Revenge of the rings OR If you are the person who stole a ring at my last show be prepared for your finger to rot and fall off

Hello ya'll! It's been a while, I know. I've been busy with shows and making stuff and sick animals (the bunnies are all fine now) and a fantastic pottery workshop (with the wonderful Sandi Pierantozzi and Neil Patterson) and making more stuff... Somewhere in there my neck went out. And by out I mean it wasn't functioning in the way that a normal neck should be functioning. It was being a real bastard. We have since made up, sort of, in the way of a new pillow (and new micro fleece sheets which I could not pass up and man Oh! man were they worth the splurge - I highly recommend them...) Anyhoo, I've been busy. So that's that.

My last two shows have been fantastic. Great crowds, great buyers, all the good stuff. The only down side was that I had one of my sterling and porcelain rings stolen at my show this past weekend. That really bummed me out. Not just because of the monetary loss but because these rings, as many of you know, have been my babies. I've been so incredibly proud of them, as though they were my children (yes, I have no real children so I give human qualities to things such as bunnies and, yes, sterling silver and porcelain rings... so sue me.). So to have one stolen...well, it felt pretty bad. Someone at the show tried to console me by saying that the thief must have needed it, they must have loved it so much that they just had to have it. Well, that's not good enough. I can guarantee you that I loved it more. I imagine that the person who stole this ring might be reading this post right now. Kind of like a pyromaniac who gets off on starting fires and watching them burn I imagine that they might be getting a kick out of me feeling like crap because they took something that did not belong to them. So to this person I say this:
In the four years that I have been doing shows I have rarely had anything stolen. Why is that? It is because the majority of the population is trustworthy. The majority of human beings are good, decent people who have respect for the work that comes from others hands. Most people understand that taking something that does not belong to them is wrong. So I must congratulate you, thief, for beating the odds and belonging to the tiny percentage of humanity that totally and completely SUCKS. Congrats bb, you rule at being a loser! Hold your head high but hide your finger because I have a legion of loyal and rabid patrons in the Syracuse area and if any of them see that ring on a finger they have been given permission to tackle you to the ground, chop off the offending hand and return it to me for a rather substantial reward. Watch out....

I made two more rings yesterday that someone will want to steal. Perhaps that should be my catch phrase: "Jewelry so fab you will want to steal it!" ;)
I love this pink geode porcelain stone. It's always been one of my favorite glaze combinations because it really does resemble an actual natural stone. I set it with a nice modern rounded square frame that I think gives the whole piece a nice chunky feel. I also made the band extra wide and tapered in the center so that it is comfortable to wear. I am pretty happy with this band upgrade.

And what's not to love about this?! Lots of dots and lots of blue! I made the mold for this ring from an antique Victorian mourning button. I love to see it reborn in color highlighting every detail.

And here is a better shot of the what the bands look like. Sassy, no?

Both rings can be found in my shop. :)

It's all sci-fi at my house

In some kind of bizarre scene straight out of someone else's life I packed my car this afternoon for my show set-up that is tomorrow. This is unheard of in the life of me. I am not and never have been one of those get-things-done-ahead-of-time people. Or am I?? It seems I have taken a turn for the organized!

I am so pleased with myself that I poured the sangria early and ate the biggest capicola, turkey and muenster cheese sandwich ever (like the size of my head). I know how to party.

I am pretty good inventory wise and feeling happy overall. I made a flock of bird necklaces today - my old friends, one of my earliest staple pieces. I never tire of them.

If you are in the north-west part of NY this holiday weekend (including Monday) stop by Letchworth State Park and say hello. :)

Keep on truckin'

Today I cleaned out my Extra shop and used every last piece to make some quick necklaces. A simple copper ball chain antiqued in liver of sulfer, a large jump ring with a little bead for added color and shazam! Instant awesome necklaces! And instant inventory for my show this weekend! High-fives all the way around!

Gotta get back to work. Tonight's goal: finish up the bracelets I started the other day. Do you have night-working goals? Or are you like a normal person and stop working once 5:00 hits?

This and that

I've got a big three day show coming up this weekend and I am trying to get ready. I am so low on everything that it is hard to know where to start. So, I just start on whatever catches my eye, and when you have attention deficit issues like I do EVERYTHING catches your eye. I have a lot of half finished pieces laying around. I will get to them all but not before I start a zillion more. Anyhoo, this is a pile of bracelets I started last night. I was on a roll, really swinging along, and then I ran out of leather and rivets so my party came to a screeching halt. Not to fear, I ran to the craft shop and now I am back in business and will hopefully finish these up by Friday (along with about 50 other various pieces. Ugh.).

In other news... the newest issue of Jewelry Affaire magazine is now available for purchase. I have a short little article on vintage inspired sweater pins. There are many, many interesting bits and baubles to inspire so be sure to check it out!

And finally, some news about my Extra shop. I will be emptying out the the remaining pieces on Wednesday morning (EST), so if there is anything that you would like you better grab it now. The next update will be in about two weeks. :)

That is all. Peace out.

Earring love

A few weeks ago when I was working on my latest batch of shards I kind of fell in love with this beaded scroll pattern. So I stopped making shards just long enough to make this lovely pile of earrings.

I think they are dreamy with extra frosting on top. I've been wearing a pair every day since I completed the ear wires and I see no end in sight.
This pair shown above can be found in my shop. :)

This Spanish Fan style is one of my all-time favorites. No matter what color I glaze them in they look beautiful. But I must say, this vibrant blue came out so amazing, so electric, that I just had to share it with you. I have used this blue glaze many, many times and it has never come out of the kiln so alive. Gorgeous.

And that's my earring love story for today. Hope you enjoyed it. :)

The day of tattoo

Several years ago when my grandmother saw my tattoos for the first time she surprised me by asking why I hadn't come to her for a design. My grandmother was an artist with piles of illustrations that would make wonderful tattoos and while the idea had more than crossed my mind I never asked. She didn't like tattoos. She was a very vocal woman with very strong opinions and I was well aware of what she thought of tattoos, so I hid mine from her for several years, not wanting to disappoint her and become one of "those people" in her eyes. It was only the wretched heat of a Long Island Summer that made me bare my arms and expose my secret. I watched as she caught sight of my shoulder, as she took in the bold black ink that was now a permanent resident on her granddaughter's body. She simply said "Why wouldn't you have used one of my drawings?"

A week later a large envelope arrived in the mail. It contained a pile of her drawings and a single sentence: "For your consideration."

My grandmother passed away rather suddenly in July. My family had just moved my grandparents upstate and we had barely had time to get them settled before she was gone. It's been difficult.

A few weeks before her death we were watching The Shining (one of her favorite movies) and I mentioned that I was getting ready to get one of her drawings tattooed. She was thrilled with the prospect and anxious to see what I chose. As always, in times like this, I wish I had chosen sooner.

I chose the little bird from her fountain illustration (above) and added a little color to the belly. I couldn't be happier with my choice. :)

My friend, Daniele, also got a tattoo. She ran her first marathon last year and will run another one this weekend.

26.2
That's how many miles are in a marathon. I don't know how she does it. That girl's got moxy. She's had a difficult year and I couldn't be prouder of her. :)

A very special thank you goes out to James Spiers of Model Citizen Tattoo in Ithaca, NY. James was the very first tattoo artist I ever went to around 8 or 9 years ago. I now have three by him and a future of many more, I am sure. He is working on a large commemorative piece for Daniele so we will be seeing him again soon. I can't wait to see what he creates for her!

It was a great day with a wonderful friend. :)