What I Do When I'm Not Making Jewelry

Despite always loving a creative project, I have never been the best cook. I think it is because I find it difficult to stick to a recipe. Once I saw panda bread though, I knew I had to make it at some point. Well, I finally took some time this Saturday to make this fun bread and it actually turned out amazingly well! I must admit that I'm a little shocked, but very pleased. I even flubbed the recipe a bit. I subsituted honey for sugar and almond milk for cow's milk. Even with the substitutions though, the bread both looked and tasted great. Check out the results below.

Work in Progress

 Lately, I've been able to spend some quality time in the studio and I am loving some of the pieces I'm creating for my Fall/Winter line. I thought I would share a sneak peek at one of the pieces that is currently a work-in-progress. It will eventually be a necklace. Let me know what you think.

Some Inspiration Photos for my Fall/Winter Line

I'm currently working on my Fall and Winter line of jewelry and I'm creating an inspiration board to help me to keep my focus as I create new designs. The following are just some of the photos that are on my board and they were so amazing, I just had to share.

 

Walking on the Moon

I've been working in the studio quite a bit lately so I it was a pleasant break from routine to ha ve my Florida relatives up for a visit this weekend. We walked around Purdue University in the unusually warm Fall and took in the colorful trees and red bricks of the university.

We stopped to check out the new Neil Armstrong building and I took a few pictures. It's an interesting building in it's angular design. It was also fun to see the astronaut moon boot footprints that decorate the lawn around the building.

It was so refreshing to take some time out to enjoy the Fall and visit with relatives. Now I feel rejuvinated and ready to tackle some more jewelry. I need to make many more pieces for the One of a Kind show this December. I am excited about the new direction I am taking with my jewelry and I want to make a number of new pieces for this show.

Sometimes just getting out of the studio and shaking off the cobwebs can help to inspire creativity. Hopefully everyone will get a chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful Fall weather.

Order By Feb 1st for Valentine's Day Delivery

As Barry White would say, "Love is in the Air". Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I would love to help provide gifts for the special day. If Quite Clever jewelry is on your shopping list, get your orders in by Feb. 1st to guarantee delivery by Valentine's Day.

I am also providing free Valentine's gift wrapping upon request. Just let me know in the note to seller when purchasing your jewelry.

Happy Shopping and Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy New Year! Free Shipping!

It's 2010! Happy New Year! I'm back from vacation in Florida. I wish I could say it was a sunny and warm vacation but alas the cold snap extended to the Tampa Bay area. We did get a few days that were warm enough to walk the beach and bike the trails, so I'll take what I can. It was also great to see my parents and grandma and spend some quality time with the fam.

Now that I'm back in the winter wonderland of Indiana, I'm celebrating the new year with free shipping within the U.S. on all orders made in January. I'm also offering reduced shipping to all areas outside of the U.S. This is my way of saying happy 2010! I hope it's a great one for everyone!

I Lost My Buddy Yesterday

My boyfriend's dog, Buddy fell asleep for the last time yesterday after a battle with lymphoma. He was a true friend whose only goal in life was to keep my boyfriend and I close to him. We were with him to the end and held his little body as he fell into a deep sleep. There is a huge hole in my heart now that he is gone. I miss his barks and how his face, looking out of the glass door, would be the first that I would see as I pulled into my boyfriend's driveway. I miss how he hated sneezes and would bark to let us know. I miss how he would hug your leg and bark at you when you left the house, as if to say don't leave unless you plan to take me with you. I miss how he used to stop in the middle of a walk and take the time to roll around in the leaves or the snow. Buddy was truly a loyal and sweet friend and I will forever miss having him in my life.

My Cluttered but Productive Work Station

Just thought I would share a couple of photos of my currently cluttered work station. I am working every day to get ready for my two big holiday shows and time is flying by. I'll be spending most of my time in front of this work bench for the next two weeks.

Don't Worry Rudolph, They're Not Real Antlers

I must admit that I am addicted to hair pins. They are the simplest way to put hair up quickly and stylishly. It dawned on me, that I should make one, so I sat down and made a hair pin perfect for the holidays, but still wearable all year round. Here is an early pic of my antler hair pin.

Coming Soon: Beaded Rings

Check out my new Orb and Orbit rings. The orb rings feature a single bead and the orbit rings feature two beads, one smaller than the other. I love these rings and can't wait to experiment with this style some more.

I Made Etsy's Front Page

I am so excited to announce that I made it to the front page of Etsy today. I never thought I would be featured on the front page so it's very encouraging. Below is an image of the front page treasury that included my irregular hoop earrings.

I Make Like I'm a Little Deer

I am so excited with the new direction of my silver work. I am trying to create little scenes made of silver. I was really pleased with how it turned out. I'm still experimenting with this style, but right now I'm really enjoying it.

This particular pendant was inspired by lyrics from a song by one of my favorite artists, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. In the song, "Babe, You Turn Me On" one of the lyrics is, "I make like I'm a little deer, grazing on the flowers."

The pendant is made completely of sterling silver. The birch trees are made of varying gauges of silver wire that have been hand filed. The deer is hand-drawn and cut out of sterling silver sheet. A patina was applied to the piece and then the raised areas were hand polished to produce a bright silver finish. The entire piece was then coated with wax to seal the patina.

It can be purchased at www.quiteclever.etsy.com

Getting Creative With Displays.

I recently submitted an application for an art show that required a picture of my booth display. Since I have not yet participated in a traditional show, I had few display items prepared and I only had a couple of days to put the entire display together. This means I had to get creative.

I ended up going to Jo-Ann's and I found a bobbin rack, a wooden Halloween tree decoration and some wooden boxes. I also found some small ceramic dishes. I ended up painting the Halloween decoration and the bobbin rack black. I placed necklaces on the Halloween tree and rings on the bobbin rack. I painted the ceramic dishes black and silver and set river rocks in the silver dishes.

I used some of the earring trees, busts and bracelet displays I had to fill in the rest of the table, and I think it turned out pretty well. What do you think.

What unique display ideas have you tried? I would love to hear ideas.

Quite Clever Etsy Shop Finally Open

I officially opened my Quite Clever Jewelry etsy shop for business. I am currently posting an item a day to get better exposure and to ease into my selling. I will be creating and updating a lot over the next couple months.

Other than that, I am still finishing up the painting and arranging of my studio. Right now half of the studio is functioning and the other side of the room is filled with paint cans and tarps. With a little work every day, it should start to look great though. I will post pictures as soon as I get the whole place up to snuff.