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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drawing the line.

my new linear reclaimed sterling silver stud earrings - now here in the shop.  new favorites, I think - these are so sparse and minimal and striking - the simplest line drawing done up in precious metal.  rose gold and 14K gold filled versions to follow!

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still here. still waiting.

yup, i'm still here, still waiting for this baby to make his/her appearance... and it looks like this kid is taking his/her sweet time!  which is okay - just uncomfortable.  i haven't been venturing far from the house, just in case something happens, which has given me some time to work on some of the designs that have ended up in my sketchbook.  i'm loving the geometric linear-ness of the open hoops in the photo above, and think that they might be my new favorites!  a little bit new wave, a little bit minimalist, they are lightweight and really quite stunning, if i do say so myself!

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hip to be square.

so i think i've mastered the round hoop, and i've been experimenting a little with other angles (ahem, pun intended) i am quite happy with these thoroughly modern, slightly asymmetrical, sparse sterling hoops.  fashioned out of lightweight sterling, i think these just might be my new favorites.  watch for them in the shop...

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no ambition?

so i am slightly torn. at the organization where i work, a management position has come up in the program where i got my start. at one point, i even was the coordinator of the program. life happened though, and i left to focus on my home life. which i do not regret in the least, and it was probably the best decision i could have made. however, yesterday, the coordinator position was posted again. and of course, my first instinct was to apply. but my gut feeling said "don't do it". there are lots of reasons why i should, and lots of reasons why i shouldn't, but i realized that part of me feels like if i don't, will it mean that my ambition has dried up and blown away? and part of me thinks, who cares? maybe it's an ego thing, maybe it's a pride thing, but i think if i don't throw my hat in the ring, that there is something wrong with me. gah. darn you, human feelings!

so while i struggle with the career dilemma, i am adding another design to my spinnerette collection - the earrings for anxious people. i've taken my itsy bitsy hoops and added a tiny, gorgeous faceted sterling silver nugget... perfect for fidgeting with as one contemplates life's dilemmas.

so i thought about it, and thought about it

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story time. or the tale of the sterling silver hoops.

once upon a time, a young musician set across the country from seattle on a tour with his band.  before he left, he gave his sweetheart a set of silver hoops earrings that were his and asked her to keep them safe until his return.  after a tearful goodbye, he left her standing in the rain and promised to write.

soon after, the young musician met the real love of his life in a crowded club in a sleepy corner of texas, and, following his heart's desires, swept her off her feet, and married her.

when he returned to his hometown and to the girl whose heart he had broken, he begged for her forgiveness, asked her to give him her blessing, and for the earrings.

of course, she refused, and the young man left bereft, to continue his life with his beloved bride.

the years passed, and the young man could not get the earrings out of his mind, even though he did not regret for one moment the rest of what happened with his love life.  despite several written to his ex, asking for the earrings, she would not release them back to him.  one day, sitting at his computer, halfway across the country from his wife, he searched high and low and finally found a pair that held all the promise and shine of the pair he had lost.  he purchased the set, sent one to his wife concealed in a love letter, and kept the other for himself.  and they lived happily ever after.

(t - soon these will be on their way to you!  enjoy - and i hope that these are luckier than your previous pair!)

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the open hoop. again.

 yes.  i am obsessed.  the idea of the open hoop earring is floating through my brain all the time lately (that and that darned katy perry song "california girls" - the mini is crazy over it and we've listened to it about 50 times in the last two days - don't ask) - probably because i have about 10 feet of gorgeous, reclaimed sterling silver sitting on my worktable and i can't stop myself from fooling around with it.  (oops.  that sounds kind of dirty.)  i just pulled these babies out of the tumbler and i think they are my new favorites.  they are a larger version than the ones i made earlier this week and are more along the lines of my "wishbone" earrings.  they are lightweight and just full of silvery shiny goodness - the little rustic balled ends are also a nice design element, i think.

i had asked my friend julie for her feedback on the earlier version and she said that she preferred the "wishbone" design rather than the crossover.  (like L, julie has impeccable taste and is a fantastic model for my jewelry - not the mention the inspiration behind the original mini open hoops)  and i think i have to agree.  i'm loving the more improvised, informal shape of these, as well as the softer lines and rounder forms.  i think that i'm going to make myself a killer iTunes playlist, melt a little metal, and go a little larger with the next set of earrings. 

hmmmm.  stay tuned for more.  i'm psyched.

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open hoops.

lately i've been thinking of other design possibilities for the 'open hoop'.  i have found that for someone accident-prone like i am, that these types of earrings seem to be the best choice.  not only are they lightweight and easy to wear, but they are less likely to fall out or be pulled out of shape (or out of my ear) by a small toddler.  i also love the organic look obtained by melting the end of the wire into a little ball and these on the right encompass all of those qualities.  i like the modern, linear quality of these - kind of a like a little punctuation mark for your ears (or maybe a safety pin?  punk throwback, much?) can't beat that, now can you? 

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