New Jewelry for the New Year!

So, I made these about a month ago but they were snatched up so quickly at open studio that I never got a chance to post them.  You may be wondering why I titled this post "New jewelry" then.  Well,  I thought I'd start the new year off writing about my plans for some new jewelry pieces that were inspired by these beauties!  And it would give me a chance to share photos of them, even thought they sold because I'm excited about how they came out.

A while back, I ordered a bunch of vintage glass stones and the vendor was kind enough to throw in some extra stones.  Of course I was inspired the most by the unexpected ones, like these textured blue glass stones.  My husband and I had a sketch night and if you look closely you'll see the sketch for these earrings along with a bunch of other ideas that I have yet to make in reality.

So, for 2016, I'll be incorporating more stones in my work, using some of the natural cabochon and vintage glass stones I've had kickin around for a while so get ready for some new one of a kind pieces to hit my shop soon!  I'm also going to be working with more cast pieces and copper, of course.  I got a fold forming book for christmas and a big sheet of copper that's just been waiting for me to make something out of it.  Before I end, one more photo of these earrings!  I'm really happy with how they came out.  It's been a while since I've done any stone setting but it's just like riding a bike!  As always, I used green earth, recycled, sterling silver for the majority of the design.

SCAD Road Trip Part 3, the Final Chapter

Last installment of the road trip!  We drove all the way back along the coast road,stopping at places that we found or were recommended to us.  It was inevitable that we visit a few touristy places, they're kind of hard to avoid on the east coast. 

We made it to Myrtle Beach, just in time for dinner.  Having a salad when outside dining by the beach is a little dangerous.  I lost a lot of lettuce to the breeze but the pit stop including our walk on the beech and a ride on the Skywheel was much needed.  After a good night sleep we're ready for more adventures!
It was a long drive to Virginia Beach so we went to Brunswick Town/ Fort Anderson first, a short drive from our hotel in Wilmington, NC.  There was a wedding going on and we didn't want to disturb them so we didn't stay long but seeing the ruins of the old town was a nice start to our day.  

We also stopped along Wilmingtons riverwalk for a little shopping and lunch. 

........and it poured on us.  So, off we went to Virginia Beach.  A long drive but we made it just in time to get a photo with Poseidon and drove down the strip a ways before heading north again.


We made it over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel just after sunset and had fun guessing how much farther we had to go.  It's impossible to tell that the bridge is 20 miles long when you start out on it.  Even though it's a longer drive, the coast road is way more interesting because of things like this. 



The next morning we visited Kiptopeke State Park before heading farther north.  There were lots of people fishing off the pier and you can see the WWII era concrete ships creating the break water in the background.  It wasn't at all what we expected but an interesting place that we were glad we stopped.

We decided to take a little detour over to Chincoteague Island because we heard the wildlife was pretty amazing and we might even be able to see wild horses there!  These are the only pictures I took on Chincoteague, from the safety of the car, because we had a little issue when trying to hike the marsh trail.  My travel buddy, Shelley, illustrated a fabulous comic that tells the true story of our experience there.  Definitely check it out on her deviant art page.

From here we drove to Lewes, DE and took the ferry over to Cape May, NJ.  We didn't have much time in Lewes before our ferry left, just enough to drive around a little and get the sense that we need to go back there.  It's ADORABLE!  Since we skipped most of the lighthouses on our way up the coast we decided to stop to see the one in Cape May before the drive home to CT.

 I was fascinated by this fort on the beach, such an odd juxtaposition.  But we didn't have time to go in for closer exploration.  We were losing daylight and still held hope that we'd make it home before midnight.  So, off we went, the last leg of our journey...... 

I'm back home in my studio now and super excited about using all of the photos, inspiration I gathered and new techniques I learned to make some new artwork this summer!  I'll be back soon to share what I'm working on.

SCAD Road Trip Part 2!

In my last post I talked about the road trip down to Savannah Shelley and I took a couple weeks ago and some of the things we did while we were there.  So, our adventures continued when we took a drive out to Tybee Island one afternoon to check out the beach and dip our feet in southern water. (so much warmer than ct!) While we were there, we watched the fishermen at the end of the pier catch a couple stingrays before tossing them back in the water and on our way back we stopped by the lighthouse.  Amazingly enough, our first lighthouse of the trip!

Our last night in Savannah and we found someone willing to use their key to get us into the speakeasy!  And.....as luck would have it, they were doing a burlesque show that night!!! Sorry folks, this is the only photo I've got of the place.  If you can find it and convince someone with a key to take you, it's definitely an experience.  

Not to change the subject but....Did I mention I am absolutely in love with the live oak trees!!!??  Plenty of photo ops with the spanish moss at Wormsloe State Historic Site.  This is the last place we went in Savannah before starting our journey back north!  This may look familiar, a scene from Forest Gump was filmed here.  I didn't have to do any editing to these photos, this place is amazing!

but, it can't all be serious.....

(No moss was actually touched in the taking of these photos for fear of chiggers..... They're real)

How could I not be inspired........ These textures are absolutely going to appear in some of the work I'm planning next!

Next stop, the Old Sheldon Church ruins.  a little off the beaten path but completely worth it.  Peaceful and gorgeous, this was another favorite!  The contrast between man made and natural gets me every time!

Resurrection ferns, the name says it all.

Stopped in Charleston around lunch time, not at all what I expected!  What a beautiful little city!  Loved rainbow row and all of the old houses from the 1700-1800's.  

 So many adorable little side streets and alleyways.  It's worth it to take a slow stroll so you don't miss something amazing in one of the nooks and crannies.  The patina on the brick and the combination of old architecture and nature turned me into an obnoxious tourist with my camera.  Last installment will be in a few more days!  We're headed north and only a few more stops to go!