Harvest Moon

Did anyone see the moon last night? It was so gorgeous and bright and huge and powerful.

I listed this ring in my shop on the night of the full Harvest Moon. Surprisingly, it's entitled "Harvest Moon".

Obama '08

Well, if you know me at all you know that I am a big fan of Barack Obama. For once there is a candidate that I am voting for because I really, really like them, not because they are the lesser of two evils.

So, I'm excited to introduce two new pieces in the shop that I have collaborated with artist Heather Scholl on. Heather is an extremely talented mixed media artist that I'm lucky to call a friend. She recently did a painting of Obama that I fell in love with and knew that this was our time to collaborate. These pieces are limited edition pieces of 100 and are stamped with the artist's name on the back. 10% of the sale is donated to the Obama/Biden campaign. Get them quick!!

EtsyMetalClay Team

I am a part of really great team on Etsy called EtsyMetalClay. We are a fairly new team - I think only 2 months old - but a lively one. Check out the feature on Etsy to hear more about us.
We also have a new website - www.EtsyMetalClay.comI proud to be involved with such talented artists!

Stepping outside

I am stepping outside my comfort zone a lot lately. I have been making strictly pendants for almost a year but now I'm having a lot of fun trying new things. There was the ring last week, gold the week before and now.... earrings! I actually did two sets of earrings but I only got a photo of this one before I sent it off. These were made to match the hummingbird necklace. I'm really happy with the way they turned out that I might actually do a few little stud designs. It was fun!

Commercial

Check it out!!! a commercial that my husband made about my jewelry. I love it and think it turned out great. Let me know what you think.

So we decided to do this commercial for a few reasons. First, it seemed like a fun thing to do and an inexpensive way to advertise. Second, there is a new website called Shopflick that is strictly video shopping. I'm working on getting product shots to set up my shop there. With the majority of my business being online I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to market. The internet has obviously changed commerce so much and it is continuing to change. Sometimes it's hard to keep up but I will keep trying.


oh, and I almost forgot to give a big thanks to my friend, Deneise, for doing all of the editing and our friend Jack for the beautiful music he created. Please visit Jack's website to hear more.

Smaller than an iPod

smaller than an iPod button, originally uploaded by Chocolate And Steel (Christine).

So, I will just say it now, yes, my iPod is ancient. I've had it for 5 years and it still works great so why upgrade? But the point of this post is not that my iPod is an original. I used the iPod to illustrate how tiny this little charm is.

A dad commissioned this piece for his 1 year old daughter for Valentine's day. How adorable is that! I have extending lengths on the chain so the necklace can grow as she does.

Handcrafted Cuff Bracelet

Handcrafted Cuff Bracelet, originally uploaded by Chocolate And Steel (Christine).

This bracelet was a very special commission that I received for Christmas. One of my most wonderful friends asked me to make her and her girlfriend matching bracelets.

I think they turned out so sweet. They are engraved with a secret message on the inside that I will not repeat in good company:)

While this is not available in my shop, please feel free to contact me if you are interested in something like this.

Shop Update

It is such a wonderful feeling to finally breakthrough a creative block. Wow, I've had a quite a block ever since the mad rush of the holidays ended. So, I am happier than ever to bring these new pieces to you. They have been inspired by Valentine's day and the different ideas of love. They are all in my shop now.

"The Tale of the Swan and Pigeon"

This was inspired by the EtsyLoveChallenge. Here is the story behind the image.

"Accept Love"
Click here for the story.

"Love is a beautiful Thing"
Click here for the story and specifics.

Coming out of a creative block is one of the best feelings ever. I was so frustrated that I would sit at my desk and sit, and sit, and sit and stare. Nothing was exposing itself to me. I spent a lot of time last month just trying to seek out inspirations. Anything and everything that inspired me in any way. As you can see I've been blogging more than ever and focusing on these inspirations...photography, art, food, nature.... And finally it has worked. I have a ton of ideas that I have been sketching out. Now, I just need time to complete them all. Please come back and visit again soon to see more new designs. Thanks to everyone for all of their words of encouragement and support.

Valentine's is coming

Well, I was hoping to get a few more pieces in my shop for Valentine's day over the weekend, but a power outage snafued that plan. Apparently having a computer running, a kiln and then turning on the microwave is more than my 81 year old apartment can handle. I guess I don't blame it. I had to use the microwave. I needed a cup of tea and I needed it fast. Well, we are finally up and running and I will vow to only boil tea on the stove top now. Alright, so here's my unveiling. Two pieces - "JE T'AIME" and "TI AMO". For clarification "Je T'aime" is French for I Love you and "Ti Amo" is Italian for I love you. There will be a few more pieces coming your way.

I had another beautiful walk today. It rained this afternoon (woohoo). You know I'm in Los Angeles when we cheer for rain. Here are a few pictures that I took while walking home from the mechanic shop. (There's another story - why I was at the mechanics).


Basically the motor to the power locks died. No big deal, right? Well, turns out that the lock to the gas tank was locked closed when the motor died. Luckily I was close to home when I tried to fill up the gas tank and realized that I couldn't open the cover. I'm fortunate because I went down to visit my dad and his wife and got stuck in 2 1/2 hours of traffic. That could have been bad if I ran out of gas out there. Here's a picture from our gorgeous walk along the beach.

psst....these are on sale ($23 to $79)