New Jewelry — Page 22

The Lowly Gingersnap

March 30, 2010 by The Noisy Plume

The thing is, my dear birdies, the chocolate chip cookie gets a ridiculous amount of attention.

The gingersnap is where it’s at.

I’ve been baking these sweet and tenderlicious babies fairly often in the past month and am prepared to share the ultra secret recipe avec toi this evening.

Follow these directions and then taste the nectar of the baking gods:

1 CUP WHITE SUGAR

3/4 CUP SOFTENED BUTTER

1 EGG

4 TBSP MOLASSES

2 CUPS FLOUR

1 TSP SALT

2 TSP BAKING SODA

1 TSP CINNAMON

1 TSP CLOVES

1 TSP GINGER

Cream together the sugar, butter, egg and molasses until fluffy.

Sift together dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture.

Roll small balls of dough in sugar and bake on a cookie sheet at 350F for approximately 12 minutes.

***These are the changes I make to this recipe***

I use 3/4 of sugar instead of a full cup.

I use 1/2 cup of butter instead of the full amount recommended.

I free pour my molasses and wind up using FAR more than 4 tablespoons of the stuff.

I love these cookies.

Nay, I adore them.

I’d recommend them with a cup of THIS tea.

Delightful!

OH GOSH. While I’m on the topic of food. I whipped up some pad thai noodles with tofu

over the weekend and it was so scrumptious, you have to try it. THIS is the recipe I used.

Go heavy on the cilantro.

Also, I didn’t use the tamarind paste because I couldn’t find any in the grocery stores of Pocatello. Mmmfffffffft.

I’m headed for California on Thursday and I’ll hunt some drattedly elusive paste stuffs whilst rambling about The Golden State.

In other news, I made some stuff!

It looks like I’ll be doing a shop update on Wednesday morning,

packing and shipping on Wednesday night

and flying to CA on Thursday morning. WHEEE!!!

Ain’t life grand?

This is the tip of the iceberg of what will be available on Wednesday!

Now I’m off to joggy the oggy doggy,

whip up a tasty dinner

and then RW and I have a movie date!

Smooches to you all,

The Plume

Filed Under: cookies, movies, New Jewelry, pad thai noodle, recipe

The Here and Now:

March 22, 2010 by The Noisy Plume

I’ve been finding inspiration.

Popping up out of the earth.

The morning was damp with rain.

Overcast.

The wind whipped about in hobnailed boots.

But the afternoon has turned bright; rain clouds burned up under the eyes of the sun.

Everything with a heart of green is on the move again.

And I’ve been busy out in the studio for part of the day,

letting new ideas pop into bloom.

Singing in the sunshine as it pours through the window.

Waving my wings.

Tinkering about to Chopin and Jeff Buckley. Singing harmony to Fruit Bats, and more.

Tapping my feet and hammering to the beat.

Pressing my lips firmly together with each stroke of a file.

And now I’m going to go perch in the living room to read, write and watch the

sun go down over the mountains.

I think of you often, while I work.

Where did you find inspiration today?

Filed Under: garden, New Jewelry

Springtime Sighing All Along The Creek

March 19, 2010 by The Noisy Plume


Some weeks are good weeks.
Some weeks are great weeks.
This was a great week.
It must be spring.

Bald eagle's back in the cottonwood tree
The old brown hills are just about bare
Springtime sighing all along the creek
Magpies ganging up everywhere...
[Ian Tyson]

I don't think I've ever appreciated daylight savings quite so much!  
The extra daylight in the late
afternoon has been a joyful shot in the arm for me.  
I'm finding the time to do everything I want to do.
Winter tends to feel like a constant crush for time and daylight.  Do you feel that way?
I'm glad for the new season, it's almost upon us, you know.  
When Saturday clicks over into Sunday
our hearts are going to perform a vernal stampede.  
The magpies will drop 
their gold and fly over to our outstretched hands as we stroll 
about commenting on how everything is 
coming up tulippy.

Even the naked lilacs will grin
in the breeze, thinking about the purple and white poofs to come.
Springtime really is sighing all along the creek.

You know, spring really is a mild mannered seductress.  
She makes you forget all about the things
that need doing -- taxes, chores, running a small business.
She makes you go climbing with Sue in the afternoons.
She makes you run four extra miles just because the sun feels so burly.
She makes you whip up pots of iced tea.
She's oblivious and makes you oblivious 
to your responsibilities.
But I say, after a long, dark winter, we're all allowed to lose 
our sensibilities for a stint.
It's only fair.
It's only balanced.

Back to the stuff.  I was highly distracted, all week long, 
but I managed to finish up a handful of projects
yesterday afternoon before I closed my studio up and took to the hills:

I made a new Saddle Ring. Well, two of them actually. One is mine, one is yours. There’s something so sweet and strong about this piece. It’s incredibly organic to the touch and to the sight. The main body of the ring is actually anticlastically raised making it beautifully tactile and very appealing to the sight. It catches the light in all the right places. Feminine details detract from the bulk of this piece — a fresh water pearl and the faint face of a poppy on the surface of the silver make this ring so delicate for the wearing. This ring is a larger size. I believe it’s around a US ring size 9.75 or 10. Perfect for a pointer finger which is where I have been wearing and loving my Saddle Ring.

A new set of Isadora Earrings for a woman who is cuckoo for teal. I haven’t anything but the very best adjectives in mind when describing these earrings. They are romantic, dark, light, a force of nature, tarnationally organic (NO. TARNATIONALLY IS NOT A REAL WORD.), musical in their movement and somewhat bold. They are quite long and the shank that the stone is connected to is beautifully bound up in sterling ribbon which is so romantic and Swan Lake and ballerinas.

I finally made a Rumors of the Sea Ring. I’ve talked at length about this series in the past so I won’t bore you here but I will make mention of the fact that this piece DOES have a freshwater pearl set inside the enameled dome. Also, all of my enameled pieces are fired multiple times and counter enameled for strength and durability. Gosh. I love this ring and this series. I may never grow tired of it.

Lastly I made a Raven Necklace. I know. You thought I made it through, free and clear of my raven obsession. Nope. Here’s another one! This beauty is built of sterling, 14 karat gold, fresh water pearl and ocean jasper. The pendant actually drops off an incredibly long, hand fabricated sterling bone that I’ve wrapped with sterling ribbon. I’ve balanced the asymmetrical nature of this piece using ocean jasper and leaf which makes for a lovely amount of independent movement within the structure of the pendant. There are so many details to this piece that I’m not sure what else to share with you. Look at the photos! I wanted this pendant to look like a specimen box, of sorts.

On the backside of the pendant is the Latin name for the common raven: CORVUS CORAX

And I’d consider this piece to be part of my Cabinet of Curiosities Series. It’s a bit creepy, a little bit dark, a little bit E.A. Poe (nevermore nevermore) and soooo unique. I really love this design. It feels great on. Musical and heavy.

I’m not sure how many of these pieces I will get listed in the Etsy shop today.

RW and I have a shocking amount of packing and shipping to do which will probably carry

over into Saturday. If you don’t see them for sale today you’ll be able to find this new work up for claiming on Monday!

I hope you are all having a beautiful, Turkishly Delightful

Friday. I want to hop in Talulah and drive up the side of a mountain

with a cup of mint tea and a book about the American Buffalo

but I’m going to work instead.

Because I kind of need to.

Love to you all!

xxxxxxxxx

THE NOISY PLUME

Filed Under: fluorite, New Jewelry, ocean jasper, pearls, raven, rumors of the sea

Freshly Squeezed

March 11, 2010 by The Noisy Plume

Apparently, some days it’s a good day to be technologically challenged!

I am sorry for the delayed update!

But here’s a quick preview before I fly for the Etsy shop for the update!

Two Moderato Rings. Built of purple chalcedony and sterling. A simple setting honors the straightforward beauty of this stone.

A sterling and Laguna Agate ring! Again, this stone is simply set. I’ve been so astounded by the rock I’ve been working with lately, I felt compelled to make a few rings this week that are all about the tiny details. Look for a coined edge with this beauty, some flora on the back of the baseplate and gorgeous Laguna Agate banding that shouts a blistering beauty cry.

A crazy little necklace built of sterling silver, iolite, a bold slice of ocean jasper and a pinch of enamel. This design is an extension of my Rumors of the Sea Series and it is:

elegant

weighty

rich

unique

zany

bold

beautiful

One more necklace that is also an extension of the Rumors of the Sea Series. This one features a mountainous cut of Brazilian amethyst in rough form. It’s so delicate and delicious looking — like freshly whipped cream. I truly adore this stone, and not just because I’m a February baby. It’s 100% handcrafted, touchable, musical and three dimensional. I kind of want to keep it for myself…

Lastly, four sets of Tusk Earrings. Inspired by the Woolly Mammoth of years past. This is an asymmetrical pairing and both earrings are post earrings. Wheeeee! Have fun with these. They are straight, solid sterling construction with design elements borrowed from my antler necklaces. Real beauts for gals who get excited when they find a mammoth corpse out on the ice flows while hiking about in the Arctic.

Alright.

I’ve kept you patient and wonderful people waiting long enough.

I’m going to ignore the water main spay coming out of the front sidewalk and I’m going to start listing.

PLUME

Filed Under: New Jewelry

Delicate

March 8, 2010 by The Noisy Plume

Because that’s how I’m feeling today!

And that’s what this design was born of.

The Delicate Necklace

built of delicate pieces.

The stone is a beautiful, pale, ethereal, pink chalcedony (from a petrified tree limb in Nevada) and is set on the tip of a fabricated tree branch. Two leaves dangle off the branch to give this organic beauty some serious movement and dimension. A toggle closure, featuring one of my fabricated bones seals the deal around your neck. The back of the baseplate features some foliage as well as the word:

DELICATE

in a sweet and sentimental typewriter font.

May she go to the home that suits her best.

Filed Under: New Jewelry, pink chalcedony