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.

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!!

New Work

New necklace!!! Oxidized sterling silver, vintage mother of pearl buttons, and 18k gold rivets. Hand pierced filigree frame, roller print textured background. To be listed soon!

Finished!

Hot off the Quench bench!! A friend commissioned this pendant a while back. Oxidized sterling silver, hollow formed and riveted, 3 bezel set diamonds, and bits and pieces from my scrap bin (sort of grunge meets steampunk...would it be called grunpunk or steamunge?).

I'm clearing of my bench, checking off the list, and tying up loose ends as I prepare to vacation! Ah, sun, sand, and palm trees! I'll be closing my Etsy shop for three weeks starting February 1st. I'll be sure to pop into my blog from time to time.

New Listings

I'll be adding these pieces to my shop in the next few days. I have several vintage button pendants (besides the one above) that will join their kin as well!

Happy 2009!

Ah, at last, a new year. A new calendar, a fresh slate, a season for resolutions. Time to clean the studio, finish commissions, and work on some new pieces (like this pendant from my new collection, Dot).

2008 was a super eventful year for Quench Metalworks. I started my business, worked diligently whenever possible, had sales (yes!), started this blog, and forged many new and old friendships! My expectations are great for 2009. Here's wishing you all a healthy and prosperous new year.

Holiday Contest

I recently joined the Etsy Team Metalsmiths in Action, MSIA, just in time for a holiday contest for shoppers! I donated these earrings as a prize:

If you click here you can check out all the prizes available from our team members! At last count, there were 21 prizes! The link above may not have ALL the prizes posted yet (we metalsmiths would rather pound metal than a keyboard!). But, keep checking. As soon as I have the link for contest rules and directions, I'll post! Fun, fun, fun! AND, good luck!

New Listings

New items added to my shop. The photo studio seems to be worth the investment. I'm still tweaking the lighting and backgrounds. More jewelry to make and list in the next few days!

Thinking Ahead

New listing in my Etsy shop! Sterling charm bangle with green tourmaline, vintage shell button, and faceted black pearls. Yummy! I really had to hold myself back when making this. I wanted to fill the whole bangle with all sorts of stones, baubles, and, of course, buttons. But, I went with the magic number 3 for this one (I have this thing about 3's and it's multiples...three perennials, 3 vases, 3 planters, 3 cheeses, 3 candles, and so on). There are 2 more bangles on my bench waiting for me to set their stones (a pink tourmaline in one and an orange opal in the other) and rivet their buttons. I might try to making a bangle 'with all the fixins' soon...just to get it out of my system.

I've been thinking a bunch about the holiday season peeking above the horizon. Sort of the old eggs in the basket deal. Do I continue to make work for my Esty shop, OR do I make work for my Etsy shop and a trunk show, or do I make work for Etsy and a craft fair? I wish I could only live in the moment, but my pragmatic Capricorn self will not have any of THAT gibberish. So, I look forward, hoping to choose the right path. And, if you don't mind, please send metalsmithing elves my way to help with all the bench work.