I'm making a box for my wood design class, and there was a request that I document the process. It is a little nerve racking working with the saws, and it was difficult making the miter cuts at first, but I think it will be worth it and become something that I can use in a classroom and teach to others.

Freshly milled lumber! That was a fun process. It warped a little overnight, but that didn't do too much damage it in the long run.

Preparing the wood to be cut with a mitered edge.

Trials and tribulations!
The warping of the wood showed up a bit more after the final cuts were made, but my professor said that it should be fine once it is glued up.

Laser cut stuff!!

We got to use the laser cutter in class today to make c.d. covers for our professional packet and it came out a little different than I thought it would. I engraved part of the design and used a fill on the letters, and the design came through much clearer than the text. Using the fill for text on the chip board made the writing faint and almost illegible, so I think next time I will do an engraved outline instead to make the letters pop. The font I used should work for that because it is not too curly or stenciled.

On Wednesday I taught a workshop with NAEA on stone wrapping and basic wire techniques that can be used in middle and high school classrooms. I was a little nervous because almost 20 people had signed up, but in the end there were only about 12 that showed up. Smaller classes are easier to manage and a lot less intimidating. It was pretty successful and everyone seemed to do well and have a good time.

Some studio examples:

We spent this last weekend in the city to see Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera House, and we had such a fabulous time I had to say something about it. We got to our hotel in the late afternoon and got all dolled up for dinner and the opera; though it is a little cliche to wear red on Valentine's day, I wanted to be the 'Lady in Red' and borrowed a fabulous dress from one of my friends. When we got to dinner we were completely over dressed, but it was nice to turn heads.
Seated at the table next to us was an older couple from New Jersey who were going to the opera as well. Turns out one of them had been an art education back in the day but was now a jeweler a few towns over from me. She showed me a diamond ring that she had made and her husband was sporting several more, which he was more than happy to show off. She was very friendly and gave me her business card, so who knows, maybe I will email her and ask if she wants an intern. =)

The opera was amazing and I wish we could have taken some pictures of the theatre, but alas, photography was strictly forbidden (which didn't stop the couple sitting in front of us....but what can you do?) We had a great time and really enjoyed the performance.

The next day we had brunch at this nice little French place that the concierge recommended, and thanks to him pulling some strings, we were able to bypass the hour long wait and get a table right away. The service was good, the food was great and the company was even better. We enjoyed brunch so much, we went back and tipped the concierge. He made our day, why not make his?

For years people have been bugging me to build a website to show off my work, and I never got around to doing it. Now that I have my own little corner of the internet, here is some of my earlier work for you to see. The pieces are sterling silver and are either kingschain, or a variation of it, and I wear these all the time. They have a nice weight to them and are great for dressing up or wearing with a nice sweater.

Variation on the King's Chain

Basic King's Chain

It's so true....