romantic weekend

new earrings
Originally uploaded by novadesigns by tess

I spent the weekend jumping back and forth dreaming about the wedding and working in my studio. :o)
I think it's safe to say that I am in a very romantic mood and I think these two new earrings reflect that.

Spring has finally arrived here in Philly and every day I can feel summer getting closer! Memories of wild strawberries on a straw and damp morning grass between my toes fills my head. The smell of grass and flowers. Warm sun on my face and a lovely summer breeze... ahhhh I can't wait for summer to get here.

I love how these turned out and I hope you do to!
These will be added to my shop tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day.
love ~tess

he asked and I said yes...

he asked and I said yes
Originally uploaded by novadesigns by tess

...and I couldn't be happier!

We're getting married!

Thank you for letting me share this with all of you :o)

love you!
~tess

the only form of snow ...

...that I could find in my backyard was these...


little lovely wonderful snowdrops. And I am relieved. It's been too much shoveling, scraping cars and freezing fingers. It's time for miss spring to come and defrost my bones.


Have a wonderful weekend and thank you so much for stopping by :o)
love ~tess

Date night and Kubb!

So yesterday was our date night and it was my turn to plan... I opted for our backyard instead of going to the park.
David was a good sport and enjoyed the wine with the strawberry. He did try and stick it up his nose at some point but I'll spare you the pictures ha ha... Ok so what about the beard? It's read which is cool but I think I am kind of over it now... He's been saving it since last November.. and I hate to break it to him but I don't think it will ever grow fully in. He has such a baby face. Xoxo
So to the Kubb game! I started out strong. I used to be really good at it.. and I really thought I had it.. but what happened?
Hmm someone made a strong comeback and whopped my butt.. I say he must have cheated when I wasn't looking. Or I swear he had screwed his little wooden blocks to the ground so they wouldn't fall even when I did hit them. I love this game though. So simple yet so much fun. You can play on grass, sand or whatever you've got. To learn more about Kubb click here!
After being defeated in Kubb I pouted for a bit... and David made an awesome fire. David knows how to make the best fires. That's why camping with him is a wonderful experience. We're actually trying to pencil in a weekend for some tent living, freeze dried food and hiking adventures..

I set the table and we enjoyed a really good late night dinner with BBQ and salad, strawberries and handmade whipping cream, watching the flames dance around and feeling the warmth on our faces. It was so romantic and we both needed a night like this. Now I can't wait until next Date Night!

I hope you all had a wonderful night too
love ~tess

Custom Dream Catcher Necklace
Originally uploaded by novadesigns by tess

I am still around! I've been focusing on working in my studio and not so much on blogging! I finished this custom necklace for a lovely lady and I have 3 more custom rings in the works. When I get busy like this I tend to get a little stressed out. It's always hard to find that balance between my work and my life. I think all of us who plays with fire and metal knows how draining that creative muse can be. Wonderful but sometimes also draining..

So tonight after work is our second Date Night! It's my turn to plan and since the sun is shining outside I am planning a picnic. I am getting some yummy food and wine for me and David. We have this wonderful park right by our house so I figured we would walk over and bring some blankets. Nothing beats sitting outside in the sun with your loved one :o)

Oh and I am so bringing the Kubb. Kubb? you say. What is that?
Well it's the best Swedish outdoor game ever! It's an old viking game made of wooden blocks and dowels. Whenever we have bbq's at our house I always make people play kubb. It's so much fun. I'll take some photos for all of you curious ones.

I hope you're all doing well and that you get to enjoy the sunshine today!
love ~tess

my head is spinning

hard to focus
Originally uploaded by novadesigns by tess

I woke up with the gnarliest cold sore yesterday morning.
I NEVER have cold sores!

Never...

They're gross.


I blame it on stress. I've been stressing out a lot lately. Trying to find time for my craft, my love, my life, my kitties, my laundry, my dirty dishes, my dreams, my friends, and especially for myself.

I desperately need a haircut. A manicure would be wonderful but we all know how long that would last when you play with fire and metal all the time. A massage OH what I wouldn't do for a massage! I think that my head is now permanently directly attached to my shoulders. There's no neck in between anymore. I think it disappeared a while back. And now I want it back.

Yesterday David and I went to see Alice in Wonderland. It was a nice break from everything. We had a good talk the other weekend about how important it is to have time for each other. So we reinstated Date Nights! It's a good thing. I'm lucky to have him. *kisses*

I think I might be stressing out about time in general. It's not like I am getting any younger.. I'll be 32 this year. I want to buy a house, start a family and all that good stuff. I am so good at making plans. Or list! I am excellent at making lists. Grocery lists, shopping lists, to-do lists. You name it I probably have a list for it :o)

So I think after I come home from work today I am going to scrub that dingy bathtub of ours and fill it up with hot HOT water and bubbles. LOTS of bubbles. Light some candles and finish that book (middlesex) that I started a while back. A little me time is in order. Don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by
love ~tess

one style? Two styles?

reluctant hug
Originally uploaded by novadesigns by tess

My last blogpost brought up an interesting discussion for me. About having multiple styles being something that is maybe frowned upon. I almost get the feeling that if you express yourself if a less consistent way that maybe people can't see what your voice or your style is? For me I guess I have never thought anything strange about it. My mother always worked with two very different styles. Modern science fiction paintings and more traditional textile art. So I have never put much thought into what kind of conclusions people might draw when you have an eclectic style and use several different expressions for your designs.

So I wanted to throw a couple of questions out there and pick your brain. Do you feel that as a designer it's important to stick with one style and only work with that style? Or do you feel that it's important to continue to push yourself and develop new ideas and play with new expressions? What are your thoughts about it? How do you work?

What about your home and the things you surround yourself with? I know I draw a lot of inspiration from my environment. Is your home a page from IKEA or Pottery Barn? Or a mix of both?

I look forward hearing your thoughts about this.

love ~tess

the return of the Nova and other rants

I was thinking about it the other day. Why my two styles are so different from each other. And I started realizing that I had been missing my pinwheels and bean sprouts. I'm very eclectic. I am modern and drawn to clean graphic lines. But I am also old fashioned, soft and romantic. It's just who I am. Like yin and yang. Black or white. Two opposites that together completes me.
So after some CPR I got my first shop novadesigns breathing again! And it feels good. I am complete again.

On a separate note. Someone who I have been fortunate to get to know better via Etsy makes the most beautiful jewelry you'll ever find. She's talented, unique and kind. I am sure you have heard of her. Her name is Jess and her business is called RosyRevolver. It hurts me when I see other sellers on Etsy try to take what is hers and somehow make it their own. It doesn't work that way. It will never be yours unless it came from within your own mind and heart. I have never understood how someone can call themselves an artist when their approach to design is trying to duplicate what someone else have already made. Where is the pride and joy in that? I am writing this cause I stumbled upon some pieces that are almost identical to her. They left me speechless. Not in a good way. I am all for not assuming that someone is guilty and that there isn't much new under the sun. I am all for not judging others but WOW did those pieces leave me with a bad taste in my mouth.

So next time you see something beautiful and think to yourself: Oh I could do that.
Please don't. You're only hurting yourself. Just admire it from a distance and try to create your own magic.

Thank you for reading.
~tess




Phoenix wings

Shop update!

phew... I always forget how long it takes to upload photos and get things listed on Etsy. But I am finally done! Four new things in my shop today. I hope you like them.
~tess


Snowflake ring size 7



Tranquility Necklace



Rock Candy ring size 6


Spring window size 6 1/4

I'm still around!

I haven't had much time for blogging. I've been traveling with work and I just got back. Just in time to get the sniffles and the grumpy throat. But I have been eating tons of garlic (wanna sniff my breath?) and drinking hot tea with lemon so I am feeling much better!

So where was I? well I had to go to California with work. I know! Such a bummer to leave the snow behind LOL. I was super stoked to meet up with my friend Gabby. Even though we only had one evening we tried to make the most of it. It was so much fun to meet her in person! I already know I have to make plans to go and visit her again. Unless I can convince her to come here to Philly! :o)

I've had a bunch of stuff half finished on my bench and I finally got around finishing them.
A magnificent snowflake. It takes a big strong woman to carry this one around. It's HUGE! It has 12 sky blue topaz flush set around the crystal druzy. Yummy.

I have been holding on to this ocean jasper for a while now. It's so gorgeous. The colors and the patterns remind me so much of home. It's just like sitting on the cliffs by the ocean back home in Sweden.
And a Spring window to celebrate the exit of scraping cars and shoveling snow! Four sunny yellow citrine rests on each side of this beautiful Laguna agate.


Two custom orders and an experiment ring with an laguna agate slab. Look for my new babies in my shop tomorrow!

Have a great night and weekend!
~tess