curvaceous. (not me, the earrings!)

i've been working on some decidedly curvy designs lately, and these are ones that have passed muster.  (my workspace is littered with remnants of copper and silver wire!)  these are lovely, with a little bit of a punky edge to them, but still quite feminine.  almost like a question mark, these are lightweight and seriously fabulous.  and, like all of my other open hoops (yes, i know i am using the term "hoop" quite loosely but i don't care) these are made of reclaimed sterling silver.  eco-friendly and cool!  seriously.

(not being very curvaceous, it might be the case that i'm living vicariously through these earrings.  sigh.)

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working. and not working.

 i have been blissfully off work for a week.  while it was planned vacation time, i find that it has served more of a stress leave than a vacation.  it's so amazing how spending time with your kid and family can really make the awfulness of work stress seem far away.  i know that when i go back on tuesday (yay, long holiday weekend!) things will start up again, but i'm hoping that i will be rested - and zen - enough to handle it all.  i'm thinking that september really can't be any worse than august was!

that being said, i also have been working on new jewelry offerings... i knew the time off would be good for my brain!  so check out the thick sinple 14K gold filled band (first picture) and this marvelous (if i do say so myself!) wedding ring stacking set!  matching a recycled "diamond" solitare with a beaded band and plain stacking ring, this is just fabulous.  alternative, yes.  romantic, even more so.  and an indication of more designs to come. 

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retro. seriously.

one of my sister's is on a retro kick. i don't know what triggered it, but yesterday she begged me for some old smiths' songs. and of course, since my iTunes folder is chock full of all that amazing "old" stuff, i've been compiling a playlist for her.

it's funny how music makes the soundtrack of our lives. i can totally remember listening to this song over and over again on my clunky sony walkman. and the joys of endlessly browsing on saturdays for the vinyl version of the album. oh morrissey, you strangely romantic maudlin creature.

i'm thinking i might need to dig out all those old records and get myself a usb turntable. just in case i need to go back to high school in my mind.

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except secretly i do.

secretly (or, maybe now, not so secretly), i love alt-country-folk music - corny, i know, but i do. the jayhawks, spirit of the west, the decemberists, scattered trees, and of course, the old 97's. their songs embody the feeling of driving across the southern US at twilight in an old truck, windows open, music loud. and that rhett miller isn't too bad to look at either - having toured as a solo artist with tori amos and neil finn just adds to his appeal.

the acoustic version of "designs on you" is even better than the studio version.  lyrically, it is one of my favorites. why can't i write poetry like this?   guess we all can't be born musically or poetically inclined.

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i heart wedding rings.

i love making wedding ring sets - i sold another custom engagement ring set yesterday and it brought tears to my eye.  i have had the absolute honor of saying "yes" to so many couples (fantastically enough, both same and opposite-sex - hooray for marriage!) to make their wedding rings.  sometimes, a diamond just doesn't cut it - and really, it's all about the relationship, not about appearances.  etsy does a wonderful feature on their blog about weddings that i read quite religiously because it amazes me how much more beautiful and sentimental handmade celebrations are.

to be part of this handmade revolution just tickles me pink.  i love knowing that someone decided to pick my designs to wear on their fingers to represent their intense feelings for another human being.  YAY LOVE!

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