(Repost)
Hey Readers!
As I’ve stated before, I love sharing things with you that inspire me. My friends, whose personalities are all over the spectrum, are one of these things. So, I figured that one way to show my appreciation for what they do me is to share what moves them, which in turn, inspires me, too.
It’s kind of fitting that the first person I’m going to profile is actually the one who got me into starting this blog. Who is this person? Well, her name is Sarah-Jane MacPhail, the creative force behind Wearable Miscellany. Wearable Miscellany is a line of custom-made jewellery and other wearable creations Sarah-Jane designs and creates. What was it that inspired her to create Wearable Miscellany? Read on and you’ll see.
Who is Sarah-Jane MacPhail?
By day, Sarah-Jane MacPhail (nee Van Kessel) has a normal 9 to 5 job at a law firm. When she’s not behind a desk working, whipping up some amazing dish in her kitchen, or enjoying newlywed bliss with her husband, Andrew, Sarah-Jane revels in one of her passions: designing and making jewellery.
Why Jewellery?
Finding your own personal sense of style is normal for any teenager. Sarah-Jane found her way through her love of personal adornment by making necklaces and other pieces of jewellery.
How Did Wearable Miscellany Begin?
While walking along Queen Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Sarah-Jane got the urge to put a necklace together. She gathered the materials she needed and whipped together a necklace. Apparently, this first piece didn’t fair so well, as it fell apart. Sarah-Jane was not swayed by this attempt. It actually reignited her love for making jewellery. The next thing she, and her then boyfriend, knew was that their home would be transformed into a treasure trove of various beads, stones and other pieces necessary to put together her one-of-a kind pieces. Sarah-Jane then decided to sell some of her works of art on the Etsy site under the name Wearable Miscellany so others could enjoy the fruits of her labour of love. Sarah-Jane also picked up more tricks of jewellery making from working part-time at McBead’s Creations in Nepean, ON, learning anything she could under the tutelage of the owners and other employees who work there.
What’s the Meaning Behind Wearable Miscellany?
Well, most brands have a meaning behind themselves. Sarah-Jane came up with the name Wearable Miscellany because a book her step-father has in his collection. It’s called Schott’s Original Miscellany by Ben Schott. Wearable Miscellany fit what Sarah-Jane wants to create and sell.
Most Enjoyable Types of Jewellery to Create?
Since Sarah-Jane has become more skilled in jewellery-making, she was able to pick two styles she enjoyed dabbling in most. The first type of jewellery she loves to create is chain maille. For Sarah-Jane, she loves taking numerous tiny metal rings and making something amazing.
This is an example of chain maille jewellery. I like this piece because of how all of the flowers are interconnected.
Sarah-Jane also enjoys making pieces using a single strand. She becomes inspired by the various combinations of colour of beads or chain, then designing and putting it together to make something funky and unusual gets her wanting to create even more pieces.
For me, this single-stranded Glass Pearl Necklace has an antique quality to it. It seems so precious and delicate, as though it was made a few centuries ago. I really like it!
Other types of jewellery that Sarah-Jane loves making are wire crochet and working with chain.
Most Difficult Pieces of Jewellery to Create?
Once again, there are a few types of jewellery that Sarah-Jane finds difficult to make, but she’s not one to back away from a challenge, either! Chain maille is one of the types she has to work harder with to create pieces. The reason is the amount of time and the intricacy it takes to produce this type of jewellery. Once she mastered this medium, Sarah-Jane has fashioned beautiful pieces.
A second piece that had some difficulty making was a combination of chain and filligre (delicate and intricate ornamental work which is made from gold, silver or other fine twisted wire) necklace. It also had a large Swarovski tear drop pendant and crystals. She crafted it for her Christmas party. She said she had to rework the various elements of this piece many times so it would lay perfectly on her dress while she wore it. She also had the time to made matching earrings for this piece as well!
The necklace and earring set is so pretty! I could only imagine how hard it was to get this piece to lay as Sarah-Jane wanted it on her dress. It has an ethereal feel to it.
The last difficult piece for Sarah-Jane to put together was a challenge piece that was presented to her and her co-workers at McBead’s. They were each given a bag of the exact same beads. They were told to create a piece using these beads, along with any other elements they wanted to use. Sarah-Jane found this contest challenging because she had to figure out how to make the random beads into something desirable and interesting. Well, she did! Her talent was displayed in the piece she put together, and she won the contest!
I can see why this piece won the challenge! I love how the beads are there as little flashes of colour to the piece. I also like how filligre piece helps to balance the clasp. It’s a really beautiful set, Sarah-Jane!
What Does the Future Hold for Sarah-Jane and Wearable Miscellany?
Besides creating more pieces, Sarah-Jane wants to have more open houses to showcase and sell her jewellery. She will also continue selling her pieces on her Etsy site along with her other handmade crafting items. Sarah-Jane will continue doing is sharing her crafting adventures on her blog, Wearable Miscellany on WordPress.com as well as her Wearable Miscellany page on Facebook. Finally, Sarah-Jane will try other venues such as craft sales to display and sell her pieces.
I am so very proud of my friend, Sarah-Jane. She’s clever, determined, and is able to create so many things that I couldn’t do with two extra hands. Designing and then making jewellery that is interesting and beautiful is hard, but Sarah-Jane makes it look easy. I only see good things for my friend and Wearable Miscellany in the future. Thank you, Sarah-Jane, for inspiring me to create in my own way.
Here are some of my favourite one-of-a-kind pieces from the Wearable Miscellany collection:
I chose the Dyed Shell Discs with Byzantine Black Nickel Rings Necklace because it looks like a fun piece to wear, and I’m a HUGE blue fan.
The Celtic Wedding Knot Bracelet in Black Nickel and Silver Plate Rings is one of my favs because of the way the rings are connected. It looks as though a lot of time wet into this piece, and it was well worth it!
Really like the Copper Chain Maille Bracelet and Earring Set with Preciosa Crystals. It’s just so bright and beautiful to look at.
Cocktail party anyone? This Blue Sandstone and Glass Pearl Crochet Collar would be the only piece of jewellery I would need to wear! The wire crochet work Sarah-Jane did on this piece is fantastic!
This has to be one of my absolute FAVOURITE pieces in the Wearable Miscellany collection to date! It combines three different types of chain maille (each type stunning in its own way), and then the pendant beautifully finishes off this amazing necklace. In LOVE!!!
Until my next post, Readers!
Reese.
Reese Speaks 