A Week For Tooling

This week I have been all about the hammer:

I have nearly tooled to completion

one aforementioned Magnolia and Bee clutch

and a half belt with two Bluebirds of Happiness

flanking a minty chrysoprase cabochon

which will be stitched into the leather

and backed with suede and a little scalloped

patch that says "It is well with my soul"

.

I love tooling

I love leather

I adore music

and metal

and rocks

but

I've found lately I have a lot more patience with the seasons of each discipline:

the lapidary wheels have been silent for a long while

the keyboard plays more show tunes than my own compositions

but I know I will return to them all

in good time:

I suppose I am realizing, thank goodness, that there is only so much of me to

go around and not everything can be doted on with equal attention.

This week leather got the brass ring!

If you're interested in the half belt, shoot me a

CONVO

and I'll tell you all about it!

Lastly, I am offloading a few pairs of gorgeous vintage shoes

in order to simplify my closet and my life

and I had to admit to myself

that the good Lord gorgeous shantung silk heels in the above picture are just a

leeeeetle too snug for my feet:

they're marked 8 B, and I fear I have officially crossed over into 8.5 territory.

I have the measurements in the listing - I would go so far as to say they would fit a 7.5 as well.

they reside

HERE

Snap them up if you feel the 80s rainbow love!

xoxox,

Allison

Bubble Bubble

So, I felt the little baby move last night:

I was about to fall asleep and there it was: this tiny tickle to the left of my belly button

and I called out for Anthony to come and feel it!

Of course, he couldn't feel it - this is just for mama and child right now

but pretty soon he will!

I was trying to come up with the right words to describe what it feels like:

goldfish fins

bubbles

cat paws (with retracted claws, of course)

etc....

and this afternoon I was walking past Schmilly's study

when I had a(n)? eureka(!) moment!!

Finger in the air, I said, "Anthony! (he's home from work on vacation)!! I think I've found the perfect illustration for this wonderful feeling:

It's like the tiniest gnome in the world passing gas!!!"

He smiled and buried his head in his hands, a bow of sorts...I think so, anyways.

So there you have it folks, magical words for an indescribable moment!

xoxox

Allisunny

Cicada Wing Necklace

From the description on Etsy:

For every summer of my childhood growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I remember that late August day.

It was always late August, the sun was busy roasting the grass a dirty yellow and the sound of the first cicada always bore through my ears like a drill.
The harbinger of school,
the dirge of coming autumn, falling leaves and a signal that growing up was immanent.

One summer taller, one summer closer to all of the fears of a sensitive child: change, aging and beginnings.

Here, halfway through my thirties and having developed a healthy (though apprehensive) appreciation for all the things I once misunderstood, I can look back on that dear child with compassion and a click of the tongue:

Oh how scary change is before we realize it's all we can count on! If only we could just stave it off, but every shift reminds us that we cannot cling and in the beginning that feels devastating.

Here in California we don't have cicadas (this wing came from a lovely, talented friend in the southeast) but if we did, I reckon the sound would make me smile. I'd shout,

"Ahoy to the season of pomegranates and persimmons! Hello to the rains that we miss all summer long! I barely know ye, last season's most beloved sweater- hop on!!

Let's take long car rides to the north bay
pick apples in Alum Rock
and sip hot cocoa while my baby grows strong inside of me..."

yes - cicada wings bring change, and signal the seasons of our lives, without which we'd never know our bliss and our pains as well as we do.

All of the necklaces are in the shop, both those reserved and unreserved

HERE

Have a wonderful Wednesday in your part of the world!

xoxo,

Allison

Sweetness upon Sweetness

UPDATE: Reserves are pending on several items, please feel free to inquire on all pieces - as soon as the reserve is confirmed I will mark each piece as

unavailable.

Over the past few months, I have been working on a super limited schedule, eking out a few hours a day in the studio, weekends included.

I've been creating rhythmically, methodically, beautifully,

planning pieces in batches to complement each others' designs and feel.

With this week's batch of dolce de leche sweet necklaces,

I wanted to inermingle vibrant color and the imprint of wings,

things that lift and inspire.

RESERVED

This first necklace is a rare and special completely natural purple Coyamito Agate with a covered drusy center, partnered on either side by organically shaped and falling amethysts,

arranged to form a monochrome rainbow from dark to light.

Shining, sweet and ever-so-royal!

.

RESERVED

Second, a dragonfly wing with an unidentified green stone, perfectly gemmy and luminous.

Rich in warmth and depth.

.

RESERVED

Third, a minty perfect chrysoprase feather imprint necklace!

Lord have mercy, this color just simply cannot be outshone: it is

so healing, so kind.

.

Fourth, a perfect cicada wing in copper with sterling buffeting everyplace it touches your skin!

It's so lightweight and lovely...

And here is the secret to its lift!

.

Last of the quintet, an antique forget-me-not round in sterling

hammered edges

And a lot of soul in its bones still, after a century or so of

traipsing about the world.

All of these pieces are available for reserve

with a simple

CONVO

over in yonder Metal Shop.

I hope one speaks to you in color or design,

a sweet something to bring warmth to your autumn.

xoxox,

Allison

Working Through It Part II

I had this long discussion with a jeweler friend of mine

and in it the subject of blogging in only one's finest moments was parsed:

I know I sure do like to take pictures of the lovely things in my home,

of the recipes that turn out great

or the pieces that fly away to their intended owners,

beautiful and loved from start to finish...

I treasure the art of celebrating the best in life

and I don't see it as a lie, even if the laundry pile doesn't get snapped

along with the triumphant souffle, still risen

BUT

I also think there is a danger in avoiding the pitfalls

of what ails us as humans, each set unique to the woman or man who journeys...

I think there is nobility in revelation.

I feel the need to be here today

smelling of Dial soap (a nose craving)

in my sister's pink turtle shorts

(because it makes me feel like she's near when I wear her clothes)

telling you, my friends

that I am hugely sick to my stomach and I want to cry.

That my work has been mostly left alone these past five days

(a series of feathers and wings)

while I drifted

through time-wasting websites

and Netflix movies I've never wanted to see

In my vulnerable moments I am nervous that this morning sickness will not pass, and I will be one of the few women I know who get and stay sick up to the very end.

In better ones, I feel content even should the above be the case: we do these things for our children out of love, even if we have not met them.

I think that what might be coming on is a big, giant, hormonal cry, the kind where you want your mom to come and give you a hug

and I think that all of this is ok

maybe even

as beautiful

as the perfect tomato

I wanted to show you

instead of my sleeve.

Love,

Allisunny

Authenticity

Once upon a time, after a bad breakup

I moved from New York City back to rural Pennsylvania

to live with my parents for a few months while I got back on my feet.

I was 24, and I felt like life had ended.

I was funereal.

There was the sensation of being trapped, stuck in a broken heart

trying to process my grief in the comfort of the family home, a step back.

My folks were amazing, and once or twice a week I would go to

see the psychologist whom I had gone to after a traumatic childhood event:

at this point he was an adored memory,

and I treasured the wisdom I had gained from his insights in my pre-adolescence.

What strikes me in looking back at those forlorn, adult winter months spent

trying to find the spark in life again

are the myriad and beautiful memories I have of this man of letters I came to see as family.

If I concentrate, my memory will transport me back to the semi-organized

office where I sat across the desk from him,

pouring out my woes and drinking in his unconventional, wonderful advice.

There is the early winter afternoon light filtering through the dim windows

catching the perfect white of his beard and side-parted hair

blue eyes a-twinkle

words like "authentic" and phrases such as "hold the vision"

hanging in the air

his hand gestures hinting at spells and magic...

He took me to see his friend, an eccentric Catholic psychic,

Drove me to Elizabeth, PA home to a wonderful consignment shop

where each drawer of every cupboard was brimming with vintage riches,

hand-written cards on still surfaces containing advice snippets

and bawdy humor...

We frequently (too frequently, his favorite) ate at Panera bread where he'd always request

something not on the menu, oblivious to the annoyed register operator

who surely wished he'd just read and accept the reality of their pre-cooked limitations.

He helped unlock my fear of being alone

and one afternoon when I was lamenting the fact that I may never get over being left

he posed the question, "What if it was okay to love this man for the rest of your life?"

.

What if it was okay to be completely and totally oneself, even if no one else thought it appropriate?

What if most of the pain we felt as humans were the pains of the imprisoned, hoping to conform to the expected time frames of grief, loss and rebirth?

His question begat all of those and more and was truly the start of a magical

year of discovery that would lead to the seeds of true self-love.

He was a man of heart and mind, an altruist obsessed with

blur spins and visualizations,

tiffany lamps and child psychology.

Tonight I watched

THIS

movie (on Netflix instant watch)

and was so struck by the charm of Bill Cunningham

and what a rare treasure his kind are.

Dr. Brennan had the same remarkable childlike glee

that the documentary captured, an authenticity that can only come from the devotion to life

and pursuit of loveliness.

In the words of the lauded subject, "He who seeks beauty..... will find it."

How lovely to be reminded of such goodness this evening.

xoxox,

Allison

Homecoming

Schmilly is back from his three day trip to see the parents

and he came bearing gifts

of the knitted variety:

Oh. MY!!!!

My heart melted into a caramel puddle when I unwrapped the

golden paper and saw these soft, beautiful booties...

I just cannot express the tenderness I feel knowing that my

creative mother-in-love knitted these for us.

I imagine her sitting under lamplight

smiling to herself as she pictured the wee baby feet

these would someday cradle.

She's extra beautiful when she smiles.

Continuing the family love, Anthony's Grandma sent the 'ten commandments of parenting"

along with her own addition in a letter I devoured. She wrote:

"Don't try to raise a petunia if you plant an onion seed. Let your children be who they are and celebrate your differences."

Wise words, Grandma.

The mailbox has been a joyful place to visit daily, with little bundles and onesies and

letters and bees...

A knitted hat arrived from a much-loved friend in the northeast

and I want to frame it, I treasure it so.

Yes, it is full of heart!!

When I put the cap up against my belly, it's hard to imagine that (God willing) the wee

little girl or boy will someday grow big enough to fit it,

but that's the miracle of life, isn't it?

xoxo,

Allisunny

Scenes From a Saturday

.

.

.

.

Hope your own weekend is relaxing

refreshing

and

full of good friends!

xo,

Allison

The Calm Before The Calm

.

This old house is about as sparkling as it can get right now

and its inhabitants are patiently awaiting the visitors we are about to welcome aboard

He's just resting up so that he's awake for after-dinner tea, trust.

There is something so lovely and fresh about those hours before company comes:

everything is ready and the future memories tremble impatiently for their chance to be

made

Today I went to the grocery store and got the ingredients for a hearty free-range steer stew -

I think I must be in need of iron, as beef is normally what's not for dinner around here.

I find my energy levels returning

and my stomach still rebelling just as it's done for months now-

I'll take what I can get!

There is something far more 'normal' to me about feeling queasy while having the inner resources to continue moving and doing

as opposed to the first-trimester deep fatigue that

mostly just reduced me to a teary, sleepy mess as I struggled to eat.

Now I reserve my tears for pet-adoption videos

volunteer opportunity commercials,

poignant Star Trek plots

and The Millenium Trilogy -

Lisbeth Salander commands a rather surprising chunk of my heart right now...

what a breathtaking character.

It will be nice to have some non-media-related emotions

around here during daylight hours

for this woman with two heartbeats.

xoxo,

Allison

Friday Preview

Creature and Flora

Creations

Made

For

Your

Heart

Friday at 4:00 PM PST

HERE!

xoxo,

A

The Big Island

In November, Anthony and I are having our 'last-hurrah' trip to

The Big Island, Hawaii -

the rental cottages are all booked, including a stay at a farm

where guests are encouraged to feed the pet pig their table scraps -

YES.

!

The plane tickets have been procured

and very few details remain to be handled.

Anthony will finally get to see the volcano he's been hankering for

and I get to snorkel again

with wild abandon!

RESERVED!!!

Speaking of volcanos,

A beautiful representation of one

crafted from copper, sterling, fine silver and opal

will be in the Metal Shop in a few days

and it SHINES with good health!

A generously sized reminder of the wonders that bubble beneath the surface

of our earth

and our own skin...

And with Hawaii on the brain, I created another seed pod casing ring

using a perfectly perfect chunk of parrot wing jasper

with a little river of chrysocolla and an oasis of malachite.

Both the band and the canvas of the ring were heavily hammer-formed

and they are so rich in texture that it's hard not to

pet them

The ring is a size 10.5 with a medium-thick band.

For both of these pieces, I will be accepting reserves:

just simply

CONVO

me

in the Metal Shop

and the details can be arranged!

As for the creature series

WOW - those responses were amazing

and the animal has been settled upon-

it will have to be a surprise,

and the trio will be revealed

on Friday morning in the Metal Shop

with a preview of the finished work sometime on Wednesday -

I hope your weekend was amazing

and that you are surrounded by friends and loved ones on this

day of remembrance.

Love,

Allison

Today's Creature

A Fox! With pyrite in dusky quartz!

I am planning on doing one more beastie for the series

being unveiled late next week:

what do you think the third should be?

xoxoxo,

Allison