I've Moved!

Oh, and I changed my name, too. Not my NAME name, silly, but my business name. After 3 years as Double Blossom, I'm sort of starting over with a new name to reflect my shift to more metalsmithed work. I'm proud to announce the debut of Smart Bird. And, after doing a little research and talking to a few people, I've also decided to move my blog over to Typepad. I won't be posting to this blog anymore, so please come on over here for future blogging.

I'm really excited about all the newness around here - it seems perfectly timed to coincide with spring. Stop by the new shop when you get a minute. I look forward to seeing you there!

Millefiori Madness

I'm in love with vintage Japanese millefiori beads. Big time. It's become something of an obsession, as my gatherer instinct has kicked into overdrive now that I've found a couple of great sources for these unique beauties. I've got so many ideas and plans for my lovely stash of beads, and thanks to thoughts of spring, they're beginning to sprout. Two recent designs (not to mention the Terrarium earrings in the previous post), lots more to come...

Dreaming of Spring

We've had lovely weather this week. It felt like the beginning of spring. But, being Colorado, we're expecting "1 to 3 inches" of snow on Sunday. Until then....

Jewelry Genealogy

Almost two years ago, I created my very first "Rainbow Necklace." Since then, it has undergone a few transformations and variations, eventually morphing into its most recent incarnation, the Spectrum necklace. This is one of those pieces that continues to inspire me, even after a couple of years. Is that common for jewelry artists, I wonder, to be inspired by one of their own creations so that just that one piece breeds many variations? I've read about painters having to totally exhaust a theme in their work before they can move on to the next thing. It becomes kind of a compulsion, or ongoing drive, and you can't make yourself be done with it until you're done with it. In my case, the Spectrum necklace is like the mother necklace, and from that has been born all her little babies. And believe me, she's not done breeding yet. Not by a long shot! On the first branch of the Spectrum family tree, we have the "original" Spectrum earrings.

In red/purple/pink:



Blue/green/teal:


Yellow/green/orange:



The next branch on the tree, and Spectrum's most recent progeny, is the linear Spectrum earrings at the top of this post. Of course, the blue/green version is coming soon, as is the red/purple. And I've got plans for more branches, including a variation on the necklace. And perhaps a bracelet. And I'm sure there will be more branches I can't even anticipate yet. What a fertile little necklace that Spectrum is.

Bench

Here she is...my new workbench! I actually bought it almost two weeks ago, but I couldn't get it set up until today due to travel, illness, baby (not necessarily in that order). She's lovely, isn't she? I had to take a before photo, as I'm sure it will never be this clean again. For a hint of what's to come, see the after photo.

Today I played with my new toys: letter stamp sets in two different sizes (practiced first on brass, natch). I'm working on a little somethin' somethin' soon to be featured in my shop. It's a secret 'til then.... ;-) And in case you were wondering, yes, that is the Rio Grande "Tools & Equipment" catalog in the first picture. I'm going to pimp my bench big time! (Side note: does anybody ever paint their benches? Aren't the plain sides just screaming for some color??)

2:00 PM:

2:05 PM:

The Lady or the Tiger?

Ever since I discovered Etsy, brick and mortar shopping has taken on a whole new dimension. Nowadays, when I see something I like, I think, "I'll bet I can find something like that on Etsy." Which, if true, would be great because 1) I'd be supporting a real, living and breathing artisan, and 2) I'm voting with my dollar, so to speak, and casting my lot for smaller, better, kinder.

Recently I went looking for potholders. Well, I didn't actually go looking for them. They found me. But no matter. So here is a little summary of what I found.

Behind door #1, we have some potholders for sale at Anthropologie (not singling them out; it's just where I happened to be shopping). Obviously they are mass produced, and are imported from China and/or India:






Now, behind door #2, we have a few potholders I found on Etsy (click on the pictures for links to the shops where they are for sale):







So, as you make your way through the retail world, which will you choose? The tiger, or the lady?

Happy shopping!

Robin

Papa Walt

Basically, there is my life before I read Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself," and my life after. I was lucky enough to be introduced to his work in my sophomore American Literature class, so I haven't had to live too long without Papa Walt. I've been re-reading "Leaves of Grass," which seems to have sparked thoughts of the universe, stars and the cosmos (or "Kosmos"). A few bits for your enjoyment, in words and pictures...

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

After the dazzle of the day is gone,
Only the dark, dark night shows to my eyes the stars;
After the clangor of organ majestic, or chorus, or perfect band,
Silent, athwart my soul, moves the symphony true.



All space, all time,
(The stars, the terrible perturbations of the suns,
Swelling, collapsing, ending, serving their longer, shorter use,)
Fill'd with eidólons only.