Team MSIA Seek n' Find!!

I belong to two villages...one being Etsy Maine Team (which I am now co-leading with my peep, Kellie, but that is for another post) and Team Metalsmiths in Action. My MSIA village is having another Seek and Find contest with gads of prizes to be won! Above is just a small sampling of the fine jewelry items up for grabs! Below is the official announcement.

MOTHERS DAY SEEK N FIND CONTEST STARTING MAY 1st!

The Metalsmiths In Action Etsy Team is having a Seek, Find & Win Contest, starting this Friday, May 1st and going through May 10th (or when all prizes have been given away, whichever comes first)! Find the THREE hidden Rose images in participating stores. No purchase necessary!For details click here for more information!

Have fun and good luck!

Tuesday Morning Front Page Love

I am featured in a treasury curated by The Nebulous Kingdom. AND, the treasury was on the front page of Etsy this morning!!!! I apologize for my half-baked copy and paste screen shot. Sometimes, the techie part of me is still sleeping.

New Work

Three pendants for Mother's Day...the other two are "Mama" and "Mum". You can find these and more in my Etsy Shop! Have a Happy Monday!

Vacation, Circus, and Mums

For students and teachers in Maine this past week, it was the cherished April vacation. Without April vacation, schools would be a vast wasteland of wishful thinking daydreamers and irritated teachers. As with every April vacation, we make the trek to my husband's native land of Long Island, New York...and the very best leg of this journey is the ferry ride across Long Island Sound. We were blessed with light breezes, calm seas, warm sunshine, and a happy, rested child for our cruise...and as you can see from the picture, a light load of passengers...we had this side of the ferry to ourselves!





Once back home here in Maine, my sister and I treated our little ones to the Kora Shriner Brother's circus. While part of me abhors the circus (namely the rumored inhumane treatment of the animals), the mother part of me delighted in my daughter's face as she absorbed the sounds, sights, tastes (she did not care for the cotton candy, but ate a whole box of popcorn herself!), and smells of the circus. I think I watched her more than I watched the show at hand!!

Lastly, I have these pendants progressing towards completion fro Mother's Day. I should have them listed by tomorrow afternoon. Simple and handmade with a touch of filigree for the mums out there who take their jewelry with less bling.

MPBN Auction

I grew up watching public television...Sesame Street, Zoom, The Electric Company, and the kind, but quirky Mr. Rogers. As I matured into a teen, I still enjoyed the programing. My favorites then? Cooking with Julia, The Victory Garden, Nova. Skipping to today, it's more about what my daughter wants to watch (and, really, do I have the luxurious time to plunk down in front of the tube...nope). Curious George, Martha Speaks, Caillou, and Word Girl top Annabelle's must-see shows on public Television.

MPBN (Maine Public Broadcasting Network), the very channel that saw me through all those formative years, is holding their ever-popular fundraising auction. The Etsy Maine Team donated an excellent grouping of fine wares for this special event. A big thanks to Lizzy of Lizzyoos for her time and leadership in preparing this auction item.


The earrings I donated are sort of hidden behind the stoneware fish! I looked for a picture of them....no such luck in finding one, but I'll search again later!

The Bees in my Bonnet

I'm always sketching designs that pop into my head...in my sketchbook, on note paper, napkins, the back of receipts. Usually, for the most part, those images and creations from my inner artist progress no further than a rough scribble or two on paper. However, this pendant made it into the three dimensional world. Ah, satisfaction. Now, I'm determined to make one design from my stash of sketches every week. Wish me luck and send a babysitter.

Also, my super fantabulous friend, Jes, featured me and this pendant in her new column on Indie Public. Jes' column is titled "She Dreams of Art" and in this installment featured a few of my Maine Team peeps including Kellie of Wordy Smith and Bob from Heron Cove Woodcarving. When you are reading my bit in her column, I apologize for the annoying, repetitive use of the exclamation point. That's a habit I certainly need to break.

Lastly, remember my post about photographing with props?? If not, you can find it here. Well, I scoured my house for interesting textures and colors. In the back of my china cabinets, I found my collection of rust old cheese and nutmeg graters (thanks to Martha Stewart's Halloween issue 3 years ago...I HAD to buy all of the graters at our local antique mall to achieve a spooky "tablescape"). The dots of back light through the grater holes and the warm rust colors may be just the element I need in my photos.

My Space

Now that everything is in its spot, I thought I would share pics of my awesome new studio!!

Fire extinguisher...priceless.

Soldering area..this needs improvement.

Projects on red facecloth...easy to find!

From above.

Bench drawer...messy!

Top of bench

Packing and design desk...new light on cutting board for booth!

Red locker from Ikea...holds everything!

New Work!

There were additional new items to blog about, however the liver of sulfur was naughty and caused all sorts of flaking and blotching on several pieces....~sigh~. So, those items HAD to be refinished (so very frustrating!) and were not ready for this photo shoot!

Works in Progress

I arranged this small sampling of items on my steel block to summarize my design direction...completely scattered! I'm having tons of fun creating pieces that have been bouncing around in my mind. They all relate to my 3 different collections, and, maybe in some way, relate to each other as well.

I just listed this pair of earrings in my Etsy shop the other day. I'm in LOVE with these pearls I picked up while in Florida. Lots of pearl items with oxidized sterling and 18k gold on the way!!