Mango Tango Designs

Dollhouse playtime!

2012-01-19T07:19:00.000-05:00

Every so often the lure of the small beckons me back to my fascination with miniatures. When I saw that the toy company Brinca Dada was introducing a new contemporary beach house with an ingenious design that hinges along the back, allowing it to open and close like a clamshell, I quickly put my name on the preorder list. Since my new Bennett House arrived, I have been scouring the 'net in search of appropriately-scaled (1:18) furniture and accessories with which to fill it. Still a work in progress, and with the help of Elf Miniatures of the U.K. and Lundby of Sweden furniture, it's coming along nicely.

The kitchen furniture and appliances were completely custom-built by Elf Miniatures. Some of the accessories -- especially those in the wall unit -- were made by Lundby.

The uppermost level of the house contains a light, bright bathroom completely furnished in contemporary Lundby of Sweden in remarkable detail. Next to the bathroom is an open deck with a bamboo floor where the man of the house, who has just taken a dip in the pool, is grilling steaks and corn on the cob on the barbecue grill. :)

Here's the office, also courtesy of Elf Miniatures. It clearly needs further accessorizing ... and the warmth of some potted plants. Guess I've got some work ahead of me here.

Every contemporary beach house deserves a Porsche Carrera convertible in its garage. I found this die-cast 1:18 scale beauty -- complete with opening doors and hood -- in an antique shop. Serendipity! The man of the house is in the process of packing his beach gear in the back seat for a trip to the shore.

New Work (at last!)

2011-07-24T11:23:00.000-04:00

With the 2011 summer show schedule in full swing, I finally mustered the courage to open a new package of silver and take the plunge. With silver prices again going through the roof, I've become increasingly reluctant to risk making a wrong turn and having something turn out badly; I'd much rather mess up a bronze or copper piece! But silver has my heart and I couldn't stay away. Hopefully, the risk was worth it -- here's my new Sediment necklace.

The round cabochon is carnelian, and the inverted triangle is red lace agate ... one of my favorites for sheer drama and movement. Accented with fine silver seashells, oxidized with just the tiniest hint of red to make the cabs pop, mounted on a handmade necklace of sterling silver wire-wrapped matching lampwork beads encased in clear glass with my own hand-hammered and forged sterling silver spiral clasp.

Final Summer/Fall Show Schedule

2011-05-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

Here's our confirmed show schedule for the Summer/Fall season!

July 16/17:          Cape Cod Fine Arts Festival, Village Green, Main
                          Street, Hyannis, MA

August 9-11:       Society of Cape Cod Craftsmen
                           Drummer Boy Park, Route 6A, Brewster, MA

August 19-21:      40th Annual Festival of the Arts
                          Chase Park, Chatham, MA

Sept. 3/4:            Artisans’ Guild of Cape Cod
                           Indoors and outdoors (we'll be indoors)
                           at the Whelden Library, Route 49
                           West Barnstable, MA

Busy creating lots of new and wonderful items for show season! In addition to silver and glass, I've been crafting lots of lovely new pieces in enamel over copper, copper combined with silver, and bronze ... all very affordable. Come by and say hi!

New work, new affiliations, new shows ...

2011-04-28T20:01:00.001-04:00

I've no lack of excuses for my long absence! There are so many of them: We just returned to Cape Cod from wintering in Florida, where I spent a nice chunk of time volunteering at the Humane Society Naples. There I assisted in socializing timid felines to give them a better chance of being adopted and made some new friends along the way. I also had the great pleasure of reuniting with my best friend from my early teen years after more than a forty-year separation -- we had an absolutely joyous and tremendously emotional reunion and have gotten together several times since. I also saw for the first time in several decades a dear friend from my early childhood; our mothers were longtime friends too! We put the finishing decorating touches on our new condo; I enjoyed my first-ever airboat ride on the Everglades; and I also spent lots of time walking along the beach, collecting beautiful shells and brainstorming ideas for new jewelry pieces, some of which you see pictured here.

With the dramatic increase in silver prices comes a necessary and serious reconsideration of the materials I use in my work. In the coming months you'll see more jewelry designs from me that employ the beauty and durability of bronze and copper, for example, and more glass and enamel work with less emphasis on silver ... although I don't see myself giving it up silver entirely.

Some other wonderful things are happening as well. I recently juried in as a brand new member of the Society of Cape Cod Craftsmen and very much look forward to participating in their annual show in August. More details below!

My Summer/Fall 2011 show schedule is still being formulated, but here's a list of the shows I can confirm I'll be participating in:

August 9-11            59th Annual Society of Cape Cod Craftsmen
                              Drummer Boy Park, Route 6A
                              Brewster, MA
                              http://SocietyofCapeCodCraftsmen.com

August 19-21          40th Festival of the Arts
                              Chase Park
                              Chatham, MA
                              http://CapeCodCreativeArts.org

September 3-4       Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod
                             Whelden Library, Route 149
                             West Barnstable, MA

If you're planning to be on the Cape on a timetable that happens to coincide with my show schedule, please plan to stop by and say hello -- I'd love to meet you!

Expecting the unexpected ...

2011-01-19T15:53:00.001-05:00

I sometimes wonder how other jewelry designers work. Do they have a firm plan in mind? Do they sketch out their ideas in pencil with an eraser at the ready? Do they visualize the finished product right from the outset?

I know I don't. Usually I don't have a clue. I begin with a very general idea or inspiration, and it might be anything. For this project, it began with a tiny, pretty ocean jasper cabochon. The circle. An orb.

Okay, so far so good -- I had a name for the piece. Then what? The rounded triangle shape of the piece reminded me of those wonderful '50's retro coffee tables, and that led me to think about something asymmetrical yet not. So I began building a necklace around that idea, and with each step came an unexpected change. I rolled individual balls of silver and lined them up in ways that pleased my eye. I fired the piece and photographed it, wondering (agonizing!) over whether or not I should oxidize it.

I decided that yes, I needed to, in order to emphasize the texture of the piece.

Once that was done, I began to visualize how I would integrate the focal piece into a finished necklace. Keep it simple and attach it to a silver chain? Perhaps add a few glass beads that might echo the depth of the ocean for accent? I ran to my supply closet and began going through all the wonderful glass beads in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes that I protectively hoard until just the right project comes along. Finally, I find some tiny boro beads meant to be used as spacers that are just the right colors and size to complement -- but not overwhelm -- my focal. Hours are spent bending and shaping sterling silver wire; making connections; forming a necklace. Carefully crafting a sterling silver spiral clasp to complete the circle. Oxidizing the sterling wire and lovingly polishing it back up, by hand. Admiring it, and marveling at the wonder of having made this myself, with my own two hands.

And thinking that by now, I should know myself well enough to know to expect the unexpected when I sit down at the workbench to create.

What's on my workbench ... more Art Nouveau

2011-01-09T16:32:00.000-05:00

I guess eventual crossover from my years as a botanical miniaturist was inevitable. My latest piece in progress is a fine silver pendant with a bezel-set Willow Creek jasper cabochon in shades of subtle pink, pale green, a hint of gray and a little ivory. The bail is hidden on the back. The feature that's especially unique in this piece is it's the first that includes my own tiny hand-sculpted roses! I've never attempted that kind of sculptural feature before, and I like the effect. I think I may be doing more of this!

The assortment of beads surrounding the pendant are candidates for a matching necklace. I'm thinking possibly of a triple strand of coordinating beads culminating in silver cones and a toggle clasp. The beads shown are rhodochrosite, soocho jade and impression jasper ... but the jury is still out. I don't want to overwhelm a delicate-looking pendant with disproportionate beads. Perhaps tomorrow I'll take the pendant with me while I shop for some tiny pale green or pink pearls ...

Insane kiln patina!

2011-01-05T13:09:00.002-05:00

On my first firing of FastFire BronzClay, I used Magic Carbon as my firing medium inside Cool Tools' wonderful new firing foil, which was designed to be folded origami-style into a box and lid and replaces the old stainless steel covered pans that many metal clay artisans have been using and which flake terribly, leaving the inside of our kilns a black, sooty mess. I was thrilled with the firing foil and the completely successful sintering of all my pieces. However, I was less than impressed with the bronze color that resulted. It was a little too cool for my taste; I prefer my bronze to have a richer, warmer tone.

So ... in the hope that re-firing my pieces by replacing all the Magic Carbon with the traditional Activated Coconut Carbon might result in warmer colors, I was flabbergasted (in a good way!) to pull these pieces out of the hot carbon and watch these absolutely insane colors develop. My solid bronze bangle now looks like an ancient, rusted relic pulled from a sunken galleon. And my little bronze hearts -- some of which will become earrings; some charms; and one a pendant -- are similarly beautiful ... although none can come close to the amazing colors of my bangle.

Happy!

And now for something completely different ...

2011-01-04T16:53:00.000-05:00

First things first: Happy New Year, all! Wishing you a healthy, joyous and peaceful 2011!

Recently I've gone back to re-visit bronze and to change things up, I've done a small series of pieces with more of an Art Nouveau vibe ... just for fun. (I hate being predictable, don't you??).

So, while things are still in the experimental stage and pieces are going into -- and out of -- the kiln, I thought I'd throw out a teaser and sneak preview of this new series, which will include earrings, charms and a big honking bangle bracelet. More to follow, including details on the process for those of you who dabble.

Conch-tastrophe!

2010-12-16T15:56:00.002-05:00

We've had several consecutive days of extremely cold weather and a day of amazingly high winds that churned up the Gulf to the point that this is what I found along the beach this morning, on the first sunny and relatively warm day we've had in a week: Literally millions of conchs -- almost all live -- during low tide. I've never seen anything like it!

They are so active that their little feet are paddling like mad, and I could hear, over the roar of the surf, their shells clicking as they bumped into one another.

I crouched and scooped up several conch shells that were face down in the sand to check for inhabitants and literally, without exception, every one was alive and kicking.

Let's hope that high tide brings them safely back into the Gulf without numerous casualties.

The Tale of the Cat's Paw Shell

2010-11-14T11:29:00.002-05:00

It's taken me nearly a year to compose myself sufficiently to tell my brief tale, but it's one that begs to be told if you have ever loved and lost a pet.

The beach is a place I go to walk alone, to think, to contemplate, to generate ideas. and to seek peace. The morning after we lost our beloved cat Taj, who had blessed our lives with joy and companionship for nearly 16 years, I again sought the solace of the beach so I could be alone, think about her as I had during the many long months we nursed her through her illness, and experience my grief in the place I find most comforting.

As I was walking along the shore, my vision blurred by tears, a solitary seashell caught my eye. Fittingly, it was a cat's paw shell. Unlike the others, it sat alone in the sand separated from all the others, and it blazed with an intensity I couldn't ignore ... an almost fiery orange glow that was impossible to miss. I veered from my path to inspect it more closely, and as I touched it, I could hear Taj speak as clearly and surely as if she were human and still at my feet:

"Please don't be sad. I left this shell for you so you would know that I've reached heaven safely. Thank you for always being my friend and for taking such good care of me when I was sick. I'm well again, and I'm very happy. Please be happy too. You will always have my love and gratitude, and I know you'll always love and remember me."

I knelt in the sand, clutching the shell to my chest, and rocked and cried until I could cry no longer. Then I put the shell safely in my pocket and carried it home.

The shell no longer glows, but the memory of that moment on the beach will stay with me always.

Taj

April, 1994 - January, 2010

Etsy MetalClay Charm Bracelet Auction Goes Live on eBay!

2010-11-05T07:12:00.000-04:00

As promised, here's a link to the 2010 Etsy MetalClay Charm Bracelet auction on eBay. Again, all proceeds from the sale of this bracelet will be donated to Autism Speaks. The auction description will provide much more info about the bracelet and about the important work being accomplished by Autism Speaks. The auction runs ten days and you've got nine in which to imagine all the ways you'll wear this stunning one-of-a-kind bracelet!

http://tinyurl.com/28ft8ov

Etsy Metal Clay Team Charm Bracelet to Benefit Autism Speaks!

2010-11-03T14:19:00.000-04:00

The Etsy Metal Clay Team will be auctioning off this fantastic handcrafted sterling silver charm bracelet loaded with pure fine silver, bronze and copper charms individually handcrafted and donated by members of the Etsy Metal Clay Team. All proceeds -- that's 100% of the proceeds from the auction -- will benefit Autism Speaks. The charms are loaded with detail and some include colored resins, enamels, gemstone beads, etc. A unique and beautiful collector's item. I will post again when the auction goes live. Please help us help Autism Speaks!

(My contribution is the silver square mixed media/steampunk/resin piece with a crazy lace larimar drop at approximately 7 o'clock.)

Anatomy of an Enamel on Silver Color Test Strip

2010-09-13T16:53:00.002-04:00

Having taken a cloisonne enameling class not too long ago, I was eager to get started on my first project. So I took the plunge and ordered some fine silver cloisonne wire and a whole spectrum of yummy colors of Japanese leaded enamels.

In order to know exactly how these colors would turn out over fine silver, I made a color test strip. Not wanting to waste a good piece of fine silver on a mere test, I decided to design a slightly more interesting piece that could be worn as a pendant. Accordingly, I first crafted a textured rectangle of fine silver with a hanging hole.

Before going any further with my description, I'd like to say a few words about safety precautions with enamels in general but with leaded enamels in particular. Every step I took during the creation of this color test strip was made while wearing an N95 3M particulate mask to avoid inhaling the enamel dust. I also mixed, washed and applied these enamels outdoors on my deck. When I was finished working, I packed up all my supplies and thoroughly washed down the table on which I was working (there's nothing quite like wetting enamel to keep the particles from becoming airborne), washed my hands, stripped off my clothes and threw them into the washing machine, and took a shower. I didn't want to allow a single grain of enamel to cling to me anywhere. Always work sensibly with enamels. Even non-lead-bearing enamels are harmful if inhaled.

Once I had the pendant fired, burnished and tumbled, I brushed the front of the pendant with enamel adhesive and then used a sifter to uniformly apply a layer of clear flux (enamel) over the entire piece. When it was dry, I fired the pendant at 1500 degrees Fahrenheit for exactly two minutes in a pre-heated kiln and then quickly removed it to cool. Then I did exactly the same thing to the reverse side of the piece to counter-enamel it. The clear flux acts as a barrier between the fine silver and the colored enamel to enable the colors to remain true. Sometimes enamel colors, when applied directly to fine silver, have a tendency to change. This is especially true with pinks and reds which will sometimes turn orange when applied to fine silver.

I then applied my cloisonne wire to the pendant, adhering it by dipping it first into enamel adhesive. I took care to ensure that I cut the edges of the wire at precise right angles so all parts of the edges would come in contact with the adjoining pieces; you don't want to leave any gaps which might allow the enamel to flow out of its cell or worse, show when you're grinding down your finished piece and suddenly a gap appears. Once dry, I fired the pendant again. Because the flux re-melts during firing, the cloisonne wire actually sinks into the flux and is permanently captured as the piece cools off. Here's how the pendant looked after the cloisonne wire was fired in place:

You can see that the ends of the cloisonne wire extend over the edges of the pendant; this is done deliberately to avoid cutting the ends too short. It's safe to trim this excess wire after the first few coats of enamel have been applied and fired.

Before proceeding, I drew a rough diagram showing the placement of my wire and wrote the code numbers of the enamel colors I planned to use into the cells so I could keep track of which colors I wanted to place where and also have the ability to remember which colors I used on the test strip for future reference.

Since I had already washed the enamels and placed them into coded jars, I was ready to roll. I spooned out small amounts of the colors I had selected and placed them in numerical sequence into a plastic paint tray, adding a few drops of distilled water to each color to prepare them for wet-packing into the cells.

Then the fun began as I carefully filled the cells with their assigned colors. It's not necessary to put down the entire first layer; so I applied just the first few and fired them in place. Again, 1500 degrees F for two minutes. I used a tripod because now, with the reverse side of the pendant counter-enameled, the piece needed to be suspended so that the back wouldn't melt against the firing surface (a square of mica placed on my kiln furniture to protect it from the melting enamel). All subsequent firings after the counter-enameling were done on a tripod.

The applied but unfired enamel almost has the appearance of powdered sugar when it's dry enough to fire.

I continued to apply the enamel to each cell and fired the pendant. I also again counter-enameled the back, this time adding a solid color to the entire reverse side and fired again.

Here, you can see the first full layer of color after firing. It's necessary to continue applying and firing layers of enamel until they reach or slightly exceed the height of the cloisonne wire -- any excess can be ground down later, but ultimately the piece should feel smooth and level to the touch once the piece is finished.

Repeated firings were done as more and more layers of color were built up on the piece.

Here's another photo showing how I achieved shading of colors in some of the cells -- I applied enamel selectively. These areas turned darker when they were fired.

After firing the final layer of enamel had been fired, I finished the test strip by burnishing the surface under running water with an alundum stone and polishing it with successively finer grits 120, 200, 400 and 800) of diamond pad grinding sticks. I carefully removed any remaining glass powder residue with a glass brush and finally fired the pendant one more time to fire-polish it and return it to a nice shiny gloss finish.

I strung the pendant on a silver chain and now wear this piece whenever I'm working with my Japanese enamels as a reminder of how each color looks once fired.

New work at Left Bank Gallery ...

2010-07-13T17:40:00.001-04:00

I have several new jewelry pieces at the Left Bank Gallery, 8 Cove Road, Orleans, Massachusetts (on beautiful Cape Cod, of course).

Stop by and see them when you can! The Left Bank is my favorite gallery for unique and beautifully crafted artist and artisan work. I find it impossible to resist buying something wonderful every time I visit.

Just a preview of some of my work there:

My Washed Ashore necklace

Twilight Tribute - Fine silver and 22K gold keum-boo

Tango Earrings

An amazing estate sale find!

2010-07-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

One Sunday morning we were reading the paper and enjoying our first cup of coffee when we scanned the local estate sales and found a listing for the entire contents of the former home of a miniature collector. I don't think I've ever gotten dressed so quickly or dashed off so fast in my life!

I was lucky enough to find this handcrafted 1/12th scale pastry shop at the sale. The sign over the door was instantly recognizable to me -- it was handpainted by the late George Schlosser, an extraordinarily talented miniaturist whose paintings and painted signs fetch high prices at auctions and on the secondary market. There's a second, much smaller sign inside the shop also painted by George which reads "Fresh Bread Daily". :)

Although I emptied the contents of the house as soon as I got home and replaced everything inside with items from my own collection -- from beautiful little cakes, cookies and breads and a table set for high tea to a tiny handcrafted cappuccino maker and a baker's rack made by former IGMA Fellow Al Masch -- I have plans to completely renovate the interior with wood flooring and fresh wallpaper and 'plant' my own miniature geraniums in the windowbox. Hmmm. Or maybe hydrangeas.

What a serendipitous and thrilling find!

What's been on my workbench ...

2010-06-27T16:23:00.001-04:00

With my first show of the season less than a week away, these are the projects I've been working on. Above, photos of the charms I made for the 2010 Etsy MetalClay Team charm swap. I created frames of fine silver with individually-applied hand-cut rectangles, then drilled holes at either end and fired. Once the charms had been fired, oxidized and polished, I glued tiny squares of textured colored paper within the frames and randomly placed tiny watch gears inside each frame. Over these I applied resin which cures under a UV lamp. I attached jump rings at both ends and dangled tiny round chrysocolla beads from the bottoms. Here's a photo of the finished charms, two of which will become part of bracelets that will be donated to charities:

This was a really enjoyable project for me, especially since each charm is unique and slightly different. And the charms I received in turn were incredibly beautiful and made for a delightful and unique charm bracelet that I love to wear! Go, Etsy MetalClay Team! It's a pleasure to work with such an amazingly gifted group of women, and I salute them!

Next, I began creating some fresh pieces for the upcoming show season:

There's no question that the charms I made for the swap influenced strongly my next project. I so enjoyed working with resin and so love the steampunk look that I had to create a focal utilizing the same features. I then suspended a Caribbean blue faceted chalcedony drop from the focal piece and fashioned a necklace of borosilicate beads, textured sterling silver chain, a sterling lobster claw clasp, and hand-hammered and forged links to craft a necklace worthy of the focal.

One thing seems to lead to another for me, so coordinating earrings were the next logical step. I turned the same links into drop earrings by dangling tiny semi-precious gemstone beads (in this case, chrysocolla), adding hand-forged sterling spirals and hammered sterling earwires to create my new Tango earrings -- a somewhat fun and whimsical departure for me.

Finally, I returned to the heart of my work, Washed Ashore II: A new version of my borosilicate focal-based pendant with a sea theme, featuring my own original molded fine silver seashells and hand-fabricated links and tube beads:

After my show next weekend, I'll post an update!

A new obsession with bead embroidery ...

2010-05-03T17:10:00.000-04:00

It began with buying a cabochon that I thought was really pretty, thinking I'd decide later how to place it in an appropriate setting. Then I bought a book about bead embroidery, fell madly in love, and now I'm working on my first piece ... which is going to be way more complicated that anyone's first try at anything ought to be.

But ... now I can't resist planning ahead. So here are some of the wonderful little cabochon treasures ... everything from Bird's Eye Rhyolite to Ocean Jasper to Morgan Poppy Jasper to Sonora Sunrise Cuprite ... that I've lined up for projects number two through 90, give or take ... it's going to be a wonderful, relaxing summer on Cape Cod, inventing complicated projects to embroider with beads.

A little diversification never hurt anyone ... did it?

Spoiler Alert! My Etsy Metal Clay Team Swap Charms ...

2010-04-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

Okay, so maybe this isn't a total spoiler ... more of a sneak preview, really. Here are my charms in progress. I'll throw out a little hint: Although you'd never guess it by looking at them in this state, each of the finished charms is slightly different.

There are 24 charms in all; 22 are for my participating Etsy MetalClay Team members and the other two will become part of a charm bracelet to be donated to charities. These charms are already in the hands of the very lovely Jane Font, who has volunteered to collate and distribute the charms this time around.

Entirely too much fun!

Things I miss about home

2010-04-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

At this point in the season down here in Florida, when most of the snowbirds have flown north again but we still linger for a while, my thoughts turn to all the things I love and miss the most about our home on Cape Cod.

The wooden stairway and its maze of landings through the pines leading down to the lake ... the 93 steps to reach the water are exhilating on the way down, as you can see the water sparkling between the trees ... but the climb back up is a real workout!

The unexpected and very surprising wildlife that shows up in our back yard from time to time (I took this picture through the window of my studio one morning ...)

The outside shower and the hosta growing so wild in the damp shade that it threatens to block the entrance.

And the blue wave hydrangeas that bloom during the summer months that need constant trimming so they don't block the view of the lake from my studio ...

Anatomy of a Cloisonne Piece

2010-03-29T10:43:00.001-04:00

This series of photos shows my first cloisonne piece in various stages of construction.

The first is of the domed fine silver disc after its second firing. The first firing was to apply clear enamel to the disc. Once the cloisonne wire has been adhered to the disc using Klyr-Fire, the second firing re-melts the clear coat and fuses the wire to the disc. The excess wire which overhangs the disc may safely be clipped off after two or more enamel applications, once you're certain they've been fused completely in place.

In the next photo, the first layer of colored enamels has been wet-packed into the cloisonne cells and dried, giving it the appearance of sugar crystals. For the sun, I began with an opaque yellow color. After fusing, I added shreds of gold foil with several subsequent layers and firings of a transparent orangey color. I apologize for the quality of this photo ... it was taken during class with my cell phone. :(

After several additional layers of enamel application, subsequent firings, polishing 'til my arms were ready to fall off and a final fire-polish ... the finished piece.

More Cat Art!

2010-03-23T12:14:00.002-04:00

As my collection of Barb Plevan's handpainted miniature cat plates grows, I've framed a second set.

I found a pretty distressed wooden frame in muted peaches and sage greens and removed the easel back. I solved the problem of the glass having been glued into the frame by mounting some pretty embossed gold scrapbooking paper behind the glass to form an attractive textured background. Then I glued the plates directly onto the glass. The effect, to me, is very pleasing. The plates now pop and the display has extra depth.

I love Barb's work ... so whimsical, colorful, and filled with feline adoration! Barb's paintings are available for purchase in her Etsy shop:

http://BarbPlevan.etsy.com

Time flies ...

2010-03-15T14:51:00.003-04:00

... whether you're having fun or not! :D

Just realized it's been nearly a month since I last blogged. So much has happened -- we moved into a new home, began renovating in earnest, and added a beautiful new member to our family! This is Ivy, a seal point Ragdoll kitten. This photo was taken last week when Ivy was 11 weeks old. I can already see the difference in the length of her hair (especially her tail!) and she's growing like a weed. She and Bailey, our 16-year-old Maine Coon, are working toward peaceful coexistence. She wants to play and he's a grumpy old man ... but it gets better every day!

Now THAT'S a starfish! :D

2010-02-19T09:21:00.003-05:00

I found this puppy on my morning beach walk and just had to snap a picture of it with my iPhone. This particular variety of starfish is known to disconnect an arm or two (they grow back) when threatened. Unfortunately this poor guy never got a chance to lose any appendages in time. I placed my fingers in the photo to demonstrate scale. This was one B-I-G guy!

Mercato Fine Art Festival

2010-02-03T07:06:00.003-05:00

I'm very pleased to say I've successfully juried into a brand new show sponsored by the Naples Art Association. Their shows are consistently the best-quality art festivals held in Naples and draw thousands upon thousands of visitors:

Mercato Fine Arts Festival
March 6 and 7, 2010
U.S. 41 and Vanderbilt Beach Rd., North Naples

The official press release for the show:

The Naples Art Association at The von Liebig Art Center is pleased to announce the inaugural Mercato Fine Arts Festival at the Mercato lifestyle center, located at the intersection of Vanderbilt Beach Road and U.S. 41 in North Naples. The juried festival will showcase works in all media by 125 artists from across the country.

Anchored by businesses including Whole Foods Market and The Capital Grille, Mercato offers a trend setting, ultra convenient mixed-use lifestyle that combines luxury condo living, high-end retailers, restaurants and a premium movie theater all on one prime site, just minutes from the beach. Festival guests will enjoy not only fine art but fine shopping and dining as well.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Entertainment will be provided, and refreshments will be available. A $3 donation benefits the art education and related programs at the art center.

Another 15 minutes of fame ...

2010-01-18T13:51:00.004-05:00

PMC Connection is featuring my Sunrise necklace in an ad in the current issue of Glass Art Magazine and will be reprinting it in a full-page version in the March/April 2010 issue as well! It's an honor to have one of my jewelry pieces recognized this way!

Sunrise, a one-of-a-kind piece, is currently on exhibit on Cape Cod at The Left Bank Gallery, 8 Cove Road, Orleans, Mass.

In the arms of the angels ...

2010-01-14T16:29:00.002-05:00

Taj

April 7, 1994 - January 14, 2010

Our precious baby girl Taj earned her angel wings this afternoon after fighting a long and valiant battle with kidney failure and, more recently, cancer.

To Taj, who somehow knew her days were numbered and was so determined to leave us with happy memories that she made the last 14 months of her life with us pure joy despite her illness: Thank you, sweet girl, for allowing us to be your people. We adore you, you were our heart, and we will miss you more than words can say. We'll be together again.

First piece of the new year ...

2010-01-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest piece from my Geranium series. Each of the geranium pendants I create is made from a real, unique geranium leaf that I have coated in multiple layers of fine silver paste. When the pendant is finished and all the embellishments added, the geranium leaf is incinerated in the kiln, leaving only the silver behind.

This one has a bezel made of extruded silver that I twisted into a rope and embellished with fine silver casting grain. At the center is one of my own fused dichroic glass cabochons. The geranium leaf has been fused onto a floral-textured background with a rollover bail.

I've suspended the pendant from a gorgeous thick, heavy 18-inch Italian sterling silver chain with lobster claw clasp. The chain and pendant have been hand-oxidized and then polished to bring out all the wonderful textural detail in this OOAK piece.

Happy New Year, everyone!

My first keum-boo jewelry piece ... a Twilight tribute

2009-12-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

I came late to the Twilight fan party, but I'm definitely here and can't wait for the next film in the series, Eclipse. (Team Edward here!)

So ... once I was booked into a keum-boo class and knew I had to create a jewelry piece as pre-work for the class, the Twilight series was the first thing that came to mind.

My tribute to Twilight is a round box bead strung on a sterling silver ball chain. The texture, although so subtle as to hardly be recognizable, is a forest of evergreen trees over which a full moon shines. The moon is a bezel-set rainbow topaz cabochon, and the 24-karat gold foil keum boo burnished onto the surface is a cloud drifting across the sky. All around the rim of the bead are the words Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse.

I was able to achieve some amazing oxidation colors on this piece ... it looks like the bead is about to burst into flame with the bright coppers, purples and blues, especially on the back. I polished up the text to highlight it. Next will come a coat of Renaissance Wax to protect the patina, which would be heartbreaking to lose.

... And the award for Most Beautiful Holiday Cocktail goes to ...

2009-12-24T16:05:00.000-05:00

The Winter White Cosmopolitan served by Bonefish Grill in Bonita Springs, Florida. What a feast for the eyes ... as well as the palate!

Ingredients: Stoli Cranberry Vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and white cranberry juice -- garnished with floating cranberries. (Almost) too lovely to drink, although I did force myself. :)

Thin excuse for a blog post, I freely admit. Just looking for one more excuse to say Merry Christmas! And may all your winter cocktails be white.

Classes and glasses!

2009-12-20T19:02:00.000-05:00

Although I've got some new metal clay pieces in the works, I seem to be having a problem these days finding time to finish them ... so I've turned back to glass cabs again. I found a stash of unlisted pairs and put them online this evening. Hope you like them!

Took two wonderful classes recently ... textures with Barbara Becker Simon, and keum-boo with Mary Ann Devos. I am about a finish a keum-boo box bead with a Twilight theme; I just need to oxidize it. I learned how to make tear-away textures, photopolymer plates, and hand-carve with the proper tools on the proper materials. Fun -- and I can't wait to get going on all these new options right after the holidays!

Speaking of holidays, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all the happiest, healthiest and most peaceful of holiday seasons ever. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog ... I appreciate it!

Steampunk + Resin = Something new and different!

2009-12-08T19:10:00.000-05:00

Wow, I see it's been quite a while since I posted a blog update. High time!

Speaking of time, I really wanted to try another steampunk jewelry piece. I also wanted to experiment with UV resin. So I combined both into my latest piece which I had so much fun making, I'm thinking of turning it into the first of a series!

I've called this Slow Growth. It represents the passage of time while a botanical goes through its life cycle. The frame of this piece probably speaks for itself, as do the assorted watch innards gracing the center of the pendant. What may be harder to identify in my photo is the gold-colored skeleton of a leaf under the watch parts.

I'm really loving embedding items in resin. It speaks to my background as a miniaturist. Things embedded in liquids have always held a strange fascination for me. In my dollhouse days, it might have been faux ice cubes embedded in a tiny glass of faux iced tea. So many parallels between two such contrasting crafts ...

It's all about the view ...

2009-11-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

I took this photo early this morning -- just after sunrise -- from our lanai looking west/southwest. The quality of the light shining on the mangrove swamp was just stunning with a cloudless blue sky. The backwaters are Upper Clam Pass, with the Gulf of Mexico in the background. The sun was not yet high enough to reflect the glorious turquoise waters so often seen down here. As I look out the window now, the Gulf is a thousand different shades of aqua.

All the vegetation you see in this photo is mangrove swamp and part of the protected wetlands of Pelican Bay, the community we live in. There's a wide boardwalk that snakes through the mangroves to the beach. As I walked to the beach this morning, I recalled with some amusement that while walking through this area with a friend, she was annoyed that I pointed out the hundreds of very large, colorful spiders that cling to their webs overhead and on both sides of the boardwalk between the mangrove branches. These grow to be as much as three inches long and have yellow bodies and black-and-white legs. "Gee," she said, warily looking up; "Did you have to mention that? I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said anything. Now I'll never be able to walk through here again!"

Sometimes, truthfully, I'm also reluctant to look up and around while walking through. Spiders kind of freak me out, too. But then I might miss seeing the egrets, blue herons, storks, crabs, ibis and assorted other creatures that make this area their home. And that would be a shame.

Southern Floridians, come and say hi!

2009-11-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

I've juried into my first outstanding show in Southwest Florida ... The Estero Fine Art Show, to be held February 27 and 28, 2010, outdoors at Miromar Outlets, just off I-75 at the Corkscrew Road exit in Estero, Florida (just north of Naples/Bonita Beach and just south of Ft. Myers). Fabulous fine art, beautiful handmade high-end crafts, live music and fabulous food. Not to mention outstanding outlet shopping right next door. Come on down and say hi!

Back to the beach!

2009-11-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

Our bags are packed, my loaded car is on its way south, and by this time tomorrow we'll be at the airport ready to board our flight to Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers. The temperatures on the Cape are about to plummet with talk of a few snow flurries later this week, so I'm thinking our timing is pretty good this year.

Looking forward now to feeling the warm sand between my toes and hearing those Gulf Shore waves rolling onto the beach.

Next post will be from sunny Florida!

A pair of ibis forage for breakfast on Vanderbilt Beach

An off-season love letter to Cape Cod

2009-10-25T14:27:00.002-04:00

My beloved Cape Cod:

I adore you always, but never so much as during the off-season. After the crowds have gone home; after the leaves have finally begun to turn yellow and orange and red; after the traffic is gone and the cranberries have been harvested and the sounds of motor boats on the lake have quieted and all that remains is the sound of a lone seagull circling high above the waves ... and you're mine again.

Here is a loving pictorial tribute to our neighborhood and one of my favorite places on earth, taken during a sunny, brisk early Cape morning. As we pack our bags and prepare to leave you for the winter months, please know you have my heart and I'll yearn to return to you in the spring.

The Captain Freeman House on Route 6A in Brewster

The Brewster Ladies Library, where I've spent many pleasant hours.

The Stony Brook Grist Mill atop the Brewster Herring Run. There is actually a sign here asking visitors not to touch, pick up or play with the herring. :)

The legendary Brewster Store, reproduced in hundreds of paintings and prints. A favorite spot for the local townsmen to grab a cup of coffee and chat early in the morning. In fact, if you squint, you can see a few of them sitting on a bench next to the entrance!

Chillingsworth, quite possibly the finest restaurant on the Cape

All has gone quiet on our lake. This photo was taken from the western shore facing east; we live high atop the lake on the northeastern side.

A well-known landmark in our lakes region, the Pleasant Lake General Store. During the summer months the parking lot is swamped with cars and bikes. Just about everyone stops here for ice cream, water or a sandwich as they tour the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 15-mile-long bike path that runs from Dennis to Wellfleet.

Fall foliage arrives at last in our own front yard.

Creative ways to display a small collection ...

2009-10-21T09:25:00.001-04:00

I've enthusiastically begun collecting miniature whimsical hand-painted cat plates thanks to my friend Barb Plevan (http://BarbPlevan.etsy.com) -- Barb and I go way back together from my days as a miniaturist, and I just love her bold, bright, confident folk art painting.

Not satisfied with hiding these wonderful plates in my dollhouse where they're difficult for family and friends to see and admire, I decided to mount them on a wall instead. Here's what I did: I bought a color-coordinated 5 x 7 easel-style frame and replaced the glass with a sheet of textured paper. I then removed the easel mount and replaced it with a wall hanger. I carefully glued each plate onto the paper backing which, in turn, is glued securely to the frame back.

I love the fact that this display idea allows viewers to enjoy these tiny works of art not only from a visual, but also a tactile, viewpoint. Who wouldn't want to reach out and caress these adorable kitties and feel the tiny raised bumps of the stitches on their sweaters?

Loading the car ...

2009-10-09T13:10:00.000-04:00

We're in the process of loading the car with my show gear to set up tonight. Finally, an indoor show, so no worries about the weather! I'm excited about some of the pieces I've created since my last show. Sneak preview:

Tribal Coral Box Bead Necklace

Seahorse II

Creation

Dive

The Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod Show runs two days -- Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Indoors at the Nauset Middle School, Route 28, Orleans, Mass. on beautiful Cape Cod. Just a short walk to the Left Bank Gallery at 8 Cove Street, where you can see more of my work!

Here it is ... my Etsy MetalClay Team charm bracelet!

2009-09-24T10:42:00.001-04:00

Wow. Just wow! The charm swap package arrived and I couldn't wait to assemble my bracelet. I used some bulk sterling silver chunky byzantine chain which I oxidized and added a great big lobster claw clasp for security. It took me hours to arrange the charms so that the finished bracelet would look balanced in terms of sizes, colors, shapes and textures ... but here it is! (My own charm, round in shape with a texture of waves and a seashell showing, is at approximately 5 o'clock in the final photo.)

What a fabulously talented group of women! Just look at the amazing creativity and works of art represented here. I will cherish this bracelet for the rest of my life. Two additional bracelets are being assembled for donation to worthy charities.

Thank you to all my wonderful friends on the Etsy MetalClay Team!

Etsy MetalClay Charm Swap (Spoiler Alert!!)

2009-09-20T08:10:00.000-04:00

These are a few of the fine silver charms I made for the very first Etsy MetalClay Team charm swap. The charms are currently in the hands of our charm swap coordinator, Teresa Boland, who will be mailing the charms to the swap participants early in the week. Two extra bracelets are also being donated to carefully seleced charities. Thanks, Teresa, for all your hard work coordinating this wonderful project! I can't wait to get mine and assemble my charm bracelet!

Each charm features two very detailed spiral button shells -- a large one and a smaller one -- fused onto a background texture of foaming surf. The reverse side has the same texture plus my hallmark, stamped .999. I oxidized the charms and polished off only the high spots, leaving interesting hints of color on the charms. Although the design is the same on each charm, because of the placement of the texture and individual molding of the seashells, each charm is slightly different and has its own unique character.

My goal here was to create a charm that would be recognizable to my team members as my creation based on its resemblance to my signature body of work -- three-dimensional seashells floating on waves -- without the need to check my initials on the reverse side. Hopefully this goal has been accomplished!

Okay, on to the next thing ... :)

2009-09-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

I've now spent the better part of a week cutting and fusing glass, and I think I've finally gotten it out of my system ... at least for now! Here are the last two projects completed in glass ... two channel pendants. Over and out. Back to my silver work! I still want to roam around town taking pictures of the landmarks in my neighborhood and post a mini-travelogue. On my to-do list!

I've got glass pains!

2009-09-07T15:56:00.000-04:00

It had been a very long time since I sat down and replenished my supply of dichroic glass cabochons. Well, I went through my inventory and was aghast at how small the stash had become ... so for the past few days, I've been hunkered down in my workshop cutting glass and fusing. So far I've already made hundreds of new dichroic cabs, but it only seems to have sharpened (pun intended) my appetite for glass, glass, glass!!

So I took a short break from cutting and fusing to order more glass in ever more interesting colors and patterns. Where will it all end?

Mango Tango Designs now at Left Bank Gallery!

2009-08-10T16:28:00.012-04:00

I'm very pleased and proud to announce that selected pieces of my work will now be available for purchase at the wonderful Left Bank Gallery on Cape Cod. Every lover of fine art on the Cape and Islands is familiar with Left Bank -- the work they carry and the artists they represent are legendary, and I'm so honored to be a part of this outstanding new opportunity!

If you're planning a trip to the Cape or if you're in the neighborhood, please stop by any one of the three beautiful Left Bank locations in Orleans and Wellfleet:

http://leftbankgallery.com/

These photos are just a sampling of the pieces I have at the gallery ...

The copper binge continues ...

2009-07-24T19:05:00.007-04:00

It seems once I take the plunge, I tend to do it in a fairly major way. I've been immersed in copper. Bathing in it, drinking it, eating it, dancing with it ...

Well, perhaps not literally ... but somehow the colors and textures speak to me in a major way and I can't get enough, especially once I held a torch to a finished piece and saw the magnificent patinas I was able to achieve. And I'm having way too much fun with copper chain, findings, and beads.

Here's a newly finished piece (no torch patina here ... it's a floating pendant and the contact with the chain would cause too much friction, I think). Another firing will take place early tomorrow morning, and from that batch I hope to have a nice large pendant, lots of leaf earrings and some starfish. I'm going to have to shop for some extra butane at this rate ...

... And now, on to copper!

2009-07-20T06:50:00.003-04:00

I finally mustered the courage to open my first package of CopprClay and begin dabbling. Thought it wise to play my first outing conservatively in case the firing didn't go well, so I didn't make any pieces so elaborate that I felt they were non-expendable.

Fortunately my concerns vanished when I opened the lid of my firing sink and scooped out some wonderful little jewelry components. Naturally, I wished I had taken more of a risk and gotten some major pieces made! You know what they say about hindsight ... but it could easily have gone the other way. Next batch: Watch out! I like this material. Very workable and it takes texture very well.

Here are my first copper earrings.

Nose back to the grindstone!

2009-07-12T14:25:00.003-04:00

I see it's been ages since I added to my blog -- the show went reasonably well; met lots of wonderful people and networked quite a bit. I sold my bronze lion's paw shell necklace to a dear couple who were buying it as a birthday gift for their daughter. The setup was easier than we imagined (practice makes perfect!), and we were able to break down the tent, pack up and leave within 50 minutes -- a real feat!

Since then, I've been catching up with real life by spending lots of quality time with my family and friends. These past few days I'm back in my studio filling custom orders in bronze and silver. I can't wait to open my first package of copper and plunge into it! Nothing like a new adventure to invigorate one's creativity!

First set-up of my show booth ...

2009-06-27T16:40:00.006-04:00

Here's what we came up with on our first 'dress rehearsal'. Additional -- taller -- display items will be added to take up more height inside the cases. Little glitches here and there, and it took us too long (we timed it), but the first time is bound to be the toughest. Now that we can see where improvements can be made, I think we're going to be okay.

Weather permitting, we will remove at least half a wall to make our display accessible from the front and side rather than just the front.

Fingers crossed for us for Friday! My first show. I can't believe it!

My first show is only a week away (gulp!)

2009-06-24T14:41:00.008-04:00

The remaining days 'til my first show are running down and now I'm getting frantic. Although we've set up the various components of my outdoor tent on my lawn, in my basement and in the garage, the weather has been so bad it's been impossible to set up the entire display inside and out. The forecast is for better weather tomorrow, so hopefully we can get this done! I think it's going to look great.

In the meantime, I'm finishing up the last of the new pieces I'll be exhibiting. I need to devote an entire day to pricing each piece. This is soooooo exciting!

Here's the latest in my By the Sea series of pendants. This one, in addition to various tiny shells, has a subtle patina as well as a beautiful sterling silver wire-wrapped blue flash labradorite briolette.

New work in BronzClay

2009-06-13T10:32:00.006-04:00

Wow, it's been nearly two weeks since I've posted ... I can't believe it! We're settled back into our Cape Cod home and I'm thrilled to be reunited with all my jewelry-making supplies and equipment.

The rainy weather lately has allowed me plenty of time to get re-acquainted with the BronzClay I left behind. Here are some photos of my newest pieces.

The first photo shows four pendants immediately after firing in coal-based carbon in my kiln. Managed to get some nice orange and pink coloration, BUT ... check out the patina I was able to achieve by selectively torching some areas of the pendants. I love these! I'll have some of these in my Etsy shop, on my own website, and at the Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod Show in Orleans on Independence Day weekend.

Closed for the Season

2009-05-31T14:15:00.004-04:00

The colors of this photo perfectly illustrate all that I love about Southern Florida, the Keys and the Caribbean ... the happy, upbeat palette of colors everywhere you look. Who can possibly feel down when one is surrounded by such joy and so much artistic freedom?

It's closing time here yet again. Tomorrow we fly back up north for the summer and fall months. This photo with its sign on the door reading CLOSED FOR SEASON kind of sums it all up.

My next blog post will be written from Cape Cod in a few days. Happy trails!

A new milestone achieved ...

2009-05-29T10:30:00.003-04:00

I'm proud to announce that I achieved my Level 2 Certification in PMC on May 27, 2009. It was an intense but fun two days creating four jewelry pieces incorporating a variety of interesting techniques including a decorative fine silver hook and eye clasp; a pendant incorporating enamel and 22 kt. gold vermeil; a multi-texture pendant with a brass inlay and a mirror finish; and a textured ring with a pink tourmaline cabochon in a bezel setting. I'll post photos of these pieces after I'm back on Cape Cod and unpacked. :D

Do this; don't do that. Can't you read the sign?

2009-05-27T06:54:00.007-04:00

Ever notice there are signs everywhere? We're so used to seeing them that sometimes we don't see them anymore. Positive messages; negative messages. Messages that make no sense. Warnings, restrictions, invitations. Here's just a sampling of some of the signs I see every day during my four-mile beach walk.

I've never seen an alligator anywhere near this 'Do Not Feed the Alligators' sign. Not in four years. Still waiting.

Last jewelry piece of the Florida season ...

2009-05-17T17:11:00.004-04:00

As we begin the daunting task of packing up all our goodies for the semi-annual trek back to Cape Cod for the summer and fall seasons, I've had to box up all my jewelry-making supplies and equipment for the trip ... so no more hammering, firing, burnishing or oxidizing for me until early June. :(

It will certainly be a challenge for me not to be able to scratch my creative itch for the next few weeks (although I've somehow managed to book myself into yet another jewelry class on Wednesday ... the last one of the season here! ... the only way to retain what's left of my sanity).

I might have to resort to reading a book on the beach, something many other normal people down here do on a daily basis.

In the meantime, I just finished this rather festive and colorful copper and borosilicate bead bracelet which I've named Calypso. You can find this on my personal website, http://mangotangodesigns.com/ ...

Fate

2009-05-13T14:07:00.003-04:00

While I was taking my daily walk on the beach early this morning, a stranger came up to me as I was crouched down picking up a seashell and said:

"Remember that every shell you pick up was meant for you to have, and it's been waiting for you for a thousand years."

I don't know that his statement was true, but it does provide some food for thought about fate.

Latest enameled pieces ...

2009-05-08T14:54:00.007-04:00

Here are photos of my two newest enameled pieces. In the first, in a necklace I've named The Deep, two of my favorite seashells, a scotch bonnet and a horse conch, have been rendered in fine silver and framed in a textured, rounded triangle of fine silver to which I've added many layers of translucent enamel. The colors range from a light mint to a deep blue-green, mimicking the depths of the sea.

The second necklace is a three-dimensional fine silver turtle coated in several layers of deep beige and accented with jewel green highlights. The back has a hidden loop bail, and the pendant has been strung on a necklace of peridot beads.

Foodfest!

2009-05-04T17:18:00.005-04:00

We had a blast yesterday sampling food from some of Naples, Florida's top restaurants at Taste of Collier, an annual event at Bayfront on Naples Bay. You buy a wristband to gain entrance and then tickets for food samples at $1 each. All the mini-dishes cost between $2 and $5, and each of the participating restaurants has a tent where they sell tastings from their menu. Live music, too.

The weather was glorious and we had a blast, though we ate too much (of course) ... everything from Kobe beef sliders to shrimp and scallops on skewers with wasabe sauce and Cuban sandwiches. It was heaven. My photo does a good job of NOT showing how crowded it was ... literally choked with people eating, walking, and listening to music. FUN!

Updated 2009 Cape Cod Show Schedule

2009-05-01T15:09:00.009-04:00

Here's my updated 2009 Summer and Fall Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod show schedule. Hope you'll stop by and say hi if you're in the area!

July 3/4: Nauset Middle School Lawn, Orleans

August 29/30: Eastham Town Green, Route 6A, Eastham

Oct. 10/11: Nauset Middle School, Orleans

Nov. 27/28: Nauset Middle School, Orleans

The view from my Cape Cod studio ...

2009-04-28T15:11:00.003-04:00

With the winter season winding down here in Florida, I find myself more and more homesick for our home up north with each passing day. I can almost hear the mockingbirds calling in the trees and the echoes the woodpeckers' bills make throughout the surrounding woods.

I so look forward to carrying my first morning cup of coffee out onto the deck and hearing the quiet voices of men casting their fishing rods off their small boats in our little cove. Climbing down those 92 precious wooden steps to the lake, sitting on the dock and dangling my legs over the side to dip my toes into the gently lapping waves. And the stars at night. Oh, the stars!

This is the summer view from the bay window in my studio when the blue wave hydrangeas and the fairy roses are in bloom. Heaven is just a month away ...

What's on my workbench ...

2009-04-19T14:00:00.002-04:00

Anklets! Lots of summer anklets with fine silver heart and flower dangles with pure silver seashells fused to them. Sterling silver clasps and spacers and tons of colorful gemstone beads of every description: Onyx; labradorite; apple, poppy, leopard and aqua terra jaspers; soocho jade; amethyst; Russian aventurine; chalcedony; citrine; cherry quartz ... something to match everything in your wardrobe!

An update on the ospreys ...

2009-04-10T16:56:00.004-04:00

Back on February 19th, I posted this photo I took of the osprey nest I spotted only about 20 feet from the end of our boardwalk near the beach.

Sadly, some time within the past two weeks the nest disappeared. There's absolutely no sign of it or what happened to it. We're all wondering if the wind blew it down or if a raccoon or some other animal destroyed it, but one morning I walked by and there was no hint it ever existed. The thought that the hatchlings might have been lost is really devastating to contemplate, but there doesn't seem to be a way to determine this with any degree of certainty.

Interestingly, the mother osprey began rebuilding the nest in the very same spot a few days ago, but has since abandoned it. I'm not sure if the weather is playing a factor in this development, as it's been extremely windy at the beach the past few days. I hope she returns and continues the job she started. And I hope even more that her babies are okay.

Under a Full Moon

2009-04-07T08:54:00.006-04:00

Here's a photo of my pendant titled Under a Full Moon that is featured in the Spring '09 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine. It's a little difficult for me to let go of this one, but I'll have my issue of the magazine and lots of nice photos of it to remember it by. (Weeps gently.)

A visit to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

2009-04-04T17:35:00.006-04:00

Last week my husband and I spent several wonderful and enlightening hours at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, a local Naples branch of the Audubon Society. Two miles of wooden boardwalk run through the sanctuary, which is a haven for many species of birds and animals.

It's so quiet there, one can literally hear a leaf falling from a tree. It's not hard to imagine the sudden thunderous roar of a dinosaur stomping through the forest, so primeval and eerie is the untouched landscape. Here are some photos I took as we quietly walked from one end of the sanctuary to the other. During our visit we spotted a red-shouldered hawk which unfortunately my digital camera with its limited zoom capability couldn't capture. But we were lucky enough to see the incredibly colorful tillandsia plants growing from the sides of trees, the strangler fig roots growing down many of the trunks and the odd ibis warily eyeing us from their perches as we walked along.

I can't wait to visit again!

Julie's coming!

2009-03-31T07:13:00.003-04:00

My uber-talented artist friend Julie Feingold is coming today for a visit ... we're planning some serious girl time down at the beach and a discussion about marketing her fabulous Lost Heroes Art Quilt, which I've been privileged to see transcend itself from the seed of an idea in Julie's head to a fleshed out tribute to the courageous men and women who have lost their lives in the war. More about that in a subsequent post.

Julie is an incredibly talented artist and art quilter and aside from being a close friend, I can't get enough of her work. I own two of her paintings, the second of which is a commissioned oil she painted in the style of Henri Rousseau set in the Florida Everglades. My two cats, Bailey and Taj, peek through the blades of grass at a gigantic alligator cruising by.

Stop by and see some of Julie's fantastic work in her new Etsy shop: http://beautifulbeasts.etsy.com/ ...

What's on my workbench ...

2009-03-27T06:48:00.005-04:00

Today it's a fresh batch of drop earrings and lots and lots of seashell charms in shield, heart and flower shapes. They're in the tumbler now and will soon be ready for assembly.

My anklets containing these charms sell well in seaside resort areas, and I've been combining them with onyx, amethyst, aventurine, carnelian, rhodochrosite, jade and several other stones in rondelle, coin and round shapes. I finish them with sterling silver components including spacer beads and either lobster claw clasps or fish-shaped clasps.

I just received in the mail my first jar of Patina Gel from CoolTools and can't wait to try it. No more smelly pellets that lose their potency in the jar! I'll let you know how it works.

Nature Quiz: Gators!

2009-03-22T11:13:00.010-04:00

We've got two major species of alligators around these parts, and residents make it a point to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of each and gain a thorough knowledge and understanding of the differences between the two. One routinely kills and eats animals and can be equally deadly to humans. Once those fearful jaws latch onto a human ankle, the alligator will drag a person back to its watery lair, roll and tear into its flesh. The other can be quite docile and friendly and maybe even cooperate by posing for passing photographers.

Can you tell which species is which? It pays to do some research ... your life could depend on it.

My best sunset photo ever!

2009-03-19T08:16:00.006-04:00

While going through the photos archived on my laptop, I was thrilled to discover the pictures I took on our trip to Hawaii, Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahiti last year.

We stayed at a hotel just outside of Papeete, Tahiti, and we had one of those wild and crazy over-the-water bungalows that sits on stilts and is accessible only from a boardwalk from the mainland. Behind the bungalow we had a covered porch which faced the glorious sunsets. Peering down over the railing, you could see giant spiny urchins clinging to the rocks around the pilings. This is the best sunset photo I've ever taken ... and note the interesting cloud formations. In the center is what appears to be a mushroom cloud, and to the far right a cloud appears to be a frog with its tongue flicking out. That's the outline of Moorea to the far right.

Planning for show season ...

2009-03-18T10:31:00.005-04:00

So ... now I'm immersed in decision-making about how best to approach my first-ever show season as a jewelry designer. I've got four shows booked this summer and fall, two of which will be held outdoors ... and that means I need a tent, displays, banners, and all sorts of other equipment and supplies.

It would run completely counter to my artistic instincts to do this in an organized way, so instead of beginning with the tent (too many choices ... still mulling over the options), I've started with a nice big vinyl banner for the front of my canopy (which does not, as of this writing, yet exist).

My thanks to Erzsebet Etl at http://flashwithclass.etsy.com/ for helping me to design the banner and to Paul Wilson at http://wilsongraphics.etsy.com/ who is in the process of printing this for me on vinyl with grommets. He's also printing 16x20 enlargements of my work to hang inside my tent (which does not, as of this writing, yet exist).

Dipping my toes into enamels (so to speak) ...

2009-03-09T14:37:00.005-04:00

I just finished a delightful two-day Enameling on Silver workshop at BIG Arts on Sanibel Island with Mary Ann Devos, Director of Education for PMC Connection. I've never had anything other than an absolute blast in Mary Ann's classes, some of which I've taken at her home studio.

These are the two enameled pendants I made in class. The orchid has a hidden bail behind the upper part of the blossom. I've got a bunch of enamels and enameling equipment on order and I can't wait to get started on more!

I finished the orchid by constructing a necklace using peach aventurine faceted rondelles, microfaceted green amethyst rondelles, aquamarine quartz and sterling silver tube beads with a sterling toggle clasp.

Fun Photo of the Week (or maybe not ...)

2009-02-28T17:30:00.002-05:00

This is what we lovingly refer to in these parts as a 'string of pearls' ... but actually it's a collection of spiderling cases. Once they hatch, each of these 'pearls' will release literally thousands of baby spiders. Not a happy thought for someone who is as afraid of spiders as I am. And there are zillions of these throughout the mangrove swamp. Wait 'til I show you a photo of the adults ... the arachnids in Florida are H-U-G-E.

Hot off the workbench today ...

2009-02-26T12:05:00.005-05:00

... is my one-of-a-kind, insanity-inducing Sea Anemone necklace.

I labored long and hard over this one. Studded with fine silver seashells including my favorite scotch bonnet shell plus a keyhole limpet, tiny scallops and a precious wentletrap surrounding a beautiful borosilicate cabochon, I added lots of casting grain to represent air bubbles. The necklace itself is strung on a double chain ... one is a textured and oxidized sterling silver open link chain; the other a strand of borosilicate beads and impression jasper rondelles. I added sterling silver bead caps with a wavy pattern and finished the necklace off with a sterling toggle clasp. I like it! :D

The benefits of adding a torch patina to bronze ...

2009-02-22T16:06:00.003-05:00

... can be quite apparent. This has to be the best patina I've achieved on a bronze piece. I managed this by waving my butane torch beneath the piece in selected areas using a slow, circular motion and then quenching the pendant in water. This particular necklace is part of my 'Catch the Wave' series.

Living on the fringe of a wildlife sanctuary ...

2009-02-19T12:21:00.004-05:00

... can have its rewards, if you're as much a nature lover as I am. Where we live in Florida, we're separated from the beach only by a mangrove swamp that's part of a 500-acre privately-maintained wildlife refuge. This beautiful area is called home by egrets, osprey, ibis, pelicans, roseate spoonbills, blue herons, eagles, alligators, turtles, otters, raccoons, owls, snakes, some very exotic spiders and more.

From time to time, I'll bring you some interesting shots taken during my ritual morning walks through the mangrove swamp (via a boardwalk, where I'm safe from the gators!) and along the beach. Here's the first ... a brand new nest-in-progress being built by a mated pair of osprey. This nest, amazingly, is being constructed within 20 feet of the boardwalk at the top of a gnarled old mangrove tree.

What's on my workbench right now ...

2009-02-16T15:31:00.003-05:00

It's a gorgeous day here in Southwest Florida ... but we've got people crawling all over our kitchen installing granite so I'm stuck inside. Not one to allow an opportunity to slip through my fingers, I've been experimenting with some new techniques today ... weaving and making seamless chains.

I'm happy with the texture of the woven pieces, but thinking they'll become embedded centers in pendants once they're dry and I've sanded them down. What I'll do is create frames for them. The links? Wow ... necklace? Bracelet? I like these. What do you think?

My dollhouse miniature Variegated Rubber Tree

2009-02-15T17:30:00.004-05:00

To this day, I believe this was one of the finest miniatures I ever made. It was a commission for a collector who was one of my best customers.

I regret not having placed an object in this photo to show its scale ... it's only about five inches tall! Each leaf was freehand-cut, veined and painted, and it's 'planted' in my own faux potting soil mixture in a gorgeous wheel-thrown, glazed pot by my friend Carol Mann of England. Carol is both a miniature and full-size potter, and she does both equally well.

The real challenge in this piece was to create three separate stalks branching out from the plant's main stem without having the base look thick and clunky.

Fun Photo of the Week

2009-02-15T09:02:00.002-05:00

Thought it might be fun to begin a weekly feature of fun photos I've taken in my travels or around town. The first of this series is my favorite cat door. I found this clever cut-out in the side of a house in Key West's historic district. Note the detail, right down to the whiskers!

My newest necklace, titled Coral ...

2009-02-13T16:28:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while, I create a piece for myself. I built this one around the borosilicate glass cab at the center, which looks like an underwater chunk of coral. Warm colors look good on me (I'm a Spring, according to Color Me Beautiful, lol!) and this piece matches lots of items in my wardrobe. Plus, because I made the fine silver tube beads that run all the way around this piece, it became too labor-intensive for me to feel I could part with.

2009 Show Schedule

2009-02-12T08:08:00.004-05:00

Going to be on Cape Cod this summer or fall? Please stop by and say hello! I'll be at the following Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod shows:

July 3/4 Nauset Middle School Lawn, Orleans

August 29/30 Chatham Community Center, Chatham

Oct. 10/11 Nauset Middle School, Orleans

Nov. 27/28 Nauset Middle School, Orleans

2009-02-11T11:52:00.004-05:00

And here's a photo of a few of my dollhouse miniatures. The fully accessorized potting bench was a project I taught at the IGMA Guild School in Castine, Maine, a few years back. Students learned to make all the plants on the bench, which was custom built for the class by my husband, who's a mechanical engineer and a fairly accomplished woodworker. The other plant is my spathiphyllum. The X-Acto knife shows the scale of these items.

My very first blog post ...

2009-02-10T17:33:00.010-05:00

Let's begin with my work ... they say a picture is worth a thousand words. So here's an example of one of my jewelry pieces, which is titled Sunrise. This has just been returned to me after being on loan to Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine, where photos of this necklace plus a few others will appear along with my PMC and fused dichroic glass tutorial in the Spring '09 issue. It should be on newsstands on or around March 1st.