Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you the best year yet!!

xo
erin

(photo of "the disco ball shop" in Buenos Aires)

I Am Here

In my little booth. Sending jewelry off with so many sweet people. New York is great. Come visit, I would love to see you!! I'll be in my little yellow booth at Columbus Circle until the 24th of December (yes, I know that is crazy).

Toni is having a Party!

....and you are invited!! My friend Toni had the great idea to put together a holiday event combining cool vintage and home decorating finds, handmade treasures, beautiful photography, food, wine, even massage! Not only did she have the idea, she's actually doing it! Some of my work will be there, along with lots of great items to cross off your holiday list. Sadly, I can't go...it's just one quick night, so go for me and have fun! Check out the details below....

A Royal Treat

I haven't seen Lapis Lazuli around a lot lately, so when I came across it on a gem buying trip recently, I jumped. These are big, impressive pieces, faceted and flecked with golden pyrite. For this piece I wove them into a fan shape and linked it all into gold vermeil chain. Lapis has been worn for centuries, prized by ancient civilizations and worn by royalty. So, get your inner Nefertiti on and show off!

What to do on an overcast Sunday...

...come to Design Hive! This will be my last Boston-area appearance before I head off to NYC in December for the "big show". I have lots of new things to show you!! Here are just a few:









All of the above will also be listed on the website soon!

The chain you have been waiting for is here!

Available in gold filled and sterling silver:


This beautiful chain has a beaded, twisted wire texture to it, which adds a definite sparkle. The links are large-about an inch long, but the chain itself is extremely light and comfortable. These are a generous 34 inches long-great for layering with lots of other cool chains and necklaces, or just double it up and be done. Very versatile, it will be worn often!
This chain is also available in a short (18 inch) version and as a bracelet-to be posted on the site soon.

Happy Birthday Elodie!!

Elodie is 4!!
This is amazing! I was there, at her birth, and just can't believe four years has flown by so fast. Now, she has a little sister who dreams and talks about her all the time. I can understand why. Elodie is captivating. Smart as a whip and sweet as pie. She is curious about everything.





This is one of my favorite pictures of Elodie. We were at the Jeff Koons exhibit a few years ago at the Met, up on the roof! Elodie was beyond excited to see this massive balloon dog. She jumped and danced and ran around him for a good hour. It was so wonderful to see that kind of excitement. I look forward to many more years of wonder with sweet Elodie.
I love you El!
Love, love, love, Auntie Erin

The Spirograph...

...remember that? I loved that toy. Very mesmerizing. That's the first thing I thought of when I put these earrings together.



They are also available in antiqued sterling with gold accents.

Have a wonderful weekend!



I am taking an online Photoshop course-Visual Poetry. It's a lot of fun. I am now adding a soft glow to everything I see...

Lockets

I have finally listed some lockets in the shop!



These seem to speak to people. They are very pretty, true. They are made from sweet vintage postage stamps of birds and butterflies. They have a colorful cluster of gemstones jangling about. They are made of bright shiny sterling silver, a substantial locket which feels like an heirloom.
But it seems to be the various quotes people connect to. I am often told why that is, and several times I have cried. People tell me stories of someone at a hard point in their life, sometimes having to do with sickness or loss. Other times they are bought for happier occasions, often graduations-a time to go out and experience the world! Whatever the reasons, I am always so happy and honored to be a part of the whole experience, to have made something to be given with great love and meaning. It has really made me think about and change my ideas about what jewelry can be.
Here is one quote I often use and love, but did not end up in any of these particular lockets:

At the centre of your being
You have the answers
You know who you are
And you know what you want

If you are ever in doubt...

Slowly but surely...

I am getting new things on the site! Here's a peek...

The skeleton leaf "au natural".



One from the new geode collection. Lots of amazing sparkly things coming!!



The skeleton leaf in black-love the contrast with the shiny sterling silver...

The Vineyard In September

...is quite nice indeed.

A Lovely Welcome Back

I am back on the Vineyard for a spell...time to relax, read, bike, and work on design ideas. Last night on the ferry, as we were coming into Vineyard Haven, I was greeted by this glorious site. Very inspiring.

I blinked...

...and August blew by me. Whew! I am back in Boston, missing the Vineyard (but get to go back soon for my vacation!). Since being back, I have gone down to NYC (love love love Bolt Bus) for a start to my gem shopping and found some lovely things, as usual. Just as soon as I can make them up, I will share them.

In the meantime, I have a few Fall shows coming up where you can see previews of the the new Fall/Winter line as it develops.
Both shows are new to me and look really fun, with lots of other cool vendors, music, food and drinks! All info. is posted on their sites below:

Design Hive

Stylefixx

Hope to see you there!

I have a feeling...

The other night I could not sleep. I was exhausted and turned in (on a Saturday night-I am officially "old") at 9:30. All night I tossed and turned. I woke early, exhausted. The "problem" was: too many ideas. This is a recurring theme in my life, but only every six months or so does it keep me up all night. Here are the culprits:







It's the whole oxidized silver look. I can't get enough! I am worried that the "Fall and Winter 09 Collection" (which these images are a part of) will be completely black, moody, industrial, faded elegance....oh well, at least I'll get some sleep.

We have a new winner...

This sweet little shell has taken over the front-runner spot in the Vineyard (Summer from Seattle) 09 popularity contest. Congratulations little shell, you are very sweet and easy to wear.



Also available with a gold filled chain and tiny citrine gem-photo coming soon!


A close second is a new comer to the collection: the "wave" bead. A beautiful, handmade silver bead, available on sterling silver or gold filled chain, as well as oxidized, for a lovely contrast (see next post). A most versatile contestant.



Both are available here, as well as other pretty things which get an "A" for effort.

Last week Rocked!

For some reason, a particular planetary alignment most likely, last week I said goodbye to some of my favorite pieces...geodes and "the fossil" (not the one I made for me!). Here's what went:











Thank you, cool women who love these pieces (two grandmothers, by the way!) as I do. You rock too! Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday Gracie!

As you can easily see, this here is a child who lives a lot in each and every day! Gracie is a fabulous reader (she even wrote to her favorite author and he wrote back!), amazing jungle gym-er, super fast on the scooter, loves to play dress-up, completes puzzles in seconds, wins a lot at Uno, and gets really excited about just about everything!
Her enthusiasm for life is inspiring!
I love you Grace! Happy Seventh!
love, love, love, Auntie Erin

A lesson learned

Every year I go to work (and shop) at a huge bead show in Milwaukee. Every year my heart beats a bit faster as I approach a certain booth. This one particular man finds, cuts and drills the most amazing stones, fossils, vintage glass, and just about anything else he can get his hands on-including what looks like billiard balls and something he calls "ford-ite". I basically spend any free time and a good chunk of my salary at this booth. Two years ago, I bought a gorgeous ammonite fossil there and decided it would be just for me. This is rare (the decision and the fossil, both) and almost as soon as I got home, I stung it up with keishi pearls and aquamarines, bringing out the irridescent pale blues and pinks of the surface.
A few days later, I went "off-island" to do a big three-day show in the Berkshires. I love it there, but the show was not a good one for me. In foolish desperation, I put my ammonite necklace on the table. An hour later it sold. And I felt terrible. Was nothing sacred? Was I worshiping the almighty dollar? Where were my principles? Never again, I promised myself.
This past June, I was off to Milwaukee again. No sooner had I walked into the massive show, I ran into "my stone man" Gary. I went with him directly to his booth and told him the story of how I had been waiting a year to redeem myself. I found another ammonite (plus several fabulous geodes-for you) which struck me with its colors and shape. The other day, playing with some new pearls, the idea for the new necklace came together quickly- and this was the result.

~mine~

It fits my neck perfectly and the feeling of wearing something which is more than 100 million (think about that for a second) years old makes me feel grounded, connected and reminds me to appreciate this moment in time.

this fleeting world is like a star at dawn,

a bubble in a stream,

a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,

a flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream...

- the diamond sutra

Shop Update

The shop is back in operation, with new things on the way!

Girl at the Museum

It was a sunny early Spring day, but the tea party in the garden with her favorite dolls was suddenly, and quite unfairly she thought, canceled. They were going to the museum for the day. It was to be her first time going, and not a time for fun, she was told, but for learning. So off they went to wait for the bus.

She asked what she might be seeing at this museum, but her father only suggested that it was just too much to explain. She was glad to be off the bus, and as they quietly made their way up the long drive to the entrance, she saw her first clues as to what might be inside. Two saber-toothed cats watched her approach, debating whether or not she should be allowed in. As the family walked closer, she felt smaller and a little nervous. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her as she always did when she felt this way. It was odd for a child to hold herself like that, all tight and proper. But that is how she had always been.

Her father wanted to use his new camera. She was ordered to stand on the steps with her mother and not to make even the slightest movement. On the steps she squinted in the sun and watched as he walked farther and farther away. Finally he turned around. He could get it all in now. He yelled something to them which she could not hear. Her mother told her to stand up straight. She was feeling warm now, in the sun with the big cats eyeing her. Her mother did not hold her hand or put an arm around the girl for the photo. She was not that kind of mother.

Her father walked back to them. Now, they could go in. Through the big doors and into a light-filled circular space. She stepped cautiously and looked up to where the sun streamed in. Dust danced in the light as she heard her mother whispering something to her father about mismatched cuff links. The girl looked at him and he made a funny face, quickly.
He studied the floor plans and they began.

A bookish man, her father lectured her at length about many things: the pressure gemstones had to endure, the patience required of fossils, helpful hind legs, and the convenience of being a stick insect.

But, for the first time in her young life, she was not listening.

Her mind raced, her imagination blossomed, and as if she had drank a psychedelic drug, she found herself walking amongst massive beasts. Insects buzzed everywhere, and heavy tropical scents made her almost dizzy. She held cool sparkling stones in the palm of her hand and felt the softest of feathers brush against her neck. She flew though the sky nestled on the back of a huge black bird, holding tight to a rider who looked to be from an entirely different universe.
Creatures she could not have imagined approached her with wonder.
They eyed each other. Then smiled.

As they left, she felt not sad, but exhilarated. Her mind and imagination was full to bursting. She knew she would be back again and again and she felt...different. Bold? There was, she now knew, so much to see in this beautiful world.

As they walked back down the long driveway, her father felt inspired to take a photo with an artistic angle of the the museum. He asked them to pose again as he started walking backwards away from them. He tripped once and decided that was a good distance. "Don't move" he said.

But this time, the girl took a slight step forward, away from her mother.

She was on her way.


If you are ever in Buenos Aires, you should make the effort to go to the Natural History Museum in La Plata-it is amazing! I went just once, but could go back "again and again". When I did go, I was so excited to get in there, I forgot to take pictures of this impressive building. Luckily, I found these two photos at the flea market in San Telmo, intertwining the memories of my trip with this little girl's.

Technology Day from H-E-Double L

So yesterday my domain name provider blocked my little website-and just a day or two after I updated and made it look all pretty. How rude. They received a grumpy email from me, but the site will be down at least until Monday, maybe a bit longer. Thank you for your patience!
Then, my ac adapter died and I realized just how much Iuse my laptop-for communication, obviously, for running my website (not an issue this weekend, apparently..), for entertainment while I make jewelry, etc. etc.
Fianally, I made a lovely salad for dinner and poured canola oil, instead of olive, all over it. OK, that is not technology related, but it certainly added to the day's mood. I ate it up (it tasted fine) and then sent myself to my room and locked the door before I created any more messes.
Here's hoping everything's back to normal soon.
At least it's not raining (cross you fingers, knock on wood)!!

What's hot on the Vineyard. Hint: it's not the weather.

You never really can tell what's going to be the most popular item at a show. I have only done five markets so far this summer, but these two necklaces are already the obvious front runners.

It may not seem like it...

but it IS Summer, and as usual, I am all caught up in the blues and greens. Been having fun making these little treats....


They are in my shop now, along with lots more NEW pieces, so enjoy looking around!

The Up Side of (never-ending) Rain

However, the flowers are quite done now, thank you. They would like some sunshine instead of rain for a bit of a change.
(please)

King of Dads

Happy Father's Day!
I love you Dad!!!!

(Grandchildren were involved in this ensemble...need I say more?)

Busy Bird

Lately, I have been busy. Packing to move (as I do oh, every four months or so...) designing new things for the summer, taking photos, applying to shows, etc. etc. At times like this I just want everything to stop! And I get grumpy.
But when I was photographing these lovely lockets, I was reminded that this is the life I have chosen, and while it's not totally perfect, it's pretty good, so lighten up and enjoy it already!





The lockets are sterling silver, with a heavy watch glass. They open up, so you can put a little secret message on the inside as well. The images are vintage postage stamps collected on my travels. The reverse side shows a lovely quote, this one being my favorite: "The journey you wish to take can only begin from where you are right now, this very minute".
There are other quotes available (you can even request your own) and various stamps as well-right here!

Back in Beantown

I have been back in the US for about a week and a half now and have already raced through four of our lovely states- taking classes, visiting family, buying gems, and meeting clients. I love getting together with clients for custom projects. Last week I met with Caroline who is getting married next month in France, and works as a perfumer in NYC. How cool is that?! She will be wearing these on her wedding day, plus a matching custom topaz bracelet. I am so honored!

In other news, I have been happily playing with my new gem stash. Here are the beginnings of a lovely one-of-a-kind collection to go with the new summer line....


I am in l.o.v.e with geodes these days, and I have to say, these are some of the best I have seen out there. Wouldn't you agree? ; )

More coming soon....