Let's Party!

About a month ago, I learned about a really fun fashion trend called the Arm Party, in which you wear 5-7 bracelets on one wrist... it's like your inviting half your jewelry box to come and play.

So, needless to say, I HAD to jump in... I wanted to play too!

I'm currently working on a massive series of bracelets to put my own twist on the Arm Party.

So far, materials include sterling silver, copper, pearls, faux bone, seraphinite, amber, and moonstone.  Pictures to follow :)

Being brave 5 seconds at a time

I love what I do... but there are just some days when being an entrepreneur is so terrifying.

And I love my imagination, it makes what I do possible... it helps me see the things I want to make, it helps me visualize what my customer wants, it helps me "see the future" and prepare for eventualities. 

But I'm realizing more and more that these aspects of my imagination are a double-edged sword.  Yes, my imagination can help me visualize, but it can also take me places where I don't belong (yet), places where I shouldn't go (yet).

Generally speaking, when I let myself skip too far ahead that's when I become afraid. 

This "trap door" became painfully apparent to me when I recently started taking classes at Sandler Training in Wexford.  After my soul-searching experience this week, I came home and was thinking to myself, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

My Sandler coach, Jen (great name :), and I talked a lot about how the fear of success holds a lot of people back.  And I realized, I am totally one of those people!

I'm a one woman show, I do it all... the designing, the making, the marketing, the accounting, the selling, the photography, the inventory, the social media, etc, etc, etc.  I'm busy enough to be busy but not busy enough to be self-sufficient yet... and even now, there are days when I feel overwhelmed.

Sometimes, when I imagine success... it feels a lot like exhaustion and burn out. 

But I keep thinking about something so wise that Jen said to me: "it's all about being brave 5 seconds at a time."  One step at a time.  One step at a time.  One step at a time.  Until I get to where I'm going.

Favorite Thanksgiving Quote

Mutti:  I can still feel me legs.  I need another drink.

"How do you measure a day in the life?"

I live in a world measured in millimeters... tenths of millimeters.  You have no idea how large a millimeter is until you are off my a millimeter... it's an ugly expanse of metal, that extra millimeter.

This small, exceedingly small measurement can be such a pain... or it can be a beautiful region in which to play.

But really, what all this talk about millimeters has really made me think about change... internal change, the small almost imperceptible steps that I take towards myself.

Sometimes they're so small!  So frighteningly small... I feel like I'm not moving at all.  And sometimes they're so large!  So frighteningly large... I feel like I'm out of control.

But any millimeter towards myself is a millimeter that I will take!

And I've been thinking about about the word "relentless" lately.  The dictionary defines relentless as "showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength."  I think it is a word that I'm trying to embrace... the world is funny place; we all say that we embrace change and intelligence and talent.  But really, those words terrify some people, and in a world full of knock-offs and gimmicks, a lot of people have lost the ability to spot the genuine article.

I'm not saying that I'm the genuine article (although what artist doesn't allow herself to hope such a thing?), but what I am saying is that sometimes it's difficult to tell in which direction I'm walking.

Lately, I find myself deciding to decide for myself.  Relentless.  It's become a small, hopeful prayer in my heart.  Relentless.

Portland Rebuttal

After my November Newsletter went out in which I had written about my frustration and lack of success at Portland's Body Mind Spirit Expo, I received a reply from a Portland resident.  She urged me to not give up on Portland's residents.

And I would like to write here: I haven't.

My time in Portland may have been brief, but it was wonderful.  And not only that, I could tell that a lot of the people in Portland appreciated the work that I had taken with me.

I just felt like I was in the right city at the wrong event.  I simply needed a crowd that was a little more "fine art" and a little less "new age."  Nothing against the Expo folks, they were super nice and friendly and insightful, everything a group of open-mind people should be.

Like I wrote earlier: just not my venue.  But I do look forward to the next time I can travel to Portland.

Portland Photo Journal

When I got to the hotel and saw the marquee, I know I was home.

Voodoo Doughnuts!

I tried the Mango Tango, the Maple Bacon Bar, and Diablos Rex.

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Sculpture rock, created by the elements and nothing else.

There was a Chrysanthemum show going on at the garden, there were everywhere and completely beautiful!

My booth at the Expo :)

Packing Check-list: Portland or Bust

So, I've been packing for my trip to Portland's Body Mind Spirit Expo... Let's hope I have everything that I need.  This totally put my mad, Tetris packing skills to the test.

-display furniture
-lighting
-square register and charger
-table clothes
-packaging
-promotional materials
-banner and S-hooks
-clothes... yeah, there might be clothes in there :)
-writing implements
-itinerary and relevant phone numbers
-jewelry... I should hope so
-ring sizers
-camera and charger
-phone and charger
-books, etc.... I think my round-trip travel time is something like 17 hours
-hand mirrors
-inventory print-out and extra price tags
-guts

Fancy Penmanship

I love books.  I love blank books almost as much as I love printed books.  And I love beautiful pens almost as much as I love blank books.

The truth is that I love, love, love writing with actual writing implements as opposed to a keyboard.  Don't get me wrong... I love email and word processing just as much as the next person, but there's something so personal and lovely about holding a pen in my hand and writing words.


All my poems start on paper before they make it to the keyboard.  All my jewelry designs start in my sketch book before they make into metal.

But let's be clear, I am not anti-technology... my computer is an important design tool that I use just as much as my pencil and ruler and templates.  Some of the things I create would be much less without the aid of my computer.  I am not anti-technology.  I am pro-balance.

I have seen objects that literally could not have existed in the real world without Computer Aided Design or 3D printing... the forms too "M.C. Escher," literally impossible to fabricate or carve by hand.  And on the other side of the coin, I have seen objects in museums that needed a maker's touch, a finger print, the delicate evidence of skilled hands... there are just some things that computers do not understand.

And as in all things, there are camps, each arguing the virtues of the different approaches.  I make things, (and I've already told you how much I love pens), so it should be obvious that I err on the side of handmade... but like I said: balance.  There can be a crispness to objects that hands just can't quite manage, an exactness.  But there can be a tension created by plans gone awry, when materials just don't behave the way they're "supposed to" and something better, inspired happens. 

Machines take this tension away, computers cannot comprehend the beauty of plans gone awry... usually plans gone awry lead to blue screens and lost data, unbalanced binary code.  It's the job of the maker to decide when to let the crispness take over and when to let the natural order and possible chaos rule the day.  Balance... it's something I'm working on.

The Sacral Chakra

So, this the second installment of jewelry in my Chakra Series.  For the first installment, please view my post entitled The Root Chakra.

Chakra 2, otherwise known as the sacral chakra, is located in the lower abdomen to navel area of the body.  Physically, it is the energy center that governs the sexual organs, large intestines, lower vertebrae, pelvis, hip area, appendix, and bladder.  Emotionally, this chakra deals with issues of money, creativity, guilt, control, morality, sex, and relationships with specific people.  

If chakra 1 is about love for the tribe, the chakra 2 is about love for the specific people with which we choose to cultivate personal relationships.  The Sacred Truth that this chakra has to teach us is "Honor One Another."

Admittedly, the jewelry that I've made so far doesn't deal with some of the more complicated aspects of these chakras.  But like I said in my earlier post... the possibilities are endless.  I'm taking baby steps right now until I've worked my way through all the chakras, even though they each govern specific things, they are all interconnected.  Once I have a greater understanding of the whole "machine," my pieces will naturally become more complex all on their own.

Fall Leaf Pendant: sterling silver, printed paper, epoxy resin

Fall Leaf Bracelet: sterling silver, printed paper, epoxy resin.

Let Go Pendant: sterling silver, lab-created sapphire, broken stained glass

Let Go Earrings: sterling silver, lab-created sapphire, broken stained glass

Sacral Chakra Earrings: sterling silver, dyed coral, broken stained glass

The Archangel Cuff Bracelets

It took me a long time to design these bracelets... a lot longer than it usually does once an idea occurs to me.

And I think this was for various reasons; the form... I've never made cuff bracelets before, I had to take the time to experiment, the materials... once I decided to use fauxbone, I had to take the time to better familiarize myself with that material, but mostly I think it was the subject matter.  My Goddess Necklaces were easy for me to conceptualize, and I realized, I talk to my Goddesses all the time, but I really only turn to my Guys when I'm in trouble or I need help.  I think they were just givin' me guff for being that way :)

In any case, it gave me an opportunity to really think about what I gain from these angels, with which parts of myself they really help me connect.  If these are my divine intermediaries that I turn to when I need something beyond myself, then why do I really talk to them?

Michael is the archangel of protection, guidance.  He lends strength and courage.  I use him as a shield in stressful and frightening situations.  I honestly think of him as some sort of bad-ass knight, so it made perfect sense to me that his bracelet should take the form of a gauntlet, complete with custom coat-of-arms.  But more than the strength, Michael is really about the love for me, that deep river of light that is so worth fighting for.

Raphael is the archangel of healing and creativity.  I really think he and I have been buds for a long time, even before I knew his name... of the three Archangels for which I made bracelets, he's the one with whom I feel the deepest kinship.  In this bracelet, I made a mandala from silhouettes of human vertebrae... because my creativity heals me, and my healing only adds to my creativity: the two are inseparable, my backbone.

Gabriel is THE messenger angel and known to help with clarity and creativity where communication is concerned.  I used to think that he was my need to know about damn-near everything.  But really, I think he has more to do with how I think about strength.  I like to think Gabriel helps me take responsibility for myself... because most days that takes real strength.   In this bracelet, I combined the hurricane symbol with a typographical mandala made of the word "authentic." 

Handmade Time Machines

Handmade objects have their own magic, a quality given to them the the hands of the maker.  I'm not talking about magic in a fantastical sense but magic in the sense that these objects have the ability to cross the boundaries of time, they have the power to take you back.

I haven't visited the Carnegie Museum of Art in years... years!  I can't remember the last time I was there.

But I visited a couple days ago with a friend. 

In the art galleries, I found myself wanting to touch the paintings.  Some of them had a texture... globs of paint left behind either by accident or design, a texture.  I wanted to touch those paintings!  Reach out my hand and feel the paint... as if by some transference, I'd be able to feel the brush upon the canvas, the hand upon the brush, the mind connected to the hand.  It was all I could do to stop myself!

And the same thing happened in the hall of decorative arts and design... especially with the furniture of inlaid wood.  Some of those objects have at one time or another been in people's homes before they found their way into the museum.  I wanted to hear the stories that these pieces of furniture had to tell... Why is your door cracked?  It was a cold winter that year... I lived near the window, you see, drafty.  Or are you talked about this crack?  Lovers' quarrel, the damage was too extensive to be repaired.

What have these objects witnessed?  What sorrows or joys have they been a part of?  They're in museums because they're examples of craft that are meant to be preserved, used as examples to teach future generations about the art and culture of the past.  But I found myself preoccupied something much more interesting... the human element.

On the Art of Surrender

Sometimes... but only sometimes, I wish that life was a straight line.  Life can only be lived in one direction, but it is not a straight line.

Things happen.  People come and go.  Knowledge is gained and lost.  Experience is a sword that cuts both ways.  Something will happen, and I'll find myself saying, "Oh my God, am I really in THIS place again?  How many times do I have to learn this lesson?"

It's an expression that's starting to find it's way into my work... I find myself wanting to break things and use the pieces to create new objects, as if by the act of breaking, I'll will myself to cut a new path.  I find myself wanting so badly to incorporate incredibly transient materials like water, fall leaves, flower petals, and fire.  But how do I solidify things that by their very nature only exist at a single point in time?

It's the need in me to hang on... even though I'm not allowed.  I am allowed to keep the memories but not the people attached to them.  I'm allowed to keep the experiences but not the circumstances that created them.  I'm allowed to keep the love, and the pain, for as long as I need them.

But the truth is that what I'm really afraid of letting go of is not the memories, experiences, or emotions... it's this person that I am.  I've known her for a very long time.

I've come through years of heartache.  And for what... thicker skin?  If anything, I'm more sensitive now than I was back in the day, my skin worn smooth and crisp from the years of erosion.  Who would I become if I didn't use these hurts as the second skin I never acquired?  Who would I be if I stopped using my generosity and creativity as shields?  Sometimes, when I meet new people, I feel like I'm playing at slight of hand... look over here, and I won't have to show you what I'm really about.

Lame.

Lately, I find myself wanting to take myself aside and say, "Listen, you've been great, but it's time for you to leave me alone.  I'm going places where you can't follow." 

All I really know for certain is that strange and wondrous things happen on this road that I've chosen... when I made these earrings, I broke the glass with a steel punch.  The glass broke the steel.  The glass broke the steel before the steel broke the glass.  True story.

Cuff Me

So, I've finally been moving forward on my designs for my Archangel Cuff Bracelets... and I've realized, making cuff bracelets is freakin' hard!  A cuff bracelet is defined as "a rigid bracelet with a gap in the material, usually on its reverse side. The opening lets us easily slip the bracelet over a wrist." (Definition from About.com)

I think I may have actually shot myself in a foot a little bit by deciding to make cuffs as opposed to any other type of bracelet.  Generally speaking, bracelets are lengths of chain or any other material... they stay on the arm by being large enough to fit the wrist but small enough to NOT slip over the hand.  "Fit" is a relative term.

But with cuffs are different, fit is of the utmost importance... if a cuff bracelet doesn't fit the arm just. right. that thing is gonna fall off, without a doubt.

Lots of push, pull, and experimentation in these bracelets for me.  I'm glad it's something I conquered... but will I be making another suite of cuff bracelets any time soon?  Most likely, no :)

At The Speed of Thought

I can't seem to turn around these days without someone giving me the most brilliant ideas that I've ever heard... design ideas, marketing ideas, business ideas.  People just keep handing me these gifts, these incredible, creative, stunning gifts.

And all I have in return is a "thank you."  That's difficult for me... not the act of saying "thank you" (they're actually two of my favorite words when put together), but having nothing else to offer except the "thank you."

As an artist and designer, ideas are precious to me; they are an intimate and powerful currency...

They are a meeting of the minds, a sharing of knowledge and experience.  And, in my mind, the most startling and wonderful aspect of ideas is that they can so completely change my perspective... when I'm faced with a problem, the right idea can change everything, give me the power to walk forward over, under, around, through any obstacle.

And now, I have all these ideas... that were just given to me.  And all I can do is bow, thank, and honor the minds that shared these thoughts with me by walking over, under, around, and through. 

The Spiral Staircase

I self-identify as a fabricator, as opposed to a wax-carver/caster... so, I am always surprised when a design occurs to me that requires wax carving.  And then I'm always freakin' flabbergasted when I actually carve that design with any amount of competency.

However, this ring did occur to me... it is actually the first design that came to me when my friend suggested I begin designing jewelry based on the body's chakra system.  Seven steps, one for each chakra.

Ring blank, this is where the fun begins.

Tracing paper is a girl's best friend.  I cut a piece from the ring tube, transferred my design, and then carved the wax using files and rotary tools on my Foredom.

Top is the finished carving, middle is how the ring looks straight from the casting company, and bottom is the finished ring.

The Spiral Staircase: sterling silver

The Root Chakra

So, recently, a friend gave me the superb idea of making jewelry associated/based on the body's chakra system.  People have been giving me the best ideas lately!  It's better than Christmas!

Anyway, I'm starting at the beginning... Chakra 1.  And this is what I've come up with so far.  But I love this idea because this is just the beginning.  The possibilities are endless!

I don't claim to be an expert, but here's a short lesson about Chakra 1.  Also known as the Root Chakra, this is the energy center located at the base of the spine and physically it governs the spinal column, legs, bones, feet, and immune system.  Dealing with safety and survival issues as well as family and tribal sensibilities, the Sacred Truth inherent in Chakra 1 is that All is One.

Root Chakra Bracelet: sterling silver, epoxy resin, transparency film, a touch of fine silver, a touch of copper.

From Within: fauxbone

I Have Everything I Need: sterling silver, stained glass, white topaz

because I like matching earrings: sterling silver, stained glass, tears of job

Remember Bangle: fauxbone, epoxy resin.  "Remember, it's okay to dig your way out."

Darkness and Solitude

This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of taking a weekend workshop at Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, NJ.... Just a quick geography lesson: Layton is above Allentown, about 10 miles over the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border.

And it's in the middle of nowhere.  There's nothing except the craft village for about 5 miles in any direction.  No internet access.  No TV.  Spotty cell service.

When I got there, I nearly panicked.  Three days alone with my thoughts?

And then it got dark.

At home, I'm used to the ambient light of street lamps and city glare and lights left burning in my neighbors' windows.  In Peters Valley, there is none of that.  No street lamps and no street lights on the roads.  Just woods, and re-purposed barns and farm houses, and then some more woods.  When it gets dark... it's dark. (One night, heavy rains knocked out the power for a couple of hours... hence the candles).

And this of course, got me to thinking... have I ever experienced natural darkness?  Maybe?  I'm not sure.

A stranger in a strange land without even my technology to keep me company... have I ever experienced this kind of solitude?  And actually, the answer to that one is "Yes, yes I have." It is an experience that I recommend... it's both disorienting and reaffirming, a very interesting lens with which to view the internal landscape.

But the truth is that even though I did have a lot of alone time... I was surrounded by fellow students experiencing the same feelings and thoughts that I was.

And suddenly these strangers were the most important people in my life because they offered me what I lacked: companionship and conversation, a link to the outside world, news and experiences beyond my own.  But we were all there together, in the darkness and solitude, sharing a space and experience together... and I just was as important to them... and suddenly, there was a lot to talk about.

Peter's Valley: a photo journal

Here's a look at what I was up to during my time at at Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, NJ.

The workshop I took was entitled "Amulets and Talismans: making meaningful objects," taught by the incorrigible and insightful Robert Dancik.  I learned an entirely new "language" of cold-connecting (no solder allowed!), and got down to the serious work of playing.  I learned to work with fauxbone, concrete, papermache... learned some new riveting techniques... learned about powdered pigments and alcohol inks... learned some new and very interesting things to do with epoxy resin.

But beyond the techniques, I learned the importance of play... that being different is not only ecstatically fun and but incredibly important.  I am they only person who can make the things that I make.  I'm not saying that to be grandiose or puff myself up... plenty of people have the exact same metalsmithing skills that I have (there are even plenty of people with skills that surpass mine), but none of those metalsmiths have my exact experiences as a human being.   That is a very important bit of learning.

Which Thunder Mountain came first: Peters Valley or Disney?

The Prius had to do some semi-off-roading to get to the metals' studio.  Good job, Little Prius.

Robert brought SO MANY samples!  Every object I picked up was more incredible than the last.  For like three solid hours, the thought track in my head was "Oh my God, that's amazing!""Oh my God, that's amazing!""Oh my God, that's amazing!"

This was one of my favorite of Robert's samples, a "book."

One of my other favs: a magnifying glass set in concrete.

Sunset on Thunder Mountain Rd.

The view from the art studios.

Seriously, awesome mailbox.

One of the pieces that I made during the workshop: fauxbone, concrete, sterling silver, finished enamels that I had brought with me.

Mad Science in the Art Bunker

Recently, a friend gave me the brilliant idea of incorporating homemade pigments into my enamel work... and of course, I had to give it a try!

So far, the results are incredibly mixed.  In this era of artificial dyes (that do not stand up to the intense heat needed for fusing), the pigments that I'm using come out of the kiln faded and burnt looking.  Although, despite that slight "disappointment" the effects I'm getting are very earthy and interesting.

Pictured are the samples that I've created so far... I look forward to playing around with this idea.  The possibilities are just endless.

Stranger Danger?

A dilemma: Strangers.

In the past two weeks, I've heard some these comments from some of my jewelry/artist friends: "People I didn't even know gave money to my Kickstarter campaign!  I was so grateful!." "I made this piece, it was in the showcase for four months, and then someone bought it!  I loved it and someone bought it who loved it just as much!"

And I'm exactly the same way; the first time that a stranger subscribed to my monthly newsletter, I was nearly falling over myself with joy and excitement.  "Strangers! Find worth in what I do?! Amazing!"

It's true.  As an independent business person, if I ever hope to be successful, I need the support of strangers and people I've never met, and yet somehow I am always dumbfounded by the idea that strangers could possibly find worth in my work.

It all comes down one crazy, little word: value.  And it all depends on whose definition we are considering: Walmart's (or Kay's or Zales' or Blue Nile's or Ice's for that matter) or the art community's.

Walmart: "Save Money.  Live Better."  Their idea of "value" is based on giving you as much for your dollar as possible.  The quality of the product is irrelevant as long as it can be sold cheaply and sold to as many people as possible.

In the art community (at least the art community I'm familiar with), the word "value" is based on enrichment.  Does this object enrich my life?  Is it well-made?  Is this object timeless and capable of being passed down to future generations?  What impact does it have on the environment?  The word "value" is based on legacy rather than a monetary exchange.

Although, don't think for a second that I'm a fool.  Enrichment is more difficult to quantify, monetarily speaking, but I charge accordingly for my blood, sweat, tears, intellectual prowess, and creativity.

Let me put it to you this way; yes, you can buy a $25.00 diamond and silver pendant from Walmart, but what are you really buying: cloudy gemstones and a piece of metalwork with no pride (and barely any thought) in the manufacture.

When you buy jewelry from me (or one of my fellow independent craftspeople), you are not just buying an object, but you are purchasing my knowledge and expertise, you are purchasing my thoughts and worldview.  I understand the limitations and the possibilities in my materials.  I take pride in the quality and possible longevity of what I am selling you.

"Save Money. Live Better." (?)  I'm just sayin'.  Those places will always (always) underbid me on price, but they will never (ever) beat me when it comes to value.

Current Theme Song

"Every Other Way" by BT on These Hopeful Machines

Heart don't fail me now  
'Cause there is no time to waste  
Don't shut me out, we shouldn't wait another day 
I've searched for you, on my heart's high speed chase  
Hear me out, may be the only chance to say  
"Hold me now"
I've said it every other way

Forging Entrepreneurs: a lesson in what it really takes

This past Sunday, I had the great pleasure of attending a SNAG sponsored symposium in Pittsburgh at the Society for Contemporary Craft: "Forging Entrepreneurs."

And even though I learned a great deal (topics of the lectures were diverse, ranging from how to define success to a crash course in 3D printing) and I had a great time with some of my SNAG family, I really feel like the experience has thrown me into an identity crisis as far as my work goes.

Geez, I just got finished telling you that I'm in love with what I do... and now I feel like a hypocrite.  I'm still in love, but now I'm wondering if I have been unfaithful in some way.

By the end of the day my circuits were so fried I wanted to come home and have a nervous breakdown.  I looked around at what I was making and none of it felt good enough.  It felt like "amulet" was just another label I was trying to impose on myself.  Yes, I am interested in how we use amulets to shape our thoughts and actions, but are fancy titles really that important?  Now I think that all this "experimentation" with my ideas and materials was just another mask I was trying to put on instead of doing the hard work of trying to find my own voice, a distraction rather than a journey.  What am I most excited about creating?  What do I really care about saying? What can I uniquely offer?

Dammit, those are hard questions, and I don't have the answers.  Soul-searching time.

I love working with enamel most of all... molten glass makes me feel like a bad ass.  And I have to admit, I really (really) enjoyed taking a hammer to that stained glass... I never get to break things, ever.  To break something in an act of creation felt really contrary and freeing.

I love symbols... I'm really Jungian in that way.  I believe that symbols help us make sense of our world, but I've been too hung up on the idea that my audience has to know and understand the symbols that I'm using.  The one luxury I'm afforded as an artist is that I don't have to explain myself... so, I am going to stop explaining my own symbology.  It's personal.  If you really want to know, you can ask.

The things I really care about making aren't the ones that have fancy or expensive materials... I like unique stones, I like getting dirty, I like feeling a connection to the earth.  The things I really care about making are the things that are about the journey, about the hard-fought steps and the simple, unadulterated, solitary triumphs.

I feel better.  Thank God.  That's a decent start.  Let's get moving.

I'm In Love With You

I don't just love what I do... I am IN love with what I do.

My work is the one aspect in my life for which I have infinite patience, infinite excitement, infinite curiosity... infinite everything.  In this area of my life, I feel powerful and whole.

This is not to say that I have no fear.  Every day that I'm in my studio, making the things that I envision in my head, I face the questions that scare me: why am I making these things?  Where should I look for my customers?  Will I be able to support myself with the work of my hands?  Am I good enough?

But here's the thing: if there's no fear to face, no change to embrace, where's the challenge?  What's the point?  I promised myself a long time ago that I am going to be the hero in my own life.  And the absolute truth is that I'm happiest when I'm learning things, and by choosing this path of "artist" and "entrepreneur," I have infinite opportunities to learn and grow.  If I flop, it's on me.  If I succeed, it's on me.

My destiny is in my own hands... I'm in love with what I do.

Spotlight on Fordite

What the hell is Fordite anyway? Would you believe car paint? It's true.

This "stone" is not a stone at all, but layers upon layers of paint from the spray booths in automotive factories which has been gathered up by lapidary enthusiasts and turned into cabochons.

Also known as Detroit Agate or Motor Agate, this material is considered eco-friendly as it is an up-cycled material that otherwise would have been tossed in the trash. This stone always boasts an array of fun and interesting colors, but the most sought after stones are those which have vintage or famous colors like the paints from say the 60s or from Corvette factories.

Definitely a weird but cool material suitable for a wide range of jewelry and projects.

Current Theme Song

"Say" by OneRepublic on Dreaming Out Loud

Well, all I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest my head

BMAC ≠ Big Mac

BMAC = Buyers Market of American Craft

Every year at this time, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hosts the Buyer's Market of American Craft, a wholesale arts fair aimed at bringing artists and buyers together. Both groups are from all over the country.

The premise is simple: artists from America and Canada bring handmade goods (jewelry, ceramics, glass work, fiber arts, woodwork, furniture, home goods, paintings, photography, sculpture, and multimedia art) to the Pennsylvania Convention Center and set up booths to entice buyers (gallery owners, buyers for major store chains like Anthropologie or L.L. Bean, etc.) to, you know, buy.

This year, I had the great pleasure to visit the Buyers Market as a visiting artist. I got to see some fabulous art, and learn a ton of information about what it takes to make it as a wholesaler. Good times had by all.

For more information about the Buyers Market and all the awesomeness, please visit their website: http://www.buyersmarketofamericancraft.com/

A Moment of Clarity

Believe me when I tell you this: it is incredibly difficult to write a poem of brevity AND beauty.

But here I give you Don Wentworth, a Pittsburgh poet who writes Haiku-like poems that are both stunning... and short. I heard him read recently, he called them "poems of a single breath." Poems located both here and nowhere, he writes lines that have incredibly immediacy... moments of clarity in a single breath.

His chap book, Past All Traps, can be purchased on Amazon.

So you know exactly what I'm talking about, here is my favorite:

-------------------------------------------------

mistake after mistake
after mistake, adding up
to just the right thing.

-------------------------------------------------

A New Word For Your Vocabulary

Cloisonne: noun [kloi-zuh-ney]: enamelwork in which colored areas are separated by thin metal bands fixed edgewise to the ground.

No offense to Dictionary.com but that isn't much of a definition. I actually make cloisonne enamels, and that definition confuses me. Seriously, "fixed edgewise to the ground?" What does that mean?

Let me give you my definition.

"Cloisonne" comes from the French word "cloisons" or compartments. So, the enameling technique called Cloisonne specifically refers to the use of these cloisonne wires to create the compartments or cells that can be filled with different colors of enamels. Although, the term "cloisonne wire" is slightly misleading; cloisonne wires are really thin strips of fine silver, about 1mm tall and .2mm thick.

So, when Dictionary.com says "fixed edgewise" that means that the .2mm thickness is what's touching the "ground," the bottom of the piece. And these wires create the walls that make using the different colors possible.

Moonlight, Light, Light: the finished pendant

Here it is, boys and girls: the finished moonstone pendant.

I really enjoy how this piece turned out. It really showcases the moonstone with the boldness of the larger scale circle and the subtle ghostliness of the etch.

I feel kinda weird talking myself up, but I do so love it when a piece comes together and it's even better in reality than it was in my head.

Dammit, Why Are You So Sexy?

Every time I finish a marriage-of-metals piece, I promise myself that it is the last time. But I am always sucked back in because marriage-of-metals is just so damn sexy!

Just in case you've forgotten (or, you know, never knew to begin with :), marriage-of-metals is a process of combining different metals via solder to create a single sheet of metal. For this piece, I decided I was going to make a flower, so, I cut the silhouette of the flower out of sterling silver. Then I proceeded to fill the silhouette back in with my other metals, in this case copper and nickle silver.

For this process to work properly, the pieces must fit together perfectly, snugly... you are after all making separate pieces of metal into one piece. If the puzzle pieces do not fit together properly, then your solder will pit or there will be gaps in the picture. Nothing ruins a piece of jewelry faster than shoddy craftsmanship, and unfortunately for marriage-of-metals, there are infinite ways to mess it up.

That's why I try to give it up... every time! But I am forever drawn back in by the siren call of sexiness. I swear, every single time I solder a marriage-of-metals picture together and start sanding... when the picture starts to free itself from the puddles of solder used to put it together, I wanna go all "Risky Business" and start dancing around in my underwear. It's just that awesome.