charming!

lots to tell you today! first of all, i went over to patty's on tuesday and made some new pmc charms. i'm very excited about them!

this is the "live your love" charm necklace,

with fine and sterling silver, labradorite, artisan glass and deerhide lacing

i just love this little jumble. it's quite heavy and fun to mess with.

i have a fabulous friend melynda that i can't wait to tell you all about. she is an AMAZING designer/ seamstress. she makes incredibly beautiful clothes. anyway, she asked me if i would model some of her items and came over today to takes some photos. she snapped this one for me with the necklace on. she made the tank (from a recycled t-shirt) and the skirt. more about her later!

this one is so cool! this is a vintage glass cameo, in relief. the clear glass is frosted, giving it a wonderful look and feel. when you first look at it, it appears to be an elegant mother playing with her child. but when you look closer you see the baby actually as wings, a sweet little cherub. don't we all want to think of our children as little angels? and ourselves as carefree goddess mothers, floating on clouds?

good ol' abe lincoln said that.

i couldn't resist these cabs when i saw them. i have a few more, so if you're interested in having a custom piece made for mother's day, just let me know. we still have time.

a new "petite resolve" ring,

with beautiful rose cut labradorite

"your peridot heart"

this one has apatite, and a sweet little star

also, today was career day at hazel's school. she wants to be a writer. so, we put her in a kind of preppy little outfit, with pens on her shirt pocket and pencils in her hair. then i busted out the lenses of an old pair of sunglasses so she could look "intellectual".

and, i did a demonstration of my career for her class. it was so fun.

(here i am hammering the rivet and they are covering their ears because it's too loud.)

i made this little riveted mixed metal necklace for hazel's teacher.

and, my three year etsy anniversary is on tuesday!

so hard to believe. to celebrate, i am having a big sale. see my shop for details!

we are leaving tomorrow to go camping in the desert for the weekend. then on monday i leave for my next little mini felice brothers tour. i'll see them in salt lake city on monday night and denver on tuesday. then i'll be home again for a while (at least until their next tour!) have i mentioned how grateful i am that i have a husband who supports and even encourages this love of mine?

oh little babies...

so i only made one thing today because i was a bit distracted by the NEW BABY CHICKENS!!!

a "be gentle with yourself" ring

with glorious prehnite with epidote

and a snippet of the desiderata on the back.

i couldn't really concentrate on what i was doing because these girls have moved in to the shop:

they are red comets, known for being very docile and sweet and prolific layers.

they are so sweet. whatever one does, they all do...

so darn cute, i can hardly stand it. just peeping away at me all day while i worked.

hazel, like me, is smitten.

although they are quite difficult to tell apart at this point, we have come up with five names to be assigned when it is convenient. rosemarie, lucille, florence, doris, and penny.

they're already eating out of her hand.

and then they all fell asleep in a sweet little huddle and i didn't want to wake them up with my hammering, so i let them rest. i guess they'll have to get used to it, but i'll give them a few days. they will live in the shop (with the heater on and their little heat light) for about a month until they are ready to move outside.

when i wasn't fawning over the sweeties, i was also experimenting with new, non-sterling silver, not outrageously expensive metals. this was intended to be a brass flower shape soldered to a nickel silver backplate with a sterling bezel on top. it didn't work. but i will keep trying. with silver now at $47.65 an ounce, i have to start looking into alternatives. how do you feel about it? if i made one of my pieces and everything was exactly the same except i used nickel silver instead of sterling silver would you still love it? or would you feel like it was a cheap ripoff? i'm just not sure, i would love some feedback from you on the subject. i've also started a couple of projects with copper that i will share with you soon.

and i'll just say it again, anyone with chicken advice, feel free to dispense!

...life steps almost straight...

we grow accustomed to the dark~
when light is put away ~
as when the neighbor holds the lamp
to witness her goodbye~

a moment~ we uncertain step
for newness of the night~
then~ fit our vision to the dark~
and meet the road~ erect~

and so of larger~ darkness~
those evenings of the brain~
when not a moon disclose a sign~
or star~ come out~ within~

the bravest~ grope a little~
and sometimes hit a tree
directly in the forehead~
but as they learn to see~

either the darkness alters~
or something in the sight
adjusts itself to midnight~
and life steps almost straight.

~emily dickinson

as usual, miss dickinson got it exactly right.  that is what has happened for me, as it always does.  "either the darkness alters or something in the sight",  just when the darkness is at its darkest.  just when i think it will never end and i will feel this way forever, the shift occurs.  in this case, i think it was my trip that helped things along.  just being away, being alone, doing my thing, it helped me remember what is right and good with my life.  and, yes, it is okay to feel sad about my loss, but i don't have to do it in the darkness.  i can still appreciate all that i have to be grateful for.

this piece features a negative space image of a luna moth, revealing an astounding laguna agate. as i have said before, the luna moth symbolizes transformation, naturally, but also soaring through the darkness. they fly at night, they embrace the blackness. and, for their brief passionate lives, they thrive. another important thing to note is that they, like all of their moth brethren, are inexplicably drawn towards the light, against all odds, right?

i've surrounded the moth with three riveted flowers, and a sweet little carnelian sits on top.

suspended below is a sweet little trio of a bezel-set carnelian teardrop, a faceted amethyst briolette, and a carved citrine flower. sexy and delectable.

the chain is so much fun! wire wrapped carnelian, citrine, and amethyst, a string of incredibly gorgeous fire agates, a bezel set fire agate, and a little laguna agate drop to finish it off.

this laguna agate is remarkable. it's kind of a pity it's hidden away, but it makes it all the more beautiful too.

(EDIT: i just noticed that the little center part of the moth is all off-kilter in the photos. oops! that has been corrected...)

i hope that everyone had a lovely easter, celebrating in whatever way you most enjoy. we had a great group of friends over yesterday for an easter egg hunt/ potluck dinner. it was wonderful.

(the sweetest little twins)

and the girls found their easter baskets this morning.

and, very exciting news! they have changed the law so that dolores in-town residents can have chickens again! i am so excited! i have always wanted to have chickens. we tried to take the girls to get them today (because what could be more easter-y than baby chicks?) but the store was closed for the holiday. i am hopefully going to go pick some up tomorrow. anyone with chicken advice, please feel free to comment; i know nothing beyond getting them here and keeping them warm and fed for the next month before they move outside...