Intentional Stones

Holidays: Getting the season moving!

 

Fed-Ex trucks are coming up my little dead-end street daily, carrols are on the radio, and the ads on TV have ramped up the the max.  It's that time of year again.

And we know you're thinking about your lists, even if the racket raised by retailers is driving you nuts.  (Some years it keeps me from shopping almost indefinitely.  Handmade holidays are my favorite!)

I'm working to keep it subtle around here.  I'd much rather post artwork and let you decide to visit our shops on your own.  Still, I would love it if you spent a little of your holiday shopping time looking at Intentional Stones! 

Here's the deal:

We're looking to liquidate the stuff we have so that we can start fresh in the new year. 

And we need your help.

Starting today, The last day of November, and ending January 15th, I'll ship anything via USPS anywhere for free. 

And over the course of the season, we'll run online sales, something different every day! 

Does this work for you?

 

 

Lost post, something about a fire

We're out enjoying our Beltaine fire

The upside of the iPhone is sharing things without running inside for the computer. The downside- sometimes apps don't work perfectly.

Suffice it to say, I'm meditating on the beauty of the fire. And frustrated with the tech.

Hope you're enjoying the holiday weekend and Happy Mayday!

-Simbelmynë

New Year 2011

Happy New Year!

My post is a little late.  Life has gotten in the way of blogging.

Too many pieces to make, too much fun and family.  I surely do not complain!

As you can still see, time management is a new years resolution I still haven't conquered.  I won't even make it.  That would be unrealistic.  I do resolve to take stock of the time I spend, giving a realistic time estimate is essential to taking commissions.  My current work is for friends and family members and they are extra special understanding as they share some of my holiday schedule.  Next year I will officially call the holidays "vacation" and not give myself any due dates during that 2 or 3 weeks.

Currently on my bench I have a ring, three necklaces of woven chain and wire work, and some interesting non-pierced earrings.  Look forward to posts about these.

This week I'm looking at the list of art fair opportunities I've collected and choosing some.  The summer is way up in the air!  Over Christmas I visited a heritage event down at the Waterfront shopping center on the river and I hope I'll hear more about future events in these old steel-industry buildings.  Pittsburgh will definitely see more of Intentional Stones at art events this year.  As for traveling to shows, I'm pretty sure I'll be at the Cheat Fest in West Virginia again.    I'm going to look for a show in New York and a couple further away in Pennsylvania in the Laurel Highlands.  (If you're local to either of these places, please recommend your favorite art event!)  I'd love to go out to Florida or someplace warm, but I'm sure school and work schedules will make that complicated. 

I also plan some stone hunting trips.  These are very much tentative still, the Southwest hosts a rich array of lapidary and jewelry events in the spring, so I'd better get my ducks in a row! 

I'm only taking one class this semester, Jewelry Making 2.  Yes, I  can learn from past mistakes!  I have goals to do more drawing, I feel like I owe it to myself and my instructor last semester.  I even promised one of the kids' friends lessons in drawing people.  Improving my art is extremely important. And I'm not managing props for any plays.  If my daughter decides to continue with dance, I'll help out where I'm available, but no all-semester commitments. 

I feel ready to run right now!

-Simbelmynë

 

West Virginia Loves Us!

Intentional Stones will be showing at the West Virginia Arts and Crafts Spectacular in Morgantown WV on November 5-7th 2010. 

We're pretty excited.  This will be our very first big arts and crafts show!  I'll do my best to keep you up to date on the projects we're preparing and the special pieces we'll be making for this show. 

We look forward to making new friends and enjoying West Virginia once again.

 

Labradorite Lyre

When I don't have a direct inspiration of a specific form or image I play with the wire until it takes a free form shape.  Sometimes it's the stones giving me ideas, sometimes it's shapes and sometimes other ideas possess me as I work. 

This piece worked all three ways.  This particular hand cut briolette is much wider than usual for it's height and I loved the idea of mimicking that shape in wire, as if it was a container with a drop of liquid falling into it.  But liquid lead to swirls and the swirls wanted more stones and those stones reminded me of a string of stars...  The final necklace carries the smaller stone motif along the beaded strand.  

Labradorite probably inspired this creative process.  It tends to inspire whimsical thinking and creative confidence in me.  Nevermind that it is Mina's favorite stone.  Good thing I hadn't chosen her gift yet!

-Simbelmynë

Is he getting ready to pull Santa's Sleigh?

Merry Christmas From Australia!

Blessed Solstice 2009

For your Winter Solstice, I send you my Summer Sun. 

Keep him in mind as the Winter Sun grows stronger.

Happy Imbolc

I'm not a formal practitioner of any particular religious tradition, but when a friend reminded me that Brigid was patroness of the Home, Hearth and Forge, I thought at least a candle would be a nice touch. 

The candle has followed my work areas around the house, bench, soldering area, stove and hearth. 

The cross I made this weekend evolved naturally into a pattern similar to this

And while I would like to work on getting the cross to look more like the picture, should I make another, I still love this and I will be wearing it to remind me of all the blessings I have in home, hearth and forge.

-Simbelmyne

Happy Holidays!

We celebrate from Yule (the winter solstice) all the way through new years. 

Holidays are in full swing.

Here are a few of the things I've made in the last week:

I've been obsessing over a forged object, but it is in radical fail mode.  In other words, we're running out this afternoon to find something suitable for my Mother-in-Law because her present didn't work at all.

-Simbelmyne

This year's ornaments

Well, here's my first attempt, given to a friend for her holiday party to decorate her tree.

I'm working on a tutorial on making this one, but it needs to be fine tuned.

And I made a simple one form a blank glass globe, stickers, spray enamel and glitter.
(not that I'd recommend using enamel over a spray glue, but that's what I had, and it worked just fine)  The stickers glue dots were very visible, I added the glitter to make them invisible.  But, it turns out I like it better with the "snow."



One of the people on my gift list, in particular, enjoys ornaments.  And each year I've made her a really nice one.  This is the first year I've really planned ahead.