Just found out about this awesome project (thanks to Linda at IndieCEO for posting this on her blog)! I've reserved Sep 30 2011 (my birthday) and now I'm busy working on my page design.

I also have a little calendar project of my own in the works, and hope to have it ready by the end of June. If you are a handmade jewelry artist or metalsmith, please email me if you are interested in having a photo of one of your pieces in the calendar. Your shop or website url will appear with the photo as well. It will be a free, downloadable and printable PDF to start, released each month for the upcoming month. You could put the pdf on your blog or website and email it to family and friends, or you could print a bunch and mail them to your customers with their packages. Just a fun, free little promotional gift. We'll see how it goes over!!

Thank you for making my day!


My mixed metals necklace was chosen for the May Customer Showcase, and I couldn't be more excited! Ornamentea is my favorite supply shop.... even though they are in North Carolina and I am here, I am a frequent online shopper. They have the neatest things, and this is one of the very first necklaces I made. That lie detector? One of the coolest charms, ever! I am absolutely thrilled about this!

I'll be rearranging my blog a little bit over the weekend, so bear with me! I need some html help before it will look all pretty again!

As a new member of the Etsy Aspiring Metalsmiths Team, I have been spending some time (okay, lots of time!) ogling the stunning and inspiring work from my new teammates! The guys and gals on this team are extremely talented and from time to time I would like to feature some of their work on my blog. First up is a little mini-interview about this gorgeous piece from Cate, of The Moss Pot! I love the rustic/polished feel of this piece, and she has done absolutely beautiful metalsmithing work on it.

I asked Cate to share with me the inspiration behind this gorgeous piece:

"I kept coming back to this basket of old photographs in an antique store, but I just didn't know what I would do with them. It finally occurred to me that if I put them behind glass in a bezel setting, they could be worn, and they'd be safe from damage, as well as being magnified. I like that at first glance, you may not notice you're looking at a turn-of-the-century man's suit. It sort of sneaks up on you, and I like that. It's always fun when there's more than just the obvious going on. I made a ring too, to show off his rather handsome face."

What a beautiful way to preserve an antique photo, don't you agree? You can visit Cate at her Etsy shop, TheMossPot, to get your own Antique Boyfriend!

Please take a minute to donate, OR if you can't donate right now, take just one minute to fill out this form at the NWF website asking your senators to do something to prevent future disasters like the Gulf Oil Spill!

If you live in the area, please consider volunteering to help with the clean-up efforts. There are a variety of tasks, click here to see how you can help!!

The wildlife will thank you, as will future generations!

Since Mother's Day is coming up on May 9th I thought I would have a little sale!



Handmade jewelry is really the perfect gift for the moms who like jewelry.... Over the years I have started to really dislike a lot of the mass-produced pieces from stores. In my experience this stuff breaks pretty easily because it contains lower quality (cheaper) components, or was put together quickly without care. I have also found that stores carry pretty much the same kinds of necklaces, they need to carry what's popular and trendy, after all. However, I like something a little more unique and I try hard to make things that are a bit different (hence my love of antique brass in many of my pieces). These are just a few of the reasons I like to make (and buy!) handmade jewelry. Let me know your thoughts on buying handmade!

Mirabilia is latin for miracles or marvels.... I think I first saw that word on a tea package somewhere, and it's stuck with me... it rolls off the tongue... Mirabilia....


While designing some new necklaces the word Mirabilia came to me again.... these necklaces have a little bit of everything in them -- beads from here, there, and everywhere that I have collected over the past couple of years..... vintage glass beads from a stash my father found at a garage sale; millefiori beads with purple, white, and a bit of red; clay and stoneware beads from one of my favorite bead shops here in Austin; a deep burgundy pearl and a beautiful purple agate slice; a purple felted bead; and various other purple beads in my supply stash, and a mix of all different shades of purple czech crystals.

I think these necklaces would be perfect for Mother's Day... especially if you have a mother who loves purple, as I do! These necklaces are a treasure trove of beads! I can't wait to make more in other colors.... let me know how you like these, and what other colors you'd like to see! And click on any of the images above to go directly to my Cormorant Studios shop on Etsy!