Happy Holiday Sales

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! This morning, I posted sales in my Etsy shop. There are a few items marked 25% off the list price for Black Friday only, and all my Gems for Neck and Ears are marked 20% off the listed price from today through December 24. Follow these links to check out these sales. I will be phasing out all of my gemstone jewelry from the Etsy shop and from my inventory at home by the end of the year, so now's the time to buy. Once it's gone, there will be no more.

Black Friday sales...

Gems for Neck and Ears sale...


I hope you all have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving and that you enjoy a precious time with family and friends. Be sure to hug the ones you love!!

Two Weeks Later...

Wow... I can't believe I let my blog sit for almost two full weeks without a post, but that tells you, dear readers, that I have been somewhat busy. With what? you ask. In no particular order, the following:

1. Blueberry picking and baking
2. Dogcare for some wonderful friends
3. A visit from my NY brother-in-law and his two young children
4. Redesigning my personal website
5. Researching & purchasing a new affordable camera (Nikon Coolpix S570)
6. Painting
7. New jewelry
8. Songwriting

There was plenty, I assure you, to keep me away from my blog for those two weeks! Please take a look at my website, which may still have some kinks to work out as I've been told by someone in the know that not all the pages look just right in Firefox. I use Explorer as my browser, and everything looks fine there, but so many people use Firefox these days, so I've got some tweaking to do. But here's the link:
www.kneedeepstudio.com

And here's a look at the latest jewelry creations. These are made from Damascus steel, which is handforged by my husband John. These pieces are not etched; instead they consist of many hundreds of layers of steel which has been heated over a hot forge, then folded and hammered... over and over again to make the design. There are several steps after that process to get it where you see it now, but needless to say, it's a long, slow, hot process. I will list at least one pair of earrings on Etsy in the next day or so.




I have also been doing some painting in preparation for Black & White, a show sponsored by Associated Artists, the artists group of which I've been a member for several years now. Working in only black and white is fairly challenging. Here are the paintings in process certainly not completed yet. Hmmm... I better get back into the studio since these must be delivered next Monday!!


Thanks for following, and for your patience. And stay tuned... an interview with one of my favorite handmade soapmakers will be posted this week!

What to Wear?

Not too long ago, I received in the post this fabulous bamboo jersey T... so stylish and sexy and soft and just all around gorgeous... from GinaMicheleVintage. She sells her own original designer styles as well as wonderful vintage finds. This T is one of her originals, and I fell in love with it as soon as I opened the package. Of course there was still snow on the ground and a cold wind in the air, so I've had to set it aside and wait for the warmer temperatures to arrive. Well, they're coming, along with the springtime sun and the flowers... finally!

So today I decided to do a little window shopping on Etsy to see what I might find that would go with my new cobalt blue T. I thought you might like to have a look with me.



So I started with this fun and fabulous circle skirt by textureclothing

Then I found these wonderful leafy enameled earrings from decoratethediva...

If I'm feeling a little bit festive, I might add these lovely hair pins by poetica in my hair

Then I'd drape this gorgeous beaded necklace from beadworksbykerri around my neck

For my wrist, a sweet little felted wood bracelet by ingOOte, whose work I attest for first-hand!

And to carry my must-haves, which aren't many, I'd take along this Everyday Purse by annyandme

And last, and definitely not least, I'd sport these gorgeous Ariat cowgirl boots... a girl can't have too many...

So you may notice that I am not one who likes to match everything perfectly, and I like to wear things just a little bit different. And that's why Etsy is a perfect place to shop! So many choices, so many styles, and something for everybody! Give it a whirl, if you haven't yet!

Past Life...

A new pair of earrings just listed in the Etsy shop, these are some of my favorites. I am drawn to the earthy quality and the hidden memory in the beautiful sea coral and agates that are featured.

Light and Life: A Few New Pieces

Finally we've had some sun and some warmer temps to help melt the remaining ice-encrusted snow we still have on our ground. For the past two mornings, I took advantage of the wonderful light and photographed some new jewelry, which I've begun listing in the Etsy shop.

Spring Blooms


Summer Sky

The Trinity... three pieces in one



Earth and Sky



Here's to spring colors, light, life, and sunshine!

Nature Around Your Neck

Each season of the year brings marvelous colors, and I never cease to be amazed at the beauty of them. Of course my paintings are influenced by those wonderful mixes of colors, but my jewelry is definitely inspired by them. I tend to work my beads, I suppose subconsciously, based on the hues of nature... and in this case, Mother knows best!

This week, I did some research, if you want to call it that. I went through many of my photographs and found that yes indeed... my jewelry tries to live up to the gorgeous colors in the natural world around me, the world that I so enjoy photographing as I hike, birdwatch, or tend the garden. So take a walk through the seasons and see some of the results. Jewelry title links you that piece in my Etsy shop or on my website.

SPRING... Spring Romance

SUMMER... Forest Dreams

FALL... Leaf Shimmer

WINTER... Winter Ice

SPRING... Sunrise Sparkle

SUMMER... Summer Garden

FALL... The Good Earth

WINTER... Winter Sky

SPRING... I'm In Love

SUMMER... Dance of the Flowers

FALL... Moon Over the Mountain

WINTER... Circle of Life


I have many more photos but I'll share those at a later post.

Signs of Spring: Tuesday's Treasures

Surely it can't be much longer, not when you go out in the melting snow and find daffodil shoots seeking out sun and warmth, as I found on Sunday afternoon. Definitely a welcome sight!

After our last round of snow and ice on Friday and Saturday, we were without power for just shy of 48 hours, the storm wreaking havoc on our county and the ice covering the pines and hardwoods all throughout our area and especially on the tops of the mountains. All over these country roads you can find evidence of the pine trees really taking a hit; many of them fell across the road and will now become wood for campfires for the upcoming hiking and camping season. Here are a couple photos from our brief excursion on Sunday, before we went out to collect more firewood:




But... what I really wanted to show you today are these wonderful pieces from Etsy shops, all of which give us hope that spring will surely arrive, and it won't be too soon for me!

A beautiful altered photograph by dahliahousestudios...

Metal art and wallhanging by frivoloustendencies...

A happy little painting by loveartworks, who typically works in clay...

Ah... bicycles are surely a sign that warmer days are coming, by studio1212...

And finally, fun flowery earrings by wildwomanjewelry...

Until next time, remember to buy handmade and shop Etsy!