cosmos

$43.00 plus shipping
Uploaded May 31, 2012

nature is earth's art

$37.00 plus shipping
Uploaded May 31, 2012

cheesecake escape

Sometimes the long three day weekends end up causing a tough Tuesday after the fact.
On days like that, I tend to get a good case of the munchies. Luckily when doing the weekly shopping the night before a new week, I tend to avoid buying a bunch of junk food because I know exactly how I am going to be wanting to eat a bunch of crap food come Monday (or in this case, Tuesday) morning.
I did, however, buy myself a box of cinnamon graham crackers last night. Not the *best* food, but far better than other choices I could have made. I was in a particularly munchie mood this morning and had a AH-HA moment when I thought about the leftover whipped cream cheese I had in the fridge with no bagels in sight to use it up on. I thought how perfect would it be to create a little mini faux cheesecake delight. And that is EXACTLY what I did.

Cheesecake Escape

2 graham cracker sheets, split in half (gives you four squares)

2-3 tablespoons whipped cream cheese

Baker's or regular sugar

Smear cream cheese onto each graham square. Sprinkle with sugar (as little or as much as your heart desires) and ENJOY.

time traveler

$62.00 plus shipping
Uploaded May 24, 2012

arc-de-triomphe map earrings

$40 plus shipping
Uploaded May 22, 2012

shocked

$62.00 plus shipping
Uploaded May 22, 2012

stand alone store

I am very happy to announce that Silentgoddess Art Jewelry has launched a stand-alone store. My jewelry is still available on Etsy and Artfire however I was ready to make the jump to an independent web store so I could utilize some customizable features such as a blog, gallery, tutorials and calendar all in one place.

Over the coming months I will be building my new site by adding products and content so please bookmark silentgoddess art jewelry and see what is new! If you are an artist looking to build and/or expand your online presence, I highly recommend Indiemade. The interface is super clean and easy to use and the monthly cost is a very manageable flat fee. No more listing fees or sales percentages taken from your bottom line. Plus your first month is FREE.

The Unconventional Tool - EtsyMetal Blog Carnival

A new month brings a new EtsyMetal Blog Carnival post.

The topic for the month of May is:

The Unconventional Tool

Do you use tools that you have made yourself? How about items that were not intended to be used by a metalsmith?
Tell us all about it and describe/show the results your special tools give in your creative process!

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My very first metals instructor handed out several handmade tools he made for us the first night of our first class. That was nearly 20 years ago. I still have several of those tools but I really only use one regularly. It is my burnisher. The wooden handle has years of grub and metal dust embedded in it. But it is a workhorse. And every time I use it, I think of that instructor and how that first class changed the course of my life.

There are several other things that I employ on a regular basis that were probably never intended to be used by a metal artist. One of those is my beloved masking tape. And it can't be just any old masking tape. I have high standards and expect a lot from my tape!! I like the Scotch #2060 green painter's tape. It is just the right color of light green that allows my Sharpie marker drawings to show up crisp yet the tape won't leave a sticky residue when removed. I put it on my metal then draw a rough sketch with a sharp pencil of what I want to pierce then I trace over the pencil marks with a fine Sharpie. This gives me the best pattern to saw. And the tape protects the surface of the metal while doing the initial stages of finishing (i.e., filing edges, marking and drilling holes for bails, rivets, etc). I use that same tape to create a cushion when using my dapping blocks to create concave forms in the middle of my dogwood pendants. If there is no cushioning the edges of the block will mar the metal. And we can't have that!

For several years after my son was born I put my metal working tools away to spend time being a Mom. There just wasn't a workable way for me to be in the studio outside of my home and I wasn't comfortable bringing the chemicals, torches and such into a home studio when I had a young soul living in my house. However, I have never been real good at just sitting around so I started an online business selling scrapbooking supplies. This made it possible for me to work from home, raise my son and keep my hands in a creative realm. To make a long story short, I did this for about 5 or maybe 6 years and during that time I amassed a whole BUNCH of crafting supplies. And many of those crafting supplies work real well when creating art jewelry! One of my favorite uses for these alternative supplies is using rubber stamps and embossing or pigment inks when working with torch fired enamels. The ink works as a great binder for enamels and the stamps give endless design possibilities.

Sometimes just stepping out of the box frees my creative mind to new ideas and opportunities! Plus it gives me more reason to horde supplies ;)

Read more about unconventional tools and their uses from other EtsyMetal members:
Beth Cyr
Inbar Bareket
2Roses
Theresa Kwong

branch

$30.00 plus shipping Uploaded May 1, 2012

lush & serenity rings

A couple of new rings available in my etsy store: Lush

$79.00 plus shipping

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Serenity stackable ring

$23.00 plus shipping