Greetings from My Pine Forest

No ornaments this year - just lots of Christmas trees and a few twinkle lights.
The poodles loved it.

Gilding Nipples

I was going to call this post "The Three Graces" but decided "Gilding Nipples" was more festive.

My friend Martha gave me three pairs of her ceramic nipple beads to play with.

I decided what they needed, from me, was some 24k gold leaf.

So I gilded their insides and hammered up some sterling earwires for them.
Then gifted them back to Martha and her gal pal Carla, keeping a pair for myself.

The gilding is on the backs, not at all obvious, kind of like wearing fancy underwear.

Gold leafing is fun.

Full Moon

A full moon ring.
Sterling silver band with a glass moon.

I am flying by the seat of my pants getting ready for Christmas.
Yet trying to get back on track with this silly old blog.
A minimal post is better than no post, eh?
So I'll just toss up a few things that I made, and sold, during the seasonal rush that I really liked.

Purse Jewelry

I made a handful of purse charms and gave them all away before photographing them. Oops.
This one my friend Jackie graciously sent me a picture of on her new wild orange leather bag.
Looks like it found a great new home, eh?

I used a giant brushed silver-tone lobster clasp, a vintage YSL black glitter bead (from a rescued necklace), one of my glass beads (the bear), a smoky topaz rondelle and a chunk of hematite. It was great fun to make and there will be many more of these. Digging thorough my bead stash for treasures was great fun.

Dirt Under My Nails

Making clay beads is dirty business - probably because clay is made of dirt.

I love adding these wee terracotta components to my jewelry.
These leaves are so light they add virtually no weight to the earrings.

I made them at my friend Nancy Valle's studio. She makes amazing giant clay sculptures and bowls. Nancy lets me make teeny-tiny things while I am hanging out in her space and then she graciously fires my piddling bits of clay for me.

These little discs with leafy impressions I hand colored with colored pencils and then gave them a rubbing with Renaissance Wax.

The little bead caps are also clay.

All of these earrings are still available (I think) at the Record Archive in Rochester, New York.
I have a trunk style show up there for the month of December with paintings and jewelry.

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Q-tip, Donner & Nixon

Did you know I own a button making machine?
Who thought leaving me in charge of making the holiday buttons was a good idea?

the Professional

New business cards.

My avatar/spirit animal is the cabbage - nature's bead.

Simply Funky

Here's an idea I've been messing around with.

I want to make a simple cord bracelet that is fun to wear and easy to fabricate.
Nothing too elaborate or time consuming.

This one has left over glass beads, two carved bone skulls and some stray brass spacers.
The hook and eye is fun, but I think I want to try something with a button clasp on the next one.

I have more half-baked ideas than time these days.

Wouldn't a triple stack of these be fun?

Dead Leaves

Not the most romantic inspiration for a bracelet, but dead leaves it is.

Except for a few sloppy, wet flakes it hasn't snowed here yet, which is freaky for upstate New York.
The last of the un-raked leaves are dry and brown. Their fancy autumn colors are long gone, they're just waiting to be buried under some clean Christmas snow.

The metals are copper and sterling silver.
For all you lampworkers who like to know what colors of glass rods I used - the off mandrel glass leaves are light topaz, the big hollow ball is transparent brown and the little beads are yellow ocher rolled in raku frit with clear on top.

If you're in Rochester this weekend, and fancy this bracelet, it will be available at Craftacular! on Sunday at the Public Market. I'll be set up there with nine crafty friends selling stuff inside at Java Joe's (building #55).

Makin' Stuff

Napoleon and I are so very, very busy making stuff for First Friday, Saturday Shops, Craftacular, the Knitting Guild's Shop night and the Irondequoit Bay Bird Party.

Why do I have 5 shows in 6 days?!?
Wtf.

Craftacular!

This Sunday is Craftacular!
I love this show, it's small and intimate, and it's in my favorite coffee shop.

I'm busy making all kinds of glassy goodies for it - necklaces, pandora style beads, rings, earrings... if you are local stop in and see me and my crafty friends.

Do you like the poster? I had a blast making it in Photoshop.
I found the old photo using Google images, then hand colored it, gave the baby pointed ears, added the coffee cup and lastly all the text.

Happy Holidays!