Mad Floppy Hatter

I thought I was impervious to the ploys of advertisers.  Alas, I have been greatly influenced by a beautiful photograph which possibly plays to my dreams of youth.  I am much happier now than I was at 16 so realistically, I suppose it's not the years of my youth but the skin and hair of my youth I yearn for which  I obviously did not appreciate then since I baked in the sun with no remorse.   I wish I had paid more attention to sunscreen.  Nevertheless, I have been brainwashed by a company selling shoes. But, it's not the shoes I desire, it's the hat in the advertisement which they do not even sell!  I have Googled high and low to bring you the Cole Haan ad but it's NOwhere to be had.  Nevermind the fact that no one in my town ever wears winter hats, the problem I have now is to decide which color I want. So, I bring you these lovely chapeaus to ponder.....  Ivory, camel, white, brown, khaki, red, black, taupe ..... hmmmm......

"Grab your coat, and get your hat, 

Leave your worry on the doorstep.

Just direct your feet,

To the sunny side of the street"

~ Dorothy Fields ~

Workstatte Wonders

My class in metalsmithing three weeks ago at Precious Metal Arts in Santa Monica was really fantastic.  They have a great facility and the teachers, Peter and Nancy, are lovely.  Just getting a taste of basic metalsmithing (sawing/cutting sheet metal, soldering, polishing, hammering)  has me motivated to learn more.  And luckily there are more classes!

I am also inspired by the metalsmith artistry of early twentieth century artist Josef Hoffman from the Weiner Workstatte in Vienna.  I just had to share some images with you all.  The Weiner Worskstatte was born in 1913 out of the Arts and Crafts movement in England of the late 19th century by artists who were rebelling against the machines that displaced artisans during Industrial Revolution. The artistans wanted to show that a machine cannot produce the same beauty and quality in an item as a person can.  And they definitely proved their point!  

There is an interesting article about the Workstatte in the New York Times, called Rage Against the Machine with Artisans and Beauty.   

And, a book I've been dying to purchase, Weiner Workstatte Jewelry.

"Industry has operated against the artisan in favor of the idler, and also in favor of capital and against labor. Any mechanical invention whatsoever has been more harmful to humanity than a century of war."
~ Remy de Gourmont ~

Playing with Aura 22 Gold

The price of gold is at an all time high ... $1,855. today!  But, with the invention of Aura 22, I can still play with gold and not have heart palpitations if I make a little mistake!  My cousin commissioned me to create a necklace for her thirteen year old daughter, who saw the crystal druzy and fell in love but wanted my PK touch with it.  I finally found a moment to get my act together and finish it.  I made a few pieces, along with the custom order, so I could practice my guilding.  I made the extra tear drops in case the custom one didn't come out right... luckily they all came through with flying colors. 

The process is fairly easy. You make your fine silver metal clay piece, fire it like normal, then without touching it or polishing it, you paint several thin layers (I did four layers) of the liquid 22k gold clay paste.  The liquid gold has a small percentage of silver clay mixed in so it will fuse with the metal clay piece.  So, after applying the gold, it goes back in the kiln at only 850 degrees for 15 minutes (or you can fire it with a torch).  The first time I used it, I had a difficult time as the clay didn't want to stick to the silver after firing....  it flaked off while I burnished/polished it.  I read that it sticks better if you take it out of the kiln while still warm (but NOT hot) so I tried that approach. Seems to have worked!  Though from the first try, I learned not to polish with a polishing pad with any grit or it will rub the gold off. Best to use a burnisher.  I haven't tried the tumbler yet.

The first photo show the teardrop metal clay pendant without any oxidation. The whiter area is the silver without the gold overlay. The following photo shows the same teardrops as earring WITH oxidation.... a completely different look.  The last photo is a fine silver metal clay pendant with Aura 22 gold painted only on the granulation and floral detail, then oxidized.

GOLD 

 This symbolizes the purity of the spiritual aspect of "All That Is". It is symbolic of spiritual development in the realm of complete understanding, allowing one to both attain and maintain communion with the source of all being. It emits an energy to prompt one to allow beauty to come forth from the inner being as one travels through the world of experiences. It assists one to activate, to mobilize and to actualize the intrinsic potential of the self. The energy of gold can assist one in the elimination of ego conflicts and feelings of futility. It balances the heart chakra and amplifies thought forms. Gold has been used to open the third-eye and is an excellent mineral for purification of the physical body. 

"PURE GOLD DOES NOT FEAR FURNACE."

~ Chinese Proverb ~

Beads and Legos of Summer

Yes, I have been a bit distracted from my jewelry passion lately.

I have been very determined to help my fiver year old son learn to be a stronger swimmer so we've been in the pool practically every day this summer.  He loves the water and is definitely part fish like his father but he has had a great fear of THE DEEP END! Several attempts to motivate him into the DEEP END ended up in tears. Hmmmm. I decided to bribe him.... The other day, I told him that when he was ready and could swim from the deep end to the shallow end (long length of the pool) I would buy him a new Lego set.   I know, I know... I shouldn't have but I just KNEW he could do it! He looked at me and said "You mean for FREE??... No allowance?"  I said "Yes!".  He ran straight to the deep end, jumped in and swam all the way to the shallow end ...NO TEARS!  Thank you Lego...mission accomplished!

Despite my hours in the pool, I have managed to squeeze in a little creative time for myself and managed to design and assemble a few pieces that have been sitting in my studio for a few months.  I made the silver pieces months ago but as you can see, I'm finally playing with the beads I went crazy buying at the bead shows and having so much fun! Here is a sneak preview before they hit Etsy....

"You are all separate beads strung together on that one thread, God."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Chirp Chirp

Everyone is asleep except me....

and it's quiet....

except for the chirping.  

After almost a week of hot weather, today it was warm and a perfectly comfortable 80 degrees.  

Now, 

the doors are open (screens closed!)...

the night is pleasantly cool (but not cold!) and they're out...

the crickets. 

 Such a summer vacation sound.

I must remember to plant night blooming jasmine to go with my summer crickets.

I think the combination might make for some lovely dreaming and wishing upon stars.

Amberbop

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington

More Ojai Beauty

So, Saturday night, my hub and I had our date night just around the corner at Suzanne's.  During our scrumptious dinner (as always) we started chatting with two lovely ladies seated next to us.  One of them was contemplating becoming an Ojaian and wanted to know what we thought of the area.  They must have thought we worked for the chamber of commerce as we started gushing and raving about our beloved little town.... and we continued to talk their ear off for the better part of an hour!  Thankfully they were all ears.  I hope we didn't over-do it. We just couldn't help it.  As I have shared here, I told them that after six years, even in such a small place, I'm still discovering new places. I then remembered that I still had yet to post the photos of my return trip to the Ojai Foundation in upper Ojai.  I was there a few weeks ago for the first time with my son's kindergarten class for a short field trip up the hill and I thank Ireshya for the soulful tour! I couldn't wait to share my discovery so I returned with my dad and sister recently to enjoy again the incredible beauty and views (and take some pics).  Here is a sneak peak at some of it's hidden gems...

matilija poppy

little hand carved wooden monk

eight hundred year old california live oak

sitting Buddha

This is only the tip of the iceberg of the many wonders at Ojai Foundation.  There are hand painted rocks from long gone visitors scattered around in little corners here and there, beautiful murals and sculpture, groovy hand built kivas, a stone and earth labyrinth, many wandering walking paths and really amazing views.  This last visit the skies were overcast so I wasn't able to capture the vistas on film but I'll be back to share with you!

Still sketching new jewelry ideas, re-vamping my bookkeeping and compiling my new website ideas ...I'll keep you posted soon!

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it."

~ William Arthur Ward ~

Casitas Vista

My spring fever has not just affected my work but my love of Ojai.  The last couple of weeks I have fallen in love with Ojai deeper than ever before.  So many factors contribute to this high I am feeling..... I have made so many new lovely friends that are an inspiration and a joy to be around and I continue to meet new interesting people every week...even in this tiny little town.  Also, in addition to all of the beautiful places of nature wonder that I have always enjoyed (Sisar Canyon, Meditation Mount, Krotona), I have just discovered several new little gems.... all practically in my own backyard.  I will share them over the next few posts when I return to take photos.

Sisar Canyon

Meditation Mount

Krotona Gardens

....last but not least, my fabulous walk today with my friend Tegan and her sweet "Little Buns" and Sacha around good ol'

Lake Casitas

"Any perception can connect us to reality, properly and fully.
What we see doesn't have to be pretty, particularly; we can appreciate anything that exists.
There is some principle of magic in everything, some living quality.
Something living, something real, is taking place in everything."

~ Chogyam Trungpa ~