FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Accountant Turned Jewelry Artist to have Trunk Show at Sasha’s
LONG BEACH, CALIF., September 3 – “Sasha’s – Living with Style,” a furniture, lighting, and accessories boutique on Broadway, will host a trunk show for jewelry-maker Sheridan Brooks on Thursday, September 17th from 5-8 p.m.
Brooks is an accounting consultant who has scaled away from the full-time corporate world. Nowadays, she spends afternoons and evenings working on a project that is equal parts stress-relieving and artistically rewarding: jewelry creation.
The native to Glendora, California mixes brass and sterling silver with organic materials such as waxed linen, cotton cording, deerskin leather, and cocoa shell beads. Her signature style is a *60* bead necklace hand knotted with pearls and adorned with a hand strung tassel. Made with such fine materials, the necklaces are as sophisticated in quality as they are bohemian in look. To complete them, Brooks attaches a little silver charm with a heart or peace symbol.
“What became important to me when I was first taught [how to bead] was always finishing things, and making sure that the finishing makes it look like it was bought in Nordstrom,” said Brooks. “I don’t want to make handmade stuff that looks like it was handmade. I want you to be able to tell they were handcrafted, but I want them to look like something that you can buy at Nordstrom.”
Having graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Brooks knows a thing or two about fashion and style. Her mother taught her to cut and sew clothing, a valuable lesson from which Brooks sewed her entire college wardrobe. After completing a degree for accounting, she went to school at FIDM to fulfill her fashion-forward dreams and become a buyer. The landscape and skills for buyers was changing at the time, so she turned back to accounting. But the stylish spark in her never left.
Fourteen years ago, a corporate colleague showed Brooks how to crimp wire with crimping bead to finish jewelry. She was instantly fascinated. It was an impromptu tutorial that took just 10 minutes over a lunch break, but it revived a spirit within Brooks to create.
She began to go to bead trade shows and bead stores to build a collection. “If you ever go into a bead store, it’s like going into a candy store. You’ve got all these [beads] and they’re pretty and shiny, and you wonder what you can make with them,” said Brooks.
The jewelry-making process has become a meditative one for Brooks, who studies meditative practices and uses a singing bowl. “Once I have [a necklace] all planned out, I have to concentrate on what I’m doing, but I don’t have to think about the pattern anymore. And when you do this, it becomes a sort of meditation in itself. You’re concentrating on putting those knots close to that bead, and you don’t think about the what ifs going on – what do I need to do tomorrow, and oh that’s right I have a client coming and I need to do that project. It blocks that out,” said Brooks.
Sheridan Brooks will be at Sasha’s – Living with Style on Thursday, September 17 from 5-8 p.m. with close to 100 of her bohemian handcrafted necklaces. As part of Third Thursday on Broadway, there will also be 12 gourmet food trucks outside.
ABOUT SHERIDAN BROOKS
Sheridan Brooks has been creating beaded jewelry for over 16 years. Ever since scaling back her corporate career, she has been channeling her bohemian alter-ego. Mixing metals, gemstones, leathers and waxed linen and cotton cording, this new collection reflects nature, peace and tranquility.
ABOUT SASHA’S – LIVING WITH STYLE
“Sasha’s – Living with Style” is a boutique that sells home furnishings and accessories. Owner Sasha Witte also manages Sasha Witte Design, an interior design company that helps clients make the home their favorite destination. Amongst the vibrant array of merchandise, the boutique features art by local artists and artisans. Each month a new artist’s work is splashed on the walls and side tables, and an artist reception is held.
ABOUT THIRD THURSDAY
Third Thursday is a community event that happens on the third Thursday of every month in Heights Village,
from Olives to Wine Crush. Twelve gourmet food trucks station themselves along Broadway on both sides, featuring
yummy offerings from the Grilled Cheese Truck, Lobsta Truck, and India Jones, to name a few. Businesses
stay open after-hours and host special events from 5-8 p.m. It’s the perfect way for foodies to spend their Thursday
night.
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