Blythespirited

A talisman for spring to come -- a Green Man kind of figure, except she's female -- some sort of nature goddess, definitely -- surrounded by hydrangea blue glass crystals with magically matte but iridescent charlotte seed beads. Sterling wire, silver-plated antiqued bead caps.

Well, that's a start. I'm having the darnedest time writing descriptions of my jewelry for etsy; so I'm practicing here. Photographing the etched items is way beyond the limits of both me and my camera, so that's another challenge, but I'm determined to keep learning about this camera, because I'm sure the "right" setting is in there somewhere. Perhaps if I shake it really hard like an old Eight Ball toy, I'll get the answer I'm hoping for! (like "You totally deserve a new digital SLR!")

I'm taking Robert Dancik's Amulets and Talismans teleclass sponsored by Alison Lee of Craftcast, and it's been totally worthwhile so far! Not only is his work very sophisticated -- I can't wait for his book to come out -- but he is also a really good teacher, and you can tell he wants his students to go forth and do great things on their own.

Speaking of photographing jewelry, Jen Kahn's blog post from a few months ago still continues to inspire and inform me -- not that I've found all the perfect settings on my camera yet, but thanks to her, I'm feeling less inclined to "accidentally" drop it down the nearest storm drain. And speaking of hydrangeas, we're thinking ahead to our June/July visit to Cape May, which has to be the hydrangea capital of the world. Something about the soil or the seaside weather conditions combine and conspire to promote the most spectacular heavenly blues, and if that color has the same effect on you as it does on me, well, you should definitely plan a visit to the southernmost tip of New Jersey, which also offers jaw-dropping Victorian architecture, great beaches and an astronomically high concentration of excellent dining options. Oh, and a great bookstore, too. Just about all my favorite things in one place!