Trapped

Isn't this a great photo? This was taken in the woods near where I grew up. He was caught in the barbed wire fence. How he managed that, well, no one said they are the sharpest tack in the box. But they are beautiful. A pliers and a pair of welding gloves later, he was free. Reminds me of the story about the lion with a thorn in its paw and the mouse (I think?) who took it out.

No hawks, humans, lions, or mice were harmed in the making of this story.

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY below! Tweet, facebook, or otherwise spread the word, and post that link in the comments to earn TEN extra entries!

Birthday GIVEAWAY!

Today's my birthday. To celebrate, I thought I would do a giveaway!

You'll receive 3 SLICES -- my slender sterling silver stacking rings --

custom-made just for you in whatever size you'd like. If you'd rather have copper (or a combination), or if you'd rather have a dark patina instead of a shiny finish that's cool too -- it's all up to the lucky winner. :-)

So I guess now I have to figure out what you need to do to enter....

1. Well of course you should visit my Etsy Shop! Take a look around and leave me a comment with your favorite item and why.

For a second, third, and fourth entry, tell me...

2. what styles and types of jewelry you usually wear, and 

3. what goes into your decision to purchase a particular piece, and

4. Is most of the jewelry you buy handmade? Why or why not?

I'll draw some time later this week, so hurry up and get your entries in! Check back to see who the lucky winner is!

Be.

The peonies are pushing their way through last year's remnants.

I love watching all of the perennials come up. I think about how old these peony bushes might be. My guess is they are easily 50 years old; they could potentially be 100 years old, outliving the person who planted and tended them.

Take a closer look at the second and third photos. Do you see it?

He's very well-camouflaged! The leaves give you a little bit of a scale, but it's still hard to tell from the photos how small he is. He would have fit in my hand. I think a rogue cat riled up a nest, and they scattered throughout our yard. Funny how the cute little baby makes me smile, but the grown, garden-eating one doesn't.

My husband chased the cat out of our yard -- I don't know if his hunt was successful or not.  

Life is fragile. Life can change in an instant. Live every day.

ETSY Artist Feature

I'm excited to share this fabulously quirky Etsy shop with you.  Etsy has a lot of pottery to choose from, but take a peek at Ena's shop, and I think you'll find something fun and different.

Her mugs, bowls, candle holders, pitchers, and vases all feature little monsters to keep you company.

Ena says "The monsters often reflect my state of mind when I created them.  After all, I am a bit of a monster too.  Aren't we all?"

She also does cute little engraved cherry wood boxes, bookmarks, and more.

I love functional art, and I love that her pieces remind me to not take life too seriously.

Spa Day

Madison WI ISTHMUS Online Feature

I'm featured on the ISTHMUS website today!  Thank you to Megan Larson for her kind words....a little sample below, or click here for the whole story.

Erin Bowe makes her jewelry look effortless, a true mark of talent. A quick peek into her Etsy Artisan Jewelry shop reveals a collection of beautiful and unique jewelry. A longer look reveals an artist that is truly dedicated to her craft.

Each piece is handmade, whether it is sawn, forged or pierced, with meticulous attention to detail. Her Goddess necklace reveals the many layers of care and effort put into her jewelry. Bowe has textured the copper, hand-sawn the design and completed the pendant with a lovely old-world patina. I love that the surrounding shape is square, making it feel even more unusual.

If you have an interest in trying your hand at making jewelry, Bowe also sells handmade supplies through Fundamental Fragments, an Etsy shop with the same attention to detail as her eponymous boutique. Read more about Bowe and her jewelry on her blog, and see her in person at an Etsy Trunk Show being held at Thorps Barbershop from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, April 17.

Life is what you make it.

If you don't smile when you watch this, then well....I can't help you.

My favorite parts:

0:50 - runaway sheep

1:36 - you're in the wrong place

2:08 - big finish

Treasury

Thank you to slinkymalinkicat for including me in her treasury today!

I just listed the trio of rings on April Fool's Day. I was very happy with how the set turned out. When using Liver of Sulphur as a patina on sterling silver, the results can sometimes be unpredictable. The largest one has been brushed after the patina to show off its texture. I left one of the bands very dark, but polished it just a little bit with a brass brush. The third band has the brushed texture I've grown fond of, and I left it for a very short time in the solution, resulting in a lovely chocolate, almost iridescent color. The silver sphere on that one I polished to a shine.

Don't forget to check out slinkymalinkicat's shop - she has some fabulous vintage prints!

P.S. To those fluent in Spanish, please correct me on my title so I can change it. I think it should be Tres Bolas??