Belated Weekend Report

I realize that it is now Friday again.  Another 7 days have passed, and I sat at a desk for many of the hours that make up the days that made up the week...last Friday I was blissed out in friendship land with my favorite guy.  He popped across the ocean to grace us with his presence for a few days.  I smiled and laughed so hard that my dimples were sore.  We spent some time in the studio together, chatting about inspiration, playing with materials and dreaming up new creations.  It was so amazing to have his energy in that space with me, infusing it with an extra dose of mojo!  Upon his departure I'm filled with excitement and inspiration, jazzed up and ready to conquer what I KNOW I can do next...

He got a couple shots of me while we were in the studio together.  I've never taken any pictures of myself working, so it's cool to see ME in a "studio shot" and not just the mess on the bench!

That scary looking hammer in the first picture is my all time favorite tool.  I got it on my trip to Seattle last summer for $4 at an antique store...SCORE!  I love to think about the hands that wielded it before I did, and what type of creations it took part in...

I've got a day of beaches and surfboards (SUP) ahead of me tomorrow, and then Sunday and Monday are going to be devoted to studio time.  I can't wait to get in there and get to work.  I've got a few custom projects, and then in giving myself permission to make whatever I want, to dream big, use my favorite stones that I've been "saving" for who knows what.  

Instrumental Appreciation

Lovely tunes, mellow vibe, sunset scenery...A little happy for your eyes and ears.  Do yourself a favor and sit and listen to the whole thing...

Balmorhea - Pyrakantha [official] from Colin Kennedy on Vimeo.

Sunday

Sunday included a few of my favorite things...morning massage client at the house, gray and rainy skies, cool breeze, beading projects, rainy dog walking, studio time, movies, and salt and vinegar potato chips.

Today was lovely...

Thursday Evening

Nothing special or out of the ordinary...but something just felt like life was extra awesome. I love it when that happens!

Jewels for Adventuring

The Nomads are here...
Reminiscent of old coins, unearthed ancient treasures, and all things old and worn...

I've shared a few bits and pieces of the past few weeks here and on Flickr, but I finally got all of my images together and am adding these creations to the Etsy Shop this afternoon.  There are a handfull of earrings and a trio of necklaces with beautiful stone specimens.  All of these pieces have heavy dose of hammer texture, they are chunky, rustic, and have a dose of gypsy inspiration...

The Nomad Necklaces. 

 For life's journeys...from the everyday errands, to work, to adventures around the globe and back again.

This little collection of bits has been in the works for a while now, and I'm excited to put them out in to the world.  I've got big things brewing for my business...A logo is now completed, and the website is almost finished.  I'm hoping to expand to selling outside of etsy as well as continuing to be a part of the amazing community over there.  My hope is to have a web shop attached to the website where I can offer a series of "core" designs, these earrings will be the beginning of that collection.  In the coming months I'm prepping my branding to be "Dressed to Impress", which for me means getting plans together for applying for a few shows later in the year, and hopefully gaining some contacts in the retail world so that I can get some wholesale orders.  Thanks to everyone for the amazing feedback, support and most of all community love!!!

Sending happy Sunday love to you all...
S

b.a.n.a.n.a.s

Jo and Chris cut these babies down yesterday. Now we wait for them to turn yellow, and then I have to keep myself from eating 10 bananas a day. We have one more tree that is about a month behind this one, so we are entering perpetual banana season!!!

Ill eat one for you too...

Slice of life

A few random moments...

Friends/Family

Have I mentioned how lucky I am to live where I do? Our little commune is taking it to the next level of what it means to be neighborly...we're more like a big extended family. On Wednesday night we put up tables in the yard, lit some candles, busted out the cloth napkins, ( my grandmothers, which were a big hit) moved the speakers into the windows and all sat down to dinner together.  Dinner turned into wine, turned in to a guitar jam session courtesy of our newest neighbor, with a KILLER voice, and ended with slow dancing under the stars by candlelight...

It was a night that reminded me that yes indeed, life is RAD...

There are four houses on this property, a total of 9 humans, 5 canines, and 2 felines. We have avocado trees, papaya, mango, cherimoya and two apple banana trees.  We lovingly refer to our little cluster of houses as, "The Commune".  One of my favorite things about living here lately has been how wonderfully all of our dogs get along...We set up a small gate at the front entrance to the property so that we can leave our doors open and the dogs can roam free around the yard.  If you don't know where your dog is, chances are he went to the neighbors house in search of treats...

I feel positively filled to the brim with gratitude for this little patch of earth that I get to call home...I always tell Jo, I love it so much here, I hope we never move.

Thought for Thursday

Please bare with me as I brain dump a few topics, some serious, and others just random tidbits.

I'm feeling fragile today, like I may bust out in crocodile tears of angst at any moment.
I'm not sad, just unsettled.
I feel the love and support of my extended circle of homeys far and wide...and miss them terribly.  
I'm longing for some metalsmithing community, to have a day in the studio with someone else, to talk through things I'm having a hard time with, to explore new techniques, to share the beautiful and magical creative time with a kindred sister or mister.
I'm having a serious and terrible case of "The Wants" this week, from shoes to books, to adventures, to experiences...It's starting to have a negative effect on my mood, time to let it go and focus on something else, (though a little retail therapy sounds wonderful, it's just not going to happen right now).  
It seems as though it is always Friday, not in that the weekend is here, and there is cause for celebration, but more like "holy shit another week has come and gone and I'm still here doing the same stuff, feeling the same feelings, and never getting ahead".  I'm not sure what I'm trying to get ahead of, but whatever it is, I feel like I am behind it...Does that make sense?

This all sounds terribly depressing, which was not my intention...

Another topic has been swirling in my head, and it was so eloquently put by Betsy over at the Betsy and Iya blog.  I fear if I try too hard to explain where my head is at with this, that I will open up a flood of emotions/questions/thoughts/feelings, that I'm not quite prepared to elaborate on with too much detail here...mostly because I don't want to give any more fuel to it's fire, and I'll probably get more emotional than I want to at the moment.  Bottom line, I think maybe it's time to take some small steps toward some kind of self-love practice, a daily ritual, routine, or something that focuses my energy a little bit more inwards rather than out.  Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

What else...

Passover is coming up on the calendar, and all I want to do is teleport to sunny California to be with my family.  I feel quite disconnected from my family traditions of celebrating the Jewish holidays, and have yet to make my own traditions out here in Hawaii.  The thing I always loved about being a part of a big dinner celebration like the Passover Seder is the feeling of community and tradition.  I've got to find a way to re-connect with that feeling, and create it here in Hawaii for myself and Jo.  Maybe I just need to take it down a notch, and have a simple dinner to honor the tradition and not put so much pressure on myself to make it "perfect" or "just as I remembered as as kid".  A simple meal, some wine and matzoh should do the trick!

Ok, now I'm actually a little bit fired up about it, and I'm off to find the perfect Matzoh Ball Soup recipe.

Happy Thursday...
S

Weeks end review

Sunday evening blues...

I had the most wonderful and productive weekend in the studio. Clear visions turned into silver form, new ideas and old plans finally came together. All I want in the world, is to be able to spend all week in there, pounding away, forging ahead, and creating...

I'm planning and plotting and working toward making this dream a reality, maybe this time next year I'll be there. I've got a boat load if finishing touches to get to in the evenings after the other "work" this week. Hopefully I will be ready to share with you what I've been working on by Friday. In the mean time here are a few bits of randomness from this past week.