hawthornecollectionvol1 images

This "Fountain" bracelet was inspired by a chapter of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel _The Marble Faun_. The passage focuses on love as well as on how guilt can lead to loss of harmony with the natural and supernatural worlds. The poignancy and beauty of this part of the novel moved me to design the bracelet as well as coordinating earrings and a necklace. I chose to feature pebble-shaped aquamarine beads for this piece in honor of the fountain Hawthorne describes, and I accented them with other stones in different colors and textures and with sterling-silver findings. I love the organic shapes of the aquamarine--even though they made stringing three strands of equal length a challenge. I took a lot of care to balance the shades of yellow, green, and blue as well as the lighter and darker tans in this piece. It was definitely a labor of love. And I regret nothing! 😅🩵💚💛 #magnoliaboughjewelry #magnoliaboughbelles #moreboughbelle #southernmakers #beadedjewelryofinstagram #nathanielhawthorne #hawthornecollectionvol1 #jewelrywithmeaning #literaryjewelry #literaturelover #gemstonejewelry #themarblefaun #ilovethewater #loveandloss #guilt #sorrow #redemption #silverjewelry #blueandgreen #softcolors

Happy World Book Day! To celebrate, here's one of my favorite quotes, which I'm happy to revisit now because I've been thinking about how important stories are to our understanding of ourselves and the world. Many of my recent designs were inspired by literary scenes or characters. And I conceived of these pieces as ways for the wearer to carry a bit of her own story--a dark time she made it through, a victory she wishes to savor, a part of herself she wants to nurture or forgive--near her heart, on the pulse point at her wrist, or beside her face, whose expressions have their own stories to tell. I've been re-reading one of my volumes of Nathaniel Hawthorne lately. And that brings me, finally, to the last March Meet the Maker prompt, "Coming soon." For now, I'll just say (1) I have some new designs in the works 🤩 and (2) in a future post (or Reel, maybe), I'll explain some of my rebranding choices. As always, I appreciate your being on this journey with me. 💖 What's the most intriguing book you've read lately?

Swipe to see what my customer Amy said in her review of these citrine-and-wood "Sunshine" earrings! Amy, thank you for your kind words--I hope you wear these pieces in good health and happiness. I'm always touched to hear that something I designed and assembled has brought joy to someone else. And I'm grateful for customer testimonials as well as the supportive comments and DMs I get in response to my posts. I treasure the connections I've made on IG and FB. I think it's especially fitting that this post features these earrings, based as they are on a chapter of Hawthorne's _The Marble Faun_ that emphasizes friendship, hospitality, and appreciating the joys of the moment. 💛 (If you're interested in purchasing a pair of these earrings for yourself, please DM me; I'll be making more of them next week and will gladly invoice you to reserve a pair. The coordinating bracelet and the larger necklace are available in my shop. The smaller necklace is not listed yet, but it is available! DM me to purchase it right away.)

Have you ever felt as though an evil influence, event, or maybe even person 😬 held sway over your life? Or have you been through a dark night of the soul? Maybe you've come out the other side and want to celebrate your victory. Or maybe you’re in the midst of the struggle and want a tangible reminder that better days lie ahead. Allow me to introduce to you the "Broken Curse" necklace and bracelet. These designs were inspired by a chapter of Nathaniel Hawthorne's _The House of the Seven Gables_ in which--this will probably sound odd if you haven't read the book, but bear with me 😅--the macabrely saucy narrator spends a night with the corpse of an oppressive, selfish man whose death marks a turning point in the lives of the other characters. (To be clear, I didn't create these designs to celebrate death but rather to commemorate the turning points that take us from darkness to light, from dead end to opportunity.) I made these pieces with lots of care. 🤍💙🖤❤️ I chose the pendant shape and the colors of the stones (snow quartz, labradorite, onyx, and rhodolite garnet) to correspond to details of the chapter that inspired the designs. And I used gold-filled metal components for their longevity and beauty. ✨ The "Broken Curse" necklace and bracelet are both available in my shop. The coordinating necklace featuring the half-moon labradorite bead isn't listed, but DM me if you'd like to purchase it. I hope you love these pieces as much as I do! And I hope they remind you of your strength. xx

I've honestly had a hard time settling on what I think is the very best part of what I do at Magnolia Bough. I love most of the jobs I do as a solo entrepreneur, from designing and building my pieces to marketing my work to interacting with customers. But one of my very favorite parts is figuring out how to incorporate into my work life the authenticity I've been working hard to cultivate in my personal life. I've spent most of my life (so far) believing that one of my most important jobs was to make other people happy. (I know, big yikes.) So lately I've been a lot more deliberate about paying attention to my feelings and becoming more confident in my priorities and values. It's still a struggle sometimes, but it's definitely a worthwhile one. And one of my hopes, especially for the pieces in my Hawthorne Collection, is that my designs are meaningful for the women who wear them. Some of these designs are inspired by dark passages in Hawthorne's works, others by happier ones: the pieces can commemorate personal struggles and sorrows but also victories and joys. If my designs help other women live authentically--by serving as a reminder of hardships overcome, so-called failure transformed into strength, or an abiding joy even on dark days--I really can't ask for a bigger honor as a jewelry maker. 💚🖤🤍

When I was working on Volume 1 of the Hawthorne Collection, I made sketching out my designs an important part of my process for the first time. I'd begun by reading a lot of Hawthorne's fiction and then imagining colors and sometimes shapes for pieces inspired by particular passages or characters. From there I started researching what kinds of beads, pendants, and other raw materials were available, and I began sketching those to get a sense of scale. That led to sketches of the designs themselves, although sometimes I worked back and forth between a whole design and a part of it, especially if I wasn't happy with my first attempt! Once I started assembling a piece, I was open to tweaking the design; I found I had a tendency to sketch components a little larger than they actually were, so sometimes the real-life design didn't work as well as I had expected. I came to love the balance between planning and flow in this process, and I'll definitely be using the same approach for Volumes 2 and 3 of this collection. (Stay tuned for more news about those!)

One of the things I love about my work is how I get to represent big themes or concepts through very particular details. This “Fountain” bracelet was inspired by a passage from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s _The Marble Faun_ in which two characters, separated by time but linked by ancestry, grapple with how their crimes destroy their harmony with the natural world. I wanted the bracelet to evoke the beauty of water, so I used pebble-shaped aquamarine beads accented with amazonite, white topaz, and sterling silver for their blue-green, transparent, and reflective qualities, respectively. The warmer tones of the sheepskin jasper represent the pebbles around the fountain. And the garnet is there as an acknowledgement of the characters’ bloodshed. Every choice of material in this piece has a purpose, a relationship to the passage that inspired it; the details all contribute to the meaning. This bracelet, even more than most of my designs, shows attention to detail in another way too: the spacer beads that connect the three strands required me to sort through the irregularly shaped aquamarine beads and restring them until I found similar enough sizes to keep the strands aligned properly. This piece was truly a labor of love, but I don’t regret a minute of it. What do you think?

I’m a planner! I like to plan my months, weeks, and days. I plan what I’m going to wear for special occasions and even what nail polishes I want to use for upcoming home manicures. I use both digital and paper resources to stay up-to-date on my goals, tasks, and appointments, both personal and professional. And I color-code appointments and events so I can easily distinguish (a) my own from my family members’ and (b) work from the rest of my life. But the blue ballpoint pen is the one pen to rule them all! I use it for my daily goals and to-do lists, because it’s easier for me to write quickly with it, it keeps me focused for those lists, and the brighter color makes me a little happier than a more sedate black ink. When I started working on my Hawthorne Collection, I found that focusing on works by one author helped me develop a tighter, more disciplined process for planning my designs. I'll say more about this in an upcoming post, but here's the short version of the process: reading, imagining, researching raw materials, sketching, and assembling. I love this approach and will likely use it for future collections as well. As you can see from the photo, it’s also time for me to plan to have the chair re-upholstered. 😅 I could go with another floral, but I’m feeling like it’s time for a spunkier choice, maybe a deep green or a plum. (I’m thinking of painting the room gray, and the sofa is cobalt blue, so I’m leaning toward something in the purple family.) I'd love to know your thoughts too--suggestions are welcome!

Hawthorne Rockwell Holiday Memories: Johnson’s Drug Store, the last of our Hawthorne Collection buildings is up for grabs and we have lowered the price! Check it out today! ⁣Link in bio .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #hawthornecollections #hawthornecollectionvol1 #normanrockwell #holidaymemories #collectibles #hawthornecollectibles #ebayseller #ebaycommunity #briansbasement

It’s time for #MarchMeetTheMaker, by @joannehawker! ✨ Today’s prompt is “brand introduction.” ✨ I’m Jennifer, the founder and designer at Magnolia Bough. I grew up in Alabama, although I now live in PA. When I was growing up, my grandparents had a magnolia tree in their yard with a branch I could easily sit on. That tree branch is the inspiration for my company’s name. It was a place where family was important; it was peaceful; it was beautiful. And I want my brand to evoke feelings of belonging, calm, and appreciation for the beauty around us and inside us. ✨ Years later, my intention, as I finished grad school, was to become a professor of English. But once I became a mom, I found myself more and more drawn to creative pursuits. So now, I design and hand-assemble jewelry that offers gorgeous combinations of color, texture, and shape. I still love words, stories, and reading, though—and my latest collection (the #hawthornecollectionvol1) combines my love of jewelry design and my enthusiasm for my favorite American author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. ✨ My aim is always to create pieces that honor the beauty of the literature, occasions, and even landscapes that inspired them—and the beauty of the wearer, too. I strive for designs that reflect the brilliance of the women who wear them, designs that help these women tell their own stories. ✨ Stories are such an important way for us to get to know each other, and I look forward to sharing more of mine and learning more about other makers’ in the month ahead. 💖 Photo by Molly Mitchell @photosbymollym.

Hey, friends! I don’t know about you, but I feel like things are shifting for me. And that feels scary but also exciting. I also got a reminder today that I’m not responsible for everything and I don’t have to have all the answers—which is great, because I definitely don’t! 🚫 The “Broken Curse” necklace and bracelet were inspired by a macabrely funny passage from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s _The House of the Seven Gables_. The gemstone colors reflect the descriptions of rain, moonlight, and, of all things, a corpse. And the way they complement each other suggests the way circumstances conspire in the novel to free two innocents from oppression. Freedom can find you in unexpected ways sometimes. Remember that when a new phase is upon you. 💖✨

If you've read Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel _The House of the Seven Gables_, you know Hepzibah as a dour, timid, but ultimately brave and adaptable spinster. I came to love her character so much I designed a few pieces based on her and her family home. Wear them as a reminder that your depth of character is part of your beauty and your strength. The "Hepzibah" Bracelet features Czech-glass beads that recall details from the novel: triangles, for the house's gables; scarlet flowers, for the runner-bean blossoms; and black faceted rounds, for Hepzibah's somber dress. The coordinating "Hepzibah" earrings also feature red and black Czech glass, as well as gold-plated chevron chain that echoes the gable shape. The bracelet is available in my shop. The earrings aren't listed yet, but please DM me if you're interested in them.

Hey, friends! This beauty is now listed on the website! “Battlemented” was inspired by a passage in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel _The Marble Faun_ in which two friends, Donatello and Kenyon, contemplate nature, God, life, and death from atop a tower edged with battlements. This design is meant to remind you of your strength and of all the ways good friendships protect us and help us grow. See in the link in bio for more details and views! This piece is full of intriguing details. ✨☁️🌱☀️

Y’all, this necklace is the sweetest. I’ve been looking forward to photographing it for days. 😊✨ Here’s what you can’t tell by looking at it: the focal bead was supposed to be in the shape of a teardrop. Thank goodness things don’t always go as planned. Just think of what we’d miss. 🌗 And I happened to peek out the window this evening and see another beautiful sight—so I threw on my coat, grabbed my boots, and went out for one more pic. Swipe to have a look! I haven’t listed this beauty, but DM me if you’d like to make it yours (or your Valentine’s). 💖

For a literature-inspired jewelry collection, I ✨had✨ to design some bookmarks—because your book should look just as wonderful (well, almost 😘) as you! This beauty, the “Pyncheon,” is inspired by _The House of the Seven Gables_. And it pairs beautifully with my “Hepzibah” jewelry designs, in case you have a hard time deciding whether to deck out yourself or your books.😉 I’ll list this design in the next few days, but DM me if you just can’t wait!

Happy 2021 to us all! 🎉✨🥂 I don’t especially want to talk about 2020 and its various ills. But I do want to thank y’all for your support and good cheer. You all have been lights in what often seemed a dark time, and it’s been an honor to have my designs be part of your celebrations this year especially. I’m looking forward to this new year, and I hope y’all are too! Forward, loves. ✨💖✨

Hey, lovelies! On Friday, I took more pieces to the @imadeitmarket pop-up @galleriaofmtlebanon. Among the newly stocked items is the "Half-Moon" necklace, which pairs beautifully with the "Broken Curse" bracelet and necklace from the Hawthorne Collection, Vol. 1. 🌗✨⁠ ⁠ I had one labradorite focal bead in a half-moon shape, and I decided to use it for this necklace. This piece is really striking layered with "Broken Curse," which was inspired by a passage from Nathaniel Hawthorne's _The House of the Seven Gables_.⁠ ⁠ Tap the photo to find out more about the "Broken Curse" designs. "Half-Moon" is available only at the pop-up shop--and it would make a great gift for a #moonlover. 💖 (The shop is open today till 5:00!)

Meet “Battlemented,” a #pendant necklace from the Hawthorne Collection, Vol. 1. It was inspired by a passage from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel _The Marble Faun_ in which Donatello, racked by guilt and sorrow, contemplates his motivations and considers the encouraging words of a friend. This piece would make a wonderful gift for anyone who’s lived with a difficult decision or who’s been a comfort in times of trouble. It’s not listed on the site yet, so DM me if you’re interested! 💛💚🖤🤍

I’m very thankful to the Bradford House for inviting me in for their Holiday Gift Shoppe (COVID edition, so I’m the sole vendor this year). I really love being here. It’s a beautiful house with a fascinating history, and the people are just wonderful. ✨💖✨