09.14.20 It's Been Six Months...

Brunch with the family

My, how things have changed...

my last pre-Covid post was March 6...we had just returned from a weekend trip to DC full of family celebrations and a quick trip to the museums.

A week later, my husband was working from home, events - including SXSW, here in Austin - were cancelled and we were headed into an unknown future for an indeterminate time...

I suspended the blog for a while, because I wasn't going to be in the jewelry studio, and frankly, I wasn't sure what to say.

More recently, I've accepted that it is the "new normal" for the foreseeable future.  I'm still not back in the studio...

but I keep hoping that people will wear masks and the transmission rate will come down to a level where I feel safe returning.  

Source: Austin Public Health

After peaking at more than 70 new hospital admissions per day in mid-July, the curve is trending down again...but last Monday was Labor Day, some schools have started and not only have University of Texas students returned to campus, there were roughly 18,000 fans in the stadium at a football game over the weekend...so we watch and wait.

My collection of masks continues to grow, along with my vintage earrings...

I keep picking up shiny things on Etsy and eBay, even though I really have no place to go...so I've been coordinating them...vintage opals, for example, with my Irene Neuwirth mask...

I'm not posting them on Instagram with #todaysearrings every day, but I love earrings, and missed wearing them...

even if I'm only going to pick up curbside groceries or drop things at the post office...so they are popping up again on a more regular basis.

It may sound silly, but putting on earrings makes me feel better...so does polish on my fingers and toes.

Through the wonders of Zoom, I'm able to take regular yoga classes with some of my favorite instructors (even though one lives in Los Angeles, and another in Manhattan)...

the first couple of time I got back on the mat, I noticed that it really bothered me to look down at my unpainted toes.

So, I plunked down $80 for an Olive & June Everything Box (there are less expensive sets, too) because I knew that it was going to be a looong time before I visited the nail salon again...ever?

For what it's worth - the hype is true...their polish is great, it lasts, and their "Poppy" attachment for painting with your non-dominant hand really makes works! Definitely worth it, as I am no longer vexed by my naked nails...on my hands or feet. 

What I'm really saying here is...this is what life is going to be like for a while...maybe a long while, and we are all going to have to adapt.

I would love to be in the jewelry studio, or the yoga studio.

I would love to get a mani-pedi, or a facial or massage.

I would love to have dinner with friends at a favorite restaurant...

but right now, we can't.  

What we can do is try our best to take care of ourselves and each other...

We can stay home.

We can wear a mask when we go out.

We can shop small and local.

We can Zoom with our friends and family to stay connected.

If everyone will do these things, then we just might be able to go back to doing the things we all miss...but we have to be in this together.

Until next time.

02.11.19 Duck, Duck, Goose

This is me - with my friend Dorsey. We've been friends a long, long time. We met as undergraduates at the University of Virginia, where we were both studying religion (she as a major, me as a minor).  When we graduated, we went our separate ways - or so we thought - until one evening just a couple of years later, we discovered that we had both moved to Austin, at almost exactly the same time.

Dorsey spotted me first, I was having dinner with my Dad - she walked across the restaurant and said "Deb, what are you doing here!?"

One of many wonderful meals with friends at Eastside
Photo credit: Betty Weed

I had come to attend graduate school at UT, and she had come to open Eastside Cafe (which closed at the end of January after a fabulous 31 year run) - one of the first eateries to base their menu on locally grown and sustainable agriculture.

After years of running the garden at the restaurant, Dorsey left Eastside to establish HausBar Farm - where she and her wife Susan run a sustainable urban farm and a darling guest house.......which brings me to the ducks, and a very special goose, named Gustavo.

Photo credit: HausBar Farm

As Dorsey tells it, when Gustavo arrived at the farm as a gosling, it was clear he was no ordinary goose.  He is a charming and gregarious bird - he talks to people and other animals, he likes to be held and loved on, and he has become HausBar's official ambassador.  Whenever there are visitors, it is Gustavo leading the tour.

He is such a special goose, that he, Dorsey, and her mom Barbara, have written a book - On Gustavo's Farm.  

It tells the story of his life on the farm - helping to raise ducklings, hanging out with his pals the donkeys and rabbits, how everyone gets along, despite being so different.




I was lucky enough to attend the launch party for the book, and I thought my speckled hen pendant would be the perfect piece of jewelry to wear.

Dorsey liked my pendant so much, that I offered to make one for her with a goose on the back.

We chose a lovely moss agate for her piece - the colors echo the white and gray in Gustavo's feathers and the verdant greens of all the things that grow on the farm.

It is always a joy to make a custom piece, especially for someone who has been my friend for my entire adult life. I say that every piece of jewelry has a story - but I think this is the first time that the story comes from a book by and about a friend.

Photo credit: Gustavo's Farm

If you have a child in your life, I encourage you to follow the link above to Gustavo's page and buy a copy (or two or three) of his delightful book.

Until next time.

07.23.18 Inspired by Austin...

Photo credit: Dallas Morning News

...Ellsworth Kelly's Austin, that is.

When my daughter was home earlier this year, we visited the installation of Ellsworth Kelly's chapel at the Blanton Museum on the University of Texas campus.  It was awesome and inspiring.





The chapel is permanent, but the exhibit of his works on paper and canvas closed at the end of April.  I'm so glad we saw it, because it was filled with bright color, including studies for the glass he would use in the building.

The windows in the chapel are incredible. The colors are intense, beautiful and throw light on to the floor of the building as the sun comes through.

I was especially drawn to the one with the "tumbling squares", which is what he calls the ones set at varying angles. I liked that while being off kilter, they are very precisely arranged.

My daughter went back to school, and I went back to the studio...but I kept thinking about those jewel toned windows...so I decided I would try making a batch of earrings that reflected the design of the chapel.


I thought "what if I made singles?", tumbling square and long bar earrings that could be purchased individually to mix and match in the way each window is a little bit different from the one next to it.



I filled a kiln shelf and waited to see how the pieces would look after they were fired...and remember those "striker" glasses I wrote about...that's what the pale lavender and yellow ones are (they came out of the kiln pink and bright yellow).

I was thrilled!  The baubles look - just as I had hoped -  like little stained glass windows!

So I made dozens of earwires, sent photos to the manager of the Blanton museum shop and crossed my fingers.  I had an initial positive response, then things slowed down because...summer...but I am hopeful that they will eventually find their way into the jewelry case.

Also, because summer, I'm taking a break for the month of August.  If I have an update on the Blanton shop, I'll let you know when I get back.

Until next time.

11.30.15 Shop local: Russell Korman Jewelers

Photo credit: Russell Korman Jewelry

An added bonus of living in one place for a long time is the ability to develop relationships. When you shop at the same places and do business with the same people year after year, it just feels good.  In this world where so many transactions take place with the touch of a button, and no human contact at all, there's a lot to be said for opening a door and being greeted by people who don't just know your name, but know YOU.

Photo credit: Russell Korman Jewelry

For me, Russell Korman Jewelers is one of those places. I've been shopping with the Korman family and their amazing staff for close to 30 years. From inexpensive silver earrings to diamonds and gemstones, and everything in between, I have long thought of these folks as MY jewelers.  Chuck Schaeffer, their master jeweler, has helped me reset my mother's diamonds, and create new pieces for me, my daughter and my niece.  Dennis Warner, their master watchmaker has rebuilt vintage family watches for both me and my husband.

The benefits to shopping local are not just warm and fuzzy - the economic impact is significant.  The exact numbers vary, but doing business with a local retailer keeps somewhere between 50-80% of each dollar spent in the community - as opposed to sending it out of town or even out of state - with an online or national chain.

Starting next week, Russell Korman will be hosting a series of trunk shows featuring a variety of jewelry brands..  These shows are a great opportunity to talk to representatives of the companies and see most or all of the items in a line. No store can carry everything - and nothing compares to seeing the pieces in person, and being able to ask questions about what you are getting.

December 9 - Ippolita - this is one of my absolutely favorite jewelry lines.  Their collections featuring brightly colored stones can only be described as "happy".  At last year's trunk show I bought a pair of blue doublet mini earrings from their aptly named "Rock Candy" collection.  I can't wait to see what they bring this year.

Photo credit: Ippolita

December 10 - Marco Bicego. This is another wonderful Italian line featuring yellow and white gold and colored stones. This summer they introduced a new collection, called Lunaria, featuring aquamarine.  The warm gold and cool blue are beautiful together.

Photo credit: Marco Bicego

December 18 - Armenta.  New to Russell Korman, and to me, is Texas-based Armenta jewelry founded by Emily Armenta.  I was fascinated to read her bio on the website and learn that the genesis for her jewelry company was a class assignment while she was pursuing an MBA at Rice University.  Go the website and read about her for yourself - or better yet - do what I plan to, and stop by her trunk show to meet her in person.

Photo credit: Armenta Collection

Also in store - Jewelry by Cari. I discovered Cari's pieces at Russell Korman years ago - and I own a lot of them. Not only do I love her jewelry, but I appreciate her business savvy and generosity. When I have contacted her directly about having a piece customized she responds by saying "go buy it from them, and that way you are supporting two independent businesses at the same time". It doesn't get any better than that.

Photo credit: Cari Streeter

Located in Central Austin, at 5011 Burnet Road, the staff and jewelry reps will be there from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. - so swing on by, and tell them Deb sent you!

Until next time.