Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Texas with my Mom.  We spent most of our time in Austin, visiting friends, then drove to San Antonio for a couple of days.  The drive through Texas hill country was beautiful and we stopped for a night at a lovely bed and breakfast in Johnson City, watched live country music after dinner (Mom learned to two step, I just took photos), visited the LBJ ranch (and drove the through a herd of cows in the middle of the road) and since we were nearby I insisted we visit Luckenbach so I could see what the song was all about.  This was my first time in Texas, but I certainly hope its not my last.  Everyone we met was so warm and welcoming and the vibrant culture, architecture, and scenery was so inspiring.  I thought I would share a few images from my trip as well as some of the jewelry inspired by my time there.

I had a great time last weekend teaching a private class with two awesome ladies celebrating a birthday.  We did some forging, forming, and since everyone loves to play with fire we did heat patinas on the forged elements.  Andrea and Laura were so much fun and raided my stock to add some creative extras to their designs.  I absolutely love how they turned out!  If you're interested in private lessons or looking for something fun to do with a friend you can purchase them here.  Discounts are available for groups of two or more.  Please contact me ahead of time to discuss scheduling or for a group rate.

I've been thinking about tackling some kinetic pieces for a while now and finally decided  I was up for the challenge.  I made a carnival diorama necklace with a ferris wheel that spins.  Despite being nerve wracking and challenging at times, it was a fun and rewarding project.  I learned a lot and remembered a lot as I had to dig into my mental files and use quite a few of the tips and techniques I learned in college but haven't used in a while.
The wheel is constructed from silver wire and tubing and went through several revisions and simplifications until I decided on a four swinging seat design.  The wheel and stand are around 1.5 inches tall and the total width of the necklace is 2.5 inches.  You can see more videos of the wheels progress here (on Tumblr).  I hope to start on my next piece later in the week.  A necklace with figures hanging laundry on the line, it will not be kinetic but I will get to use some of my new forming tools to make the clothing.

I'm taking suggestions for other diorama pieces, what ideas would you like to see?