rectangular rings and wildwood flowers

today i made...

the "wildwood flower" necklace

june carter cash wrote the song. (if you were to ask glenn when i was not around where june's name came from, he would tell you june carter cash. it's not true. simply a coincidence.)

I'll twine with my mingles and waving black hair
With the roses so red and the lilies so fair
And the myrtles so bright with emerald dew
The pale and the leader and eyes look like blue

He told me he loved me and called me his flower
That blossomed for him all the brighter each hour
Though my heart is now breaking, he never shall know
That his name makes me tremble, my pale cheeks to glow

I'll sing and I'll dance and my laugh shall be gay
I'll charm every heart and the crowd I will away
I'll live you to see him regret the dark hour
When he won and neglected this frail wildwood flower

I'll think of him never, I'll be wild and gay
I'll cease this wild weeping, drive sorrow away
But I wake from my dreaming, my idol was clay
My visions of love have all vanished away

such a fabulous song about carrying on after lost love...

the "resolve" ring, with a stunning labradorite

both of the rings i made today contain stones that are so tall i actually had to make the bezels from scratch, out of silver sheet, because traditional bezels were not even close to being high enough!

this ring is to help you make a plan and stick to it. it is to fortify your resolve to make the changes you know you need to make in your life. you know you can do it. and you know that you are the only one who can. this is a strong and mighty ring, like your will.

another "evershine" ring, with a spectacular chalcedony druzy

and a "tres flores" necklace, reserved

of course, with all of my geeking out about my new camera, i failed to do my proper research. i took all of these photos with the camera on the wrong setting for uploading them to etsy. therefore, i will have to re-take them tomorrow and get them in the shop. (if, however, there's a piece here that you feel you can not live without, feel free to send me an etsy convo and i will reserve it for you.)

and, i challenge you to tell me (or show me) something cuter than isobel...

seriously....

new camera!

sooo... i finally got a new camera! you may not be able to tell from my current photos, but i use a 5-year old canon powershot s410. it takes GREAT photos. my wonderful father-in-law bought it for me when i was pregnant with hazel. but, lately, things have not been going so smoothly with it. there is an insane delay between the time i press the button and the time the picture actually takes. this is not a big concern when i am photographing my jewelry, but it does matter when i am trying to get the perfect shot of the girls... or the dogs... or isobel. also, the charger no longer works. i have had to construct an elaborate system, involving a piece of rebar, to charge the battery. also, it takes foooreeeveerrr to upload photos to the computer. like the camera battery is dead by the time the photos have actually transferred. this here is my old camera:

i LOVE it, and will be very sad to see it retire.

but, here is my NEW camera, a canon powershot SD 960 IS:

(in a flashy aqua blue color)

so, just humor me for a bit. these are a bunch of random photos i've taken today with it. can't wait to see how it does with my jewelry tomorrow!

(is there a better beer? really?)

(don't think i've ever introduced you to "frosty" and "goldie". here they are, making their debut appearance. hazel and june won them at the halloween carnival. we thought they'd be dead in a day or two, but no siree; they're still kickin'...)

little miss isobel has completely stolen my heart.

introducing isobel!

so today we went to go visit our kitty again and, lo and behold, knucklehead said that she could come home with us! evidently she's been eating solid food and using the litter box and he felt she was ready to leave mama. she is 7 weeks old today. hazel has named her isobel (though i chose the spelling).

she is the SWEETEST little thing.

she and jasper met; i think they'll need a bit of time to get used to each other.

just a little baby...

look at her fur! she has the "tortoise" pattern, but with a layer of white fur over it; it's beautiful.

hazel's pretty much delighted.

although she's a bit shy and timid now, i think it is only a matter of time before isobel is very comfortable with us.

hazel will see to that.

she will eventually reside in the barn/ studio with jasper, but for now she is living in my "office". i haven't yet seen her eat or use the litter box, but i am trying to give her space and i think she just needs a bit of time.

and, by the way, lisa, thank you so very much!

the burden of his tail

remember this guy? the peacock who did his sweet little booty-call dance for hazel at the albuquerque zoo?

well, i haven't really been able to get him out of my mind, and an idea started forming for a necklace.

i found myself drawing sketches all over the place, and today i finally got to create it. here he is:

several layers of silver sheet, with variscite, malachite, and turquoise feathers

it's head suspended below it's beautiful tail

and finished with a handmade wire-wrapped chain.

i LOVE the quote on the back! i think that it can be interpreted in several different ways. how do YOU interpret it?

there is all kinds of lore about peacocks. when i was doing research before getting my tattoo on my hand (which contains a stylized peacock feather), i learned a lot about them. they are, obviously, a symbol for beauty, and pride. some cultures believe that the bird represents evil, others say they repel it, hence the "evil eyes" in the feathers. because their feathers regrow every spring, comparisons have been drawn between the peacock and the phoenix, as a symbol for rebirth or a change in life/circumstances. they are considered very aggressive birds. they can eat poisonous snakes and not be harmed.

the peacock is also mentioned in one of aesop's fables. in the story, the peacock goes to juno and complains that the nightingale has a sweet song and he does not. juno told him that he had beauty and size. the peacock asks what good was his beauty without a great voice. juno wisely replied that every creature has its gifts and faults, and they should be content with them and who they are.

i didn't get in.

well, i did not get into the show i was telling you about. it was art in the pearl in portland, oregon. i thought that perhaps it was a long shot, but i wanted to give it a try because portland is my very very very favorite city.

the good news is that when i told my mom and my sister that i applied for it, they immediately said they wanted to go with me if i got accepted. (my dear sister, traci, used to live there.) and, we have decided that we are still going to go to portland labor day weekend anyway! so yay. yes, i am a bit disappointed that i didn't get in, but also kind of relieved. and now i get to have a nice, relaxing trip with my two very favorite women in the world!

fabulous stones!

and these, these i just got today! they were cut by the magnificent terry of lost sierra.

clockwise from the top: ochoco mountain thunderegg, rhodonite and chalcedony, and the most fabulous, incredible prehnite stones ever. i can't wait to see what they become!

p.s. thursday is supposedly the day that i will find out if i have been accepted into a show that i REALLY want to get into. please cross your fingers for me! i'll let you know as soon as i find out...