New Beadwork and Enameled Jewelry

As life settles in to a new routine, I have found time to create new jewelry: beaded, enameled, and strung. I am especially excited about this peyote stitched bezel around a Labradorite Cabachon with some serious blue highlights. Next I'll bead the bail and decide how to hang it.  Beaded rope or chain?

With so many projects in progress, a few that have been on the back burner recently called loudly for completion.  Quite a few are still in various stages of becoming but the momentum is building and the satisfaction of finishing is pulling me forward.  Here are some that I like a lot!

Enameled Pendant Choker

     Enameled Earrings with Blue Niobium Earwires

Scrafito Technique Enamel Pendant Necklace

 Earrings with Sterling Silver Spiral

Outside the window I'm finally seeing the signs of spring with something other than a gray background!  Huge cumulous clouds with billowing white tops and ominous looking undersides are hiding Mount Baker.  The Red Flowering Currant is So in the pink this year! Appreciated doubly, as I had one bush die last year. Across the street the neighbor has yellow Forsythia and the last Cherry blossoms are giving way to maroon leaves.  The blue sky is doing my soul good today!!

Happy Spring!!

Traditional Rowing Boat Blog Post

In my new job at Emerald Marine Carpentry one of my tasks is to keep the blog humming along. Below is a link to my first post.

After wanting to work at the family business for many years, the time arrived!  Part-time work in Anacortes allows me time to keep up with my jewelry business, exercise, gardening, and projects around the house.  The short bicycle commute is a nice addition.

My office skills come in handy, in addition to marketing and promotion as well.  The learning curve involves retail wood sales, pricing, shipping and receiving and general inventory.   Part of the fun is learning customers and their boats names, adjusting to general shop routine, and training on how to help maintain tools and equipment.  I tend to be most happy with a variety of hands-on tasks so the good balance between shop work and office work is perfect.

There is, of course, a large well equipped shop with lots of tools, bronze casting equipment, a forge waiting to be set up, metal bandsaw, almost everything except for the perfect jewelers torch and the precision rolling mill I dream of!  There is always great music playing on the stereo and a general good feeling.

I have been listing new items on Etsy slowly.  Making a few new items and taking a lot of pictures.  I have so much still to learn and explore with my kiln and as my new routine takes hold, more space and time are opening up.

Emerald Marine Blog Island Star post




Photo by Phil Eley