I’m somewhat sad to see 2022 draw to a close. In the grand scheme of things, there’s no difference between being in my studio in December 2022 and being in my studio in January 2023 except for the time stamp — the work in there will still be quiet or accompanied by music or a podcast and my files will still sound raspy as they rub against precious metals and my hammers will still do their tapping and my torch will still light with a hiss-and-poof. Sure. But there’s a conclusive feeling to December as I wind work down for the year and create the final pieces of jewelry and tie up loose ends. I wish I had another month or two to dawdle in there. I can sniff the changes that are coming on the breeze and I know these last few weeks will be my last purely selfish studio days of my life (maybe…probably) and I guess I’m little pre-nostalgic for these years of my life that I’ve had to freely squander hours and hours of my days, weeks and months in my creative space. I don’t mind things changing — I think we are built to crave change. We need it for growth, mental and emotional maturation and it’s probably in the tousled aftermath of change that seeds of wisdom are planted and all of these things are worthy of anticipation. I look forward to seeing how being a mum changes my work. I’m not afraid of the changes that are coming.

My last big scheduled shop update of the year will happen on
December 8th @ 5PM MST.
I’ll probably continue to tinker in my studio between now and Christmas, mostly working on some prototyping for springtime designs and exploring a couple tools and ideas, but I need to slow down now and rest now. It’s been a huge year for us between my studio work and our farm developments and we’re relishing these long dark nights in a big way. We earned the quiet and the rest, the fires in the wood stove, the hot apple crisps after dinner, the relaxing herbal teas, the epsom salt soaks, the wool blankets, the books, the favorite movies and a little hibernation. Some nights I do nothing at all except lay beside Robbie on the sofa with my head on his chest, listening to the quiet thump of his heart and soaking up his warmth, letting all my strong little muscles relax while he reads a book…doing absolutely nothing at all.

I have a little shop update for you tomorrow — November 18th @ 5PM MST — it’s not a huge deal, just a few earring batches and some necklaces but the stones I employed felt so right and good and true as I worked with them: rose quartz bullets, sapphires, prehnite, opal, tourmaline and variscite. Lovely stuff. All of it. Sometimes I wonder if the gems I’m working with and touching all day long affect my mood. I’ve needed to feel grounded, energetic, beautiful, appreciated and supported these past couple of weeks and those earthy opal beads and rose quartz pieces really were great stones to work with in that time.

I also brought back my wolf and full moon earrings I debuted last winter. Honestly, I just wanted a pair for myself and then I threw myself, rump-over-tea-kettle, into making a batch for you so now there’s ten pairs looking for good homes and one set I’m going to give away over on my Instagram account tomorrow. I always get a little carried away…I don’t think it’s a bad thing. On the contrary, I feel so grateful I can fall into my work like this, again and again, even after sixteen years at the bench.

I hope you’ll pop by my shop tomorrow and peruse my offerings. Thank you kindly for your support this fall.

I was out wandering last night and I found myself thinking about the seasons and how beautiful October is, draped and drenched in endless gold and yellow. The steppe holds a gentle warmth, an openhanded kindness as the nights grow longer and darker and colder. Each afternoon shines down like a gift on my bare arms and uncovered face. Summer has passed and I do not miss it, I am ready for the season I am in. I am attentive and shifting gears.

I find I’m always ready for the change of seasons. I wondered about that for a while as I walked through the sagebrush last night. I often hear people say they have one season they prefer most and I genuinely don’t prefer one over the others. I adore all four seasons for exactly what they are and what they bring to my life. Some folks hate to be hot or cold or raked over by gale force winds or given the task of shoveling the driveway or warming up or cooling down the car — I accept and even anticipate the duties that come with the seasons. I wonder if there’s a season we don’t enjoy it’s because we have removed ourselves from the rhythm of it? I think the closer we live in league with what the seasons offer us, even the discomforts they provide, the greater our ability to appreciate and even love the uniqueness of each season.

When the garden freezes and the garlic is planted, we rejoice! We’re ready for fall. When fall grows cold and dark and the days brim with inhospitable winds, we are ready for the quietude of winter and rest — we are mammals, after all. When the snow and ice melt and spring comes sneaking fuzzy-green across the steppe, I am eager to hear the first meadowlark. When the heat of summer arrives, my skin drinks the sun thirstily and I grow sleek on garden forage.

I don’t want an endless summer. My body is not equipped to entertain such a novelty, it goes against my ancestry. I want the seasons and all they bring to bear — the rhythms and structure and work and good health and beauty. Most of all, I want the liturgy each season speaks over my cells, my DNA, my soul.

The benediction, no matter the season: Go forth in peace and joy. Work hard and be human.

Amen.

October is half spent but endlessly golden. I’m here, now, living beneath the sunrises and sunsets, embracing the changes, chopping wood and carrying water.

Also bound for my shop shelves on July 17 @ 3PM MST is a batch of my small sagebrush necklaces. I love making my muse immortal in sterling silver. These samples of sage are paired with sky-bright cuts of American turquoise.

Earthy and joyful. Honest and wise.

I named them the Tomboy Rings because they’re not exactly masculine in design but I built them strong and tough and pretty. I got carried away and made thirteen of them with American turquoise and Sonoran Sunrise atop heavy 16ga sterling bands. Little beefcakes!

They’ll be in my shop on July 17 @ 3PM MST! Catch them if you can…if you aren’t too busy climbing trees, setting snares, tearing your jeans, catching tadpoles, aggravating a wasp nest, squashing pennies on the train tracks, swimmin’ in the river or practicing some creative cussing in the shade of a caragana bush.