Ta Da!

Mentor(s)

This is my mentor for my Etsy photos. Perhaps I should re-evaluate my choice. What do you think?

NEW STUFF

Je me presente La Swan....Heck no I can't speak French! Introducing my new limited edition Swan earrings made of hammered 16g half-hard silver wire. The inner wire represents the wings and the clear Swarovski crystals "feathers". For some reason of late, I am attracted to swans; lovely creatures, but somewhat aggressive when provoked. Kind of like humans w/o the provocation. Better and less expensive than a shoe fetish or worse, a perverse one. What is next? Only the Shadow knows!

Today

Today is my sister Vanna's birthday(you pronounce her name Vahnna~ not with a long a sound). Drives me crazy when her beautiful name is mispronounced! Ok? Went to the First Nations Squaxin Island Canoe Landing and Potlatch/Protocol. Beautiful stories, songs, prayers and dancing. Fills me with pride to see the tribal gathering and families. Did you know there were Legends of the seven inlets found in the South Puget Sound,or The Ten Rules of the Canoe? NEVER CALL A CANOE A BOAT! Rule #1: "Every stroke we take is one less we have to make ~ Keep going! Even against the most relentless wind or retrograde tide, somehow a canoe moves forward. This mystery can only be explained by the fact that each pull forward is a real movement and not a delusion."

Bending, Shaping, Oxidizing, Polishing

Just made a hammered copper necklace with turquoise nuggets that is one of Hercules' Seven Labors. It was a labor of love I do have to say. You can see the picture above!! Gohan (the dog and floor supervisor) kept me in check along the way. Lots of hammering and pounding. I don't know what came over me, but I singed my fingers with the liver of sulfur gel; I picked up a piece of copper and put it in the baking soda solution, but got a bit of a surprise. I will live to do the same thing again in the future. Be sure to check out my "Dreamer" necklace on Pinterest, my FB page or on Etsy. And while you are on my FB page, hit "LIKE". This will make me very happy.

A Week to Remember

What a week! Five dogs (a boxer mix, long-haired chihuahua,short haired border collie, dutch shepherd and a fat beagle) running through the house; a three year old nephew, his mom, his dad, grandpa, grammie and auntie (me). A sandbox with yellow Tonka dump trucks produced a massive trench; a dog losing his mind over bubbles; i fell in an unknown hole in the back yard; a child launching himself into the hot tub and the chihuahua right after him; towels; Darth Vader Mr. Potato-head; dogs chasing the vacuum cleaner; hide and seek in my bedroom; big boy underpants; cooking, cleaning and more cooking and cleaning; dog hair; the beagle getting into the dry chow~ i think she will burst and frog and and orca puppets! What do you get? A VERY TIRED AUNTIE and grammie. No news on beautiful jewelry designs. Oh, and visiters, lots of visiters. Did i mention laundry? I am going to bed for an undisclosed amount of time. NO DOGS! Just leave Peets Sumatra in a french press and a mug by my door!

Tis The Season for Art Shows/Festivals

There are art festivals and shows by the minute this summer; Lakefair is looming in Olympia, Make Olympia Street fairs, The Lavender Festival, Sea Fair and what what. Artisans galore are preparing to wow the community with handmade items. How great is this? Before you hit the stores buying things for back to school, indulge yourself in artisan crafted items from designers in your community. Tell the artisans I sent you. If they look at you quizzically, just tell them I am your great aunt in Modesto and keep moving.

Question

I have a question and I really do not care who I offend. Why is it that I have oodles of folks begging for me to "Like" their Facebook and Etsy pages, but when it comes time for them to reciprocate........nothing...not a word? My FB is teaming with ads from beautiful designers, friends and friends of friends advertising their latest documentaries, pics, creations and what what and ......nothing? I am a very patient person and I understand the necessity for awareness and understanding, but I feel as though I am being abused. I am NOT your personal ad. campaign. No response to the invitations for my Ashar Gems FB page, no response to my attempts to communicate in a positive manner. Interesting. I am NOT a FB whore looking for any and everyone to be my friend. I have chosen carefully and have reached out to fellow artisans and designers who have simular likes and passions. I am not talking to my faithful friends and neighbors who have been supportive and communicative throughout these tough times. I am talking about the users, those who only want their names in lights. Please do me a favor and defriend me, because I do not want or need you. Take up space elsewhere. I have been given a gift that I appreciate and respect. I wish to follow those who respect God's creation, gifts and attributes as well. You know who you are, and I am giving you the opportunity to tune out. AND I AM OUT!

Oxidized Copper Earrings

Hot off the presses! My earrings are oxidized copper wire-wrapped roses with aquamarine beads. See?

Spring/Summer Shows and New Ideas

Spring has come and gone and I am still plugging along, designing and reinventing myself. I have been using mixed metals in quite a lot of my designs in 2012. However, copper has been the metal of choice for spring snd summer (see my pic). It is such a pliable metal; I use 16g for strength and durability. I have not abandoned silver and 14c gold-filled metals, I happen to like mixing things up a bit. I am a member of the Olympia Etsy Team and we had a "Spring Spectacular" show in late May. We had a great time and a good turnout. I met quite a few new artists, for example: Baskets by Carol Birchlight ~ Nicole Addison Pacific Noethwest Art ~ BriAnne Waite Ziva Shayna Design Co. ~ Reva Wittenberg Linda Landig Designs Nostalgia Captured ~ Lisa Ellefson Nanette Stewart Jewelry Design Natures Dream ~ Azure Arts.etsy.com My Oly Girl BluJeanBeads ~ Theresa Kimball ~my sister and many many more Check out these artists. MAKE OLYMPIA Street Market will be featuring several shows this summer and I am not sure I will participate in one, but I will keep you posted. Another shout out to Melinda Orr Designs; great jewelry, metal and components. Check her out on Etsy and FB. Now go and hit "Like" on the Ashar Gems page on Facebook!

Rules of Conduct for Jewelry Artists

I wanted to let you know about an article regarding rules of conduct and theft of intellectual property belonging to professional artists. Jen Cushman, natural storyteller, mixed media artist and author provides a kind and professional look at the difference between inspiration and imitation in the arts, crafts and mixed media arenas. Check out her latest article, "Art Chooses You: Some Basic Rules of Conduct for Jewelry Artists", in the Spring 2012 Belle Armoire Jewelry Book, Volume 8. If you do not have the book, check out her website, jencushman.com.

Back on the Block

Did you think I fell off the edge of the world? For those of you "not in the know", the world is not flat! I have been laying low in the weeds, putting together a spring line of incredible copper couture jewelry. Impressed? You should be. I have decided to give my Etsy site another try, although most of my sales are not generated on the site. Why? Who knows. December was crazy, January was interesting and February was a little better, but only a few sales; only God knows what the rest of the year will bring. But I do have to say that the Etsy thing is getting on my nerves. I have, however, received quite a bit of positive feedback from the Pinterest site and this is a good thing. My FB page is walking through a might desert and I haven't been thrown off amy of my teams to date, so something is moving forward. Sometimes one has to bow to the absurd! Oh, and I even bought an ad on FB; for your information, it did not generate one sale. I should have bought a nice pair of shoes for my trouble. So there you have it. If anybody is doing a bang up job out there and your sales are through the roof, I salute you. I will drink a cup of coffee in your honor. Just take some time off from stuffing those boxes for mailing and visit Asher Gems on Etsy. Let me know what you think of my copper jewelry~after all, there is a contact box. No nasty comments or coarse language now;this is a family show! Finally, if you have taken the time to read my mindless ramblings,I salute you as well!