Fresh from the bench

Here are three more pieces I managed to finish today! Little bit quirky, fun and whimsical. My style these days. I am sure that will change again. I tend to go from rough and rugged, to fine, to whimsical and then back to rustic. I never know what kind of mood my eager muse is into when she is active.

I just go with the flow.

The first piece is composed of agua nueava agate, mother of pearl and sterling silver. I actually had something completely different in mind when I started on this piece, but somewhere along the crafting process it changed. The first word John uttered when he saw it was "Aztec". I didn't really mean to make anything aztec inspired, rather botanical. I guess it has both elements to some extend.

The second necklace is a fun little necklace that showcases a beautiful jasper druzy in this gorgeous green-blue color, a lovely flower and a hand sawn butterfly. Just charming I might say.

And then lastly we have a "forest trail" necklace which features a running deer, a moon and and several flattened silver granules on copper. Dangling below is a stunning golden colored rutilated quartz cabochon. Love this one because it resembles my love for the outdoors, wildlife and the night sky. 

The "Aztec" piece is already listed in the Etsy shop! The other two I'll be listing either tonight or tomorrow. If any of these tickles your fancy let me know and I can reserve them for you!

Wishing you all a happy monday!

Thanks for reading!

xx

Sabine

Yearning for spring

The sun was out in its brightest force today, making the whole landscape look incredibly beautiful, with sunbeams reflecting off the snow. We have been incredibly lucky this winter so far regarding snow. We have only perhaps 2-3 inches compared to last year where we had a couple of feet. I'm dreaming about spring, about warm temperatures and crocuses poking their heads through the ground.
Yearning for spring, yeah! This is why I have been feeling compelled to make colorful pieces of jewelry lately. As you can see below, my spring like dreams have transformed themselves onto metal. I want to make nothing but floral shapes these days. The muse is on strong. Trying to hold her back a little. She is as usual all over the place. Often, when the creativity circus comes to town here in this household, I could make nothing but jewelry all day. It can really work against me in some ways as I have too many ideas and too many unfinished projects laying around that often don't get finished. I am in the learning process of working on one piece at the time and to stay focused.  It doesn't matter to me anymore if I can't manage a shop update every week. I had put so much pressure on myself.  If it doesn't feel right I am not going to sit behind the bench and force myself to come with something that in the end does not transcend what my work is about. I want quality, not quantity.
I have been trying to push myself a little bit harder to make more elaborate pieces and to learn something new. I would really like to be getting into metal etching, but am a little weary about all these chemicals. If any of you happen to have a good idea about what to use, let me know.

Here is my latest piece. I am having two more in the pickle pot and hope to have them ready to polish tomorrow.

Hope you like it as much as I did making it!

Sprout necklace. Oxidized sterling silver and green onyx.

Happy  Monday Everyone!

Thanks for reading!

xx

Sabine

Sept.16.2011

Hi all,

This time of year is the busiest for me in terms of crafting jewelry. I love every minute of it. Although I had to take a little breather for a week in between since I couldn't shake off a nasty lung infection I have been battling with for quite some time now. Just finished a week's prescription of antibiotics, but it doesn't seem to have cured it. Will have to further investigate.

I also have made quite a few new items for my Etsy shop. It really has been a blessing in one way to cut back on my day job so that I can focus more attention to my growing jewelry business. However, the down side to it is that there is also some sort of anxiety that comes with it. Thoughts like " am I going to continue selling" or "what if my sales don't pick up?" I guess every artist knows a bit of that, especially when you are trying to make a living doing what you love.
So I have decided to turn all these thoughts around into something positive. I am just letting things flow without worrying about the future so much. I'll look at it as a challenge to pursue a journey of becoming better at what I do and to learn as much as I possibly can along the way. I think it is important to stretch oneself and to not get stuck when a road block comes up. Keep moving forward and to learn from the past.
I know there has been a lot of frustration about the lack of views and therefore sales for some of us Etsy sellers. However, it just means to work harder. It is for sure a time consuming job being self employed, having to do marketing and creating. But this is my dream and nothing is going to stop me from pursuing it. I'm excited about the future! This job gives me so much in terms of happiness and balance that no matter if I have tons of sales or not I won't stop creating. If it comes to a point where I won't be able to continue to make a living doing it, I will just have to start working full time again at my day job.

I am really really grateful for the lovely returning customers I have on Etsy. Your support means more to me than you'll ever know! Thank you SO very much!

Anyhoo, I have a few projects, mainly sketches on the go that I am super excited about. Hopefully I'll have something to show you by the end of next week.

Here are some of my latest items I completed this week:

Whimsical oak leaf pendant necklace with a gorgeous juicy colored carnelian and several silver granules and one 14 carat gold granule.

Whimsical oak leaf pendant necklace with a gorgeous juicy colored carnelian and several silver granules and one 14 carat gold granule.

I just love this one! It represents growth and strength for me. I made this when I felt a bit lost and unsure. I took a step back and decided to step out of my comfort zone a bit and then this beauty came to life. It features a beautiful faceted rutilated quartz cabochon that is surrounded by texture, 14 carat gold and a lovely red garnet off to the side which adds some richness and contrast.

I just had to make another similar one, after my first one turned out so nice :)

Hand pierced lotus leaf necklace with bezel set baltic amber. I just love the amber with the oxidized silver.

Floral necklace in sterling silver and a lipstick red jade cabochon.

Little piece of loveliness. Showcases a an organic reticulated circle and a floating hand pierced flower with bezel set red garnet. A little 14 carat gold granule offsets the circle and adds a touch of whimsy.

I really have it for oak leafs this season. I guess all the walks I take in the forests inspire me. This one is hand pierced from sterling silver and embellished with pink cubic zirconia's and several granules.

A modern and timeless piece with great texture and a bezel set red garnet. Great for the holiday season, or anytime of the year.

Hand cast sterling silver crescent moon pendant with tapered set blue topaz.

Whimsical piece with a gorgeous hand cut and polished rhodochrosite, offset by three mother of pearl cabochons and floral embellishments.

I think I will take a couple of days away from the bench to do other things such as knitting a couple of scarfs for christmas presents and to get my house in shining order which has been a tad neglected due to my overflowing muse....well, it might be an excuse, but it's a good one! :o)

Now I'm off to enjoy some ice cream with homemade moist apple cake!

Have a super duper sunday everyone!

Thanks for reading!

xox

Sabine

Crossroads

Have you found yourself to be at a crossroads from time to time?
Lately I have this urge to break out of my comfort zone and try some new designs, however, I think fear often holds me back from trying. Well, I am taking a big leap and without thinking about the cost of silver right now I am working on more bold and sassy designs. I have found myself to be stuck in a rut and not stretching myself enough when it comes to my work. Right now I am feeling so darn inspired that I could work none stop. Love it when it happens, however, the muse often strikes when there is much else going on such as my other job.  I went all nuts and ordered tons of new material and tools such as metal stamps. Hope they will get here soon.
We are taking a trip to Germany to visit my family in early august where I also will be attending a arts and craft fair. This trip also will give me a chance to purchase my cabs directly from my favorite stone cutters. I can't even tell you what it feels like to walk into a large room that is filled with shelves and drawers full of cabs in all sorts of colors, types and shapes. The last time I was there you could not drag me out of there. My boyfriend and my sister thought I am crazy to spend so much money on "just" stones. Thought they were going to have an intervention for me.

Today I enjoyed making some new items which all included turquoise, two of them I managed to get finish.
The necklace I made is so super lovely ( if I can boast my own horn ). It is composed of sterling silver and features 8 bezel set Kingman turquoise that surround a red juicy jade.
What a piece! It is large and bold and ever so lovely.
The earrings are crafted from copper, sterling and Kingman turquoise. I am not sure when I will be listing these items. I want to build a collection of new items and list them once I have cleared out some of the current pieces in my Etsy shop. I am having a HUGE sale right now, the biggest one to date. So please hop on over and snaggle up something before it will be gone forever.

Have a fantastic day!

~ Sabine

Spring has sprung

Spring is finally here and with that newfound inspirations! I can't wait to get behind the bench and start working again.

I have been sick with a nasty flu these past couple of weeks and have not been able to really concentrate on making new items. Once in a while I would "sneak" into my studio space and try to make something new, but my body just did not want to cooperate. Today was the first day that I actually felt a bit better. John and I went on a long drive to a place called "End av verden " ( The End of the World ). It really is called that. It is a place surrounded by the ocean and tons of rock formations. An absolutely stunning place. I took some pictures and hope to show them to you perhaps tomorrow.

I also managed to make a ring which I am super excited about. The ring is inspired by sunflowers. It took quite a while to make along with some cursing off and on because the petals would slide off each other while I tried soldering them together. However, after trial and error it all came together beautifully. I hope you'll like this little beauty as much as I do. I just listed it in my etsy shop. 

Hope to have more new work ready to show this week!

Have a fantastic day!

♥~Sabine

Lilac Buds

Lilac Buds