ZaniL Designs Wins a First Prize Ribbon at the 2010 Royal Canberra Show

Welcome to ZaniL Design Award Winning Jewellery

I am so pleased to announce that I have won another First prize ribbon for my design below.

This is especially pleasing as I entered in as a professional. I knew I had to make something special and it's so rewarding to get a ribbon.

This is the 3rd year running I have won awards, I am so happy as I do spend all year thinking and dreaming of a design that will be a winner.

I have a story to go with this one. I wanted to make one that incorporated my favourite colours of RED/BLACK / WHITE and Gold. I do so love purple , but that would not work with the other colours and I made a purple one 2 years back.

When I think of this design, it sort of incorporates most of the colours I design with. I also made it in my favourite stitch Peyote. I also wanted to make a piece that could be worn so I could show it. I also wear a lot of these colours and it mixes and matches quite well with a lot of outfits I have.

I wanted to make a plait for a long time and had this idea to kind of weave the ends and this is the design I came up with. This design took about 25 hours to make.

When I found this lovely deep and vibrant red and started to make it, I knew it would look beautiful. The Gold beads at the edges are 14ct gold plated and it really brings up the other colours beautifully. I was happy with it before I entered it and was not worried about winning as I gave it my best shot.

I was not even sure I was going to enter and I entered to make my self come up with a design. I thought that if I didn't put my entery in, I would have no option, but if I did , I could always back out if I couldn't come up with a deisgn. In fact I am glad I had this thought, as if I did not enter this design may never have come about !

A big thankyou to all who encourage me and compliment me, without your support , I am not sure what or where ZaniL Design would be. Thank you for your support as I am able to do what I love and use my creativity to give and to inspire you to do what you love .

Here is my other design that was entered and this was also made

with Peyote stitch. This was made with Black /Gold ansd silver and so it is very versatile and can also be mixed and matched.

This one also took about 25 hours to make and I juat love it because it is so different.

Unfortuneately this design did not win a prize, but I am happy with it . This design was inspired by a movie i was watching. It was orignally going to be an ornate choker, but I couldn't see my self wearing it much or at all. One day after many hours of work on it, the beading fell on the table in such a way that it formed a V shape. I liked it and palyed with for hours , turning it this way and that. I place the round piece ( which had been made first) in different spots and finally decided not to make the choker and press on with the new design.

So that's how that one ended up.

My designs never turn out as I first imagine them. Thats the fun thing about creating- you never know what you are going to end up with- A bit like that saying - "Life is like a box of chocolates- you never know what you are going to end up with"

I found this great book called "The Meaning of Life"

Here is a extract from it that I want to share which I think sums up how I feel about what I am doing with my creative spirit.

If you follow your dreams and do what you love most, you can pull back the bed sheets every morning and feel excited about beginning another day, and be filled with joy, that is contagious, that will inspire someone else to go after their dreams, and that my friend is how you change the world

Cheers- Have a go you won't regret it. You will definitely regret not having a go!

Lina