Commissions: The Good

Doing work on commission is fun, but I always get really nervous. Most of the time it's a gift I'm asked to work on, so I worry about what the person who asked me to make something with think, and then I also worry about what the person receiving the gift will think. But, I have to remember that I'm my own worst critic, as I'm sure many of you out there are.

A guy I work with asked me to make a necklace for his wife for her birthday. I know his wife a little, but I needed some serious help to figure out what to make. She's not particularly religious, but loves religious symbolism. Perfect! I'm not Catholic, but I have a thing for Catholic imagery, and as a result have a number of photographs of churches, prayer candles, and the Madonna in my stash. I started with this photograph, taken in a tiny church in Venice:

Venice, Italy

Then I started agonizing over what the backside of the necklace should look like. I finally decided to use a blue silk fabric that related to the blue of the Virgin Mary's robe, with a little bit of lace and a butterfly cut-out. According to my Dictionary of Symbols (picked up who-knows-where, but it sure comes in handy), butterflies are "an emblem of the soul and of unconscious attraction towards the light."

Lace

Sides

Hoping to not find out that she hates the color blue (this necklace is fairly blue-tastic), I boxed it up and took it to work.

Front

Back

Thankfully, she loved it and put it on right away. That's what I love about creating a custom jewelry piece for someone.

Check out my other necklaces at thepigandpepper.etsy.com!

Beautiful Blooms

Sunflowers

Why is it that so many of us don't take the time to treat ourselves to something small? I'm in Trader Joe's enough to be on a first name basis with half of their lovely staff, and I always gaze with longing at the floral displays. So my goal is to treat myself to some blooms when they catch my eye. 

Sunflowers

There's really nothing quite as cheerful as bright yellow sunflowers on the kitchen table, is there?

Playing Catch-Up

I've been bad. I haven't posted in quite awhile.

Here's what you missed:

Etsy Samples

1. Samples from the CCCOE Team arrived - YAY! It was like Christmas in my mailbox.

Silver Lining - Sold!

2. I had two photos in a local exhibition and am so thrilled to say that one of them sold and the other was accepted into the Orange County Fair!

Sketchbook Project - Study

3. I signed up to participate in The Sketchbook Project and have been a lean, mean, creating machine ever since.

Mawi

4. My family was faced with the difficult decision to let go of our cat, Mawi. We lost a little light in the world, and I've been finding it quite difficult to come to terms with.

5. I've been re-discovering my love for yoga.

LA Arboretum

6. I finally discovered what the LA Arboretum is all about. If you don't know yet, go. Now.

San Francisco

7. My husband and I are about to leave on a much-needed 3 day trip to San Francisco. I can't get the thought of all that yummy food and artwork out of my head.

I'll try to be better from now on...