Crafting an Artful Life: Imaginative Musings on Creativity

Filigree’s Beautiful Lace + Wildly Forged Silver
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Filigree’s Beautiful Lace + Wildly Forged Silver

It’s been yet another tough week, here on planet Earth. Frankly, I have been grateful to be living indoors with adequate water and, occasionally, heat. Last week our not-very-old-furnace tripped the carbon monoxide detector when I wasn’t in the house, but my son and husband were. Still, there was electricity to power that alarm to…

A Filigree Rebel with a Reverence for the Past
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A Filigree Rebel with a Reverence for the Past

Thinking back to what made me good at filigree, I’ve probably proven my own theory that that the rise and fall of certain technologies is related to the economic constraints of a particular time and culture…except that it didn’t always. Long long ago (”in a galaxy far far away”…almost 35 years ago!) I was a…

The Online School of Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design
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The Online School of Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design

It’s official! I don’t just teach courses, workshops, and masterclasses. I have my own school. Technically, it’s been official for a while, but after many months of work behind the scenes, I’ve assembled all the pieces, fused the foundation, soldered the connections, forged the materials, and sanded like mad to present my school’s shiny polished…

Art’s Nap Room: Balancing Work in Progress
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Art’s Nap Room: Balancing Work in Progress

As artists, we often find ourselves caught in an eternal flip-flop between states of motivation and states of overwhelm. Having lots of ideas is a sign of healthy creativity. Keeping multiple projects in-progress prevents boredom. Unfortunately, there can be a tipping point when that creative motivation spins out into burn-out or paralysis, and our work…

How to Hammer the Magic + Int’l Shipping Rate Drop
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How to Hammer the Magic + Int’l Shipping Rate Drop

Over the course of my career, there have been a number of pieces that are significant markers of how I’ve been able to pioneer the ancient metalsmithing techniques that are my passion. My Eastern repoussé cuff bracelets stand out among my most favorite and certainly the most talked about of my work. They’re the best…