03.01.21 Quarantinewhile* - The Office

We have a four bedroom house, and for 23 years, one of those rooms was the home for my education finance consulting business.  I closed the business at the end of 2019, and planned to devote my time to improving and expanding my jewelry endeavors.

Well, as my grandmother liked to say...

"Man plans, God laughs".  

So here we are in 2021, and I haven't been at the bench in almost a year...I've spent more time than ever in the room that I figured I wouldn't be using much...and I've cleared it out, a lot.

In the beginning, it was about making space to be able to take yoga (over Zoom, of course).  When I started the process, I had just enough space to roll out my mat, but I couldn't really even spread my arms without bumping in to something.

Amazingly, I didn't burn up the shredder

It was a multi-step process...to clear the floor, I had to get rid of or find space for the dozens of binders, bins of files and countless books that were consuming valuable space.

It's a wonder how much paper one person can accumulate in a career (especially if it spans more than 30 years)...in my case, it was enough to fill a 96 gallon recycling bin a half dozen times.

I got rid of a lot, and it took weeks - the greatest limitation being the recycling schedule, although our bin is huge, it only gets picked up every other week - but once I was down to just the things that were worth keeping, I actually had space in my filing drawers...

...so much space, in fact, that I was also able to clear off the top of my desk.

You might think, at that point, I would have stopped - satisfied with my clean and spacious desk top - but instead, I used all that new found space for the kind of fun, new accessories (my husband calls them "unnecessary plastic things") I never had room for when my desk was covered in work.

I started with some artificial greenery...because I can't keep real plants alive.  

I made a lovely little air plant garden at an Crafternoon event with my talented and crafty friend Emily, back in the before times...and managed to kill the plant. I also won a small succulent garden in a raffle from Amanda Deer...and did pretty well with that for a while, but eventually, one by one...they died off, too.

Enter Etsy...and faux succulents...voilà! Plants I can't kill.

I just kept going with the botanical theme...ordering a Rifle Paper pencil cup and trinket dish, and a darling floral desk calendar (all from Paper Source).

Yes, a desk calendar.  Not because it's particularly useful, but it was on sale and just too cute - and frankly too clever - to pass up!

There are six cardboard sections, printed on both sides with a different month and flower. At the end of each month, you turn the section around and place it at the back...so the little garden changes all year.

The last, but far from least, unneccesary plastic things were two SHERO action figures from FCTRY.   Now I have RBG and MVP (Madam Vice President) keeping me company every time I sit down to write a blog post, Postcards to Voters or attend a Zoom meeting (and yes, that IS an Official Inaugural Announcement, on my desk).

It wasn't all silly stuff, either...

I bought a  mug warmer, filled with coffee beans, that you heat up in the microwave to keep my cup o' Joe warm,

a great (and inexpensive) Bluetooth speaker for listening to music, 

and a nifty little technology brush to keep my keyboard dust and crumb free.

So, until I can get back to the jewerly studio, my desk has become a happy place, along with the kitchen (more on that soon).

Until next time.

*with apologies to Stephen Colbert, I totally ripped of  his term "Quarantinewhile".

02.15.21 Polar VorTexas

I had a post all lined up and ready to publish today...but like everything else in Central Texas, it has been canceled due to weather.  Since Saturday afternoon, we have been in an historic series of winter storms, the likes of which Austin has truly never seen.

I have lived in Austin for 35 years, in this house for almost 24, and I hope that this is truly a once in a lifetime photo...6 inches of snow.

I don't like winter. I have never liked winter...and when people ask how I can live in Texas when we have 100+ degree days regularly from June to September, I answer simply...

You don't have to shovel heat to get down the driveway.

This was the 7 day forecast from the local CBS affiliate on Sunday night...the circled low of 1 degree is accompanied by the note "THIS IS NOT A TYPO".  I'm concerned they are going to be right, because the forecast low last night was 8, and when we woke up this morning...it was 9, that's degrees... Fareheit.

The good news, if you can call it that, is that the current mid-afternoon temperature is now 23, several degrees above the predicted high of 17 for today. 

I've actually seen people posting on social media that the current conditions in Texas...in which all 254 counties are under a severe winter storm warning...is proof that global warming doesn't exist. 

I am not a climate scientist, but a I am reasonably well read person, and as I understand it, our weather this week is a direct result of global climate change.

In June, 2020 the town of Verkhoyansk, in Siberia, recorded a temperature of 100.4 degrees Farenheit, a record breaking high.  It wasn't just Siberia, either - Alaska saw record high temperatures as well.  Abnormally warm weather at the north pole displaces the cold air (that usually lives up there) further south...in this case, way south, to the Texas Gulf Coast.

As of this writing, our power and water are on, we have plenty to eat...and the snow is mostly an incovenience.  But while we are personally ok, a lot of people are not.  Climate change isn't just about the weather, it's about social justice and economic sustainability.

I don't think it is a coincidence that this is happening while we are simultaneously dealing with a worldwide pandemic...we have ignored science at our own peril, and if we continue to do so, things will only get worse.

So please...

listen to the scientists and doctors, stay home and wear a mask.

If you have the means to do so...

upgrade your appliances and cars to the most energy efficient ones you can afford, support politicians and organizations who recognize that we must address climate change as an issue of survival.

Stay warm, stay safe and stay informed.

Until next time.

02.01.21 Galentine's Day...the Ladysmiths of ATX Maker Magic Valentine Show

I haven't had much creative energy for a while, which is why my first post of 2021 only appeared last week.  But, I'm back at it - and making up for lost time with new content two weeks in a row.  

In my wrap up for last year, I wrote about how important the Ladysmiths of ATX have been to me in terms of staying connected to the jewelry community, since I can't be in the studio right now...and because of that, I'm going to write about them again.

Meet the Core Team, my Galentine's, with whom I'll be celebrating - our ability to adapt, build community and make space for other makers during these very uncertain times - all this week.

These women are the heart of Ladysmiths of ATX, and I'm not sure how I would have gotten through 2020 without them.  

Our weekly core team meetings and monthly Sip & Smith events (all on Zoom, of course) were some of the high points of my year.

Chelsea is part of the original core team in the shop at Canopy.  From painting the walls in the Canopy trailer to updating the website, she embodies the "we can do it" spirit of the Ladysmiths...and does it all with a smile. In her own words, her work is "inspired by symbols, people, and language, each Fragment piece is meant to instill confidence and comfort."  Her jewelry and wall hangings are exquisite in their simplicity.

Natalie is our "jewelry connoisseur" and expert in all things organizational and marketing.  She designed the "Ladysmiths" logos and did the interviews for the fabulous IG Lives during our Maker Magic Show (she'll be doing them again this week for our Valentine Show).  When she's not supporting us, she's making the world a better place as the marketing manager for a local non-profit organization.

Like me, Charity came to the core team by way of the Canopy gallery, where she was showing her jewelry (this time last year) when Covid struck.  Her work is the epitome of "one man's trash is another man's treasure". She works in a range of materials, including discarded single use plastic. She transforms unwanted containers and bags into organic, gossamer like creations. Additionally, her enthusiasm for creating a virtual market for makers in the absence of in person holiday events was a driving force behind the Maker Magic Show concept.

...and because y'all showed our featured makers so much love at the end of the year with our Maker Magic Holiday Show, we're doing it again! 

The Maker Magic Valentine Show will run all week on the Ladysmiths of ATX Instagram. There are a dozen diverse, talented, Austin based women makers (including me) in the show, and they will be sharing their beautiful work.

In addition to the community and camaraderie, being part of the Ladysmiths has pushed me to continue putting my jewelry on social media and promoting it, even though I'm out of the studio.  It's hard to get excited about being a metalsmith when I haven't been at the bench or had a tool in my hand for almost a year.

Focusing on the themes of love and friendship - and feeling especially grateful for the support of so many women during period of social distancing - I'll be posting pieces with decidedly feminine details on my feed throughout the week. 

So whether you are a maker, a shopper, or simply someone who appreciates quality craftsmanship and creativity - make sure you are following the Ladysmiths of ATX on Instagram - so you don't miss anything!

Until next time.

1.25.21 Pearls of Wisdom

On my desk: FCTRY Action Figures
and my Official Inaugural Announcement

Happy first Monday of the New Year!

I know we're now in the fourth week of January...

...but as far as I'm concerned - the new year started at 12:01 last Wednesday, when Kamala Harris and Joe Biden were sworn in as Vice-President and President of the United States.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, it should come as no surprise that I am going to write about our new Vice President...

...and pearls.

I don't know about your social media feeds, but on Inauguration Day, mine was flooded with posts from women wearing pearls (and Chucks, if they had them...sadly I do not).  

For this post, most of the photos of the Vice President and her jewelry - as well as some of the background information on the pieces - are courtesy of the wonderful Instagram account Kamala's Closet.

📷 @kamalascloset
AKA lapel pin

There has been a lot written about why pearls are Vice President Harris' (I get chills typing that!) go to when it comes to jewelry.  

As an undergraduate student at Howard University, Ms. Harris became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA*) sorority, the first intercollegiate Historically Black Greek Letter Society in America.  AKA was founded at Howard in 1908, by a group of women known collectively as the "20 Pearls".  There are 20 pearls incorporated into the design of the sorority's official pin; they surround an ivy leaf logo.  So, certainly that's a big part of it...

...an article on WhoWhatWear has a slide show of the Vice President wearing pearls that covers 35 years...back to her Howard University graduation in 1986.

📷 @kamalascloset
Irene Neuwirth Gumball Pearl

I began supporting Kamala Harris for President pretty much from the time she announced - when there was still a cast of thousands vying for the nomination - and that's when I first noticed her pearls.  She wore an Irene Neuwirth necklace (a designer I love and follow) for multiple television interviews. 

I don't imagine I will ever own a piece of her jewelry, but at the beginning of the pandemic, Irene Neuwirth sold beautiful, reversble masks made from Liberty of London fabric as a fundraiser for Campaign Zero.  I bought one - and it came with a lovely handwritten note.

Anyhow...back to the Vice President...

For her inauguration, Ms. Harris wore a custom pearl and diamond necklace created by jeweler Wilfredo Rosado.  In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the jeweler said

📷 @kamalascloset

“The necklace has a few unifying themes; the gold chain link symbolizes strength, the pearl is representative of both femininity and resilience, and the diamonds add a hint of glamour that I felt was perfect for the occasion”

📷@ireneneuwirth

For the evening inaugural festivities, the Vice President returned to Irene Neuwirth, who created this spectacular pair of bespoke earrings - with 20 PEARLS!! 

The Vice President isn't the first high profile woman in public office to make a statement with her jewelry.  Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright often used her pins to send a message about the state of the world, her mood, or sometimes even how she felt about foreign leaders.

Like other aspects of her political career - first in California, then the US Senate, and now as Vice President of the United States - Ms. Harris' sartorial choices have the power to send strong messages.  By wearing clothes and jewelry designed and made in America, by women - especially women of color - she reinforces the value of art and creativity, and promotes the concept of "if you can see it, you can be it".

For the next four years, and hopefully many more after that, we can look to Kamala Harris to show by example that the future is creative and female!

* Side Note: one of the last pieces I made before we went into pandemic shut down was a custom pendant - a gift for an AKA Sister.  I did some research before making the piece, and it's been thrilling to have even a small connection to VP Harris' community.

Until next time.

12.28.20 2020 Hindsight

I am an optimist...sometimes to the point that it annoys my family...but this year has really tested my ability to see the glass as half full. 

As we approach the end of this year, I suspect I am not alone in saying I will be glad to see 2020 go...it been a year marked by cancellations, disappointments and stress...and yet, when I look back, I see it was not all bad.

I know by now we all have a love-hate relationship with Zoom (side note - I used an earlier version about five years ago, when I worked remotely on a project in Pennsylvania - trust me, it's much better now)...without it, and the ability to stay connected to my community, this year would have been so much worse.

There was no family vacation this summer, or Thanksgiving gathering at my mother-in-law's, but we've had a family Zoom every week since spring...and catching up with my kids each Saturday has been a joy!

This was supposed to be the year of my 35th college reunion...and when it didn't happen, my roommate (who you will remember from previous posts about my visit to Wisconsin and her son's fabulous wedding) suggested we have a mini-reunion with our dormmates...on Zoom...we did! It was really fun.

There have been no trips to the studio - of any kind - jewelry or yoga.  I haven't been making pendants at home, but I have been able to practice yoga with some of my favorite teachers - including two who have moved away from Austin and now live in LA and NYC.

Spending a few hours each week on my mat with these fabulous women - even virtually - has gone a long way towards keeping my body and my spirit healthly.  I don't know what I would have done without them.

Even though I haven't been at the bench - I have stayed very connected to the jewelry community through the Ladysmiths of ATX.

Joining them as a core team member and seeing them every week has been one of the things truly keeping me going.

The group made the difficult decision not to renew the lease on the Canopy space, and close the physical shop...not knowing how long the shut down would go on.  As a result there was no longer a physical space for our community to come together.

Since I signed up for a paid Zoom account (for other reasons...mostly weekly chats with my kids in the beginning), I started hosting a monthly online Ladysmiths social event - Sip & Smith - to connect with and support other makers in a virtual space, at least for now.

In June, in the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, our community of women makers came together in just a couple of weeks to hold an online auction that raised over $11,600 to support organizations committed to justice for women and LBGQTI+ individuals in the Black community...

and just this month we hosted a virtual market - the Maker Magic Holiday Show - on Instagram.

The one place I have been able to go safely - every week - is the Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller. Never have I looked forward to grocery shopping as much as I do now.  I've been meeting a friend (masked and socially distanced, of course), we park and visit while we take a Sunday stroll the few blocks to the market and back again.  

I'm so thankful for my community - they have made me happier, healthier and kept me sane - through this very challenging year. I'm also grateful to those of you who continue to follow along on the blog.  To be honest, it's been hard to write this year...in part because I haven't had anything to say about jewelry...but writing helps me to process the things going on in my life, and in the world around me.

I hope you are staying home, staying safe (wearing a mask) and that you, too, can look back on 2020 and find some small amont of good...and of course, that we can all begin to return to the people and places we miss in 2021.

Until next year. 

12.14.20 Home for the Holidays - Part 2

Just before Thanksgiving, I wrote about going to Ballet Austin to record the descriptive audio narration for the feature length film of the Nutcracker that is now available for home viewing.  On Saturday, the Home for the Holidays package was released, and I felt a not so small swell of pride when I opened the page and saw this:

It was a little weird to hit play and hear my own voice coming through the speakers on my computer...but it was exciting, too.

For two decades, Nutcracker has been a part of our lives...

as soon as our daughter began taking classes at Ballet Austin Academy, her dream was to have a role in the performance.  Once she was old enough - she did - every year for a decade.  From her first year as an angel, to her last as a rat...when she was part of the "new" (now seven years old) production with updated battle scene choreography and costumes.

My involvement paralleled hers - not onstage, but behind the scenes. I drove carpool, wrangled angels and mice backstage and began voluntering as a docent...first at her elementary school, then at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impared, and finally (the year she went away to college - and Nutcracker no longer started in September for us), taking on descriptive narration for the school performances.

When the Ballet Austin staff reached out during the summer, and asked if I would come into the studio and record the description for Act I (which would be sent to schools all over Central Texas so third graders would not miss their Nutcracker opportunity) I said, of course!

When they called again, just before Thanksgiving, to ask if I would be willing to return to do Act II, so they could include the narration with the full length film, I was honored.

It really wouldn't be the holidays around here with the Nutcracker - so we were delighted to be able to watch it at home (I now know how to cast from my phone to the television through the Roku).  It was different from other years, too be sure, we were in our sweats on the sofa...but they were great seats...and we loved seeing our friends - many of whom are my daughter's former teachers - perform.

Not only is the film beautiful but Ballet Austin is offering extra digital content each day...including a hilarious bit where the rats run around the empty building wreaking havoc.

Just click on the Home for the Holidays link at the top of the post, and you, too can sit back and watch sugarplums dance across your screen.

Here's hoping that next year, we'll be back in our seats watching the Silberhaus family live and onstage again.

Until next time.

11.30.20 Retail Therapy

At the Ladysmiths of ATX
gallery at Canopy Austin

Last year, I had a great holiday selling season, with pop up markets at Pottery Barn and Creative Side, and my work shown in the Ladysmiths of ATX gallery at Canopy Austin.

This year will be very different, I imagine the only sales I will make will be through online events and my Etsy shop - but my jewelry doesn't represent my livelihood - for many other artists I know (and plenty I don't), holiday shopping makes or breaks their annual income.

It would be hard to overstate the negative impact that Covid-19 has had on artists and businesses...including, or maybe especially, makers.

My work in the Canopy Austin gallery 

The New York Times reported that "small businesses account for 44 percent of all U.S. economic activity" and a story in the Washington Post led with the sentence "More than 100,000 small businesses have closed forever as the nation’s pandemic toll escalates".

Never has the concept of "Shop Small" been more important.  Buying work directly from a maker, or through a local gallery does more than just give you warm fuzzies as a shopper, it can have both an emotional and financial impact on the person who crafted the items you buy.

Buying from a maker results in a more personal and thoughtful gift.  It will be one of a few or one of a kind, hand crafted rather than made through production (and maybe even out of the country).

Buying from a maker supports them as an artist.  It demonstrates your commitment to craftsmanship and creativity.  The creation of the item is personal, which makes it a more meaningful gift.

Buying from a maker has a positive financial impact, not just for the artist, but for the local economy.

The Local Multiplier Effect (LME) - and economic concept that looks at money spent small and local, versus in a large national retailer or online - means that dollars spent with a local artist or vendor stay in the local community.  Those dollars continue to circulate locally, supporting other businesses, rather than leaving the community.  The impact of a dollar spent locally can be several times greater than a dollar spent in a big box store or online. 

While there is no physical retail space this year, the Ladysmiths of  ATX are working hard to create a virtual space for women jewelry makers. 

Starting this week, November 28, through December 6, they will be hosting an online holiday market on their Instagram feed and stories. They will be highlighting nearly two dozen jewelry artists using the hashtags:

#makermagic2020 and #LSATXMM20.

These are just a few of the faces behind the social media posts and accounts you will see over the next couple of weeks at the Ladysmiths of ATX Maker Magic Holiday Show...

not only are these talented women crafting beautiful jewelry, they all need to buy groceries and pay bills - and I guarantee that they will be more excited about and grateful for your purchase than a big box store or major online retailer.

Some of the Ladysmiths of ATX on Zoom

I understand that handcrafted, artisan gifts may be harder to find this year because there are almost no in person markets, and these items can be more expensive - so not everyone can afford to purchase them - but I encourage you to look online for virtual markets, or seek out small shops in your area.  These folks are your neighbors, they make up your community, and they deserve your support.

Until next time.