aww, young love.....

First of all, Happy Valentine's Day! i realized that i had almost forgotten it in my stupor of getting ready to leave on Wednesday, getting projects finished, travel details finalized and of course, still being in a bit of a fog about kirby. i have been working all day, but tonight when i finally get to lay down on my bed, i will be opening up all the Valentine's Day cards that i received from my one on one card swap. some of you tricked me and sent packages with goodies in it! had i known that, i would have done the same thing for you - but always appreciated that you went the extra mile for me; especially right now when i need that extra little bit of love. a few of my cards (sent out in a timely manner!) were returned to me. apparently the tiny envelope (i set out vintage little cards that you would have given out in elementary school) was a bit of a nuisance for the sorting machine at the post office. they have been placed in new envelopes and will be mailed out on tuesday. sorry about that!




(in case you missed the post before about this heart shaped rock, i found it recently when i was out in California when my sister, niece and i went for a walk on the beach in Camarillo. isn't it beautiful? love that it has holes in it.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

For Valentine's Day, Dillon and I decided it would be fun for me to show him some basic metal smithing techniques so that he could make a handmade pendant for his girlfriend, Alana. it was fun getting to teach my son some of what i do. when i asked him how he liked it, he said that he found the lettering a bit stressful! but otherwise, he enjoyed it. isn't he sweet?

"Souvenirs de ma vie" (memories of my life) - metal charm bracelets

this is a bracelet i made for my friend, Abbie, to say thank you for helping me with my website and answering all my techie questions! she read all the behind the scenes stuff for my website and then taught me what to do. it was so much easier that way since i couldn't view the tutorials on my laptop and she has much experience in that area. so thank you Abbie for your help! i am currently taking orders if you are interested in a customized metal charm bracelet. you need to give me 7-8 words (short words or names) and send me any doodads you might want on the bracelet (go through your jewelry box! no heavy items though) or i can add my own items that i choose for you (there won't be any consulting on items i use). allow 3-5 weeks for an immediate order and Christmas orders will be mailed out by mid November. girls, it's not too early to start your wish list and forward this link to the hubbie, boyfriend or significant other in your life! if you are interested, email me at keeshagirl@aol.com for more details. Thank you, Allegra, for giving my bracelets such a beautiful name.

steampunk palooza

today for the show (Country Living Fair) i worked on these steampunk pendants. they all use vintage watches: Elgin, Bulova and some names i don't even recognize. every little charm on each watch was soldered closed. any i sick of soldering tonight? that would be, a, YES! each pendant will go on a dainty little 16" chain.

Philadelphia Bead Fest, 2008

this morning i got up nice and early to drive an hour and a half to Philadelphia to take a class with Tracy Stanley, called "Simply Charming Bracelet" - where we learned to create our own personalized charm bracelet by stamping messages on metal and turning them into charms. We made our own chain and finished it off with beads and assorted charms. (although i am still working on mine). Tracy is from the Seattle area and has been teaching for years. she's a great teacher and i really enjoyed this class; she's funny too. i added it at the last moment and i am glad i did. i'll show my piece later when i've had a chance to complete it. my bracelet was themed around family. i also met a really nice girl in class, my seatmate, Tabitha, from Conneticut. We are going to share a room tomorrow night so that i don't have to drive home late. saturday i take a jewelry class with Cheryl Strait called Found Object Jewelry 101.

i decided to purchase some tools from Tracy and she gave us a brief introduction to various types of hammers and their uses. she's selling a really cool line of texturing hammers made in Vietnam that she sells on her website. they are a little pricey, but well worth the price. i just loved them and the effects the give. the chasing hammer is to die for. check them out at :

Frietz Texturizing hammers -
Finally a well crafted hammer. beautiful and functional as well.
These little beauties are so exciting. Each hammer is work of art. They measure 9” tall, so they are portable.The handles are made of Padouk wood, a member of the rosewood family.They handles are small and so smooth. The heads are made of steel and each head is different.

i also bought a couple of other tools, my favorite being a little basket/strainer to put your small items in and then just lower the basket into a blackening agent. very cool!