Wordless Wednesday - kitten love

Camping out

Tonight my SweetPea and Jonathan are

having a backyard adventure.

A little daddy-daughter camp out.

I joined them for the first part.

Setting up

Dinner: organic grilled cheese sandwiches on honey wheat bread,
with mugs of organic cream of tomato soup,
beer for us, apple juice for her

Jump starting the flames

Mesmerized

Mmmmmmmarshmallows...
my only favorite thing about camping

SweetPea had half of a marshmallow.
I had half of an entire bag.

Exploring the dark forest with her flashlight hat

Tonight's full moon over our backyard
 

Thank goodness she's got an amazing dad like Jonathan.

Lucky, lucky girl.

They will have a great time tonight.
I love that they're out there experiencing this together.

And I (too chic for dirt)
love that I get to sit this one out.

:)

Made to order

It's Friday already, and zippity do!

Just a quickie post today to show you

a couple of recent specially made pieces

Custom designed and hand drawn
Personalized Lotus Flower wax seal stamp

Etched in brass and mounted on wooden handle

Custom made pendant

Coat of Arms of Finland

Hand drawn and etched in sterling silver

Custom orders are welcome, 

just send me an Etsy convo or an email

Work in Progress Wednesday - Seahorse ring

I made another Seahorse ring today.

You can scroll down to last week's post
to see the one from last Tuesday.

Here's a Work in Progress post showing you 

a few of the step-by-steps...

Hold Fast

ring in sterling silver and prehnite

featuring original hand drawn art

 

You'll find it in my Etsy shop.


Thanks for visiting   :)

One kick-ass ring

I squealed (out loud and literally) when I opened my mailbox yesterday. 
My package from Kerin Rose had arrived!

She and I spent 2 hours chatting on the phone on Friday.
 PS. I love how the internet brings together people 
who would otherwise never have crossed paths.
Some of the most amazing friends I have today are 
via Etsy and blogland.

Our conversation so warmed my heart, that after we hung up,
I was like, okay that's it, I need to own a piece of something she's made.

And 2 days later, here it is.

I can't stop looking at and touching this ring.

If ever a band of metal could exude and emmanate
warmth and strength, love and bravery,
this is it.

Gorgeous, weighty, sooo comfortable to wear
and

more impressive yet is her creative process.

So get this: 
She hand carves her pieces out of the beeswax from
her sister's apiary up in Vermont.
!!!
Add to that the ancient technique of lost-wax casting,
plus her use of eco-friendly, recycled silver,
and you've got a precious object, a true talisman,
that's permeated with beautiful, creative energy.

*sighs*

LOVE my new ring.

Find yours right here.

~*~*~

Tomorrow I'll show you the second
"Hold Fast" Seahorse ring I'm working on
for a Work in Progress Wednesday post. 

See you then!

Now go get yourself a ring!
:)

Wisdom worth sharing

I love Yogi tea. 

In this morning's double dose of Echinacea Immune Support:

"When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful"

Now that's a mantra that bears repeating.

 

I've spent the last 3 days successfully fighting the onset of a cold 

with all my might.

My Jonathan, hands down the best husband on this planet,

took care of SweetPea 100% of the weekend, 

letting me stay in bed and re-energize.

I love you, Jonathan.

Happy Monday, friends.

Wishing you a sunny, healthy start to the week.

 

xoxo,

Alice :)

PS - In case you didn't know it, 

I try to send a little pouch of Yogi tea out with every Etsy package I ship within the US.

As I have been for the past 2 years...

"Where'd you get those skills?"

It's the 15th of the month, and that means it's time for our group post with the Handmade Division Team.

October's topic:

Tell us about yourself. How did you get to where you are now with your skills?

I draw pictures, I etch them into silver, I turn the silver into jewelry.

How did I learn how to do all that....hmmmm....

I know it's cliche, but I've always been an artist at heart.

I've been metalsmithing since 2006ish, but I've been drawing since I learned how to hold a pencil. 

I have no formal training as an artist.  Drawing is just something I've always been able to do.

As far as metalsmithing, it started with a couple beginner metalsmithing classes at a local art school a few years ago. Every now and then I'll take a jewelry workshop to learn a new skill - such as cloisonne enameling, glass bead-making, granulation, etc.  

The rest is self-taught.  I taught myself how to etch silver, pretty much through trial and error. 

That's basically how I got to where I am today. The drawing skills are innate, the metalsmithing I learned through a few beginner classes, and the etching is self-taught.   I find that the more I create, and the more I allow myself to take technical risks, the better my work gets. I'll just keep on playing and see where it takes me :)

Now you can click on these links and see my team members' posts on the topic:

Andes Cruz: http://andescruz.wordpress.com/

Tess Norberg/ Nova Designs: http://www.nova-designs.blogspot.com/
Bill Martin/ Purified Art: http://purifiedart.blogspot.com
Sand Fibers: http://sandfibers.blogspot.com
Emily Watson/ Metal Emily: http://nocoloratall.tumblr.com/
Susan Moloney: http://susarto.blogspot.com/  
Jewelry by Natsuko: http://jewelrybynatsuko.blogspot.com/
Tosca Teran/ Nanopod: http://nanopod.wordpress.com/ 
Bella-Bijou Jewellery: http://bellabijoujewellery.blogspot.com/
 Beth Cyr: http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
 Lisa Hopkins Design: http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com/ 
Metalriot/ Thomasin Durgin: http://metalriot.blogspot.com/ 
NEDbeads/ Nancy Dale: http://nedbeads.blogspot.com/
 Tamra Gentry – http://www.jewelrydesignchronicles.com/
 Rosy Revolver/ JJ Papke- http://rosyrevolver.blogspot.com/
 Alisa Miller- http://alisamiller.blogspot.com\
 WATTO/ Mary Spencer- http://www.wattoonline.blogspot.com/

Work in Progress - Release the Kraken!

The Kraken drawing I've been working on
since forever ago is
finally, finalllllly ready.

Here are some quick work in progress pics for you.

\

Drawing

Raw etchings.
One will be a pendant, the other a copper belt buckle.

...

Kraken necklace

Little detail on the back.

You can find him here. Along with a
cool little description of what he's all about.

Running out the door now to 

meet up with girlfriends for pedicures

followed by sushi.

Octopus...yum.

:)

New seahorse ring

 Hold Fast

ring in sterling silver and chalcedony

featuring original hand drawn art

Seahorses are magical little curiosities of the sea. 

But they're so much more. 

These tiny but tenacious creatures, 

which are actually bony fishes, 

use their curled-up tails as anchors during times of turbulence.

Seahorses look dainty, but they hold fast and weather the storm. 

No wonder they represent strength and tenacity
and are considered a symbol of good luck and protection.

This adjustable ring, etched with my own hand-drawn art, 

features a seahorse on either side of a gorgeous, milky chalcedony stone 

and the words "hold fast" in my custom font.

My signature poppy tag and hallmark adorn the inside, too.

Wear it when you seek calmness over speed.

Wrap your fingers around it when you must navigate the seas 

with grace and patience.

The tenacity of the tiny seahorse is the ultimate characteristic 

of perseverance and strength.

You can find it here.

An October day at the park

I do these family posts as much for the sake of posterity
as I do to share my little world with you.

Stroll

Spin

Swoosh

Darling(s)

Zooom

Bliss

Love

Learning something new

This morning I took a little jaunt downtown to the studio of my new friend,
artist and seamstress Mary Sweeney of Felted Heart.
She's got such an eye for style.
You should see what she does with old cashmere sweaters.
The talent.
sigh

Mary is giving me sewing lessons,
specifically teaching me how to repurpose and restyle my old clothes.

Oh my gosh, I had so much fun at her amazing studio this morning. 

A bouquet of felt flowers decorates the studio.

Some books for inspiration and how-to.

I don't have much to show you yet.

Just a couple of  before pictures of the sweaters I'll be altering.

I've already removed the hood off this one.  

And this favorite-but-too-short sweater is going to be turned into a zip-up cardigan.
With all kinds of whimsical trims and stuff.

So stay tuned for more pics and posts as I delve into a whole new craft.
I'm so excited to be learning something new.

It's Friday 
!huzzzah!

Have a beautiful weekend.

Lots of love,

Alice :)