Dear Julia...

I don't read nearly as much as I once did. It is a shame, I know. I read plenty of children's books until I know each page word for word, but adult books have been low on the priority list in the past few years. However, I forced myself to create book time for myself during August (yup, dishes remained dirty for an extra hour or two each day, the computer slipped into sleep mode, and perhaps some soldering was delayed...but the world didn't stop because I read). Guess what? I really, really, really enjoyed getting lost in a good book, again!

The book was My Life in France by Julia Child. She collaborated with her grand-nephew, Alex Prud'homme, in the final stages of her life to put this work together. Reaching back into the 1950s, Julia recalled her time in France and the forces that guided her to cookery. Thanks to her vise-like memory and many old letters between Julia, her husband, family, and friends, the book was full of wonderful descriptions of dinners, moments, and good humor.

After finishing the book, I wondered if letter writing will survive the age of our electronic world. The art of letter writing as a communicative form has boiled down to greeting card pleasantries and proper etiquette. Pure letter writing (where criticisms are doled, partnerships are accepted, hearts are broken, and news is shared) has gone electric. It is far easier to click 'delete' and forever erase words in an email than to throw away a letter or card handwritten by the same person.

Of course, all this reading and thinking got me thinking about stationery and cards. When I was twelve, I received personalized stationery and envelopes from my Gram. Chocolate brown letterpressed script font on an pale mocha, deckle edged paper, this stationery was my most cherished gift, ever. I wrote letters, thank you's, get well's, and condolences on this stationery until my early twenties.

So, I turned to the many amazing craftspeople on Etsy to find some fine examples of handmade stationery and cards. Check out these elegant paper crafts.....

Notions Personalized Stationery Set

by

Silhouette Blue

bug collection boxed set

by

happy girl greetings

Set of 10 personalized flat notes- Twin Peacocks in Chocolate and Curry

by

Michelle Brusegaard

Old World Damask Note Card Set

by

Ink Spot Workshop

Boxed Note Cards - open leaf aqua

by

Enid Wilson Studio

If these lovely items are not inspiration enough to pen a letter to your pal, I don't know what is!

In celebration of letter writing (and letter receiving), I am going to challenge myself to write more letters. But I need letter recipients! So, I turn to my blog readers! If YOU would like to receive a letter from ME, please email your address to: jen@quenchmetalworks.com

Thank you in advance!!

Work in Progress

Welcome to my latest project....a button cluster neckpiece that will look gorgeous on a winter bride. All the buttons are all vintage or antique white mother of pearl with various hues of peach, ivory, cream, and mink.

This is how I work out designs. I like to map all the components (in this case, buttons) onto some sketch paper and label each button's location.

Next step, many, many, many fine silver bezels! Did I mention bezels?

I love to solder....really, I do. If I did not, this piece would still be a mere sketch.

After soldering, I just had to take a picture of the piece on my chest (my plus sized chest, that is...on an average woman, this necklace will look bigger and more grand...my fleshiness dwarfs its actual size). Also, the finished piece will actually sit a tad bit higher.

Ah! Daylight photos!

I wish I had documented the process of tapering this 12 gauge sterling silver wire, but alas, I was too deeply engaged in the process to think of the camera.

.

The home stretch! To give this piece a bit of richness, I added some 18k gold loops and balls in three spots. After adjusting the neckwire's curvature, I'll bring up the finish and set the buttons. Check back mid week for the "reveal"!

My First Giveaway! and A Winner!

YAY! A giveaway!!!! We all love giveaways, right? In celebration of almost a year blogging and all the folks out there that follow my little blog, I'm offering up a Quench Metalworks' pendant! Special thanks to all my peeps on Facebook who voted for a pendant prize.

This is the prize that I have chosen for my first giveaway. My new circlet pendant in sterling silver....the jump rings that attach the chain to the pendant are 18k gold. Your choice of either oxidized silver or brushed silver. Just leave a comment by 6pm on Sunday, September 6th and you'll have your chance to win. The winner will be posted later that evening. Good luck!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you all for commenting! The winner is..... Cindy from Hellcat Vintage! Congratulations, Cindy!!!

A Fine Fall Day

I guess a heat loving person would cringe to think that I have deemed the remaining days of summer as autumn days. After waking up this morning to a dry, crispy 52 degrees, how can I not think of my most cherished season? With the stove ablaze to warm up the chilly floorboards, my kitchen duties focused on cooler temperature activities. Today: chocolate biscotti. Tonight: chicken stew. Tomorrow: homemade mac and cheese. The kitchen is a soulful place when the oven is on and good aromas abound. I do hope the sweet, days of summer gracefully take their leave and are replaced with fruitful fall.

Inspired by this good weather, I devoted much of this morning to my Etsy shop. I listed a few more items, cleaned up some older listings, and planned a course of action for the upcoming holiday shopping season. I'll be stocking the shop with affordable earrings and pendants

for certain.

coral stack pendant

oval filigree hoops

coral stack earrings

Other fall and holiday events in the works, my first ever GIVEAWAYS! We all love giveaways, and this is the very best way to say 'thank you' for staying with me, reading my many, wordy postings, and commenting, too. Look for the first giveaway next week!

New Listings!

Sterling bangle with vintage button charm

Sterling dainty circlet pendant

Sterling ring with vintage button... oh glorious pink!

A revamped website, new work, and cooler days...

Gosh, when the weather is hot and sticky, my motivation comes to a slow crawl. I managed to get a few custom orders finished and in the mail, but that was all I could muster in the past few weeks. Thankfully, the days are drier and motivation has returned from her sultry Caribbean vacation.

First on the list was the Quench website. Launched a year ago this week, I enlisted my dear friend to design the site. He endured endless phone calls from yours truly who badgered him and insisted on minute changes. What a horrid client! In the end and many glasses of white wine later, the website was finished and I was pleased. However, over the year I found it difficult to make changes to a site that I did not design (understanding the program he worked with was near impossible). With my new Macbook and 2 sessions at the Apple Store, I revamped, recreated, and relaunched my website!

Feeling rather geeky and techie, I designed and created a wholesale catalog for the Vintage Collection. I sent it to a customer today only to realize later that I forgot to price a row of earrings. My new mantra: proofread, proofread, proofread.

Above are some new items (new within the past 2 months). All vintage/antique buttons, sterling silver, and a smattering of 18k gold!

This Week's Doings

Ah, chipping away at the to-do list! Finally, I shipped this consignment order to OOP! in Rhode Island. Now, I am working on 2 custom orders, more inventory for my next show, and squeezing in a bit of yardwork here and there. Be gone, cursed crabgrass!

A impromptu trip to Peaks Island on Tuesday proved to be a much needed mini adventure for our family. We enjoyed a pleasant ferry ride, a hearty lunch, cold beers, and scenic views of Casco Bay on the veranda at the Inn on Peaks Island.

We hope to explore our Maine some more this month before school starts!