Friday, August 13, 2010

Skulls and roses: a conversation with SerendipityLicious

Hello ladies,

I recently had the pleasure of conversing with the jewelry artist Candy of SerendipityLicious. First, I would like to introduce her beautiful cat, Lana, who is a constant companion.

Lana

Diana: You have a stunning assortment of Dia de los
Muertos jewelry. Can you tell us a little about your
affinity with the holiday and its traditions?

Candy: I think the tradition behind Dia de los Muertos
(Day of the Dead) is actually quite beautiful: honoring
and celebrating loved ones that have passed. People
create elaborate and vibrant decorations to lure the
spirits of the dead home. Sounds creepy but the art
is quite beautiful. Particularly the sugar skulls! They
were the inspiration behind pieces like the Rosa
Muerte Necklace.

Rosa Muerte Necklace

Diana: The Rosa Muerte necklace is one of my favorites. I
love how you offer a choice of roses for the eyes.


I am really impressed with the range of jewelry items you
create as well as the different styles you work in. I noticed
aside from Gothic pieces you also make some lovely
pendants and earrings featuring birds. Do you work in
varying styles according to how you are feeling that day or
is it specific to inspiration?


Candy: My mind is constantly racing with ideas for new
designs. A lot of the time design ideas will come when I'm
looking at all the supplies I've bought. I’ll just start piecing
certain things together until something fits. Although
sometimes, I will take inspiration from things I really enjoy.


Candy: I created these earrings because I absolutely love E.E Cummings poem, I Carry Your Heart With Me. I feel like the earrings really symbolize the love that is expressed in that poem.

Diana: Those are lovely! My favorite item in your shop featuring birds is The Last Leaf Necklace. I love the songbird in a tree with the dangling leaf bead. So charming!

Diana: Do you have a favorite piece that your created recently?

Candy: Probably my favorite piece so far would be the Little Miss Death – Death Becomes Her Necklace! I really just dig the color combination. The classic white and black with red accent is just visually stunning to me. I think the profile of the skeleton lady in black is just eye catching. She is very cool!

Diana: I can see why you favor that necklace! It's the first piece that led me to your shop. I also love how the gothic cameo works in the locket pendant and as hair pins.

Diana: Could you share with us about your animal companions?

Candy: I love my animals sooo much! My husband and I don’t have any children so they pretty much are our kiddos, our fur kids if you will.

We adopted Lex and Lana from a local shelter back in 2005. We had only planned on adopting one cat but when I saw Lana she just looked at me and meowed and I felt like we had a connection right away. When we saw Lex we just thought he was just too cute for words so we just had to have them both.

Diana: I couldn't have resisted them either!

Candy: Lana is my shadow. She always needs to be close to me. She is the oldest at nine and rules the roost! She doesn’t like to be bothered, but of course that doesn’t stop Lex from annoying her. He just wants to play! I think he will forever be a kitten at heart even though he is six now! He is a little soccer player for sure and is just always being very mischievous!

Diana: I can easily picture it! Lex is adorable, but he does have a trickster look about him.
Lex
Lana

Candy: Getting Baylie, our eight and a-half-year-old golden retriever was pretty much a childhood dream fulfilled for me. I have always wanted a golden retriever. I fell in love with Comet on the TV show Full House and vowed that one day I would have a beautiful golden of my own.

Back in 2008, someone that my husband works with knew of someone giving their golden away. We jumped on it real quick! The day my husband brought her home, I just cried because she was just sooo beautiful and I couldn’t believe that we had gotten so lucky. She truly is the best dog anyone could have. She is so well mannered and just so loyal! She is a daddy’s girl! When he comes home from work she gets so excited she starts doing her booty shake!

We really do feel so blessed having her and our cats. They are the best and they make our hearts happy!

Baylie


Diana: How wonderful! I love the image of Baylie in the
snow. I think she will make everyone navigating warmer temperatures feel relaxed and cool just looking at her.

Thanks so much, Candy. I really enjoyed learning more
about your creative process and hearing about your animal companions.

Please visit Candy's etsy shop,
SerendiptyLicious, to view
more of her creations. She is offering a 10% off discount to readers of painted Lady fingers during the Anniversary Celebration. To receive the discount, send Candy a convo
through etsy and mention painted Lady fingers.

Happy painting, ladies! I'll be back tomorrow with some
sunlight and a fresh manicure.

10 comments:

  1. great interview, i must confess..i love ALL of the jewelry, especially the little miss death and the cat earrings(cant remember the name).
    Too bad i dont have a creditcard..:(

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  2. She does such beautiful jewellery! And her companions are adorable!

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  3. I fell in love with what she does and the way she and her husband love their animals! Soulful, if that's a word...
    The jewelry is really beautiful and unique, plus I'm a major fan of cameos...
    Thanks for the interview!

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  4. Wonderful interview and jewelry, adorable pets! Lana looks like a Maine Coon. :)
    PS: Diana, could you please tell me where you got your Konad Special Polish in White Pearl? Thank you!

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  5. Jasmine: Thanks so much! Oh, you must mean the Sophisticated Kitty earrings. Those are adorable! I hear you about credit cards. I end up using paypal for on-line purchasing much of the time.

    Biba: I really love her work too! I had such a hard time choosing between the photos of her animals. They were all so darling. :)

    Daria: I am so glad you enjoyed the interview. Candy is such a sweet person. It definitely comes through in her responses. I really had a wonderful experience collaborating with her. <3

    Michelle: Thanks! Candy is really blessed with talent and a fantastic menagerie. I will have to ask about Lana. She does look like a Maine Coon!

    The Konad White Pearl Special Polish I use on occasion is a mini from the sponge nail art kit. I have been meaning to ask Kathleen if there is a way to special order a full bottle. I like the way it looks over creme polishes especially.

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  6. So talented, and not at all expensive. And she seems like a wonderful person with cute-cute-cute kitties!

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  7. Very interesting and beautiful jewelry. I like how there is a name for each piece. Also a nice story behind them. I'll be going for a visit there. Thanks Diana. Say hello to your sister for me. I'm still praying for her. Love to you both.

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  8. Oh wow, the bird earrings are absolutely beautiful!

    I can't forget about Lana, too cute :)

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  9. Beautiful animals! And I love that jewelry :)

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