fire and glass

Omnium-gatherum ...(it just rolls off of your tongue, doesn't it?) n : a miscellaneous collection (as of things or persons)..eclectic gathering of artistic endevours. I just like the feel of the word. If it were tangible I would roll it around in my hand all day.. Omnium-gatherum-m-m... I believe I have an omnium-gatherum happening. I have a suitcase ~ a fabulous one too I might add..it rolls and spins cleanly in any direction, the outershell is hard and you can snug everything in tightly with elastic belts and best of all; every bit of my omnium-gatherum fits neatly and precisely within its confines.. Love that. This beloved suitcase travels with me chock full of beads and tools, leather bits, fabric and silk threads. Finished pieces of jewelry, unfinished pieces of jewelry, drawings of jewelry yet to be born. Magazines with pictures that instruct and inspire, you know the ones..artists and their work, artists and their studios...( ahhh, that's a whole other day dream that

It's good-bye to the very lovely Boston for now. We've enjoyed Boston to the fullest..its a city chock full of history and grand structures and sturdy, seemingly wise trees that graze these structures and even look down on some them they're so immense. Trees that look like they've been standing as guardians for hundreds of years. I think its the trees and the architecture that have impressed me the most here~ At every turn in Boston there are ghosts from the past. Many battles were fought here and many poets and writers and artists have lived here. Names that we know... Henry Longfellow, David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Paul Revere. The city exudes a sort of quiet and well placed pride in its history. This is where Harvard University has its home,so of course there are many many great minds here now as well. We went to the Castleberry Fair in Wilmington before we left..that was fun. Not a whole lot of glass there..always room for more. I met a glass blower ~Henry Duque

I love GIVEAWAYS..oh yes. I think it must be high time Sweetwater Designs had one.. I think the last time I had one I gave away entrecard credits or something like that..This giveaway will be a little more exciting. Very simple to enter..all you must do is 'Like' my fan page or suggest me to your friends and then leave me a comment either here or on my fb page and you will be entered to win a seed bead/lampwork bracelet like this one! simple right? :-) All of your names will be duly noted and entered into a draw and I will pull the winning name on the 12th of December . [12/12/2010] I will even gift box it for you...so you can cross someone off of your gift list or even better .. you can put it under the tree for yourself . :-) HaPpy HOlidAys!

Each piece of handmade jewelry has been crafted with my own lampwork glass beads. Each bead is individually unique and one of a kind. Due to the nature of glass there are no two beads that are exactly alike. Therein lies the pleasure of glass. All components and ear wires are sterling silver. These earrings and more can be viewed here at my Etsy shop.

A quick look at the Boston downtown Beacon Hill area... we stopped and did a quick tour of the antiques...yes, all 5 floors. We had lunch at Cheers, the same pub from the long running sitcom. The more we see of Boston the more we like~

I don't always, but sometimes it just seems appropriate. We've been enjoying the scenic beauty of the Boston area and last weekend we trekked out to Cape Elizabeth, a town in Cumberland, Maine. "At the southern tip of the promontory, Richmond Island was visited about 1605 by Samuel de Champlain and was the site of a trading post in 1628. John Smith explored and mapped New England in 1615, and gave names to places mainly based on the names used by Native Americans. When Smith presented his map to King Charles I he suggested that the king should feel free to change any of the "barbarous names" for "English" ones. The king made many such changes, but only four survive today, one of which is Cape Elizabeth, which Charles named in honor of his sister, Elizabeth of Bohemia . [ 1 ] " Extending 12 miles into open ocean, rimmed by craggy shores and sandy beaches, Cape Elizabeth marks the entrance to spectacular Casco Bay.. These photos do not for on

I am personally loving where the jewelry trends are headed for Spring 2011. Wired News gives us all the skinny in bullet form for those designers in left brain mode : -Massive, Dramatic and Heavy Metals - Antique, Vintage, Retro & New Combinations - Dramatic, unique, unusual necklaces - Ornamented & Bold Bracelets - Eclectic Natural Look - Crystal, Rhinestone & Venetian Art Glass - Black, Grey and Neutrals - 2010-2011 Color Predictions - Faux & Real Pearls - Over-The-Top Rings - Enormous Hoops and Chandelier Earrings -Green Eco Aware Movement and for the more visually inclined I scoured the web for some pics to tantalize and inspire. Enjoy! and let's not leave out the men~ I think Susan of Hot Rocks might take on that one.. ;-0 what do you think, Susan?? Resources: Fashion StyleMe Jewelry Trends USA HangOut Refinery 29 Fashion Fame

In the organic style I like best, this bracelet is bold and chunky and ethereal in blues, purples and russet browns.

I know as a serious jewelry designer one should pay close attention to the color of the season, but I confess to you..I usually don't. I like to design with the colors that stir me at the moment.. However, I was pointed to the Pantone colors the other day by these ladies ( who never fail to inspire and lift me, by the way ) and I noticed that the colors I've been working with are the precise colors that are being selected as the palette for Spring/Summer 2011. So the question is, was I unconciously being influenced/inspired...or is it simply an example of serendipitous conincidence? This bracelet is available on Etsy .. chunky bold organic ..no one else will be wearing one like it...AND in the colors of the upcoming season~

Once when I was a very young girl ~many moons ago and in a far away land~ my mother and I found mysterious tufts of hair and fuzzy things in a box we were unpacking that had been stored in the shed. Mom laughed and told me all about the habits of pack rats..sort of a sweeter country cousin to the city gutter rats.. It's their practice to steal things..glittery things, bits of fabric for their nests.. but they're honorable thieves. They will always leave something of their own behind in exchange. So yes, we have great use for hair and fuzz and grass... thank you little generous pack rat. May we have the cutlery back please? It seems I am a bit of a pack rat. I can't go for a walk without bringing back a bit of something with me in my pocket. Not sure what to leave in its place~ My husband looked at my gatherings from my walk yesterday and said, "Where's the frog?" Funny man. Enjoy your day today everyone! Its raining where I am and the day seems like a baki