We are very excited to introduce our newest lifestyle concept for Komedal Road …

it is going to be called …

Makers Marketplace!

It will be a unique Marketplace – filled with hand selected designers and makers of quality, handcrafted goods!  Each and every item in the collections will be made especially for Komedal Road by artists and friends who have truly inspired me.

I have been dreaming about this for a very long time and I am so excited to finally see it coming together as part of our Komedal Road lifestyle collection section of our business!!

Our very first Designer / Maker is a very talented Jewelry Maker that has inspired me for a very, very long time!  Please welcome …

Patricia Mackey!

I first met Patricia years ago while doing a vintage show just south of Seattle. We were both vendors there and I was instantly drawn to her jewelry. What I noticed first about her jewelry is that not only was it beautiful – but most pieces often included vintage pieces that had a story to tell as well.  I found that both unique and inspiring!  Over the years I have bought a few pieces from her … and to this day they are still some of my very favorites!!  I have also had some of her pieces at our monthly pop-ups here at our studio on Bainbridge Island!

It is with great excitement and joy to have Patricia be our very first Maker for Komedal Road!!  To get to know her a bit better … I had her answer a few questions here below.  I always find the answers to these types of questions fascinating – as I learn so much about their story and journey in becoming the artist they are today …

How did you find your passion for Jewelry Design?

Well sadly, it took the death of my parents within a few months of each other to make me realize what I was supposed to do with the rest of my life. My Dad had been diagnosed in December 2002 with Stage 4 cancer. Given 3-6 months to live, we all tried to cram every part of a good life together for Dad. Not to be outdone with a timed diagnosis, Dad lived until 2008. During the 6 years that Dad suffered, my Mom started to slow down and had a series of strokes that left her almost completely blind. She was the consummate hostess, so being blind really affected her. I had dabbled with jewelry a bit at this time, making things for myself and friends. It was always a delight describing my artistic endeavors to my Mom who had to leave it up to her mind to visualize my designs.   A few months after my Dad passed away, my Mom was showing signs of some breathing and lung issues. A check x-ray revealed what would be a devastating result – Stage 4 lung cancer. She was gone within a week. Now that they were both gone, I felt alone, orphaned, and honestly, not sure how I would go on. It wasn’t until a couple of months after Mom’s death, when I decided it was time to go through some of her things that I had brought home with me. Namely, her jewelry box. What I haven’t told you is that long before my Mom became a wife and Mother, she was a Novitiate with the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Towsend, MD. That’s right, she was a Nun. She didn’t talk a lot about being a Nun, so her story was a bit of a mystery. Until I opened this box. In it, I found a treasure trove of Religious medals and Rosary’s that dated back to the early 1950’s. I imagined her beautiful long fingers intertwined in these glorious beads. It’s at that moment that the light bulb went off. So, back in August 2009, Tippy Stockton Jewelry came to be.

Can you tell us more about the name Tippy Stockton?

This is a bit of a funny story. Back in the early 2000’s, a few of my friends and I had a book club. We read a book about a woman author who wanted to write and “diss” on her friends, but she didn’t want them to know it was her. So she came up with the idea that she would use her first dog , and first street she lived on. We all went around the room rattling off our names. TIPPY STOCKTON. (TIPPY – a black lab mix with a white tip on his tail, and (STOCKTON ST. – in Brentwood, NY ) How cute is that? Saved in the back of my brain for later use. 2009 came, and it was time to pick a name for my business. I wanted something that would not only be catchy, but also honor two of the most important people in my life, my parents. Hmmmm, why not Tippy Stockton? Had a good ring to it. So off I went, branding my little company. Fast forward to about a year later – I’m checking out at one of my favorite bead shops, and this 20 something girl looks at my business name and starts to chuckle. “What”, I say. “Stripper name?” Duh, NO! She says, “first dog, first street?”. Okay, now I’m in freak out mode. I’m thinking, OH Dear God, my Mother must be having a fit. So, I guess it’s my Stripper Name too. Alrighty then.

What is your Favorite Piece . . .

It would have to be this piece. On the one that I made for myself, I used some of Mom’s rosary beads. The connector is an Ave Maria center; the pendant slides open to reveal The Lord’s Prayer. It reminds me so much of my Mom.

Where do you find inspiration for your Jewelry Collections?

For the better part of my adult life, I’ve been involved in the design world. My career started with Xerox, working in their Industrial Design/Graphic Design/Human Interface Division. While I wasn’t a designer, I was a sponge – making sure that I was completely immersed in this field. I was awarded a seat with the Color Association of America in VA, a role I took very seriously. I was part of a team that selected colors that would become part of the Pantone colors that drive industry, like Xerox equipment colors, and the leading colors in fashion. So, that experience has given me the eye for details as well as color. So every year, I look forward to what Pantone is saying about the colors leading the year. Some years I’m ecstatic, others not so much. This years colors have some promise . . . a soft rose and a beautiful blue.

And finally – in general – what is your favorite Color and how does it make you feel?

Well, this one is easy. AQUA . . . anything in this color way. The color of the Sea, to deep turquoise from New Mexico. It’s always my go to color. This year is no exception, as I add to my LaMer Collection (LaMer means the Sea in French) and to my RESORT 2016 Collection. Shades of aqua everywhere.

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Here below is part of the gorgeous collection Patricia has done for our Makers Marketplace – a lifestyle collection for Komedal Road …

Patricia’s first collection of beautiful necklaces has Old Vintage Medals as their center focus … which gives each piece a spiritual center and also a vintage feel.  The necklaces also have a modern ease about them keeping them current in the fashion world!

I personally think they are more than lovely … and couldn’t be more excited to share them with all of you …

I hope you love the collection as much as I do … as I am personally in LOVE with each and every piece!!  It is all I can do to not keep them all for myself …

These first pieces above are now available here in our Komedal Road’s Makers Marketplace!  As I photograph the rest of the collection – we will be adding more pieces to the Online Shop in the coming weeks … so do stay tuned!

You can also find more of Patricia’s beautiful jewelry in her own Online shop at … www.tippystockton.com  … So much beauty everywhere you look!!

Wishing you all the very best today and always …

Peace and Love!!  xoxo – liz

 

These 4 photos here above are by Patricia Mackey.
Permission was given to use them by her.

All other photos are by photographer – Liz le Dorze

Please ask the photographer for permission to use any of these photos …Thank you!!