Its All About Brass and Copper

Maybe it's the change in the weather. Or maybe I'm just getting tired of polishing silver and want to work with a metal that's supposed to look kinda dark and aged. Whatever the reason, I've been really digging on some funky copper and brass components I scored, and I've been turning them into earrings, necklaces and yes, dare I say it, bracelets!

I'll be posting some of these on Etsy later this week, if I can get my act together. The making is so much more fun than the photographing. Thank God for Michael Borders!

Possible Display Layout??

I got this great driftwood the other day, and I'm really liking the way that the glass looks arranges on it. It has a sort of fairy tale appeal, like it was laid out by little forest-dwelling creatures.

Feeling those fall colors this week

I took a break from silver last week to make these glass earrings and necklaces.... And I'm really happy with the way they turned out.

The "fall" colors weren't deliberate, but I'm kinda thinking they're appropriate for the season.

I'm getting a little better with my glass soldering techniques. It's a very different process than working with silver. And attaching the jump rings to the top of each piece can really make you want to pull your hair out -- but I learned a few helpful tricks from some Etsians and it's made a world of difference!!

A Whole Mess of Silver

Picked up the pendants I made for my friend's wedding yesterday. Man, they look fab! They've got this beautiful gloss to them and are just so eye-catching.

Yay!

I reached 200 Etsy sales today... My goal was to hit this number by the end of August and I did it with a couple days to spare!

No time to celebrate though; I'm stocking up for the holidays and working like mad on some new pieces. I've got so many ideas, I'm overwhelmed with thoughts about what I want to start working on first.

Longitude Earrings - Delicate Hoops in Silver, Brass, and Copper

I just finished a few pairs of these earrings -- of course, I had to create a pair for myself! I wore them today and I'm loving them. They are so long and swishy, really fabulous. I feel like a celebrity in them!!

I'm calling them my Longitude earrings, cause they remind me of learning about latitude and longitude back in elementary school geography class!

A Custom Order

I love making custom pieces! It's so exciting to create something tangible from a client's ideas. This one is for a friend who's getting married; she's giving it to her bridesmaids.

I'll be picking up the sterling version from the casters soon... but for now, here's the still-in-progress wax model:

Working with glass today

A long necklace with sterling squares and a hand cut glass charm


Another very simple piece -- I'm digging on the memory wire...

Sprout Is Going On Vacation....

It's August, the time of year when most everyone in NYC escapes to the Hamptons. I, however, prefer my vacays to be a little more exotic... so I'm going to Tennessee :) Considering the differences between NYC and TN, this trip kinda could be equated to traveling to a foreign country. Only not as glamorous.


I'm hoping I'll return relaxed, refreshed and with some new ideas for the 2007 Sprout holiday line!

Aftermath

Guiltless gourmet, my ass. After polishing off a bag of these babies, I'm feeling nothing but guilt... Yuck.

Self Portrait with Safety Glasses

Nerd or Rockstar???

Trunk Sale Aftermath

Wow, Saturdays Trunk Sale went fabulously! It was so exciting to see people shopping and meet so many of my very cool neighbors. All the vendors seemed to have a good time and have expressed interest in doing another one, maybe at the end of the summer.

I sold a couple of the "Diamond" necklaces, a Bubble Necklace, several glass pieces and a few one-of-a-kind pieces -- all in all, a successful day!

Shopping in the mid-afternoon sun

Checking out "The Original Beadscarf"

Jen's cool beaded creations

Timarie's gorgeous glass pendants

And did I bother to take a pic of my own set up? No! It was pretty cool though -- I had everything laid out on rice, and the effect was very simple and striking.

New Ring!

Honestly, picking up a new piece from the casters is like Christmas morning every time! I made this ring for the purpose of showcasing all the beautiful negative space inside. I picked up the first batch on Friday and put one on immediately. Haven't taken it off since. Now I need to get to posting it on Etsy...

Trunk Sale!

Dont miss it!

Trying to have a semi-productive day...

It's steaming hot outside, and it's only 10:30 am. I purposely stayed in last night to finish up some work, so that I could have this beautiful day wide open.

Plan for the day:

• Gym


• Buy some fruit / wander down Steinway Street


• Finish reading yesterdays NYTimes


• Catch some tunes in Central Park


• Sundae Sunday

Thank God Bonnie was a good sport about this pic being sent to

all of our friends....

Our live-in"housegirl" this summer is my roommate's sister, Susanna. In addition to adding to the typical antics expected of anyone who resides at the Sprout Studios, Susanna has also been modeling all my jewelry. Hence, the lovely pics now gracing Etsy.

Thanks Susanna!

A month ago I created my summer “to do” list. Today, I’m updating it. Strikethroughs mean I’ve done them! Woo hoo!

Parties/Get-Togethers

Pre-4^th of July weekend in Jersey

The return of Sunday Sundaes We're having one this week!

Memorial Day cookout – this one is a definite – this Sunday, most likely beginning at 3pm

Bar Fundraiser - Looking for a bar in Manhattan to host… Raise $$ for the Kevin Maher Memorial Scholarship Fund, but will also be a chance to formally present a check to our first scholarship recipient! Hasn't happened yet... I'm thinking about waiting till the Fall, when more people are around....

Music

Summerstage – Celebrate New Orleans (August 11^th) Femi Kuti (July 11^th)

Crawfish Fest - This is a definite!! (June 2 -3^rd) http://www.crawfishfest.com/

Blues Cruise – Martin Sexton (Aug 23^rd) Hugh Masekela (July 13^th) Ryan Montbleau!

...Many, many, more….

Street Fairs/Crafty Things

Park Slope 7th Heaven Street Fair (June 17^th) Supposedly a really good one…

Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn (June 16^th and 17^th) http://www.renegadecraft.com

Quality Time with the Fredonia Girls

Have a little adventure up in Ra-Cha-Cha

Road trip with the Weasel We're planning it

Watch Jenny fatten up She is!

Cultural

Visit the Global Feminisms exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/global_feminisms/

Visit the Monet exhibit at the Wildenstein Gallery http://www.wildenstein.com/main.html

Living it Up in LIC

Beer Garden!! Beer Garden!! Beer Garden!!

Check out some of the supposedly great bars and restaurants in LIC/Astoria

Spend lots of time at the Athens Café Been there once so far...

Lazy days at Socrates Sculpture Park. They have weekly outdoor movies, which are lot of fun, but usually I go during the day, and work on jewelry projects http://www.socratessculpturepark.org

Have a little LIC³ trunk sale on the patio It's happening July 21st!

Outdoor Adventures

Eat fried dough at Coney Island On my B-Day???

Go to Bonnie’s “boyfriend’s” beach house Having some scheduling conflicts...

Water Taxi Beach – WHY haven’t we done this yet???? http://www.watertaxibeach.com/

Go hiking someplace beautiful, maybe with these guys: www.wildearthadventures.com

Lofty Goals….

Book a booth at the The Market NYC

Take a Dreamweaver class Took a Photoshop class instead. I think that counts

Finish a book at week. So far: The Year of Magical Thinking, The Goldfish Went on Vacation, Against All Enemies