Archive for the ‘erin’ Category

Check out this great article about yours truly in the local paper!  It’s nicely done, and I’ve already had customers come in, curious about Metal Clay!

Today I started work on a pair of cufflinks for a friend’s wedding.  They are so. freaking. cute.  Flying pigs.  I may just have to make a line of flying pig jewelry cause it’s so dang cool!

In other news, I’ve made it through my first full week at the new location and am well into week number 2.  I’ve re-arranged multiple times, and it’s looking better and better.  I still consider it a work in progress, I’m still trying to figure out the best configuration for the classroom area, and I still have boxes of beads in the back that need to find their place, but it’s getting there.  And I’ve decided to take some time to whittle down the list of commissioned projects that I need to finish!  Checked one off today (3 thumb print charms that have been sitting idle for 2 months, eep) and got started on the cufflinks and the images for 3 reliquaries.

Now to figure out time to plan for that wedding!

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I had a customer come in today and we got to chatting about Metal Clay, the upcoming classes and my apprenticeship with Holly Gage.  I was telling her the story of my chance encounter with Holly and how that turned into an apprenticeship.  While at the PMC Conference in Purdue Indiana, Holly happened to hold the door open for me at the dorms where we were staying.  My customer Jean, she stopped me there and said “Talk about meaningful!  I’ve got chills!” It was then that I realized that Holly had both literally and figuratively opened the door for me. 

Since meeting and working with Holly, I’ve gained confidence in my own work and abilities, become inspired to do more teaching, learned innovative new techniques that I’m beginning to incorporate into my own work, met some amazing artists, traveled, and began to take more risks and to GO FOR IT, whatever “it” is with my roller skates on! 

I then made a further realization… I sat in on Holly’s Repousse Technique class while at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewelry, and I chose to work with a photograph I’d taken of the picturesque doorway next to the studio at Treesmill.  Why did I choose the door?  I don’t know. I’m not much for geometric or ridgid shapes, and this door had both.  I was growing frustrated with the piece, and at one point was ready to scrap it, but Holly pushed me to finish it.  I’m happy I did, as it is a nice memento of our trip and a reminder to push forward through the “ugly” stage.  Pushing past my comfort zone opened yet another door, and taught me to look at my pieces with a critical eye again and again and really strive to make the piece perfect, not jsut “good enough”.  I went through that door too, and it brought my work to a higher level.

Thank you Holly, for opening doors! 

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Sitting in the Seattle / Tacoma airport, looking out at the dark and rainy tarmac, and thinking about the past fee days. Despite the relentless rain, I had such a great time at The Ranch, surrounded by colorful and creative artists. There were some really impressive complex canes made, and I can’t wait to see the photos of finished pieces. I finished my prong piece yesterday, and will take and post photos soon. Holly and I stayed up way too late most nights this week, talking in the dark like two girls at a slumber party. Pretty much every waking hour was filled with our chatter, and my brain is buzzing with ideas and possibilities. Our kind driver Marshall (who brought us to and from the airport) could barely get a word in edgewise! But Holly and I never seem to run short on conversation. Randi was such a gracious host, and The Ranch a fully stocked studio with eye candy covering just about every surface, nook and cranny. I barely finished asking “oh! What is this?” before I picked up another shiny object and wanted to know ” and how was this made”?! So many inspirations. I can’t wait to go back!

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So day 2 of Innovative Prong Settings went quite well.  We didn’t leave the studio until 8 pm!  It was a long day, but a lot of information learned and a great critique delivered.  I like that Holly makes a point of having students critique their work as well as the work of fellow students.  Some very valid insights and points are addressed, and I it really helps me contemplate a little further what my piece is saying and what I intend for it to say to the viewer.  So hurrah for Holly!

Today is day 1 of Negative Space Caning.  I love this class and it gets my brain going into hyperdrive.  We have two carry over students from the prong settings class, and it’s been cool to get to know them over the past 3 days.  I decided not to do any caning today though, as I am smitten with titanium, so I finished my prong piece from yesterday and put it in the kiln to fire.   Currently I’m working on a piece featuring a hunk of titanium that reminds me of Falkor, the luck dragon from Never Ending Story.  I’m looking forward to seeing how my dragon emerges.

It’s been so much fun getting to know Randi.  She’s a hoot!  This morning I went out in the pouring rain to meet Toby, her daughter’s 25 year old horse.  I fed him a carrot but he knickered and whinnied in excitement over his grains.  He let me stroke his soft winter coat as he munched his breakfast.  His stable was nice and dry, but there has been a LOT of rain, and the road into Snohomish is closed due to flooding…uh oh.  Hoping its’ cleared by the time we have to head to the airport!

It’s been a great trip thus far.  Snohomish is such a cute little town, I wish we had more time to explore it.  I’m hoping to be back in the near future to teach a class myself!  Randi and I are discussing ideas for a commemorative jewelry class.  Very cool.

I should get back to my titanium.  I’ll get some pictures of the negative space projects and post them as soon as I get back to my computer!

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Day one of Innovative Prong settings with Holly Gage at The Ranch in Snohomish WA. Also my first blog post written entirely via iPhone. This will therefore be short. After a rocky start trying to find a piece of titanium that inspired me, I started making a funky heart (of all things… Not a big heart jewelry fan, but this is more the suggestion of the heart.). I’m very much enjoying the process, and I must have looked at all of Hollys titanium 20 times over the course of the day, seeing something different every time- a branch, a seahorse, a fish, coral, a puppy…I’m looking forward to more work tomorrow, and perhaps some new visions in the titanium. Randi has been a lovely host, Holly a giving instructor, and the students enthusiastic learners. All in all a great first day. And I saw a Sequoia!

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The bouquet  is progressing. Half of the pins now have “stems” and I can start to visualize the end result!  I need some sort of “filler”, and I think I may use dried leaves or flowers.  But for now, the pins need stems, and so they shall have them.

Check out this lovely bouquet (and my Christmas cactus going nuts in the background!)

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I am loving this bouquet idea. I’ve had such great feedback, and everyone I’ve heard from is really excited about the idea! I can’t claim credit for it, since I found it through Etsy, but I know mine will be unique and will have it’s own personal story, which is unique to ME and much better than buying a pre made bouquet.

Yesterday I had 4 little packages in my mailbox, which was SO exciting! The pins I’ve ordered on Etsy and Ebay are starting to arrive. I’m taking a break from my ordering now so I can start assembling some stems on the pins, and I have several friends now scouting out thrift shops and antique stores looking for treasures. My mom found two today, and the shop owner was quite taken with the idea, and said she has more pins at home AND several more sources! I have another friend I met through Metal Clay who lives in Colorado and is scouring stores out her way for unique pins (Thanks Donna!)

Here’s the start of the collection (minus the two my mom picked up this afternoon)

The butterflies are from Wichita. I only ordered once, but Etsy seller EnamelOwl was SO sweet and sent me the second one for free! The large daisy in the top right is from Chicago, and from Etsy seller RobertRagdoll. The wonderful black eyed Susan (probably my favorite one!) is from Texas, Etsy seller GypsyFeather. They were all wonderful to do business with, and sent my pins so super quick! The blue flower is my “something new” and “something blue”. It was made by a local artist, Lucia. She hand cut the flower from copper, and then enameled it. Love it! And finally, the mosaic pin is a true antique. It belonged to my great (or possibly great great, my mom couldn’t remember) grandmother! A family heirloom and a lovely addition to the bouquet.


LOVE this one!

I’ll keep posting as I assemble the bouquet. Next step will be attaching the “stems”. Stay tuned!

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Or is it officially unofficial? Either way, we have a tentative (but pretty certain) day and location for the wedding! Which means that weddingitis is setting in a bit. I’m finding that surprising, as I’d like to consider myself as something of an “anti-bride”. I don’t want to get so caught up in the hooplah of planning the sucker that I lose sight of WHY I’m getting married. So, ok, I love my fiance, and now I’m getting really excited about planning, of all things, my bouquet. Not my dress, not my colors, not the decor. The bouquet.

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