In May, I spent two weekends in Seattle.  It made me fall in love with it.  I had no choice...it was sunny the whole time!  I know it was being deceptive, for all good Portlanders know that Seattle is a much rainier version of our Rose City.  I fell in love with it anyway.  Seattle is my kind of city (Portland, I still LOVE you)....it's more modern, more multicultural, and more progressive (in some ways) than Portland.  And the views!  Give me a great expanse of blue water any day! 

But enough of my comparisons between cities...the last weekend we were in Seattle was to attend the SNAG Conference Gallery Crawl.  I couldn't afford the conference outright (wedding totally trumps conference this year), but I really wanted to see new and old friends, as well as my pieces in the two shows they were in.  The Thorn Brooches were at the G. Gibson Gallery in Counterflux: Defensive Ornament and I had some rings in the Ring A Day exhibition at Punch Gallery.  

We arrived in Seattle and were able to get settled for about 5 minutes before heading out to meet up with some people from EtsyMetal for the Gallery Crawl.  It was an amazing night.  I had a blast!  And there will be photos soon (as soon as my love, David, emails them to me).  Honestly, we only made it to about two thirds of the galleries in two days, but it was amazing to see so much incredible, skillful work in such a short span of time.  The whole experience was incredibly inspiring and uplifting, and I honestly feel like I've had to decompress and absorb everything since we got back.

And now, we are in June, desperately awaiting Summer.  The Solstice is just one week away....which means, there is ONE WEEK left in my sale!  Be sure to scoot on over to the Etsy Shop and use coupon code "SPRINGFLING2011" for 10% off of your whole purchase.  Also, I will be phasing out some of the designs in my shop, so they will be marked down 30% for the next week as well!  I hope you all are having a fabulous end of spring....

Spring in Portland is glorious.  Truly, magically.  After our long, dreary, rain filled winters (especially this one!), we are doused with yet more rain in the spring....but what helps us Oregonians to endure is the glory and splendor of those incredible blossoms.  Shocks of pink, purple, white, and all colors of the rainbow, everywhere.

My personal favorite is the Pink Dogwoods.  Aren't they incredible??  They make my heart swoon.

Yesterday, I turned 29.  I thought of hosting some little giveaway here, or a sale, but not only did I not have the time, I decided I would much rather do something that involved simply giving.  Giving of myself.

So, sometime in the next few weeks I am going to do something that will help others, and yet absolutely terrifies me.  Donating blood.  Why would donating blood terrify me?  I hate needles.  They just absolutely freak me out, and what's more, is that whenever I have had blood drawn, I can feel that needle inside my body.  

However, I know how important blood donation is.  My fiance is a twin who was born severely premature and needed blood transfusions.  There are people in all sorts of situations, who have been injured or have physical diseases or disorders or who are giving birth and being born, every single day, who need blood.  And on top of it, I will be conquering yet another of my worst fears.  Hell, if I can sky dive, I can donate blood.

In other news, part of the reason I haven't been 'around' is because I've been working my patoose off.  Being a nanny is hard work....I'm just lucky I have 5+ years under my belt!  

In addition to working, the fiance and I had a trip up to Seattle (for him to work) a couple weekends ago...he's going again this weekend and I get the casa to myself.  And the studio! We will also be trekking up there next weekend for the Gallery Walk during the SNAG conference.  I won't be going to the conference itself, but am excited to meet and see friends new and old.

I also put my jewelry in a sale at the Oregon College of Art and Craft.  They host an annual Metals and Ceramics sale, where students and alumni can have their work for sale and part of the proceeds go to funds for those departments to bring in visiting artists or buy new equipment, etc.  We raised a lot of money for the Metals department, which is very exciting.  Last year's sale paid for Tim McCreight to come host a workshop and do an artist talk, which was incredible.  

With any luck, work will settle into more of a routine soon, and I will be 'around' more often.  I do so love sharing my experiences with you!  Soon, I am sure there will be more wedding-related posts, as well.  This whole wedding planning stuff sure is overwhelming (and exciting!) 

I hope spring is as glorious for you as it has been for me!  May sunshine make all your days bright, and lift your spirits higher than you can imagine!

Spring is officially here in Portland, which is resplendent with shocks of pink from blooming trees, amidst a growing sea of greenery.  It is my favorite time of year, hands down.

In celebration of the onset of Spring, I am offering 10% off all items in my Etsy shop, now through June 21 (Summer Solstice).  All you have to do is use the coupon code "SPRINGFLING2011" when you purchase anything from my shop on Etsy!

Also, I will be turning 29 in 10 short days!  I'm hoping to do something for you lovelies for my birthday, but am not sure what.  Stay tuned!  

And may your part of the world be blessed with shocks of beautiful color everywhere!

 

In 2010, a large group of artists undertook the task of creating a Ring A Day for 365 days.   Only a handful of people made it the whole year, but many of us made it for 100+ days.  

The results of those efforts are now being shown in an exhibition, Ring A Day, at the Punch Gallery in Seattle, WA.  I'm very excited to be participating in the show, and am looking forward to seeing everyone's rings during the SNAG gallery walk!  For more information, visit the Punch Gallery website, or click on the image for a bigger view.

 

My labor of love is now showing at the G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle, WA.  I was so excited to get the opportunity to make these again!  They came out far better than I imagined they would.  You can find more images on my Flickr page.  Thanks for looking!

I am extremely proud to announce that the Thorn Brooches are showing in Seattle this month!  

They are part of a group exhibition, COUNTERFLUX: Defensive Ornament, at the G. Gibson Gallery.  Check out the flyer for more information, and definitely stop by if you're in the area!

Oh, boy!  I did not realize how behind I had gotten on posting the rings from Ring A Week 2011!  Here they are: