honey & ollie

These just went up in the shop. I’m a little sad about that. I kind of wanted to keep them! I may have to make myself a pair.

Captain Sexypants and I made the rounds of the Pasadena bead show yesterday and much fun was had. We were struck by the amazing rustic and artisan quality of the metalwork on these chandelier findings. Okay, actually what happened was, we were standing there at her table with our hands in the little bins of copper jewelry components, both going “OOOOh! Ooooh! Look at THESE! OMG! OooOOOOH!” and making a lot of happy noise. See, these copper components are not cheap and thin stampings, oh no! These are handmade, every one, at a small studio. Warm and substantial, they just feel so good. The patina is different on every piece. Someone obviously imbued them with a great deal of happy mojo during the making. And since my work is all about the happy mojo, of course I went a little crazy at her table. Over the next few weeks, I will be making a lot of pieces that incorporate this wonderful artisan’s copper jewelry findings. It makes me so happy to support another artist’s small business. I try really hard to get most of my beads, glass and metal pieces this way, frankly. Whenever possible, I try to buy directly from the artists. I’d rather buy my gems from someone’s small business on Etsy or at a bead show, than patronize a huge online retailer. Sometimes this costs more. But that’s okay. I think it makes a huge difference in the quality of the designs I can offer you. I also think that the individual components have a better feel to them.

My youngest child loves to tell me that I am full of “hippy yaya b*llsh*t” but ya know, I gotta be me and that includes the hippy yayas. My philosophy has always been that there’s enough pie for everyone, as long as we aren’t greedy about the pie. Directly supporting other artists is my way of ensuring they get enough pie too.

It was fun to sit at the bench last night and get out some beads and play. These simple but colorful chandeliers were the result. I’ve been wanting to add some chandelier earrings to the line for a while but, aside from the fine silver components I make myself in the studio, I don’t fabricate my own findings. Unwilling to offer y’all anything that I wouldn’t wear myself, I have been holding out for the right ones. Looks like these are clear winners.

But here’s something completely different. While the pieces above are rustic and bohemian, warm and bold, these are a little more delicate. Elegant. To me, these pieces feel like slipping into the silky cold waters of a mountain lake. Quiet and peaceful, with all the blue of the sky reflected around you in gentle waters.

Amazonite, Peruvian chalcedony, sparkling green amethyst, delicate celadon moss aquamarines. A little Swiss blue topaz, pale blue faceted aquamarine, the deep blue of tiny sapphires…

The idea for these pieces came out of my One Word exploration. I enjoyed the idea of exploring elemental looks and ideas. Over the next 12 months, I’ll be exploring each element, each Sacred Thing. Water. Earth. Air. Fire. Spirit. Heart.

These Water pieces will be coming to the shop soon.