Twice the Courage

Wisp of bird and wing of bee

turquoise like a quiet sea

luminous

and textured be

Twice the courage 

gift to me

.

HERE

.

xoxox,

Sunny

The Lighter Elements Ring

Oh how I love lighter elements...

the wind

the water

the wings...

instead I am of the earth, of fire

heavy with good intentions and fecundity.

I create

I nurture

I burn

My physique has the bottom-heavy curves of an ancient statue

and my appetite is boundless.

The idea of sitting with my feet in mud comforts me, makes me sigh relief.

I love these things of amber and red, I hold them dear

but

I dream of flight

and fins.

I find the balance in my airy friends

in their laughter like river currents

and their limbs

that move gracefully

gesticulating

making salad

teaching yoga

.

I drive to the ocean

and sit at the edge

with the gulls and the pipers.

Sometimes the pendulum swing comes from the intentions in my favorite jewelry

or the weight of a lighter energy stone in my palm

or in my pocket for the day

.

The opposite applies, too -

when the fire goes out or I lose my footing it's time to do the work to rekindle 

and reground.

I wear my amber ring

and drive to the redwoods.

This ring blends water air and earth

in a potent spell

of peace and plenty.

Its band is a feather,

its stone is a collector's plume agate that I cabbed

here on my wheels.

In the light the plumes dance in and out of their watery agate like kelp beds,

connected to the earth

immersed in the ocean.

It is soulfully luminous

.

Stone and setting measure nearly two and a quarter inches long

and the band will fit a u.s. size 8 finger.

Start to finish every centimeter of this powerful companion was made here

with tender love and prayer.

HERE

.

xoxox,

Sunny

To Mother You

Some days in spite of (or maybe because of?) the myriad and deeply responsible roles I play

I want to curl into a ball and put my tired head on my mother's lap

like I did when I was little and didn't feel so hot,

falling asleep to the voices on Pittsburgh's KDKA Evening News.

I want her to spoon feed me warm sweet potatoes with salted butter

until I am brave and adult again.

I want to lean against a small mountain of pillows and have her read me The Maggie B.

I want my Mommy, dammit. 

I want my Mommy.

Sometimes we just need the loving touch of our mother or a mother-in-law or a mother-figure...

heaven knows not every mother does it well enough for her grown child to think, "Gosh I'd love it if my mom was here right now..."

.

Lacking a maternal hand

it can be enough just to have the space to fall apart.

I think of God's palm

and the cradle I find there frequently.

No matter the excellent nature of our lives

the lovers or husbands who hold us well

the fabulous careers

or wonderful children

or the lack of all of the above

we

all

need

mothering.

These earrings are a golden shining cradle

for a woman

for a heart

for her tiredness and vulnerability

for a spirit

in need of sweet potatoes

and gentleness

.

Hand fabricated start to finish

of hammer formed textured and riveted brass

sterling and fine silvers

with gorgeous shining bits of amethyst

to sing in your ear

or whisper as you walk those mean streets

"Shhhhhhh...shhhhhhh....there there now"

.

RESERVED

xoxox,

Sunny

Rock Stars

One stunning faceted Laguna Agate Cabochon (the creamy yellow beauty's already gone) and a wowsers-big collector's Brazilian Agate.

This week on the wheels was really something.

Having lived in California for the last decade (what???!!) 

I see this as fire in the hills obscuring the sun and turning the air gold.

Smoke signals of the natural kind.

54mm X 30mm

.

I still haven't decided if I can part with this beauty...rockhounds are a curious kind

and I try not to hoard my gems but sometimes...sometimes it's tough not to.

If this one calls out to be in your work, contact me: I could go either way.

The delicate prettiness of this Laguna Agate is something to behold.

It looks angelic and its underside is rich with parallax.

Soft lavender banding

is overlaid with the lightest gray lace

and two colors of moss ground the picture.

A healed fracture runs a burgundy line through the bottom point.

Gorgeous.

I work the edges to not be razor sharp: I set primarily with bezels and it's imperative to me that if you're going to cab a rock for people who likewise work with bezels, slightly softened edges make all the difference in the world.

crisp facets - Seven sides: auspicious.

The Laguna will land in the Lapidary shop tomorrow!

To Be of Service

Note: Holy Lord of the Dance, you are awesome awesome women.
Tonight I am heady with gratitude and prayer.
Thank you.

xoxox
A


My hands are so very capable.

I make what my heart demands so much of the time, and quite frequently it has a match, a person whose cells vibrate with the same sense. That is so gratifying I cannot even explain the joy of it. 

Sometimes, though, the nature of making requires more than what the artist's brain sings.

Sometimes being of service means creating with someone else.

It is is in the spirit of this place

that I am opening up several custom spots in the 

Metal

and

Leather

shops.

I feel almost religious about this right now.

I feel called.

This only happens a few times a year and I intend to relish every second of this creation meditation

from start to finish.

Here is what can be expected if you order something custom from me:

1. The wait time will be 6-8 weeks. 

2. It will be beautiful.

3. It will be built to last.

4. The initial deposit of thirty dollars holds your piece for you, the remaining balance will be due upon completion.

5. I am thrilled and excited to work with you.

These listings will go up today: after you nab one, send me a convo and tell me your dreams or send a link to something you've long loved that sold too quickly.

I am kind of giddy to do this again after January's lovely lovely experiences.

With a servant's heart,

Sunny

Delicate Cycle IV

"Good Morning"earrings - Nasturtium in Sterling with Dewdrops

RESERVED

"Heart Light" Necklace -

RESERVED

'The Cracks are Where the Light gets Out" Shoulder Duster Earrings. Seed pods and Amazonite.

RESERVED

"A Little Grace" necklace. Sterling silver, flower petal.

.

.

Sweet somethings

coming to

the

METAL SHOP

this weekend. 

Reserves welcome.

xoxox,

S

All is Well

There was very little sleep past night: we were up in shifts, managing our first fever with the babe.

Cold compresses, sad little whimpers that broke my heart into pieces.

The heat came on quick in the Seattle airport on our way home from a trip to see friends that filled my soul up to brimming with goodwill and peace. These things carried me through the plane ride

with Orion stretched out limp and hot across both of our laps

patched with cold towels from the concerned stewardesses and bottle after bottle of water.

These things of friendship carried me home.

I am so solitary so much of the time that I forget how much in-the-flesh friendships can change the very feel of the world. I forget how much I need conversation and care beyond the sweetness that Anthony and I know after work and on the weekends.

My time with the Dove and a host of heavenly others had me hankering for regular good-natured debates and the power of women sitting in circles with great brains and white wine and the ability to think and respond to new and age-old ideas alike with wit and sass and love.

I returned here dreaming of returning there.

The babe was cool to the touch when I laid him down for a nap a little while ago.

In the midmorning he pointed to his molars and made very sad faces.

Leela sleeps on my lap with the bonelessness of kittenhood and my mind swims with the things I'll do in the studio later today. All is well.

May it be so for you, too.

xoxox,

Sunny

A Little Grace Necklace

Yesterday evening there was a bit of upset in the tone of a voicemail from a friend.

We were trying to make plans for a short visit as she drove north

and we'd been texting and voicemailing with no direct contact.

I had set my phone aside for the better part of a full day.

Surely she was frustrated.

Up until that moment I had felt 

like the captain of my hours, like a success...

the grocery store

the wrestle to establish napping

some administrative duties once the nap happened

cleaning

cooking

running this house, this business and this life with my head on straight.

But

as soon as I detected that subtle shift

and found that I had let someone down by not being timely

I felt wobbly on my legs

and pissed.

PISSED.

Not at my dearest friend

not at my fussy child with the four molars burrowing through his gums

but at the fact that I dropped a plate somewhere amongst the thirteen spinning simultaneously.

I called my girlfriend and ungently listed all of the things I am trying to do at once and

without taking a breath I cried,

"I just need grace! Just give me grace!!"

She did.

She was amazing as she always is, a true lifer.

The phone call was brief and established everything we needed to know for the following day.

The truest grace, though, is something I needed to grant myself

for having thirteen spinning plates and only dropping one.

The truest grace I could give myself is the permission to know that no matter how many I drop or how often it happens I am still whole and loved

To be gentle

and honest 

and to do my best

in each moment

with trust and love

filling my own well (like the oxygen mask on a plane) so that I might give generously

of my time

and care

.

.

.

I made this necklace as a token for that moment when you find you need a reminder to 

be gentle and graceful with your own sweet self.

The petal is one from a few flowers I plucked on a walk not too long ago

on a day when I was practicing moving meditation and self-care

with healthy gusto.

You can find it

HERE

I offer it up with a toast:

here's to our health

to our faith

and our goodness...

may they all be strong and steady.

xoxo,

Sunny

Feeling Saturday

Gentle reader, meet Leela. Leela, meet these lovely souls.

It was finally finally finally time. After eighteen months of having a Jones-shaped hole in my heart the

moment came to share our home with a new four-legged person.

I don't even remember where I was, just that I felt compelled to start looking.

I found Leela on the Silicon Valley Humane Society website, a picture that was blurry at best and showed me the things I most wanted to see:

a gentle spirit

and the markings of Akua.

I feel like both boy cats sent breadcrumbs so I could find this tiny girl. 

and oooooh is she tiny!

And gentle and prancy-dancy

and her eyes are so dreamy blue-green...

The three humans here are pretty much obsessed...

Janey?

over. it. 

She is really having a rough time adjusting though I've been very slow to introduce the two,

employing a gradual approach to ease our dear older girl into the acceptance that she has to suffer another young thing in her business.

Oh Janey.... I hope you'll thank us someday. 

Orion seems to want to share her breath he's so excited.

Mostly though we're all just happy to be here together on a nice hot San Jose Saturday

in the cottage

hanging out with a leaping kitten

and a nice breeze coming through.

I have a gift to share with you in the coming days

that may be of service to your hearts.

Till then

xoxox,

S