oh, december...

i did the annual holiday bazaar at our local brewery yesterday, and it made me realize how that's become such a ritual for me, a marker of the start of the holiday season.  it always makes me very happy; it's such a fun event, so great to see so many wonderful local folks and catch up with friends i rarely see, plus meet new creative people, share ideas, listen to music, drink delicious beer, and get some great gifts.

i made a lot of stuff in preparation, knowing that whatever didn't sell there could come to indio with me for my show next month.  (i will now begin intense production for that, as well as my return trip to san francisco!)

lots of lanterns

juniper (my little lefty) helped with those.

my favorite place to sell my work!

the girls are, of course very excited for christmas.

we've got the tree up,

and we've seen santa.

and today we finally got some snow!

we went for the first ski of the season.

spectacular!!!

i hope that you are all doing well and enjoying your december too.  i will be sharing the work with you that i am making for my california ventures here, but do not be surprised to not see any new pieces in the etsy shop for a while.  i think i will be quite consumed for the next 6 weeks or so!

earrings! help!

so the san francisco gallery man specifically asked that i send some new earring designs along with my samples.  i have been playing around with some and i could use your feedback.  please take a look at these and vote in the above poll to let me know which ones you like best.  also feel free to leave comments if you'd like...

#1 the little boy blue earrings,

with kyanite, faceted iolite, and rose cut rainbow moonstone

the name comes from a lovely song by mr. will oldham:

well, i'm knocking on the door of your heart my dear
like the three little pigs you have it locked with fear
not huffin' and a-puffin' like the others do
i'm not a big bad wolf, just a little boy blue


open up your heart, let me come in
i've no hair on my chinny chin-chin
know i love you and i won't hurt you
i'm not a big bad wolf, just a little boy blue


well, the first one you loved broke your heart like straw
i was sound asleep, i didn't see it at all
my heart's in my hand, i'm gonna give it you
well, your heart's like stone and i can't reach you


open up your heart, let me come in
i've no hair on my chinny chin-chin
know i love you and i won't hurt you
i'm not a big bad wolf, just a little boy blue


well, you won't let me in, so i'll sneak away
and if you ever need me, i'll be asleep in the hay
not huffin' and a-puffin' like the others do
i'm not a big bad wolf, just a little boy blue


open up your heart, let me come in
i've no hair on my chinny chin-chin
know i love you and i won't hurt you
i'm not a big bad wolf, just a little boy blue


open up your heart, let me come in
i've no hair on my chinny chin-chin
you know i love you and i won't hurt you
i'm not a big bad wolf, just a little boy blue
i'm not a big bad wolf, just a little boy blue

they are dainty and delicate.

 #2 the niagara in a barrel earrings,

with apatite, aquamarine, and kyanite

i have this very vivid memory of riding the "maid of the mist" when i was about 10 or 11. i went to niagara falls with my grandmother and my cousin, ty. we were on the ferry, wearing our oversized rented raincoats to keep from getting soaked by the abundant spray. i clearly remember standing there, being in total awe of the enormity of these falls, and the POWER that water posessed. the turbulence and the force of the noise was overpowering. i remember asking my grandmother "how on earth did people go over those in a barrel?" i just couldn't fathom it. i pictured those people, all cramped up in there, their bellies tight with fear and anticipation and excitement, knowing what was going on outside, just going with the flow and hoping they survived. i imagined that it was quite calm in there, quiet even despite the outside roar.

and so, these here earrings are to remind us that even when everything is turbulent and crazy on the outside, we can be calm and quiet and peaceful on the inside, holding on for dear life.

#3 the cairn earrings,

sterling silver

when you are hiking in an area where the trail is not especially obvious, like a red rock slope or a scree covered mountain, you will often find a cairn waiting for you, to help you find your way. these signposts reassure you that you are heading in the right direction. you are not lost. you have stayed the course. other times, stone cairns can be used to mark a significant spot, a spectacular view, a fork in the trail, a good swimming spot, etc. the symbolism of a cairn is beautiful. i wanted to make a piece that would offer you a simple reminder that you are going the right way, whatever way you are going. it is the right way for you right now. until it isn't, and then you will know.

these are very lightweight and make a delightful sound.

#4 changing gears earrings,

sterling silver

when i first started making these, i didn't mean for them to look so industrial, for lack of a better word.

but then i thought they remind me of bike gears, or chains, which is very fitting for me right now.  since we are having this ridiculous (albeit fabulous) indian summer here in southwest colorado, i am still able to ride my bike on november 25th.  and as much as i am anticipating and looking forward to cross country ski season, i am loving riding my bike right now.  so these are about changing gears, making the transition from smooth, flat, easy going to steep, hard, rocky uphill, do what you gotta do to make it into something you can accomplish.  put it in a higher gear.  take a deep breath.  slow down.  encourage yourself...  whatever it is...  and before you know it, you will be coasting again, low gear, downhill, pedaling fast...

okay, folks, please help me out!

vote up above or leave feedback?

thanks so much.

xoxo

gratitude

(poppy's cornbread)

this is nutty, made by hazel.  she wanted me to say that he is the luckiest turkey around today.

olive even got some turkey.

(do you see what we believe to be an enormous condor nest?  it's been there for at least ten years...)

this year, rather than pink whipped cream, we made chocolate whipped cream, for our pecan pie.

i am very excited about this new without darkness necklace,

with a gorgeous geode slice, faceted amethyst flower, and riveted faceted rainbow moonstone bail.

one of my all time favorite books ever is "letters to a young poet" by ranier maria rilke. i was reading it recently, as i do from time to time, when i need to remind myself about certain aspects of an artist's life. he captures it so eloquently and so beautifully. i was shocked at how similar his sentiments were to the words i chose for this piece, from may sarton.

"all things consist of carrying to term and then giving birth. to allow the completion of every impression, every germ of a feeling deep within, in darkness, beyond words, in the realm of instinct unattainable by logic, to await humbly and patiently the hour of the descent of a new clarity: that alone is to live one's art, in the realm of understanding as in that of creativity." 

strength in adversity.  beauty from pain.  flower "growing" from stone.

a soon to heal ring,

with a gorgeous raw amethyst cluster

there is no purple like the purple of raw amethyst. it's a sunset fading, it's windows closed and evening setting in. children fidgeting around the table as god puts the paint brush away, returns it to his cup of water to start the night and our canvas of dreams empty and black. this purple is like a bruise, proof of injury and healing, the pain of getting better, the under skin sensitive, a telltale sign that you will make it through this, no matter how grandiose and magnificent you've made it to be, how bold and italicized the set back, it's merely that, a slight bump in the road, a diversion. 

like the times you'd take scraps of paper as a child and put them in the center of the road where the rain made rivers and you'd follow your boat, straighten it's path, remove obstacles that threatened the integrity of it's hull, occasionally cheating and picking up and moving down and away from shallow waters, a thought and notion followed until the river ended and you were left to walk back up the hill to the beginning, to yourself and thoughts left waiting to be picked up and combed through all over again. you always have to go back. you always start again. you will heal. 

lovely layers of silver and a nice wide hammered band

and a little plunge ring,

with an amazing fire agate

this stone is so magical.

the inside of the band has conor oberst's beautiful words "into the caverns of tomorrow with just our flashlights and our love we must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge."

a gorgeous brown with a crazy green/ gold flash.

i will be listing all of these pieces in the etsy shop this evening.

i also made this custom piece for a lovely local customer and friend,

with an imperfect laguna agate and a little black tourmaline in the flower.

leonard cohen's words on the back...

ring the bells that still can ring.

forget your perfect offering.

there's a crack in everything.

that's how the light gets in.