Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tea for Two

In yoga the other day my teacher told me
to invite my fear to tea;
perhaps then it could tell me why it has been so strong and so constant
for such a long time

And so I made a space
in quiet meditation
where I set the table and laid out my favorite tea cups.
I brewed rose-scented black tea, my favorite,
and offered a cup to my companion
asking
politely,

"So why are you here so consistently?"

Sipping its tea slowly and thoughtfully, fear's cup clattered to the table in epiphany...
It looked me in the eye and cried,
"I am trying to save your life!

"I bring to mind mountain lions so that you don't get lost in the woods
I make you blush so that dangerous strangers cannot get too close
I know the things that lurk in the night
And the noises in your heater that will cause a fire...

I have seen centuries of pain
and eons of cruelty!

In every moment
In all of your lifetimes I have been here
trying so hard to save that beating heart
I am devoted to
.
and
.
every
.
time
.
I
.
have
.
failed."


We both sit silently for a while now, fear and I...

For me, it becomes a matter of cultivating compassion instead of wanting to push madly,
understanding the good intent behind the stream of words I still cannot always decipher from instinct....

for fear, it becomes a matter of simply understanding that it will lose me
again
.
and again
.
and again
.
unceasingly.



For all things it is true that love means letting go;

even the stuff we most wish to shed
may, in its adoring, cling more tightly
to our breast.




Once More, with Feathers...

The last elk scarf-lace for a bit....
feathered friend

This one doubles as a thick cuff for a wrist 6 inches or under...

Oh, my heart....

Tagua nut button in softest orange...

riveted

lace-d

oh my gosh this design fills my heart up something fierce!!


In the Leather Shop tonight!

xoxoxox,
Allison

Burlesque Scarflette

Oh, my....

Look out, boys: magenta leather scarflette coming through!!

But it won't just simply walk on by with a measured clicking of sensible heels - oh, no....

This little luxe piece will shimmy past with a flutter of maribou stilette slippers and the unmistakable sound of toms and horns...

This baby is burlesque!!!

Feminine mystery and sweetness wrapped in a tartness that never lets you mistake it for naive...

Pink and black tooled rose round
palest pink nut button
tiniest silvertone rivets
and hand-punched organic lace.

Ooooh

La

Laaaa!!!!!

Fits up to a 14 inch neck.
In the Leather Shop today!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Wild Warmth

Though not quite a necklace, this unique and soulful piece is neither a scarf: rather, it is a hybrid, the best of both worlds:
warming
cool as a hipster without the irony
wild
and somehow tame

like Pocahontas in England.

A warm mustard Elk hide
one side of the edge left natural, the other
given a punched, elegant lace (found all through the design)

A small button of bean sprout stitched on
and the wee-est rivets placed on either side of the button hole to ensure it doesn't continue to grow...

It is so soft, so lush and so chock full of prayer and meaning: picture me hanging on for dear life as Inspiration moved quickly
and dictated tasks....

"Scallop," it said.
"Punch more!" it cried
"Tea, please!" it implored....

yeesh!!! Is creativity always so demanding???

A strong, delicate piece of my heart
in the Leather Shop this morning.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Working by Lamplight

As the season moves toward the time of Giving, I find myself working into the evening, which falls early these days.

My tools glisten in the light of a gorgeous antique lamp
and steam rises from a mug of tea
which will certainly soon be forgotten.

Ideas challenge me to make them real...
new techniques win their own thunder...

That gorgeous copper round that was going to become a part of a Lucky Strike piece?

It became its own necklace, the work being so exciting and worthy of its own place.
I am so smitten with engraving, with forming...

In this time of the year when the light fails early in the day, I find solace in the Caribbean colors of my studio walls
and the joy that artistic endeavor creates.

I feel like Santa, dressed in prettier clothing, making beautiful things that will adorn beautiful women and wondering to whom each piece belongs, because truly each piece already belongs to someone as soon as it becomes physical.

I look forward to these early-dark days before the winter solstice and the peaceful work therein.

Love,
Allison

Thursday, November 25, 2010

The Chef

The Queen

The Jester

and the princely Schmill

all wish you a very very merry and filling and joyful and laughter-rich
Thanksgiving.

I continue to be in awe of and grateful for your friendship and incredible support:
you are a big part of my life, of our lives.

In Gratitude and Love,
Allisunny and the Family

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Four Pairs of Sweets

Kingman turquoise, gorgeous vintage glass bits from my very favoritest (yes, it is a word I swear) rare bead store
and machined brass droplets from NYC...

four sweet and wonderful pairs of earrings with a great deal of warmth and handmade everything (except the ear nuts)

Molecule Earrings

Spoiling Yourself Earrings in Kingman Turquoise

Juicy Earrings

Jelly Mint Earrings

In the Metal Shop today!!

Off to list and then I will bake my first from-scratch Pecan Pie and loaves of my Mom's fresh baked bread!

Family-in-Love arrives in a bit and then the festivities begin!!

xoxoxo,
Allison

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Marvelous Offerings of Monday

Dearest Priday Plume Necklace with the sweetest words "Te Amo" on the back: this is a collector's stone for certain: two pink plumes sitting somehow in FRONT of the scenery, like a mossy jungle looking quite like Birds of Paradise, which I'd never seen until I arrived in California... plants named after birds, who'da thunk!

The chain on which this necklace is strung is study for certain and the whole kit and caboodle will find itself in the Metal Shop tonight.

This Priday is the first of my collector's plume series, and it's quite a darling way to start it off.
Note how the scalloping and edge details mimic the wildness of the forest in there... wonderful stone!!!

A tiny Moctezuma agate sits center stage in this gorgeous scalloped leather cuff. The stone is inlaid with a backing of solid sterling and the scene is decidedly beachy and uplifting...
this is one to get you through the winter.
Fits a size 6 wrist.

In the Leather Shop tonight!!

Gemmy chrysoprase with SUNSTONE faceted beads. Oh, they sing, they flash, they zing the air around them with pure joy.

Love!!!!

A Tree Grows over my Heart necklace in Dendritic Agate with turquoise accents!

These sweet necklaces always make me a bit emotional, because of their meaning.

And HERE: a flower of your very own, moonstone and sterling oxidized black on the inside, brushed on the outside, with the sterling dewdrops getting the full shine treatment....



Size 9 heading to the Metal Shop in a dot.

Heaven

That boy.....
sigh :)

xoxo

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Christmas in my heart

Heat-colored copper (I honestly don't know how it happened to become a gorgeous brick red, if anyone knows these things then I beg you enlighten me!)
with a labradorite center...
a prototype of a flower I would like to make quite a few of...

Down the center of each petal runs a thin engraved line, and on its bright and shining petals are a few drops of sterling dew...
This one, the first born of its kind is precious to me.

When I woke up this morning I was giddy, the way you are when you've made something you really love...that child-like Christmas feeling inside!


These are my home footwear until at least April: I look like I belong on a set back in the late 70s for Star Wars as an extra on the planet Hoth, but man oh man are they warm!!

They are Emu boots, Maitress is the model.

The leaves really do change here in San Jose, much like in dearest Petaluma, the main difference between here and the East Coast is the profusion of color over there and the lateness of the season over here...

I must say, it warms my heart to see fall happening again, though it is late and underwhelming: six years of no change (though the trees in Los Angeles DO lose their leaves, they just kind of brown and fall down) autumnal signs do bring me joy!!

Like persimmons
squash
chards
and
steaming mugs of tea....

I wish you all a wonderful weekend and send you fond thoughts on this rainy Saturday in California!

xoxoxox,
Allison

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Engraving and Forming, the First Fruits

Gentle, curving lines I previously didn't know how to effect are now flowing out of my hands like silk...
I practice everyday.

This is a component that will soon go into a necklace with one of my Lucky Strike Agates and boy oh man am I excited!!!

With my newfound forming knowledge I crafted a ring, a flower with five undulating petals and an agua nueva agate center: milk white, red, brown and darkest black.

This one is for the wee fingers, fit for a 5.5.

Be still my heart!!!!

A few more beauties on the bench for this week are these:

wowsers Morrissonite in UNREAL shades of pink, mustard and brown... it's just too pretty, too rare..

One of my slices of Priday Plume!!!

I didn't yet trust myself to cab these with the plumes soooo close to the surface, so I sent them on to Gary and Kathie over at The Agate Works, and as always, their work astounds!!

These plumes are so magical, so dark and mysterious with moss: they are, like opals, best under light and still sweet in dim light.


My easel is set up for painting, with a canvas Anthony's grandma sent to us: Grandpa Larry had purchased many canvases with the intent to use them before he got so ill last year.

With his sad passing, they were sitting fresh and unused, awaiting his brush.
I hope his hand will help guide me as I embark on my first ever series:

animal faces in black and white
behind curtains of tooled leather folliage.

I am too excited to begin and so honored to be painting with heavenly guidance.

Thanks, Grandma, for the gift.

Love,
Allison

Janey Hates Winter

If she gets too cold, there is an expression that sits frozen on her little feline fox face: total discontent. She seeks out laps and nests on them for hours, purring.

It may take a few twists and twirls to find that perfect spot, but rest assured, she'll put in the work to get there...

And when she does, all is happiness for every involved party.

May you have a lap-warmer of your very own this season!!

xoxoxox,
Allison

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Rawr


(*insert big-cat-claw-hand-motion* -

I know you know what I mean, kitten!!)

A Lovely leopard print keychain and belt buckle are on their way into the Leather Shop this evening!

Before I leave for a trip I try and 'mostly' finish a project so that upon my return the momentum of the art keeps flowing:
today I finished these little gems and gosh I love tooling this unique pattern and coloring it with such subtlety!!



Leopard is so classy and kitsch all at once: I love it for its timeless charm and boundless possibilities.

Viva les classiques!!