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!

These etched earrings were really hard to photograph, and I just realized it took me longer to take the pictures than it did to make the earrings. Still, I could not resist adding the film grain, which seemed to suit their antique-lookingness. I'm listing them in my etsy shop this afternoon -- after I make another pot of tea.

I have about a million things to do this week, so it seems only logical that I should be overcome with the desire to start a new series of paintings I'm calling Mudra. I have always been just about equally fascinated with all world religions, because I'm going with the theory that I need all the help I can get!

You just can't beat winter in New England.

Connections.

Etched pendants and wired chains waiting to be connected to each other.

Yesterday was blessed Inauguration Day. I spent the day right here in my own nest, wiring beads, polishing pendants, and just being so very grateful for this new beginning. The world seems like a warmer and more luminous place now, despite winter's cold, and it's going to be an exciting year as we watch the positive changes that are going to come from this new day!

Behold the Tiny Bezel from Hell

Whew. I would have had better luck at the gaming tables of Foxwoods than I had today at the soldering station, but no matter. It felt so good when I stopped.

This is the tiniest bezel I've tried so far, and it didn't come out too badly...after the third try. This exercise did serve to allow me to test something I've been curious about, which is the durability of the etching after numerous run-ins with a hot torch and some wicked pickle. The backplate here is brass, and it seems to have held up well, so now I won't be afraid to push my luck on second and third tries if soldering problems present themselves again, which could happen at any time. Either the soldering gods are with you on a given day, or they are not, but sometimes, if you are otherwise out of work and either patient or stubborn like I am, they come around eventually.