daily favorite…thanksgiving edition

i have only a few moments before departing for the kansas river levee, to take part in the traditional thanksgiving eve bike ride/beer fest.  yes, we will drink much beer and ride our bikes up and down the levee, ending at my favorite place in town, free state brewery.  much fun will be had, i am certain, and after the last few days i could use a little fun.  i could also use these earrings by lila ruby king:

i think these are about as close to perfect as earrings can get.  sweet little rescued twigs, painted white, with oxidized sterling silver leaves attached.  and they’re asymmetrical, one of my favorite things.  LOVE.

happy thanksgiving, everybody!  cheers!

new work, new favorite

i had lofty goals of getting a million new things made this weekend, but my plans were thwarted by too much wine, nasty weather, a shortage of jump rings, and general lack of motivation.  i did manage to get a few things done, so i’ll get the shameless self-promotion part of this over with (click pictures for etsy listings):

all are available for sale at my etsy shop. 

obviously, i am still on a hoop kick.  they’re just so versatile.  the possibilities with hoops are limitless, which is what makes them so much fun for me.  on that note, today’s favorite are the littlebird hoops by modern bird:

i adore these.  even the closure on the back is pretty. 

daily favorite…11/7/08

i’m all about the hoops these days.  i love wearing them and i love making them, especially when they’re not just plain old round hoops.  i also really like the particular forming technique the artist, gretchen walker, used on this pair.  it’s called anticlastic forming, and it’s something i never got the hang of while i was in school, though not for lack of trying.  at any rate, these hoops are fabulous:

i imagine they’re very lightweight and easy to wear, despite their size.  for more on the anticlastic technique, click here.  when you’re done doing that, check out gretchen’s shop!  and after that, go have yourself a great weekend.

daily favorite…11/6/08

today’s favorite was an easy choice.  this necklace looks like the inside of my brain, kind of:

if i were an animal, i would be a magpie….one of those birds that picks up every shiny thing it can and uses them to decorate its nest.  ever since i discovered the art of assemblage in high school, i’ve made it a point to collect small, discarded objects.  any of the things on this necklace (especially the key – i love old keys) would be considered a treasure.  this necklace can be found for the time being in the shop of jenkahn.  i have a feeling it will soon end up at my house, so check it out quick before i snatch it up.

daily favorite…11/5/08

i know i’ve mentioned this before, but i absolutely love earrings that do not come in symmetrical pairs.  i can’t understand why more people don’t wear them this way.  they’re far more interesting if the earrings are different but complement each other, rather than look exactly alike.  without further ado, today’s favorite are the tango earrings by organikx:

i adore these, and am seriously contemplating ordering a pair.  the organikx shop is full of amazing stuff.  bridget, the proprietress of the shop, is one talented lady!  her design aesthetic is somewhat similar to mine, so i’m really drawn to her work.  she also has her own website, containing even more pretty things.  go take a peek!  you won’t be disappointed.

daily favorite…11/3/08

okay, let’s see if i remember how to do this whole posting thing.  it’s been awhile!  here we go…today’s favorite etsy find is this awesome pair of earrings, by cynthia del giudice:

cynthia has achieved the perfect balance of simple and striking with this pair.  i love how she has made the ear wire an aesthetically important part of the piece, instead of just a functional one.  she has also made a similar pair with a great patina, and i can’t decide which one i like best so i’m posting both:

beautiful, no?

sunday morning favorites

in anticipation of starting my new job, i’ve been on a bit of a shopping frenzy as of late.  i never, ever buy myself jewelry, simply because i prefer to make it myself.  but some opportunities are too good to pass up.  i discovered the fabulous etsy shop, ascending peculiarity, last week and marked it as a favorite.  the very next day, the proprietress of the shop, heather, sent me a message inquiring about doing a jewelry swap!  i haven’t taken a picture yet of the awesome necklace she sent me in exchange for a pair of earrings and matching necklace, but trust me when i say that it totally kicks ass.  it’s very similar to this one, which is for sale in her shop. 

i wore it out on friday night and got several compliments on it.  i’m already trying to decide on the next one i’m going to order from her.  i don’t think i can settle for just one.  not only is her jewelry beautiful, but heather is super nice, and an all-around great etsian.  thanks, heather! 

my other purchase has still not arrived, but i’m pretty damn excited about it.  i ordered a custom silver pendant with a little chickadee stamped in the middle of it from sirenjewels, and i can’t wait for it to get here!  i feel a weird connection to chickadees, after reading a book called the tracker.  i won’t bore you with the details, but i do recommend the book.  anyway, i’m excited to have a chickadee to wear around my neck.  i have a feeling i’ll rarely take it off.  check it out:

jealous?  thought so.  if i had more money, i’d probably buy everything from her shop.  melissa’s work is incredible on many levels.   i think the next thing on my list is probably her haystack ring.  i can’t say enough about it.  see for yourself:

on a completely unrelated note, i’m going to buy a mountain bike today.  hopefully that will provide some motivation to get off my ass and spend some time outside this fall…

daily favorite and a few other things…9/14/08

it’s been a long week…i’ve been spending it mentally preparing for my new job, hanging insulation (note: avoid this whenever possible), checking out the banff mountain film festival, and enjoying some much needed time with friends.  i haven’t set foot in an office since tuesday, and won’t do so again until at least wednesday.  i’m anxious to start the new job, but i must admit the downtime has been nice.  i would say that it has been a productive few days in the studio, but that would be a lie.  life seems to be getting in the way of making anything at the moment.  however, i do have a fall show coming up, so that will hopefully get me motivated.  if you’re in the lawrence area, please come (click the picture for details):

i’m looking forward to doing another show.  i haven’t done one since may, and they’re always so much fun.  this one should be no different.  so, that’s what’s keeping me busy, in a nutshell. 

anyway, today’s favorite is the smokey chain bracelet by judyb:

i have a hard time wearing bracelets in general, since they tend to get in my way, but i couldn’t resist posting this one.  the way she has fabricated the chain is so unique.  it looks incredibly complicated, but it’s really quite simple if you look closely at it.  i think it’s beautiful.  the rest of her shop is full of pieces like this.  take a look; it’ll be worth your while.

daily favorite…9/8/08

i’m such a miserable slacker; i know.  i should start titling these ‘weekly favorites’ instead of daily favorites.  but, life is a bit distracting at the moment.  i’m in the middle of changing jobs, and it has me a bit flustered.  i’m hoping things will calm down shortly, and that i can get things back to normal around here.  but, in the meantime, here’s the strangest daily favorite i’ve ever posted.  it’s strange because it’s pink, and i absolutely loathe the color pink.  the mere sight of something pink makes me cringe.  i don’t know if that’s because i associate the color pink with super girly things, which i’ve never been fond of, or if it’s because it reminds me of pepto-bismol.  whatever my aversion to it stems from, i still really like this piece by jaime jo fisher:

 

this aptly titled electric pink double pendant is pretty damn awesome, if you ask me.  it’s so intricate, and the amount of solder joints she successfully finished boggles my mind.  i never thought i’d be so fond of a piece of jewelry (or anything else, for that matter) that uses pink as its focal color, but i really do like this.  i wonder, however, if i could talk her into making an olive green one…

daily favorite…9/3/08

i almost had to do a coin-toss to decide which piece would be today’s favorite.  the runner-up was the this bird has flown art pendant, but i finally decided on penny farthing for your thoughts pendant by irene suchocki:

this is a tiny, wearable version of her penny farthing for your thoughts print, which i love just as much as the pendant:

the photo has such an intimate, warm feel, and wearing a smaller version around your neck only increases that feeling, at least for me.  by all means, check out the rest of her shop.  her photographs are amazing.  i’m not a photography expert, and so know nothing of her techniques, but the finished results are exquisite.  she’s also the etsy featured seller of the week!  check out her article here.