Tag Archives: handcrafted

Where does time go?

February 2, 2010

It has been awhile since I have posted anything.

We have been extremely busy driving this semi up and down the road, and that usually means if you aren’t driving, you better be sleeping.

This means, to me, that the economy is picking up. Manufacturers are shipping more product. Which means, again to me, that people are buying again.

Lumber has really picked up. Must be lots of remodeling going on or, can we hope, new construction.

Because of our busy schedule this hasn’t left me much time for creating new and exciting pieces of jewelry out here. But, summer is coming, and that is really when I get to do my creating. I just love to get down into my studio, crank up the tunes, and let the metal show me where to go.

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Facebook addiction

November 2, 2009

Okay, I have to admit, I have a facebook addiction. I am involved with a few, okay quite a few,  games on Facebook and it seems like it is taking up a lot of  my time, just to play a few games. It even gets to the point that, if I am driving down the road, and I know that I have  restaurant  food that is has to be served or else it will spoil, I have asked Scott to serve food for me. Anyone knows, that you won’t get repeat customers, if you sell spoiled food.

So, how do I detox myself from Facebook? Do I need to detox myself from Facebook? Yes, if I am writing this, I definitely have a problem.

I imagine my time could be better served doing something  more productive. I could continue reading, in whatever book, I am engrossed in at the time. I could continue on my knitting project. Or better yet, I could continue working on my new jewelry designs.

Manipulating metal is my passion, so move over Facebook. I am officially blocking the applications to a few games. I am going to have to do this in baby steps. I will delete one, do a twelve step program on that game, then continue onto the next game deletion.

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Design and Creativity

October 26, 2009

I thought that I would post about where I get some of my design ideas.

If you have been following my posts, you know that I am a truckdriver by trade, metalsmith by heart. So, this means that I have my eyes constantly aware of my surroundings.

Yesterday, I saw the coolest graffiti on the side of a rail car. I am definitely going to be using this design. The other day, I was loading at a steel mill, and on the ground was the coolest shape of heavy wire. I am thinking that this shape would make a fantastic focal point of a bracelet. I am always looking at women on television and in magazines are wearing. This tells me what is going on in the fashion world.

I came up with one of my signature bracelets as a mistake. I was creating a chain necklace and didn’t like the shapes, but thought it would look fantastic for a bracelet.

Sometimes, I do wonder when I am creating a new design, had I seen this design, or something, before from some other metalsmith. I would never intentionally copy someone else’s designs, but I can’t obsess about if someone else had something similar or if someone is copying my designs.

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Hot in California

September 26, 2009

Just a quick update. It is hot here in California. Is it ever going to cool down?

I am now regretting not taking any wire to make jewelry. I thought that I needed a break from creating, to let the juices flow again. I really thought that if I didn’t have anything with me, it would help me to sketch out some new designs. Well, that worked, but I am missing working with metal. So, a lesson learned. Always take projects with you, no matter what.

I have been invited to join MOCAShop. This is very exciting!

Monica has created a wonderful community of artisans to sell their handmade creations. There are some very talented artists there and I am truely honored to become a part of the MOCA community. Please feel free to check out the site. http://www.mocashop.com/

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Back to work

September 20, 2009

It was inevitable, summer is over, and we are back to work. It is such a sad affair.

We are enroute to Channahon, IL, just south of Joliet, IL. It was an easy trip, and we definitely needed it to break in. Seems like some maintenance issues didn’t get resolved over the summer, and we had a few things to repair. But, we are running strong now.

I didn’t bring any jewelry making supplies in the truck for the initial trip. I am probably going to regret it. I did bring some knitting and some books, that  I have been anxious to read. I guess, I just needed a break from creating earrings, bracelets, etc. I need to just clear the  brain and get back to the basics of creation. Yesterday, going down the road, I thought of a couple of design ideas, so I am going to try to draw these ideas out, and hope that the creative juices will start flowing again.

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Busy Busy Busy

July 20, 2009

I have been very busy since returning from Seattle, WA. The second trip was totally for pleasure and had a wonderful time. I will post pictures, hopefully soon.

I have been super busy for my two upcoming shows, which are one this week at Cavanaugh’s in Kalispell, MT. The second show is at Art on the Green in Coeur d’Alene, ID.

After those two shows, it’s off on the motorcycle for a week or so to the coast of Washington state.

When will I find time to get photo’s uploaded and new jewelry on my website?

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Back home

June 30, 2009

I managed to get back home with no problems from Tacoma this weekend. It has taken a couple of days to recoup, and I am back to normal. I learned much from the classes that I took over there. Some of the classes I took were working in PMC . For those of you who don’t know what PMC is, it is precious metal clay, in other words fine silver in a clay form. I really am drawn to my hammers and fabricating metal. There is nothing like being able to take a piece of metal and hammer it into the form you want it to be.

I have found that the pmc is a totally different animal and am having fun playing around with it. I will be posting a few pieces that I made, as soon as I get them downloaded from the camera.

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Going to Tacoma, WA

June 18, 2009

Three of us girls are on our way to Tacoma, WA tomorrow for a week.

We are going to take some exciting classes to further our skills at creating fantastic jewelry. It is going to be great fun.

We, of course, have a list of things to do and places to see. Some of them will, of course, be hitting our favorite bead stores. Get some great German food. Go to Pike’s Market. Visit friends. And just have a great time.

I will post on our adventures when I return.

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Wizard

June 8, 2009

wizard-2I am submitting this piece into a show that I have successfully juried into. They have a juried, jury, tent and if your piece is accepted, you are eligible for prize money. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it meets the criteria. Pieces that are accepted have to be up for sale, also. This was made using the strawbroom casting method.  I really like how the picture came out. It is so hard to convey in a photograph how the piece is constructed and how beautiful it is.  So everyone keep their fingers crossed that Art in the Green in Coeur D’Alene, ID loves this piece.

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Fantastic weekend

May 18, 2009

I had a fantastic weekend. I went to Couer D’Alene, ID for my granddaughters soccer tournament. They took 2nd place and the team played so hard and were very determined and just played great games. The third game was an edge of the seat kind of game.  The two teams were so evenly matched, it was exciting to watch.

Found were they are hosting the Art in the Green at the end of July, which I am honored to be accepted to attend. It gave me some fantastic inspiration to get more pieces fabricated. The setting is absolutely stunning. It will be held in the park right along the lake. There are lots of trees and it is such a gorgeous setting.

We did some shopping, and I was so proud of myself. I only bought a pair of sandals. Believe me, that is good for me!!!

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