Settling into the Season…

I love everything about Fall.  Smelling wood smoke and feeling the crisp crunch of leaves under foot.  The sweet anticipation of the holidays (before the panic sets in), the softness of a warm sweater, and the lovely cozy feeling of waking up under my favorite down comforter. I don't usually like stones in the yellow/brown family, but the two gorgeous star sunstones I have are a definite exception.  I set one of them into a simple ring, and it positively oozes with that lovely cozy fall feeling.  Of course, the photo props  helpfully left on my garden bench for me by a busy squirrel help, too.    I

 

And if it’s November, Thanksgiving will be here before we know it.  I’m already browsing through Thanksgiving recipes.    Working at home has brought back my love of creating food that is both good to eat and pretty to look at. I just received my annual beef order from my best friend who raises cattle.  I can’t remember the last time I cooked ‘store-bought’ beef, or had produce from the grocery store.  Our local farmer’s market is still open, so I had a lovely pile of beautiful sweet red peppers this week, the last of the season, along with a bunch of tasty fresh baby spinach and kale.  In addition to my pancake experiments, I’ve also been inventing various meatloaf recipes with the bounty from the farmer’s market.  This week’s version was especially tasty, so I thought I would share.  Now, the reason I make meatloaf  is to get a day’s worth of nutrition into a nice portable little item that can be frozen and/or sliced up for sandwiches, so don’t laugh at my weird list of ingredients!

Confetti Meatloaf

1 lb lean ground beef

1 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup chopped onions

1 large red pepper, chopped

a nice pile of finely chopped spinach and kale (probably 1-2 cups)

1 clove of garlic, put through a garlic press

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup milk or water

1 egg

Stir everything up until well mixed and it kind of holds together.  Turn into a 9 inch loaf pan, and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.   I served mine with butternut squash and green beans. 

So, what have I been working on besides meatloaf?  I’ve been making some new designs in copper, and these earrings, titled ‘Dot on a Wall’ (not the most inspired name, I admit) turned out to be my favorite.  They are a simple abstract  design, with a bark-like texture from my favorite Fretz hammer – definitely going to be adding them to the Abstractions Market at 1000 Markets.    I’m thinking of doing similar designs in both brass and silver, too.  These are a great size to wear, not too big and not too small.  I’m also working on a winter series, and the first pendant is already posted in my Etsy shop.  It’s a cute little golden snowflake on a background of reticulated silver and a lovely little blue topaz for an accent stone.  My favorite new pendant  is this one, which I really love, named Permafrost.  This is a luminous  moonstone the color of pale green moss on a dangle of subtly reticulated silver.  I’m just loving the combination of the frosty reticulated silver with the pale green.  I am trying to do time-consuming processes like reticulating sheet silver in between other jobs so I have enough to play with when the inspiration hits me.  I never tire of the unique textures and feelings that can be achieved with reticulation!

That’s all for now.  Time to let the dog out and get supper going…..see you soon!

Pancakes and Inspiration

I have been feeling quite inspired lately, and everywhere I turn I find more to inspire me.  It must be the crisp fall air that is finally here.  Fall is definitely my time of year, even though I know that a winter of freezing in my studio is just around the corner.  I am dusting off my pile of warm fuzzies as we speak… 

Something else that I love when the weather turns crisp is pancakes.  (I used to own and operate a country inn where breakfast was included, so I am quite the expert on breakfast, ha ha).  It’s been a few years, but I am getting inspired about cooking again now that I work from home.  Lately I’ve been inventing new pancake recipes, and I thought I’d share one of my favorites with you today.  These were inspired by the French Breakfast muffins we used to serve at the inn (I’ll be posting that recipe one of these days).  I love the hints of vanilla and nutmeg combined with the apples and cinnamon.

 Apple Cinnamon Nutmeg Pancakes with Maple Syrup 

1 cup unbleached flour (I use half whole wheat and half white flour)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Scant 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 rounded Tablespoon Sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Maple syrup to taste

 

Topping:

2 large cooking apples, sliced thinly (rome, macintosh or granny smith are great)

2 Tablespoons butter

1 T brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Stir together dry ingredients, beat egg in small bowl, add milk to beaten egg, and pour into dry ingredients.  Stir until combined. 

Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto preheated griddle, keep warm in 200 degree oven.

Make topping:  Melt butter in saucepan, add brown sugar and cinnamon, then add apples.  Cook until just tender. 

Serve pancakes topped with apples and maple syrup and enjoy!

Oh yes, a few chopped toasted walnuts on top are wonderful, too. 

 

While I was enjoying the above pancakes, I thought I’d browse the front page of 1000 Markets.  The first thing I saw was this stunning photo by Gary Gillis.  It is a Hummingbird Moth, and the photo took him 6 years to get!  I believe it, because the clarity is simply stunning.  I spend a lot of time with my camera, and I am always striving (and have yet to achieve) the luminous clarity that jumps out from Gary’s photography – indeed an inspiration.

Another photo of Gary’s that I love is this luminous pink water lotus.  I travelled to a garden in nearby North Carolina a year ago when the lotus were blooming and was just enthralled with these gorgeous and amazingly huge flowers, truly a photographer’s dream.   Of course, my photos were nowhere near the quality of Gary’s, so I shall spare you all.   The colors in this photo are reminding me that I just have to try enamels on my flower jewelry soon.  I can just see a cuff bracelet and earring set in these colors for next spring’s new designs. 

One of my little nature inspired experiments this week at the bench was yet another fold formed leaf.  I’ve been playing with the ‘line fold’ where the back of the fold is hammered flat, and I decided it made a great center vein for a leaf.  This one is done in brass, and accented with a little black star sapphire.  I really quite like it.  Lol, wouldn’t it be great if I could do one in 18kt gold……I keep looking at the gold sheet -one of these days I’m going to buy a couple of inches.

 

That’s it for now….have a great week!

What, October already?

I can’t believe how fast September whizzed by!  My head is spinning!  This September was a big milestone for me – it marked my 1 year anniversary as a full time artist.  It also prompted a  bit of reflection and a serious reality check.  I am happy to report that I survived the reality check.  Making a living as an artist is not an easy thing, and as I head into my second year, I had to pause and make sure that I am not running headlong into disaster.  And I may be, since I am “of a certain age” and now without medical insurance.  But on the bright side, that is the only negative (yes, I know, it’s a very big one, but I’m working on finding a plan) thing I could find.  I still absolutely love what I am doing and wake up inspired each day.  I am much healthier – my blood pressure is way down and I’m (finally!!) losing weight.  My business is still growing by leaps and bounds, and my biggest problem is figuring out how to produce more jewelry in less time while not neglecting  the various ho-hum accounting and paperwork chores too badly.  I am happily planning for additions to my business such as teaching workshops on a regular basis, and I’m steadily increasing the number of galleries and shops that carry my work.   In the end, happiness with my daily life and the freedom to create is more important to me than the financial security that a “day job” brings.   Unfortunately I did have to forgo attending the Jewelry Artist’s Network retreat this year which was a difficult and painful decision, but necessary at this point in time.  I will be there in spirit, if not in body, and am already planning how to swing it next year.

One of the things l love most about my business is the wonderful people that I meet through my shops on Etsy and 1000 Markets.  I received an inquiry a couple of weeks ago from Natalia, the author of a wonderful fashion blog  in the UK called Fashion Titbits who wanted to feature my Etsy shop in an article.  I love  international customers, and am always looking for ways to draw more attention to my work from overseas, so I jumped at the chance to be featured.  She did a lovely interview and is featuring several photos of my work. There is a giveaway as well – anyone can enter today through next Saturday, October 10th.  The winner will be announced on the 11th.  If you love a good fashion blog, (and giveaways, too!) do be sure and pay a visit to Fashion Titbits! 

I particularly loved one  of her posts from this summer, titled ‘Style Secrets A to Z’  What an interesting insight into fashionable pleasures from an international point of view.  Her pick of Bruges, Belgium for “B” reminded me that I need to go back there.  I passed through on a train ride from Amsterdam to Calais, and was positively enthralled.   Alas, we did not have time to explore at all since we only had a few minutes to switch trains.   This gorgeous city is full of history, fabulous architecture and yummy chocolate – I’m ready to pack my bags!

I wanted to post a picture of the new hummingbird ring design I’m working on, but didn’t get a chance to work on it today.  However, I did finish this custom order for a customer which I just love – a lovely brass dragon with a tourmaline and garnet set in 14kt gold.  I’m also working on a dragon ring for another customer that will be her engagement ring – I can’t wait to finish that one, too!