An Ode to the Lion

So I love when pieces of jewelry carry meaning with them. I know for myself I like to incorporate designs into my home and fashion that are symbolic of me or ideas important to me. Victorian imagery and motifs are rich in symbolism so I find a great deal of inspiration in them. I created a fine silver piece inspired by a Victorian motif of a child holding a lion. The lion has long been a symbol of protection, a savior, a Christ-like figure, courage, valor, and protection. So combine the imagery of a lion with a image of an innocent child and you have a piece that for me is symbolic of the protection of innocence. I had to modify the design a bit due the original image being so old and worn down. So I enhanced the image with a bit of carving so it is not an exact replica of the Victorian design. Take a look at how this little Leo turned out:

Attn Crafty Sellers!

So today I was browsing the etsy blog and came across a wonderful tip about Google Base. So I went to see what it was all about. Come to find out that it looks to be a promising way to promote your etsy listings, or any listings for that matter. So I added a couple of my listings to test it out. I found it incredibly easy to use. The only downside (or maybe not) is that you do need to have a google account. Hope this helps you get your shop noticed.

A new resist for etching silver!

Well first let me say that I have fallen in love with a new magazine. All of you crafty jewelry artists should take note: Belle Armoire Jewelry! I was so pleased with the latest issue's PMC bird article. An what an adorable piece it was.

Let me share just a tid bit of a very cool technique I learned about regarding etching onto silver. Apply a dark colored fingernail polish as a resist! You can also use wax as your resist. This was another one of those little inventive tricks that we crafty people so often come up with. I did test it on sterling and it worked beautifully. Have fun with it!

Anyway, lately I am just in love with birds on my pendants. This was inspired by an 1800's Japanese Wallpaper of a swallow perched on a willow branch. I etched it by hand, however I did experiment with acid etching the initial image, but I wanted more texture so I decided to carve the image out. Anyway it is avail in my etsy shop: http://www.alternatebliss.etsy.com/

DIY Crafty Rebels!

I love the new generation of crafters! It's a generation that is fearless in exploration, experimentation, and innovation. This is a community that is not afraid to break the rules resulting in crafts that take familiarity and twist it into amazing new creations. Let me put in a small disclaimer here, when I say "generation" I am not referring to age! I have seen many crafters out there who build upon their wealth of crafting knowledge to make new and exciting crafts that hold their own withing the DIY crafting community. So here is a documentary on this rebel crafty generation that you should take some time to explore:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zH2HWPfwpOw

Altrusa, What's That?

Well let me just say it is a wonderful community organization that focuses on literacy! I've been an Altrusa member for about one and a half years and have loved every minute of it. I have found the organization to be incredibly welcoming and an excellent way for me to give back to my community. So here are couple of the things that my local chapter does that I get really excited about:

Festival of Follies: This is a craft fair that raises quite a bit of funds which our club then contributes to buying books for elementary students located in low income neighborhoods . Our club calls this the "Book of My Own" project.

Our group also funds a teacher's yearly salary for a school in Namibia, Africa. We also send annual book and classroom supplies. One of our members personally delivers the supplies! I can't tell you how rewarding it was when we got a picture back of the entire class holding up the books that we sent them! It was amazing.

If you are interested in becoming a member of Altrusa and supporting your local community then visit the international website to see what is going on in your area:

http://www.altrusa.com/

Here are the local Altrusa Club listings:
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.altrusa.com/Clubs/Directory.asp&sa=X&oi=smap&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=1&usg=AFQjCNERtlwcYVoAcZZPCGigw6OlB0Ayaw

Let me also say that if you are short on time, as so many of us are, then this may be the perfect organization for you! My local chapter meets once a month for about 1.5 hours and then I committe as much or as little time as I can from there. I must say that I have gained far more from volunteering than I ever could have imagined. I'd love to hear about your volunteering activities or volunteer group. Share and share alike!

Jewelry Creation Just as Satisfying As....

Well if your a jeweler, then you fill in the blank! Seriously though there is a sense of satisfaction that only comes from creating a piece of art. Well after I started creating jewelry I have to say that there is the same level of satisfaction. I think it just comes from the act of making something with your hands and seeing that its possible to create something beautiful. So here a piece of jewelry that I created (available in my etsy shop: http://www.alternatebliss.etsy.com/).

I love the bird motif. Did you know the bird is a symbol for the soul. Beautiful. I hand cut this piece from silver and then filed and sanded it to a matte finish. The bird is accompanied by freshwater pearls and glass beads in rust and yellow colors. Have a look: