Yoga Love

There's a great yoga studio that's opened quite recently, and if you're in Orange, you're in luck! It's called The Yoga Mat, and it's run by Courtney and Natalie with a keen eye on the local community. I took my first class with Courtney yesterday, and OMG did she kick my ass. Achey as I felt afterwards, I also felt lighter in spirit, a miracle based on the difficult week I'd just had. (Jury duty, family illness, etc...)

Not only does The Yoga Mat have a great studio, they also have a small shop that features the work of local artists, and I'm thrilled to say that my necklaces are currently residing there! Like I said, Courtney and Natalie are focused on tapping into the local community and aim to have a local featured Artist of the Month. They've worked hard to ensure that they're promoting sustanability, with most of their displays coming from secondhand shops and friend's garages.



Handmade Necklaces by Jennifer Geisert

Check out some of the goodies you'll find on my necklace tree:


Lotus Blossom convertible necklace



Butterfly & Gold Flower photo necklace



Brown & Olive Green reversible fabric necklace



Brown & Olive Green reversible fabric necklace

As an aside, I left Orange for London 10 years ago today. I remember being on the airplane, so tired but unable to sleep. Every time I would doze off someone would wake me up for something. When we finally landed and got to the flat we were renting, my parents and I went for a walk to look at the Thames. It was raining and humid, and I hated the greyness of the city, then old gum on the sidewalks, and the brown waters of the river. I thought the buildings were ugly and the sight of the moss growing on the statues made me feel physically ill. Of course, those first impressions changed completely and I think London is one of the most beautiful and intriguing places in the world. I'm sad that there's been rioting there this weekend, and even sadder knowing that lovely friends of mine are living so close to it that they were unexpectedly caught up in it on their way home from a night out. I'm sad that my husband's family live so close that they heard sirens all through the night. I know that this will pass, and I know that there are people stepping off airplanes right now ready to embark on a new adventure, the same way I was 10 years ago.


Heart in Finsbury Park

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!