Flammulina Ring

I'll try and get a good shot of it being worn tomorrow...



Hope everyone has a good weekend!

New Ring in progress...

Here are a few photos of a new ring I'm working on. So far I have the frame done and it needs to be put into the tumbler. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a chance to finish it up and put the fiber and plastic layers on.
A few flower snapshots for inspiration...




We took a trip to Six Flags yesterday and rode on lots of fun rides and finished the day off with a funnel cake sundae! Delicious!

and lastly, I'd like to say rest in peace Michael Jackson!

Leptomedusae Ring

So here is the finished Ring. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out I'm extremely excited to start making more and more of my fiber and plastic pieces.


Hope everyone has a good week!

One mans trash is another mans treasure...

The alley behind my house has some really great shopping! I've been in the market for a dining table and a few weeks ago I came home from work and there was this table and chair set next to the dumpster that someone had thrown out. Perfect and free!Then yesterday I was leaving my apartment and there was this huge box of glassware and kitchen knickknacks sitting next to the dumpster. I took it upstairs and rummaged through to find two awesome teapots, a bamboo mat, a glass candle holder, a fruit bowl all in perfect condition and much much more! I stuck it all in the dishwasher with a huge smile on my face.

I'm always on the lookout for a good bargain and it's even better when it's absolutely free!

As I mentioned in my previous post...I'm finally inspired, happy and absolutely loving life again and have started working on my first fiber and plastic piece in a long long time! I took quite a hiatus from these fiber pieces because they were connected to some bad energy from my past but I'm finally ready to turn over a new page and start fresh. So here it is in progress...

the silver frame

still wet

more to come soon...

More New Work...

I have been in such a groove lately creating new pieces and experimenting. It's been great! I'm so happy to have been bitten by the creative bug again (finally)!

A bit later today I'm dropping off some jewelry at Dilly Lily, a flower boutique and gift shop in Lincoln Park. They will be carrying my work from now on :) It's a lovely little shop that I went to for my flowers when I lived on that side of town and if you're ever in the area I highly recommend visiting the Bourgeois Pig right next door. They have the most delicious sandwiches and cookies...mmmm.

Here are some shot of some pieces I've finished up in the last few days (they'll be in my shop by tomorrow).


I've also been applying for some shows and planning some open studios so I have started working on my displays. This is what I've come up with for displaying earrings. I made my own little garden tags and put my earrings on them. I may even put them in pots with small succulent plants so that when the earrings are purchased the plant and pot are a little bonus...just a thought.

Cheers!

A little late...

Sorry I didn't get photos of new work and in progress pieces up yesterday...it was just tooo tooo beautiful outside to be stuck working at the bench all day. So instead I spent the day at the park with the dogs and my boy, then we went for a nice bike ride (I tried my hand at riding a fixed gear with no brakes...it was fun but maybe not the bike for me) and then we headed to the Chicago Blues Fest. A great summer day in my book :)


Anywho, here are some things that I've been working on today...


Have a great week!

A busy busy week...

Eric and I had some family in town this past week so we were busy being Chicago touristas. It's always a lot of fun having visitors because it reminds you of all the great things that the city has to offer. I think we saw the city from every angle possible...from the Chicago river looking up, from Lake Michigan looking onto the skyline, from the top of the Hancock looking down...it's quite amazing from every which way. Thought I would share some pictures from our adventures.








We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and my favorite favorite place in Chicago, the Lincoln Park Conservatory. It was fun to visit my old neighborhood :)



I'll be working on jewelry tomorrow so I'll have some photos of new work to share.
Cheers

In Progress...

A few photos of pieces that I'm working on in the studio on this Saturday afternoon (that will be available in my shop soon)


Jewelry Designer (and friend) Alley Maranto is looking for a studio mate for an awesome space (with a loft and kitchen) in Chicago on North and Wells and it's super super cheap. Contact me if you're interested and I'll get the two of you in touch.

I'm so excited for the farmers market in my neighborhood to start tomorrow :)
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far!

Repairs, Ramblings and New Pieces...

I've had a few repairs in the last couple of weeks which I've been beating myself up over. However, the more I think about it the more I've come to the realization that it's part of buying handmade items. I can't be 100% perfect all of the time and most likely there will be a piece that the solder seam isn't as strong or the jump ring isn't all the way closed, etc. I'm still disappointed in myself and slightly embarrassed when it happens but I'm very slowly coming to terms with the fact that there will be repairs. One great thing about this is that the customer is almost always super understanding and that I can fix it right away and offer exceptional customer service.

Anywho, here are a few photos of a beautiful little plant I found when hanging with the doggies yesterday (I think it's a clover plant but I'm not sure).


The dogs are becoming buddies faster than we expected...very exciting!


And last but not least, a few new pieces in the works...

Happy Friday :)

The Good Ol' Midwest...

Just got back from a short road trip to Minneapolis. The country side was beautiful and the weather was sunny. It reminded me that I'm not really a city girl at heart and that I've been longing for woods and green space to hike and run in for too long. One day...

Here's the new pooch Charger.

He's such a lover

And last but not least, I finally got to use my traveling jewelry case (it only took about 2 years) that is great for appearing more professional and put together in meetings with boutique owners or clients (thanks dad).

Cheers!