Charm Bracelet

Knowing that all those Etsymetal charms are in progress, I had to make a few potential charm bracelets.



I've made 3 so far.  I'm keeping one for myself.  The others are available in the bracelet section of my Etsy shop.  I've got a matching forged link necklace in the tumbler right now, so look for more next week.

Charming Charms

I am a member of the Etsymetal team, a juried group of metalsmiths selling their handcrafted jewelry on Etsy.  I am finally participating in one of the big charm swaps,  the 4th one.  Twenty participating members make 22 charms.  Each participant gets 20 charms back.  Two charms go to the Etsymetal shop.  All proceeds benefit a charitable organization decided upon by the participants.   I got my 22 charms done today and will be shipping them out on Thursday.

I forged tiny sterling silver tendrils out of 14 gauge silver wire, in the same style as the rest of my silver tendril jewelry.




To see what others have been working on, take a look at this Etsymetal blog entry http://etsymetal.blogspot.com/2009/08/charm-swap-4-work-in-progress.html  .
You can also see charm bracelets and charms from 2 previous swaps available in the Charm shop section of the  Etsymetal shop.

Inspired by Nursery Rhymes

Much of my work has been inspired by childrens stories and nursery rhymes, both the story and the illustrations. A sense of spirituality and mysticism directs my work.  I hope that my pieces help the wearer to stay connected to their own dream world.  Some people say that art is a conduit, or that it helps to create sacred space.  I think jewelry creates a sacred space intimate to the individual wearer, an interaction between the jewelry and the one who wears it.  The artist might start the process, but the wearer lets it grow and thrive.

I started these pieces at the Tunnel Mill workshop in Minnesota, before we moved.  I started back in on them a few days ago, and finished them yesterday.

We started off with a combination project that included sawing, hammering, and chasing- a feather or leaf form.  I sawed out the form, then hammered in the texture, then used chasing to form the central vein and add extra lift to the rest of the form.  This was a great intro project for the students, allowing them to finish a beautiful piece in a relatively short amount of time.

Here's mine.



The ornate leaf hangs on a 16 inch brass chain with my own handformed hook closure.

The Man in The Moon - I worked on this piece while the students were continuing to develop their skills.






The Moon amulet hangs on a 30 inch endless chain.  The entire piece is hand hammered, from the moon amulet to the individual chain links.  

I work joy, reverence, and a good sense of humor into every piece of jewelry.  I want you to carry that with you as you wear it.

Back to Work

The kids have finally returned to school!  So now I have my workdays back. 
My part of the studio is ready to use.


We need to put the anvil up on the wood base and hook up an acetylene tank.  I also have to figure out where I put the pumice for my solder/annealing tray.

Other things that have been consuming my time?....
unpacking of course
testing and figuring out the vintage vacuum cleaners in the house.  My fave is the old Kirby, which worked great after I figured out that I had to put it in "D" mode for drive.


Peaches are in season here in Southern Illinois.  I've been chopping them up and making sorbet as fast as the family can eat it.



I get peach margaritas on the days that I make sorbet!

My friend Mona of White Pup Vintage found me some great clip-on earrings during our girls day out in New Harmony, Indiana.  Check out Mona's shop.  She is a lot of fun and has a great eye for vintage fashion jewelry.

She knows I love food jewelry, so she set these aside for me.  Yippee!  I was surprised at how comfy the clip-ons were.  I might have to start making some funky clip-ons in my own studio.  It could be a great way to combine the spontaneity of fiber collage arts with my jewelry skills.

Off to work I go!

Settling In

We are slowly getting settled into our home in Southern Illinois. I've been unpacking books and getting furniture. Bill is working on our studio space and his finch area.

There are enough working vintage vacuums to have one on each level of the house. Thank goodness because they are heavy!

The kids have been attending vacation bible school. Last night they must have learned the story about Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt. One of my children was very disturbed at the thought of every firstborn male child being slaughtered by a God. The other child thought the pharaoh had plenty of warning and those egyptians deserved it.

Food for thought for a Mother, all around...