Heart on my Sleeve Jewelry **GIVEAWAY**

I’m very excited to present my first giveaway with refashioned jewelry designer and owner of 'Heart on my Sleeve' designs, Cathryn Frazier-Neely.  One lucky winner will win a piece of jewelry of their choice from Cathryn’s collection valued at $50 or less.   

To enter is simple, just follow Bora Bora Style through Google or Networked Blogs and leave a comment on this post, also Like Heart on my Sleeve on Facebook and leave a comment on the fan page (click the link to go to the fan page).  The winner will be announced Friday the 1^st of April.  One can never have enough jewelry, and any of her designs would be a great addition to your spring wardrobe.  Can’t wait to see who the lucky winner will be!

 

 

The retired opera singer began designing jewelry out of old costume jewelry and vintage pieces as a hobby some years ago.  Frazier-Neely found the act of recreating her own jewelry pieces to be liberating, and decided to take it further by sharing it with the public.

What makes Frazier-Neely’s sustainable collection of jewelry so appealing – aside from the fact that they’re hand crafted originals – is that a good majority of her materials are fair trade, purchased directly from artisans in various African countries.

 

 

The DC native was introduced to artisans in Uganda through a friend, who worked in the country at an independent American missionary, with woman who made paper beaded jewelry.  Frazier-Neely was intrigued by the craftsmanship of the beads, and began purchasing directly from these women.  This eventually matured into to collecting and buying from other artisans she met while visiting various countries in Africa.  She now has direct contacts with artisans in Ghana, Uganda and Cameroon – waiting for my home country, Nigeria, to be added to that list Cate!

She has acquired an array of recycled materials from these artisans: glass beads, which are powdered glass finely ground up and mixed with water and painted, banana fiber, shells, recycled plastic, bottle caps and bones.  What’s interesting is that what we call recycled here in the states, these artisans actually have to purchase over in Africa.  The bottle caps, recycled plastic, shells etc. – artisans have to buy those things in order to sell them.  Makes you rethink the definition of recycled.

 

Frazier-Neely’s “therapeutic” talent of re-imagined jewelry designing, as she would call it, is influenced by the natural grace of African culture: “the textures, riche life and abundance of lush earth and vegetation”.  In addition, Frazier-Neely’s emotions and passions are also fused into her pieces.  Hence where the title of her collection, “Heart on my Sleeve”, originated from.   

She sites a particular instance with a young man in her past – her husband knows of this story so it’s ok for me to relay it to you all – where emotions were running deep on both ends.  She adds that the only way she could release herself of this fervor, was by becoming fixated on a certain jewelry design, using its intricacy to express her passion – I won’t tell you the title of that particular piece, but feel free to guess! 

 

 

In the near future, the recycled jewelry connoisseur would like to continue to build a community able to feel the “capacity and passion” of her pieces.  Her designs are currently available on Etsy, at Heart on my Sleeve and at the Kic Thrift Boutique in Kensington, Maryland.  

Remember to enter to win a piece from Cathryn’s beautiful collection, and shop her Etsy store!

Anyone could be the lucky winner :)