A Year in the Life...The Holidays

I am definitely not a winter person but I love December and all it’s holiday festivities. It was this time of year that I was working hard at creating new pieces to sell at a variety of different holiday shows.  

I also work as a nanny for a wonderful family and this photo was taken at the annual KNOCK holiday photo shoot with “my girls” Gabriella and Alessandra.

December also happens to be my birthday month and I love to celebrate with great friends.

I so get to care for this cute little Chihuahua Paco when the family I work for is away for the holidays.  He is the only dog I’ve really taken to.  Mostly because he mello not a yapper and basically behaves like a good lounge cat.

My christmas tree complete with my Geisha cheese grater as my tree topper.  

I also had my first ice fishing experience in central ND with my uncle and cousins.

Following my ice fishing adventure it was time to drive home to spend Christmas with my family.  I can always count on my parents house to be a very festive place.  My mom and sisters get together a few days before Christmas eve and bake all kinds of Christmas cookies and chocolate treats.  

This year Christmas will be a little extra special as we welcomed my nephew to the family this past July I look forward to spending time with him next month.   

A Year in the Life...part 1

A Year in the Life...Part One Nov 2011

When ever I open up my photos on my laptop an option that I have is to look at the past 12 months from the current date.   I decided to use that as a tool for a series of blog posts.  In a sense it captures my day to day life but it also captures the growth and cultivation of my jewelry line.  Showing what type of events that were going on at the time and how they possibly may have impacted my creation process.

 A year ago during the  Thanksgiving holiday  I decided to stay in Minneapolis and enjoy a four day jewelry working weekend.  I created these rings were  by fusing fine sterling silver into an abstract organic shape then soldering it on to sterling silver.   I always spend my Thanksgiving conveniently out of my kitchen.  In stead I spend it at various friends' homes.  My contribution last year was a special bottle of wine and a delicious wild rice salad. 

It was also a very warm fall much like this year and I took a mid November trip to Duluth and enjoyed a lovely hike.  Long walks and spending time in the fresh air often spark inspiration on my jewelry.  The following photographs are of works of jewelry created during the fall. 

Gifts of Gratitude

Gifts of GRATITUDE

I have been thinking a lot about gratitude and things that I am grateful for.  Perhaps it’s because it’s November and Thanksgiving is around the corner, soon followed by Christmas and then New Years.  The year is winding down and I reflect upon the past 10 months both in my personal and in my business life.  

It is important to take moments out of the day to day and pause, to find something for which you are grateful.  It ranges from something as simple as all the traffic lights being green when I am running late or as deeply felt as the love and support my family has given me all these years.  

I have been developing a concept for a jewelry line that would be based out of gratitude.   It’s meant to be a simple reminder, or a gift of appreciation.  A simple band to wear on the finger with “gratitude” stamped on the inside.   For now these bands will be plain or textured sterling silver; however,  I can see these bands evolving to include flush set stones in a variety of colors. 

  

The Art of Play

  

When going for my morning walks I see how branches intertwine creating intricate shapes and curves.  I find that I am drawn to the whimsy of nature and it's patterns.  And that fascination translates into my jewelry.

The other day I was observing a little girl playing with the last of the bright yellow leaves. I watched her as she collected them and realized that she was weaving them together into a necklace. She sat for a while deep in concentration as she assembled and linked each leaf together.

She reminded me that you never grow too old to "play".   I realized the opportunity to play presents itself all the time at my work bench. When I find myself lost for  creative ideas I will dig through boxes of random beads and findings and eventually will find inspiration.   I begin to "play" around with shapes and design.  I found some fine silver that I had accidentally over heated and melted.  There it just sat begging me to find a use for it.   Suddenly a ring was born.  Created by soldering the melted fine silver form to a sterling silver plate then hand sawing the edges into a unique shape.  You are likely going to see more versions of this design in the next few months.