back to school

indieNC is now offering classes craft, design, and business classes. i will be teaching a couple metals courses. the first one is beginning soldering on Thursday, July 22 from 7-9 pm. all classes are held in downtown Raleigh. sign up here. register for any class by July 1st and receive a 10% discount. more classes to be announced.

old work ... new photos

the weather finally cooperated and i was able to get some new photos taken of a couple of my feather pieces.

new for the Rock & Shop

horray, The Rock & Shop is tomorrow! and i've been working hard to get ready. maybe even a bit too hard, as i've gone overboard in making pieces for the show and am not sure there will be enough space to display all of them. opps! however, that means there will be tons of new designs for you to check out, and of course all the old favorites will be there too. some of the higlights, found object necklaces (courtesy of all my great antique store finds last week), vintage flower and hardware earrings, and after much procrastination, i've added some new enamels to my collection. i am especially excited to debut my new Crater Ring collection.
if you've never been to the Rock & Shop before be sure to get down to Tir Na Nog between 1 and 5 tomorrow, grab a drink, listen to some great music, do a little shopping (or better yet, a lot of shopping). if you have been then you know you don't want to miss out.

treausre hunt

The Rock & Shop market is less than two weeks away, and i have a lot to do before then in order to be prepared. i was feeling a bit burned out, so i decided to step out of the studio this afternoon and make a quick trip to the antique store and see what new treasures they had in stock. i found tons of great supplies; old keys and estruscans, vintage medals, cuff links, buttons and sequins, a pair of tiny dice, and a great old mason jar, among others. first thing i did when i got home was dump everything out on the table for inspiration, and i couldn't resist snapping a few photos. i have so many ideas for new designs now and i can't wait to start creating with my new finds. be sure to stop by Tir Na Nog for The Rock & Shop on June 20th to see the results in person.

buttoned up

i have a bit of an obsession with vintage buttons, and am constantly scouring antique stores, flea markets and yard sales searching for new additions to my collection. i justify this obsession because i use them in my jewelry designs, but that is not my real motivation. in fact i would be content to just sit for hours (and i often do) just looking at and sorting said buttons, thinking about their past owners and what their lives may have been like.
vintage buttons are not just lovely to look at, but they have a deeply personal quality. who were the people who owned these buttons? what was their life like? what memories do these tiny bits of glass, shell, and metal hold? weddings, first dates, funerals, a new dress for easter, grandmother's sewing room. each one is like a single word, a fragment of a history, part of a story. a glass jar containing shards of memories, not quite lost.

a quick search on Etsy led me to some beautiful designs made with vintage buttons.

1. clover ring: IdleHandsDesigns 2. back side of clover ring: IdleHandsDesigns 3. buttons on wire: lorelei1141 4. earrings with 3 buttons: QuenchMetalWorks 5. lattice bracelet: PreciousMeshes 6. mirror flower charm: CleverEndeavor 7. midnight flower necklace: KiraFerrer 8. cuff with vintage buttons: NinaGibsonDesigns 9. calico button ring: PetalMetal

tag...your it!

a few months ago i was tagged by an amazing metalsmith danielle embry who makes, among other things, these beautiful seed pods. after quite a long while procrastinating, i decided it was finally time to take my turn. anyway the rules are you have to write seven random facts about yourself then tag seven others to do the same.

so seven random facts about myself.
1. i think the octopus is the most amazing animal on the planet. i watched a documentary about them a few years ago and have been fascinated ever since.

2. if i could choose anyone in history to meet, it would definitely be leonardo da vinci.

3. i hate science but love looking at anatomy books and models. i love going to science museums to look at the skeletons.

4. when i was in 3rd grade we read an article in school, about how we were going to colonize the moon by2010. for years my plan for the future involved volunteering to go with the first group of colonists. i was very disappointed when i finally realized this was not going to happen.

5. i love patterned or colored socks but i don't like for them to match my outfit

6. i am terrified of birds, but love using their feathers in my jewelry.

7. i have a collection of random items that i found on the ground. i keep thinking i will make something with them but never do. i like to take them out from time to time and look at them.

tag... your it:
1. sara westermark
2. erica stankwytch bailey
3. lori flanders
4. betsy carr
5. johanna ely
6. ellie snow
7. michelle smith

THE RULES AND REGS: *Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.* Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their name as well as links to their blog.* Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

grand opening [metamorph supplies]

i am moving all of my handmade supplies from my metamorph Etsy shope next door to metamorphSupplies. i have expanded my line of supplies and felt that my original shop was starting to feel a bit crowded. the move will take place gradually over the next few weeks. during that time supplies will be available in both locations, and i am more than happy to combine shipping costs. keep and eye on the new store for new styles of links and earwires, and for larger quantities of old favorites.