inital bangle.

as the last hours of my time off slips through my fingers, i'm posting these pictures of my latest design.  my vacation hasn't just been about making oddly placed tan lines or planting my vegetable garden (of course, there was a lot of that) but i also worked on my item to send to kaley cuoco.  after a few hours of browsing google images of the actress and her style, i finally decided to keep things simple and am going to send her this lovely sterling silver bangle with her first initial stamped in oxidized brushed brass.  the flash of pink is courtesy of a niobium jump ring, making this just a little more girly, without the frills.  i will also be offering these in my shop because i love them!  honestly, this would make the perfect bridesmaid gift or birthday present, don't you think?

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more spinning.

well, not in the handspun yarn/prick your finger on the spindle sort of way, but in relation to my spinnerette collection, and, as my friend Anne-Marie would say - "jewelry for anxious people"!  inspired by a custom request, i am now thrilled to show off these lovely sterling silver hammered hoops, accented by a rosy copper "spinnerette".  a beautiful mix of metals, this is another discreet way to fidget during meetings or appointments!  just lovely, and perfect for summer!  (and of course, available with a sterling or 14K gold filled "spinner" as well!)

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raw stones & silver.

lately i've been fascinated with raw, uncut stones and trying to set them in rustic claw settings, like a cocktail ring redux. i've pretty much given up - at least for now - on learning how to sink set, rub set, or properly seat cabochons, but the concept of a unstructured claw setting didn't seem so far out of reach.  i had some lovely rough, uncut turquoise lying around, so i based my ring design on one of those.  i used some scrap sterling that i had saved up and constructed a simple ring shank, but in the end, the setting was way too large for the stone i had chosen.  digging around in my inventory, i did find a center drilled hunk (seriously, there is no other word for this stone) of amethyst in deepest purples, and it fit.  while i am not too thrilled about the fact that the ring isn't what i initially envisioned, i am pretty pleased with the overall outcome.  the ring has also held up to the mini's rough and tumble testing - surprisingly - so i think i might try my hand at setting the smaller turquoise after all.

thoughts?

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finally. vacation.

i was just telling julie today that i never know that i need a vacation until i am forced to take one.  because my wonderful parents take care of the mini, most of the time my vacation is dictated by when they decide to set off to some jet-set location.  this time, they headed off to england, france and italy, but, even better than that, i get to stay home with my girl for a blissful almost-two-weeks.  while the first day was a little rocky as we adjusted to being home together again, we have already settled into a lovely, summertime routine of walk, park, garden, wading pool, nap and play.  we have snuck some cleaning and reorganizing in, (maybe it's my nesting instinct, maybe it's the fact that this kid has more toys than anyone else i know and it's slowly taking over the house) but for the most part, it's been easy and relaxing.  plus we are both rockin' some sunkissed cheeks.

it also gives me some time to work on idea on what to gift the lovely kaley cuoco, star of "the big bang theory".  i have to admit, i am not a fan of the show, but kaley has a really cool, laid back style that i admire, and now through the Artisans Group, i have the opportunity to send her something that's representative of my jewelry making style.  now to just figure out in the next few days what to send her... nothing like gifting a hot, young starlet to make me feel like a frumpy old momma.

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