7b

7b. My new digs. 200 beautifully designed and decorated square feet. Little Kristen, happy at last.

Why Knot?

Just finished a 30 inch "knot" chain in sterling silver. These work up very quickly and are fun to make. I sold this one to a woman who admired the one I was wearing. (Note to self: Wear more jewelry!) After you've finished the chain, throw it in a tumbler filled with stainless steel shot. (Harbor Freight has a cheap one--that I've heard positive things about.) It will both deburr any snaggy ends and work harden the wire. I used 18g wire cut into various lengths.

Easy Earrings #22-All that Glitters----

I'm not sure what I was thinking--because I'm pretty much convinced these are horrid. If you disagree, let me know and I'll send them to you. Tubing filled with fire polish. Copper bead caps. Brass wire.

Thanks Lisa! (You intrepid soul!)

Easy Earrings #21-Sacred Scrolls

1/4 inch plastic tubing, copper bead caps, brass wire, and secret messages. Affirmations? Knock Knock Jokes? Last night's fortune cookie fortunes?

Easy Earrings #20-Celtic Knots

Table cut rectangles, pewter Celtic looking knots, and a tiny little fire polished rounds come together in Easy earring #20.

Ginko Biloba

k, a little better. When in doubt, hammer. A lot. (I've never met an unhappy blacksmith!)

And what are you all up to? Hmmmm? Please send pics!

Wednesday

According to the Hebrew bible--Wednesday is the day the sun and moon were created. I'm not an expert on anything solar or lunar--but I understand the need to JUMP at Wednesday. Every other day of the week comes attached with more purpose and vigor. Wednesday is like February. IT shouldn't be the longest day/month of the week/year---but it always is. True to form--here's a picture of something I'm working on today. And true to form--It's not going anywhere.

3 Rules to live by:

No matter how quaint the name, Cheerwine is not a good idea.
Do not believe it when your computer tells you that your printer cartridge is low on ink.
And Wednesdays are meant for slogging through the best you can.

Easy Earrings #19-Scattered, Smothered, and Covered

Sterling Silver wire balled with a Butane torch. Brass. And a little rhinestone squaredelle. My son thought they looked like fishing lures. I'm okay with that.

Easy Earrings #18-Christmas Sage

Freshwater Pearls looped and layered with Tablecut Rectangles and topped with Bali style stars. If any one's interested in a cut with just the beads and sterling silver findings for one pair of earrings, feel free to email.

Directions: String 16 freshwater pearls onto 24g sterling silver headpins. Finish each headpin with a wrapped loop and trim flush. Take two 4 inch pieces of sterling silver wire and make a wrapped loop at the bottom of each, adding one freshwater pearl dangle before you close and trim. They layer 1 Bali type star bead, 7 freshwater pearl loops, and another star. Make another wrapped loop at the top, add your ear wires, and VOILA--Christmas Sage earrings.

Loaded For Amusement Only

This is an older piece. I was gifted with the arcade token

in a workshop at the FolkSchool, one of my all time favorite places to be.

Conveniently, it is Tuesday. The second day of the week--named for the Norse God Tyr--God of single combat. God of the hanged--because he judged. He's frequently portrayed with one hand, the other having been bitten off by Fenris.

Today I judged. Harshly. A good friend and a person I claim to love. Another person---just not living up to his potential. "And why don't you_______________," I said. "It makes perfect sense!" "How can you waste your time doing _________and ___________ and _______?"

There was of course truth in my rantings. But I suspect I was really having the conversation with myself. The-- you're not good enough, you're not doing enough, you're simply not enough-- conversation.

For those of you blessed to not have had that conversation with yourself---I encourage you...right now...Call your parents. Thank them.

For the rest of us--we just keep weeding. Eventually there will be room for all the flowers to grow.

I'm sorry friend.

Easy Earrings #17--Mutant Twists

I know, I know. I went totally bonkers with adobe. They're clearly mutant earrings in a pool of alien goop. But this is an easy--slightly more interesting--way to close a circle than the usual wrapped loop.

Easy Earring #17-Simple Simon

Pink freshwater pearls and a faceted quartz pear shaped drops. Easy Breezy Peasy. (Which on a Monday is only appropriate!)

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

Surely all art is the result of one's having been in danger, of having gone through an experience all the way to the end, where no one can go any further. The further one goes, the more private, the more personal, the more singular an experience becomes, and the thing one is making is, finally, the necessary, irrepressible, and, as nearly as possible, definitive utterance of this singularity. Rainer Maria Rilke

About 12 years ago, after a very long relationship had ended, I went to a tattoo convention. Blessed, I managed to come home with this wood carving of a squirrel rather than indelible ink. Art calls us. The creation belongs to us before we've seen it. When we finally lay eye upon it, it screams: "What TOOK you SO Long?" I've had plenty of people look at this squirrel, then look at me, then back at the squirrel. This squirrel didn't call to them. This both worries me, and comforts me. It's the same with the amber. (Though it admittedly has had a few more admirers.) It called to me. I answered. And for over 20 years it's the only piece of jewelry I've worn with regularity. A sort of--- pop the question--- to myself--- piece of jewelry.

This week I've had unexpected contact with old friends, old enemies, and a first love. It's as if in three days the universe expected me to do 3 months of emotional work. Picture the universe...once again a jack daw....cawing. "Here's another from your wicked past. CAW CAW. Here's the one who abandoned you. CAW. CAW. CACKLE. Wait! Another! Here's the liar and hypocrite who everyone liked better than you! CAW. CAW. Here's the one who pecked out your eyes and left you for dead!" Ok-maybe the universe is getting a little carried away.

The lesson? Oh sheesh. The lesson is that forgiveness isn't to be doled out like after school snacks. It should be a flowing fountain. I'm better with twinkies than water. But I'm working on it. As clearly they have been. And for this, I'm grateful.

Off the Cuff

I've had the opportunity this week to once again relearn a portion of my history. I've talked on this blog before about my ongoing journey towards a happy childhood. (It's never too late, after all.) In the midst of all this "development" I find it far easier to work on projects that contain vast amounts of repetition. (This would explain my new found obsession with chain mail. And my ages old love of very small seedbeads.) Both in my work life, and my emotional life, it appears that----10 gazillion stitches later, it's all sewn up.

Easy Earrings #16-Titanium

Titanium was discovered in 1791 by an amateur geologist and Anglican Minister William Gregor. (I so appreciate people who multi task well.)

If you've not played with it, I encourage it's exploration. It has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal. While normally a flat gun metal gray, if heated with even a simple butane torch it will patina into a rainbow of colors. (You'll be amazed!) Unlike copper, the patina will remain stable for years.
Simple Earrings#16-Cocoons of titanium wire, dangled with freshwater pearls.

Easy Earrings #15-The Snowy Latte

I am a coffee addict. To quell the almost constant desire to consume caffeine, I no longer drink sodas. And I "walk" to coffee--coffee must be obtained by foot. I make an afternoon pilgrimage daily, usually around 3pm, to the HumanBean where I order my one and only drink--a Large Soy Latte. I appreciate two things about this journey. First, I'm not made to mispronounce Italian words when indicating the size of coffee I want. If I say, "May I have a large soy latte," no one says in a slightly snooty voice, "Do you mean, a Vendi?" Second, like most addicts, I immediately feel a sense of well being upon imbibing my chosen substance. All is well. The world is again full of possibility. etc. etc.

Today, I erred. First! I sent my spouse. NEVER send the uninitiated to procure one's drug of choice. I missed my walk. Granted, it's only a few blocks, but hefting my middle aged body up from the computer and going outside for 20 minutes is part of the ritual.

Said spouse returns. Triumphant. With my "Soy Latte." ONE sip later I SPUTTER, "What the heck is this?" I probably didn't say heck. But we'll assume I should have. Turns out the man brought back a "Snowy Latte," the week's most popular drink. Apparently a "Snowy Latte" is 1 part coffee, one part vanilla, and 8 parts sugar. Quite popular, but not my cup of coffee.

Chastened (They try so hard to please us.) he returned to the Human Bean and very politely said, um, "The wicked shrew I live with says this is not potable," or something like it. And to her credit, and one more reason why I Like the Humans of the Human Bean, she smiled. Explained what she'd thought he'd ordered. Made him another. ME another. And sent him back home with my salvation and a coupon.

Moral of this story, a Snowy Latte is not a substitute for a Soy Latte. Get off your butt and get your own coffee. And when you find the right coffee place, utilize and appreciate them.

Easy earrings #15--Czech glass firepolished rondelles, sterling silver wire and findings, and freshwater pearls.

Easy Earrings #14-That Good Old Mountain Dew

Let the grasses grow and the waters flow. In a free and easy way. But give me enough of that rare old stuff, that's made near Galway Bay. Come gougers all, from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too, and we'll give you the slip as we take a sip, of the rare old mountain dew.--John Griffith 1927.

Easy earrings #14--2 pieces of wire, 2 beads. Nothing could be simpler! Briolettes EmeraldBriolettes VaselineBriolettes

"Metalsome"

Another version of a non traditional Christmas tree. Sterling silver and Dichroic glass. What do you love about Christmas? What do you loathe? Is there one special person you exchange handmade gifts with? What is one tradition you could easily depart from? Why haven't you?

My friend Cheryl--best friend from college-- arrives in 2 weeks. Haven't seen her in years. We'll go ice skating. Gallery wandering. Coffee drinking. She arrives 3 day's before my 43rd birthday and the novelty of her presence is a present. It's harder to make friends the older I get. (It's not just a matter of being a hermit---but the pool seems to have narrowed dramatically.) Solution? Try harder? Be a friend? Be open to new experiences? (Gasp!) I have one friend who claims it's all about lowering one's expectations. He makes a far better Buddhist than I do. We'll see. Reflecting on metal. Reflecting on friendship. It's not flame that makes soldier flow. It's the heat of the metal surrounding it. What makes friendship flow?

The Shell Seekers

Lots (seriously, lots) of little beads and pearls, crystals, and pressed glass on headpins, wrapped and then strung on sterling silver wire.

Idiot's Delight

I am not a visual learner. There are a gazillion really good chain maille tutorials on the web. http://mailleartisans.org/ But for us hands-on learners-- brain connects to body through repeated motion. This pattern has many names. Bird cage. Byzantine. Idiot's delight. I suspect the person who coined the last name was also a person who preferred a hands-on approach to learning.

Through all the Tumult and the Strife

Another solid week of computer mayhem. ARGGGH. 30 earrings in 30 days, my fat butt! Reloaded my operating system, finally. Reinstalled 400 programs and drivers. And still--paypal wouldn't print shipping labels. Why? I have no idea. But I finally used a different browser and Voila! I can once again send packages without leaving the comfort of my desk. So here is one earring, and I'm PRETTY darn proud it's uploaded. Technically, it's a probably a pendent. I call it my Hydrangea, darnit, Christmas Tree.

Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear it's music ringing. It sounds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing?--Recently Enya--far less recently--Eva Cassidy.

Easy Earrings #15--Byzantine Empire

In 726, an underwater earthquake between the islands of Thera and Therasia was interpreted by Emperor Leo III as a sign of God's anger, and may have led Leo to remove a famous icon of Christ from the Chalke Gate outside of the imperial palace. Iconoclasm, Greek for "image-breaking", is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture's own religious icons and other symbols or monuments. And Leo may well have started this movement!

Geez, I love Wikipedia. I know, I know. It's frequently questionable sources could be leading me astray in all sorts of heinous directions. But at 2 am it thrills me to be able to look up words.

Easy earrings #15--Byzantine chain maille with amber dangles. Harder than they look. In fact, I've made 3 and none of them match. BUT, I'm counting them!

Easy Earrings #14--Homage to the Blue Fairy

In Carlo Collodi's book, The Adventures of Pinocchio, the blue fairy repeatedly appears at critical moments to admonish the wooden puppet to avoid bad or risky behavior.

I'm certain, were I to have such a fairy, that I'd be routinely annoyed by her presence. But occasionally it would be nice to have her flutter around--"It's time for bed, Kristen." "Clean off your desk, Kristen." "You've misspelled that word, Kristen." The word in case was ship. I suggested to a very kind customer that I would "ship her beads tomorrow." Unfortunately, rather than a "p," the word ship contained a "t." Her funny return email suggested she'd be glad to wait if this took more time than expected.

I am routinely grateful for kind and funny customers. I have many. You know who you are, and I thank you.

Earrings #14--Japanese chain maille with faceted pear drops. Simple, but time consuming.

Progress

Earrings #13-Psuedragion Kersteni

I think it's important to dispel myths from Childhood. For example, it was rumored that my parents very much planned and expected me to be a boy. My name was not supposed to be Kristen, but rather Christopher. But 42 and 3/4 years later I find out that I'm really named after a dragonfly: The Psuedragion Kersteni or Kersten's Sprite. Clearly this makes a great deal more sense than being named after the boy I wasn't. Self discovery--movement--growth. Things do not change; we change. Henry David Thoreau

Earrings #13--Bundles of hammered brass wire wrapped in copper. Dangled with Brown picasso spirals.

Earrings #12-Has Your Passport Expired?

My passport has expired. It's another thing, clearly fixable that leaves me over-whelmed. It used to be easy to wander in and out of Mexico and Canada. Now I can wander in and out of Fernley--Carson City--Gerlach. Treasures can be found anywhere. Just head to Gerlach for a plate of homemade ravioli at Bruno's to verify this. But there's something to be said for possibility. Adventure at a moment's notice. Maybe I won't be jetting off to Bujumbura, Burundi. But if it comes up, I want to know I can.

Hammered square brass wire. And Glowy Matte Firepolish. Glowy is good.

ARGGHHHHHHHHHHH

My computer has imploded. Completely. Something loud popped. It's made me a complete basket case. I keep chanting This too shall pass. This too shall pass. It's not working. But it will eventually. As will my computer.

Good weekend to everyone!

Jewelry and Fanciful Things for Magical Spaces

I have two confessions to make.

The First: I'm a fairy wanna be. Before I went to Burning Man I bought or made no less than 6 fairy costumes. Plus wings and of course a fairy crown. I wanted to flit around and pass out magic and good will and cookies--or maybe muffins. It wasn't exactly clear. And guess what? I didn't wear a single bit of fairy garb. Not anything. I loaned a fairy dress to my male neighbor, he looked great! I dressed the mom and daughter who slept under our dome. But while I had a marvelous time at Burning Man, didn't once fairyify myself. Hmmm.

The second: I have blog envy. I don't think I had any notion of just how hard this is. Hard to be semi interesting at regular intervals. Hard to produce constantly decent pictures, work, topics, etc. Thankfully, there is inspiration all around.

Here's some. ThymetoDream Karla will inspire your inner (and maybe even outer) fairy. Read about how her work evolves. What motivates her. Who she collaborates with. What moves her. "Joy is always inside waiting to be discovered." Then head over to her etsy sight. Her work is lovely and fresh and very much reflects her goal: Above all, I try to put a lot of love and joy into everything I create!




God is Alive. Magic is Afoot. (Leonard Cohen, Buffy Sainte- Marie.)

UFO Spotted in Reno

As I work my way through this HUGE stash of beads, I'm finding more and more UFOs. (Unfinished Objects) Most are interesting enough to set aside in a bin. (Yet another bin?) Here's one I'd love to send to someone to finish. It's a 2 drop peyote stitch bracelet done in pastels with a floral pewter clasp. Not horrible, but it doesn't feel complete. I will send it to the first person to add a comment and agree to the following:

--I will complete it within 3 weeks.
--Take a picture and email it back to Kristen.
--Detail what I did with the project and what I felt was successful.
--Agree to have the photo and description posted.

Yep, that's a LOT to ask. 3 weeks??? Doesn't she realize Christmas is practically next week???

Anyone interested?

Thanks!

Easy Earrings #11-French Twist

Not quite a thousand years ago (I was 17) I studied painting in Paris for several months. The first thing I did when I arrived was cut off my very long hair. The second thing I did was buy a pair of earrings. These remind me of those first earrings. Roller printed copper rectangles and a firepolished disk. Simple!

Easy Earrings #10-Curls and Pearls

Little lilac Pearls and brass wire--Work hardened on my baby anvil. Kind of fun...not my favorites!

Easy Earrings #9-Lord of the Dance

Interesting! I intended to mimic some Taureg influenced shields, but they ended up looking very figurative. Copper textured sheet with brass wires. Lots of movement when attached to the earwires. I enjoyed making these!

Easy Earrings-#8-Ring Toss

European 4 in 1 ring maille. With veryyyy small rings. The cubes at the bottom are only 4mm. An easy pattern, but it is hard to work so small.

Easy Earrings #7-Saharan Wishbones

While quite primitive, I love the way these turned out. square brass wire hammered flat at the ends, then cross hammered with ridges. Almost identical to some Taureg ear decorations I saw in a book.