Click here to read full class descriptions, see dates and prices. Register early to ensure you get a seat.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
April & May Studio Classes Posted
Click here to read full class descriptions, see dates and prices. Register early to ensure you get a seat.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
EtsyMetal Blog Carnival: I am here.
Where do you live?
Physically, mentally, emotionally...
City, state, country; house, apartment, farm; orderly, chaotic, on the edge...
Give us a picture of who you are by showing and telling us where you live, how your surroundings may inspire you...
It feels like a good fit for my artistic heart and bohemian gypsy spirit. It is a little city with a lot of urban energy. Full of art, hipsters, wannabes and wanderlust. With Evergreen State College several miles from the historic downtown core, it is not uncommon to see a few barefoot tree huggers moving about on my AM drive to my studio. Latte' cup in hand, messy bed-head bent down to keep the rain out of bleary, up-too-late-cramming eyes.
Prayer flags fly anywhere here.
One moment I can be in downtown Oly driving by a bustling Darby's cafe and the next moment I can be on the banks of the Deschutes river watching the water cascade down toward the old Olympia brewery.
I love my little art mecca. I live here. I create art here. 
I grow here.
Keep reading to see where other EtsyMetal members live and love and create:
Lou Hunter
Laura Jane Bouton
2Roses
Inbar Bareket
Abella Blue
Cynthia Del Giudice
Rebecca Bogan
Erin Austin
Deborah Lee Taylor
Anne Walker
Theresa Kwong
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Jewelry Making Tools!
I am very happy to announce that I am now carrying a great collection of beginning jewelry making tools at the Silentgoddess Studio! You can shop online and have them shipped directly to you or you can pick them up at the studio in Downtown Olympia.
Browse our current tool inventory now:
Silentgoddess Jewelry Making Tools
I will be adding new tools to the studio's inventory so check back to see what is new. I can order just about any tool you may need (or want) so feel free to contact me with your requests.
If you decide to order online and pick your tools up in person, I will refund any and all shipping/handling charges that are incurred by placing your order online. If you prefer to just come in and browse, drop me an email letting me know when you plan on stopping by (just to make sure I am in the studio). I can accept credit card payments in person or PayPal for online orders.
Thanks!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 07, 2013
February Studio Class Schedule Posted
All classes are held at the Silentgoddess Art Jewelry studio in downtown Olympia, WA.
Stamp your Heart Out -
Tuesday, February 12 6pm to 8:00pm $45
Stamping on metal is a wildly popular technique. It is fun, it is easy and the design possibilities are endless!
From letter stamps to design stamps this class will introduce you to the world of stamping on metal for creating personalized jewelry.
Class fee covers use of tools and materials for completing at least two projects in this two hour class. Tools will be available for purchase.
4 Week Beginning Jewelry Making Series
Wednesdays February 6, 13, 20, 27 6pm to 8pm $135
This 4 week series will introduce the beginner to the wonderful world of metal working. Learn to use a jeweler's saw, hammers, design stamps, cold connections and more in this 4 week class. Each student will create several pieces of jewelry over the course of the series. Beginning techniques and studio safety will be covered. No previous experience necessary. Class space is limited to four students as I want to be able to give each student plenty of attention throughout the class series.
Class fee covers the use of tools and materials to use in class over the 4 week class series. Tools will be available for purchase.
Beginning Hand Piercing (Sawing)
Tuesday, February 19 6pm to 8pm $35
Learn to use a jeweler's saw! Hand piercing is one of the basic skills necessary to start creating jewelry out of sheet metal. Class will cover tool set up, correct handling and hand's on experience piercing (i.e. cutting) copper and brass sheet. The design possibilities are endless once you know the basics of this skill. We will aim to complete at least two projects during this 2 hour class. Class space is limited to four students as I want to be able to give each student plenty of attention during the class.
Class fee covers the use of tools and materials to use in class. Tools will be available for purchase.
Beginning Soldering
Tuesday, February 26 6pm to 8pm $55
Learn the basics of soldering using a handheld torch! Class will cover torch safety, metal preparation and finishing, basic supplies needed and hand's on soldering of at least two projects. Soldering is a terrific skill to learn if you want to make more complex jewelry designs. We will aim to complete at least two projects during this 2 hour class. Class space is limited to four students as I want to be able to give each student plenty of attention during the class.
Class fee covers the use of tools and materials to use in class. Tools will be available for purchase.
To read full class descriptions with prices please visit:
Studio Class Schedule
To register please visit:
Class Registration Form
Sunday, January 06, 2013
EtsyMetal Blog Carnival: New Year's Resolutions?
New Year's Resolutions? Eeek! It's that time of year again - A new year, a fresh outlook, new ideas... what are your plans? New goals? New disciplines? Old disciplines and goals you want to try again?!! Spill it! Make it a reality... tell us all! Recap this past year and what you've learned, where it's taken you, where you would like it to take you in 2013.
I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions. Well, at least not out loud. To be honest, I spend most of my life contemplating what I can do that will bring changes for the better for myself and my family. It is nearly obsessive at times. And yes, at this time of the year I tend to contemplate more.
We have had several years in a row that have been difficult ones. Started out back in 2009 when Paul was involved in a motorcycle accident. He was injured and had to undergo several surgeries over the next few months. One month after his accident he lost his job. 2009 ended really bad and 2010 started out pretty crappy as well. Back then my thought processes focused on surviving. My resolution was to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. We made it through the the really tough times but I came out of it with high anxiety and calloused fingers. It is funny how when your intentions are truly set on something, you can create what you need. I had some of my busiest months of 2009 and 2010 making jewelry for people. I helped bring in extra income for several months as the unemployment checks were quite lower than the income we were accustomed to.
2011 and 2012 had their hardships as well. However, to bring this into a more positive light, I will switch gears and move toward a more progressive thought process. We made a big move in 2012. After several years of long commutes and too much money poured into the gas tank, we decided to move to Olympia, WA. Paul's job was there and Port Orchard (our previous home) had become somewhere we didn't want to be anymore. We found a sweet little house in an older neighborhood that we are renting and I moved my business into a really neat studio space in downtown Olympia. And that brings us back around to this month's topic: 2013 New Year's Resolutions. Sometimes I take many turns to get to short destination ;)
One of my goals in getting a studio space set up away from the house was to be able to offer classes. As of January 2, 2013 I started on this new journey. My first class of a series of four started on the 2nd. First goal of 2013 is already underway! I am hoping that this is just the very beginning of this new direction for me. My plan is to offer many different varieties of classes from single day courses to multiple day series. I have SO much information and experience rolling around in my head and I am ready to offer it to anyone interested in learning.
Paul and I spent several days of the holiday break getting the studio classroom ready. A great new workbench was constructed, new tools were purchased and a big dream started to become a reality. Here is what we end up with (pictures are of the classroom right before the beginning of my first class):
I hope that this year is a good one for all. I know we all have some battles to fight but try to focus on the good things. They are really what is the most important. And they are out there. Sometimes all you need to do is just start looking...
Lou Hunter
Laura Jane Bouton
2Roses
deborahleetaylor
Mary Anne Karren
Theresa Kwong
Danielle Miller
Nodeform
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
EtsyMetal Blog Carnival: One Magazine
This month's EtsyMetal Blog Carnival topic:
If you could only pick one magazine, which one would it be and why?
THIS:
It is absolute eye candy to me.
Thought I was going to pick an art jewelry magazine, didn't you?
Laura Jane Bouton
Beth Cyr
Evelyn Markasky
Lou Hunter
Deborah Lee Taylor
Tosca Teràn
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Studio Class Schedule
Stamp your Heart Out -
Monday, November 26 6pm to 8:00pm $45
Welcome to the craze! Stamping on metal is a wildly popular technique. It is fun, it is easy and the design possibilities are endless! From letter stamps to design stamps this class will introduce you to the world of stamping on metal for creating simple and fun jewelry.Class fee covers use of tools and materials for completing at least two projects in this two hour class. Tool kits will be available for purchase.
DIY Holiday Gift Workshop
Thursday, November 29 6pm to 9pm $55
No experience necessary! Learn to use a jeweler's saw, files and hammers to create a set of earrings and matching pendant to give as a gift (or keep for yourself) this holiday season! Each student will create a pair of nature inspired earrings and a matching pendant. No previous metal working experience needed!Class fee covers use of tools and materials for completed a pair of earrings and a pendant with chain in this three hour class. Tool kits will be available for purchase.
4 Week Beginning Jewelry Making Series
Wednesdays January 2, 9, 16, 23 6pm to 8pm $135
This 4 week series will introduce the beginner to the wonderful world of metal working. Learn to use a jeweler's saw, hammers, design stamps, the rolling mill and more in this 4 week class. Each student will create several pieces of jewelry over the course of the series. Beginning techniques and studio safety will be covered. No previous experience necessary. Class space is limited to four students as I want to be able to give each student plenty of attention throughout the class series.Class fee covers the use of tools and materials to use in class over the 4 week class series. Tool kits will be available for purchase.
Please visit the Class Registration Form page to sign up for classes or for more information on current or upcoming classes.
If you would like to receive information about current and upcoming studio classes, please enter your email below.
If you have any questions or have an idea for a class you would like to see on our schedule, please leave a comment below (please include a good email address for me to reply to). Thanks!
Sunday, November 04, 2012
EtsyMetal Blog Carnival: Why Do You Make Jewelry?
This month's EtsyMetal Blog Carnival topic:
Why Do You Make Jewelry?
Think hard! Dig deep.
One would think this would be a no brainer for me to answer. And actually, it is.
I make jewelry because I want to.
Simple enough, right? Yeah, maybe too simple.
Perhaps the question should be "Why do you WANT to make jewelry?" Sure, we are going to go with that.
Let's go back about 20 years, plus or minus a year. My Mom was a dedicated member of an art group in Las Vegas, NV, called the Desert Sculptors and she was also the director of a local art museum as well. She met lots of really creative folks. To this day, even 1000's of miles away from the SW desert, she still calls several of those people great friends. And for good reasons. One of those reasons being, they let nothing get in the way of their creativity. It is people like that, who artist types like me, really want in their corner. Driven creative types help drive others to get and to stay creative.
One of these creative types is a man by the name of Don Trippy. He is a sculptor, a painter, an artist in every sense of the word. One of the things he did way back when was create a foundry for doing bronze pours in Lorenzi Park in North Las Vegas. He set everything up in the bottom of a long empty public swimming pool. The deep concrete walls of the empty pool would contain any "spills" as well as protect anyone nearby from the heat of the 1000+ degree foundry heat. Paul and I along with my Mom went to watch one of his first bronze pours. With Don all geared up a HUGE silver asbestos suit and a large flame throwing torch, he melted the bronze in a large, black graphite crucible. We all sat in rapt by the fire and the glowing bronze melting beneath the heat of that torch. Once the metal was ready to pour, the crucible was lifted and the molten metal was poured to the awaiting sculpture mold. Hot, fiery liquid bronze splashed and sizzled. There was lots of steam and so much heat. But I sat there watching that metal flow thinking it looked like hot pink lemonade and I was HOOKED. I could not stop talking about that molten bronze and how I wanted to be able touch it. Play with it. Create with it.
Several months ago, my Mom got in touch with Don after several years of little communication which brought him the the forefront of one of our conversations one afternoon. During this talk it dawned on me that it was Don Trippy who told me about the beginning jewelry class being offered through the City of LV Parks and Rec department. I realized at that moment that I really owe him a debt of gratitude for that bit of creative direction. For that night, when I first walked into that classroom I knew that I had found what I wanted to do with my life.
And here I am, 20 plus (or minus) years later. Creating small works of art in copper and silver. And sometimes gold. Each piece I create I pour a bit of my soul into. No matter if it is a simple silver band or a graceful copper flower blossom. That first cut with my saw or the last buff with the polishing cloth. It all started for me, back then, in the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool one sunny Vegas day.
Please continue to read other EtsyMetal members answers to why they create jewelry by visiting the following links:
Cynthia Del Giudice
Laura Jane Bouton
Beth Cyr
Peculiar Forest
Tosca Terán
Nodeform
Mary Anne Karren
My Precious Studio
Deborah Lee Taylor
Anne Walker
Andrea Ring
Gracebourne Design
Danielle Miller
Evelyn Markasky
Inbar Bareket
Jewellietta
Abella Blue
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