One Last Ring...

The latest in the abundance series

Featuring a dreamy garden quartz

set in a hammered sterling bowl

Representing the overflow of all good things:

may they be yours.

Find it 

HERE

xoxo,

A

Uncles and Love

My bestie Jeremy and his amazing Sabin were here

today

Charming the heck out of Baby O

AND his Mama.

Then there was napping

and I awoke to the last listed item being Reserved;

THANK you.

For my livelihood and your care of it:

I could never begin to express my gratitude fully.

My family is fed by your support

and my heart is made full by your warmth.

With Big Love,

Sunny & O

Tomorrow

meet me

HERE:

I have a few things to show you!

xoxox

A

Four Generations in One Room

What a beautiful thing: what in indelible memory we made yesterday:

Great Grandma meeting her Great Grandson.

There is so much I could say here about this first Mother's Day

but

words kind of fail their ultimate purpose when something feels so big

you can't even sketch it.

If I wasn't so tired I'd at least try,

but there are things to be done, always

not the least of which is

savoring

the moments.

Amazing.

xoxo,

A

Safety Burrito

I had to take a picture of this sweet little boy

in his baby ear protection to share here: 

Anthony says he looks like a space monkey in them

but all I know

is that his little ears are picking up on quiet under there

and that's the most important thing!

.

.

.

xo

Beauty From the Beyond...

Peridot Dragonfly Wing in Sterling Silver 

These ghostly impressions are a reminder:

leave Beauty in your wake.

Let others bask in something warm and kind long after your presence 

is gone

Mexican Fire Opal Dragonfly Wing in Sterling Silver 

from a room

from a house

from this mortal coil.

Cultivate your goodness

Nourish the seeds of compassion

God planted in you long ago:

Hammer Formed Citrine Cicada Wing Earrings

Use your power for lofty things

.

Match the joy you wish to hold

and it will settle in your palm

Bee in Sterling

like a winged thing

coming home to rest.

xoxo,

S

The Way Back

From the moment I met my son earthside

a great shift occurred in me,

one of beauty and newness.

I have struggled much over the last few months to both redefine the shape of my life

and leave myself the fuck alone because for God's sake, look at what I just DID(!).

There have been moments of such powerful sadness, loneliness and fear

dancing in overlap with awe, wonder and spectacular blisses

so much so that the idea of center, the earthy notion of grounding has

been all but lost in the emotions and thoughts.

In the last few days I have sensed a peace come over my life;

peace that came from purpose -

from a series of actions and decisions spaced

like breadcrumbs for my airy energies

to re-tether around my soul.

Here is a list of what works for me - in sharing it my greatest hope is that you find something that also creates balance for yourself, dear reader.

The Way Back

1. Scale back belongings

.

If one's life is a pie-chart full of relationships, tasks and things it's so easy to feel that bloated sense of 'too much' far too often, especially in this day of constant communication.

One way that I reduce the amount of fullness (being that relationships are of the utmost importance to me)

is to reach into cupboards, closets, drawers, chests and shelves with the sole purpose of

reducing their contents by at least half.

Maybe for your own unique life balance the 'too much' that needs culling are tasks or socializing online or in town.

Everything can be explored.

2. Get Moving!!!

.

During the last half of my pregnancy, I had the instinctual sense to stop exercising as I once had, even beyond the cautionary recommendation of "no heart rate above 140" - my body told me nightly walks were the height of exertion: I listened, and when I look at my boy I am glad for that.

After the doctor gave me the green light to exercise again, I dove in with abandon (except for abs)

and honestly I relish every drop of salty sweat that miniature Jillian Michaels bosses out of me from her tiny home in the DVD.

Sometimes our physical lethargy is a necessity, sometimes it is a choice: if it's a choice then take an evening and get on a machine, run into the hills, afro-belly-boogie until you drop and see if you don't feel a tad more like your feet are connected to the earth.

3. Give What you Want to Receive

.

Want more love? Love more! Want monetary abundance? Volunteer your services for those in need!

Want peace? Bring calm into your actions and interactions.

It sounds so simple but it can be utterly challenging to be present.

The benefits, though, are astounding and well worth the attention and intention.

4. Gratitude

.

When I feel blue and morose, a few gratitude lists throughout the day can make the biggest difference:

it sounds silly, but it keeps you accountable for your blessings

and we all have something for which we can be grateful.

What are your blessings?

*

5. Fumble Around

.

I allow myself bad days, lost days that are simply mine in which to grump, fuss

and gnash my teeth - the permission seems to lessen the need to fall deeper into despair.

Go ahead: call in sick, get in your sweats and throw yourself a pity party for one: a good cry can be just what the doctor ordered. "Tears are a river that carry you somewhere" are the wise words I read in a book after a particularly hard year and I loved that image: we are never stuck in an emotion unless we fear it or fend it off with the dull stick of procrastination.

Meet your sadness, your fear or your unrequited love where it lives: you might find that once you do it will take your hand and let you guide it up and out.

6. Change your Focus

.

If something is frustrating or limiting you in some way, do something else for a while:

answers tend to come when the mental gaze is allowed to wander

from its dog house:

"the watched pot never boils" can also apply to career success, the acquisition of wealth and the magnetism of love.

Go out, get lost in a field somewhere

throw a ball

see a good movie

call your mom

remember that there are lots of good things in life once you remove your blinders.

(This one is particularly hard for me to do, but when I unplug from my obsession, man oh man does the tide turn!)

.

.

So there you have it: my puzzle pieces for righting the capsizing ship.

What works for you when things look bleak?

Love,

Sunny

Cheeks

Swoon!

xoxo,

A

Leap Day

This ring is a testament to the power of

  great tools

And a great mother-in-law who came to love on the baby this weekend,

thereby allowing his mama time in the studio-

hours and hours and hours

and in those hours I hammered this spiculum flower out of a flat sheet of sterling.

In keeping with the abundance theme of sterling spheres and round gorgeousness,

this ring is called the Horn of Plenty

and it IS.

Sumptuously tall

Decadently deep

HEAVY with silver

and

paired with the prettiest cut of Utah Variscite you ever did see...

It practically shouts 

"YES!!!"

.

.

.

size 8

in the Metal Shop 

later this evening.

xoxox,

A

A Trio for Your Delicious Waist

I don't know about you, but this summer my go-to outfit is gonna be

cowboy boots, jean skirts and tank tops!

This fun fact got me thinking: what is the perfect accessory for that look?

eh bien, voila:

belt buckles!

But

not just any buckle:

RESERVED

These are the fancy kind

Hand stitched in sturdy thread

and lined with a colorful pop of scalloped-edge suede

RESERVED

in vibrant colors

RESERVED

for vibrant women.

In the

Leather Shop

later today, but accepting reserves now!

xoxox,

Allison

Singing to the Late Spring Moon

I have very vivid recollections of my first mockingbird song

here in California

midnight, later in the spring:

my life had fallen apart

I had just returned from being flown to the Big Apple by the man I loved

where he sternly told me that the relationship had to change its boundaries (leave him open for more)

or end.

I relocated to California from New York a few weeks before this fateful visit

and all my dreams of togetherness fell apart

but

there was something about this state and the smell of the trees around my shitty apartment, something about the sound of the myriad bird songs

coming from one throat that comforted me

and worldlessly encouraged me to adapt

and accept that change had come

to my happy ending.

Holding the babe on my lap and watching his sideways smiles

made me think of putting a mockingbird amongst poppies singing up the late spring moon

on a raw-edged elk skin bag:

the embodiment of a natural mitzvah

that I get to send out into the world

a reminder that there are even happier endings to be had should your initial ideal come crashing down.

I look forward to posting updates on the making of this piece in the coming days and weeks!

Also on the path to completion:

two belt buckles -

one ladybug

one old-school tooling pattern orchid

.

xo,

S

A Beautiful Fail

It was lining up to be one of the most beautiful bags I'd ever made

But I waffled on a measurement, miscalculating

some 20 hours into its creation....

ooof.

It will still look beautiful on my arm, just not fit for the shop,

for public consumption.

A woman knows that some days are for learning

this is neither good nor bad

it just

 is

like

love

and 

luck.

xoxox,

A