Inspiration Comes in Many Different Forms

Have you ever been aware of the things that inspire you?  Since I've been designing jewelry, my inspiration has come in many different forms.  Most of the time, it's something that I've stumbled across.  For example, while helping one of my daughters clean out her basement recently (fulfilling my "urge to purge"), I found a piece of costume jewelry that gave me a great idea about a new design using freshwater pearls.  Sunday I sat in church with my friend who wore turquoise and coral...it was stunning!  So now I'm trying to think of what I can design using that color combination.

Last year, I made a great necklace for my daughter for her birthday (with my sister's help).  It has to be one of my favorites and, I have to say, it was really tough parting with it.  The other day Deb said, "Mom, every time I wear that necklace, it makes my heart happy."  As she studied it further, she was inspired to decorate her bedroom with those colors and wants to hang a framed picture of the necklace to document her inspiration.  She even sent me a link to a comforter set she found online that will work perfectly with her "Butterfly Hugs necklace bedroom." Let's just hope her hubby won't mind the new theme.  <insert smiley face here>

Here's the picture that will be framed:

I really can't wait to see how she ties this all together...but with her talent for decorating, I'm sure it will look awesome!

While it wasn't planned, it's been rather nice having the time to bring some of my inspirations to life in the form of jewelry.  If you have an idea for a special piece of jewelry to go with that special outfit, please let me know and I will be more than happy to work with you.

Let me just put in a plug for Mother's Day - it's right around the corner, and handcrafted jewelry makes a great gift!

Inspiring minds really want to grow!

Carole

Amazing Grace! How Sweet!

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Lynne asked if I would donate a piece of jewelry to a charity event for Kid's First, an organization in which she and her husband are involved.  I jumped at the opportunity for several reasons, and for those of you who know a little bit about my life's journey, I'm sure you understand why.  For the benefit of my new friends, let me tell you that one of my daughters has gone through the trauma of divorce.  Enough said?

As I was contemplating which item to donate to the Fundraising Gala, I found myself in a dilemma.  There was something special about each piece, but I wasn't sure if the "special-ness" would be appreciated by those who were going to be bidding on it.  Again, for those who know me well, I am very critical of my work and I over-think things a lot!  (Just ask my girls...it's a point of frustration for them, I'm sure!)  But to my defense, I didn't want to donate just anything without first thinking about the audience and the occasion.  It's just part of the drill for me...so I prayed for wisdom.

This particular necklace had not yet been named.  Of course it needed a name, so as I photographed and measured it, I sat quietly looking at it.  Thinking about "Kid's First"...and the mission behind this organization, I realized that going through these life events takes a whole lot of GRACE!  Yes, I have watched my daughter show grace when I just wanted to lash out.  Yes, there's been lots of tears, but  grace abounds for the kid's sake!

Here's a picture of sweet "Grace" that will be an item at the Gala.  It's a black and red Kumihimo necklace with matching earrings.  (pronounced koo-mee-hee-mo)   Kumihimo is the art of braiding eight strands of beads together and dropping one bead at a time as the cords are interlaced.

I'm not going to apologize for the seriousness of this post...it's life, we all go through "stuff" and folks, I just want to keep it real.  Let's face it...we need lots and lots of grace...it makes the burden lighter.  And there are times when I need people to show me some grace, too!

"God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other." ~R. Neibuhr

I am so excited to see what this "Grace" can do...and I hope she gently and sweetly hugs the neck of the person who is the highest bidder!  

Go With Grace!
Carole
 

More Than Just Tax Day For Me!

For most of you reading this blog post, today is the day when taxes are due to be filed.  And in our case, checks are required to accompany the tax filing form!  As important as that may be, it's not what April 15th means to me.

Thirty-three years ago today, I gave birth to a beautiful blonde baby girl!  Even though she came into this world in a breach position, she was a blessing beyond words.  You see, I had difficulties with my pregnancies, so we were very happy she was born healthy and on her due date!

The night before she made her appearance, my hubby told her that it would be best for our schedules if she would come out on Saturday, April 15th.  (Yes, he did talk to her while she was bumping my belly with her feet and fists.) It was a long holiday weekend for him and her older twin sisters had school vacation, so they could go stay with their grandparents while we were in the hospital.  We were both shocked when she listened and was obedient! (something she found very challenging later on in life ;o)

Of course, this was all before ultra sounds, so we had no idea the gender of our baby.  My dad, who loved to write music, wrote a lullaby before she was born and it was for a baby girl.  Somehow, he knew. But the Raggedy Ann and Andy nursery theme would seem to work for either one, so we were ready to rock and roll with a new baby...boy or girl!

Wow...thirty-three years has flown, but I just marvel at the journey and what a wonderful woman Mandy Lynn has become.  As I watch her make her family her priority, my heart is happy.

I sat down the other day and made her a birthday necklace and earrings set.  It was similar to one I had made last month that she had tried to slip it on and hope that I would let her wear it home.  Nice try, but I haven't lost all of my senses yet.  Here is a picture of her necklace...

Mandy sent me a message last night saying that she received a compliment on her necklace while dining out with her family down in Florida. It's awesome when complete strangers compliment your jewelry!  This piece is really stunning in person...and shouts "SUMMER" with the aqua and white combination.  If you check out my Etsy shop, you'll find the original version available to order.  Also, if you would like some earrings to match, I would be happy to add those for only $10 more.

Happy April 15th to you, but a big, loving Happy Birthday to my dear daughter!

Cheers to you today!
Carole

"Breaker, Breaker, 1-9...Do You Copy?"

Last week I posted about having had a day with two "trips down Memory Lane."  My first was about a trip to the Southwest.  My second trip was about the days of CB Radios...do you remember those? Like a GPS is today, we knew a good many people whose vehicles were equipped with a squawky radio.  Many road trips were spent listening to other people talking to each other and our trucker friends giving all listeners a head's up on all "Bears taking pictures" (police with radar) sitting in "hiding" just waiting to pull over the drivers who were in a hurry to get somewhere!  Ahhh...and we thought that was high tech and fancy lingo!

You may be wondering why this trip came into my mind while making jewelry.  Very good question.  It actually came to me while I was naming one of my latest necklaces.  Back in the day, those of us who had the luxury of owning a CB (citizen band) radio, also had a "handle"...a radio alias that our friends could use to "call" us if we were tuned into the same channel.  My "handle" was Blonde Copper...which was quite creative since I was blonde and drove a copper-colored station wagon!

As I was working on this beautiful copper necklace and thinking about its potential name, "Blonde Copper" came to mind in an instant.  It seemed perfect!  Again combining copper and pewter, this wrap necklace is contrasted with black rondelle-shaped crystals and oval black onyx.  Of course, what's a blog post without pictures?

 
It's fun...it's trendy...and it goes with so many different color combinations.  You will find more details after I list it on Etsy.

Oh, and one more point of trivia...my hubby's handle was "Dead Eye." I have to say, we made a great CB couple!  (And I bet you can figure out how he got his name.)

10-4 Good Buddy...it's Over and Out.

Catch ya on the flip flop...
Carole

Practice Makes Perfect? Perfection Can Be My Enemy!

Just to give you a little background...last summer as I was getting more serious about having my own little business, I enlisted the help of my "adopted son" and artist/art teacher, Guy. As he listened to my ideas about my business name and logo, he drew it out on paper and emailed it to me. We talked more...and when he came for a visit, he perfected the logo, took me in another direction with the name, and came up with great business cards. We had an awesome time.  When we parted, he told me that I was going to make him a ring one day.  I did a huge LOL!

To my surprise, last October I learned how to make nesting beaded wire wrapped rings with my special ring mandrel, and sold several of those around Christmas time. (thanks in part to my friend, Rachel) I still thought about Guy's challenge for ring-making and got the LOL down to a loud chuckle.

Yesterday, I was inspired by a book I had picked up in my travels on Saturday, and sat down to tackle yet another style of ring.  I sat in my studio for four hours practicing on this new technique!  Rather than practice with sterling silver, I practiced with parawire.  As the saying goes...a picture is worth a thousand words, so rather than try to describe my efforts, here is a picture of my three practice rings:

I have to admit they are rather lame, but at least you get the idea of it.  The one that is sitting on the hand was the first one I made...and the bead swivels when you take it off.  I did LOL when I was done. I just wasn't "feelin' it", if you know what I mean.

After I was done with the silver one (on the right), I decided I would just take a deep breath and start making one in 16 gauge sterling silver.  Now in case you don't know a lot about silver wire, 16 gauge takes all the strength I have to bend...and this ring requires a considerable amount of bending.  Then I decided to hammer it before forming it to the ring mandrel.  The hammering makes the silver wire even harder, by the way.  Finally!  After bending, hammering, forming, and polishing, I had something that made me smile...really smile!  Here it is:

I was delighted with the outcome and then, of course, my mind wouldn't shut down last night. I looked at it closely and yes, I saw imperfections. Then I tried to think of another design that might work better. It was so ridiculous, that I forced myself to turn the light out at 12:30 and do a "hard shutdown" of my brain! It worked.

This morning my mind was back at it again, and I had decided not to be so critical of my efforts with the ring.  Thing is...I really want to be able to make a ring for Guy that will please that artistic eye of his!  I can only hope that someday soon I'll come up with something that he'll love.

Here is my second attempt to make a sterling silver ring.

Remember how I did a LOL at the mention of making rings?  Oh wow, here I sit trying to master it!  I'm going to keep practicing and practicing...since at the moment I don't think it's beyond the scope of my reach!  However, I cannot let perfection be my enemy...that's what makes "handcrafted" so special...you see the marks of the artist's bending tools and hammer.

And in case you're wondering, both of these are approximately size 8. (they fit my middle finger) If you're interested in having one made in your size, let me know!

Moving forward in leaps...one day at a time!
Carole

Man, Did I Trip Down Memory Lane

Today was one of those days when I made a trip down Memory Lane twice!  It's been a quiet, snowy, jewelry-making sort of day and it felt good to stay inside where it was warm and cozy rather than venturing outside.  So here's the first trip I took down the lane...

I found a double stranded necklace that I had bought on one of my trips to the southwest.  If you've ever made a trip to that part of the country, you might have seen Native American folks selling beautiful handcrafted jewelry.  We found them showcasing their items on blankets in rest stop areas and on tables in the center of small towns.  I bought a silver and malachite necklace and had apparently hung it on a hook in my closet and forgot about it...until this morning when I stumbled across it.  Honestly, I didn't recognize it at first...it was black...the silver had tarnished so bad I thought I would have to throw it out.  Since silver has really gone up in price, and I'm a bit cost conscious these days, I decided I would try to clean it up.  I found the silver cleaner, started to scrub and memories of that trip started floating through my mind.  As the silver began to sparkle a little bit, I was a little irritated that I hadn't thought to take a "before" picture.  But, I do have an "after" picture to use as a show-n-tell...here it is...

So, I was inspired to make my own version of this 1990's style of necklace.  Of course, I still have a couple of finishing touches to make, but I wanted to include it in this blog post now just so you get the idea of what it looks like.

I haven't decided what to name it yet, but as I take the final steps to complete it and take better photos of it, I'm sure it will come to me.

Phew, I'm tired from all of that "traveling" I did today!

Moving forward one day at a time...
Carole