get togethers

(image via Sgt. Splatters)

i tried paintball for the first time yesterday to celebrate my birthday. me and my friends were really intimidated at first by the huge guys with machine gun style paintball guns and camo gear. but we were able to have a really good time and actually managed to take out some of the other team (though i do have a welt on my stomach from being shot  viciously and repeatedly for coming out from my hiding place too early).

for every one of our birthdays we try to do something (preferably new and) active as well as go out for some kind of cultural food. so this year we did paintball/Japanese, and last year we did ice skating/Malaysian and rock climbing/Vietnamese to name a few.

we were trying to come up with stuff for our next get togethers - kayaking, roller skating, cooking classes, dragon boating, tennis, volleyball, hiking, zip lining, snowboarding, and parasailing were some of them. i'm excited.

like a tree

there are many things that i wanted for myself. some have evolved as the years go by - as i get older, as my situation changes, as i learn more about life and my place in it.

there were things that i thought i had to do and just the idea of them disheartened me because they were not what i wanted for my life.

because of these thoughts Sherif lent me his copy of Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke and it was just the thing i needed at the time. i felt as if the author was speaking to me when he wrote:

"being an artist means 

not numbering and counting

but ripening like a tree,

which doesn't force it's sap 

and stands confidently in the storms of spring

not afraid that afterward summer may not come.

it does come.

but it comes only to those who are patient, 

who are there as if eternity lays before them, 

so unconcernedly silent and vast."

 - Rainer Maria Rilke

time passes

today's my birthday and i'm stuck at work all day. i've become very aware of time lately, (i guess it was because my birthday was looming) though i'm by no means considered old (i'm only 24 now!)

i kinda have a crazy schedule so it's been a little hard to get into the studio for long periods of time. i try to squeeze my studio time within 3-4 hour time periods over a couple days a week. i work best for longer periods of time rather than lots of short periods, but it's better than nothing anyway!

as you can see, my workspace is always a mess. though i do like my supplies to be very organized. 

i was doing some more lichen pieces this week alongside another commission. here are two stacked sheets of sterling silver which i tape together so i can saw out two layers at a time.

just thought i'd show it since i get a lot of surprised looks from people when they find out that our jewellery pieces often start out from sheet. it's kind of hard to imagine if you're not fully involved in the process.

and thankfully i'm able to squeeze in a small birthday lunch with my friend Nini today, at least i'm not too busy for that :)

have a great day readers!

setting lapis lazulis

it is SO cold in Toronto. who knew i'd have to wear two pairs of pants and two pairs of socks just so i wouldn't freeze to death? argh.

anyway, i was working on setting these lapis lazuli stones for Robin recently and as per usual, i had to do it slightly differently than i had been taught. at OCAD we had this gooey stuff called protoplast that let us keep tiny things securely in place, but at the gallery i had to use this pin vice to hold the earrings semi securely while i set them with a stone pusher.

 

i really don't like setting stones, it just may be one of the things i like least about jewellery. it takes a lot of patience and they can easily look pretty crappy, and there is always the possibility of you scratching or cracking the stone.

however, i ironically own a TON of stones that i keep telling myself that i'll set someday.

let's see how that goes. 

a necklace in process

i was working in the studio yesterday and i was all pumped to start some new enameling work. alas, it was not meant to be. right before the holidays i was on a huge enameling binge. i guess it was too big of a binge because a coil burned out in my kiln - which means it won't work til i get it fixed.

it's annoyingly difficult for me to get my kiln repaired, i had to do it after the Outdoor Show too. the repair place is so far away from where i live, too hard to get to with transit, and costs far too much to get it fixed. i'd do it myself but i'm too afraid that i'll mess up my kiln permanently.

these were some of the last pieces i was working on before my kiln decided to die.

seeing red

Valentine's Day is coming up soon and people have started scrambling for their gifts already. please don't hesitate to contact me if you're thinking about giving jewellery to your loved one.

with that in mind, i'm definitely seeing red. my oriental red enamel is one of my favourites. it can be very dynamic, especially when it's in combination with black as you can see here. if you like it too this necklace is currently available in the shop.

and, in a post about giving gifts for Valentine's Day, the Toronto Etsy Street Team was kind enough to feature my fire red fan necklace on their blog as a recommended romantic gift for the one you love.

sawing curves

i was working on this big bracelet cuff at the gallery last month. Robin had this design etched into steel, places a silver sheet over it, and then rolls it through the rolling mill to get the design imprinted onto the metal.

roller printing is a far better method than etching into silver since you don't lose any material.

i have to draw dots on the areas to saw out or for sure i'll mix them up.

if you've never sawn out anything by hand before, know that sawing a curved piece of metal is pretty tedious. i know that fact far too well from this piece of mine. but isn't the shadow lovely?

Sleet Street

my past couple of days have been pretty useless creativity-wise. i caught the flu, and it's left me bed ridden for the past five days. all i've managed to do is drink water and tea and finish up watching Battlestar Galactica (which I've recently become obsessed with).

i'm now part of the toronto etsy street team - a network for toronto etsy sellers to support each other. and right away, wintergarden put together this nice Sleet Street treasury that focuses on Toronto talent. while the last treasury i was featured in was about combating the heat, this one celebrates the cold and includes my lichen earrings.

hot, Hot, HOT!

i'm always glad to see when someone appreciates my work. sometimes the artist is a little removed from that process when someone else is selling their work for them. when that happens you don't get to see the excitement the customer has for the piece or hear what they like best about the design.

i like etsy because it's so fast and easy for people to share the fact that they appreciate your work. this is also why i like doing the art/craft shows. i like to meet the people who are going to wear my work, or hear them tell me that it's just perfect for a certain outfit of the person they're giving it to.

being part of etsy gives me the chance to let people from all over the world see my work, and in turn i get to see some great handmade goodies from everyone else.

this hot, Hot, HOT! treasury was compiled by CoquetteBath and includes my fire red fan necklace. she made it to combat the cold.

Crimson and Clover Treasury

Dragonflymom was kind enough to include my new Lichen Inspired Necklace in her Crimson and Clover treasury yesterday. i think I'm going to make more of those necklaces in some other colours. i also made some new necklaces inspired by scalloped collars right before the holidays. hopefully i'll add the findings and ribbons soon so i can take photos and put them in the shop.

i just started work again, so i have some very busy weeks ahead of me. i also have to apply for The Outdoor Show (eee!) so things are going to get really crazy with me making new work for my application.

wish me luck everyone!

filling up the shop

i've spent the weekend trying to fill up my etsy shop with work like this. it may not seem like it, but it takes A LOT of time to get to that point!

after all the work that goes into designing and making, i also have to take photos, and then edit them for the web, then figure out pricing, shipping and descriptions.

i am spent. this is a new piece i made right before the holidays. it was inspired by lichens and it looks really cute and fresh when its on near the collarbone.

Sapphire Blue Treasury

I just posted my Sapphire and Black Enamel Petal Pendant on Etsy and i'm very glad to see that it got picked up by CandSNoland for this sapphire treasury almost immediately.

i'm building up my favourites list as the days go on. that way i can do a treasury of my own someday soon.

antiqued lichens

i decided to change up my lichen series by antiquing them to this dark colour. the fused texture leaves the raised portions the natural silver colour giving them a nice contrast. i just added this necklace to my etsy shop.

i recently sold my last pair of these earrings so you can't find them anywhere at the moment. i was in the studio yesterday making some new ones, so hopefully i'll get them back in the shop asap. i really like this series because each design is hand drawn so no two pairs are alike.

Hearts Afire Etsy Treasury

Hope you're all having a good new year. I was excited to see my fire red fan necklace featured in another etsy treasury today. This one was a "collection of V-day goodies" curated by alienlabel.