Finally Face to Face

After two years of corresponding by email and trading jewelry by mail, I finally got to meet my friend Steph (aka Vladthebat) face to face. On the Thursday before last I picked her up in Nashville at the airport and with sadness dropped her off this past Friday morning. We spent a week of creating in the studio and exploring Middle Tennessee. The weather was on its best behavior, as we had a whole week of sunshine and warm temperatures.
She brought goodies along with her... a wealth of interesting raw materials for creating, two really cool necklaces (I'll post the necklace pictures next time), and enough Belgian chocolate that should have last me for months. The supply of chocolate is now dwindled to a handful of pieces. I shared a little, but it should be declared a controlled substance. I can't stop eating it. One morning she even made Belgian waffles for us.
In the studio, it was so interesting to see someone take the same materials that I have been looking at for months and take them in a totally different direction. I had a bowl of flat stones that I picked up while kayaking and and she picked one up and immediately started carving a design in it. So then we both started carving stones. That night I got the idea that we should etch some of the copper to match the stones so the next day we spent several hours experimenting with etching. Here is a bracelet in which I combined Steph's stone and my copper etching.
And another piece where I stamped a face and etched it. I have to experiment more with my etching solution recipe to keep from getting it too strong.
Throughout the week my creativity got a much needed boost that hopefully will last a while. I needed it to get ready for Studio Thursday coming up this week. It will actually be 3 days this month for the holiday sale. Check it out at Silo Studio's website.

Our lives are so much richer now that we have a new friend and I am planning a visit to Belgium in the not too distant future.

Supply Run

On Friday I spent a very enjoyable afternoon at the Nashville flea market finding some new inspiration for my jewelry.

My favorite bead supplier was a great source for natural stone beads and turquoise cabochons,

At other vendors I found some interesting silver plated spoons and watch cases.

Now it is time to put my nose to the grindstone. The Silo Studios Studio Thursday is just a week and a half away and a new place has started carrying my jewelry. Heart and Hands is a shop in Franklin, Tennessee that carries only Tennessee made crafts. I just sent a load of jewelry there and now it's time to make more for next week's show.
Here is a little sample of what I sent to Franklin.




Also, I entered my eyeball bezel necklace (in the last post) in a contest on the Objects and Elements website. The winner gets a package of goodies from their store. The voting starts on Monday is you would like to help me out with a vote.
Thanks to all!

What Else Can I Put In A Bezel?

I was looking around my stash of random junk in my studio and wondering what else would fit in a bezel. I had a jar of sand worn seashell pieces that I picked up several years ago in St. Augustine, Florida that were waiting for their home in a piece of jewelry. They were an easy fit, along with a quote by my friend Shawn. "She dreamed of warm winds and salty skin." It seemed like a perfect match.
What other unusual object could I find.....hmmmmmmm....what about that glass taxidermy deer eyeball that had been staring at me for a couple of years? Let's see if that would work. With a little bit of grinding on the back, I managed to get it to fit into a bezel too. A little creepy...I know.

Next, something less creepy...some little brass birds on copper with lapis lazuli and brass beads.

Now, it's off to my studio for more fun! I love my job!

More Bezels

I'm still having fun with the bezels. Now I just have to be on the lookout for some more cool stones.
These two necklaces are available at this time at Cliques Salon in Columbia. When they're gone...they're gone. I maybe be able to make something similar, but most of my pieces are
one of a kind. Paint jasper and yellow jade

Tiger eye, porcelain, shell, and glass

Kritters: Current and Ancient

Animals never cease to amaze me. It is good that I live out in the country, because they are all around me...my own and the wild variety. The picture above is wild turkeys and Canada geese sharing a meal together beside our house.
This little guy has made my hanging planter a home and captures insects from his perch. He looks like a little metal sculpture that has developed a beautiful patina.Even the dogs like to join in on the chores. Every time I start the mower, Milo comes running. He thinks that it is his job to keep me company while I mow. Maggie thinks that it is her job to get in the way and chase grasshoppers.
This is Bella's favorite sleeping position. I don't know how many photos I have of her in this position. I can't resist snapping a picture.
I've always loved fossils ever since I was a small child. The playground of our elementary school was full of fossils and I'm sure I worried my mother by coming home with pockets full of them. I've had a pair of these ammonite fossils for a few months and had experimented with various ways to showcase them and I finally settled on a bezel setting. I will sell one and keep one for myself.

The starfish on this necklace is a pewter button from a dress that I bought at the thrift shop and threw away the dress and kept the buttons. A reminder of my favorite place...the beach.

Rediscovering Bezels

I recently was inspired by a post by Julie (IsThereAShadow Aug. 9 post) to attempt to do some bezels again. I learned to do bezels when I was in college many moons ago, and for some reason I thought that because I didn't have a fully outfitted shop like we had at college, that it would be too difficult to do with my limited tools. I also had never tried them in copper, only in silver. I'm glad I tried it again because I have really enjoyed the process. I love the way the copper is so malleable and forms itself around the stone when I gently hammer it. Here are my first two attempts. More will come.

Feeling Like Autumn

I am enjoying a few nice cool days in the middle of August. I guess that the cool weather is influencing my jewelry with an autumn flavor. Here are a few new pieces that I have completely lately.