Miró Earrings

Miró Earrings- sterling silver, copper, enamel

Last week I filled up a punch card at my local bead store and received $50 in store credit. Woohoo! As you can imagine, it was burning a hole in my pocket, so yesterday I stopped by to cash it in. One of the things I picked up was a package of glass threads for enameling. As I laid out the multicolored threads on the white background, i was reminded of the paintings of Joan Miró and got the idea to start a series of jewelry inspired by various artists. I'm very excited about this project, in addition to providing a challenge it will be a great way to refresh and expand my art history knowledge. As they are completed, I will post the pieces along with a brief history and explanation on the blog.

First up Miró:

Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan surrealist painter and sculptor known for his experimental painting style. Miro's contempt for traditional painting methods, which he felt supported the bourgeois society led him to famously declare an "assassination of painting" and to pioneer his theory of four-dimensional painting. His work is recognized by flat organic shapes and sharp lines.

Et Fixe Les Cheveux D'une Etoile

{tiny pools of color}

{tiny moon pendants} enameled copper, sterling silver

The Freedom of the Moon

I've tried the new moon tilted in the air
Above a hazy tree-and-farmhouse cluster
As you might try a jewel in your hair.
I've tried it fine with little breadth of luster,
Alone, or in one ornament combining
With one first-water start almost shining.

I put it shining anywhere I please.
By walking slowly on some evening later,
I've pulled it from a crate of crooked trees,
And brought it over glossy water, greater,
And dropped it in, and seen the image wallow,
The color run, all sorts of wonder follow.

--Robert Frost

a quick snapshot of some new work.

{on the bench}

{slightly organized chaos}

the 2011 show schedule is in full swing and i'm loving it. its a little hectic, but i love staying busy and it gives me an excuse to spend extra time in my new studio. in addition to working on some new designs for my own shows, i've been making lots of supply orders so others can get ready for theirs.  this means my bench is currently covered with clusters of rings, headpins and partially completed jewelry.

{tiny bud stack}

find me this weekend at the Durham Art Walk. i'll be on the upper level of the Arts Council building, 120 Morris St. 10-5 saturday & 1-5 sunday.

{poppies}

{oxidized poppy earrings}

i've been taking advantage of this last lull before the show season gets in full swing, and used the extra time to create some new designs for the line. you can find them on etsy or drop by the studio friday evening to see them in person. kiona and i are celebrating our beautiful new space with a {grand opening} event for the the first friday art walk. we are having a drawing for two $50 gift certificates, you get one entry just for coming and additional entries for every $20 that you spend.

{enameled poppy ring}

{poppy ring}

{organic buds}

{trunk show}

Find me on First Friday from 6-10 pm for a trunk show, at Stitch.  I'll have lots of new style with me.

{including...}

enamel studs

brand NEW for 2011

{organic studs}- enameled copper on sterling silver posts

did i mention, i'll have rings also :)

{enamel}

{cluster drip necklace}

i'm really excited about this new series of organic enameled pieces and spent all weekend in the studio working on them.  its refreshing to feel so inspired by a project, so often i find that i get bogged down with production work and begin to loose motivation.  i'm making a pact with myself to allow more time for experimentation and new challenges.  in the works for next week, are stacking rings and small cluster necklace.

{budding vine necklace}

{enamel cluster necklace}

{black friday} sale

now is the time to get your holiday shopping knocked out. i'm running a promotion in my {etsy} store through {midnight} monday. use the code THANKS15 and receive 15% off your entire purchase.

NEW {tiny bird silhouette necklace} just listed today

june news

i can't believe june is almost over! this year is really flying by at an alarming speed and summer is in full swing. so far june has been a hot one, and tomorrow it might make it to 100 degrees. yikes! i think 100 is too hot to even go to the pool. our air conditioning has been on the fritz, but the ac guy was back out here today and i'm keeping my fingers crossed that its finally back up and running at 100%.

in other news, i heard back from the fire marshal's office and was able to get my "big" torch set up in the new studio. i'm so excited to break it out again and can't wait to start soldering with her.
i finally finished my wholesale linesheet thanks to Trunkt. if you haven't checked out the new Trunkt, you should. they recently revamped the site to a wholesale focus and are a great online host for linesheets. they have made several big improvements to the site and are in the process of adding even more features. i think its going to make it easier to manage the wholesale side of my business, which i am prone to neglecting. i made a few new designs yesterday, organic two tone hoops in oxidized brass and copper. i plan to debut these this weekend at the Greensprings Summer Arts Jam in greenville, nc. if you are in the greenville area you should stop by, its going to be a fun family event with music and art. i'll be there saturday, june 26, selling my jewelry and making beaded bracelets with the kids from 11 am until...
then next week its nose to the grindstone as i prepare for asheville and The
Big Crafty.

passage of time

its been a stressful week of ups and downs and several trips to the auto mechanic. i got my car out of the shop monday afternoon, just in time to have jackey's car towed in on wednesday after it started overheating on the way out of town. ugh.
i am however, caught up on my orders, so tuesday was a free day in the studio. yippie! i've been holding on to this watch case for the past year, trying to come up with the perfect design and i finally decided to tackle the task. i'm not sure if its 100% finished yet, but i'm pretty happy so far.


Passage of Time

sterling silver, american standard 19k rolled gold plated watch case and movement, key, vintage watch crystal, tintype, freshwater pearls

show season begins next week

the 2010 show season is about to begin! my first show of the year will be the Designer's Downtown Market this saturday, march 13 in downtown raleigh. stop by after the st. patty's day parade, say hi and check out the new designs i've been working on.

sterling silver, steel rifle cartridge, vintage glass bead

new this week

normally, i'm not a big fan of purple, but something about the light lavender color of these vintage rings really struck me. it seemed that they would be the perfect extension of my eternity necklace designs. i was really pleased with the results and have decided to begun a hunt for more vintage rings in other colors and materials. depending on my success, you may see more of these guys pop up in the store soon. for now you can find this design and the rest of the eternity collection on etsy.
i re-listed the final pair of spearmint strip earrings this morning. it is quite sad to see the end of these beads; they have such a great graphic quality to them, are the perfect weight and i just love the shape and color. i suppose this is the catch 22 or working with vintage materials. the older beads have a rarity and a quality that new beads just can't capture, but eventually, the supply will run out. however, i just ordered a big batch of new beads last month which means now is the time to put them to good use and to find some new favorites. also listed today, silver double hoops. these are not a new design but are new to etsy. simple and organic the double hoops are available in either a bright silver or oxidized finish.

ring in the new year

new rings
Originally uploaded by [metamorphosis]

this week marks the start of a new year and a new decade. which means that once again its time for new years resolutions. i have quite a few resolutions this year:
1. keep up with my bookkeeping monthly (instead of throwing all my paperwork and receipts into file folders and putting it off until the end of the year- scary!)
2. list at least one new design on etsy each week.
3. start a mailing list
4. build a larger backstock of supplies and components
5. keep my desk and work bench clean (this one probably won't happen but i give it an attempt each year)
6. make a schedule each week and stick to it
7. take some small business workshops at the local community college
8. update my blog and website more often
9. put my work in a few new stores.
#2 is the first one i plan to tackle, so be on the lookout for lots of new styles arriving in my etsy store over the next few weeks. here is a sneak peak of a few new ring designs.

button love

i made a trip to the flea market and my favorite local antique store over the weekend. i picked up five mason jars (among other things) which are now housing various collections around the house. while reorganizing my button collection i came across this beautiful faceted, clear glass button and was inspired to make this ring. its quite different than my normal style and provided a nice challenge and change of pace. i'm very happy with how it turned out, and am quite tempted to keep it for myself, however i had the forethought to know this would happen and went ahead and made it one size too big. since the rain finally decided to move on and the sun made an appearance today, i was able take some pictures and get it listed on etsy.