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.

Perseverance

As with many people there are days when the aspiring entrepreneur in me gets completely despondent over the news of gas and food prices rising,  people are still insecure about their jobs,  along with all that sterling silver prices are on the rise.  I begin to question myself.  How am I, as is an artist, going  to create a successful business?  What kind of changes can I make to keep a positive drive towards that success?  

All I am sure of is that there is a deep passion that resides with in me that doesn’t want to give up.  No matter how bleak the news can be , something ignites with in pushing me forward.

It comes down to a combination of Faith and Perseverance.  At every sale this summer my customers really appreciated and loved my work.  Although they didn’t always purchase something many took the time to make sure I knew that my work is beautiful, creative, unique and fresh.  One woman who purchased a Sterling Silver Flower Petals necklace told me “Never stop doing your passion,  your art is beautiful”.   Hearing these compliments reminded me to continue to have faith in my work.  I must persevere, continue to play with design, allow myself to make mistakes and to grow from them.  I will silence the voices of self doubt, turn off the depressing news stories, focus on being positive and continue to nourish my passion and BE an artist of ornamentation.

Mimosa's and Modeling

It was a perfect September day.  The sun was shining, temperatures were in the upper seventies, and there was a light breeze blowing.    My good friend and the creative artist behind Gold Hoax, Megan Burns and I decided to enjoy an afternoon with Mimosa's and become creative photographers and models for Aprilierre's jewelry .   Neither one of us consider modeling our strength.  In fact both of us usually abhor the idea of being in front of the camera.  However, we decided to be brave and model the jewelry ourselves.  We put together some cute outfits and and coordinated pieces to go with them.  Taking turns with my fushia Sony 12.1 mega pixl camera we set little scenes and simply had fun with our imaginations. 

  These may not showcase the jewelry as much as I'd like but that is just a technicality at this point.  For me it was more about the process.  I took an active approach to show my jewelry in a different way.  The photos,  just like the jewelry I create, keep evolving as my skills continue to grow.  They will just keep getting better. 

My Love Affair with Lipstick

I first became infatuated with lipstick when I was three years old.  I remember my mother’s wooden makeup box, the interior lined with black velvet. It hosted a sparse collection of shimmery powders, brushes and two lipsticks.  Oh how I longed to put on the bright orange and deep rose shades.  My mother very rarely wore lipstick and I knew it was a special occasion when she would smooth rich color upon her lips.   

A few years later I remember spending a day with my Dad who at that time owned a tree trimming business.  He would occasionally take my younger sister and me along. We would climb trees, help gather branches and explore our new “playground”.  It was always quite the excursion.  This particular yard happened to have a tree house that my sister and I had always dreamed of and we eagerly climbed up into it.   There I discovered the greatest treasure of all.  A whole box full of tiny mini lipsticks in every color one could imagine.  My nine year old self was in heaven.  Although I knew it was wrong because they didn’t belong to me, I couldn’t resist trying on at least one color.  

I gazed upon the array of reds, bronzes, pinks, and oranges.  I immediately aimed for a daring bright crimson red.  My sister chimed in “We will get in trouble.”  I held the tiny tube in the palm of my hand...it beckoned me.  Finally temptation over took my reason and I put on the red lusciousness slowly following the curve of my lip.   Then I reached for a pink... then an orange.  I was hooked.  I couldn’t control myself.  I needed to try every color and feel it’s soft silkiness upon my lips.  I didn’t do a very good job cleaning up the evidence of my lipstick revelry,  most likely looking like a circus clown from a nightmare.  My mother was less than thrilled and made sure I saw in the mirror just how silly I looked.  Clearly I would have to work on my application technique.    I wouldn’t be allowed to wear it until high school.

I have since built quite the extensive collection of Mac Lipstick (my personal favorite).  It was no accident that my designers created Aprilierre’s logo to feature a Glamour girl sporting bright red lips.  I believe a woman should have simple little indulgences that immediately brightens her mood.  For me that is reaching for a trusted favorite shade of lipstick or the excitement of trying a new color for the first time.  

Sometimes jewelry is a little indulgence that makes a woman feel special.  As a jewelry artist, I love to create a piece that will become a notable item in a woman’s collection, be it something simplistic that can be worn as her everyday  jewelry or that unique piece she excitedly brings out for a special occasion.  I am so delighted with the thrill a customer expresses when she finds in my collection her perfect piece of jewelry, as personal as if it were made with her in mind by the artist wearing red lipstick.