Lace & Button Cuff

I'm not hugely into buttons but I got a ton of them from the company I'm going to do demos for at CHA (Craft & Hobby Association trade show). Once again, I was too lazy to set up the light tent, but you get the idea, right?

She's No Angel

My Winged Steampunk brooch, which I love, is NOT supposed to look like an angel. I hate cute. So there.

Box Latch Necklace

Believe it or not, every piece of this necklace is the same color. It's just a bad photo. Somehow the mica powder on the tiny fortune cookies picked up the light differently. The coins and box latch are all antique brass. I made matching earrings, too.

I made this for our book: Making Mixed Media Art Charms. My coauthor Christine Hansen liked it so it's hers. Uh, as soon as I'm done showing it off  ;D

Junque Jewelry

Does this qualify as Junque? Uh, I'm pretty sure it does.


Polymer clay beads, lightbulb, key, rubber gasket, button...


These are a few of my favorite things.

I Loooove My Doggie!

Making Copies

Remember that guy--the Office Nerd--from SNL? Well, I'm scared of making copies. Really.

I was reading a post by Barbe SaintJohn  http://www.facebook.com/barbesaintjohn about people stealing other artists' designs. It makes me sick. Not just the robbery of intellectual property (and I've had my share of stuff ripped off) but the fact that it can happen so easily. There's no protection. That's pretty scary.

Want to know what I think is even more scary?

I'm worried that I'll inadvertently rip off someone else. I see dozens of great jewelry designs every day. How can I be sure that the piece I'm making isn't merely "inspired by" but actually copied from someone else?

I could easily paralyze myself by over-thinking this, second-guessing myself.

How do other artists handle this? How do you do it? Any advice?

Lights Of My Life

Petunia and Sweet Potato Leaf

I love this color combination: hot pink and bright chartreuse. 

I love iced coffee with caramel syrup and skim milk.  

I love petting my puppy's silken ears.

I dearly love my husband, my family and my friends.

What lights your day?

Erin's Great Mind

 I made this bracelet a while back and I knew it needed something:

Then I saw something better on Erin Keck's Etsy site:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51414006/ek-original-cutthe-key-bracelet?fref=fb_itemlist

Hers is so much nicer! She uses beautiful antique keys in hers. You gotta check it out quick; the price is right and it won't last long! Erin, you totally rock! If you want to post a photo here, please do! 

People Can Be Mean

Well DUH! Who doesn't know that?!? And yet, when it happened to me yesterday I was really taken aback. I try awfully hard to play nice, and I'm always shocked when somebody poops in the sandbox.

Oh well, what happened is not about me, but it says a lot about the person who hurt me. She's good, but she doesn't get to take all the credit for my success or my designs. Geez! Great minds think alike! Great ideas often pop up in several different places at once.


I would never copy anybody else's ideas. But I am very often inspired by them. I'm not sure I have the quote exactly right but, "If we have seen far it is because we stood on the shoulders of giants."

Two of my giants: Amber Dawn who insisted on quality when I was making quantity, and Susan Lenart Kazmer who broke the mold when it came to jewelry. Both are teachers and both are generous with their ideas.

Steampunk Lampshade!

I guess you could wear it on your head... if you really want to. But ya gotta love a Steampunk Lampshade! This is what I mean when I say you don't have to make "charms" or even jewelry when you take my Mixed Media Art Charms class.