black fingers

Jack Rabbit Necklace

Jack Rabbit up close and personal

Proud momma, proud maker.

My fingers went black after this piece.  That's when I knew it was good.  The tips began their callous repairs, and my nails...well, no real metal-smith has nice nails.  They're usually smothered in overgrown skin, dirt under the tips, chewed sections just to get that dead skin from hanging off.  Yeah.   That's the nitty gritty.  That's what I love about this work.

The beauty of the the piece.

The ugliness of the nails.

The pictures, my God, the pictures of the finished product.

Butterflies fill my heart.

choices

 Having a four and a half year old, I am very aware that being able to make choices are no small thing.  They are, in fact, what lets the body breathe.  Without option, without choice, we are limited to idea imagined by another.  

What an awful existence.  

I know too well the fear associated with following one's own true path, even if it is not shared with associates.  Silence or inner rejection fill the mind reminding you once again... you're not what they want.  Well who is "they"?  A collection of people.  I caught myself more often than not disapproving of their choices.  Makes creating and photographing one's self that much more exhilarating.  I'm not used to showing myself the way I see myself.  Blogging, as it turns out, happens to be a simple means of expressing what I consider me.  

Still Waters Necklace

Signature Curious Rabbit stamp with 3 dots

Calm Waters Necklace is reversable

Water Drop Ring

Ripple goes on and on...

Comfort, as always.

Karen Hill Tribe

Amethyst, sterling silver, karen hill tribe silver

I've been a fan of Karen Hill Tribe Silver for quite some time. I have plenty of charms left over from the days when I used to sell it. Today I thought it would be sweet to incorporate hill tribe into my soldering work. Low and behold, here is what came about.

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I suppose it's because it is so different from what I've been making. I can't really figure out why I'm not super proud of this design.

It looks like grape clusters to me. Even though they are flower buds. Perhaps I'm being overly critical, which I'm apparently a professional in when it comes to my work.

Back in the Saddle Again

It really is like climbing on a horse that you've fallen off of many times. Perhaps I've been bruised, knees scraped, fingers broken, and yet...something about this horse named Etsy, well, I just love her. She's so appealing to me, even if I haven't been successful with her I just keep trying. Here's my new work. "Peacock Teardrop" I have faith in her, and myself. And I'm not going to fall off this time! I'm taking the reins and galloping as fast as she can go!