Some Clients: Tania Elizabeth

I'm happy to say that my jewelry hobby has evolved into a full-time career. When I began putting work up on Etsy I expected to sell the occasional necklace or bracelet, and that does happen. But the majority of my business is wedding rings - something I never would have planned. I get a little thrill each time I make a ring, and love that, but had I thought about the significance of this type of jewelry before I began my journey I probably would have been terrified. Think about it. These clients are in love. They have chosen a piece of jewelry that represents their commitment to each other, and they are going to wear this ring every day...hopefully for the rest of their lives. Geez. That's pressure! It's both humbling and satisfying to be a part of my client's lives. 

I would like to start featuring some of these interesting people, who share their stories with me regularly. There are artists, storytellers, naturalists, and a number of musicians. 

Tania Elizabeth is an especially fun story for me, because my kindergarten students had been listening to her music before she ordered one of my tree bark wedding bands. Some time ago I made a timeline of music history for my students. In the contemporary part of the timeline we feature a band called The Duhks. Children can look at photos of the musicians, and listen to their music as well. My children love dancing to a Duhks cover of Mountains 'O Things by Tracy Chapman. Just imagine the children's excitement when they learned that I was making a ring for Tania Elizabeth of The Duhks! So much fun...

Tania E. wearing her fine silver tree bark band...

Winning a Grammy Award--YAY!!!

 Sometimes Tania plays with her old friends The Avett Brothers, and here they are playing live on Letterman.

The Avett Brothers with Tania Elizabeth

Tania married Andy Stack, another amazing musician. He is also a very sweet fellow to work with--I loved our conversations when he was ordering the rings. He's a guy...

Check out The Stacks website, listen to great tunes, and see Tours.

http://thestacksmusic.com/

As a music lover and musician myself I recommend Tania and Andy and The Duhks enthusiastically. Give them a listen. Buy their music. It's good. Promise. 

I've produced over 500 rings over the last year and am growing more confident. I love this work of taking a lump of silver and forming it into such a meaningful expression of love. And I get to do it while rocking out to great music in my studio. Nice work if you can get it, huh?

Apple Thief

Perfect fall day here in my backyard. Blue skies complete with mare's tails, light breeze, color marvels everywhere. I've come out to feed and water animals, and now I want to stay. I've finished classroom animals including the fat fishes who rush the front of the tank, behaving as if they've been fasting for weeks. I love the way they make frantic fish faces as the water vibrates with their wiggling. It is a goldfish feeding frenzy that I enjoy each day. Gus (Asparagus) the ancient guinea pig is squeal-oinking as I rustle the bag of Timothy. He too is starving and must have some romaine, a bit of orange, a carrot, and piggy pellets. All is well.

I've taken an apple outside with me to share with Hi Lily Hi Lo, otherwise known as Lily, the miniature horse.

Lil, however, is being the Lil Pill and states with a snort that she would prefer carrot tops sans carrot, and since I have not brought those to her highness, she ambles away. I scrub algae from the chicken waterers, (anything to avoid going in to write a bibliography that I must do today,) collect eggs for my breakfast, and start gathering leaves from the ground. I am thinking of bracelets I might make with leaves of Arrowhead viburnum and Smokebush. I also gather some leaves from my father's elm tree. The one that I always ran over when I was in high school... I will make some earrings from the smallest leaves.

As I sit down to eat the horse-rejected apple, the chickens descend upon me, with Swizzlestick in the lead. Notice she no longer has bare quills for a tail, having grown a fine new feathered one. Marigold pecks away at me trying to get bites. If you blink, you'll miss it, but Acorn, the Rhode Island Red speeds in and swipes the whole thing right out of my hand. Toulouse the rooster watches his girls behaving badly. 

Beautiful day. I've gathered my leaves to produce some molds. My fingers smell of apple and sap. I keep whiffing them as I sit at the computer. Keys are going to be sticky, but that's o.k.

SOME NEW WORK

BLACKBIRD FLY pendant

WIDE BARK BANDS

RISE AND SHINE ROOSTER PENDANT

WIDE BARK BANDS IN BLACK

BURLAP EARRINGS

PEACE AND MUCH LOVE FRIENDS.

Not Much Jewelry-Making Going On Around Here...

I wanted to have tons of new work completed by mid-summer. Instead, I broke my hand, and am behind on everything. So--take it in stride--shoot some new photos, and make notecards.

More time too to hang with my peeps. I mean that. Really.