Follow the Sun

We woke up at 5am and drove to watch the sunrise from a lookout just past Makapuu...It was cloudy, we couldn't actually see the sun come up, but the glow behind the clouds was gorgeous.  Blue-gray clouds blanketed the horizon in the distance, where on a clear day you can see all the way to Maui.  A lovely way to welcome in 2015.

At sunset we packed the car with blankets, pillows, snacks, and of course Max, and went to Kaimana Beach to soak up the sunset...

Collecting...

I found this ring box at a market in Seattle over Thanksgiving vacation...I think I've discovered a new item to collect~I fell down the ebay rabbit hole and have discovered all kinds of beautiful antique ring boxes.  

Also...New jewels are trickling into the shop ~

New Camera, New Photos~

My new camera is proving to be a hard worker, and given my lack of know how in the photography department, I'd say she's worked over time this week... I sat down tonight and looked through all the pictures I took over the past week or so, and picked a hand full that I really like.  I'm excited to learn how to use this beautiful little piece of equipment, it's going to take some time for sure, and I just told myself today to calm down, and that "it's all about the journey"...hopefully I can remember that next time I get frustrated that I can't figure out why something's not working the way I had hoped.  

I'm happy to finally share some work with you that has been languishing on a table in the living room for weeks~ More to come soon! 

Friday

I've been playing with my new camera since it came in the mail yesterday...LOTS to learn, many, many pieces of jewelry to document, and quite a few hours of photo time ahead this weekend.  FUN!

I'm excited for how these first few test pictures turned out...dirty ledges and all!

Festival of Lights!

It's Hanukkah! I finally got a new camera! YAY!

Small Steps That Feel Big

These pieces were made back in August and I took them with me on my trip to Seattle in September. A few of them ended up with friends, and some of them, along with some other work, ended up at Les Amis, a beautiful boutique in Seattles Fremont neighborhood.

I've loved this shop for over 15 years, and way before I ever started making jewelry, I would go in there and drool over their jewelry case.  Whenever I'm in town I drag my friends with me to go check out what's new and try on some beautiful jewelry.  I always had this secret little wish, that if I ever made jewelry that I would LOVE to be in that store...And now here we are, and it feels amazing to know that something I made is sitting on those glass shelves next to artists I have admired for years. It feels "grown up" and professional, like I'm on the path, like maybe this really work out, that I'm making it happen.  It's not just that my work is in that store, but that all the hours of the actual making of the jewelry, the little bits of myself I put into this whole process, the goals I have of expanding, are actually happening.  There's so much emotionally invested in the process of being an artist, and I still have a hard time really calling myself an artist.  For anyone who makes anything, and puts it "out there", we are also putting our feelings, our vision, our money, our time and our souls "out there" to be looked at, judged, and hopefully loved by other people.  SO, when something like this happens and you cross a milestone, one you set for yourself so many years ago, one that you never really even said out loud, however small it may seem, it feels damn good.

Thanks for listening,
S