A little red, white & blue inspiration from the Summertime Indie Fixx Galleria in honor of July 4th here in the US.

1. Vadjutka
2. Sweet Harvey
3. CozyBlue
4. Jorgensen Studio

1. Life Through the Lens
2. Monkey & Squirrel
3. Found Studio
4. Alex Keller

1. Lemon Grove
2. The White Mole
3. My Little Chickadee Creations
4.  Alison Tauber

When I knew I was going on vacation and that I needed guest bloggers, I immediately thought of Natalie Zee Drieu of craftzine + coquette. 1) I knew she would say yes (thanks, nat) & 2) I love her style & knew that she would share some amazing stuff that both you & I would want. Well, what do you think? I know I want of each of these! - jen

By  guest contributor Natalie Zee Drieu of craftzine + coquette

I have been obsessed lately with the look of a long pendant. Whether it’s a striking large piece or a small cluster of delicate charms, there’s something wonderful about a long piece of jewelry dangling from your neck. It’s perfect to wear casual over a t-shirt and jeans, or the right necklace can be that perfect “pop” on a dress. It’s simple, yet stylish and let’s be honest here, doesn’t way a ton of bricks like those gargantuan bib necklaces! Kris Nations a Bay Area jewelry designer who’s a friend of mine has a new Peacock Pendant Necklace ($98) that I’m coveting. The double chain is très chic and adjustable in height so you can have it as high or as low as you’d like! I was lucky enough to have her show me this necklace in her studio last fall while she was working on it and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

Here are more beautiful pendants from indie designers:

Gold Leaves and Owl Pendant by Sora Designs ($32.50)

Silver Feather Necklace by Beazuness ($20)

Charmed Necklace by nettyjewels ($49)

Paris Oui, So French by birdzNbeez ($19)

Wooden Rimu Necklace - Teacup and Teapot by SuperVery ($24)

About the contributor: Natalie Zee Drieu is the Editor-in-Chief of CRAFT (craftzine.com) one of the largest web sites covering the modern craft movement. She’s also the founder/editor of Coquette (coquette.blogs.com), a blog focusing on her love for fashion and technology. When she’s not at the computer, you can usually find her knitting and crocheting with her daughter Chloe and her Pomeranian Lulu, nearby.

I must admit it that I am an fan of Brevity’s jewelry designs, so it was a real treat for me to interview Anna Corpron, the designer behind Brevity, for today’s edition of  Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx.

Anna’s geometric and horo lines have been featured in countless mags and on a gazillion blogs, but I don’t think I’ve ever featured her work. Along with that fact, and since I love her work, I thought Anna would be a perfect artist to interview. So, on to the interview.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your work.

My name is Anna Corpron. I was trained as an architect but always loved to design on a smaller scale. In 2006, my then-boyfriend (now-husband) and I collaborated on a number of stationery products and print editions, which eventually became Sub-Studio. In 2007, I launched my jewelry line Brevity, and in 2009 my husband and I launched The Working Proof - an online print gallery and shop with the mission of promoting both art and social responsibility through a series of limited-edition prints. I guess that makes me a design generalist?

2. What’s your creative process like?

Since you’re interviewing me about Brevity, I’ll stick to my creative process for jewelry design…I tend to think in terms of collections rather than single pieces, coming up with a theme and then designing around that theme. My inspiration comes from random places - the Geometric collection was first inspired by an afternoon in Tompkins Square Park. The Horo collection was inspired by a set of old clockhands that I thought were so beautiful all on their own.

I keep a running log of ideas as they come to me, for future collections. Once I’ve decided on a theme, and have visualized a few different pieces for it, I get on my computer and start drawing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Usually I’ll do a bunch of the pieces all at once, designing them until I’m happy with them. I ask my husband to critique my design. If I’m still not happy with the collection, I’ll sit on it for a few weeks or even months. Oftentimes, that separation from the work gives me a fresh pair of eyes to really examine the collection and fine tune it.

3. Share some of your inspirations.

I am inspired by the forms and patterns found in nature and the world around us, both natural (leaves, flowers, molecular structures, ice formations, etc) and man-made (building facades, patterns in grates, sidewalks, manholes, urban decay).

4. What’s a typical day like for you?

I split my time between my three businesses, so it really varies depending on which business needs my attention most urgently. My husband still works as an architect, so I get up when he gets up. My day is a lot of emailing, admin, shipping, and design time.

5. What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at?

My favorite blogs are a combination of design blogs and personal blogs. Design-wise I love too many blogs to name, but my favorites are Notcot, Kitsune Noir and Designboom. My favorite personal blog would definitely be Dooce. The only magazine I still subscribe to is Newsweek, and even that will probably be coming to an end soon, because I don’t end up reading them. I rarely shop online, and when I shop in the real world, I usually keep it pretty cheap with the likes of Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Uniqlo, etc.

6. Share something silly about yourself.

I hate avocados? Does that qualify as silly?

7. What 3 things can’t you live without?

Probably the Internet, some daily quiet time, and sweet things…

8. What’s new or in works?

I’m working on curating a gallery show in November in San Francisco, redesigning our blog, and a few website designs for some clients. I am letting some ideas for new Brevity collections marinate.

If you haven’t come across the Ring a Day Flickr Challenge yet, you should most definitely head on over to take a look. I promise you that you will get lost for at least a couple hours.The Ring a Day Challenge is a year long challenge and is open to anyone who wants to commit to making & posting  a ring every day of 2010. The rings can be made from anything , and they certainly are!

Here are some of my recent favorites.

No Lifeguard on Duty made with real snails! From Kathryn Riechert.

Aquatic Plant Ring made by metalnat.

Adjustable Flower Ring from Rubygirl Creations.

Sterling Silver Ring from metalnat.

Wooden Tulip Ring from Create Jewelry.

More Art Star Craft Bazaar goods and shops. Today though, I’m sharing some absolutely stunning jewelry and accessories. These items made me wish that I was independently wealthy and could buy anything I want…I wanted them all!

Porcelain necklace from Olaria Studio.

Earrings from Eleanor Kennell & Joanna Nealey.

Earrings from Jill Baker Gower.

Porcelain and vintage button pins from Found Studio.

Vintage fabric clutches from Dahling Accessories.

Storybook necklaces from Monika Krol.

Fiestaware necklaces from The Broken Plate Pendant Company.

Some lovely jewelry finds from the Spring Indie Fixx Galleria, because I believe one’s jewelry collection can never be too large.

1. Plum & Sage
2. Proteales
3. Chantal deFelice
4. My Sunset Road
5. Jorgensen Studio
6. Untamed Menagerie
7. Carmenesque
8. Laurels Bench
9. Bombshell Studios
10. La Bouquiniste
11. Stitch Machine

The Indie Fixx Galleria is an online showcase of handmade, indie-made & vintage goods. Think of it as an ‘indie mall’ featuring a mix of designers & boutiques to provide a curated shopping experience. Participants do pay a fee to take part, but the Galleria is juried.