and well-windowed NY office.

Knowing their market, Stylism asked us to alter slightly a few of our designs to make them more appropriate for fall. We changed out bright chain into darker and added a few stones to some pieces.

Katie and I after meeting with and dropping of samples at Stylism. Yes, we are smiling very cheesily from ear to ear. Thank you, Jasmine, for obsessivly stalking Etsy for new American jewelry designers. Scarlett Garnet Jewelry is honored to be one of your featured companies.

Trunk Show at Mezzanine Boutique

2011-06-17T15:18:00.001-07:00

For years I have been receiving postcards from Mezzanine Boutique announcing its designer trunk shows. The boutique, newly relocated to Maplewood from the Central West End in St. Louis, carries a well curated collection of clothing, accessories and jewelry that is so much fun for looking and feeling the luxurious fabrics. I have always admired the store for its light and airy feel, as well as for the fashion forward lines inside.

In a world of digital and social media, the trunk show postcards are a delight to find in one's actual mail box. I have admired the designers featured, and the way the postcard is able to capture their essence with just one photograph and very simple writing as an invitation. I have always hoped that one day, my own business would make it to the level of that featured designer. And now it has.

Please join us for a trunk show at Mezzanine Boutique this Saturday, from 11 - 4, at the new location of 2741 Sutton Ave. Light refreshments will be served, and Scarlett Garnet will be showing selected pieces from its Spaghetti Western Sunset Line, as well as many other one-of-a-kind items.

Special thanks to:

-M/E Photography for their skill at capturing a feeling, as well as the jewelry detail, in our Spaghetti Western Sunset photoshoot

-Anna Spector, owner of Mezzanine, for inviting Scarlett Garnet to show in her store.

Road to Renegade: Packing it up

2011-06-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

When we tell people we are driving to NYC for a show, bringing a display tent and all of our gear, they ask, "Are you renting a van?" Nope. It all fits in a Nissan Versa.
We have 1 10x10 tent, 4 tables, 2 chairs, 4 tent walls, 1 wagon wheel chandelier, 3 racks of antlers, a cow jaw, a rechargeable battery, numerous picture frame displays, a cooler, all of our jewelry making supplies, a dremel drill and enough clothes to keep SG looking good for about a week.

Excuse me, can you move your rack?

A brand's packaging can be almost as important as the product itself. We chose biodegradable "plastic" bags for our customers to carry away their new treasures! These cute and functional red bags are available at NoblePackaging.com. We also ordered adorable pillow shaped boxes made from recycled material for the jewelry itself.

Take me home!

We arrived in New York City late last night, and are excited to be attending the Etsy Craft Night at the mother ship itself- Etsy Labs in Brooklyn tonight!

A few other random pictures from the trip so far. You can get all of our updates on our Facebook Fan Page.

Ruby is our muskrat skull mascot. She loves sitting on the dashboard, getting the best view of the country.

As we walked through Philadelphia on our way to NYC, we passed by this cigar shop and spontaneously bought a few cigar boxes for jewelry displays and a cash box.

The insanity of the Magic Gardens in Philly.

Road to Renegade: Wild Wild Midwest

2011-06-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Our current jewelry line's theme is a Spaghetti Western Sunset. And nothing screams spaghetti western like wagon wheel saloon chandelier. Luckily, the owners of Maven, the boutique in which our studio lives in St. Louis, like to collect odd lights and lamps. My personal electrician* rewired this beauty so that it can plug into an outlet. We invested in a rechargeable battery a couple years ago to light our tent during evening outdoor shows, so we've got that part covered too. I can't wait to see this in our tent! Stop by to see her in her full glory!

The view from below. She will cast some great shadows.

Just like walking into a saloon. Chances are we'll have beer too ;)

We're in booth #112, near the north Lorimer entrance to the park. Stop by!

The Crafty Supermarket in Cinci and Fabricate Boutique

2011-05-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Scarlett Garnet had the honor of participating in the Crafty Supermarket in Cincinnati, OH again this spring. Held in the Clifton Arts Center, an old school, the carefully curated show is a hot spot for shoppers! They lined up outside the show for at least an hour before the start to grab the awesome goody bags, and came in droves all day long. I was very impressed with the vendors at the show, especially booth neighbors Magpie and Molly's hand sawed creations, and Busty's Fun Bags.

The Supermarket was Auntie's turn to carry her adorable niece! While Mom helped her try on the Mercury's Wing Necklace, the mirror provided much entertainment for all. Cinci shoppers know the art of the baby backpacks, too crowded for strollers!

The organizers of the show also run the boutique Fabricate in the NorthSide of Cinci. You can purchase Scarlett Garnet at the shop, as well as handmade goods from many other local artists. I picked up barrettes from one of my favorite accessory designers, Felix and Jane.

SG at FabNorthSide

Fabricate displays art on one wall of the store and holds monthly art openings

Felix and Jane, whom we met at St. Louis Fashion Week years ago, makes lovely little barrettes with bright colors and contrast stitching. I love the random shapes and florescent hues. They lady behind you in line at the post office will enjoy looking at something new too.

My mom and I made it a Mother's Day weekend trip and drove together from St. Louis to Cincinnati. We survived many hours in one car, and had a lovely dinner with my friend from college, Katie England-Simms, in a blossoming area on the skirts of downtown Cinci. We checked out some shops in Indianapolis on the way home, including the super fresh Homespun.

By no means am I a church searching tourist, but Mother's Day mass brought us to the St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in downtown Cinci. After inhaling large amounts of incense for over an hour, I found the architecture and art very inspiring.

The colorful stained glass windows- so calming and peaceful

The Greek style paintings and mosiacs glowing with gold leaf and detail

Artists and crafters- this is a great show in which to participate. I had the shock and pleasure of pulling up to load-in and being greeted by not 1, not 2, but 4 volunteers to help me bring in my displays! Booth sitters made constant rounds to offer help, and the venue had tasty, healthy food by local restaurants. I highly recommend applying to this show, but no jewelry vendors, we don't want to lose our spot ;)

Thanks for reading,
Katie

Shop online at ScarlettGarnet.com, or on Etsy

Girls' Night Gone Bling

2011-05-04T16:42:00.001-07:00

If you're tired of the same old girls' night routine, we have something fun and different for you and your besties! Book a jewelry making class with Scarlett Garnet! It's the perfect chance to hang out with your friends, gossip, drink wine and learn to make jewelry! This is the only girls' night where you learn a new skill and walk away with a piece of jewelry you designed yourself!

Last night I had the pleasure to teach 8 lovely ladies how to make jewelry out of my stock of gemstone, glass, metal and wood beads here at the Scarlett Garnet Studio in KC. Stefanie emailed me to book a jewelry class and recruited 7 of her friends to attend with her. The girls each paid a base fee to pick through all my beads, chains and findings to create jewelry pieces made just for them. It was so much fun to work with them all and get to know them during the class. We all had a blast drinking wine and eating snacks while we worked. I provided some wine and snacks and the girls brought some extra wine and snacks as well. The perfect ingredients for a girls' night: wine, cheese and crackers and jewelry.

Here's what Stefanie and her friends made.

Jean chose this Southwest inspired wooden shape designed by Katie and me and added some brass African beads, lapis lazuli and a turquiose briollette on brass chain. She was a natural at jewelry making and picked up on how to work with the materials in no time.

Emily chose this mother of pearl as her centerpiece and added dyed shell, wood and black onyx on a brass colored aluminum chain. She started out with too many bead options and knew it was a little too much so she asked my advice on how to slim down her choices. I told her to pick her favorite bead, which is the shell suspended in the middle, and the we worked together to come up with this design.

Esther fell in love with these thorny stainless steel pieces designed by me for our very first line and added a piece of vintage glass resourced from a chandelier. She used silver chain to hold all the pieces in place just where she wanted them. She was a natural and worked very quickly and efficiently and before I knew it, she was helping me out by helping the other girls.

Check out this amazing bib necklace made with turquoise and brass pieces on brass colored aluminum chain. The strung beads are suspended by two vintage brass components that Katie and I found at a bead store in San Francisco.

Stefanie gravitaded towards these copper pieces designed by me and Katie. She made them her own by adding green and blue crystal beads and a sparkly brass and white chain. Her necklace is long enough to slip over her head and makes a bold statement.

Catherine was inspired by SG's Disco Headdress Necklace when she designed this piece. She wanted to mimic the assymetrical look with beads cascading in different lengths down one side. She chose a vintage brass component sourced from one of our trips to San Francisco as the centerpiece. I drilled holes in the pendant for her after we discussed how she would like it to hang.

Suzy brought in her own pendant to the class to revamp it into something new. The fish was inherited from her Grandmother, who Suzy was very close to. She wanted to do something really special with it. She gravitated towards these blue and white vintage German enamel pieces that Katie and I found in San Francisco. I drilled the holes where she wanted them and showed her how to wire wrap vintage glass beads to the pieces and connect them to the brass chain. She paid a little extra to make these earrings because she really wanted to make a few things and fell in love with these green crystal beads.

Lea really loved this gunmetal ring and decided she wanted it to be the centerpiece of this necklace. I suggested putting this shell bead inside it to give it more definition. She really liked the circular black lava rock discs and vintage costume pearl beads. She and I worked together on the design and it turned into something truly unique.

These girls were all just so wonderful and I truly had a great time. I thanked Stafanie for booking the jewelry class and was so happy to see her and her friends walk away with beautiful creations that they designed to suit their personalities.

To book your own girls' night jewelry party in Kansas City or in St. Louis, visit our website for all the details or email us at scarlettgarnet@gmail.com. We would love to hang out with you and your friends and help you make beautiful bling!

I look forward to crafting with you and your ladies soon!

-Garnet

Inspiring a Name - Rhett, Red and Scarlett

2011-04-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

As I was reading the latest Etsy blog giving advice to jewelry designers, I read a post from RhettDidntGiveaDamn. My first Treasury inspiration was born!
Our business name, Scarlett Garnet, is the combination of my obsession during high school, and my business partner's name, Garnet. Around the age of 15, I was awe struck by the story of Gone With the Wind- the confident and headstrong heroine, the brazen hero, and the tear jerking finale! Any costume party became an excuse for a hoop skirt, and I even started responding to the name, "Scarlett."
Now, Garnet and I both respond to "Scarlett"! And Garnet, and Red, and....
I have sought out the best and brightest of shops, products and people that have been inspired by Gone with the Wind. Now maybe you will be too!
Check out the Etsy Treasury here!
For more history on Scarlett Garnet Jewelry, read about us.
Thanks,
Katie

Creating a line- Spaghetti Western Sunset

2011-03-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry currently releases two lines a year, each revolving around a loose theme. Our collaboration has become more enmeshed with each line as we both bring our ideas to the table and lock ourselves in the studio to hash it out. The Spaghetti Western Sunset line was inspired by our trip across California in July for shows, and by Garnet's road trip home through the south west.

We both work individually on our own designs within the theme and come together to collaborate. After looking over each other's drawings, we make revisions and research source images for more inspiration.

We discuss materials such as metal, chain, gemstones and findings. Our travels for shows around the country allow us to shop in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin and New York City for supplies.

Scarlett Garnet is fueled by wine and dark chocolate.

These pictures were taken in SG's studio in St. Louis, which is in the lower level of Maven Boutique in Maplewood. Thrift stores, freecycle, and vintage finds provide the decor of the studio.

After we draw and re-draw each design, we send them to our good friend, Steve Smith, to turn them into the proper digital files for the type of cutting they will undergo, depending on the material chosen. Prototypes are cut and assembled with chain, stones and findings. Much revision takes place during the actual production process until a final design is achieved and photographed for our website and promotions.

You can see all of the final designs here on scarlettgarnet.com!

New Boutiques for Scarlett Garnet- Squasht Gold Dragonflys!

2010-06-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Scarlett Garnet has added several new boutiques to their roster in the last few months! We are always SOO excited to meet new owners and buyers, have our work spreading across the state, and all over the nation! We snap pics when we drop off inventory and trade links with stores whenever we can. These pockets of retail fashion bliss are our heroes- they are wonderful models of entrepreneurial success, and the owners are often strong women our age or within just a few years! We need them to sell our pieces and promote our brand, they need us to create unique and high quality jewelry that will keep their customers satisfied and coming back for more. Quite a balance!

In memory card order:

DragonFly Designs in Eureka, MO
Not only does she carry many local designers, she also creates custom stationary, invitations, and any other correspondence that needs a personalized kick! Just a couple of turns off highway 44, west of St. Louis, and you'll reach this adorable destination spot.

Solid Gold in Austin, TX
Scarlett Garnet and Solid Gold share the SG name with pride!

We loved the floating racks at Solid Gold. It gives a light feeling to the small boutique in East Austin.

Squasht by Les in Chicago, IL
SG's friend, Leslie Timpe, has migrated from STL to CHI and opened a new boutique to showcase her wares. Her networking in the design world allows her to carry so many great looks!

We are always looking for new boutiques to carry Scarlett Garnet. Let us know if you frequent a store in your city!

New Studio

2010-01-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

Scarlett Garnet has a new home! Come visit us for our grand opening party this First Friday, February 5th, from 6:00 to 10:00. Enjoy a complimentary cocktail on us, check out our new digs and shop for your valentine from our stock of hand-made jewelry. We're right across the street from Grinders at 504 E 18th Street, Suite 101, Kansas City, MO 64108.

Real sign to come soon, made by our friends at Smith Signs.

Wedding Hive Meet N Greet January 21st

2010-01-12T14:49:00.000-08:00

Come meet the Wedding Hive! And it's upcoming and past shows' vendors, brides to be, friends of the Hive, and the Pitch's Street Team. January 21st at Harry's Bar and Tables in Westport (corner of Westport Road and Pennsylvania). We'll be there from 5 - 8 to mingle and enjoy Harry's happy hour specials. Come have a drink with the Wedding Hive! Make sure to tell all your engaged friends to come meet with us. We'll tell you all about our upcoming wedding exposition taking place on February 25th.

KC Weddings Magazine Features Scarlett Garnet

2010-01-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

We are delighted to share with you that KC Weddings Magazine is featuring a Scarlett Garnet necklace in this month's issue!! It's the Asymmetrical Chandelier piece pictured below which uses vintage chandelier crystals combined with antique brass look chain. It's on sale right now online! KC Weddings Magazine approached us because they wanted to include us in their vintage bridal jewelry article. We use a lot of vintage finds in our work and vintage is especially wonderful for bridal jewelry so we were a perfect fit. One of the custom features we offer our customers is that we can take a vintage item, like an old clip on earring or pin or a strand of their grandmother's pearls, and create new, modern jewelry out of it. We use vintage components in non-bridal as well, utilizing things like skeleton keys, military pins, mother of pearl buckles, etc. The Wedding Hive was also mentioned in this issue as well! Double press - yes!!!! They listed the Wedding Hive Blog as one of KC's top 3 local resources for brides to be. Several Hive members were listed in this issue so it's a nice pat on the back for all our hard work creating and maintaining the Wedding Hive.

Ric Rac Roundup

2010-01-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

Scarlett Garnet has sold at Bon Bon Atelier since it's grand opening a few years ago. We're simply huge fans of Emily and Betsy, KC's super sister team, and love the amazing boutique they've created. Seriously one of our all time favorites, even sized up to the one's we've seen in LA, Chicago and other major cities. Nice work, ladies, always keeping it fresh and ahead of the rest. So imagine if the super sisters were to put on a craft show, you might get something truly awesome like the Ric Rac Roundup. Held at Californo's for the holiday shop, the summer Ric Rac Roundup was held outdoors in the Bon Bon Atelier parking lot. Scarlett Garnet has done both so far and plan to sign on bi-annually from now on. Thanks, ladies, for providing yet another awesome outlet for crafters. DIYers and artisans alike in the KC area.

The Foundrie

2010-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

Our good friend and Renegade Craft Fair booth buddy, Shelah McClymont, owner of Destroyed By Design, is the brainchild for St. Louis' most progressive new store, The Foundrie. Located in Chesterfield Mall, the store was open from Black Friday until just after Christmas, one month of shopping indie for the holidays. What, you say? Indie shopping at a mall? Sheila used her ninja networking skills to gather 30+ of the most talented, progressive and creative independent designers from St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago and LA to fill her store. Sheila's degree in Fashion Merchandising definitely shows in these pictures of The Foundrie, where she actually transformed a really boring mall shop into something that Anthropologie's merchandisers would envy. Great job, Sheila! Scarlett Garnet and Shi Shi Designs did a trunk show on December 12th and had a wonderful experience and sales. All our customers had wonderful things to say about the trunk show, the store and the quality and diversity of the product. We hope that Sheila opens her pop-up indie holiday shop every year! Congratulations to the success of The Foundrie, Sheila!!!

Shelah McClymont

Katie helping out a customer

From Left: Shelah McClymont, Garnet Griebel, Katie Miller, Danielle Meister

Danielle from Shi Shi Brand helping a customer. Danielle's hand-made hair clips and fasterners are available at Birdies in KC and at Charm Boutique and Maven in STL.

ShopGirls

2010-01-12T10:41:00.001-08:00

Scarlett Garnet has the privilege to sell in one of Brookeside's chicest boutiques, ShopGirls. Owners Aimee Green and Katy Hamilton hand-pick the cutest, most easy to wear and layer pieces. They've also got an eye for fabulous footwear. Check out what's available now in their store online and in person at 6245 Brookside Plaza Kansas City, MO 64113 816.363.0229. The store is always changing, so expect the layout and the product to always be different every time you visit. Make sure to add ShopGirls to your list of boutiques to frequent. Thanks Aimee and Katy for supporting local designers!

Love Brigade

2009-11-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

We met Chris (Tinypants), Alyssa and Jamie, owners and creators of Love Brigade, at St. Louis Fashion Week. We're so impressed with the philosophy of their design which emanates throughout the entire collection. Sexy, flirty, sleekly deconstructed...... sophisticated. I bought five of their pieces at fashion week and have injected them permanently into my regular wardrobe rotation with glee. Yes, glee ;) Check out their blog from STL Fashion Week. Tinypants posted a picture of us featuring me wearing my newly purchased Shadow Dress. Already worn it at least one other time, guys! Love your stuff!!!!!!!! Nice Grand Canyon dress...

Love Bridage! St. Louis Fashion Week

Tinypants and Shadow Dress

Luxe De Ville

2009-11-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

Scarlett Garnet is now available at Luxe De Ville Boutique in Echo Park, 2151 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026. Oskar, the owner, loves carrying DYI artists' work in his boutique and he was really receptive to checking out what two indie jewelry designers from Missouri had to offer. This boutique is simply FANTASTIC! Oskar has a great eye for buying vintage items and keeps the store unique by selling both old and new. The variety is superb, with price points all across the board. It's simply got something for everyone. We are thrilled to be selling at Luxe De Ville. Thanks Oskar, for helping out indie designers! Go to their review on Yelp to see all the awesome things other people are saying about this boutique.

Oskar, hard at work manning the front counter.

Oskar hand-picked these necklaces made with moluska fossils, turtle claws, gemstones, and Peruvian jewel beetle casings.

Peruvian Jewel Beetle Casings and gemstone earrings

Make It Bake It color block earrings.

Arizona Tea recycled aluminum and Make It Bake It plastic earrings.

And more giant plastic earrings.

Love the front entrance!

J Robert Schraeder Photography

2009-11-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

J Robert Schraeder was generous enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to help out Scarlett Garnet with our new line, Necromantic. I gathered my friends, Emily and Hilary, and we had a blast modeling the new jewelry line on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Schraeder's studio. I borrowed all the skulls from Mercy Seat Tattoo and we had a fun time using them as props. I told him that I wanted the photos to be dark and sexy and I think you'll agree that he nailed it! Thank you, Robbie, for all your amazing photos! Thanks also to my lovely models, Emily and Hilary, and to the Mercy Seat for donating the skulls. Fabulous collaboration all around!

Necromantic

2009-11-03T20:09:00.001-08:00

Katie and I, generally, are two sweet and innocent girls (ok, maybe not THAT innocent) but we do have a darker side. It really came out with our newest line, Necromantic. We were inspired by the prairie dog paws, porcupine quills, Peruvian jewel beetle casings and other creepy yet beautiful items we found at Necromance in Los Angeles. It started out as a simple fascination and challenge of making dead things into beautiful jewelry pieces. As it turns out, we're not the only ones who appreciate the juxtaposition of gemstones and precious metals paired with taxidermy and animal bones. The new jewelry has been selling so well, that we decided to make it into our new line. We've sold these pieces and one-of-a-kind items similar in style to Luxe De Ville in LA, Birdies and Mercy Seat Tattoo in Kansas City, Blush Boutique in St. Louis, and Love Brigade in Brooklyn is placing their order from the new line. It turns out that death really is beautiful in the end! All the photos were taken by J Robber Schraeder.

Snake Vertebrae Earrings - $30

Bone and Brass Earrings - $24

Porcupine Quill Earrings - $28

Jewel Beetle Fringe Necklace - $35

Badger Tooth and Beetle Shell Necklace - $41

Prairie Dog Paw and Turquoise - $41

Necromance in Los Angeles

2009-11-03T19:42:00.001-08:00

We've been bewitched by the coolest, creepiest store in Los Angeles, Necromance. The store sells everything from human skulls and taxidermy to vintage doll parts and skeleton keys. We were already making jewelry out of bullet casings and feathers when we found the store, so it was only natural to add bones, prairie dog paws, porcupine quills and beetle shell casings to the line. We had to blog about Necromance because they truly helped inspire our new line, Necromantic. Plus, the owner is really nice and she sends our orders to us in really fun vintage syringe boxes. Did I mention they have not one, but two taxidermy peacocks at the store??? It's worth a visit for that alone! The next time you're in LA, check out their store at 7220 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046. You'll be sure to find something creepy and wonderful to take home. Be sure to check them out online as well. Thank you, Necromance, for being our inspiration!!

Off the Record and Sew What at Art Dimensions 3rd Floor Gallery

2009-10-09T18:39:00.001-07:00

Art Dimensions' Call for Artists are fairly broad, leaving a wide variety of artists access to having their work displayed in an excellent gallery in the heart of downtown St. Louis. I submitted two pieces to the Off the Record and Sew What shows this year, my first submission to Art D!

Off the Record- Use vinyl in your work

I dug my jeweler's saw into unfamiliar territory, sawing delicate swirls into the vinyl, and echoed the shapes on the opposite side with spray paint. When I picked it up afterward, Gina Weaver (the method behind the madness of the 3rd Floor Gallery) said people kept asking, "How did she do that?"

Criteria : Sew What- Use stitching, fabric, or any image that evokes sewing

Seamstresses have piles of fabric remnants than can later be sewn together to create a colorful new creation. Metalsmiths have piles of copper, sharp edges, and odd angles. Strictly using the scraps from my workbench and minimal cutting or alteration, I "sewed" together pieces of copper with sterling wire to create a classic Katie asymmetrical necklace.

Una Mae's Boutique

2009-10-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

Katie and I hit the pavement in Los Angeles after the Renegade Craft Fair to scout for boutiques to sell our line. After hitting up several dozen boutiques in many areas of LA, we finally found uNa Mae's on 4651 Kingswell Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027-4301, (323) 662-6137. The owner, Karen, was so friendly and totally into independent designers. After looking through our collection of one-of-a-kind designs, she ended up stocking her store with some make and bake, vintage, feather, and cut metal pieces. Check out Una Mae's every time you visit LA or Chicago, (yes, they have two amazing locations!) They carry a mixture of specially hand-picked vintage and modern clothing and accessories, creating a truly unique shopping experience every time you visit. We are so thrilled to be a part of this forward thinking boutique! Thank you, uNa Mae's!!!

Cute sign!

Katie completing our order at the front desk. Love the vintage displays!

Quite possibly the largest and healthiest jade plant I've seen. Succulents just thrive in the LA desert. I've personally not only killed, but murdered, every jade plant I've ever tried to nurture here in KCMO. I blame it on our crazy seasonal weather patterns, not on my black thumb. Nice ambiance, uNa Mae's!

Karen custom ordered these CA necklaces cut from copper set with black pearls on antique copper chain. We surprised her with a freebie CA cut from a record paired with labradorite and sterling silver chain. That's right, boutique buyers, if you order from us, you might get freebies from time to time. That truly does not suck, right? Order from us!!

I found this vintage skeleton key at the KC Rivermarket Antique Mall and set it with a mixture of large vintage links and new modern chain. I still think about this design and hope it found a good home :( Miss you, love...

Make and Bake plastic jewelry galore! Karen loved the recycled aluminum cherry blossom earrings and ship earrings. These are sooooo large yet super light weight. My kind of statement earring!

Vintage German enamel pendant (hand picked from a market in San Francisco by Katie) mixted with copper chain. Yum! Yum!

More Make and Bake! This is a label from an Anchor Steam Beer - yes, that counts as recycling! Do you have any idea how hard those labels are to pick off without tearing? The other is an Arizona Tea label, also difficult to remove from the bottle without tearing. So, yes, you can wear these and gloat that you are going green. Do it!

White feather and swarovski crystal copper scarf necklace. What can I say, it's just sexy. Buy it, wear it! You will not regret it.

Thank you, Karen, for not only supporting independent designers but also for trusting in the design capabilities of complete strangers from Missouri (of all places) who wandered into your boutique one random Tuesday this past mid July. We are proud to say that uNa Mae's is the first boutique in LA to carry Scarlett Garnet Jewelry!!!! Thank you Karen, Scarlett Garnet hearts uNa Mae's forever!!!

Los Angeles Renegade Craft Fair July 2009

2009-09-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Katie and I had the pleasure of vending in the first annual Los Angeles Renegade Craft Fair July 12th & 13th and the California Market Center in downtown LA. We had a blast selling jewelry, scouting for boutiques, surfing, and, of course, going out. Check out our photos from our week in LA.

Scarlett Garnet moves to LA

Manning our booth

View of downtown LA from the top floor of the CA Market Center where the vendors were set up for the craft fair.

Our booth buddy, Shelia, of Destroyed By Design

Shelia's awesome set up. It's so nice when two different jewelry design companies get along so well in one booth. Pretty rare.

Hello KT

Customers - our favorite!!! Thanks for the support :)

Found some cows while scouting for boutiques. Felt right at home, as if we were back in the midwest.

Me and Katie at the, ahem... excuse me!, ETSY sponsored after party, (what!??!!!) where we drank mojitos and ate taquitos compliments of the online DIY shopping network itself. ETSY wined and dined the RCF vendors with the ploy to pick our brains for feedback on ways to better improve ETSY to suit even more of our DIY crafting needs. ETSY, you're PERFECT! We heart you! Wine and dine us again, any time, please. Love, SG.

What can we say, ETSY got our night off to a fantastic start. It's only natural to dance on motion activated light blocks from the future after several mojitos and not nearlly enough taquitos. Go Katie, go!!!

Yes, we are rockstars. It's the same Saturday night after the Renegade, after the mojitos, and we're still at it, courtesy of some local friends who showed us the LA night life ropes. We're drinking PBR tall boys and dancing it up LA style. T'was fun!!

Different night out in LA after a looooong day of boutique scouting. Hitting the pavement and talking to strangers trying to sell your product is exhausting! We needed a drink. Oh, and looky here - a whole entire vase full of peacock feathers. Must pose next to them.

Scarlett Garnet cuts loose in Malibu!!!!!!! Rather, we suffocate ourselves by stuffing our bodies into these impossibly tight wetsuits. It was the first time ever surfing for both of us, courtesy of our new found friends, Burak and Jehungir (sorry, I totally butchered the spelling of your name - phonetically pronounced "ja" "hung" "eer". Hope that makes up for it.) Not only did they teach us the basics of surfing, they also taught us all the "cool" lingo like, "shredding the gnar" and, "shred sled". Bro. It was a much needed, very nice treat after working all weekend long at the Renegade Craft Fair. Thank you, new found friends in LA. Thank you very much!

Yes, we surfed on these boards. It was awesome! We got up a few times, may have not stayed up for long, but at least we tried. Surfing is hard!!! Yet fun - let's do it again sometime.

Alas, this marks the end of our amazing LA experience. After hanging around the downtown and hanging out in Echo Park & Silverlake, we've got to agree, Los Angeles rocks! We look forward to next year!!!!

A Touching Custom Order

2009-08-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

This has been my second summer selling Scarlett Garnet in the St. Louis Farmer's Markets. Being bright-eyed, bushy tailed, and completely set up by 8am on a Saturday is no easy task. However, the people I meet at the markets make it all worth while. Farmer's Market shoppers care about quality over quantity and enjoy meeting the farmer/goat-herder/artist behind their purchase. I had the lucky occasion to meet Gerard and Christy, a couple whose affection for each other was tangible. After their first visit to my booth, Gerard emailed me to request a custom piece for Christy, a sterling Trinacria, the symbol of Sicily. They had just returned from the island and Gerard wanted to surprise her with the special gift. I had the piece ready last Saturday at the Tower Grove, wrapped for the mid-market surprise. If I didn't recognize Gerard from our first meeting, I would have known him unmistakably by his eager grin as he entered my booth. I snuck him the package and he presented it to her right there. Jaw-dropping happiness took over her face! She couldn't stop hugging and starring at him incredulously for his thoughtfulness. They walked away and continued through the market, arm in arm, the picture of a happy couple young at heart. It is rare that we get to witness the initial reaction to one of our custom orders, so this was truly a special moment for Scarlett Garnet!

I regret that I did not get a picture of the necklace or the couple in their happy moment, but sometimes stories are meant to be shared and stored only up here (taps noggin with forefinger, tink tink).

SG all over the STL press!

2009-08-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

Revamped Jewelry! Clip on earrings into unique pendants

Debra Bass, fashion editor of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, is writing a series on "Cheap Tricks"- ways to be fashionable and not break the bank. She enlisted me to teach a group of young women how to turn their old jewelry into something new to wear. Catch the story at STLToday.com

Great Day St. Louis (morning local talk show) also had to get in on the action. I showed some before and after examples of revamped vintage jewelry, and even reworked some of the host, Virginia Kerr's jewelry live on the show! Watch the segment at GreatDayStLouis.com.
These funky earrings, hand sawed from retired license plate metal, were the "Green Picks" of local farmer and friend, Molly Rockamann of EarthDance Farms, in the July issue of St. Louis' At Home Magazine! Find out more about Molly's work with EarthDance at EarthDanceFarms.org.

The Genius of Blue Window Creative

2009-06-30T07:25:00.002-07:00

We Heart Blue Window Creative!

We have simply fallen in love with Mary and Joel Schroeder of Blue Window Creative. This power husband and wife duo are the creative geniuses behind the design and photography of their company, Blue Window Creative. Katie and I met them when we founded the Wedding Hive about a year ago. We knew that they were an extremely talented design company as we had heard amazing things and seen their fantastic work. It wasn't until I saw the branding, website and graphic design they did for the KC Wedding Hive, however, that I truly understood their true greatness. Katie and I decided then and there that they were our design company of choice for our re-branding. They've created this clever logo for us and it's simply changed the face of Scarlett Garnet Jewelry forever.

What a sexy new logo!!!

Not only does Blue Window Creative offer great design, they also have great printing rates for business cards. The company they use is actually extremely affordable for things like dye cutting, multiple colors and multiple finishes. Our new business cards are cut in this shape and have both a glossy and matte finish. Holla!!

Did I forget to mention that they were able to help us out in a time crunch? We are getting ready to leave town July 8th - 21st for the Renegade Craft Fairs in LA and San Francisco and they had about a month to really get going on this. They whipped this amazing new logo and all the print material files right up. Now they're working on making our website, as Mary would say, "sexeh". They're just too good to be true. People will buy our jewelry just for the logo!! And, hopefully because they like it, too.

Their amazing talent doesn't end there. Did we mention that they're also wonderful photographers? Check out these amazing photos and see for yourself. Recently, they've even started a new photography company called Circa. Check it out at IHeartCirca.com

Thank you Mary and Joel! Scarlett Garnet hearts you!!

Melissa Lin Ellis Photography

2009-06-30T07:25:00.001-07:00

Melissa Lin Ellis: Stolen From Chicago

We met Melissa about 6 month ago, right after she moved to KC from Chicago. Their loss is truly our city's gain! Melissa Lin Ellis is a talented, up and coming photographer who's name you should remember. Plan on seeing it around town a lot in the near future. This woman is a power house - sometimes I don't think she even sleeps. She's always working away, growing her portfolio and company with each photo shoot.

Scarlett Garnet had the fortunate opportunity to network with her through the Wedding Hive. We knew she would be the perfect fit for the KC portion of our new Scarlett Garnet Bridal Line.One rainy day early this June, we met at the SG studio in the Crossroads to take the photos of the new collection.

Melissa and I were on such tight schedules that I didn't have time to find a model. So, gulp, insert me as model! Scary! I'm the one whose always making the funny face, ruining otherwise perfect photos for everyone. To add more pressure, the results of this shoot were literally going to make or break the success of our new bridal line. I had to figure out a way to put my nerves aside and stop making those silly faces. Impossible!

To help me play the part, I borrowed a wedding dress and veil from Janay-A. Feeling a little more confident in my costume, Melissa and I were ready to go. I was nervous for about two seconds when I realized that there was nothing to be worried about. Melissa put me right at ease with her direction and easy-going personality. I succumbed to her instruction and, alas, actually became a decent model! No funny faces here, just me being myself, you know, hanging out in a wedding dress on a random morning in the Crossroads Art District. Yeah, that's me...

Check out Melissa's amazing work. She loved my peacock tattoo, artwork of Chet Duvenci at the Mercy Seat, and carried the theme into the photo shoot with a few random peacock feathers I had lying around (doesn't everyone have peacock feathers just lying around?) Maybe just me but the photo shoot went off effortlessly, despite the fact that it was raining the entire time. Melissa Lin Ellis, thank you for your contribution to Scarlett Garnet Jewelry. We hope to work with you for years to come. Oh, and welcome to Kansas City!

Custom Orders. Let Me See Your Grill and Paper Planes

2009-06-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

Let me see your grill. You wanna see me what?

Garnet called to say that she was hosting a jewelry show at her new studio for a KC dental school graduating class. "Teeth," she said, "I need teeth." So I dug my saw teeth into sterling silver tooth shapes, polishing them up, brushing them until they sparkled for the most recent pack of female dentists to hit Western Missouri. These little gems are on their way to KC as I type, ready to be added to chains, and adorn the neck of your next check up.

As a St. Louisan, I can't help but use the lines of the eloquent Nelly and say, "Rob the jewelry store and tell them make me a grill."

Bonafide hustler, clockin that game.

Brea McAnally, photographer, luminarian, friend. Brea has taken many of the product photos for SG and has only a few requests. Digging through our supplies, Brea happened upon some military pins Garnet had sent me a while ago. She was adamant about owning a necklace that had clever gun pins but also pictured the words "No More." Brea has established herself in an area of St. Louis that some don't tread. Oft a witness to her crazy shady neighbors' "retail," she has her pulse on the 'hood and knows what is going on. The No More necklace was a combination of delicate details (faceted quart, retro cut aluminum and fancy chain) with hard core little mini-gun pins with the back taken off. I couldn't help but think of M.I.A.'s Paper Planes song when making jewelry out of guns, but I took the time to read up on MIA's motivation for her lyrics. Brea's work with the International Institute fits in perfectly with MIA's commentary on America's ideas of foreigners.

Scarlett Garnet Studio Opening April 3rd!!!

2009-03-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry finally gets a space! KC Waerhaus is opening a boutique in the Crossroads Art District and hosting studio spaces for Scarlett Garnet Jewelry and A Shade Crazy. Come see us this First Friday for our grand opening on April 3rd from 6 to 10. We're located at 1800 Central Street, Suite 204, Kansas City, MO 64108. Check out these before pictures and come ooh and ahh at the amazing transformation. We're serving sangria and selling tons of local designer goodies. Shop local!!!

KC Wearhaus Goes to Denver

2009-03-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Garnet had the privilege to drive to Denver with Carman Stalker, owner of KC Wearhaus, to represent our local designers at the Fashion Denver spring show on March 21st. We had an amazing booth and proudly represented several designers including Stalker Designs, Scarlett Garnet Jewelry, A Shade Crazy, Squasht By Les, Popgun Clothing, Stella Replied, and Miriam Cofey. KC Wearhaus, http://kcwearhaus.com/ and Fashion Denver, http://www.fashiondenver.com/ plan to network together in the future to help out independent designers. Here are a few photos from the big show.

New Line in Oh-9

2009-03-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Katie and I are about to release our new spring/summer line. Our inspiration is nature vs architecture with an emphasis on mixed metals and new finishes. Once again, we're thinking outside of the box. More to come soon but for now, feel free to drool over these samples...

2009-01-31T12:29:00.000-08:00

2009-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Wedding Hive

2009-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry has had the priviledge to a a founding member of the Wedding Hive. Oh yes, we've worked really hard to earn this seal.
The Wedding Hive presents its first bi-annual bridal experience on January 22nd at Californo's. Not only will it be an interactive, Alice in Wonderland themed bridal experience, it will also be a charitable event. We'll have a silent auction for the Hope House and Wayside Waifs so please contact us if you would like to make a donation. We'll be selling our non-bridal items as well as serving free bubbly and bites. It's a free event open to everyone, not just brides to be. We hope to see you there!

Oh, flyers! Bridget, Joe and Garnet made a night out of hand-cutting, hand-laminating and then hand-cutting these puppies again. You may recognize this honeycomb shaped flyer from Westport, Mass Street in Lawrence, the Crossroads and Downtown KC. We've been attacking the city one pole at a time. Thanks to our hard work, they won't become victims of the elements.
Official KC Wedding Hive logo. Thanks to Mary and Joel of Blue Window Creative for all their amazing graphic design. Check out the georgeous website they've created for us at www.weddinghive.com

Ann Grace Photography Valentine Shoot

2009-01-13T13:18:00.001-08:00

Ann Grace Photography is a long time friend of Scarlett Garnet. When we asked Ann if she could help with the Kansas City end of our new Valentine line, she didn't hesitate. She set up the lighting, took the photos and had the pictures to us all within 24 hours. They look fantastic, especially the pictures of my new Make n Bake line, which are somewhat difficult to photograph. They have a translucent color quality to them which can be really hard to capture on film. You'll all agree that Ann did an amazing job here. Thanks for being our friend, Ann! Please visit Ann's website to see her other amazing work at www.anngrace.org

Highlights of 2008 for Scarlett Garnet

2009-01-01T21:19:00.001-08:00

2008 will be remembered as a turning point for Scarlett Garnet. Garnet quit her corporate life and started waitressing to focus on making jewelry. We finally created an actual line to distribute to boutiques, started a new website, joined forces with other indie crafters, safely drove to California and back, and really started to take Scarlett Garnet to the next level. I recently looked at pictures of our old displays and read a blog from 2006 in which I was happy to have sold 3 things and made $26 in the Charleston City Market. We have come so far since then! We are selling jewelry in boutiques all over the nation, have gained media attention in STL and KC, and are excitedly setting goals for 2009. Through all of the stress, all-nighters, hours on the road, and frustration, its easy to get lost in the day-to-day. Its neccessary to look back so that we can see the progress, and hence will mark the turning of the year with a little retrospective. Thank you to everyone that has supported us, by buying jewelry and helping us with all of our events. We hope you have a happy YOU year!

Scarlett Garnet started off the year with awesome photo shoots by photographers Becca Spears and Ann Grace. During the day, we were able to shoot in a beautiful old house in Kansas City. The lighting was eerie in some rooms, but romantically filtered in others. Becca's shots really captured the character of the house, our jewelry, and the handmade wedding dresses by Janay A Handmade. We ended the day at the Mercy Seat Tattoo Studio in downtown KC. Ann shot our handsome male volunteers wearing the more manly side of SG in the unique parlor. These photo shoots led up to the beginning of the bridal co-op and our first show at Wirken Photo. We drank Charles Shaw I "imported" from STL, sampled Cakes by Joe, and enjoyed the work of Janay A and Ornamental Petals.

I was so happy to be a part of the STL Farmer's markets this year, and look forward to continued success with them next year! This picture was snapped at the first day of the Tower Grove Farmer's Market in May. Constructing all of the display items takes many hours of patience and digging at antique stores, so it was great to finally see it all completed and set up! This was also the day we found out we had been accepted into the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco! I still get the chills thinking about when I first saw that email. Deliriously tired from staying up all night the evening before to sew scarlet red table clothes for the market, I re-read that communication 5 times before I believed it. We had applied to the Renegade numerous times and had finally been accepted in! That was really a turning point for SG and forced us to start getting our line together and making everything presentable.

Garnet and I both learned metalsmithing in 2008, which really drove us to new creative levels. We picked our favorite designs and directed our focus to getting photos taken, prices nailed down, both a printable and online catalog created, and to compiling lists of boutiques to market. Just hours before leaving for San Fran, we were printing off our first line sheet.

Although you won't be able to read the details, this was our itinerary for our drive out to San Fran for the Renegade Craft Show. Neither Garnet or I had driven across the country, and my anxiety was managed by making a color coded itinerary in excel. The blue at the top was to signify our "sleep" time, but in actuality, there was a lot less blue, and lot more pink drive time.
I snapped this picture as we stopped along the Great Salt Lake (yes, Band of Horses was playing in my head). Garnet's striking red hair was in perfect contrast to the barren landscape.
We got along splendidly for the whole trip, had no major mishaps (besides a cracked windshield and a speeding ticket), scouted boutiques in every major city on our route, and freakin rocked out at the Renegade.

While scouting boutiques a few weeks before the Chicago show, I met up with the lovely ladies at Hunny/She She on Damen. They booked us on the spot for a Trunk Show the weekend of the Renegade! They printed a big sign to advertise in their window that had to be documented. There were many good shows in between, but the next show that stands out is the Renegade in Chicago. With one Renegade under our belt, we thought we were prepared for this 2nd one closer to home. However, we were not prepared for the torrential downpour that Chicago experienced that weekend. We bought duct tape and tarps then hunkered down for a wet show. This situation had the potential to bring out the worst of the collaborators, but wine o'clock came early and no tempers flaired. This also marked the first booth-sharing with Shelah of Destroyed by Design, a pairing that will be oft repeated.

SG continued with multitudes of shows this fall and winter. We were pretty booked with a show in KC during the week, and one in St. Louis on the weekend for the majority of November and December. We have been living and learning on so many fronts, and are starting to truly realize our potential. For 2009, we hope to be more organized and better planners (no more all-nighters or overnight shipping charges!), to elaborate our line with new designs, get into more boutiques in the mid-west and the nation, to expand our bridal and wedding custom jewelry clientele, and to maximize our exposure in more venues (such as etsy, facebook, and more!). We know that the sky is the limit for us and that our hard work will pay off in the end. Thank you for reading and for your continued support of Scarlett Garnet! -Katie

England+Simms=Simmsaland!

2008-12-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

I was asked by my friend, Katie England, to create the jewelry for her wedding attendants. Saving the date for the Friday after Thanksgiving, she went with the Fall theme. KTE incorporated rich browns and oranges into the decor and dress, which fit splendidly with the reception at Quail's Ridge Lodge in Wentzville, MO. My friend, Melissa Jackson with Half-Baked Gourmet, built a delicious and gorgeous tri-layer cake with chocolate bark, ribbons and gilded accents. I knew that Katie would appreciate some creative flair with the bridesmaid gifts, so I had fun tailoring a necklace to each girl's personality. These pieces are made with an actual leaf that has been electroplated in copper. Paired with dark pearls, copper chain, and swarovski crystal, these necklaces and earrings were a little earthy bling. Congrats to Katie and Eric!

2008 was a year of engagements for the England tribe.

Melissa's Cake- More than just a pretty face, it's freakin delicious!

2008-11-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Garnet and I have talked about blogging for a while. We have the myspace and our website as venues for broadcasting our thoughts, but inspired by some blogs that we love (for instance, http://www.wirkenblog.com/), we have decided to expand. We hope to use this venue to showcase some of our custom work, particularly the wonderful weddings of which we are so honored to be a part, and to highlight the awesome boutiques that carry our work. Please check back often and leave comments! We can't wait to hear from you!
-Katie