I’m getting back to my crafty roots with jewelry making lately. Some of you might remember me from my previous life and company- Naughty Secretary Club. Making giant, weird, colorful jewelry is nothing new for me. That being said if you know me and know my style you might enjoy my latest wearable art collection in my Jennifer Perkins Art Etsy shop. As my slogan goes – I make art for your walls and wardrobe. If you’re new hear keep reading for a bit of back story on my design style.
Neon Jewelry Supplies Were Sparse in Small Town Texas
Besides crayons I think jewelry making was one of my earliest creative adventures. Sadly, crayons came in fun colors (Kmart brand was my favorite) but beads did not. My love of neon runs deep and as a little girl in small town Texas during the 80’s there were not a lot of fashion/craft options in neon to be found. When my eyes one day met with the bright pops of color in the fishing lure aisle at the local Walmart I knew I was onto something.
A few kid allowance dollars later and I was home with a gaggle of slimy worms and the belief that Esprit was surely about to hire the youngest accessories designer the corporate world had ever seen. Sure my earrings were so slimy they darkened the construction paper packaging I made for each pair (because duh presentation). Did the long colorful worms get stuck to your cheek or hair when the wind blew? Yes, but beauty is pain.
Surprisingly Fishing Lures Were Not Destined To Be the Next Trend in Fashion
Needless to say not a single shopper bought a pair of my earrings at my family garage sale that spring but did I care? As my mother used to say “the only taste some people have is in their mouth”. I didn’t let the lack of sales get me down, I wanted to wear them and loved them so at the end of the day that’s all that mattered. I even went on to get a ribbon in my elementary school science fair for a pair of long earrings I made that had a toothbrush on one side and a small tube of toothpaste on the other. Take that garage sale shoppers.
Naughty Secretary Club
I didn’t keep up with my jewelry making through my teens but in my early 20’s I took a jewelry making class in Austin, TX that kind of changed everything. I started making jewelry for me, my mom, my sister, my friends and more. From there things took off and I was having calls from people like Anna Sui, movie stylists, Elle Magazine and more. I had moved on from fishing lures and dental hygiene but the underlying love of colors and patterns remained. By this point I had also started to incorporate in my love of vintage costume jewelry. I had been frequenting flea markets and antique shops since I was old enough to walk. Fun fact, my first collection as a grade schooler was Bakelite jewelry. Eventually I had kids and started finding myself going in other creative directions. I never stopped making jewelry, but I slowed down.
Some Favorite DIY Jewelry Making Projects
- How to Dye and Wood Burn Craft Store Beads
- Iron On Hair Clips and Jewelry
- Making Your Art Into Jewelry
- Stamp Carving and Up-Cycled Trash Jewelry
My Latest Handmade Jewelry Collection
All that to say I’ve been making more jewelry lately than I could ever wear myself. I’ve been busting out my vintage bead collection, finding new beads that rival the colors of my beloved fishing lures and painting my own beads. The juxtaposition of all the randomness is really hitting all the right dopamine receptors for me. I hope they hit yours too because there are a mother load of necklaces in my Jennifer Perkins Art Etsy shop just looking for the right person. This limited jewelry collection is a love letter to fishing lures and neon loving small town kids everywhere.
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