When I don't make jewelry

One of the people I most admire is Anne-Marie Faiola, the owner of Brambleberry, Otion and a self-proclaimed Soap Queen.  She has loads of ideas and energy which are infectious.  I got infected by a recent post on her blog about making whipped shea butter hand creme and it looked so yummy I wanted to make some immediately!!  So this post is inspired by Anne-Marie, who totally rocks!

It looked super easy so I invited my 6 yr old to help me out, it was lots of fun!  And it's cute to see him use it every night, too.

I ordered all the ingredients from Brambleberry:

Ingredients
14 oz Shea Butter
5 oz Coconut Oil (76 degree melt Coconut Oil)
6 ml your choice of fragrance oil
pipettes
Electric Mixer
4 ounce jars

Asher and I picked out the 'buttercream and snickerdoodle,' 'jasmine' and 'sweet grass' fragrances and we made 2 batches mixing them in different ways.  We came up with the names 'Jazzy Coco' and 'Damp Grass.'  Makes me laugh!

So once I ordered, I couldn't wait to get it all!  I know, I have no patience.  Until finally I got the shipment...

and we quickly unpacked it....

In addition to Asher, he brought his friend Hima, the stuffed cat who wants to help.

And then we got started, basically you just mix everything together just like baking.  Easy!  The shea butter looked delicious.

 mixing,

 mixing,

and finally it's finished!

Wow!!  And the final product all ready to give as gifts.

Thanks Anne-Marie for such a great project to do together with my little guy!

What about Love?

I had the dumb luck to run into an old friend of mine on the street a few weekends ago.  Pat is an incredible spirit, always looking on the bright side of things and a joy to be around.  We worked together at a jewelry company years ago and were both so happy to see one another and catch up on each other's lives.  So there was lots of hugging and jumping up and down when I saw Pat.

As it turns out, he's getting married!  And he asked me to make their wedding bands, right there on the street.  Sweet!  He's been together with his partner for 25 years and they are making a documentary about their journey together and what has led them to finally get married after all this time. 

I love being a small part of people's journey and creating a set of wedding bands is one of my favorite things to do as a jeweler.  I feel lucky whenever I get to work with a couple taking such a big step together, it's amazing to make such an important and symbolic piece of jewelry.  

Once we set up the appointment, Pat told me that his camera guy was going to film our meeting.  yikes.  I am not a fan of seeing myself on film (not that it happens often. okay never.) it just kinda freaks me out.  But I was determined not to let that get in the way of helping two people find the perfect rings for their union.  It's not about me anyway, it's about them.  And they are adorable.

Here I am, all dolled up for the meeting...

I'm wearing a silk dress (with pockets!), my faux diamond studs and my pyramid necklace.  Oh and MAKEUP.  And I wore a ponytail since I couldn't figure out what to do with my hair, which looks like this on a GOOD day...

And I used hair-straightening shampoo but it's just as frizzy.  Just let me be angry about it.

Well the meeting went just fine, we laughed, we reminisced and we talked about their wedding.  They are having a beautiful ceremony in a redwood grove in California, surrounded by friends and loved ones.  I suggested my bark texture rings in bronze.  And their faces lit up, in that way they do when you know something fits just right.  

A bit more about the couple.  Directly from them:  "Pat and Stephen are getting married in every state that currently allows same-sex marriage: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire. They are also getting married in California, where the legal status of same-sex marriage is still unresolved. Their final wedding will be in Washington, DC on their 25th anniversary. "

I'm so honored to be contributing in a small way, to make such meaningful rings for people who truly define love and commitment.  Pat and Stephen, you are an inspiration. 

Collaboration Nation

One of the things I like to do to give myself a jump-start in creativity is to work with another artist.  It can get kinda lonely all by myself in my studio doing the same thing over and over again.  So I look to my friends and other artists to get some artistic inspiration.

Last year I was very fortunate to meet an amazing, talented, smart, creative, successful and hilarious new friend:  Lorrie Veasey.  She's down-to-earth and so generous with both her time and her work, PLUS her gigantic studio is 2 blocks from my apartment/workshop.  And she has two adorable kids around the same age as my oldest so they get together and nerd-it-up big time.  Then we get to drink wine and laugh lots and lots.  She's a really goooood friend.  Anyway, she's a ceramicist by trade and a snarky commentator-on-life at heart.  And I'm so lucky to have met her.

Lorrie has been listening to me complain often about my photography.  And in her usual, uber-generous fashion, she offered for me to come by her studio and use her photo set-up.  Oh, and some of her work as props for my jewelry.  It was loads of fun, nice to be out of my own space and great to see her work up close and personal.

Here's a shot of my ring on one of her ring holders:

And here is her ring holder in it's entirety:

And it's already sold, but I know she'd make you another one if you asked her very nicely.

I love Lorrie and I love all of her work, it's really hard to pick a favorite.  Honestly, I don't have to because her pottery is so affordable!  And they make perfect gifts (as my friends and family already know).

I just gave this one to my husband for Valentine's Day:

And at one of the craft fairs she sells her work at, I bought this handmade collage:

This one made me get all choked up, because she made it for me.  *blush*  WHO DOES THAT?!

Lorrie does.  I'm so lucky that she picked me to be her friend.  Thanks for being my inspiration Lorrie!

It's MARCH!

And I'm drowning in ideas.  Promotions, advertising, honing in on my target market, new designs, new customers...

Sometimes I feel like I've got so much on my plate (that I put there) that I'll never finish anything.  ACK!  And that's when I sit down, eat some chocolate, and take it one thing at a time.  I find that organizing things on my desk helps me organize my thoughts and gives me the feeling that I have some control over my self-imposed-chaos.

I take time to go through my orders, order castings and gemstones as needed, then hang them on a magnetic board on the wall behind my desk.  Done.

Then I go through my expense receipts, bills, and assorted crap that has somehow landed on my desk (thank you, sweet husband).  Then I do the old FTP.  File. Toss. Pile.  If I've dealt with it: File.  If I haven't looked at it/don't need it: Toss.  If I don't know what to do with it yet: Pile.  I like to work in piles and I admit it's one slippery slope toward being on Hoarders for me.

I apologize to whomever that pile belongs to, but thought the cat butt sticking out was hilarious.  Schaudenfraude at it's best.

So that said, I am going to continue my FTPing in the hopes that it will give me some energy to continue to plow through the piles and get on with my work.  That said, I just posted a fantastic new ring in my Etsy shop.  Whew.

Jewelry Tool Junkie

I am completely and unapologetically addicted to making jewelry.  And eating chocolate, but that's not what this post is about.  I had a decent year of jewelry sales last year so I figured I would put the money back into Metalicious AND BUY SOME JEWELRY TOOLS.  Plus some of my vendors were having major sales so how can a girl resist a jewelry tool sale??? 

I know it sounds like an excuse but my flex shaft motor was dying.  For reals.  And I'm always looking for ways to improve my production time.  So here's what I bought:

-1 magnetic pin tumbler

-1 new pickle pot

-2 flex shafts

-2 sets of wax sheets

-1 set of inverted cone burs

And the question my sweet husband keeps asking me:  WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT ALL OF THIS STUFF???

Just between us, I'm working on getting more sales this year so that I can invest in a real studio space.  *winks*  Think I can do it?

*peek*

Here are 2 wholesale orders ready to get shipped out.  Bagged n tagged.  Total chaos.

Metalicious: The Love edition

Well it's a special day today, I'm sharing my blog with a few others who are writing about Valentine's Day.  Please take a peek at their blogs here:

Andrea Davis: Pure Food Nutrition: Valentine’s Day Chocolate: Good & Good for You?

Ann Mehl: A Man and His Word on Valentine’s Day

Artists & Fleas: Gift Guide: From Brooklyn-Tough Love, Show Your Love, and Lovely Little Licks, Bites & Nibbles

The Bitchy Waiter:  Fuck Cupid

Brooklyn Flea:  You Gotta Have Heart

The Experimental Gourmand:  Valentine’s Day Special Dinner

Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market:  A Blog Affair to Remember
Kumquat Cupcakery:  My Messy Pink Kitchen

Markets of New York City:  Love is in the Air: Three Great Valentine’s Dates at the Markets

The NewNew: What Makes Valentine’s Day Sweet to Me

And now a little something I 'cooked' up:

Well, I've come to realize something about myself lately.  I'm a terrible cook, but a fantastic baker.  Cooking is for people who can experiment and taste soup and know exactly what spice to add that will make it better.  Baking is for people who like to follow directions.  And eat yummy sweets.  I say yes to both of these things, hence I am a fantastic baker.  My apple pies are tender yet crisp.  My breads are chewy with a crunchy crust.  My cookies are buttery-licious.  And I don't say this because I'm a baking egomaniac, I say it because my husband rates my baking as 'restaurant quality' good.  This from a man who has eaten at places like Per Se, Bouloud, Babbo, etc. 

With Valentine's Day coming up, I've also come to realize that I like to bake to show my love.  It's also a great DISTRACTION for my 6-year-old and I while my 1-year-old sits at my feet alternately yelling up at me and pulling out all my tupperware bowls from the lower cabinets.  Stinker.  Not only does it keep us all from pulling out each other's hair during the winter months, but we end up having something delicious to share with my husband when he gets home after dinner.

Here is Asher and our concoction from last year's baking event.  Red velvet cupcakes with vanilla frosting.  Not restaurant quality but totally fun to make!  And yes, I used a box mix for these.

This year, however, we are going for the gold:  red velvet chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese frosting.  From scratch.  I have to admit, I've already made them once and my husband deemed them the 'most amazing restaurant quality cookie sandwiches and you need to sell these people will want them' good.  So we're going to make them again.

What are you making/baking/cooking/buying/giving/getting for Valentine's Day this year?