Beautiful Glass in my Home

These are a couple of the glass pieces I have in my home. These photos do not do them justice. Both pictures were taken on winter-in-Portland less-than-sunshiny days.
The top photo is a lovely housewarming-gift mobile from Leah Pellegrini (her Etsy shop is here). I have it hanging from the archway between the living and dining rooms where is catches light from both sets of windows (and no one is in danger of bumping into it).
The lower picture is a fun stained glass banner made by Megan Klepp of Ta-Dah (her Etsy shop is here). While in a perfect world I'd have the perfect in-a-window spot for it, I don't. It currently resides on a wall in my sunroom (I got it specifically for the sunroom). Because it is fairly opaque glass, the wonderful colors aren't lost without the light coming through.
I'm so happy that I know both these delightful ladies and can see these beautiful works of art everyday!

Spring's On The Way

 

 A sure sign of spring at my house is planning for the garden. Last year was the first year that Karen and Chip - the world's greatest neighbors - and I planted this plot. It's my side yard and a fairly big area for people who don't really know a whole lot about gardening. We planted lots (post about it here) by guess and by golly, and we did OK, but not great. This was partly because of our never-ending cold and wet spring last year and partly because we didn't properly amend the soil before planting. Some things didn't grow, some grew weird and others did just fine through no fault of our own. We learned a lot. This year, we're using the whole plot, are planting less crops but more of what we liked, and have figured better placement for things (Karen's a great one for planning out everything). AND, last Saturday - when I was playing hooky from the opening day of the Saturday Market - we had 4 yards of a compost and sand (the soil is very clay-y) mix dumped in the driveway and the three of us spent four hours wheelbarrowing it from the drive and digging it into the soil. I'm still tired! We are very excited to get started. In the next couple of weeks we will begin plotting it out and planting the earlier crops. 

The twiggy things in the back corner are raspberry canes that are already starting to bud out. Since last year, I've also built and installed the two rainbarrels and put in the composter. Almost looks like a real garden!

Just 'Cuz

Prong Setting

Being a self-taught metalsmith means that a lot of what I do is trial and error. Unfortunately mostly error! When I do try something new, I often make silly mistakes that a teacher would (hopefully) warn me against. My latest "learning experience" was one of those little mistakes: I tried a prong setting with a tiny little 3mm (did I mention it was small?) cubic zirconia. I eventually succeeded, but the dents in the wall from throwing tools illustrates why you should learn this technique with something a bit larger. The frustration level got pretty high while trying to solder the prong wires in a tiny space, hold the bitty CZ while trying to place it, and set the prongs on the little stone (did I mention it was small?). When will I ever learn to think these things through just a bit before I start off on these adventures?

That said, this cute, little (did I mention it was small?) Sweet Heart Necklace is now available in my Etsy shop.

Delft Clay Casting

Inspired by my friend Shannon's (rubygirl) sand casting, and wanting to try something new, I bought myself a delft clay casting kit. While it has some different properties, the process is similar. I spent some time watching how-to videos on youtube - and was therefore an expert! The kit came with written instructions and possibly the worse instructional DVD I've ever seen. I was ready to go! Below are pictures of my first successful casting. This after a couple of "learning moment" attempts (fortunately you can just melt those down). The actual process goes very quickly so there's a large portion of instant gratification, a big positive for those of us lacking a large portion of patience. I can see why Shannon loves this technique and I can't wait to do more.

The clay, instructions and a small
crucible for melting metal.

The mold together. This is just
after I've poured the silver.

The mold pieces separated. You can barely
see any metal peeking through. A beginner's
mistake: I almost didn't use enough silver.

Here I've turned over the top of the mold
and you can see the casting and the burned
clay in the bottom.

The shell I used as a model with the casting.

Removed from the mold. This shell casting
is almost a full ounce of silver!

Day At The Beach Necklace

Another new item available in my Etsy shop. (This could get to be a habit!) A one-of-a-kind stunner: the Day at the Beach Necklace. Sterling, lapis lazuli, and red aventurine. The combination just reminded me of a warm summer day. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking because it's currently snowing out!...

Snowmygod was really Snowbigdeal

Snow Buddah

Koko prints on the back steps.

 

This is what it looked like around my house when I woke up. And yes, the schools in Portland were closed because of this "blizzard". The east coast and mid-west have yet to pick themselves off the floor from laughing. It was all melted an hour later. That's snow in Stumptown.

Today's Reality Check: Libyian Protests

 

 

My thoughts are with the brave people of Libya on their quest to self-governance.

Large Spiral Earrings

Another earring design that I've been making for quite a while (yes, I tell people *I* invented the spiral - and, yes, some people believe me), but have never listed in my Etsy shop. That is until now. Sterling silver Large Spiral Earrings: big, bold, spirally. A popular seller for me at the Portland Saturday Market, now available online.

Sun Flower Necklace

I've been making this necklace design for a while and often have one for sale in the Portland Saturday Market booth, but (I don't think...) I've never listed it in my Etsy shop. Well, the wait is over. Now available for online purchase, my sterling silver Sun Flower Necklace. Many people like it because, while it's bold and larger - over 2" across - it also has a delicate feel. It's also not too fancy so it's suitable for casual wear, but can still dress up that LBD. I like the way it floats between the chains  - something you'll find in a lot of my work. Bring a little sunshine with you everywhere!

Four's Good

 

Quite frankly, I hardly ever look at who or how many have "favorited" my Etsy shop.

Today, for some reason, I did and I had 4444. I like numbers like that, don't know why.
I like catching numbers like that too. Something transient about it,

like I glimpsed a moment. 

Four four four four.

Molecule Necklace

I'm trying to be better about listing new items in my Etsy shop. Really. (I'm just lazy about taking pictures is all.) So, here's my stunning, sterling Molecule Necklace. I like bib style necklaces and want to make more of them. With the right outfit, they can be real showstoppers.

For this necklace, each circle is individually made, then arranged and the whole thing is meticulously soldered. While I do recreate this design, each combination of circles and layout is different, making each necklace unique and one-of-a-kind.