Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Plugging along...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
London and back
Whew! That was one quick trip! Lorelei and I hit up London like a couple of crazies. We arrived on Sunday morning and immediately set out to see what we could see. That adventure landed us in the area around St. Paul's Cathedral and in a restaurant where we experienced some of that famous British food we had heard so much about. It wasn't good. We both got burgers that looked so good and smelled divine but tasted like absolute poo. My guess is that they scraped every left over piece of meat that was laying around, formed it into a patty, covered it in avocado (the only redeeming part of the meal) and laid some truly gross "streaky" bacon (their term) across it and called it a burger. It was full of gristle and other mystery chunks. I immediately had a horrific stomachache and had to find some relief in the way of Milk of Magnesia. Thank the lord for that chalky magical liquid. I chugged it straight from the bottle while walking the streets of London.
The only other bad food experience I had was actually not that bad at the time. It was only later, when I returned home and googled "black pudding" that I nearly vomited when I read that it is the same thing as blood pudding. I should have known. I mean, I watch British TV shows more than American ones. But I was hell bent on having an authentic Full English Breakfast and that was part of the deal. It didn't taste too bad. Kind of like what I imagine canned cat food to taste like. A little pasty and slightly liverwurst-ish.
But enough about the food. The real fun came when shopping for beads, buttons and anything else we could find that could be used in the making of our jewelry. We both went into spasms when we accidentally stumbled upon this ribbon and trim shop called V.V Rouleaux. I see that Lorelei has already posted photos of some of her finds (trust me, she isn't showing you everything... that girl went nuts!). I tried to control myself and save my money for the Button Queen. It wasn't quite as glorious as we had hoped but it was pretty great nonetheless. And I did manage to load up on some beautiful buttons that are going to make excellent molds - so keep your eyes peeled for some London inspired pieces in the future. We also had great fun at a shop called Cloth House. They had tons of vintage fabrics and buttons. It was a super pricey place but that didn't stop me from buying a nice little pile of buttons. From there we hit up some bead shops and in the end we were both pretty satisfied with our piles of
beady/ribbon/button goodness. In fact, we ended each night by taking out all of our loot, laying it out across our hotel beds and just starting at it. (Yes, we need help)
I won't bore you with every little detail of the trip. We did visit the Tate Modern (my favorite place of all! What a thrill to be surrounded by all my favorite modern artists) and we did a quick run through of the British Museum (I had to pay my respects to the Rosetta Stone on behalf of a friend). But my favorite adventure was taking a Jack the Ripper walking tour through the streets of Whitechapel at night. I'm a bit of a Ripper freak so this was a highlight for me. To walk the same streets and stand at the locations of each murder was quite thrilling (I sound like a real ghoul, I know). There are areas that look just as they did at that time and our tour guide, Chris, did an amazing job of recreating the era for us. If you are ever in London be sure to take this tour. (And ask for Chris, he is the best!)
So that was our trip in a nutshell. We had such a good time and the memories get better and better as I wake up and return to NY time. A super huge, GIGANTIC thank you to Lorelei for inviting me to accompany her on this trip! We make such great traveling partners (we should really have our show on some travel network!). :)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
London bound
In other news I am going to take this opportunity to thank my sweet niece, Rebecca, for sending the most beautiful bracelet and earrings (that she made!). She is a budding jewelry designer, at age 11 mind you, and film maker! Check out her YouTube channel!
(Aren't those hydrangea above gorgeous? My neighbor has a tree that is dripping with blossoms. :)
Friday, September 11, 2009
Earring love
Above is what I am calling Sweet Tweets. (man alive! do I love these!)
If you happen to be in the Norwich, NY area this weekend be sure to come and pay me a visit at the Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival - booth #88.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Butterfly Redux
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Reworking an oldie but goodie
I've gone seasonal
Monday, September 7, 2009
I'll see your OCD and raise you a healthy dose of ADD
Sunday, September 6, 2009
R.I.P. Christie Romero

I came home from the studio today to some very sad news. Jewelry historian, Christie Romero, passed away yesterday from pancreatic cancer. For those unfamiliar with this remarkable woman, Christie was one of the foremost authorities on antique and period jewelry, the director of the Center for Jewelry Studies and the author of, what I consider, the best book on jewelry identification and history, Warman's Jewelry. (This book is sitting literally two feet from me - I refer to it constantly.) She was also an appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow from time to time.

The jewelry world has lost a wonderful person. Thankfully all her hard work, expertise and generosity will live on in the work she did and we can all continue to benefit from her gift.
Friday, September 4, 2009
It was an earring kind of day
I've been making more one-of-a-kind earrings lately and I'm having quite a bit of fun with them. Usually I work with the same designs and if they sell I make a million more just like them (yep, I'm in the exaggerating mood) but I need to mix things up a bit. Below is a little sample of what I've been up to. The little turquoise hoops are part of my regular line-up but the other three pairs are true one offs.
I'm curious to hear what you guys think of one-of-a-kinds. Are you more likely to purchase something if you know that there won't be another like it?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Clinging to summer color
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Bunches of butterflies! (and two new glaze colors!)
Let me know what you all think about my new colors!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Stampington & Company 2010 Art Calendars









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