I absolutely LOVE ornaments, and find it insanely hard this time of year to not buy every one that I fall for. Here are a few of my favorites...


Heart Ornaments by Stiksel

Ornament Card and Envelope by somethingshidinghere


Medallion Ornaments by palomasnest


Birds and Birdcages Ornaments by OIive


Mod Ornament by meganaumanhome


Round Ornament by coreyackelmire

Calabaza Pendant


Symbogillis Brooch


Jillian Moore creates amazing pieces of jewelry referencing the biological. Whether it be plant like forms or those reminiscent of organs, these fantastical creations are full of color and intrigue.

You can find more of her work on the Velvet Da Vinci website.

This semester has been crazy! I'm only taking 1 class, and not for credit, at that. It's a casting and electroforming class, and out of all the classes I've taken, it has been the most time-consuming one that I can remember. There are so many steps to get the end product of what you want--far more steps than simply fabricating a piece, or so it seems. We are now starting the electroforming pieces, which is what I'm most excited about. I know this last half of the semester is going to take over my life, which is an interesting feeling...on top of trying to work as much as I can to pay my bills, as well as deal with holidays and trying to fit in time for friends, I am having to surrender all of my free time to creating two projects in the next 6 weeks or so. Part of me is panicking...part of me is thinking "how in the world am I going to be able to finish my degree when I go part time (as well as work to pay bills, etc)?!"...but the fact of the mater is, I just have to get it done.

Hopefully I will have some beautiful images to show you soon, of pods and rings and funky necklaces!

I have mentioned Amy Tavern here before--she is one of my favorite artists, after all. I just saw on her blog that she will be part of a group show in February! She will be making new pieces on the same vein as her Line Drawings series, which I adore.

These are gorgeous! I must have them. Porcelain Feather Ornaments by Roost, can be found at Velocity.

Last night was incredible! I am so filled with pride and joy in my country and my fellow Americans, I cannot even begin to put it all into words. Tears swell up when I think of the fact that the majority of us have overcome racism, and were able to ignore all the negative propaganda, and come together to elect an African American man as our next President! I am so proud, hopeful and happy. This shows that we have made progress as a country, and as people. We are a multicultural society, and it's time we embraced that, and each other! Here's to Tolerance, Progress, and Hope!!!

Now we just have to reverse that nasty Prop 8 in California, and pass laws inclusive of all peoples rights in all states!!!

image by Shepard Fairey, via Obey Giant

Recently, I've been taking my second casting class, and have these forms that are very pod-like. Especially in the sense of having crevices and holes that investment is very hard to get out of. I brought these castings home, and followed Beth Cyr's suggestion of using vinegar to get rid of the investment. I soaked them overnight in a mixture of rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar (we don't have plain at the moment).

After the soaking, I carefully took a toothbrush to them (over the vinegar container) and brushed as much of the investment off as possible. However, I came across a problem. How could I get the investment out of those holes?! I looked around the kitchen and saw one of our water bottle brushes! It fit perfectly into the crevices and I was able to get the investment out wonderfully.


If you are in need of such a tool, I suggest heading to your local store's baby/baby food section and looking for a bottle brush. Some stores sell bottle brushes for water bottles and they come with a smaller one for the lid. Good luck!