Lisa 

After a nice holiday break, I am back in the studio and loving every minute of it. It's nice to take a creative pause, to let my mind and body rest and allow ideas and inspiration to come naturally. Then, when I step back into the studio, I am excited and energized to dive right into new projects.

During break, I brainstormed new ways to bring personalized jewelry options to my customers, and I really like what I have created so far! Drum roll please.....I'd like to introduce the Gold Bronze Flower Earrings and Birthstone Pendant Necklace. 

These petite flower motifs are made using Gold Bronze metal clay. I cut and shape the flowers, use a mold to create the dome center and fire them in my kiln. Once they come out of the kiln, I use hand tools to buff the metal, which gives it that low luster finish!

To make the pendant necklace, I take two domed flowers, place a cultured gemstone between the two pieces and use more metal clay to adjoin the two sides together. Once the pendant is formed, I put it back in the kiln to solidify the metal, making it a completely enclosed pendant. 

You choose the birthstone for a personalized gift (for yourself!) or someone you love! 

Like the flower motif you saw today? It's an LPDstudios signature motif, and you can find it on handbags, cuffs, and leather earrings. Keep stopping by the blog to see what else is new in the studio :)

I absolutely love these vintage winter coats!! Even though they are designs ranging from the 1930's - 1960's, they are all still relevant in today's fashion and I would wear them all.

You can see some design attributes were popular across decades, like the big collars, oversized buttons and trimmed sleeves. But each coat is so unique! From boucle capes, to cinched waists, to trapeze swing, I love all of the silhouettes. And the colors! They are all such beautiful shades of natural colors.

Which one is your favorite?

1. 1930's Indigo Wool Coat with Fur Collar and Cuffs  |  2. Foxton Court 1960's Vintage Trapeze Coat  |  3. 1940's Vintage Princess Wool Coat  |  4. La Foppa Vintage Wool Coat  |  5. 1960's Double Breasted Wool Coat  |  6. Powder Blue Vintage Wool Coat  |  7. Vintage Cocoa Wool Coat  |  8. 1960's Boucle Cape Wool Coat  |  9. Vintage Ivory Wool Coat

I am so inspired by the emotional and rhythmic paintings of the 19th century designer, Leon Blakst. 

Leon Blakst was born in 1866 in Russia and was part of a young generation of artists that pushed the boundaries of traditional stage realism in Eurpoe. He was known for his color, exoticism and barbarism displayed in his costume and scenery design. To ensure that each of his designs were executed successfully, he created a whole range of different drawings, each made to communicate important information about the costume garments' colors, measurements, and materials.

Here are a few of my favorite character costume drawings he made using watercolor, pen and pencil in the early 1900's:

Costume Design for Natasha Trouhanova as the Peri in “La Peri” (1911)

Costume design for "Carnaval" (1910)

Costume design for Tamara Karsavina as the Fiancée in Le Dieu Bleu (1911)  

The Firebird (1910) 

Costume design for Le Dieu Bleu, 1912

Costume design for a dancer with tambourine, in “Cléopâtre” (1910)

The Tsarevna, costume design for the Ballets Russes production of Stravinsky's The Firebird, 1910

Costume Study for Nijinsky in his Role in La Péri, 1922

You can feel the theatrical portrayal of dance through his paintings. Their postures, the color, and the expressions of each dancer all work together to elicit rich emotion and movement. 

Which one is your favorite dancer?

To see more details about the Leon Bakst images in today's post, check out my Pinterest Picks Board.