Tagged: Los Angeles

Punk Rock Rings from Recycled Plastics and Leather

Story Highlights:

  • Designer and photographer Kelly Hamilton is a 23-year-old from Long Beach, CA who makes rings from recycled plastics, leather and high quality screw-in studs.

  • Purchase her handmade one-of-a-kind designs online ranging in prices from about $30-$65 on her Etsy website, Did I Stutter.

  • In the future, Hamilton plans to branch out and has already began working on other jewelry pieces including bracelets, cuffs, necklaces and earrings.

Kelly Hamilton is a 23-year-old recent graduate from with a bachelor’s degree in studio art, emphasis in photography from Cal State University Long Beach. A self-proclaimed lover of arts and crafts since childhood, her current project has been her line of hand-made rings she sells on her Etsy site titled Did I Stutter, which uses recycled plastics, leather  and high quality metal spikes.

Founder and designer of the line, Did I Stutter, 23-year-old Kelly Hamilton of Long Beach, CA.

Born and raised just outside of Long Beach in the small Orange County city of Seal Beach by her divorced republican parents, Hamilton said her artist mother brought her up in a creative atmosphere, “My mom was always painting, quilting, sewing… you name it. Every year we made our own Halloween costumes, valentines, christmas cards and so on.”

Hamilton uses high quality, screw in metal spikes and recycled plastics and leather pieces to create her one of a kind pieces. Some of the items she has recycled from include old film canisters, jackets, key chains and a majority of her plastic coming from used plastic medical cannabis  containers (in true punk rock fashion).”Don’t worry, all products are guaranteed to be 100% legal,” Hamilton joked as I spoke with her on the phone about the direction she plans to go in.

“I’ve always loved art and fashion, I started out in college as a drawing and painting major before switching to photography. I would love to design and make clothing and all types of jewelry once I can finally get some money to fund my projects. I took a jewelry making  class while I was still in school where I learned a lot of skills I apply to the rings I make now.”

Hamilton plans to branch out beyond rings and has already started working on bracelets, necklaces, cuffs and earrings that she will be putting on her Etsy site and says up to this point she has mostly gotten her  line, Did I Stutter, out through word of mouth amongst friends and colleagues.

Jennifer D’Agostino is a 25-year-old hairdresser of Los Angeles, CA  who says she wears one of Hamilton’s rings every day and constantly gets complimented on it from clients.

Jennifer D’Agostino, 25, a hair stylist of Los Angeles, CA shows off her Did I Stutter one-of-a-kind piece.

D’Agostino said, ‘I seriously never wear rings but I recently came up on this leather and stud one that Kelly made me and I’m OBSESSED with it. My hands feel like a tomboy that finally found a dress they love.’

Kelly’s mother, Rona Hamilton, is also an artist who makes jewelry as well, mostly using beads she orders off the internet. Rona said Kelly has always been a creative individual.

“Kelly is always surprising me with really different ideas of how to use ordinary materials to make things that border on art and functional pieces.”

Her prices range from around $30-$60 dollars and can be purchased from her online store here. Also be sure to check out of some of  her awesome photography from her photography and illustration portfolio website here, look hard enough and you may just spot me in a couple of her shots!

Nail Art Blogging Sisters and Entrepreneurs

“We began (nail art) as a way to experiment with art and push it’s boundaries” said Donne Geer, 24, about her and her sister Ginny’s nail art blog, Hey, Nice Nails!

Story Highlights:

  • Sister duo Donne and Ginny Geer make up the team behind the growing in popularity nail art blog, Hey, Nice Nails!
  • Branching out beyond the web, the two prepare to open up their very own shop in Long Beach in the next 2-3 weeks.
  • Hey, Nice Nails the shop will be the girls head quater’s, as well as a nail salon/art studio where the two hope to have DIY nights, tutorials, and other artist’s work for show and sale.

    Stephanie Libanati, 24, who lives in Oakland is a huge fan of the girl’s “fangs and the wu-tang nail art, I even got my boyfriend to sport a painted nail or two.”

Capitilizaing on the recent explosion of the nail art scene over the past couple years is the dynamic sister duo of Donne and Ginny Geer and their ever evolving website and brand: Hey, Nice Nails!

Beginning in 2010 on tumblr, HNN gained quick internet fame and today the site is awesome with an extensive archive of past designs, lists of their favorite polishes, and how -to’s  on designs and DIY nail polish recipes.

Since then the sisters have earned their manicurist lisences, built an etsy where you can custom order hand painted fake nails,  been featured in magazines like Marie Claire and Allure, participated in nation wide nail art events, done pop-up shops in underground art galleries and were invited  and traveled to New York fashion week  for the Ruffian show to blog about the nail art on the runway.

Now , at 24 and 26, Donne and Ginny have over 16 thousand online followers and have gone from part time bloggers, to full time entrepreneur’s as they prepare to open their very own space in the next 2-3 weeks  in the heart of the Long Beach east arts village district at 316 Elm St.

More than just  a  nail salon, HNN the shop will also sell retail and double as an art studio for local artists can show and sell work.  In addition to  being a place where fans can come to get their custom designed manicures and pedicures, gels and acrylics  The sisters plan to host art shows, events and DIY tutorial nights where anyone can come to learn the girl’s techniques.

“We’re going to have a polish library of used and donated polishes so people that people can use, it’s going to be like a haven for everyone who loves art and nails to come to.” Said Donne as I spoke with the two about the obstacles they’ve gone through in transforming their hobby into a fully branded business.

Ginny, who in the beginning took the behind the scenes role as photographer and graphic design, said “We’ve had a lot of online obstacles.”

They remember struggling to get their domain name for the website and having to learn how to watermark their images after many were being leaked on the web without permission or credit, the two have learned to roll with the punches .

Ginny said,  “I think just by sharing it allowed us to get a lot of feed back and just develop our content. There was a time where we were updating new content every day and by doing that it allowed us to really generate a lot of content and just get better and better.”