New Work

Oregon sunstone and recycled 14k white gold ring, size 6

California pink tourmaline and recycled sterling silver ring, size 6-6.5

Oregon sunstone, recycled 14k yellow gold, and recycled sterling silver ring
{ custom order; sold }

Fair trade aquamarine, recycled 14k white gold, and recycled sterling silver ring, size 6-6.25

New Work

Moissanite and recycled 14k rose gold engagement ring
{ custom order; sold }

1.63 carats!

Moissanite and recycled 14k yellow gold engagement and wedding rings
{ custom order; sold }

Sunstones... Mesmerizing Sunstones

I bought some incredibly gorgeous sunstones yesterday...

A nicely matched pair of 4mm stones (0.52 total carat weight)

Another well-matched pair of 5mm stones (0.99 total carat weight)

Oregon sunstone, 9mm (2.38 carats)

Oregon sunstone, 9mm (2.24 carats)

Oregon sunstone, 8.5mm (2.14 carats)

This one has some interesting color variations, showing both peachy tones and pale greens, 6mm (0.86 carats)

Greenish-blue Oregon sunstone, 5mm (0.46 carats)

Let me know if you're interested in having any of these beauties made into a custom ring or earrings!

New Work

Chuck Norris - Acrylic on Canvas, 8" x 10"

Minor Change in Charitiy Schedule

Just a quick note, for those of you who like to keep up with which charity I'm currently donating 5% of my sales to -

In light of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti and the resulting urgent need for immediate help, I'm pushing back the charities I had scheduled for January, February, and March by one month, and sending January's donation to Food For Life's Haitian relief fund. Food For Life is currently working on setting up a base in Haiti, where they will distribute vegan food to those in need.

I was amazed to read that Food For Life can provide over 100 meals in a crisis like this for just $25. I went ahead and sent a donation just now representing the first half of the month, rather than waiting until the end of the month, in an effort to provide help when it is needed most. Thanks to my wonderful customers, January is off to a great start, and I was able to send $350. (That's over 1,400 meals!)

Thanks to all of you who patronize my little jewelry business; please know that together we are making a difference!

Conquering Mental Blocks

When I learned how to do flush-set stones about a year and a half ago, I started with silver (easy), moved on to yellow gold (harder), and eventually tried white gold (#$%&@!!!). White gold was tough, literally. Since it's a harder, less forgiving metal, I had a really hard time setting those tiny little stones into it. I tried a couple of times and got so frustrated that I gave up. Ever since, when I've received requests from customers to do flush-set stones in white gold (and there have been many, many requests), I've simply declined. But it pains me greatly, not only to lose out on business, but to be unable to give my customers what they want, and ultimately, to disappoint myself. So today, I resolved to overcome my fear. After all, it's probably been a year since I've attempted this particular skill, and in that time I've had a lot more practice...

... et voila!

Moissanite and recycled 14k white gold wedding band, size 7

I did it!!! And I must say, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself today. There are often many frustrations and let-downs working in any creative field, and I tend to judge myself and my work pretty harshly, so I'm making a conscious effort to enjoy this little success today.

I hope you too are having a success-filled, joyful day.

Bird Pics

I know it's been a while since I've posted photos of the birds, and you all must all be suffering horribly from withdrawals! Well, shudder and vomit no more*, the bird photos have returned.

* That's my best guess at what is involved with withdrawals - shaking and puking. Yay? Nay?

Clara

Rosa

Polly Wolly Doodle

Blossom

Tinkerbell

Which, if any, of these photos do you think are worthy of turning into a painting? Please help me decide!

Please Help!

I'm sure by now you have all heard about the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. Please, take a moment to donate whatever you can towards the relief efforts. I chose to donate through Doctors Without Borders, but there are many ways to help.


When terrible disasters like this one manage to jolt me out of my usual self-centered daily life, I feel ashamed of the wasteful affluence that most of us experience here in the US while so many others around the world suffer deplorable conditions as part of their daily lives. How can such imbalance be tolerated? I don't know the answers, I just know that I have to do something, no matter how small, to try to help. I hope you will too.

Winter Clearance Sale!

I've just marked down many of my in-stock items by 25-50%. Now is a great time to get an awesome deal on something pretty...shop now!

(This is just a small sample of the pieces that are on sale. Be sure to click through to see more great deals!)

New Work

Just one today...

Oregon sunstone and recycled 14k white gold ring, size 7.25

(6mm (0.83 carat) stone on 3.5mm wide comfort-fit band)
{ to be listed soon in my Etsy shop }

New Work

No new jewelry yet (hopefully in a few days), but here's another chicken I painted.

Rosa, acrylic on canvas, 8" x 10"

I also just opened a new Etsy shop, IrritableFowl, for selling my paintings.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I spent a very quiet evening at home last night, painting a chicken. :-)

LaFonda, 8" x 8", acrylic on canvas