BMJ Blog

5 Stylish Ways to Wear a Brooch

Posted on June 04, 2014 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

Brooches are back, and we’ve got five creative and stylish ways to wear both new and vintage pins.  To keep the look modern, avoid matching the color of your brooch to the color of your outfit—and don’t be afraid to take risks! Pair a sweet, feminine brooch with an edgy pair of boots or wear a cluster of brooches together. There’s no harm in experimenting.  

Tip: To make sure you don't loose your brooch while you're wearing it, create a DIY safety catch using a rubber earring back or a small piece of pencil eraser.  

Here are 5 fun ways to wear a brooch:

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Posted in brooch, brooches, classic, contemporary, creative, DIY, fashion, fun, how-to, jewelry, pins, retro, shopping, style, style tips, vintage

Flora Refashioned - How to Make Jewelry Cast from Nature

Posted on January 03, 2013 by Barbara Polinsky | 2 Comments

This past summer I was contacted by the Editor of  Belle Armoire Jewelry and asked to write an article about casting Jewelry from nature.  Specifically, how to make coiled twig rings.  What a thrill to see it in print!      Bell Armoire is published by Stampington Publications who are known for fine magazines on crafting.

Have you ever seen something ordinary yet so profoundly beautiful that you wish you could freeze the moment in time? What if you can alter that object and use it in a fresh way? I enjoy trying to blur these lines between reality, fantasy and time. I usually trip over my most interesting ideas and this is exactly what happened one spring afternoon. Just missing the cross-town bus, I decided to meander home through Central Park instead of waiting for the next bus. Enjoying the magnificence of the day and deep in thought, I heard a loud snap and looked down realizing that I had stepped on and broken a branch a branch. Picking up the very ordinary twig I imagined what it would look like turned into metal and embellished with gems.

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Posted in casting from nature, How-To, Informational, Press