Contemplation

 

...a head full of ideas.

 

 

What to Say

It's been a pretty uneventful week this week (well, I did turn 30...bye bye 2nd decade of my life!)!

But the weather has been typical winter, blustery, cold days, we even had snow flurries about a week ago! So, we've been doing a lot of inside hanging-out and I've spent a lot of time resting (and on the computer) which has resulted in me finding....

 

these uh-ma-zing lampworked cones from StoneDesignsbySheila. I honestly don't normally buy lampwork, but these look more like stone which definitely appeals to me.

 

 

I ran across this jacket a while back, favorited it and then came back determined to nab it up for my birthday and found out that it had sold! (Who can blame the lucky owner?) BrokenGhostClothing is full of the cutest upcycled clothing ev-uh.

 

I've been reading, cleaning, decorating, assembling, doing everything I know how to do to get ready to be a full-time mom, and I love the sentiment in this gorgeous polymer pendant from EvaThissen.

My creative brain never stops working (my journal is filling with doodles) and I keep coming back to these pottery shards from SeaZephyr wondering if I could prong set them and give them new life.

 

 

I'm learning so much just from playing with metal on my little bench, I love the look of layers and layers of metal and I think RagandStone has done such a classy job of creating that look here. 

 

Of course, I can't stop thinking about baby feet (mostly because they're constantly tucked somewhere under my ribs right now) and I've come across the cutestest baby shoes in TillyWhistle's shop.

Oh, and last but not least, we drove to Raleigh to see this artist in concert for the second time. His music truly is moving to me in so many ways.

 

 

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a wonderful and restful week.

Oh, and thank you so much to those who commented on my story last week. Yes, I did write it and I actually wrote it quite some time ago. It has, however, in these past weeks taken on new life as I'm getting ready for the baby. I can't stop thinking about Maite either and who knows but one day I might put pen to paper again and tell the story from her side.

To the New Day

To my east, the sun rises each morning over the ocean, spreading golden yellow rays over the turquoise tide.

 

 

Tall dunes capped with green scrubby brushes drink in the heat and the sand slowly warms to accomodate the wiggling toes of children and the tiny legs of sand crawlies with delicate shells.

 

I think of the sun as being washed by the ocean, and the dawning of the new day as a chance for a clean beginning, a fresh start.

Yesterday and its problems are left behind, forgotten in the warmth of the day's new sun. 

 

The beauty of it all?

 

The sun rises and sets on all of us, we are all given the same day, the same sun, the same warmth. You may not see it rise over turquoise waves from your window, but the sun over soaring mountains or flattened landscapes still warms with a fierce glow. 

To the new day. 

Last chance...

Each one

of these

pieces

is in

this special section

of my shop.

They won't

be there

very long!

Giving

I made a decision this weekend to lower the price on all of the tutorials in my shop...permanently.

 

There are still some of the lesser selling tutorials in my shop that haven't made back their value in terms of the time and energy that I put into design, prototyping, troubleshooting, illustrating, photography and editing but I felt like this was something that I needed to do.

 

 

It's something that I'm able to do and for that reason I will.

 

I also wanted to extend a Thank You to every artist out there who has purchased a tutorial from me in the past and invested in my ability to continue to create, to dream, and to design.

 

I've been able to move into working with precious metals because of your support and yesterday as I was filing away on a sterling silver ring, I found my heart exceedingly grateful.

 

All the prices have been lowered in both my Etsy and Craftsy shops.

I dropped each price $2 which for some tutorials is a much larger percentage than for others. 

 

In addition, for the next 24 hours, if you do purchase a tutorial, use the code THANKYOU and you'll receive an extra 15% off. (This coupon code is good for tutorials only)

Unfortunately, Craftsy does not allow coupon codes just yet, so make sure you drop by my Etsy shop to take advantage of the code.

And remember, this is only for the next 24 hours.

Tomorrow morning, I will deactivate the code.

 

Thank you so much, all, I have actually started working on a new design, but between taking it easy toward the end of this pregnancy and my desire to work with metal, It's not on my top list of things to get done right now! I am confident, however, that it will get done...one way or another...

 

I hope you enjoy your Monday!

Truly Tribal

 So, you'll notice a few things have changed around here.
First, I gave the 'ol blog a bit of an update for a cleaner look.

Then, I went on to sit down and see what this Pinterest thing is all about.
Yep, I joined Pinterest.

I blame that website for my next obsession.

All things Tribal.
I mean, I was already halfway there with all the seed beads and embroidery and stones and what not.
Why not jump off the deep end?

Let me tell you, it's been fun searching for textiles and patterns and shapes and browsing through recent fashion trends and then bringing it all back in to influence what I create with my hands.


I couldn't resist the lure of this chunky faux bone bead and it's multiple holes.

I cut a few lengths of copper wire and threaded each through the holes and then hammered away to create texture. 

And then, because that wasn't enough along the rustic lines, I wove copper wire and seed beads between each hammered and patinated copper paddle. 

The resulting pendant is large and substantial and is hanging from two long strands of beads. 

I call it The Heart's Shield and it's in the shop right now.

 My second trip down the tribal road is a new one for me. 

Yes, I've been embroidering for quite some time now, but never on this scale. 

This cuff measures almost 2" in width.

 I wanted it to look like feathers fanning out from the center stone and I chose an almost monochromatic color palette so as not to overwhelm you (did I mention it was huge?)

I'm in love with the colors, it reminds me of the desert, canyons, the southwest, woven Native American blankets and the desert crawlies so abundant in them there hills.

It's also in the shop.

Now, I'm off to hunt down dinner.

A few things...

 

- This is on my bench right now and needs a creative bail and chain:

 

 

- I went to the doc yesterday and I'm 31.5 weeks (WOW!) along and the baby's heartbeat is super strong.

 

- I found myself in these three treasuries: here, here, and here

 

- I tried to do some torch-fired enamel and I'm not liking the results.

 

- We've had two days of chilly weather and I'm kinda lookin' forward to a bit of a warm-up.

 

- I submitted two pieces to one of my favorite mags a couple of months ago and I've only heard back about one of the pieces. I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that the second piece (which was my favorite of the two) didn't get rejected!

 

- It's Friday, which means tomorrow is Saturday and the day after...Sunday. I truly hope you enjoy both of them!