Copper Etching

For the longest time, I wanted to try my hand at etching metal. The challenge wasn't in the etching itself, but just finding the time to do it!
My muse and the thing that finally forced my hand to delve into the world of metal etching was a stash of vintage pen nibs that I lucked upon.
Originally I had thoughts of making a book of sorts, with two pieces of etched copper for the front and back cover, but later decided it would be too bulky (will probably revisit that idea again in the future). In the end , I settled on sort of a tablet design for the necklace, with a background of etched script, one of the awesome vintage pen nibs and a wire wrapped quartz briolette in blue because I am forever obsessed with a having that little punch of blue. The biggest challenge of the whole design was drilling a hole in the pen nib, those little suckers are hard to hang on to, but hubby eventually came to my rescue!
I think the end result turned out wonderful and I can't wait to try my hand at some more etching...thinking I will try etching brass in the next go around with some sort of bird design...my other obsession!

The Art of Tying Your Shoes......

I was standing in front of my kindergartner’s classroom the other day and I thought, "what ever happened to shoes with laces"? You know, the long white things that you form into rabbit ears and twist around just so or maybe even around the tree and through the hole, depending on the way your parents taught you and their parents taught them... I vividly remember my mom teaching me this all too important technique, the art of tying my shoes. I must admit it took a bit of concentration on my part and probably a whole lot of patience on my mom’s part, but I still remember the jubilation when I finally did it. When I finally became master of those unwieldy long, white laces and tied my own shoes!

Standing there in front of my son’s class, in a sea of kids wearing some form of slip-on shoe or those completely studded with hook-and-loop straps (mind you, my son was right there with the hook-and-loop gang), it suddenly made me sad for this little right of passage. Of course, when I was growing up, you really didn’t have a choice, it was either mary-janes or shoes with laces and you were expected to master the art of tying your shoes, pretty darn quick, or else. Well, I don’t know what the “or-else” part was but you pretty much understood that you didn’t have a choice in the matter.

I know, things change, innovations come around that make our lives easier, that get us through our routines a little quicker, so we can take on our hectic days. I have to admit, the person who thought to put hook-and-loop tape on children’s shoes was a pure genius but sometimes I long for those little rites of passage, those things you were expected to master, no exceptions.

I am certainly not going to rid my kid’s closets of all those slip-ons and hook-and-loop encrusted shoes but I think I need to go buy my little guy a pair of shoes with laces……if they still make them, that is.

This Made My Day!!

I received the most awesome treat today! Several of my pieces were featured on the lovely Blog, Snips and Snails http://www.snipsansnails.blogspot.com/ . Snips and Snails also has an amazing shop on Etsy. One of my favorite pieces from her shop are the seahorse earrings pictured above and linked here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/35046860/seahorse-silhouette-cameo-earrings-free

Thank you Snips and Snails.....you made my day!!!

Blackberries

Summer is almost upon us and the ripening blackberries on our backyard bushes are a sure sign. Started from a few scrappy seedlings from my Mom's yard, somehow they have survived in our lackluster soil. Since the move to our new home, we talked about putting in a garden. What a great experience it would be for the kids, we thought...... Well, three years later, we still don't have a dedicated garden, but we do have our blackberry bushes! I love that the kids can pick ripe berries, whenever they get the urge. Such memories I have of picking those sticky, ripe berries right off the vine, quickly popping them in my mouth! Red stained fingers was always the telltale sign of this endeavor! I am just so happy that my own kids are carrying on that story......now, if we could just get that garden started........

o

Dreaming of a Road Trip

My family and I recently became the excited owners of a new motor home. Well, let me digress a little....our new little home on wheels was built in 1989 but it is still shiny and new to us! Outfitting our "classic" gem and generally bringing it back to it's former glory, has got me reminiscing about all the road trips I took with my family, when I was a kid. We were a camping sort of clan although realistically, that was probably the only kind of trip that was affordable at the time. Nevertheless, it sparked in me, an early love of adventure, the smell of the campfire and the hunt for the always elusive, grand-daddy of a fishing spot. It is no wonder I married a man of adventure, someone who would share my love of the outdoors, and I am so excited about creating these same memories with our own little ones. After all, we are a camping sort of clan!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/39817636/camp-fire-girls-vintage-postage-stamp

Featured on the Etsy Voter!

I was very excited when I found out that one of my pieces was selected to be in this weeks Voter on Etsy! All about gifts for the Graduate! Wish me luck in the voting!!

http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=106

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45802050/hand-forged-copper-bookmark-personalized