crafty goodness. and a good cause!

one of my 'creative' goals this year was to participate in one craft show/vendor event this year (babies sure take up a lot of time so i am starting small) and it looks like it is going to happen (else i lose my booth fee!) so i have been working on some new things and bringing back some old designs in order to fill up the space that i've been assigned.  some previews...

double duty for the bulletin board that usually hangs above my desk at the office

new pink (yes, PINK!) whisper-thin hoops... i am test-driving them as we speak to see how they hold up.  but they sure look pretty.

so i will be at the "Women/Men That ROCK!" event in Newmarket, ON, helping to raise money for "Look Good Feel Better", an organization that helps people with cancer get through treatment and beyond.  the details are HERE - tickets are only $10 and is all ages!  i am donating a portion of the proceeds to this cause too - because it's amazing. 

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Rizzoli & Isles... and The Lovely Smith! (not to mention another Nerdy sighting)

so last week was pretty momentous for my little bitty jewelry line.... my earrings showed up on the gorgeous Carla Houston on one of my favorite shows, TNT's Rizzoli & Isles on this season's episode 16!  it was so amazing to see them live in action and know that she loved them too.  thanks as always to The Artisan Group for the opportunity!  you can get a pair of your very own HERE.

the girls and i were also amazed to see Rosanna Pansino wearing her fingertip knot ring on her Nerdy Nummies "PI Day Pie" YouTube episode - and no one wears it like she does!  you can get one from me HERE!

it's always so gratifying to see people wearing my designs and makes it all worthwhile.  next up - i think i will be doing my first craft show in FOREVER, so stay tuned!

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geeking out... over nerdy nummies & Rosanna Pansino!

so my blogging has taken a backseat to practically everything else in my life.  this, in particular, can be attributed to my family taking over every computer in the house to watch YouTube.  sigh.  i am hoping that my new LG Android phone will help solve that problem.  (it definitely has helped with my new Instagram addiction.  thank you, Android!  let's hope i can figure out the blogger app!)

my almost-6-year-old daughter loves Rosanna Pansino, the awesomely geeky baker girl from Nerdy Nummies, and we love watching her.  so, she gets it into her head that we need to send her some jewelry.  we pick a ring (as seen above), and off it goes into the mailbox to Nerdy Nummies heaven.

today, i am scrolling through Instagram and...

YIPPEE!!!!!  needless to say, we are BEYOND thrilled.  and of course, it looks perfect on her!  thanks, Rosanna - for supporting us indie handmade artists!!!!

want one for your very own?  check it out HERE - you can pick from sterling silver, rose gold filled, or Rosanna's 14K gold filled version!

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the art of neglect... and a pre-holiday sale!

so i've been quite neglectful of this blog and i'm sort of embarrassed.  i look back at past posts and like seeing where i've been and what was inspiring.  so now, i am posting again - admittedly, because i'd like to show off some of the things i've been working on in the rare spare moments i've had between the family, The Walking Dead, and the day job. 

gifted to the stylist of "BONES" - not sure if they'll use it, but i sure love mine!

fingers crossed - these babies were chosen for an unnamed TNT network show - i'll let you know when the episode airs!

the latest incarnation of my fidget rings - 'jewelry for anxious people' as dubbed by my friend Anne-Marie from 'do not faint'

i've been working on expanding my "fidget" jewelry.  i've had some amazingly positive feedback from customers who have said that their fidget rings from my shop have worked better than any therapy or medication to help them with their symptoms.  seriously - it makes everything - EVERYTHING - worth it and fuels me all the more to keep making them.

and of course, in celebration of the holidays, from today until December 1st, 2014, everything in my shop is 15% off with the coupon code "NOVEMBER15"!  it's not to early to start your holiday shopping!!!!!

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oxidized.

so I am sure that the dude who requested photos of this ring oxidized isn't going to order it but it was neat to dig out the liver of sulfur compound and play chemist for an afternoon.  I love how the dark patina roots itself deep into the details, which really makes for an amazing look.  I think I like it.

 

 

here is the ring right after being dipped in the solution.  it was a beautiful blue-black but it obscured the detailing.  probably after some wear it would have buffed the black somewhat, which might have revealed the detailing some more, but I'm not a huge fan of this look.  

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custom made.

some of the most beautiful things I end up making come out of the mind of someone else.  I am just loving this gorgeous stack of sterling rings.  who knew the spinnerettes could look so stunning along with the other textures here?  (too bad they are too small for me or I would have considered stealing them.)

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new.

have been working on some new ideas and a pretty fantastic custom order.  above - twelve skinny stacking rings - six in sterling, six in 14K gold fill - as per a customer's request.  love love love them.

another view of the rings. 

some mini fingertip rings - not sure if they're shop-worthy yet but I quite like them.  I am afraid to test drive them though in case I lose them.

and a larger size version of the wavy fingertip ring.  reminds me of the sine/cosine wave that they taught us in trigonometry.  too bad I failed trig - this would have been a nice tribute to the subject.

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marry me.

I've had the honor of having been asked to make jewelry for several weddings over the past few months.  I love the idea of brides giving my rings to their bridesmaids!  these 14K gold filled knot rings are heading off to a wedding in Georgia.  oh, love.

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holiday.

so I am seriously guilty of abandoning my blog. in the return back to work and the end of my maternity leave and then the rapid onset of the holidays, this little space has been neglected. i'm hoping in the new year I can get back to posting - resolutions, much? watch this space for boxing day and new year sales - they are coming up and you can save big!!! in the meantime, I am posting my favorite Christmas song - a bit of a guilty pleasure - and wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season.

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round and round.

I've always loved the open hoop concept and now I have a new design in the shop - with a nod to my art history background.  Spiral Jetty, anyone?  you can get your own pair right HERE, right now!

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new in the shop...

showing off some new creations - I have been working on my bezel settings as well as some new additions to the Celestial line and the fidget rings.  thoughts?

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inspired.

 

surprisingly, the last week or so has brought with it a burst of creativity - probably because it is the last official week of the summer and time to play is quickly running out.  plus the mini has been playing some pretty awesome musical picks lately - and good music always fosters good ideas!  here are some sneak peeks of some of the fall designs soon to come in the shop!

 

 

starry starry night faceted sterling silver skinny rings

 

sterling silver 'halo' ring

 

double orbital sterling silver ring

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parenthood

so here I am, showing off another submission in consideration for one of my absolutely favorite shows, NBC's Parenthood.  courtesy of the Artisan Group, these 'comet' earrings (which incidentally are part of my celestially inspired fall line) will be included with 79 other works of art in a shipment to the Parenthood stylist - and hopefully chosen for someone (ahem - AMBER) to wear in season 5.

so fingers crossed, nothing ventured, nothing gained right?

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more monoliths!

I don't think words can even tell you how much I love this new ring stack.  seriously GORGEOUS.

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little monoliths.

I've been on an eco-friendly kick these days and have been using up a lot of the scrap metal that I have been collecting over the years.  i'm pretty thrilled with what I have come up with so far - including these little beauties! 

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tied up.

get your mind out of the gutter.  I am referring to this sweet little bow necklace, the result of a custom order for one of my beautiful brides.  her lucky flower girl will be the recipient of this at the September wedding!  available now in the shop - click here to view!  I think that rings may be soon to follow...

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reclaimed.

I've been experimenting with some of the s-crapload (pun intended) of sterling odds and ends that I have lying around, and i'm really happy with these hammered reclaimed 'pebble' rings.  nothing like making silver molten, then hammering it into a lovely organic shape.  the texture is pretty awesome too. 

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the vampire diaries. part deux.

this is my second round of submitting a design to the stylist of the CW's show "The Vampire Diaries" - the first time I think I was a little timid and didn't stick my neck out design-wise (I sent a pair of my wishbone earrings - while they are classic earrings, they just don't have that WOW factor).  so I spent some time sketching and thinking and came up with these sterling silver and rose gold filled lovelies.  originally, it was going to be a necklace, but the focal just didn't feel right.  (plus unless it is a simply designed necklace, it just isn't me) 

the husband took a look and said that he thought they would work much better as a pair of earrings, and I have to admit, I agree.  (obviously, he has great taste)  I whipped up a pair of rose gold filled earwires, added the circular rounds, soldered them shut and threw them into the tumbler.  and here is the finished product!  it was also my first time experimenting with the free version of PicMonkey, which was really cool. 

so off they go next week to be included in the stylist's package... here's hoping that one day next season they end up in Mystic Falls!

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just added this dreamy set of rose gold filled and sterling silver skinny stacking rings to the shop.  totally forgot how awesome they look. 

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stud.

In my nearly non-existent spare time, I have been trying to perfect my technique for soldering posts onto my earrings because I have been enamored with the idea of utilizing sterling scrap (between Julie and myself we generate tons of scrap) - it's the eco-friendly part of me I suppose.  so now I finally am happy with the results and am introducing these recycled sterling stud earrings into my repertoire!  using a combination of solder and fusion, I've been able to solidly attach sterling posts onto wonderfully rough and organic recycled silver "buds".  so yummy.

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