I am so honored and grateful to be a part of the Reality Vs. Illusion show in Sydney, Australia.  It opens October 7th and runs through October 19th.  If you are in or around Sydney (or know someone who is), please stop by to see it!

A little more info from Sonya Scott, Curator:

"Reality and Illusion.....an ambiguous combination of two ideals strongly opposing the other, yet, oftentimes embodying the very essence of what they are not"

Please join us at Gaffa Gallery on Thursday 7th October for the opening of Reality Vs Illusion, a group exhibition featuring:

Tamahra Prowse
Kimberly Williams
Sean O'Connell
James Looker
Catherine Chandler
Joanne Piper
Rita Clinquart
Chris Ditsas
Felicity Cain
Penny Snars
Ears

Curated By Sonya Scott.

The last few months have been....epic, to say the least.  For my small metalsmithing practice, I have rarely been so busy.  I have certainly not had huge projects back to back that make me into some crazed, obsessive, insanely focused work machine.

I'm not complaining...I love the busy-ness and drive to create.

However, I am so dearly looking forward to taking walks with my loved one again.

Being able to sleep in.

Being able to go to sleep *before* midnight!

Not being a zombie at work.

Cooking meals and watching movies together (as opposed to a combination of frozen food + salad and movies playing on my iphone while I am working on jewelry and Dave is sitting at his desk).

Three more nights of metals work.  One day of a jewelry sale.

And a 6 day dog sitting adventure...then I will be back to normal.  Aaaaah. 

I can't wait to relax in a bath on...October 11.

First, a disclaimer....I do not have a "professional" product photo set up, so these photos are not the highest quality.  When I get the lockets back (if they don't sell), I'll be taking much better photos with a much better set up.  I hope you enjoy!

I will be posting a video more about the techniques and inspiration behind the lockets tomorrow.  Thanks for looking!

A few weeks ago, as I was heading into what I call "crunch time" with the lockets, I started planning our grocery list according to how much time I knew I would have.  Not much time at all.  Normally, I LOVE to cook.  There's something about creating a beautiful meal from scratch that is so rewarding (much like turning a sheet of metal into something beautiful and wearable).  In addition to loving to cook, I am also highly aware of the nutrition we take into our bodies through food (thanks to having dabbled in being vegetarian, vegan, and raw foodist before). With all that in mind, I thought I would share a few little meals I have "discovered" as being great time-savers:

2 Fried Eggs

or

1 C. Lowfat Organic Yogurt with 1 handful Lowfat Blueberry Meusli

or

1-2 rice cakes with low fat cream cheese and smoked salmon

3 Vegetable Samosas with a heaping salad and Cilantro dressing

or

Steamed Potstickers with steamed Broccoli

or

Roasted Chicken pieces in a heaping salad

or

Two spring rolls with vermicelli noodles and sliced veggies, with Peanut dressing

Grapes

Apples

Bananas

Rice Cakes

Baby Carrots

Hummus

I love these options, and there are many more.  Mostly, I've just chosen a food I like (i.e. Samosas) that are easy to heat up (they're usually frozen, from Trader Joe's), but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to cooking lovely pastas and roasted vegetables.  Sometimes if I know a week is going to be busy, I'll also cook a huge pot of soup to sustain us for a few days, and that helps break up the monotony of the other meals. 

Bon Appetit!

9 years ago today, I was in Sydney, Australia.

I'd been there for about 6 months, going to University.

I lived alone and had very few friends (being the only white person in a school full of mostly Asian students was very difficult).  Luckily, my studies kept me extremely busy.

My boyfriend at the time and I were just about to go to sleep, when he received a text message from a friend

"Turn on TV, watch WWIII"

World War III?  Was that a movie?

At first we looked at the images thinking "What is this?"

And then....

it sank in.  Oh.  Dear.  God.

We've been attacked.

We stayed up all night watching (it was morning in the States).

The next day at school, I fielded questions and condolences and watched the news at each opportunity.

When I came home and was walking towards my house, I saw a rainbow arch over the ocean, in the midst of a storm.  My heart soared.  I thought "how...appropriate".  Hope in a time of utter disaster.

I ran to get my camera from my apartment, and dashed out to the cliffs above the ocean to get this shot.  I needed to remember that piece of hope.

That everything would be alright.

I never realised how much I loved America until I lived overseas.  I don't always love how it's run, or the things that have been done in it's name, or the crazy consumerist culture.

But those rolling hills, arching mountains, flowing rivers.  The people...the lovely, amazing people.  I love them all.  What I felt that day was a crazy mixture of grief, aching sadness, disbelief, and stubborn hope.

Americans are fighters.  It's bred into us.  We will never be beaten down.

But I also hope that we can find common ground with those who are different.

I hope that we can remember that we ALL ended up here because of our ancestors travels.

And that we are all diverse and yet, a family.

America, I love you, and today, I remember those who we lost and who gave their lives for others on September 11, 2001.