Silver.Work

January sunset . . .

2012-01-18T09:26:00.000-06:00

Skinny gold orange sliver of the barely-set sun, darkening evening grey January sky, striped bands of layering clouds and jet contrails.

All at once in this banded agate.

I'm committed to getting back to what I love working on most of all : lapidary and setting the stones I cut and polish. I have so many delicious cabs on my bench and I have spent the weeks leading up to Christmas working on the 'quick work'. Not particularly satisfying for me but results oriented work.
With this new year : new work
Simple
Direct
Clean
Fresh
Oh, and my New Year's Resolution every year is to make contact with at least one old friend who has dropped off my radar screen. This has been my Resolution every year for at least a decade and it has been so rewarding.
Completely doable.
So if you've dropped off my radar, expect a call.

Corn crib gazebo . . .

2012-01-10T12:26:00.001-06:00

I have large plans for Spring. Seriously large. I've been on the lookout for an old corn crib since, oh, forever and I've had a hard time describing what I envision. Lo and behold! I came across this picture on a website - The Mustard Seed - and here is my vision in the flesh!

We have two pads here on the farmette that both held old silos for many years. I removed the old auger from one and it will hold my Purple Martin house later this Spring. The dryer and blower portion is still covered with a vented steel cover that is about 6' square and my plan is for that to become a firepit. Ed still cocks his head and raises one eyebrow when I talk about these plans so let's just keep it to ourselves, shall we?

I picture the corn crib with a couple of adirondack chairs and maybe a table for my ever-present Diet Coke, vertical garden panels, Passion Flower and tangerine colored Trumpetvine, surrounded by my ever-growing collection of daylilies. From here I can see for miles and miles and miles - maybe just watch the storms blossoming on the horizon. Dream. Draw. Nap.

Be honest, isn't this the sweetest thing ever?

Loose ends . . .

2012-01-04T10:50:00.000-06:00

The Cricket Cage

I'll admit it - a lot of stuff (a LOT) has gotten pushed to the back of my bench for far too long and getting caught up in the rush of the Christmas with the looooong to-do list is just claustrophobic for me. Now that things are getting back to some semblance of normal, I'm trying to take each project that got set aside and give the attention to those things that really satisfy my creative itch and not simply fill a spot on my show display.

Last Fall, my friend Linda gave me a little silk bag with old rings and pieces that held jade beads and cabs and she gave me free reign to create whatever I saw in them. Removing them from their settings really freed them up and these are the pieces I'm sending her.

These little beads of jade were post-drilled and needed to be free yet somehow constrained so I created a Cricket Cage for them from wire and a hand-forged half-dome cap. Now they can move freely inside their little cage pendant.

Lily Pads

The two jade cabochons are just a millimeter or two different in size so they really couldn't be matching earrings, I thought. Earlier in the season, I had created a Peace Jade necklace for her to give her 11 year old granddaughter and I thought that perhaps down the road a ways, she might like to have matching charms. So here you have two Lily Pad charms with watery, reflective, textured and curled edges. What is wonderful about charms is that they don't necessarily belong on a necklace or a bracelet. They are sweet accents on a watch, a little bag or anywhere that some color and flash is needed. Love these.

I'm so satisfied. Why again don't I do this more often?

Weekend recovery . . .

2011-12-06T07:50:00.001-06:00

Four solid days of holiday shows. Four straight. I am totally zapped of energy and it's taken until Tuesday morning for me to feel halfway lucid.

Great fun, beautiful location, wonderful friends and a totally super way to start the Holidays.

The first one Wednesday was a one night Patron's Party Holiday Open House at The Sheldon Gallery on the campus of the University of Nebraska and it was elegant and low key. Such fun to see the people who are responsible for the Gallery's existence and the Sheldon was beautiful. Huge arching windows and travertine floors in the entry hall - it was lovely.

The three-day show is the one I organize along with my friend Jan, that is a fundraiser for The People's Health Center of Lincoln and we had a cool yule location for our artists this year - atrium space where the old Russell Stover Candy Factory used to be with exposed brick walls and open to the fourth floor and skylights. We had a good crowd for the Patron's Party Thursday and Friday's Gallery Walk in the middle of the Haymarket area was crowded! We are happy to have raised substantial monies for the People's Health Center in spite of the nasty weather that descended on us Saturday morning.

Five inches of freezing rain and snow.

The way it ended Saturday.

Looking for Elvis, or elves, or any help at all, please . . .

2011-11-22T16:48:00.004-06:00

True. I've been away from the blogosphere for months now but trying to juggle so much just gives me fits. My muse has wandered through occasionally; however, not with any constancy so I have to wrestle her to the ground whenever she strolls casually through. So much has been on my bench. So much.

Project: a ring of jade given to me by a friend last summer who wanted a necklace for her tweenage granddaughter. It was to be my choice of design and when I took one look at the ring, it spoke to me. (Well, my muse but dammit, she's been so busy lately.) It needed to be youthful so I gave it a scalloped bezel and it needed to be current so I gave it a peace sign and it needed some texture for contrast so I hammered it. (Okay I melted it once. Just once. Things don't always go as I want.)

My dear friend also gave me a little bag of rings and old earrings to play with and I found these moonstone cabs to be so lovely and a great size for a pair of dark and swingy earrings. I set the moonstone in scalloped bezel and built a scalloped wall around the circle of silver. Darkened a bit with silverblack and buffed on the edges to give it some life, I drilled out the backside of the stone's bezel so the light shone through. I think I may work this design a few more times. (Please love it!)

Special orders went out late last week for aquamarine sets and I used up all of the chunky aquamarine I had left for this hefty necklace, save for a few pieces that turned into earrings.

Next week : one big three day charity show that I am the organizer for along with a friend who I feel does even more than I do to prepare for the artists and the benefit evening. It will be a wonderful Thursday, Friday and Saturday but I'm seriously looking forward to Sunday the 4th. Also to go out in one week is work for an Omaha Gallery and there is a two day show at The Sheldon Gallery on the University of Nebraska campus Wednesday and Thursday just prior to the three day event. Oh, did I mention that there is a four hour show at a local business on the 8th? No? Oh yes.

Help me Elves. Or help me Elvis, either one.

Dragonfly wings . . .

2011-09-09T11:01:00.001-05:00

Montana Agate - Dragonfly Wing

Since my first post last week mentioning Rachel's real dragonfly pendant, I've been itching to get another necklace made from the beautiful Montana Agate on my bench. I have a handful of little palm-sized slabs that I saved from the 'dollar bin' at a gem and mineral show and I've been cutting and polishing whenever I get an hour to play - not often enough.

Lately, I've been in the midst of working a batch of things for the local galleries and have felt rather 'production-ish' from time to time so I took a couple of hours last night to set this slice of 'dragonfly wing'.

Set with an open back, this is yet another stone and pendant that just glows.

I'm so pleased with it. Delicate and substantial at once - nothing showy or ostentatious but simple and clean-lined. Not only is it a divine stone and setting, I've scratched the itch to create a thing of beauty.

Zinnia Zen.spiration . . .

2011-09-06T11:04:00.003-05:00

Now that the weather is cooling a bit and things aren't struggling to survive - yes, even the heat loving zinnia struggled to catch a breath in August - the buds are prolific on the zinnia and marigold and even the daylilies are sending up a scape or two. In fact, there are a few daylilies that are sprouting new growth on the scapes and I couldn't be more tickled! Quick and easy new plants without coaxing seedlings!

The buds on the zinnias are things I'd never contemplated but as I was deadheading and saving seed heads for next year (yikes! I'm already thinking 'next year'!?!), these buds reminded me of eyeliner (I know, my brain goes in funny directions) and how precise the edges are. Nature doesn't get terribly sloppy but seems to have a sense of purpose and direction and a reason for doing what it does. There's a protection in the tightness of the bud and a slow unfolding in a uniform manner.

Nature unfolding as it should

The rhythm of the scallops inspire me to move my metalwork in a softer, more rhythmic direction - somehow in metalwork, we anticipate a hard edge and softening the edges is the unexpected.

Softening, protecting and unfolding. Words for the day.

Dragonfly wings . . .

2011-09-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

It was a revelation of sorts.

My darling friend Rachel 'Two Dog Pond' dropped by last week to take a look at my torch and haul off my wrought iron outdoor bench and table (okay, you didn't really need that information) and she had on the most interesting and lovely necklace that I'd seen in a while. She had found a dragonfly wing down by the pond (yes, there really is a pond) and sandwiched it between two pieces of glass, worked her magic by soldering it between the glass pieces and made a pendant. My comment to her was that it looked so much like the Montana Agate that I've been working with that I begged her to let me copy it. So here you have the first in a series of Dragonfly Wings.

My first pendant is not set with an open back - rather, it's been pierced with two cattails that are only visible from the front when held to the light. Still, I like having hidden elements in my jewelry so that when one comments on the piece, it opens a conversation to show them the back and start a little info sharing about the jewelry. Maybe it's just me - I can talk to anyone and don't always need an excuse.

I digress. This is a nice, simple pendant and I'm absolutely itching to dig deeper into the pile of Montana Agate and recreate the Dragonfly Wings in stone. Lovely.

Stinking Water Plume Agate . . .

2011-08-17T18:22:00.000-05:00

Weird name

And a new leaf is turned - I'm finally getting my etsy shop back up and running. I've ignored it for a long time and now that Summer is drawing down, I am bound and determined to get my new work listed.

Gorgeous stone

I also will be listing the stones I've cut and polished and generally just thinning the herd. Why? Well, I attended the auction for my friend, Roger Pabian, who passed away this Spring. A world-class published author and authority on agates, Captain Agate's house was full to the brim with agates in all shapes and sizes, in slabs, rough and polished stones.

Roger taught me lapidary and I believe that's why I'm so picky about my cabs and how they are finished. One scratch and it's all the way back to the beginning wheels for me.

His auction showed me just how much a person can accumulate - and I mean that in a nice way - and how little a person can actually use on their own no matter their intent. Now that I've polished and loved on these little stones, it's time for someone to create something of beauty with each one. I'll never get to them all.

I'll look at them this way : I don't own any of these stones. I'm only the caretaker and when I've enjoyed them and taken pride in their beauty, it will be time for them to move on to the next caretaker. Just promise me that if you buy one, you'll send me pictures of your finished product. And then you'll be the new caretaker.

Weekend inspiration . . .

2011-08-06T11:21:00.002-05:00

Montana Agate : can you see the circling hawk as she is being dive-bombed by the sparrow?

I've said this before but it keeps coming up in my day-to-day - I am easily distracted and working on it should truly be Priority One. As if I've been forced, I've spent the last few days at my lapidary bench, dusting and cleaning cobwebs and finally finishing a big project (at least big for me) since I have had a few slabs on my 'promise list' for almost a year now. I cleaned up the workspace, turned on the radio and hunkered down for trimmin' and cabbin' and I didn't come up until it was over. And now I find myself renewed and inspired once again to get back to what I truly love - lapidary and metalwork.

Here are the pieces of Montana Agate that have been staring at me for months on end, taunting me to start/finish them for Christine. Plugged in to the Genie, I saw them through yesterday morning and off they went Priority Mail to Michigan. I do hope she loves them but it's more important personally that they really did inspire me to stay at the bench just a little longer and I turned out four more gorgeous cabs that have me itching to get back into the metalshop tomorrow. Sunday - an entire day at my metalwork. Itching.

For the last several months I've been distracted by enamels and don't get me wrong here, I've thoroughly enjoyed learning and experimenting with them but I think I've been focusing too much on enamels alone and not how I might incorporate that into my 'true' work. The work that gives me satisfaction and huge pride. As I progress through the stone and metalwork, I hope to find a way to blend all of this newness into beautiful pieces of adornment.

Nebraska through and through

Take a look at these two lovely pieces of unnamed jasper that I cut and trimmed yesterday and tell me you don't see lovely scenes in both. The shield shaped one clearly has a tornado reaching for the prairie and you can see the horizon spread out ahead of you - the Nebraska Sandhills.

Praire cloudburst

The smaller lozenge of a jasper cab is another prairie landscape, this time a summer rainshower as the sunshine on the right gives way to the isolated cloudburst. (I do wish the picture was better but I'm trying to not be distracted by learning photography, I guess. *wistful smile*)

Maybe another time I'll figure out why I'm so distracted by other projects and things and stuff ('Oh look . . . a kitty . . . ') but for now, I'm feeling more at ease with my direction once again. Lord, keep my nose pointed forward.

Copperlicious . . .

2011-07-28T08:27:00.001-05:00

I'm seriously hooked on copper right now. Maybe it's the way it accents the stones I've been working with or maybe it's the warmth of the metal. Either way, it's been fun to make my own bezel strips with copper flashing and use up some of the copper wire I've had leftover from the building of our house. (I just couldn't resist following the electrician around and picking up pieces of coated wire. He thought I was nuts).

This is the second piece going to Lil Fish Lisa for her niece who found the Lake Superior agates on her trip to Lisa's this summer. I pierced the Loon on the Lake on the back of the piece as the loon is the State Bird of Minnesota - and you thought it was the mosquito.

Lovely mementos.

Back to the bench . . .

2011-07-27T06:59:00.007-05:00

I dusted the cobwebs off the Genie and the trim saw yesterday and became inspired all over again - reminded of how much fun it is to take a little nugget of red rock and coax a lovely little polished cabochon out of it. It is indescribably rewarding to make a piece of jewelry that I have taken from rough rock through to the finished product, set it and admire it. Better yet, have others admire it.

This time, my friend Lisa sent me two little nuggets of Lake Superior Agate that her niece had found on her visit to Lisa's home in Minnesota this summer. She wanted them set as a keepsake to remind her of her trip.

I sliced, polished and set the first one completely in copper and I must say - I really like the way this bracelet turned out. From beginning to end, completely handmade. I made the bezel strip from 26ga sheet copper flashing and the raised edge from copper wire left from an electrical project in my drafting room and a length of copper wire chain. A little carnelian dangles from the end where the hook holds it all together.

I am well pleased with myself.

I swore I wouldn't do this . . .

2011-07-26T16:02:00.000-05:00

But.

Okay, I had another basal cell carcinoma removed from my jawline last week. Yep, the exact spot where another one was removed three yeas ago. The first one was just a small dark spot on my left cheek on the surface but when he got in there and started digging around, it was the size of a silver dollar under the surface. Out it came.

Three years later it gets a little lumpy and back I go for another look/see. Yep, there that little cancer is once again so in we go and 2.5 hours later I'm minus a piece from my cheek about the size of your little finger. Lovely. Still, I'm enormously grateful to my darling plastic surgeon/oral surgeon for his 'pickiness' in making me the nicest scar possible. Stitches out Thursday =-)

And now for something completely different :: Lake Superior Agates. They're always a surprise and yes, I'm dusting off the lapidary equipment and getting back to some cutting and polishing. Those of you to whom I've been promising cabs for far, far too long - here they come. This time I mean it.

Before they're gone for another year . .

2011-07-25T12:55:00.001-05:00

Bright Sunset

Abstract Art

Bertie Ferris

Calypso Coral

Cimarron Knight

Fairy Tale Pink

Lavender Greeting

Baby Talk

Sugar Candy

Tillamook

Friends . . .

2011-07-22T21:52:00.000-05:00

I can't let this pass without a heartfelt, grateful 'thank you' to my dear friend Lisa who sent this lovely care package earlier this week. And what a week to send a boxful of wonderful - I really needed that.

I am so in love with this brooch that I can hardly wait to wear it with my Fall jacket where it will be the perfect accent. The scene is exactly 'Nebraska' where the fields of wheat have just been cut in the last two weeks. Gorgeous scenes in each one of her creations - I want them all!

The jelly is to die for, made from yellow sorrel which I remember chewing on when I was just a kid. The little yellow flowers have a lemony tang but the jellies have more of a flowery, summer sweetness. I'll be lucky to get another taste since my husband found it on the counter next to the toaster!

Wonderful friends I have.

Thank you, dear Lisa. I'm so lucky.

Sweet Chicory Blue . . .

2011-07-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

Here in Nebraska we can always count on something blooming from the Spring through Fall, weed or cultivated planting, and one of those perennial weeds is chicory. Sweet blue chicory, the color is a perfect match for the clear summer sky and the blossom is simple and daisy-like. Small and so lovely, I created this pendant with the chicory in mind.

I already had the beautiful bit of Holley Blue Agate in my stash and I knew that it would be perfect for my donation to The Lux Gallery for a fundraiser in September. I wanted a simple setting yet something with a little surprise. This is what I came up with - straightforward box bezel with a balled-end bail on top, the actual bail a pinned flower, all handforged. Nothing premade.

For the surprise, I pierced the backside and sawed two little chicory flowers which show through the glow of the stone if held up to the light. A 'Show and Tell' necklace as this will never be apparent when being worn, of course. Our secret.

Daylilies and such stuff of summer . . .

2011-07-19T13:14:00.006-05:00

Hot. I'm trying hard not to complain about the excessive heat we have experienced the last few weeks. It's not snow and ice and I'm not wearing three layers of socks and I'm not constantly tugging my coat out of the car door so I'm a happy girl. Hot but happy.

Summer means daylily blooms and I anticipate this time of year for such a long time, daydreaming in January of all of the beautiful blooms and lush greenery. I'm posting a stream of lusciousness and letting the photos speak for themselves.

Welcome to our home.

The Hippie Entrance

Sugar Candy

Marse Connell

Mary Todd

Tropic Tangerine

Bright Sunset

Trahlyta

Hot Toddy

Blackberry Candy

Double Daffy

Laddie Boy

American Indian

Siloam David Kirchoff

Unnamed seedling from a dear old friend in Rye, Colorado
I'm calling it Friends to the End

Who are you again?

Mauna Loa

Rocket City

Real Wind

Double Daffy

Fires of Fuji

Old Fashioned Orange

I Love My Shasta!

2011-06-21T02:45:00.001-05:00

Oh yes! I wanted one of these darling little travel trailers for the longest time and I kept my eyes peeled for one until this rough gem popped up in our own backyard. Well, not exactly in our backyard - but close. It had gotten some use over the years but had mostly just languished behind a garage for many, many years until I rescued it.

Dusty and dirty, it housed my stored canvases, picture frames and odds and ends that we had put there during our move almost three years ago. Until last Saturday. Quite honestly, I've had this trailer for several years and hadn't had much time (so you say) to dig in and start fixing it up but Saturday I got the urge. I emptied it out and started cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning.

After one bottle of Murphy's Oil Soap, Windex, a Yankee Candle plug-in scent and a good vacuuming, I started to get pretty excited about what was happening before my eyes! I found some cotton fabric for curtains at the wonderful quilt store in Lincoln, The Cosmic Cow, and I spent Sunday at the sewing machine until I had all of the windows done.

Love the fabric - It's a Hoot by MoMo for Moda. I wanted retro but the 60's really were not as cool as you might imagine, kids, in terms of color and pattern. Trust me on this one. So I found fabric that is fresh and simple. It works.

I am having such a ball refurbishing this sweet little travel trailer and why wouldn't I? It's like having a grown up playhouse.

Thistles . . .

2011-06-13T15:39:00.001-05:00

Even those things considered 'noxious weeds' hold beauty and if you squint your eyes and soften your focus, you can see the deep pink heart in the center of the blossom.

I carefully mowed around these few thistles as an old friend in Rye, Colorado, had a special request from a young bride who wanted to carry thistles in her bridal bouquet to honor the Scottish background of her groom. She eventually opted for Sea Holly with the same 'thistle-like' bloom but it was fun to let these mature and I have been surprised at their beauty. Usually they're chopped before they get to this stage but this was sweet to watch unfold every day.

I regret having to mow them since I was so careful not to for several weeks but . . . I think this can go on my 'permanent record' if I don't.

Eagle (Raceway) Nest . . .

2011-05-29T21:42:00.001-05:00

I can't imagine that birds give a lot of careful consideration to where the best nest-building site would be so when I found this little robin's nest last night, I just had to take a picture and hope for the best for her.

We were at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Nebraska, last night where my darling stepson is racing one of his dad's (darling husband Ed's) sprint car - a dustier and dirtier and noisier place there cannot possibly be. Lee was lined up to race his heat and his girlfriend and I climbed up to the viewing platform on the back chute when I happened to look down and there, at the top of the metal stairs between the handrail and the support is a robin's nest with one beautiful blue egg!

Possibly not the best place to build but in her defense, the racetrack isn't too busy except for Saturday night and she probably wasn't counting on a crowd.

The best thing is that everyone, drivers and pit crews, who climbed up those metal stairs were very careful to sidestep the nest and leave it undisturbed. Cannot wait to see if she has a hatchling next weekend. Fingers crossed. We're pullin' for ya, little mama!

Friday Blooms . . .

2011-05-27T18:54:00.005-05:00

I can't resist leaving you this Friday with a few shots of my iris in bloom. Sonja's Selah - beautiful. Veined shrimp pink falls and white petals, orange beards.

And two old-fashioned Mystery Iris blooming in the ditch.

Bye.bye little birdhouse . . .

2011-05-23T11:28:00.000-05:00

Yay for me, I hardly get a chance to post things on my blog before the sell anymore. I should be so lucky all of the time!

Anyhoo, this is a little copper birdhouse I enameled with several siftings of vitreous enamel in white as the base and raspberry pink for the top layer. On the final firing I randomly placed a few copper dots for a bit of interest and forged a bail to pin on top so the little birdhouse swings.

Pretty cute. May have to do a series in sweet Springy colors?

More enameliciousness . . .

2011-05-20T15:45:00.003-05:00

A few shows can wreak havoc on one's inventory so I'm working hard once again with copper and torch-fired enamels, experimenting with color and blending and embedded bits and pieces of copper. Sometimes it's best not to know what you can and can't do with a material as that opens up toying with unpredictable results.

While the price of sterling silver is still sky high, using copper is becoming more intriguing. I am not only playing with the colors of the enamel, but also using rivets and pins and hinges to make each piece unique.

Love it.

Winter directly into Summer . . .

2011-05-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

Sheesh! Last week I was wearing my fleece jacket and yesterday it hit 97 degrees. If anything deserves a WTF, this does.

So to honor my cravings for All Things Summer, I had a monstrous craving for Gazpacho. Monstrous. And with no fresh tomatoes at this point (c'mon, July!), I built it with canned tomatoes and it was wonderful nonetheless. Now, I'm no foodie and typically I don't post recipes but in the event that you get a midnight craving for Gazpacho, here's a quick recipe that will fulfill your every jonesin'.

Two 28oz cans of good diced tomatoes, juice included

One English cucumber (you know, the ones wrapped in cellophane), diced or rough chopped in the food processor

One red onion - rough chopped in the food processor

Two little cans of sliced black olives

1 yellow pepper - rough chopped in the food processor

2 cups tomato juice or V-8

1/4 cup diced garlic (to taste)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar (I love pomegranate vinegar!)

1 cup good olive oil

salt and pepper (to taste)

I serve this (of course, cold) with a dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips and it's to die for. It's my prelude to summer and should hold me until the 'real' tomatoes are ripe on my vines.

Wow. It's been a month . . . ?

2011-05-11T12:07:00.001-05:00

Oh lordy. A month. A month! How does it happen that I can be so busy that I can't take a minute to blog about anything? But it happens so here's to picking up where I left off. The azaleas are blooming, hostas up, daylilies looking good, corn has been planted in the fields surrounding our little slice of heaven, grass is mowed, I'm in my shorts (finally!) and almost all of my vegetables planted. Time to start in again.

I was featured in a great Lincoln photographer's blog today, Shay Chic, and I love the way it turned out. Well, I guess I wrote it but they were questions that made me think once again about my work and where I'm headed. So often I find that I limit myself mentally and answering Natalie's questions has had me pondering and reconsidering myself this week.

Anyway, take a quick look and scroll through to get acquainted with my fellow Lincoln area artists. We're a diverse bunch, that's for sure, with a myriad of talents. Love 'em all.

Prudent Man Agate . . .

2011-04-06T15:29:00.001-05:00

I'll admit it right now, this is going to be a hit and run.

I wanted to quickly post this pic I just took of the lovely pendant I made yesterday (I've got to finish the laundry and you know the litany of other stuff that goes by the name of housework, doggone it).

However, here we have a sweet little piece of Prudent Man Agate - not the best piece of Prudent Man I've seen but I wanted to work with the material and this one has wonderful depth. Now I'm on the lookout for a slab that I can cut and polish to my own specifications.

Great stuff, yes?

Today's cache . . .

2011-04-04T16:35:00.003-05:00

Bitter. Sweet.

Some of you remember my relating to you that my lapidary instructor and dear friend, Professor Roger Pabian passed away before Thanksgiving of last year. As it is with serendipity in a bitter sweet way, the woman who spent 41 years going on rock hunting expeditions with him was the Lincoln Gem and Mineral Show this weekend and was selling some of Captain Agate's work (his wonderful nickname).

I spent the better part of an hour there with my friend Jan and we combed and picked over dozens of Roger's beautiful cabs, mostly agates, and there we found the best and most beautiful bits and pieces of Captain Agate's passion. He could coax wonderful scenes from an agate!

I just couldn't resist buying a whole handful of Roger's beautiful stones and I celebrated Captain Agate by taking one of the lovely little pieces of Montana Agate this morning and turning it into a pendant.

I think it's gorgeous. I do love this little cab and the patterns in it are wonderful made even better with the sliver of burnt orange running through the top. The three little carnelian beads make a perfect accent.

A little bit of Roger.

Redesign, rework, repurpose . . .

2011-04-02T08:06:00.002-05:00

Surely I'm not the only one who takes old pieces apart and reworks them, am I?

I was sifting through my baggies of older work when I came across this circle pendant that had a bead riveted to it and it cried out for a little updating, considering I've been torching the heck out of things and experimenting with enamels. A little circle punching and enamel firings later, here you are.

Not only did I pin two little modern lime green flower shaped enameled cups to the circle but I also used a bit of leftover (isn't that recycling? repurposing?) silver to form a bail, which I also pinned to the top of the circle.

Love the way this whole piece moves but really, is my neck to freckly for pics? Thanks, girlfriends.

Making time . . .

2011-04-01T11:52:00.001-05:00

For several long months I've been hibernating in and out of my studio. Mostly I've been exploring new ways to present my work, new techniques and just taking a wandering path through the old and familiar way of doing things hoping to discover a spark to light my creativity torch once again.

I'm finally ready to take a Spring Step and get this new work out in the galleries and listed on etsy and see what happens.

The first little necklace to make its debut in my shop is a squarish piece of reticulated sterling silver that I've framed with silver wire and accented with a pinned lavender enamel blossom, also sterling silver. {The reticulation process is a heating and cooling of the surface of the silver until you get the surface you want and the glassy bloom is lovely for off-setting the texture of the silver.}

I'm working away at my bench getting more work ready to enter the world and I'm glad I took some time for myself to head into some new territories. As a self-taught artist, it can only improve my sense of direction.

Bag envy . . .

2011-03-29T07:47:00.003-05:00

Today I'm jonesing for an aluminum and felt bag from Studio 724 on etsy - a shop I discovered by way of Cat Ivins' blog Olive Bites - Polarity.

Cat's blog is part of my blog reading every morning and has lately been posting some wonderful ideas for selling online and more but once in a while has fabulous giveaways and this is one of those beyond fabulous things. Honestly, I'm in awe of some folks' creativity and vision and the combination of materials here just inspires me.

These are created with a water jet which is similar to a plasmacutter for cutting metal but (believe it or not) cuts with water, leaving a much cleaner line than a torch and is perfect for aluminum like this where 'delicate' is key. And to combine it with felt is just perfect. Serious jonesin'. . . .

Spring turkeys . . .

2011-03-27T08:10:00.001-05:00

We looked up from the dining room table this quiet Sunday morning and here they all came, marching up from the field and into the backyard, politely single file, gobbling and carrying on like they had important things to say and do. Hilarious!

You should hear them all talking to themselves and scaring the barn cats half to death. Sort of a fun (and giggly!) way to start Sunday, no?

North to Alaska . . .

2011-03-26T07:29:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy - my lovely copper and sea green Crafting for Courage necklace sold Thursday evening and is on its way to its new home in Alaska. I'm happy to be able to donate 100% of the sale price to the Save the Children fund for their relief efforts in Japan and thankful that my new blog friends set up and promoted this cause and included me in the challenge.

What the . . . . ?

2011-03-25T08:26:00.004-05:00

This post should really be titled 'Wordless Wednesday' because I just don't have words for what we saw when we looked out the window but it's Friday so maybe 'Freaky Friday' is a better name for what we woke up to this morning.

Egad. It's the end of March for cryin' out loud!

My little hosta garden : buried but still sleeping,

thank goodness.

The giant mulberry tree : home to the

Baltimore Orioles.

(The birds, not the team. But that would be sweet.)

Crafting for Courage . . .

2011-03-23T14:54:00.007-05:00

I am posting a little preview of what I will be listing in my etsy shop with 100% of the proceeds going to Save the Children for their relief work in Japan. My online friends who are organizing this are doing such wonderful work for this project that I fear I may spend more than I take in, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Please check out their community blog at Crafting for Courage and take some time to visit their shops.

Beautiful work. I'm in great company.

Spring Prairiegrass Threads . . .

2011-03-11T08:13:00.001-06:00

Another lovely piece from my new series "Metalwork from the Edge of the Prairie". I entitled this Spring Prairiegrass Threads. Beautiful color, fresh green and grassy. Such a pretty pattern.

This is a bit of Imperial Jasper about the size of your thumbnail. Super, super thin and I set it in a low profile bezel in sterling silver with an open back so you can see the lovely grass pattern on both sides.

I'll be posting these lovelies from my new new collection soon and changing my etsy shop to reflect my new direction. I wanted to get a good collection of work together so it would be more representational of my area of interest and not just quick simple work. I so enjoy the lapidary work and taking a slice of stone from raw slab through polishing and finishing in a lovely setting.

These are my love. Does it show?

And . . . more

2011-03-09T07:18:00.004-06:00

Oh yes, I am having far too much fun playing with these torch-fired enamels! And learning a lot in the process. I now have an appreciation for the artists who create such beautiful work in enamel as it's not quite as easy or predictable as you might think. Still, it's fun to play with the jars of colored powders and see what works and what doesn't.

Yesterday I made a tiny St. Patrick's Day lilypad - yeah, I know. What does a lilypad have to do with an Irish celebraton? Not much, I'll bet but the color is sorta Irish so that's what I'm going with. Or call it a three leaf clover, stylized. With a silver flower. Stylized.

Sweet little dot earrings, hm? I combined what's called Normal White (I don't get it) with a dot of Lime Green. These are for days when you think you should wear earrings but you don't want them to stand out much. Itty bitty and delicate.

This last photo shows you what can happen when you get too cocky. Reminder to me: don't ever, ever, ever try to move an itty bitty dot of an earring that you suspect might be the tiniest bit hot. Especially don't lick your finger first or the enamel hot dot might stick to your finger. Lesson learned.

Enamel - more more more . . .

2011-03-07T12:20:00.002-06:00

Less is not more - more is more.

Am I having fun or what?

Yes. Yes I am.

Sunday enamel play . . .

2011-03-06T20:06:00.031-06:00

Such a great day! I carved out a few hours this Sunday afternoon to play with my enamels and see what developed? My goal is to keep at it until I know what to expect each time - I guess that's called consistency - and I'm slowly figuring out my technique issues as I go.

I took a few old pairs of copper earrings and here's what came from my playtime.

I love the orange dangly pair - what a wonderful color and I so like the way it darkened on the edges.

The sky blue pair turned out lumpy and I've got to figure that one out. I think I need to leave the fire on it for a little while longer. Not sure. Hmmm . . . .

The flower pendant was turquoise with tangerine sprinkles on the edges. I can see that I had a little bit of contaminant on one of the petals so next time I'll remember to clean a bit longer before I sift the enamel powder onto the piece. The three silver balls are attached by first drilling holes where you want the decor, enameling and then threading the balled wire through and torch-pinning on the backside. This one I'll keep for myself because it's got a boo-boo.

Overall, happy. Happy and successful day.

Playtime . . .

2011-03-04T07:33:00.011-06:00

Just for fun last night I fired up the torch and cracked the seals on those jars of enamel I bought, oh . . . two years ago (frowny face here!) and I wondered if I really remembered what I learned in that great weekend class 'way back then. And surprise! I did!

Now, I don't pretend that these little swingy earrings are gallery-worthy or even worth selling at all but what a great start. I laid awake all night just picturing all of the sweet colored things I could do when the day started.

A few quick errands and I'm carving out time today to play, chained to the bench experimenting and maybe creating a handful of new Spring-y bright things.

And as accents for my set stones? Oh yes. Yes, yes, I'm ready to head back to the workshop and start with a Spring clean slate - just one more cuppa tea . . .

Bluebirds return!

2011-02-23T08:13:00.002-06:00

I know these are horrible, horrible pictures but I was standing at the window this morning and just happened to see two bluebirds at the bluebird box. I got so excited that I choked on my toast!

We have managed to attract bluebirds for the past five years after just a year of trying and I'm always tickled when they return every Spring. Last year Ink the Cat caught the momma right after the bird had laid three tiny eggs and she brought her straight to me on the front porch. She was injured but flew out of my hand - I assumed she died later as she didn't return to the box. I thought we'd lost a brood but - lo and behold - baby daddy entered the nest box himself and soon there were little bluebird babies in that box. Sad but Nature's grand.

Today while it's warmish I'll clean out the box and make sure no wrens have taken over. They're feisty things and will keep setting up housekeeping in the bluebird boxes until they finally take a hint and nest elsewhere. (Sheesh - they have their OWN houses in back by the barn!)

Once established in the box, bluebirds are extremely territorial and will fight off intruders like wrens. And I'll be watching for bluebird eggs in the next month or so (I think it's kinda early in the season) and hopefully I'll get pictures of those tiny eggs. Fingers crossed.

Fun Factory . . .

2011-02-21T10:29:00.004-06:00

What came out of the Silverwork Fun Factory yesterday? A handful of sweet stuff, considering that I had a pretty full 'to-do' list this weekend. I did manage to carve out some bench time to create a bit and that feels good (Damn you to-do lists - shakes fist.) Anyway, here you go.

I had a small piece of Dendritic Opal (or common opal as Captain Agate used to tell me - hey, how come HIS stuff was always the good stuff and MINE was just the common stuff . . . ?) This little bit of material had a good shine when I finished cabbing it but after I set it, I threw it in the tumbler for an hour and it beat away the soft material and left the black dendrites polished - which I discovered I LOVE! Now it looks like a relief painting of a plum thicket with the small twiggy branches in raised relief. What a happy accident!

As a 'free gift for ordering' with my last yummy bead order, I received some large medium grade aquamarine beads, typically too large for my taste but I found a great way to work them into some simple bracelets. Nothing complicated but great everyday pieces and something I wouldn't be afraid to wear while out on the tractor or digging in the garden this spring.

Speaking of gardens, are we all getting our seed catalogs in the mail at an alarming rate? I'm afraid if I don't order my asparagus plugs immediately, there won't be any left! Hands off the Purple Passion asparagus - it's mine!

I love trades . . .

2011-02-17T18:10:00.004-06:00

In exchange for a 'naughty' pendant that I had Rachel Two Dog make for me, I made her these stacking rings.

As always, they're sterling silver and I found the tiniest ruby cabochon that I bezel set into the top of one to offset the silver nugget that she asked for.

Love the way these looked on her finger. These are the kinds of trades I love - both of us were winners.

Two Dog Pond . . .

2011-02-17T14:25:00.009-06:00

What a great day!

I got to spend yesterday on the gravel lane with Rachel http://twodogpond.blogspot.com/ where Life is Good. Yes, there really is a pond and two dogs. The pond is slowly thawing and it won't be long before the big bluestem grass is tall and the bullfrogs are noisy.

Dog Number One, big old Rumple here has one blue eye and one brown eye and is just happy as all getout to have a guest at Two Dog Pond, can't you tell? ('Will you get that dang camera out of my face, woman?') You can barely make out Scootch's black butt next to Rumple. Yep, two dogs.

Oh yes, it was a marvelous day on the edge of the Nebraska Prairie yesterday. It's been so unseasonably warm with temperatures in the high 60's that you just HAVE to stay outside as long as possible. We drove into town and had lunch at the Corner Cafe, talked about everything from website to new work and the directions we both want to take our art. It's so wonderful to have a friend you can bounce these ideas off of and I came home majorly energized. I could hardly sleep last night for thinking of things!

And the truth? Here's what I love about visiting another artist's studio:

It's a mess, isn't it? Whew! That means I'm normal!

Bit o' Honey . . .

2011-02-14T12:36:00.001-06:00

Something about this sliver of jasper makes me want to bite into it. It's just so buttery and soft and I'll be there are nuts down deep inside. It's got that Bit O' Honey look to it, doesn't it?

I do like the way the pendant turned out, though, bitten or not. I cut a little slice of the jasper and softly polished it into a long honey-golden rectangle and bezel-set it in sterling silver, of course.

On the back you can see I've pierced a simple wildflower with a long stem that curls around to the front to hold the pale citrine flower accent.

This has such subtle movement and I'm slowly adding to my prairie-inspired collection. I think I'll wait to show it all at once as a gallery collection but you get to see them as they come from the bench.

Lucky you.

Buttermilk sky . . .

2011-02-11T07:58:00.002-06:00

I bought a handful of tumbled Blue Lace Agate tumbled stones at the Farmer's Market last summer thinking they would surely be good for something, sitting prettily in a glass tumbler on the windowsill for several months. On a whim, I took one to the lapidary bench, flattened the back and rounded and smoothed and polished until I had the sweetest little bit of sky blue agate ever. The dotty patterns emerged so perfectly!

This stone has the pale, faraway look of a Spring sky, dotted with high puffy clouds, what we call around here a buttermilk sky. I set it in sterling silver with soft lines, a cloudlike line surrounding the scalloped bezel and hung it with a softly rounded pinned bail so it swings gently hung around your neck.

This lovely little pendant is just another of my developing series of work inspired by the Nebraska Prairie landscape. More to come and certainly more of the Blue Lace Agates. I have a windowsill full.

A Triumph of Lichen revisited . . .

2011-02-10T18:29:00.003-06:00

Maybe lichen isn't the word I'm looking for here. Maybe fungus is the word but that makes for an icky title for such a lovely stone.

Ocean Jasper is always gorgeous and I blogged about this little bit last week when I was finally able to get back to the lapidary bench for a few hours. I turned out this stone and a handful of others that will slowly make their debut here in the next few days.

The patterns in the stone remind me so much of the roundish mold or some sort of fungus that grows on fallen logs and sometimes the side of the barn. You people who read this and know what I'm talking about, please straighten me out as to what this is called.

This stone begged to be set with circle accents and it turned out particularly well, I think. Okay, I had some issues with it but in the end, I like it.

I couldn't help myself . . .

2011-02-09T10:20:00.005-06:00

I know. I know. I'm beyond 'naughty'.
I'm bad. Real bad.

But honest, I couldn't help myself.

My darling, super talented and cute friend Rachel twodogpond.blogspot.com posted the sweetest picture for her weekly blog giveaway with two little swallows (very important here) and asked for her readers to post a caption. Well, the first thing that popped into MY twisted mind when I saw these two little swallows was . . . well . . . here's what I came up with and she kindly looked beyond my naughtiness and sent me two.

I turned these into pins and sent one to my buddy
Stella Sue - who gets me.

I'm a baaaaaad girl.
(But it is kinda cute, isn't it?)

Crazy Lace, I think . . .

2011-02-04T08:20:00.005-06:00

Now it's getting fun. I was digging through my slab stash and came across a little bit of what I think is probably Crazy Lace Agate. A leftover of some sort - I'm always finding interesting bits in throw-away bins at Gem and Mineral Shows and this is one of those.

Polished nicely, this little darling reminds me of the field across the road, still winter-covered in snow with gray and gold Big Bluestem grasses poking up through the snow and a rusty barbed wire fence between me and thee.

Can't you just picture a brooch?

And a leftover, leftover - more than a bullet. A Crazy Lace Coyote Tooth . . .

Every mouse deserves a chance . . .

2011-02-02T15:32:00.003-06:00

I'm a softie. I keep heated bowls of water on the front porch, the back porch and in the barn but I'll be the first to say these are really for the cats - ours and an occasional raccoon or opossum.

However. As I was sweeping the snow off the front porch this morning (yes, it was not yet zero degrees), I notice the tiny footprints leading up to and around the water bowl. Mouse prints. Darling little mouse prints. Now I feel like I should provide a tiny ladder and a rock in case someone slips and falls in.

Yep. Big time sucker.

Triumph of Lichen . . .

2011-02-01T10:13:00.004-06:00

Yes, a Triumph of Lichen. No matter how severe the winter, lichen survives. This Ocean Jasper reminds me of the lichen that clings to every tree, rock and occasionally, the farm truck and tractor.

I plucked this little slab-ette of Ocean Jasper from my overflowing kit of bits and pieces and polished it into this sweet cab yesterday. Destined to become the first of my Prairie Collection - quite possibly a pendant but I haven't decided yet. Still, my lovely little Triumph of Lichen, you inspire me.

Prairie thunderstorms . . .

2011-01-19T09:55:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's far too early for thunderstorms here but it won't be long before the winter thaw and the spring rain begins and answers the ranchers' and farmers' prayers. When this sweet little slab arrived yesterday, I was reminded visually that the rains are coming, as always. I'm just dying to dive into it! It was absolutely meant for me to have, no doubt about it.

I came across this slice of jasper and I was drawn in quickly. I immediately saw the beautiful landscape to the west of me and in it were the spectacular thunderstorms of the plains viewed from many, many miles away; the sort of scene not hindered by one thing in the way of the view. The sun shining through the veil of rain. The greens and golds of the cloudburst. The darkened tops of the faraway Sandhills. And a single tornado thread.

My goal this year is for my work to better reflect my background, the area I live and the way I feel about my surroundings. I happen to live in the most beautiful part of the country and, frankly, the best kept secret ever - the edge of the prairie, Nebraska. The vistas here are so lovely and peaceful and awe-inspiring that I'm surprised at myself that my work so far has not reflected that. And so it changes.

Copper Captured Agate . . .

2011-01-18T15:42:00.000-06:00

Different but the same. A gorgeously sweet little cylinder of agate captured in a copper cap with a copper swinging bale.

Completely handmade by me from raw materials here on my bench, I took sheet copper and cut a strip to fit around the top of the cylinder bead. After making sure it was a good, tight fit, I soldered the seam and cut a bit of copper for the cap and soldered that on, too. I 'eyeballed' the bead holes and drilled two holes on either side of the cap through which the silver wire would be threaded and torch balled with the lightly hammered strip on either side to make a sweet swingy bale. Like a basket handle.

I thoroughly enjoy hand fabricating these pieces and there is nothing more fun than forging a piece from beginning to end with nothing but fire and force. Honestly, what could be more satisfying?

So it begins . . .

2011-01-13T18:44:00.000-06:00

A package in today's mail - the lovely agates and jaspers I bought. You know, the ones that spoke to me of the prairie landscape. Maybe you can't see it yet but I can and I know how to coax the scenery out of each and every one of them.

The dotty Rainforest Jasper holds lilypads on cool green ponds and golden circles of crops, watered by rolling circular irrigation arms, viewed from miles above the earth. A strip of a gravel road between two neighboring towns.

In the yellow jasper pieces, a slender thread of a twister. Not a sight you want to see close to home but there it is. A weather fact of life. Sometimes when the weather turns particularly threatening and there are warnings of the possibility of a tornado, the air becomes electric and golden. At the perfect time, the thread appears, touches the earth and stirs up only clouds of dust if nothing is in the way.

Brilliant and verdant green - a cross-section of the fertile ground. An ant farm view of the prairie with roots growing deep below the tiny trees, the clear pale sky background. The moss agate will become the views of the green prairie trees in the distance with miles and miles of bromegrass undulating like a green ocean.

Oh I see plenty and it won't be long before these rough slabs becom visions of my surroundings. Beautiful. Just wait and see.

Sunset striped agate . . .

2011-01-12T20:02:00.000-06:00

From the edge of the prairie: a layered sunset, striped in deep gold, washing away to creamy yellow and translucency. Two simple agate pendants.

Agate is found in a range of colors but nothing is more lovely, in my mind than these with sunset colors, pale, flowing river banding and sweet glowing chalcedony.

Today I created two lovely agate pendants, the settings forged completely from scratch. These simple tube bezels are cut from sheet silver, rolled and forged into little tubes and soldered with a flat cap at the top where I have attached a loop. The cylindrical agate beads were fit into the bezel and riveted securely in place with sterling wire.

In 2011 I'm committed to taking my work in another direction; to get back to what I love doing most and that's setting beautiful stones in bezel settings. I'll use riveting techniques where I can because I love the movement that allows the stone it captures but I miss the warmth and depth of agates and jaspers reminiscent of the prairie landscapes that surround me. I love it here and I want my work to reflect the place I love - Nebraska prairie. Home.

Perfect in simplicity.

Finally . . .

2011-01-10T19:07:00.000-06:00

January in Nebraska.

It's pretty hard to believe that here in eastern Nebraska, on the 9th of January, we finally get our first significant snowfall and not much more than six inches, at that. Even though I could do without the mess of snow boots and puddles of melting snow here and there inside the back door, I know we've been pretty lucky to not have much snow all season.

I know, too, that if I get too anxious for Spring I'm just wishing my life away so for now I'll hunker in and get going on new work and let myself be inspired by the snowscapes, shadows, colors and textures.

The cold days begin to lengthen.

The Rim of the Prairie . . .

2011-01-08T14:20:00.000-06:00

I spent part of yesterday afternoon rummaging around in a local antique mall keeping an eye open for bits and pieces of ephemera to use as new photo props for my online shop when I happened across this book - The Rim of the Prairie by Bess Streeter Aldrich. I wasn't familiar with the book or the author, whom I'd only heard of and knew nothing about. Still, the book spoke to me. But I left without it.

By Saturday morning I had that book weighing heavy on my mind and decided I had to have it and I drove back to the shop and found it, bought it, brought it home and did a little research. I found that Bess Aldrich Streeter was born, lived, died and was buried not far from where I sit right now - I in Davey, Nebraska and she in Elmwood about 15 miles to the east. Her books are reflective of Nebraska in the late 1800's and early 1900's, much like Willa Cather's writing, whose writing about Nebraska life and prairie life I love.

Why is this so important to me? Have you ever lived anywhere that just 'felt right'? Someplace where you have such a deep appreciation for the landscape, the earth and the sky that you never want to leave ev

en for a day? That's exactly where I am and I think this book will open some doors to the past that will connect me with my present.

My intention was to find some books and a few pieces that felt 'prairie-ish' so I could re-take photos and update my shop site. What I've come away with is so much more and may really give me an insight to what I'm hoping to achieve in terms of expressing who I am and who I want the world to see.

It just spoke to me from the rack on the wall.

Be careful out there, y'all . . .

2010-12-22T14:54:00.000-06:00

Yes, kids. You most certainly can lose control of your vehicle on gravel when it's ice-covered.

Ed and I came upon this truck in the ditch as we left our house yesterday. We were only 100 yards from our house and completely unaware that it had just happened. As we slowed down a bit to take a closer look I noticed a tiny flashing light in the window when suddenly a face appeared. There was a fellow still inside! He appeared okay but could not open the door that was now on top of the truck so Ed propped the door open and the guy just tumbled out.

It's enough to say that he was all right but here he was with a trach tube, unable to talk to us, trying to communicate with a pen that wouldn't write that he was sick and wanted us to take him to a house two miles further down the lane. Instead, I stayed on the phone with 911 dispatch until four trucks, our volunteer fire department fire truck, two ambulances and two sheriffs showed up.

Overheard, the fellow was in withdrawal and needed medication.

Lesson 1: he skidded going UPhill so don't assume that you cannot lose control at any speed and in any spot on the road, gravel or not.

Lesson 2: anybody at any time can be coming at you and cross the road, crashing into you or just the ditch.

Lesson 3: stop and help. Next time it might be you.

Lesson 4: slow down. Next time it might be me.

Sustained and soothed . . .

2010-12-18T14:59:00.000-06:00

Early last week I lost a dear friend, Roger Pabian, a retired Professor of Paleontology at the University of Nebraska. We first met 12 years ago when I signed up for a jewelry workshop and was seated across the table from him. I was new to Lincoln but my husband was a life-long resident and a fairly high profile guy, having raced locally among other things. As we introduced ourselves, Roger piped up, "You wouldn't be the woman who married Ed Bowes, would you?" Well, yes I would be and he proceeded to regale me with racing stories from 'way before I arrived in Lincoln. From that point on, we were fast friends and saw each other every Saturday night at Eagle Raceway.

I knew that Roger, or Captain Agate as he came to be known, taught a lapidary class and he finally convinced me that I should attend. Saying, "Oh that's all I need, Roger - one MORE hobby", I took the class and was hooked. I now am proud to be able to cut and polish my own stones for my work and I will forever be grateful for Captain Agate's pushing me for excellence. How many times did he make me redo a stone I thought was finished? A gazillion but I learned from the best, I think.

Roger passed away in his sleep last week, far too early in his life as he had just turned 75. It came as a surprise to all of us and it will take a while to sink in. I worked at my bench for a few hours yesterday and could not take my mind off everything he taught me and I had to laugh that his writing was still on the 'spitter' of my lapidary machine telling me 'This Side Up'. That Roger . . .

After a long day at Roger's funeral and time spent with those who knew him, I came home to a box on the porch in front of my door. A box full of wonderful things from my friend, Lisa 'Lil Fish Studios'. In the box were two wood boxes which I collect, Minnesota wild rice, pancake mix, honey (oh my, wonderful honey!) and a little Lipton tea tin. Inside - a wood spool and a tiny agate.

Although Lisa had no way of knowing it when she sent it, that tiny agate will become one of my most cherished possessions. It arrived on the day we said goodbye to one of the world's leading authorities on agates and one of my dearest buddies. I'll miss you, Captain, but I'll be able to come into my library and pick up that little Lake Superior Agate and laugh a bit as I remember you, see your eyes crinkle and hear you chuckle as you tell story after story.

Thank you, Professor Pabian. Thank you Lisa. You have no idea what a treasure you sent me, my dear friend.

Sunday at the Lauritzen Gardens . . .

2010-11-29T14:32:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful day out at the Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha. I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of Poinsettia, miniature to curly and all colors between pale cream and deep crimson. The displays are spectacular and I do want them all.

My friend Sue and I always try to hit the Lauritzen couple of times every year, especially at the change of seasons when it just gives you that tickle in the pit of your tummy to see all of the things that are new for the season. During their Christmas Open House, they feature their scaled down version of the Omaha of old, complete with old buildings in miniature and scale model trains and trolleys that weave in and out of the buildings. This year they have built a trestle bridge that grazes your head and the train goes completely through the tall, lit Christmas Tree!

It's a fun day out and I always feel so inspired to start garden planning and digging when I get home. Well, at this time of year, it's planning.

Oh yeah . . .

2010-11-17T12:16:00.000-06:00

And a handful of 'scrappy' charm necklaces.

Now I'm done. For today.

I may take up knitting full time . . .

2010-11-16T12:51:00.000-06:00

Yikes. Seriously, yikes.

The price of sterling silver is quickly approaching $30 per troy ounce which is about double what I last bought it at last summer and it makes a craftperson like me wonder how much longer she can afford to continue creating without having to restock a slowly dwindling supply of sterling silver. Yikes is right.

So while mulling this over standing at my bench and working to replenish the galleries for the Holidays, I

hit upon a stopgap solution and I feel like I'm doing some small part (in 'upcycle-speak') by creating without having to purchase more and more and more.

Sort of a 'duh' moment, I know, but I started digging into my scrap bucket which, at this point usually gets packaged up and returned to the place from whence it came to be reconstituted (or whatever happens to it) at the foundry (or whatever that place is called) so it can be rendered (or whatever the end result is) into flat silver sheet and wire once again.

As I'm digging around I come across little bits that can be made into odd-shaped bead caps and pieces that used to be something else that can now be - aha! - charms!

I dug and mixed and hammered and melted and didn't even TRY to match anything. What I ended up with was a cool collection of scrappy little silver charms that I switched and rearranged until I had a handful of earrings and charm necklaces that were far better than anything I could have planned.

All of them made

from scrap silver and orphan pieces of chalcedony and jade. I feel good. Not bad for a day.

Yeah, I'm a genius. Well, at least I feel a bit better about solving a problem with a little creativity.

1950 Dodge Pickup Truck . . .

2010-11-08T17:06:00.000-06:00

My husband does bring me the coolest stuff!

This time it's a 1950 Dodge Pickup that has been sitting in a scrapyard in Beatrice, Nebraska, for who knows how many years. It's rusted and it's so cool I can't stand it.

As a couple of old hotrod people, Ed and I have been watching for an old pickup truck for a long time, something I could drive every single day that will haul bags of mulch, spring shrubs, groceries, my art show set up, absolutely everything - and now we have it. Of course, it's going to take a little work but, by and large, this is how it will look when it's up and running with the exception of a little chrome here and there. And a cool interior.

I have this 'thing' for patinaed vehicles - not really a rat rod but not quite a hot rod, either. I love the layers of paint and a little rust here and there. And if I know Ed, this gem will have a smokin' hot, super fast, can't catch me, engine when it gets going.

Oh yeah, I'm in love.

I'm trapped . . .

2010-09-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

Caught once again in the production work today. I'm not one for making the same thing more than once or twice so when I get a super wholesale order for multiples, it's a mixed blessing. I'm grateful for the sweet order but longing for something a bit different. So I finished up the order this evening and decided that I should make just one thing for me. And this time I won't sell it off my body (as usually happens).

It's a plain, wide, domed, sterling cuff. Heavy and striking. A 'goes with everything', 'wear it every day' signature piece.

It's mine.

Buttons and boxes . . .

2010-09-04T08:02:00.000-05:00

Oh yum. What a fabulous find. Bakelite buttons. Lots.

Friday was a gloriously perfect day. Gloriously perfect. My darling friend Rachel 'Two Dog Pond' stopped by for a visit and just chatting for a few hours with friends like her makes such a wonderful start to the day. She's teeming with great ideas for rearranging workspace, marketing for the Holidays, creative inspiration and I just can't get enough of standing her her aura. A really lovely person and it was sweet to spend time with her yesterday morning. Really.

Then off to join my friend Sue who loves to browse through the same antique malls as I do. Oh yeah, we always find all kinds of cool stuff that is so far beyond our price range that it makes us both giddy. The advertising wood boxes that I love being offered for a gazillion dollars, that sort of ridiculous thing. It's always good for a hoot or two.

Suddenly, a treasure! One booth had an old map chest that was labeled 'miscellaneous buttons' and in the top drawer was this little baggie chock full of Bakelite buttons! A gorgeous collection of Bakelite buttons in creams, golds, browns, oranges and greens. Some translucent, some solid. Big, little. Some round, some square. Plain, simple, sweet. Marked $16 and the entire booth was 60% off. Score! Now I'm dying to make more button box pendants. Itching.

Oh yeah, I did find one lovely old wooden box, as you can plainly see. Stamped on the side "BEEF BRAINS" and below that "GROSS". I can only assume that the 'gross' stood for 144 of something but its other meaning wasn't lost on me, astute observer that I am. In fact, Sue and I thought that maybe, just maybe, that dried stuff in the bottom of the box may have been some leftover grossness. We can only hope.

Girlfriends . . .

2010-08-29T20:49:00.001-05:00

Ah, girlfriend time.

Is there anything better than spending time with old friends?

My two beautiful twin girlfriends, Connie and Audrie visited us this weekend from Lawrence and it was so wonderful to see them again. We've known each other since 1989 (I know, can you believe it?!) when Connie and I worked together in Kansas City and we became fast friends. Endured the same challenges of the work, shared the same experiences and commiserated considerably. It was a personal growing time for me and I learned much about myself as I know Connie did. Completely changed the way we set personal boundaries - how we let co-workers treat us. [ And I refuse to say any more than that on the grounds that it definitely will incriminate us =-) ] We revisited those events and were shaking our heads. Grateful for the experience and all the better for it. Can I get an 'Amen'?

Ed treated us to a Saltdog baseball game. Great gams.

We went to the Quilt Study Center on the University of Nebraska campus. Swell gift shop. We like to pose like Connie and Audrie's aunt taught them - one foot in front of the other is slimming she said, chest out, tummy in.

Tons of visiting, sitting on the back porch watching the hummingbirds chase each other off the feeders (who knew they were so territorial?), scratching cat bellies, congratulating each on our weight losses and encouraging each other the keep at it one meal at a time. Such a wonderful time.

I can't wait to see them again. xoxox.

Working my fingers to the bone . . .

2010-08-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, to the bone. The buying season will quickly be upon us, sooner than we think, and it's time to keep building reserves for galleries, friends in need of last minute gifts and those Fall and Holiday Craft Shows.

I'm not really one who enjoys production work but sometimes . . . . . I've just gotta. I've been hammering silver wire into piles of skinny bangles and instead of soldering the ends closed, I rivet the ends which gives them a bit of texture and interest as well. Love 'em. Easy to wear.

And scrumptious aquamarine. Rough aquamarine. Gemmy, yummy aquamarine. Clear sky blue, druzy inclusions, clouds, beautiful rough cut. Begs for simple swingy stirrups

Back to the bench. It's still early.

Delicious prehnite . . .

2010-08-15T08:14:00.000-05:00

Two really sweet pieces of prehnite. Apple green and glowing.

The first piece is about 1.5" long and .75" wide and the second is about 1" square.

I'm so in love with this material and the way it captures the light, the internal inclusions and how beautifully it polishes. For me, it begs to be set simply without too much pomp and circumstance - just let it be it's 'center of attention' self. To be continued . . .

Copper Button Box Necklace . . .

2010-08-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

I've gotta say, I'm learning a lot and having some fun with this idea for buttons and setting them in a unique and unexpected way.

This pendant is completely hand.fabricated from sheet copper and is approximately 1" tall and 3/4" wide and 1/4" deep. The two.hole shell button is a lovely match for the copper and has a copper rivet in the lower hold. It is held in its box, barely peeking out, by a single copper riveted post going completely through the box and button.

The sterling silver box chain has been oxidized to more closely match the dark iridescent button and is lightly brushed for a bit of shine. There are four copper rings interspersed randomly in the chain for a bit more copper interest throughout the necklace and it is finished with a hand.forged copper hook and loop.

I'm still trying to find a good way to retain the polish on the copper without coating it with anything that would wear off or chip like a clear laquer. It'll come to me.

I suppose being somewhat self.taught in metalwork has given me an appreciation for trial and error and lets me be a bit more fearless when it comes to experimentation. I don't ever expect to master this craft but hope I'm always handling a work in progress.

Preparing for winter holidays and shows . . .

2010-08-12T11:26:00.000-05:00

Winter's a'comin'. Sure as shootin' it's gonna get here and Lord knows I've got to be ready so I'm doing my damnedest to stock up so i'm not scrambling at the last minute. Hard to imagine (well, not really) that all of this heat is going to be gone pretty soon and there will be Fall and Holiday Shows staring me in the face so spending these 100 degree days down in the cool of the studio is just what I need to get kick started.

I've been busy for the last few days working on several simple production pieces that I can distribute to the local galleries. I'm not much of a fan of repeating a design so when I put these together I try to make them different sizes and use different stones for accent. The trio of earrings is inspired by bug wings and helicopter maple seeds. I don't feel that they need any additional accent and I'm leaving them as they are in sweet silver.

The pair of dewdrop post earrings have a small blue chalcedony bead as an accent. Really pretty and I am still madly in love with the glow of chalcedony. The companion necklace is a simgle dewdrop with a sterling silver cap on the blue chalcedony accent bead.

One last piece from the bench is this amber colored agate wheel shaped bead, still with that warm chalcedony glow, that I riveted onto a stirrup and accented with a flower spacer. Super small, maybe 3/4" overall, and perfect for peeking out the top of a tee.

I'm all about unobtrusive jewelry. Nothing flashy, complicated. These pieces would never speak louder than you - sort of like your perfume. Think of my work as your lingering perfume - easy to wear and something you'd want to put on every day.

Back to the bench.

From Lisa's Button Box . . .

2010-08-10T19:58:00.000-05:00

From the button box, a sterling silver boxed button.

This has been swirling around in my head for some time now, ever since I asked Lisa 'Lil Fish Studios' to send me a handful of her buttons. I love the way it turned out and I'm dying to make more. Lord knows I have enough copper so here goes.

This is an open end sterling silver box that is just wide enough for the button to slip in. I marked the button holes and drilled them through both sides. I inserted the button and torched both ends of two pieces of wire to hold the button in place. The bail is square tubing.

Simple. Easy. Modern. Fresh. More to come.

What I'm lovin' about August . . .

2010-08-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

A few favorite things right now.

Fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes have finally come in and they're luscious and abundant. (Last year was a crummy year for tomatoes. Far too cool - not enough hot days.) If only I could save these through winter when tomatoes come from Mexico and points south and are picked green to 'ripen' artificially with gas. yikes.

And sweet corn. O.M.G. Like candy. Neighbors are leaving big bags on their friends doorsteps, there is so much sweet corn coming in. Yep, like candy.

And my favorite summer salad : tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, drizzled with olive oil. You can only make it when fresh tomatoes are in and it's over 'way too quickly. Tomato salad and sweet corn for supper - nothing better. Nothing.

Wednesday with Words . . .

2010-08-04T11:17:00.000-05:00

I *think* this is an Anise Swallowtail. I was trimming the grass around my vegetable garden when this big fellow climbed up out of the crabgrass and panted at the top of a seed head. I couldn't shut off the trimmer and run inside for my camera fast enough and, while I wish I'd had more time with him to take better pictures, this one turned out okay.

He's obviously yellow and black but he has a little orange spot on each wing and the blue on the bottom wings was incredibly irridescent, as only a butterfly can be. Wingspan of about 4". My Googling found that he doesn't stray far from Western Nebraska and here we are in Eastern Nebraska so he must have hitched a ride to get this far. Or maybe he was resting up from his big trip. Whatever, I'm glad he stopped here.

Yes, it's that hot

2010-08-03T07:51:00.000-05:00

Ink the Cat has the right idea for relaxing and staying cool. These days, it's good to have indoor projects and venture outside as little as possible in the heat of the day. Weed-pulling, lawn-mowing and vegetable picking should be done early in the day or after sunset. Drink lots of iced tea. Read those new library books. Clean the workbench and get ready for Autumn. O.M.G. Did I say Autumn . . . . ?

Dundee Gallery Omaha . . .

2010-07-30T13:25:00.000-05:00

I am being featured this weekend at the Dundee Gallery in Omaha for their Artist is In summer event Saturdays and I've finished a boxload of new pieces. This should be a fun day at the Gallery and if you live in the vicinity of Omaha, come see me!

http://dundeegallery.com

Amanda's ring . . .

2010-07-29T07:29:00.000-05:00

Amanda loves Lapis Lazuli - her grandmother used to own and wear a lot of it and after her passing, the jewelry got distributed and Amanda has none of it. So she's asked me to make a few pieces for her to remind her of her granny.

I've had the stone for a while and just hadn't been inspired by a nice design. I could always set it simply and plain but I wanted to make something special and 'granny-like'. The last piece I made for her was a Lapis necklace with scalloped bezel and scalloped edges and a heart cut out on the back.

This needed to be sweet but not saccarine, granny but modern and I think I hit the right balance. The doubled ring shank gives this a curly, girly feel offsetting the cupped flowers on the other side and, of course, all metal. I really need to do more bezel-setting as this was challenging, took some planning and thought and was all day engrossing and enjoyable at once.

Love this. Hearts to Amanda.

Wednesday . . .

2010-07-28T08:36:00.001-05:00

Not exactly a Wordless Wednesday . . .

2010-07-21T16:58:00.001-05:00

Mama Deer brought the younguns by for a midnight snack of every Route 66 Red and Buttered Popcorn Yellow daylily last night.

We need to talk or there's gonna be trouble.

Wordless Wednesday . . .

2010-07-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

Kearney Art in the Park . . .

2010-07-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

A marvelous weekend and a fantastic show in Kearney, Nebraska! Wow - who knew someplace smack in the middle of corn and soybeans could have such an active artist community? This one day event draws about 110 artists from all sorts of media and is so well juried that even those of us in the jewelry biz weren't competing, the work varied so widely.

I've been pleased with my set up, too, as it has evolved from stuff just laid out on the table to a more cohesive flow with old wooded advertising boxes displayed with silk runners in colors that accent the jewelry. Softer looks for the softer chalcedony colors I'm using in my work. It's working much better now.

Sales were up - people were buying. Weather was mid 80s. Wind was light. Live music was fantastic and not overpowering at all, as can sometimes happen at outdoor things. If all shows could be this good (or I could at least predict?), I'd be doing many, many more but I so much want to do this one again! Happy girl. Life is good.

Summer web . . .

2010-07-06T09:43:00.000-05:00

This is that time of year we've been looking forward to since there was two feet of snow covering everything. Remember? We never saw any bare earth until March? And we swore we would never complain about the heat if it would only get above freezing for one day and we wouldn't be struggling with winter coats and muddy shoes? Well, here it is exactly one half of a year from January, humidity apparent on the tiny cobwebs in the early mornings and we're not complaining. This is the day.

Bluebell Earrings . . .

2010-06-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

For Lorraine.

Sweet little pair of faceted lapis and sterling silver earrings.

Copperlicious . . .

2010-06-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

I am just having 'way too much fun with this copper stuff lately. Clearly I'm hooked on this material and I cannot believe how warm and cool it can appear all at once. When paired with sterling silver, the pink tones really stand out.

This is a pendant that I made for my friend Connie - that is, if she likes it.

Completely fabricated in copper, it has an off-center punched hole, is oxidized inside the hollowform bead and is accented with a copper-capped rondelle of sweet aquamarine. It measures 3/4" and is about 1/4" deep.

I love it. How could you not?

Daylily time . . .

2010-06-22T08:16:00.000-05:00

With all of the winter moisture and the spring rain, the daylilies are beautiful this year. Huge, lots of scapes, gorgeous deep colors. And for my friends who have wanted divisions, this is the year! Laddie Boy after the rain and Monte feeding the sweatbees.

Yet more rain . . .

2010-06-21T10:22:00.001-05:00

It's been raining almost solid for over 24 hours with more to come later tonight.

I checked the rain gauges and couldn't believe my eyes when I read the first one. So I moved on to the one in the garden and one more in front of the garage and , lo and behold, they all read 4.5 inches.

Seriously, enough.

After the storm . . .

2010-06-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

I have always been fascinated by weather and I'm sure I'll have huge wrinkles in my neck one day from tilting my head back to look at the sky.

A short bursting storm came through early in the evening and as it passed it left the most beautiful cloudscapes, bathing the sunset in reds, oranges, yellows and electric blues.

We are so lucky to live on the highest spot in the county and this is what we get for the privilege. Beautiful views after a storm.

And the daylily madness begins . . .

2010-06-15T08:25:00.001-05:00

The first bloom : Lavender Greeting

Cat animal Ink could care less.

Shinola . . .

2010-06-14T16:42:00.001-05:00

I could not reisist yet another wood box to add to my fetish-y collection of wood advertising boxes. This one confirms that I do know that other stuff from Shinola.

wildlife on the ranchette . . .

2010-06-11T09:30:00.000-05:00

Everyone else gets gorgeous huge moths, butterflies or hummingbirds and sweet little flora and fauna. Us? We get snapping turtles. Mean ones. Big mean ones. Big ugly mean ones. With attitudes. Even the barn cats stand at the screen door in awe and fear.

Long tail, pointy nose, rough shell, nasty claws - this is as close to an 'alligator' as I ever want to get. Off to the creek across the road with a shovel lift- which is where I suspect he wanted to go all along. (Thanks Eddie)

Copper box pendant . . .

2010-06-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

Special orders are an intimidating challenge and, as I've said before, I do not challenge myself enough so this project I took on after the customer and I exchanged emails and drawings until we came up with something I felt comfortable attempting. I've made lift-off box lids before and since she wanted this to open, it was the best and most logical choice. So here we go.

The idea begins as a sketch - lots of ideas get tossed out at this point and, quite frankly, some I'll just file away to use later.

Beginning with sheet copper, I first cut the sides 1/4" tall in one long strip in the total length and bent them to the basic box shape and I soldered the ends. This rectangle shape is filed and sanded until the 'bezel' sides are perfectly flat when laid on top of the copper sheet to become the front and back of the pendant.

You can see in the photo with fire that the box obviously has to be closed and this can get tricky on several levels. One, I didn't want the silver solder to flow on the outside of the copper box and show on the copper sides so I scratched the outline of the box on the backside of the pendant and placed the solder inside that line so I could fit the box on top with the solder inside the box during the soldering process. The second issue is that there must be a vent in the box so that the gas can escape - otherwise you run the risk of the box exploding. Not good.

Another note of caution here: if you're trying to photograph your soldering process, have someone else take the photos. If you try to hold both the torch and your camera, you may burn your camera . . . like I did. With a little sanding, the lens once again retracts into the camera. And that's all I'm sayin'.

Whew! Soldered!

Now comes lots of cleaning, sanding, filing. Not exactly the fun part but it is satisfying to hold this little box in your hand and turn it as you sand and love on it.

The top gets cut off very carefully around the scribed line so that it's as even as possible. A thin strip of sterling silver bezel wire is formed to fit exactly inside the rim of the cut off top so that when it is filed and sanded smooth, it will make a sweet fitting lid for the box.

Copper tubing is soldered onto the sides for the loop that will hold the chain. Everything is cleaned and sanded smooth and all file marks removed with the finest sandpaper. A sterling silver chain is oxidized and added to the loops through the tubing on the sides.

I like to finish oxidized sterling silver with a coat of Renaissance Wax just to give the black silver a bit of sheen. I buff it with an old shoe brush and I think it's ready to go. I give it the 'wear test' and wear it around my neck for a few hours to make sure the top is going to stay on and it feels nice and sturdy. I think I love it.

I email my customer with the pictures. She likes it. I'm happy and relieved. *whew*

copper love . . .

2010-05-31T22:27:00.001-05:00

I got all my chores done for the day, cut grass, watered the dry stuff and even trimmed the rogue saplings and overhanging Bur Oak branches in the hedgerow with my 'chainsaw on a stick' so I think I deserved to spend a couple of hours in the shop creating some new things. I do have a few special orders waiting and now I'm energized, ready to tackle the week.

So here you go:

* copper love *

Once in a while it's all about me . . .

2010-05-25T07:57:00.000-05:00

The set up: Sunday night. 9:00pm. Bored. Too early for bed. Finished my book and refuse to turn on the tv. I excuse myself and head out to the pile of rock slabs in the shop where a cat joins me, watching from the windowsill. I find a little bit of Prehnite about the size of your little fingernail and I start to polish.

Monday morning: Using a scrap of silver from another project, I set this stone in a simple bezel, added a long loop for a bail. Change my mind and saw it off and use a tiny slice of tubing for a bail.

I am always surprised when a piece is in progress at how rough and messy it is, metal covered with glassy flux, bits of melted metal, sharp metal edges, a completely nasty piece. But in no time it's polished and hung from a snake chain, now around my neck. I marvel. I'm satisfied that I've fabricated a piece from beginning to end for my own pleasure.

Once in a while, it's all about me and what I want to make for my own creative satisfaction. No worries about finishing a handful of work for a gallery or listing on my etsy site. This is just mine. Unless someone falls in love with it while I'm wearing it. Then . . . awww . . . I'm a sucker for a compliment.

A rainy (and perfect) day for rock cutting . . .

2010-05-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

Just to prove that it really was a heavy mist, light rain sort of Sunday and absolutely perfect for rock-cutting, here is the obligatory picture of Ink the Cat covered in light droplets. I say is was a perfect day for rock-cutting because it was too nasty to do anything outside yet it was a day you still wanted to accomplish something. Hence - rock-cutting.

Lisa 'Li'l Fish Studios' http://lilfishstudios.blogspot.com/ sent me a rock the size of your knee in a box of goodies earlier this month and the thing was too big to fit in my trimsaw. My friend Jan brought her 12" saw over and we set that noisy monster up in my newly finished side of Ed's garage shop. Here it is jammed into the feeder box with another piece of that common red stuff - glacial till - that acts as a jam to hold everything in place. I could have and should have glued it to a piece of 2x4 and pushed it through the saw using that method but I was wanting to get cutting and gluing requires drying time. And who has the time to wait for glue to dry . . . so I used my fingers. Little Miss Impatient.

These pics show the slow process of cutting into the stone and once again, you never know what you're gonna get. This according to my lapidary instructor of old who equates picking up nondescript 'parking lot' stones with picking up women in bars - you never know what you're gonna get. And again, I digress.

This stone had an agate look on the outside and I'm not sure exactly what we ended up with. I do know that it was hard as all get-out, took forever to slice and it did start to get prettier once I made a few slices into it. You can see that the 'steak fat look' turned to white and orange inclusions with some nice little dendrites. I'm anxious to polish a few bits to see what we've got here.

Just for laughs, here is a lovely shot of me in my Hefty Trash Bag. I'm too cheap to purchase a real rubberized lapidary apron so I have to go this route to keep from soaking my clothes through and through. Yes, a realy Hefty Trash Bag with a drawstring hem.

In the next week as I polish these little guys into something sweet, I'll post the pics for you all to see how fun it is to discover beauty inside of the Rock with No Name. Maybe we'll call it Bowesite . . .

O.M.G. My first!

2010-05-14T19:20:00.000-05:00

I finally made it to etsy's front page today! I'm validated! The little Tourmalinated Quartz necklace was part of a treasury and it sold immediately - yay. Add 7 hearts and I'm tickled!

How lucky am I?

2010-05-11T09:55:00.000-05:00

I have all my friends trained! I put the word out that I like unique, old wood boxes, preferring those with advertising and such and now I'm reaping the rewards. Seriously lucky.

A friend found these two red boxes as he was cleaning his barn. No idea where they came from but clearly one came from 'MIKE JONES'. They both have silver painted interiors, one with a tray and the other with slots along the inside for (I'm assuming) files and narrow tools. And the bonus? A pair of old welding goggles! O. M. G. Seriously. Lucky.

Not only did I get these two great boxes, I also got this incredible red wood well bucket. I'm just over the top. I'm so pleased with myself that I'm trembling like it's Christmas morning. You couldn't stand to be around me in this moment. NK.

I'm putting these two boxes and the uber-cool well bucket on my front porch and I'll be smiling every time I drive in and get a hankering for a glass of iced tea and a trashy book.

I'm in heaven.