Birthday loot!

I recieved a very thoughtful gift card to a neato bead shop called Stony Creek Bead for my birthday, and this is my haul! I grabbed some brass and copper flowery skull guys, some great big honkin' lobster clasps, a strand of pretty red pearls and a cache of Elements Pottery by Duane Collins raku baubles because I couldn't leave the freakin' store without them. They knock my socks off, and I can't wait to include them in some super epic bling!


This isn't the only beady goodness I picked up for my birthday. I spoiled myself rotten with two strands of big, chunky Mexican fire opals and a cart full of loot from my favorite bead crack dealer on Etsy. :) I'm ready for a long winter of jewelry making shenanigans -- if my day job ever slows down long enough for me to sit down, that is!

New digs & the art of being notorious

So, I moved. Into a tiny house in a tiny town with a gimongous back yard full of trees [trees!!!] that I immediately set out planning a vegetable garden for. With this move came a smaller studio space, an itty bitty kitchen and a microscopic bathroom. But it has walls and wiring and a boy in it that likes me, so I'll count my blessings.

This lovely pair of Kyanite earrings was part of the Rings n Things blog about trends in 2012. :)

With this move comes a new outlook, new opportunity and hopefully a higher level of productivity. I am going to switch the main idea of this blog from just my jewelry to all of my work. I want folks to know what we are up to...and perhaps what life is like for weirdos like me. Being an artist is kind of a mysterious brew, and I would like people to see that it's not all starvation and tortured angst. ;)

This bracelet was featured in an Earth911 article about repurposing musical stuff into usable things.

Over the past few months I've gotten some recognition for my Strung-Out jewelry here and there. I scored a new wholesale client in the UK...I hear tell there aren't any jewelry designers working with guitar strings over there. Perhaps the musicians can send ME all of their strings!? Heh.
 
I joined a community of artisans and designers called Artisan Whimsy. I'm not sure where I fit in, exactly...but I am enjoying the ride when I find the time -- which mostly involves me being a smartass in the Facebook group.

The Rose - available on Etsy!

A couple weeks ago, I whipped together a rose-themed bracelet with pearls and girly pinkness aplenty, and it was incorporated into the June issue of Beat Chat Magazine. It looks so amazing on the page with everyone else's work! I love it! It's chock full of glittery stones and pretty pearls, way more luxurious than I usually aim for, since I think guitar strings are a 'temporary' medium.

That's about it. Brace yourselves for a slightly more regular schedule of snarkasm and silliness...