Form and Funktion

Making a Ring Band

2012-01-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of the queen of rings. Okay, so it's not official, but I consider myself experienced at this. I make lots of ring bands. Most days I can be found in my studio working on several rings at a time. I love seeing a sheet of metal turn into several renditions of finger jewelry. I thought you might like to see the process. This is the beginning...measure and cut a strip of sterling silver. Watch your fingers.

Then it's time to texture it. Lots of my rings start with a hammered finish. Tap tap tap to get it uniform and nice. If the silver strip starts to bend in one direction, I hammer on the leaning side until it comes back to center. I want a straight nice piece to form into a ring. Sorry, I can't hear your questions right now, I'm wearing ear plugs.

I have recently switched to this disc sander to square the edges. I used to use a file, but the edges were often not truly square and were much harder to line up nicely for soldering. Soldering goes best with a tight fit, so now I use the disc sander and get super square nice edges. Yay! Next I use calipers to get a very accurate measurement for the length, mark it, cut it and I use the disc sander on the other end of the ring blank for a perfect fit.

My new ring bender - I love this tool! It helps me bend the ring into a nice circle so that I have a perfect, tight seam for making a good solder join. I keep inserting the blank into the machine a few millimeters at a time and it comes out nicely rounded. I used to use my half-round pliers and my fingers for this, but this tool makes perfect circles much quicker. Yay for having the right tool for the job.

Time for some fire! I use a line of wire solder almost as long as my seam. I add a bit of flux to make it flow and then heat the whole ring evenly until the solder fills the seam. I get the solder to flow down into the lower seam and then flip it over and heat again until solder flows into the other half of the seam. My little torch uses oxygen and propane and I have no trouble heating a large ring enough to melt solder. I use medium solder that flows at 1360 degrees. It's so cool to see the solder flowing - it's art in itself. Next, quench it in water to cool and then it goes into the pickle to take off the oxidation and the copper that has come to the surface of the silver.

Next I use my handy dandy tool that my sweet brother-in-law made for me - just so that I could polish the insides of rings without burning my fingers! I tighten the ring into the clamp and use 3 grits of sand paper, a texture wheel, and then 4 grits of abrasive drums to make the inside smooth, shiny and pretty. Thank you, Bob, from me and my fingers!

Then it's back onto the ring mandrel for making it perfectly round and exactly the right size. This is a good place to take out any stress or aggravations from the day! :)

Into the tumbler it goes for a couple of hours. This is filled with a mixture of shapes of steel shot that tumbles and rubs against the ring to as it turns. This hardens and shines the ring and makes it sparkly and beautiful.

Almost done - just a bit of final polishing on the polishing wheel and then it's ready for it's new home on someone's finger.

That was fun! Thanks for coming by to see how I spend lots of my time in the studio. Doesn't it make you want to play with fire, too?

And, if you've enjoyed seeing this, you can take a tour of the blogs of some of my very talented friends on the Aspiring Metalsmiths team and see what skills they are teaching us today. I know we'll learn lots!

VCArtisanOriginals - http://www.artisanoriginals.blogspot.com

Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/

Metals Addict - http://www.metalsaddict.com

Lilian Ginebra - http://girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/

Esmeralda - jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/2012/02/tutorial-fold-forme...

Mary Anne Karren - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/

Shannon of Gifted Designs - http://gifteddesigns.blogspot.com/

Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/

Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog

Elizabeth Brown – http://www.resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com

A Handmade Holiday

2011-12-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here’s my personal wish list for my own handmade holiday. This is my super indulgent – “I want these things bad” list. All are from Etsy artists who do wonderful work and whose artistry I have enjoyed for a long time. This is my holiday must-have list, so if you happen to see my family and they don’t seem to know, would you please tell them for me?

First off, I’m always trying to stay organized, so what better way to start the year than with a pretty calendar?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82303945/2012-calendar-paper

Being a jeweler, I don’t usually ask for jewelry, but how could I resist this pretty leather necklace?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62751086/silver-lace-leather-necklace-laser-cut

And, of course, I’ll need a pretty place to keep it.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70184882/wooden-handmade-box-memory-boxkeepsake

I’ve always got a sketchbook/notebook near me, and this one is just made for me, don’t you think?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62191869/leather-journal-sketchbook-handprinted

Okay, who wouldn’t want to get this print from their own sweetheart? Hint, hint, Tom!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64382002/you-are-my-sunshine-bw-printed-on-old

I’m always cold and these mittens look so pretty and functional. I love the fingerless variety of gloves and I could use some new ones for this year. These fit the bill nicely.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65062345/hand-knit-vanilla-oatmeal-fingerless

Pretty cutting boards are a bit of a weakness for me. I love the look of these with the natural edges and the thick board. Such pretty wood!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87120698/reclaimed-huge-live-edged-black-walnut?ref=v1_other_2

Okay, family, this has been on my list for the last couple of years. I’d say it’s time. I would really LOVE to have this. Oh, I’ll need the iPhone in it too, that would be just perfect!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87956691/leather-iphoneitouchhtc-desiremozart

Antique keys with wallets – what a wonderful combo!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74894397/black-leather-wallet-with-antique

And, last but definitely not least, this print just gets me – I love this image and I love picturing myself sitting here on a warm summer day just chilling. My grandparents had those chairs. I’m sitting there with them. We’re drinking lemonade. Ah, that’s my happy place…

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59253994/yellow-lawn-chair-11-x-16-limited

I hope all of your holiday wishes come true and that, most of all, you are surrounded by people you love, doing things you enjoy and having a wonderful, memorable time. Happy Holidays!

Now let’s see what those fun team-mates of mine have in store – I bet there will be some great ideas that we’ll all want to add to our own lists!

Mary Anne Karren - silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
Elizabeth Brown – resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
Lilian Genebra - www.girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/
Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs - allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Claire English - brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Gayle - thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Nancy - nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Autumn Bradley - www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Amy Estelle - amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/2011/12/handmade-holidays.html

Holiday Shipping Dates

2011-11-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Have you started your holiday shopping lists? It’s getting to be the time to start thinking about what to get and when to get it. In case your list includes some Form and Funktion originals, here are my shipping dates for getting gifts out in time for setting them under the tree.

For MADE TO ORDER items (including all rings made to your size), please order by:
Continental US: December 13
Everywhere else: November 26

For IN STOCK items, please order by:
Continental US: December 17
Everywhere else: November 28

I’ll be posting some new designs in time for the holidays so be sure to check my Etsy shop to see them. Or, if you'd rather let them pick out their own treats - no problem! I now have gift certificates in the shop as well.

It’s A Wrap!

2011-10-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

When you buy yourself something online, and you wait days for it to show up in your mailbox, isn’t it fun when you open the package to find another pretty package with your little treat inside? Well, I like that, so that’s what I do when I ship my jewelry. This month, my team-mates and I are showing off our jewelry gift-wrapping on our blogs. It’s always fun to see the creative ways that people find to do the same task. Here is mine:

The new piece of jewelry gets its own little tissue paper package first. This has a Form and Funktion sticker with my logo including my cute little bird.

Then they get to be in a box with a little bird stamp as well. I love the idea of people being excited to open the pretty packages to find their new treasure! In my book, pretty things should always come in fancy packages. Now let’s see how some of the other Aspiring Metalsmiths wrap up their creations.

Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
ArtistiKat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/
Claire English - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/view/classic
Mary Anne Karren - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
Lisa - http://glenshire-shop.blogspot.com/
Stacy - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Amy Estelle - http://www.amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/
Morgan MetalAdornments -http://metaladornments.blogspot.com/2011/10/adding-little-something-extra.html
Jason - http://happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Sha - http://gifteddesigns.blogspot.com/

What's Your Favorite Color?

2011-10-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

OMG!!! I am in LOVE! How cool is this?!? Check out this blog about the guy who does these fabulous crayon sculptures.

Another good one from Pinterest

2011-10-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

This was on Pinterest today. I like it. :)

Finding My Muse

2011-09-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

My Aspiring Metalsmiths team on Etsy is blogging today about where we get our inspiration. For me, it's everywhere! I see things all around me, all the time, that make me want to create. But a wonderful source of inspiration comes from right here on my teams - I am so fortunate to have talented people around me who share their latest creations and it often inspires new ideas and projects in me. I am thankful to them and for every single person on the teams for their continued enthusiasm and their willingness to share their successes as well as failures and for their willingness to teach others what they've learned. It is this generosity in spirit that has allowed me to learn and grow so much in the last year. I will be grateful to them always. Here are a few of their creations that have provided inspiration to me as I create my own new jewelry pieces:

Magpie and Molly Agate Pendant. This necklace made me want to start bezel-setting. I signed up for a class after having my breath taken away by this pendant.


Carole Axium Borosilicate Glass Pendant. This was the pendant that got me excited about adding other elements to a bezel-set piece. Gorgeous!

Scrollworkdesigns Clarity got me excited about all kinds of new design possibilities! She's the queen of thinking outside the box.

TheSilverPearl Black Pearl Earrings. I absolutely love Mary Anne's design sense. She always inspires me with her elegant concepts and clean lines.


Silver Blueberry Pearl Ring with Sea Urchin Texture. Esme is another team member with an elegant and dramatic style. She always has a new idea for unique stone settings.

jamauerer Silver Cast Sea Urchin Bracelet. Julie has done such interesting things - she has a very avant garde style that is always inspiring.

Ppennee Lemon Quartz Stacking Ring. Pennee is always getting me excited about new techniques and she is always a step (or several) ahead of me but so willing to teach me. She makes beautiful things and I get inspired by her diving-in attitude all the time!


Lynn Cobb Castle and Hut Series Rings. Lynn is a new team member of mine in the Metal Clay Heads team and I have been so inspired by her designs. They are completely unique and very diverse. Her work makes me want to rip open a new bag of clay and start playing!

As you can see, I have such a talented group of people around me. I love checking in with them every day to see what's new - they always make me excited to walk into my studio and try something new. There are many more on the teams who are every bit as talented, but I was limited here by time and couldn't show you all of their work. Hopefully in a future blogpost though! For now though, please check out some of my fellow Aspiring Metalsmith bloggers and see what inspires and excites them.

Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Crow Steals Fire - http://crowstealsfire.blogspot.com/
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Cabbing Rough - http://cabbingrough.blogspot.com
Brightstar109 - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
City Rustic Jewelry - http://cityrustic-art.blogspot.com/
Becky Campion - http://www.ladysmythmetals.com/blog.html
Julie - http://wabibrookstudio.com/blog.php

Savoring Summer

2011-08-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

This has been my favorite summer in a long time, and I always enjoy the summers but this one was especially good. I had my sweet boy home from college, and that was definitely a highlight, but it was good in many other ways too.

My kids got along well, and that always warms my heart. I saw many moments of kindness and love between them which was so nice. We also had lots of other kids here this summer – lots of sleepovers and impromptu gatherings of friends and that is always a pleasure. My kids have great friendships and it was great to see them renewing old friendships and pursuing new ones as well. We had some grown-up gatherings as well and it was great to welcome people to our home and do some cooking for our good friends.

I really delved into the precious metal clay, and that has been a blast. I am in love with the stuff and can’t wait to get deeper and deeper into it. I even made friends with the new kiln, which had been a bit intimidating at first. Integrating metal clay into my metalsmithing has me super excited and I just wish that there were more hours of the day to play!

I also had a successful vegetable garden this year. I didn’t feel as much of a need to hit the farmers market every week because we had so many of our own veggies growing right here at home. Our tomatoes are just ripening now and I can’t wait to have my fill of caprese salad. Yum.

I have eaten lots and lots of strawberries this season. Those of you who know me, you know that I love strawberries as much as I love life itself. I always fear that I will start to turn red as the strawberry season progresses because I am eating so many baskets of strawberries each week. This season, I think that I single-handedly kept the strawberry stand open. I bought at least a half-flat per week and no one else in my house likes them anywhere as much as I do so you know who was eating most of those! I’m not red yet, but keep checking, the season isn’t over yet.

Another great thing about this summer was that I got to spend time with my sister and nephew and that was such a treat. It was so much fun to be at our parents home, like when we were kids, talking, laughing, and preparing meals together. I eagerly anticipate our next visit and I hope we won’t have long to wait.

It was definitely a summer to remember and savor. I hope yours too was filled with the things you love to do, the people you love to do them with and the feel of the warm sun on your cheeks.

Work-In-Progress

2011-07-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so when my Etsy team, the Aspiring Metalsmiths, suggested doing a team blog project about a piece in-progress, I thought to myself “Oh no, I never remember to take photos along the way, and I know I’ll forget while I’m doing this one too.” But I managed to do pretty well and I actually have a decent trail of photos as I worked on these two pendants. So here’s how my typical projects starts:
I buy some stones. There are tons of wonderful stone sellers on Etsy, a few even on my own team, which is very fun because I get to see them as they finish them. Yes, this means I buy more stones than I have time to use, but hey, life is too short not to have great stones on your workbench at all times. So, once I order them, I get all excited and wait for the mail to come for several days and finally they arrive. Then I stare at them on my bench for a while until I get a picture in my mind of what they might be. I usually give myself a few days to think about the idea. Often it starts to change before I even begin. Here are the stones that I was thinking about last week. Two beautiful rectangular Turquoise.

I decided to put the one on the right into a pendant with a blue chalcedony. I built a bezel and soldered it onto a backplate and then added some beading around it. I cut a little design in the back so that there would be a nice pattern on the back side as well. I decided to hang the Chalcedony from it but wasn’t sure how I wanted to do that.

But after a little playing, I came up with an idea I liked. It included a glass bead that really tied the colors of the two other stones together as well.

Then I decided to do something fun with the other Turquoise and started pairing it with some other stones from my bench.

I just really liked the colors and patterns of these three stones together and decided to do something using all three of them. Again, I started by making bezels for each of them. I decided to do different bezels for each – a scalloped one for the turquoise, a plain one for the green Aventurine, and a fancy gallery wire for the Yellow Onyx.

Once I had those soldered, I filed away the outside edges until they were the shapes I wanted.

Then I soldered all three of them onto a piece of silver that I had etched with a floral design.

Then I fought for a while with a bail that didn’t want to solder onto the top, but I finally won. One of the last steps is polishing the piece and setting the stones (the most fun part of all). Finally, I oxidized the piece and took the final photos – yay!!!

Wasn’t that fun? And fast too! Well, not so fast – it took me a whole day, but was worth it. I really like the way it turned out. Now that you’ve seen what I was working on this week, you can hop on over to these other blogs to see what my team-mates are working on. Here they are:

•    Esmeralda http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
•    Happy Tortoise Designs http://www.happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com/
•    Crow Steals Fire http://crowstealsfire.blogspot.com/
•    Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
•    steph http://stephstargell.com
•    Jessica @ Abella Blue http://www.abellablue.com/blog
•    Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs http://www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
•    Sylvia Anderson http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
•    Mary Anne Karren http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
•    Brightstar109 www.brightstar109.blogspot.com
•    Amy Nicole Artisan Jewelry http://Rubymtnbeads.blogspot.com
•    Resurrection Silver http://www.resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
•    Kwant Essentials http://kwantessentials.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell-from-start-to-finish.html
•    Kit and Caboodle Shop http://thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
•    Julie http://jamauerer.blogspot.com
•    Lilian http://www.girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/
•    Autumn Bradley Jewelry Design http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com

Fresh from the Farm

2011-07-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

"The Laguna" is our local waterway and the farm is located just next to it.

This weeks basket. It costs $17 per week.

I belong to a local CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) which means that I drive the 5 minutes or so each week to a local organic farm and pick up a basket of fruit and veggies that has my name on it. I have been a member of Laguna Farm for the last 3 years and I love it. In the beginning, there were sometimes vegetables that I didn’t even recognize and had to look up. Kind of fun! Kohlrabi was the most notable of those, it looks like it is from another planet altogether. Now, I recognize everything but I am sometimes still at a loss for how to use them. But the farm makes that easier by providing several recipes every week that include many of the vegetables that were in the basket. Every week the contents are different so it doesn’t ever get boring. In fact, sometimes I come back hoping to find something from last week’s basket that we really liked, but even if it’s not in the current week’s basket it is usually available for purchase. The variety is great and we eat way more veggies now than we did before the farm. Plus, we are supporting the local agriculture which might help to ensure that there will still be local agriculture in the future. And, it’s the kind of agriculture that is keeping the local land healthy by using no pesticides and by using a self-sustaining approach to farming, which makes me especially happy to be supporting. It’s also a nice community gathering place – I often see friends there and so a 5 minute stop can become a half-hour or more of social time. It’s nice. And, the best part is that now, when I am shopping in the grocery store, I don’t just pick up the same few ingredients (you know, like broccoli, corn and peas) because I’m not stuck in a veggie-rut anymore. Who knows, one of these days, I might even buy a bunch of Kohlrabi?

A Taste of Yesterday

2011-07-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever eaten memories? I did this morning. Let me explain. When I was in junior high school, I took the public transit buses in Los Angeles to school every morning. I rode the bus with several friends who lived near me and we would arrive at school quite early. This gave us time to go to the school cafeteria and buy, for just forty cents, a piece of coffee cake and a cup of coffee. Our school made the best crumb coffee cake in the world and they served it warm on a piece of wax paper. It was spicy and delicious and definitely a highlight of taking the bus to school. Recently, I saw that my cousin Judy had found the recipe on the internet. I googled LAUSD coffee cake and sure enough, there it was. I had thought about that cake for YEARS and remembered it as the best coffee cake ever. I love coffee cake and I have always tried to find the best recipes for it. I was so excited to finally find the recipe for what I thought of as the quintessential version of it. So, this morning, after talking it up for the past few days, I made the coffee cake for my family. It was pretty much as I remembered it, heavy on the cinnamon and nutmeg and with a lot of crumbly topping. It took me right back to being my fourteen year old self sitting on the benches in the cafeteria talking about life with my best friends and nibbling away. My family’s reaction was slightly different, they thought it was “pretty good” but the kids said, “We like your usual coffee cake; it tastes like what we remember.” I guess we all prefer those familiar tastes that comfort us and nurture us as we are growing up. I’m just glad that, for those times when I need a dose of my younger self, I now have the recipe.

And for anyone who would like to try the best coffee cake recipe, it's here.

Grateful As Can Be

2011-07-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Jake at 4-1/2 releasing a butterfly that he'd kept as a cocoon.

After three extremely stressful weeks of wondering whether our 18 year old son was very sick, we just got the news that he is fine. A suspicious lump, a CAT scan, a small surgery to remove it and a biopsy all forced us to consider a very different world view and thoughts encroached into our minds of how disruptive this would all be to his college-kid life and, most frighteningly, made us wonder whether he would have a future. But, our beautiful boy, with his long, long curls of dark hair and his six-foot tall frame who still has traces of the many freckles that I remember from his childhood, is healthy and fine. I can breathe again and I am so incredibly grateful.

The Jewelry Maker's Daughter

2011-04-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

My 16 year old daughter Beck has been one of my most loyal fans. She loves my jewelry and is always thrilled when I give her a new necklace or ring or anything that I’ve made. Her room tells the tale of the art mediums that I have explored. When I was painting furniture, Beck collected several pieces which now make up the main decor in her room. When I was painting canvases, she fell in love with several of my paintings and they now adorn her walls because she couldn’t bear to see me sell them. She has been one of my sweetest and most steadfast supporters. Practically every day she wears a tiny turquoise necklace that was one of the first pieces that I ever bezel set. Her look when I showed it to her and her exclamation of “That is the prettiest thing you’ve EVER made!!” made it quickly clear to me that I was not selling this particular piece. Unlike the shoemaker’s children in the story, she has often had her choice of jewelry because she is so enthusiastic and appreciative. I saved it for her 15^th birthday which was just a few weeks away and she was thrilled. Now at 16, she is getting ready to go to her first prom. She chose a dress (borrowed it from a friend) and immediately asked me if I would make a necklace to go with it. She then did a search of stones on Etsy (yep, she’s my kid alright!) and found a Chrysacolla (her very favorite stone) that was just what she was imagining. Being Beck, she knew exactly what she wanted – a simple setting with a frame of small beaded wire and a very small ledge of silver around that. I’m working on it now and will post pictures when it is finished – and hopefully pictures of her ready to leave for the prom wearing it too. How fun is that? The one thing that she really wanted to wear to the prom was a necklace made by her mom. She sure knows how to make a mother happy.

A Chicken Named Pearl

2011-04-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned them before but I have three very hard-working ladies who live in my backyard. They spend all their time trying to rid the garden of its bugs and spiders (yay!) and they tirelessly provide us with the main ingredients for omelets and soufflés. They are, without a doubt, the silliest part of our household.

The three hens who occupy the chicken coop that Tom and I built about 12 years ago are the source of constant entertainment. Pearl is the fanciest, she’s got white feathers with outlines of black on each one and she is a Seabright. The other two are also fancy but they are all black with long fluffy fur-like feathers. They are called Silkies.

All 3 are the Bantam variety of chickens which means they are smaller than usual chickens. Are you guys seeing a pattern here? My little Maltese is teensy and fluffy too – hmm, what does it mean about me that I like all my pets to be a cross between a Chia pet and a troll doll? But, seriously, chickens are so much fun. They have such silly antics, like pecking at my toes anytime I am wearing sandals with painted toenails – well, it is raspberry colored and they do love our raspberries! When I work in the garden they follow me around and stay about 4 feet from me. That is, until I talk to them or notice them in any way, then they move further away as if they’d never meant to be so close. But then, a few minutes later, they are right next to me again, pretending not to notice me! They aren’t the smartest animals in the household, but they are very endearing. Every week when I wash out all their watering jugs and bring them back into the coop, they are afraid of them for a little while. Hey, that’s a very tiny space for a brain, you know what I mean?

The Sounds of Silence

2011-03-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

What do you like to listen to while you work or play? I’ve been thinking about this for the last week or so because this is what my team-mates and I are blogging about this month. I sometimes want to rock out while working and when I do I listen to iTunes or Pandora with my favorite artists – mostly, my girlfriends Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, KT Tunstall and the Indigo Girls. I sing with them and they seem to appreciate our collaborations as they keep playing songs that I know. Sometimes I opt for the more raucous sounds of the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, Neil Young, or George Thorogood (he came down to my seat and sang to me at a recorded concert many years ago – so I love him). Those are the days that I want to dance in my chair while doing the more production style work of making rings and polishing pieces. But when I am concentrating and coming up with designs and putting together stone combinations, I like total silence. Since I share my studio space with our washer/dryer, I often will sacrifice having clean laundry for having silence to focus on my work. My family doesn’t think that forfeiting clean underwear for new jewelry pieces in the shop is a good trade-off, but I do. Want to see what my teamies listen to? They each have their own unique style and you’ll find them here:

Kat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com
Clarity of Scrollworks Designs - http://www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
Happy Tortoise Designs - http://happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com
Autumn - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
hemlockhollow - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Resurrection Silver - http://www.resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
RadianTrace - http://radiantrace.blogspot.com/
nancycreations - http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog

Getting Stoned Doesn’t Mean What It Used To

2011-02-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Yep, way back when, I had other associations with the phrase “getting stoned.” But these days, I do it all the time, usually on the internet but sometimes at shows. Why just last night before going to bed, I lit up the computer and ordered another couple of stones. It’s definitely a high, but enough with that silly metaphor. Recently, I discovered that adding stones to my jewelry adds a whole new dimension. I’ve always thought rocks were cool. I’ve collected them for years and have piles of them around my garden from favorite vacations and good trips to the local beaches. It helps to have a husband who loves geology and who used to take his geological guide books on airplane trips so he could identify the structures and what they were made of (and of course, tell me all about them) while we were looking down on them! And I thought it was really cool! Could there be a nerdier couple? And guess who encourages my rock buying and even finds stones that he thinks I “need.” He says “rocks are investments” – not sure what we are investing in exactly, but I’m game! Anyways, today’s Aspiring Metalsmith’s team blog is about showing our stone collections. So this is my gathering of favorites right now. The collection changes as I use them and accumulate others, so even next month it will be different, but at this point in time, these are the ones that spark my imagination when I look into the boxes that hold them. Aren’t they pretty? I have ideas about how to use each one of them. Some of them will take skills I haven’t even acquired yet, which is really fun to me. They are a work-not-yet-in-progress. Something to look forward to. Plus, there is the gem show that I’ll be at this coming weekend! Wonder what I’ll find there…

For more photos and stories of stones and our obsession with them, check out my team-mates blogs too:

Chrissi Lynn Designs - http://www.chrissilynn.blogspot.com
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com
Steph Stargell - http://www.stephstargell.com
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/show-us-your-stones/#more-4
Artistikat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com
Claire - brightstar109.blogspot.com

My Humble Beginnings

2011-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hi there! It's been a while. I don't have to tell you how busy the Christmas season was - it was for you too, I bet. But the dust is settling and I'm starting to get back to doing my favorite things again and blogging is up there on the list. I'm getting back into it with a Team Blog - one where the Aspiring Metalsmith's team all blogs about the same topic and then shares them. So here is this month's.

January's Team Blog is about where we started in metalsmithing. The assignment is to bare our souls and show our most embarrassing early work. This is painful stuff but I think I can gather the courage to show you mine. Before I started making jewelry, I had been doing faux painting for a few years but it was taking a toll on me physically and it was requiring more and more time away from my family so I decided to switch to something I could do here at home in my studio. My first jewelry project was one I was doing with my sister-in-law. We decided to make some Christmas gifts and were trying to put together some glass slide jewelry with photos in the glass. We had lots of fun with that (sorry, I didn't take photos of those) but they were pretty primitive and not so well put together. That got me started with jewelry and here are some photos of the beginnings of that (bet you'll wish I didn't have photos of these either!).

No soldering on these, just glue. I thought the paper background was very cool. Not so cool really.

Funky necklace. Better background though.

Then I got a lot more creative and came up with the etched design that is one of my trademarks. I still love the etched stuff. I still wasn't using a torch so these pieces are screwed together with tiny screws (thank heavens for my magnifier light). I still do these flying hearts and still like them.

And here's where I am now. I know that in another year I will look at these pieces as "earlier works" but right now I'm pretty proud of them. But I know my work will evolve and I know that I'll have new directions that will keep me excited about creating things. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.

Also take a look at my fellow teammates blogs to see where they've been and how far they have come. It's fun to see!

Jessica - www.abellablue.com/blog
Clarity - www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
Gloria - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Joy - http://www.joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
Autumn - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Gayle - http://www.thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Sylvia - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/

Guys Only Want Girlfriends Who Have Great Skills

2010-12-10T22:11:00.000-08:00

The movie Napolean Dynamite had this line only it was originally "Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills." which is very true too. Who doesn’t want a guy who can fix the car when it breaks down, then take apart and fix the wobbly chair like it’s brand new again, and then cook up a mean barbeque? I mean who doesn’t like those kinds of skills? I’m lucky to be married to someone who can do it all. It’s quite convenient and pretty sexy too. So, I figure why should he have all the skills? I aspire to be a girl with skills. I’m starting slowly. At fifty, I’m hardly a girl anymore but at least I am acquiring new skills. It used to be that my main skill was that I could talk with someone (particularly someone under the age of 12 or so) and name their diagnosis in just a couple of hours. That was pretty cool, but had limited usefulness in real life. Now I’m learning metalsmithing, which is pretty cool and even impresses my husband (who never saw a tool that he didn’t already know how to use – and probably even owns). So, my metalsmithing friends and I are having a discussion about which new skills we want to learn in the coming year. There are so many in my new vocation that I’d like to improve upon and learn. I’ve been learning to set stones and that’s really fun. I want to learn lots of new stone setting techniques and get to be really proficient at a few of them. I am excited to start etching silver in a new eco-friendlier way and look forward to playing with that project soon. Away from my jeweler’s bench, I want to continue to improve my Spanish speaking skills. I love that language and plan to continue with those classes. And even though I am known for burning even foods like pasta, I am enjoying my newly developing healthy cooking skills. My family likes those too – especially when I remember my skill of setting the timer. My fellow team-mates in the Aspiring Metalsmiths group also wrote about what skills they hope to acquire in the coming year. Take a look at these other girls with skills on their blogs:

Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Gayle - http://thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Autumn Bradley - www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Scrollwork Designs - www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Carole - http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
Heather - http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
Esmeralda (SilverBlueberry) - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell Designs - http://stephstargell.com

A Studio Tour

2010-11-09T23:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my studio! This is one of my very favorite places and I’m so glad that you’ve come to visit! Watch your step as you walk from the house and up the two steps to the floor of my shop. Be careful not to trip on the laundry – oh yes, that’s the washing machine and dryer there next to the wrapping table. I spared you the photos of the dirty clothes on the floor there. Well, it’s my almost-perfect studio space. Every remodel has its compromises and the laundry was mine. But hey, it’s very convenient to be able to throw my daughter’s karate outfit into the wash as I finish the last bit of polishing on that spinner ring! Okay, on to the tour: first stop (and first photo) is my work bench. This is the first stop for every piece of jewelry that I make. It’s where I cut, saw and form metal and it’s also the last stop as it’s where my polishing station is too. It’s the spot where I sit most and where I make the biggest messes. I clean up daily, unless I don’t. The green niche above the table is something I found at a garage sale and that my sweet husband (Tom) built into the wall for me to decorate and play with – I change what’s in there all the time and have fun setting up little favorite items in it. Second photo is the soldering station. It’s where my trusty torch lives and it is probably the most fun area of the shop. I found that metal table (perfect for working with fire!) at a garage sale. Third photo is the wrapping station – where I finish up the process and get everything ready to ship. The tiny chair and the dresser that it sits on are both from garage sales – starting to see a pattern here? And fourth photo is the paperwork and official business section. I also keep my chocolate stash in that green cabinet (please help yourself – believe me, I know about those kinds of emergencies). After we’d lived in our teensy house for about 15 years, we added on some living space and splurged to give ourselves studio spaces too. Tom’s space is much less fun and decorative but he assures me that functional is more his style, so it’s all good. After having spent many years creating at the kitchen table and putting everything away before each mealtime, I thank my lucky stars every day that I have this amazing space to play in. I’m one lucky duck. Plus, I have you guys to come by and visit and keep me from getting lonely. Thanks so much for stopping by!

You can see the photos in more detail on my flickr page here.

This blog post is part of a team blog for my Etsy team the Aspiring Metalsmiths. Please join my fellow metalsmiths in each of their studios and see where they work their own magic at the following links:

Jessica Lopour of Abella Blue
Jeanne Millman of Golden Water Creations
Sylvia of Sylvia Anderson
Steph of Steph Stargell Designs
Clarity of Scrollwork Designs
Brandy of The Frogs Pond
Pennee of All Wired Up Jewelry Designs
Esmeralda of SilverBlueberry
Heather of Misty Ridge Designs
Joy of Joy Peck Joy
Nancy of Nancy Creations
Carole of Carole Axium Designs
Lisa of Sandy Toes Jewelry
Julie of Jamauerer
Riv of Purpleshiny

10 Things that Make Me Extremely Happy

2010-10-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

Strawberries. I can’t even describe how much I love strawberries. And fortunately for me, we have a local stand. It’s owned by a man named Lao. I have become good friends with Lao. Well, actually, he is my good friend and I am his good customer. Lao grows the best strawberries in the whole world. Honestly, the best. I love that man.
My teensy dog. You probably have heard me go on and on about Bella so I won’t bore you again. But she is the sweetest, most adorable little dog ever. No, I’m not biased at all, really. She is my 4 pound little bundle of love. I adore her.
My kids and my husband and my parents and my friends. I know, this is really way above number 1 on the list but that’s so cliché and I didn’t want to be so obvious, so here they are pretending that they are number 3, but they are like a mile above number 1. I am a people-oriented girl. I love my family. My kids are such sweeties and I am so lucky. They are caring and kind and smart and loving and family-oriented and I love them more than anything. My husband is also a sweetie – supportive and warm and upbeat and I am so happy that I found him. And my wonderful parents who continue to be my biggest fans and who have always given me great encouragement to be who I am. They are the most generous and loving parents and grandparents ever. And extended family who are friends, and friends who are like extended family. I truly am the luckiest duck around.
Creating something wonderful in my studio. Yep, this is still my favorite pastime. That feeling when things come together and I’ve made something new and wonderful, I can’t get the grin off of my silly face. It’s the best. Period.
Fires in the fireplace with a good book in the winter , and the warm sun on my face in summer. I love both seasons and I enjoy the coziness of winter and the freedom of summer. Fall is pretty darn great too. I love the leaves changing colors and it doesn’t hurt that my birthday is in the Fall too.
A good cup of coffee. I know I’m going to get flack from this – but I love Starbuck’s Carmel Macchiatos. Soy and Decaf. Give me a Venti size and I am good for the day! Most days I brew my own, but on the special days when I get to have a made-for-me cup, I am very happy.
Watching my chickens be silly. I wish I could show them to you. They are 2 Silkies (they look like the Maltese version of a chicken – starting to see a trend here?) and one Seabright named Pearl. They are so fun to watch. They walk around doing silly chicken stuff and I love to be near them. They, on the other hand, won’t admit to loving being near me. They come be right next to me while I am gardening or watering but then when I notice them out loud they go skittering off until I ignore them again and then they are right next to me. See? Silly!
Listening to fun music. I love music that makes me want to dance. I often dance around my house when no one else is here. I love music that makes me feel happy and lots of it does. Yay music.
Kayaking on the river. We have kayaks that we take down to the river and we spend the day floating down the river almost all the way to the ocean. We take a picnic lunch and stop on some little island somewhere in the middle of the river and we eat a yummy lunch and then continue to leisurely float the rest of the way down. It’s the best way to spend a warm summer day. I love paddling along while watching the cool birds and the turtles and other creatures that share the river with us. It’s my number one favorite way to spend a warm day.
My Spanish class. Funny, I know, but I just love my Spanish class. I’ve been taking it for 2 years now. I took 2 semesters of it at the Junior College just to remember my High School Spanish but I enjoyed it so much that I have continued for the last year in a tiny class with just 4 other women my age who are all at about the same level of proficiency. It is so much fun and so gratifying. I’m mostly too shy to speak to Spanish speaking people at this point but I eavesdrop on them (not in a creepy way, honest, just in a can-I-understand-this? way) when they are around me in a store and I can understand most of what they are saying and it gives me a huge thrill. It makes me feel like there are now a whole lot more people in the world that I can communicate with and get to know and that makes me happy.

So, now you know what makes this cat purr. How about you? What makes you really, really happy? I’d love to know.

Lessons From My Mother

2010-10-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me start by saying that I am one of the lucky few who has a really, really great mother. I’ve always known that I had a great mom. My friends were always jealous. She was the mom that everyone deep-down wished they had; the mom that always knew the right things to say, the mom that always could make you smile when you were sad, and the mom who quietly, not ever in a pushy way, imparted her very sound views of the world and it’s quirky inhabitants. I live my life often thinking of her many, many wise quotes. One that I think of on a daily basis is this: “Never do anything that will do itself if you just leave it.” I apply this piece of advice to dishes that dry themselves in my dish drain, clothes that iron themselves hanging tightly between other clothes in my closet, and sometimes even to fallen apples in my yard that eventually will become more soil. It’s a great energy-saving recommendation and who has extra time these days? Another, much more philosophical sort of guidance that she gave me when I was a child was the following. I remember her telling it to me while we were laying side-by-side on the grass looking at the clouds trying to decide what shapes they looked like. She said, “Stacy, if things like this can always make you happy in your life, if seeing a funny cloud shape or looking at a beautiful tree can make you happy, then you are guaranteed to be happy.” I often think about this, and I try to remember to find joy in those wonderful things around me that can easily be taken for granted. And they do make me happy. I’ll leave you with one last line of hers. It is a good one. She astutely says, “Once you get your foot in the door, you have to remember to keep your foot in the door or it will just close again.” So I pass these things on to you, my friends; may you have chores that do themselves, may you see your own beautiful trees, and may you keep your foot firmly in the door.

It’s A Small World Afterall

2010-09-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for the Disney reference. I don’t even like Disney. After Mary Poppins (which is one of my favorite movies ever - I so want an umbrella like hers), they went way downhill. But this week I am feeling like the world is so much smaller than it used to be and I think that is a very good thing.

First off, I spend time each day on a jeweler’s forum on Etsy that connects me to other jewelers (novice to expert) from all over the world. I talk each day with people from Sweden, the UK, and at least a dozen other states (Maryland, North Carolina, Mexico, Illinois, New Jersey, Tennessee, Ohio, New York and California to name a few) about learning new skills and honing the ones we have, new materials and tools we’ve tried, business tips and struggles, and about our lives in general. This group has given me a huge leap in my knowledge and abilities and I so enjoy checking in with them each day to hear their stories and share mine. It’s become a very enjoyable and important part of my day. And I owe it to the internet and the fact that people decided to connect to others via this resource.

Another way that the world has become smaller for me is reading blogs. I have a list of blogs that I follow (some daily, some weekly or so) that have introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise. My friend (yes, she is becoming a friend, even though we’ve never met in person) Maria is a great example. I love reading her posts on her blog Maria Zannini and feel that I know at least a significant slice of what her world is like. I love her ability to tell a story that I can always relate to and I am always happy to see that a new post has arrived. Maria is in Texas, a part of the country that I have little experience with but now feel more of a connection to. Maria and several other bloggers have become part of my routine and they have definitely enriched my days.

A third group that has become part of my world lately is the parent’s chat group at the college my son is attending. An amazing thing happened yesterday on that group. A mother in India whose son just started college with my son, wrote about her upcoming visit to see her son and was wondering about meeting with his professors while she was there. Several American parents wrote to tell her that the professors cannot legally talk with her as her son is an adult and that she should just ask her son about his classes but not try to intervene. Then, a lovely letter came through the group. It was written by a father of a student who has since graduated, but who still participates in the chat group (this small and community-minded school seems to engender this sort of continued participation – parents talk about not having children attending there anymore but who still enjoy being part of the parent’s group). This man was from Hong Kong but now lives in the US and he wrote an absolutely beautiful and caring letter to the concerned mother in India about how she might think about her visit and her relationship to her son. It was compassionate and so caring that it made me teary to read it. I was so touched that I wrote him a letter to thank him for sending this beautifully-worded and amazingly kind letter. Soon, I received a response from him which told me about his own mother and her difficulty with his own transition to college in the U.S. I loved the fact that I had a meaningful conversation with a person I’ve never met, and will never meet, and I know we both benefited from that brief connection. And it was, again, thanks to the internet.

So, it’s a small world but it’s also a huge world. There are so many people to connect to, so many new ideas to explore, so much to learn. I’m loving it. How about you?

Getting Your Groove On

2010-09-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here’s something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. What do you do to get your creative juices flowing? For me, some days I sit down at my bench because I have an idea that I want to put into metal. On those days, it’s easy – I’m already inspired and have been waiting for an opportunity to turn my ideas into something solid. But other days, I finally have found that precious bench time but am feeling either empty of inspiration or unfocused. Ever have days like that? Especially frustrating when life is hectic and time at the bench feels so hard to find. Well, one thing I’ve noticed that can jump start my creativity is music. I load the stereo with one of my favorite toys, my iPod, and start one of my playlists going. Depending on my mood, it may be old rock like the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby Stills and Nash, among many others, or a playlist of some of my favorite women singers like Joan Armatrading , Kt Tunstall and Norah Jones, or I play what I like to refer to as my junk food list – the one that matches my 15 year old daughter’s playlist with Lily Allen, Lady Gaga, A Fine Frenzy and other flavor of the month current artists. It just depends on my mood that day. Once I’ve got the music going, I’m ready to start. I have a friend whose brother is a famous movie writer. She tells me that he always sits down to his computer to write and first says an intention that invites the Great Spirit to flow through him to allow him to write his very best work. I love that. On my best creative days, I do feel very much that something is flowing through me; I tend to think of it as the creative energy of the universe. In fact, when I am creating and wanting to come up with my next move (i.e. “what should I add to this ring to make it complete?”), I will keep trying various things but suddenly I hit upon one that makes this “twang” feeling in the center of my torso just below my ribs. I know, how crazy sounding is that? But I’m telling you, it happens every time! And I think that’s that creative source flowing through me. It’s whispering to me and if I listen carefully I can hear it. That’s who I’m inviting to my party when I sit down at my jeweler’s bench. And what I’ve learned too is that it can’t be forced. Some days my best tactic is to do the not-so creative to-do list that is always present. Etching metal, sanding shapes, doing the things that keep me in inventory but aren’t the most creative parts once I’ve done them many times over. And that’s fine. Running a business takes lots of different hats, not all of them require my best creative thinking, so some of those are great to do when the creative spirit has other places to be. But on those days when the spirit is with me and I’m in my groove and creating things I’m loving, life is sure good and my heart is singing.

A Decision

2010-09-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, brace yourselves. I’ve made a decision. It’s big. I’m going to have a…….jewelry business. Yeah, you heard me right. What’s that? Oh, you thought I already had a jewelry business. Yes, well, you see I had a tentative jewelry business. I had a “Maybe if things start selling well, then I’ll really commit to this” sort of business. I kept not spending much money on supplies or tools because I wanted to wait and see if the business would take off. There were lots of things that I wasn’t doing because why put the time and energy into something that might not “go.” So this morning, while I was waking up in my cozy bed (my best place for important thinking), I realized something huge. I’ve been waiting for outside sources to tell me that it was a go. But, here’s the thing, it’s ME that I need the green light from. So, as of this morning, I gave it to myself. I (tentatively) started the business two years ago. At the beginning of this summer I told myself that I would put more energy into it and “see” if it looked like it could be successful. I needed a new torch but thought, “well, let’s see if it will be worth putting that much money into it.” Last week, I was struggling with my old wimpy crème brulee torch which is not really up to the tasks I’ve been asking it to do. My sweet husband Tom saw me fighting with my torch and he quickly sat down at the computer and researched torches (I’d done that before but had been overwhelmed by the choices and intimidated by the prices). He showed me what he’d come up with and then, when I agreed, he ordered it! Just like that. No internal struggle about spending the money on a business which might fail, no wondering whether I had the talent to come up with designs that people would want to buy, no worries about whether I could gain the skills I’d need to be a real jeweler. Nope, he just pushed the button that said “buy now” and it was done. It didn’t even occur to Tom not to believe in me - I’m so lucky. So, this morning I decided to do the same thing. I pushed the “buy now” button on Form and Funktion and it’s mine. I’m going to make it a successful business. I know that I have all the creativity that I need, I know I can learn the skills that I need (I already am and I’m getting pretty good at it!) and I know I have the other necessary skills to create a successful business. I’m fired-up (yeah, that’s a bad pun) and on my way. This is going to be fun!

Are there things in your life to which you haven’t really committed yourself yet? Things from which you’ve been holding yourself back out of fear or ambivalence or something else? I’d love to hear what your struggles and strategies are. Let’s cheer each other on so that we can accomplish the goals that matter to us. I know we can do it!

Stretching My Muscles

2010-08-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Do one thing every day that scares you. -Eleanor Roosevelt

I’m really working with this quote this week. I’ve already done a few things this week that scare me (wrote an artist’s statement, created a new website) and I’m going to do another thing that terrifies me this Saturday. I’ll be going to the opening at a gallery in San Francisco which will be showing, among other things, a line of my jewelry. They needed an artist’s statement to display alongside my work. Writing the artist statement was interesting. I’ve finally come to terms with calling myself an artist. I used to have a hard time with that. I felt like an imposter. I’ve had no art training, I’ve just made my businesses around doing art for the last decade or so. It always felt strange and scary to give myself that title and I always imagined that “real” artists would balk at it. But now that it’s been a while, I've actually begun to think of myself as an artist these days. I've become a lot more comfortable with that title. Then there was the content. What shall I write in the part that would tell about my art school training, of which there is none? Well, after some time spent deliberating, I wrote about my work path and what I love about doing creative work. Basically, I wrote the truth. This is a link to the actual statement here on my new website. Don’t look too closely at the website yet – it’s still in process, but it’s coming along. So far, I’ve done it all myself too. I wanted to get it going quickly before my tech-saavy son leaves for college next week but I haven’t even recruited him to help yet. So, with those two things mostly done, I can focus on the gallery opening on Saturday. Really I’m trying not to think about it too much. I checked out the main featured artist online (I’m just one of several side artists) and she is super hip and gorgeous and young and very artsy. I’m so glad I looked; it made me feel lots better! Ugh. Oh well. I guess that it’s the same as writing the artist statement, the best thing to do is to tell the truth and let the real me come through. Really, the best I can do is to be authentically me and as I get older I am finally coming to terms with the fact that being who I am is just fine. Scary sometimes, but just fine.

Our Newest Addition

2010-08-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Meet Sam. She is our newest addition to the many animals currently living at our house. We are all madly in love with her. She is a rescued kitten from the Humane Society. She is 12 weeks old and so soft and cuddly and she purrs just when you walk into the room. Who could resist that? No one else in my house does that although they’d all probably get more attention from me if they did ( just sayin’). She makes me think of the Humane Society bummer stickers that say “Who Rescued Who?” because we now suddenly know that she had been missing from our lives but we hadn’t even realized it! Even our other critters seem to know this as they have all been very welcoming after the initial slightly-hissy reactions. I remember each time that we’ve had occasion to have a kitten in our home that they always make me think that I should ALWAYS have a kitten. Then I remember how many cats that would mean I’d have and it becomes clearer why I don’t always have a kitten. Plus, I am a tiny bit afraid that I could end up one of those crazy cat ladies and I want to try to avoid that, if I can.

First Love

2010-07-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

My son has his first girlfriend. And it’s a serious relationship even though they are just 17 and 18 (my son is the younger of the two). I watch them interact and it makes me happy. A friend of mine said “Wow, when you see them look at each other you can see that they are really in love.” It’s true. They have that starry eyed look whenever their eyes meet. It makes my heart do a little happy flitter when I see them looking at each other that way. It also makes me delighted to hear how sweet they are to each other all the time. In fact, in the seven months that I have watched them together, I’ve never heard either of them say an unkind thing to the other. They are constantly thoughtful to each other. It amazes me. But my son has always been a pretty sweet guy. He told me once when he was very small “Mom, you have to talk to me gentler.” He was right. I’m not always the gentlest person but that was what he needed and so I tried very hard to be tender in my words to him. It seems that even in this early relationship he has found someone who treats him gentler. He leaves for college 450 miles away in a month. She tears up when this is mentioned and he tries not to think about it too much. It will be a challenge for them. I think they will handle it but I know that life will twist and turn in ways that they cannot imagine at this point and they will change and grow. I bet they will always look back at this first experience in love as the treasure that it is. I know I will.

Getting Acquainted

2010-07-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

I’ve had a few new visitors to my blog lately and it’s got me thinking. In my real life (as opposed to my virtual online life) I am a bit of an introvert. I always think of the time that I took my husband Tom to a kid’s-school-related event and he, being the great conversationalist that he is, found out all these cool things about people that I had volunteered with for years and still knew very little about. One of the people that he had talked to was someone with whom I had shared a volunteer shift for two years and in spite of that, we had hardly really even become acquainted. I have to admit that I even thought she was kind of boring. After about 20 minutes of chatting with her, Tom learned that she had done a solo kayak trip across part of the Pacific ocean and that she had many other very fascinating passions that I had never even imagined she might have! It was humiliating, really. So, here I am with several new people at my party and it’s got me thinking about how Tom would ask questions that get everyone to start talking about themselves and sharing all these really interesting things about their lives and their pastimes. So, to all you new and not-so-new readers, how about telling a little something about what really floats your boat – what puts a little uumph in your gas tank? I’ll start by telling you that I collect antique furniture that has claw feet. I have a weakness for claw feet for some reason that is even a mystery to me. At this point, enough claw feet fill our rooms that my family has said, “This is probably enough.” I think there’s always room for one more, but I’ll wait for the next perfect claw foot to come strutting along. So for you, is it a great read or a perfectly made crème brulee, maybe you’re a travel buff or an orchid grower? I want to know about you – and please, I beg of you, don’t tell my husband first.

Random (and slightly weird) Facts About Me

2010-06-25T10:16:00.001-07:00

This post was inspired by Maria Zannini who writes a blog that I found recently and am enjoying a whole lot. Okay Maria, here goes:

I won the Women’s Foosball Championship in college.
I’ve never played a video game in my life. Completely not interested.
I love junky candy (hot tamales, zours, skittles) and have little stashes of them hidden around the house.
For the first 15 years or so of my marriage I had a recurring nightmare about losing my wedding ring. The nightmares completely stopped after one night when I woke up and told my husband I’d had the same dream and he said “You know, even if you lost your ring, we’d still be married.”
I have a special voice for saying what my teensy Maltese would be saying if she could. The voice is high, New Yorkish, and little kiddish and I use it lots.
My biggest adrenalin rushes happen at estate sales. Honestly.
One of my very favorite things to do is to kayak but I don’t like swimming or even being in the water. Weird, huh!?
I harbor a secret belief that I could be a pop diva if I wanted to. I love to sing.

What are some random things about you? Want to share them in the comments? I'd love to hear!

Warning: Long and Sappy Blog Post Ahead

2010-06-15T10:56:00.001-07:00

When my son Jake was two years old he received a Valentine’s Day gift from his grandparents. It was a tiny stuffed bear that fit easily into his own tiny hands. He named him “Little Bear” and he quickly became Jake’s favorite item in the whole world. He carried Little Bear everywhere he went and he saw the world through Little Bear’s eyes. It was this tiny, soft bear that really taught him to have compassion and to feel the things that others feel; I truly believe that he learned to put himself in other’s shoes because of Little Bear. One evening, we had a small scare when we left Little Bear in a restaurant where we’d gone for dinner that night. Upon realizing shortly after we returned home that Little Bear was missing we called the restaurant, whose kind host assured us that Little Bear was there and would be kept safe until we returned the next day to pick him up. Let me tell you, for my little boy that was a long night without his precious Little Bear to cuddle. Many tears were shed during the course of that night but first thing in the morning we piled into the car and soon were happily reunited with Little Bear. About a year later, When Jake was four years old, Little Bear went missing in a much bigger, much more heart-breaking way. We retraced all of our steps through town and even went as far as putting up fliers on telephone poles. Jake drew a very realistic picture of him and we copied it and added other identifying information such as that this bear was only 2-1/2” tall and wore handmade shorts which had an outer-space print on them. We were even allowed by several store owners to put it up in their store windows asking for help from our community to find our very treasured Little Bear. We also placed an ad in the local paper’s lost-and-found column. We received several calls from caring and sympathetic people asking if he might like one of their bears in place of Little Bear, but sadly no one had seen our own Little Bear. After a couple of painfully sad weeks Jake began to form a story about the whereabouts of Little Bear. He decided that his beloved companion was having a great adventure living in the pipes below our town. He was meeting other creatures who were also traveling that way and he was happy. I was greatly relieved to see that Jake had created a nice story of Little Bear’s adventures and that he was able to comfort himself this way. Jake continued to miss Little Bear greatly but became resolved that he was alive and well somewhere nearby, though probably missing his friend Jake terribly. Then about three months later, Jake and I were cleaning his room and deciding which old toys we would donate to charity when we came across a small rain stick which he had made in preschool. Before putting the rain stick into the donation bag, I removed the lid (it was made from a Pringles potato chip canister and had a plastic removable lid). Suddenly out popped Little Bear! You can’t imagine our joy at having Jake reunited with his much-loved Little Bear. This began a several week celebration in which we made cakes and had parties to celebrate Little Bear’s adventures and happy return. We also decided that we wouldn’t risk losing him again and so we made one last trip outside of the house with Little Bear and we went to the copy shop and xeroxed him front and back and then came home and cut out the paper bears and assembled them together, filled them with cotton in-between the paper layers and taped the outside together so that Jake now had a paper version of Little Bear that he could take out into the world while knowing that the real Little Bear was safe at home. Now, these 13 years later, my little boy is leaving for college in just two short months and part of me is wishing that I could have a paper version of him to send out into the world so that I might keep the real version safe at home. But the other part of me knows that it is the adventuring out into the world that creates a joyous and satisfying life and I wouldn’t want any other sort for that boy of mine who once so dearly loved a tiny, well-worn Little Bear.

Inspired By Iceland

2010-06-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

I found this great video on a blog called "A Cup of Jo" which is one of my staples in the blog world. The very spunky and fun video is put out by the Icelandic government to encourage tourism after the volcano eruption. Very cute!

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

2010-05-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

As Julie Andrews says: these are a few of my favorite things. They are all from Etsy shops that I love and I bet you will discover many things in them that you’ll love too. Here’s where you can find them: (starting with top row, left to right) stacking rings by tinahdee.etsy, day of the dead diva by MelanieMorales.etsy, bird tags by whimsypics.etsy, black bear art by amberalexander.etsy, recycled tin minidress earrings by shixie.etsy, cow painting by RozArt.etsy, yellow lawn chair by groundwork.etsy, dog print by edart.etsy, blue vase with butterflies by redhotpottery.etsy, and last but not least, mushrooms by geninne.etsy. Enjoy!

Sisters are Different Flowers from the Same Garden

2010-04-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

I just arrived back home after attending my cousin’s wedding in North Carolina. I spent four days with my sister, my only sibling, who lives in New England far across the country from me and who I don’t see or spend time with nearly as much as I would like to. It was such a treat being with her for those days. We laughed, we talked, we cried, we laid in bed at night telling each other what our adult lives are like and what is important to us. In the end, it was clear that what is important to us both is our family. We each have our own families now, husbands and children who mean the world to us, including boys who are both going off to start college soon. And we each still care deeply too for our family of origin, which includes both of our parents and each other. It was so good to reconnect with my sweet sister. She is the only person in the world who shares the same history with me and we each remember the events and times that made us who we are today. I am incredibly lucky to have her and I am so very fortunate that she too feels blessed to have me. A sister really is a forever friend.

Floral Inspired: Show at Gump's in San Fran

2010-03-30T11:28:00.001-07:00

Floral Inspired: Celebrating the Relationship Between Design and Nature :: Gump's San Francisco

This show at Gump's in San Francisco runs from April 22nd to May 16th and has two of my favorite potters, Diana Fayt and Whitney Smith. Both of these talented artists have Etsy shops and if you click on their names you'll be taken right to them. I can't wait to see the other artists that will be there too. I bet I'll have new favorites after I've seen it!

Crab Grass and Coats

2010-03-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

I have found a new reason to let the weeds keep growing in my garden - always looking for a good excuse! Spring is the time when the weeds look healthier than many of my plants and I wonder about letting them be. But the compost pile calls and I respond by filling it full with the "yerbas malas" of my garden. Here's something creative that you can do with your unwanted garden guests too. These images are from the website of Nicole Dextras, a visual artist in Canada. These are part of her "Ephemeral Art" collection. 4D33Y9EVXZ4U

A Fine Frenzy

2010-03-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

My new favorite music video. Called "Lost Things" it is a short stop-motion film. Written & Directed by Angela Kohler and Ithyle Griffiths and starring Alison Sudol of the band Fine Frenzy. Angela Kohler recently did a couple of Kindle commercials as well. I love the beautiful and haunting style of this video.

The Telephone of My Mind

2010-02-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love, and abundance. Then, whenever doubt, anxiety, or fear try to call me, they will keep getting a busy signal and soon they'll forget my number. ~Edith Armstrong

This is one of my favorite quotes lately. It really helps me focus on good things and not spend time on the negative stuff that I can sometimes get spinning on. Focusing on the happy things in my life (of which there are plenty!) is definitely better for me and for those around me and then I can go about my life with such a better attitude which in turn makes everything go well. It’s a sort of miraculous cycle when it’s working well. So, I’ve been trying to parish negative thoughts (such as: “probably just bills in the mailbox”) when they appear in my mind and replace them with positive thoughts (such as: “I wonder what good things are coming to me today?”) It makes life more fun to think like that anyways so it’s a good game to play with myself. When I start to have a slightly negative thought now I ask myself whether it makes me happier to think that thought or whether the one that I replace it with that is more upbeat makes me happier. The answer is always a no-brainer. Thinking happier thoughts makes me feel happier. So, here’s to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance. And may they keep calling you on your telephone!

Gifts to Me

2010-01-31T13:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know this is a bit strange, but for Christmas this year, while I was out shopping, I bought myself some gifts. I promptly brought them home, handed them to my husband and said "Here, I bought these for myself from you. Will you please wrap them up?" Now let me say that I have a wonderful husband. He is generous and thoughtful and patient and he is my foundation in life; he gives me a steady place from which to go out into life and happily live it. He does, however, find it very difficult to figure out what I might like for gifts. So after twenty-two years of marriage I decided to take matters into my own hands. And here's what I did: I bought myself a slow-cooker and a bathroom scale. Don't they sort of go together? Can't you see a sort of symmetry there? Well, not so much. But I really wanted both of them and I really am using both of them. In fact, the other night, after yet another delicious dinner from the slow-cooker, my husband proclaimed "You know this present was really for both of us!" He's getting it... And as for the bathroom scale, well, it's the large print version so now I can actually see my weight, which isn't always a good thing. Maybe next year I'll get something kinder for myself. I think I'm getting it...

Studio Heaven

2010-01-14T19:02:00.000-08:00

I spent this week organizing and de-cluttering my wonderful art studio. I always feel very lucky to have this magnificent space where I can create to my heart’s content (literally!) Honestly, it makes me almost deliriously happy just to be in it. It is where I keep lots and lots of my very favorite things. Everything there is beautiful, functional, or best of all, both. There’s my wildly painted chair where I sit and create. It is one of the first things I ever painted when I was just beginning to uncover my creative spirit. I actually painted it for my daughter who was about 3 years old at the time and needed a taller chair at the kitchen table because she refused a booster seat and instead had been sitting uncomfortably on her folded legs for many dinners. This chair had been in my husband’s shop and fit the bill because it was taller than the regular dining room chairs but it was so plain and boring that it would not do at all for my tiny and fancy darling girl. Now, a decade later, it works well for my shop table which is a bit high and reminds me of my sweet girl and my delight at the new life I had given that chair those many years ago. Besides the items which are loaded with memories, there are so many extraordinary things there that delight my eye and inspire my creative self to come out and play. I have lots of fabulously shaped and colored bits of salvage – architectural pieces like the scrolled piano legs I found years ago in a junk store and painted to look like grey marble. There is the giant rusty “S” that hangs on one wall and reminds me that this space is decadently mine alone. There is the assortment of tiny and very ornate metal chairs that I have been collecting for years. They sit on a cute shelf that I bought and then embellished with a piece that had once been the top part of a fancy cabinet with a high finial in the center. I bought that shelf from a man who made it himself at one of my first craft fairs when I had just decided to start to make a livelihood from my creative endeavors. There are containers of every size and shape, painted brightly or tarnished and left natural, holding the many tools that I may use as I work on my latest projects. Almost everything there is pleasing to my eye or to my soul. I love the way the colors of everything there blend together to make a brilliantly colorful vision. And I love that I can, and do, walk in, sit down, look around and become inspired. It really is my own little slice of heaven and it truly makes my heart sing.

My New Flame

2009-11-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

I am completely obsessed with my new torch. It all started when I enrolled in a class a couple of weeks ago that was taught by an energetic and adorable man named Steven James. He is a bundle of energy, which is good because he teaches 2nd grade during the week and then teaches jewelry-making classes on the weekends. That would wear most people out but this man is a mighty whirlwind of energy. The class was filled with incredibly useful techniques and tips but what I really loved was that I learned to use a torch. I always did love to play with fire, but that combined with the really cool things that I can make and I am in heaven! This is a micro-torch used to solder metal and fuse fine silver among other things. Steven also uses his torch for making crème brulee, which I can’t wait to try! So, I’ll be keeping you posted about my new jewelry creations. One thing’s for sure, they will be hot!

Falling for Fall

2009-10-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

I know, you either love Fall or you don't. I am one of the lucky ones who really does love it. For the rest of you, I say: hey, it happens every year, you might as well go with it. And maybe I can spread the joy of the season by telling you a little bit of what I get excited about this time of year. Here's what I love about it in a nutshell. I love the chill in the air at night that makes me climb up on a chair in my closet to get down my super soft and cozy extra blanket. I love when we have to run out to the car in the morning all squealing because it actually is COLD. I love wearing my cute and colorful scarf collection that is hung on the fabulous swirly metal hooks that I found last year and that make me very happy. I love baking pumpkin pies and eating them and I do that all the way through the Fall. I love starting soup in the early afternoon and having it send wonderful aromas through the house for the remainder of the day. I love the colors that the leaves change to and so over the years I have planted lots of color changing plants in my yard for that very reason. I love Halloween and Thanksgiving and they just happen to be in this season too (how much fun can you have in one short season?!) And yes, I suspect that part of my love for Fall is the fact that my birthday falls within it and yes, I know how egocentric that is, but I've never really gotten past that 5 year olds' excitement of having my very own birthday. Now that I think about it, I'm already feeling a little sad that it will be over before you know it!

Everyone Needs a Best Friend

2009-09-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently wrote on her Facebook page that she thinks one of the jobs of your best friend is to, immediately upon hearing of your death, race to your house in order to erase any computer files that shouldn’t be read by your family. That particular issue wouldn’t really be a problem for me but I certainly have my own things that my best friend could race over and do for me. I have several little (okay, some are not-so-little) stashes of chocolate around the house that I would be embarrassed if my husband and kids found, so there’s a job for my best friend. I also have a terrible stash of receipts for craft supplies that my husband must never, never total. It would be very good if they disappeared too. But most importantly, I’d need my best friend to come over and do some real quick and thorough cleaning because otherwise, I’d be mortified at my funeral reception when everyone sees the dust-rhinos (yes, they can get that big) that often collect under every chair in my house. Now for that I’d really be eternally grateful.

P.S. The cute necklaces in this photo are from http://www.jjbackman.etsy.com/

Teensy, Tiny Paper Cuts

2009-09-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is another of my favorite things: paper cutting artist Aoyama Hina makes these fine paper cut illustration pieces. Some are sentences and some are tiny scenes - all of them are exquisite! She uses a tiny scissors and cuts each and every one by hand. You can check out her My Space page at http://tiny.cc/qHNME. Aoyama is a Japanese-born woman living in France and I'm guessing that she is probably the most patient person on the planet.

Can't Find It in the Phone Book?

2009-09-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I found this today and thought it was the coolest thing to come out of a phone book that I'd seen in a long time, probably forever. Now I'm just worried that phone books will become obsolete soon and no one will be doing such cool stuff! This paper dress is designed and made purely out of phonebook paper! Jolis Paons pleated, stuck, sewed, and glued everything by hand. Check out the rest of her photos of this wonderful creation on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jolispaons/sets/72157604766091529/. Now if I can just find that phone number...

Comfort Foods

2009-08-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

I’ve been thinking lately about comfort foods. I have a dear friend who tangled with a truck while riding her bike last week and she is bruised and broken but thankfully, going to be alright in a few weeks. So, naturally, I wanted to do something to help her. Something to let her know that she is important to me and that I wanted to ease her recovery as much as I could. So for me, that always brings food to mind. Who wouldn’t want some mashed potatoes and roasted chicken or some really cheesy lasagna or, best of all, some homemade chicken soup at a time when the body hurts and laying on the couch watching old movies is the only thing to do? Well, here’s the problem…my friend is not comforted by comfort food. She is not a food lover. She isn’t all that interested in food at all. To her, food is merely sustenance. Her quality of life is not altered by being unable to get her favorite bread pudding from the local bakery. Her response to a bad day is not “I’ll go home and bake up some warm, delicious blondies!” Personally, I find it hard to relate to that. Food has been inextricably tied to my emotions since I was a child. Everyone I’ve loved has fed me good things. Starting with my mom who made the first chicken soup when I was sick and pumpkin bread when I wasn’t, to my dad who took me out for pie or ice cream (or better yet - pie a la mode) every time there was something important to talk about, to my grandmother who made me red jello and who cut it up into chunks and added cream for me to eat while we watched movies together, to my grandfather who made me crazy “concoctions” (that’s what we called them) for breakfast when I slept at his house every Friday night, to my other grandmother who made feasts of chicken soup, brisket and mashed potatoes for the whole extended family almost weekly, and my favorite aunt who made seven layer bars (remember those with the coconut, chocolate chips and graham cracker crumbs?) with me every time I came to visit. Okay, so is it any wonder that chicken soup and sweet things are high on my list of comfort foods? But for my friend, memories are tied more to other things. She, too, had a full and happy childhood with many close relationships, but food wasn't as central to all of that in her family as it was in mine. So, in the end, for my dear bike-riding friend, I went with vegetable soup and berry cobbler. Maybe she wouldn’t think of them the way I would, but it couldn’t hurt to have healthy and delicious things on hand for when she decided that she needed “sustenance.”

Holding Onto Summer

2009-08-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

It’s back-to-school time. I always feel a little melancholy this time of year. I love the warm, lazy summers. I love the quieter, slower mornings when my kids and I can sometimes have breakfast together and where we can all sleep-in a little longer which also means staying up a little later in the evenings. Sometimes we watch movies together or sit together and read. Often everyone gathers in my bed once I’ve gotten cozy with a book and they talk and talk which I love even as I set my book aside. I love having the kids have time to hang around the house with me and even participate in cooking food and grocery shopping. I really enjoy when they come visit with me while I am doing some gardening or watering. And I don’t look forward to the hectic school schedules that go with the school year. This year school is high school for both of my kids. My son will be a senior and my daughter will be a freshman in high school. For my son that means he will be applying to college and looking forward to leaving the home he’s grown up in. For me, it means saying goodbye to him and seeing that change in our little nuclear family of four that I have loved being a part of. I’ve loved every milestone of it – bringing our first baby home from the hospital, my husband and I changing from a couple to a family, then welcoming our second child two years later and watching all of us grow. We made a gazillion Halloween costumes, birthday cakes, and parties for various occasions, including the one for when we found the long-lost teddy bear. We went camping, we did crafts, made valentines, did homework. We raised chickens and dogs and salamanders and turtles. We planted gardens and ate strawberries that were warmed by the sun and rinsed from the hose. I enjoyed it all and luckily paid attention while it was happening ; I wrote down silly things they did and said in my Mom’s Journal, I took photos of them at every stage, knowing that one day it would end and I would want to remember it well. Well, it’s not over yet, but one more summer is coming to a close and I, for one, will miss it.