A very, merry Christmas to all!

I spent some time in the studio cleaning and organizing. Then I pulled out the last of the earrings I formed using a hydraulic press last summer. These will become a present for a special person this week.

Thanks to everyone who came to It's a Wonderful ... Shop yesterday.

Here are the ornaments made from tin cans and boxes on a small tree all ready for the holiday shop on Saturday. Did I tell you there are 5 other artisans showing their wonderful wares also?

Great cookies, candles, pottery, watercolors and note cards and all sorts of wonderful lavender products.

Tin Tree Ornaments! I made these especially for the It's a Wonderful...Shop. All they need is their little hangers and they will be finished. Now to work on some pies for Thanksgiving.

It's a Wonderful....Shop

On Dec 3rd I am getting together with other artisan friends and hosting a holiday shop. We all have been working quite hard on our art: a potter, a lavender farmer and potion maker, a watercolor painter, a baker, a candle maker and myself. I can't wait. There is so much great energy flowing!

The earrings are done and now I have moved on to making more tin bracelets. These are fun to make because I get to play with color. These need to be made into a 3D shape and then riveted together.

I am working on many pairs of earrings this week. These are the discs that need to be sanded, have holes drilled, and then riveted together before I finish them with hand made ear wires.

I am preparing for a holiday shop at my huse with other artisan friends. I will post more info very soon. Think watercolors, pottery, cookies, candles, lavender products, and lots of tin jewelry!

Lots of fresh raw materials from the Syracuse flea market at the regional market last Sunday. What fun I will have!

Another shot of the Salt City Urban Art and Craft Market.

Karen Wheeler of the Lockwood Lavender Farm took my picture and wrote about the Salt City Urban Craft Market last weekend. It's in her latest post at www.http://lockwoodfarm.blogspot.com/

Thanks Karen and all of those who visited! It was a great market.

Karen, Jan Fairhurst, Christy Lemp, Martha Harris and Carly Cisternino have something cooked up for December 3rd. Stay tuned!

Here's one of the latest necklaces: all made from "unusual" materials. The discs are tin, printed and plain, one from a strawberry juice can and the other from the bottom of a fruit cake tin. The chain is hand forged steel. These look great on and seem to be getting lots of attention. I have a bunch made for the Salt City Urban Market this weekend.

These tins are from a very sweet student of mine. What could I make her with them? Check out the map boxes they came in. This is one creative gal!

Busy, busy, busy in the studio making more items for the Salt City Urban Craft Market next weekend. Come visit! These are colorful bracelets made from tin from a variety of sources.

I have been so busy working on jewelry for the Salt City Urban Market. These necklaces show lots of hours of work. The market is on October 22 in Syracuse. It is funky and fun if you have never been before. Check out their website and hope to see you there: http://www.saltcitycraftmart.com/

Here is the latest creation: discs made from tin and printed tin mostly from cookie tins. The handmade steel chain is made from bailing wire, 16 gauge and I played with the sizes of the jump rings. I am really liking the textures of the mixed metals. So many ideas, so little time!

Certainly a day to stop and remember where one was at 10 years ago, to think of the horror in the 3 US locations and to think of the horror in other's lives where war is and terrorism is concerned.

Why should there be so much hate?

I am beginning to amass quite a collection of tin. Some of them are so old and have either lovely graphics or pictures it may prove to be impossible to cut them up. This is just a part of what is in my studio at the moment. I am always on the lookout for more great colors!

This are my latest designs. These two necklaces are made from tin, printed tin, sterling rivets and handmade/hand-forged steel chain. Bring on the cans.

More pictures from the class. This is a shrine I created in memory of my father-in-law. He was an avid birder, reader, drinker of Earl Grey Tea, and lived for his summers in Maine. These photos show the necklace replete with the firs trees of Maine, a bird, a stick from a beach and a stone from Jasper Beach in Machiasport. It took along time to work out the design but I am thrilled with the results.

Materials used are: moonstone from Jasper Beach, sticks, Earl Grey Tea can, tin, iron wire, brass,

and transfers for the images.

So the class I took was with Marlene True and it opened my eyes to a new way of showing things and lots of great new techniques. We created little shrines for jewelry while it wasn't being worn.

This shrine was made from bottle caps I found in Spain, a tuna can, an image transfer and a paprika can. I also used an altoid can for the box.

I have just returned from Haystack Mountain School of Craft on Deer Isle, Maine. I spent a lovely 2 weeks there in a class called Jewelry Enshrined. What a wonderful gift to have 2 weeks dedicated to working with creative people in a beautiful setting. Here are a few pictures of my work and as I photograph them I will post more. You can see I learned to use a hydraulic press to form tin and transferred images to metal. So much fun and many great ideas to go forward with.

Off tomorrow for a week in Milbridge, Maine and then scooting down to Haystack Mountain school of Crafts for a two week course with Marlene True. I hope to have lots of goodies and techniques to show when I return. It will definitely be a time for recharging batteries and energies.

I went back and reworked a design that I had created last summer.

Haven't had as much time in my studio as I would wish but these little lizards called to me today and became a pair of earrings.

Earrings made from American and British bottle caps. Thanks so much Sue.

School's out for summer which means a lot more time in my studio. This morning I deliver zipper brooches to Schweinfurth Memorial Art Gallery for their Quilts by the Lake conference. Then it is into the studio for some metal work.

It was a busy week in the studio working. I delivered these earrings on Saturday. They went to the Arts Association of Northern New York in Sacket's Harbor. This organization puts on classes all summer with some fun little competitions thrown in. I was the Plein Air judge last summer but just might do some painting that weekend this summer.

Finally back into the studio today. What a great afternoon to spend in the basement studio. 90+ outside made the 67 in the studio feel cool and delicious. Worked on a few things. Hope to spend more time there this week. The mahjong tile came from an antique store.

It could be ivory and bamboo. Anyone know how to tell?

First time in the studio for almost a month. I spent the first half hour cleaning and organizing and then to the metal. It felt good to be working on design problems and looking at previous sketches. I picked up this bottle cap on top of a mountain in southern Spain. We went there to see the wonderful rock formations and the mountain top was completely in the clods that day. I did pick up some great rusty bottle caps in the parking lot after eating lunch in the car.

New bracelet made from all sorts of recycled printed tin: juice, coffee, olive oil cans and bottle caps. Bright warm colors.

Juxtaposing odd things is very fun. I like the different patinas and textures of all of the objects. The pulley pendant!

New skill: rivets made from wire. Saw that I had a big old chunk of wire and thought that I would try it on this pin. It really looks better than the grommets or eyelets I have been using. It also adds a different look. This pin is made from two different varieties of olive oil cans and one tea tin.

The sale of both of these jewelry pieces will go to the Japanese Tsunami Relief Fund. They were made from an old tea tin. I was fortunate enough to visit Kesennuma, one of the hardest hit cities, three years ago. My heart goes out to the people there.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70128782/tsunami-relief-fund-japanese-woman

I have been working on a design which incorporates printed tin and a mahjong tile. I want it to be a pendant so after I figured out how to wrap the tile I had to figure out how to hang the tile. This is a work in progress and is NOT finished yet. The tin still needs to be nailed into place to that the tile will be secure. I found a handful of tiles at an antiques store in the same building as the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca. Had lunch there with me husband over Christmas break. The tiles have been speaking to me since and now I finally am starting to work with them. The first one split when I drilled it so I have to proceed carefully.

Another snow day yesterday. We have gone past 160" of snow this season. This little brooch was one of the ideas I worked on yesterday.

Bee careful...spring might be around the corner! I saw lots of robins in pairs this morning before the rain and studio time.

Finished this this brooch today. I love the Japanese women I found on an old tea tin. It will go to Imagine in Skaneateles later this week.

I took a class yesterday with Julie Simancek at Studio 34 in Rochester and learned to make tiny rivets. Very much fun.

One step closer to being finished. Now to make the ear wires.

Yesterday the temperature flirted with 50 and I opened the windows of the car on the way home from work. I even saw a robin in the yard. Today there is a gale blowing, swirling snow, 18 degrees, and cancelled plans. I wonder where that poor bird is today? The workshop is a good place to hide out from the weather. Ah, all the ingredients for a new batch of earrings.