a lovely visit to denver

i returned home yesterday from a lovely visit to denver. i wanted to see my parents (and give my mother her "heart of gold" ring for mother's day). it was a VERY short trip, because i needed to get back to work, but i am so glad i went.

the girls with their pops

we went to the denver natural history museum; it was so much fun!

(more on that later)

june and mimi

the girls got to play piano at a friend's house

and hang out with their cousins, cameron and mitchell (yes, that is isobel in the photo. i couldn't leave her behind!)

then i worked all day today and made lots of stuff for moab, plus these three rings for the etsy shop. i will work all day again tomorrow too.

a "resolve" ring, with a fantastic high dome labradorite

this one has a beautiful golden/green flash

the perfect index finger ring!

and another "pink tide" ring

rhodonite and chalcedony, "wood and roses"

and the "forever green" ring, a gorgeous piece of high dome malachite!

"forever green" is the name of a felice brothers song. here's a snip:

grandma was a country singer i'd love to have seen her making some bar room swing i could see you doing that if you had a stetson hat and an electric guitar to sing may you stay forever green like the country between us far after our hands unfold and I bid farewell in that old stairwell leaving to a narrow road.

this is what happened to the "forever green" ring the first time around...

rings and a few bracelets

here is what i have made over the past few days:

6 rings and 4 bracelets for moab, and 2 rings for the etsy shop

from left to right, aquamarine, chalcedony, prehnite with epidote, moonstone, labradorite, and red rutilated quartz

kayanite, aquamarine, solar quartz, and zebra jasper

and remember i was saying i wanted to make a "riverbank" ring?

from the riverbank, you can watch the river. see the current for what it is. watch the waves and the flow, without being caught up in it. the direction and the movement are so much more clear when you are not moving along with it.

crazy lace agate, smoky quartz, and a clear waterdrop of a rutilated quartz, surrounded by silver river stones of all kinds, with a river flowing on the right side

"take a look at your natural river. what are you? stop playing games with yourself. where's your river going? are you riding with it? or are you rowing against it? don't you see that there is no effort if you're riding with your river?" ~ carl frieseke

let it remind you to step outside of what is so for you and view it from a distance. is it working?

and, lastly, i made another "child of the universe" ring. this stone is as fabulous as the other!

happy mother's day!

i hope that all of you wonderful mothers out there had a fabulous day! my dear glenn let me sleep in and also made me breakfast in bed, and helped the girls make cards for me. very sweet. how did you spend your day?

hazel also made me this delicious necklace at school

gold and prehnite and fabulous weather

i've made my first yellow gold ring! i hesitated to show this to you because i made it for a very special someone who may or may not read this blog before i am able to give it to them. but, here it is.

it is fascinating to me what hammering and oxidizing does to gold. it gives it an entirely new look and feel. very rustic. very organic. it seems that, maybe because it is so beautiful when shiny, and such a "precious" metal, and quite expensive, folks are very hesitant to do either to gold. i love the outcome!

the inside says "heart of gold".

what do you think?

i recently shared with you a photo of some custom stones that the lovely terry of lostsierra.etsy.com cut for me. i got several very AMAZING and very LARGE prehnite cabs. as i tend to do, i had been trying to come up with some fabulous design for a ring for myself using my favorite of them. i finally decided that really, the best thing to do with it was to give it a simple setting that would highlight the beauty of the stone. this is it:

you really cannot see the depth and intricacy of the stone in these photos; it is spectacular!

i asked terry to cut the prehnites with the highest dome she could. look at this one!

i out my favorite excerpt from the desiderata on the back, "be gentle with yourself. you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars."

and, the weather has finally been really warm and nice lately, so the girls and i have been outside as much as possible. we went to the park the other day.

hazel rode her bike.

and june trailed behind with her new baby (that the minky fairy left her).

and the girls made dandelion wishes,

and rode on the tire swing.

and yesterday, for our special "hazel's-at-school-and-it's-just-the-two-of-us" day, june and i went to the river.

juniper loves to throw rocks in the water.

i have always ADORED river rocks, especially when wet. these particular stones yesterday inspired a ring. i can't wait to make it! be on the lookout for the "on the riverbank" ring.

our lovely dolores river is running high right now. it is magnificent!

and, i'd like to say something about "lurkers" or "lurkey turkeys", as one lovely lady called herself. a number of you dear ladies have contacted me, via e-mail, saying you would love a cd but did not wish to leave a comment here. have you seen the movie "julie and julia"? remember the part where she realized how many people were visiting her blog and she said something like for every person who leaves a comment there are hundreds who don't? well, i just want you to know that comments are not required here. although i love them, and i truly appreciate the feedback, they are certainly not expected. you are always welcome to contact me via e-mail, silversparrowdesigns@gmail.com, if you have something you would like to say. but please, do not consider yourself as a "lurker"; that has a negative connotation. how about a "silent visitor"? i know you are there. and i think you are fabulous.

i'm really not much of a producer. (and other stuff)

so getting ready for an art show is a whole new animal for me. for the most part, my process usually works like this: i have an inspiration (never can tell where it might come from). if it's a complex piece, i turn it around in my mind and draw sketches wherever i can; if it's a simple piece, with a single stone, i will often carry the stone around in my pocket until i can get out to my shop. then, if i have my way, i make the piece, from start to finish in a single session.

when preparing for a show, i do not have this luxury. i am having to switch gears into "production line" mode. while i will, of course, still be making pieces of the above mentioned variety, i also need to be making quantity. this is the first "real" art show i have done, but i think it is important to have a good range of prices. so i am making a lot of simple, wire-wrapped gemstone earrings that will be very affordable. i am also making lots of spirals and necklaces that feature teresa's glass flower cabs. so now when i go out to my shop, i pick one item that i want to work on and make as many as i can.

the problem is, i am not wired to work that way. i am really having to change my way of thinking. it is difficult for me to spend a whole day in my studio and then leave without any finished product. for example, the other day i made a bunch of rings, to make some bracelets like the ones i shared with you. i had an admirable pile of rings. but then, before i knew what had happened, i had fashioned them into a nice little bracelet. very satisfying.

but i do have some pieces ready. (the photos aren't so great.)

meanwhile, isobel has been helping out with answering convos, keeping up with the blog, and some packaging while i've been being a producer.

she's also a great babysitter.

and, incidentally, yesterday was a great celebration. junebug quit using her "minky" (pacifier). on sunday we all went around the house and gathered all of them up. we put them in a basket for the minky fairy. she came and took all of them to the new babies in the world who need them and left june a present.

hazel sang "no more minkies for you", to the tune of "happy birthday to you".

we had ice cream, jelly beans, and cheez-its, juniper's favorites

and, i have a new friend in my studio. i got this poster the other day; he's a lovely inspiration.

lastly, i have an important question for you. i came up with the idea of giving away cds with songs from my blog because people are always telling me that they love the music that plays here. but only one of you responded about wanting one. maybe your computers are on mute? or maybe you don't actually like the music? or maybe you just don't want a cd? or don't wish to comment? i would love for you to be honest with me about it. music is such a huge part of who i am, and such an inspiration in my work, and i love to share it with you, but i definitely want to know if it is not an enjoyable part of this blog for you!

and, one more thing (i am quite verbose this evening!) THANK YOU so much to everyone who has made my anniversary sale such a success so far! i appreciate you so so so very much!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!!

today is my two year "etsy anniversary"! yay! because i looooooooove etsy, and i loooooooooooooove all of you, i am having a big sale this week. 10% off all ready to ship items and $10 off all custom wedding bands! and, don't forget about the free cd deal i mentioned on friday. i will repeat myself in case you missed it:

p.s. i am having my two-year "etsy anniversary" sale next week. to show my appreciation for all of my customers, i am offering a free cd with each purchase over $100. the cd will have songs from the playlist that plays here on the blog. because i love all of you, my dear blog friends, i would like to give you one too. so, the first 15 folks who leave a comment, telling me what your favorite songs are that play here will get a free cd! (you will have to e-mail me your address.) if you would like one too, but did not get here in time, you can still have one! i would just ask that you send $3 via paypal to silversparrowdesigns@gmail.com to cover my materials and shipping. (please include your address in the message box!)

thank you all so much for all of your kindness and support!!! i really, truly, sincerely appreciate each and every one of you!