LURE - SMALL FRY

REPOST FROM ORIGINAL LURE BLOG:

I keep thinking about how luscious & tempting things in this life can be. 

Intriguing us with beautiful forms,

pungent perfumes,

bold, stunning colors. 

All things that promise rushes of dopamine through our blood stream.  That addictive, powerful flow which excites each and every one of our cells. 

It makes us feel alive.

It makes us feel happy.

Often when we speak of these types of things, we talk about how indulgent they are. Each of them carrying a sense of negativity with them. We hope we are strong enough to evade their pull, and somehow that ability would make us better human beings. 

__

It brings me back almost 20 years, neatly sorting seed beads into their own little compartments. I'd pick up a few, gently sliding my fingers back and forth across their glassy surface. Letting a few of them at a time all back into their designated spot. 

That's when the tug began for me, I got sight at what I consider my life long lure. A glimpse at what a dreamy, sexy life this career would be. 

But as with most things that bring us happiness, as a good strong human, I stopped myself from daydreaming too long or too hard.  I'd think about how much fun it was as a hobby, but never, ever would I allow myself to dream beyond that. 

Perhaps, I thought, too much daydreaming would somehow get in the way of "real" work. 

But oh how wrong I was.

How wrong we are.

My only regret is how long it took me to allow myself the freedom to explore. 

Explore my truth,

Explore my passion,

Explore my life. 

I regret so much, how long and how hard I struggled against the urge. 

Now, when I daydream, it's more frequently about the past than the future.

I remember my 18 year old self standing at the top of a set of stairs that led to an art department. 

A set of stairs I was too coward to walk down. 

An 18 year old too afraid to speak her truth and too fearful to take the leap. 

Now as I daydream, I find myself telling that youngster this,

"Now is always the time for happy." 

___

NOW IS ALWAYS THE TIME FOR HAPPY.

NOW IS ALWAYS THE  TIME FOR HAPPY.

NOW.

I challenge you this, why not indulge? 

______

These beasts are meant to be big and bold.

For those of us willing to take the bait.

Go against the norm.

Take the less worn path.

To you, I applaud.

I send my highest praises.

They are more than that though.

A side story if you will. 

Of a friendship that started while sorting those seed beads 2 decades ago. 

A person who, despite what she says, was by far one of the biggest artistic influences of my life. 

She gifted me a pair of articulated fish earrings over a decade ago.

They were my favorite.

I rarely took them out.

But then there was that one time I did, and sadly they were never to be seen again.

I've thought about those earrings for 10 years.

So I bring you my, bigger, bolder version all these years later.

I think appropriately, they are sized to represent my unwavering announcement that I will not follow the well worn path. 

I will embrace my indulging, dreamy, sexy career with all it's ups and downs.

I took the bait. 

will you? 

___

Available for purchase here for just 1 week. At which time I will close the listing and fulfill all orders at one time.

Carin

A STIRRING //

I'm starting to feel some stirring in my sits bones. For so long now my hands and mind limited my abilities, but 2015 brought such tremendous growth. Budding at at my tips, I'm ready for more. But like the plant primed to bloom, I've realized that I need more than just a deep desire to flower. There are elements that can help a girl get there, and tools I need to take it to the next level. I've discounted these lovely pieces to help fund some of the big purchases I feel coming around the corner. A rare chance to snag something lovely at a lower price. A gift to you for supporting and helping me shine my light a little brighter. 

I've discounted a hand full of items in the shop today, I'd love it if you took a moment to check it out. 

I can't thank you enough for all your support. 

Happy Monday friends.

Carin

Clean Out the Cobwebs / A Shop Update.

It's funny how it happens.

The cycle of the year.

The end of so many things.

Sometimes the celebration of accomplishment, but all too often the feeling of failure.

Then the fresh start and the newness of being.

Juxtaposed in just a span of a few seconds.

I came back from Holiday renewed, but not ready.

I spent my first week deep cleaning.

Preparing my space and myself for 2016.

I was just mentioning to someone that this year feels so different than the last January.

I feel confident.

My skills honed.

I have a lot to learn.
I'm not trying to sound cocky, but I'm also recognizing how far I've come.

I'm allowed to do that.

I should do that.

I can't wait for this year, but first I had to deal with the past.

Remove the scars from my soul and the stains from my bench.

Store away the lessons I've learned, and organize the unused pieces.

Clean my soul and my studio.

... 

This shop update is the result.

Things I've had around.

Bits and pieces I found in the deep clean.

And ideas I felt I needed to try before moving on.

I hope you enjoy!

Available at 7pm PT until sold here. 

You can see more photographs of this piece here. 

(Please note, this surfite piece does not have the stone set. You'll be able to choose to have it completed in your ring size or as a necklace) 

♥ Carin

LURE.

 I keep thinking about how luscious & tempting things in this life can be. 

Intriguing us with beautiful forms,

pungent perfumes,

bold, stunning colors. 

All things that promise rushes of dopamine through our blood stream.  That addictive, powerful flow which excites each and every one of our cells. 

It makes us feel alive.

It makes us feel happy.

Often when we speak of these types of things, we talk about how indulgent they are. Each of them carrying a sense of negativity with them. We hope we are strong enough to evade their pull, and somehow that ability would make us better human beings. 

__

It brings me back almost 20 years, neatly sorting seed beads into their own little compartments. I'd pick up a few, gently sliding my fingers back and forth across their glassy surface. Letting a few of them at a time all back into their designated spot. 

That's when the tug began for me, I got sight at what I consider my life long lure. A glimpse at what a dreamy, sexy life this career would be. 

But as with most things that bring us happiness, as a good strong human, I stopped myself from daydreaming too long or too hard.  I'd think about how much fun it was as a hobby, but never, ever would I allow myself to dream beyond that. 

Perhaps, I thought, too much daydreaming would somehow get in the way of "real" work. 

But oh how wrong I was.

How wrong we are.

My only regret is how long it took me to allow myself the freedom to explore. 

Explore my truth,

Explore my passion,

Explore my life. 

I regret so much, how long and how hard I struggled against the urge. 

Now, when I daydream, it's more frequently about the past than the future.

I remember my 18 year old self standing at the top of a set of stairs that led to an art department. 

A set of stairs I was too coward to walk down. 

An 18 year old too afraid to speak her truth and too fearful to take the leap. 

Now as I daydream, I find myself telling that youngster this,

"Now is always the time for happy." 

___

NOW IS ALWAYS THE TIME FOR HAPPY.

NOW IS ALWAYS THE  TIME FOR HAPPY.

NOW.

I challenge you this, why not indulge? 

______

These beasts are meant to be big and bold.

For those of us willing to take the bait.

Go against the norm.

Take the less worn path.

To you, I applaud.

I send my highest praises.

They are more than that though.

A side story if you will. 

Of a friendship that started while sorting those seed beads 2 decades ago. 

A person who, despite what she says, was by far one of the biggest artistic influences of my life. 

She gifted me a pair of articulated fish earrings over a decade ago.

They were my favorite.

I rarely took them out.

But then there was that one time I did, and sadly they were never to be seen again.

I've thought about those earrings for 10 years.

So I bring you my, bigger, bolder version all these years later.

I think appropriately, they are sized to represent my unwavering announcement that I will not follow the well worn path. 

I will embrace my indulging, dreamy, sexy career with all it's ups and downs.

I took the bait. 

will you? 

___

Watch them move here: https://instagram.com/p/9EYtRCHuzV/

--

Available in the shop update Thursday 10/29 at 5pm PT
www.jonesingforjewelry.etsy.com

Carin

Sipping From My Bold, Full Bodied Life.

As I sit here drinking my coffee, swinging in my lovely hammock, and taking in the fresh air slightly tinted with hints of last night's campfires. The laughter and happiness from yesterday still permeating  the surroundings. I take in all of this and I just can't help but be grateful.

Today,

this week,

this month,

this year,

this time.

It's a shy step from perfection.

I look at every facet of my life right now and I couldn't be happier.

First and foremost my family. 

A beautiful, energetic, intelligent, funny, happy and healthy little boy for a son. There are days when I wonder if I was cut out for motherhood, but what I don't wonder is how much he has brought to my life. How happy I am to spend even a blip of this existence together. He's taught me so much already and it's fulfilling beyond measure.

A husband who I don't have the words to describe. A being who is worthy of so much more than I can offer, yet graced me with his love and unchanging devotion. A love indescribable in depth already, and the possibility of it growing over this journey together blows my mind.

A bigger, more glorious family that would take years to write about, but I'll name a few.

A mother who has taught me about dedication and somehow taking care of everyone and everything and herself. A father who gifted me his passion and drive that has brought me to where I am today. A sister who has shown me resilience and determination. A grandmother who has shown me true kindness and generosity. Wisdom of generations, my grandfather has provided me with so many tools for my work and for this life. 

Friends, so many. 

Some have gone, some I've yet to meet.

Some will stay forever.

The laughter, the guidance, a bond and sisterhood I couldn't get along without.

A home. 

A place to call ours.

To put our most prized possessions in.

The backdrop to our story.

And most important, a retreat after our endless adventures.

Work, if I can even call it that. 

Something so special it barely feels like work at all.

Challenging yet fun.

Something I built with my own 2 hands, and the ability of it to be flexible as I grow and change. 

I know I have so much more to do here. 

So much more to put out, to show you, I'm excited for what is to come.

All of these things right now in this moment, and some I failed to mention.

My heart is full.

These are the best years of my life.

These are the times I want to remember.

I need a special place to keep the memories.

An album if  you will.

Or maybe just a maker in time to remember this. 

All of it, how it is and how it feels.

Cups to store them in. 

Small ones at first, and bigger ones when I realized the littles just wouldn't hold all the memories I'm making.

♥ Carin

P.S. These will be in the next shop update. I'm shooting for later this week. Exact day and time TBD

75/365 - An Earring A Day Project Update

As I packed up my tools a few weeks ago to head great old state of Texas, 

I was feeling really good about the Earring a Day Project. 

Not only was I caught up with the timeline, but the earrings were coming to me fairly quickly. 

I wasn't feeling over burdened with the work, and quite honestly felt like I was getting much more out of the project than I ever expected. 

If you've been following along, you might remember that I joined this whole crazy scheme because I was feeling less than inspired.

At the start of the new year, my creativity was feeling drained and my tank on empty.

I knew I was more than capable of coming up with new ideas and designs, but I found myself second guessing everything I did. 

Was it right? 

Would it work?

And biggest of all, would it sell? 

I was just plain sick of it.

The level of frustration I was feeling was so overwhelming. 

I'm not going to tell you I'm not here to make money. 

To make sales.

This is my livelihood, of course I need things to sell.

However, it is by FAR not the most important thing. 

If it was only about money I could mass produce crap and live comfortably.

Hell, I could get a dead end job and that would cover the income.

But it's so much more than that.

I want it to be more than that.

What I'm doing here, it's important. 

It's so incredibly important. 

Art is important. 

But I digress.

The first 60 of the EAD project brought me so much happiness. 

It brought me back to the place I knew I could be. 

Where I wasn't thinking about the sales, but just feeling the art. 

Creating pieces that were unique and significant.

Having the safe space to test ideas and thoughts without the fear of them failing. 

As I left for Texas I already felt inspired.

I had so many ideas.

Then, in the lone star state, I found myself studying under some of the most amazing artists. 

People I really respect.

And I met other smithies.

Lots of them.

All of them wonderful and inspirational.

Needless to say, I came back with my creativity tank overflowing.

My sketchbook so full it actually seemed heavier than when I left.

I couldn't wait to get back to the studio.

And I came back to emails upon emails and deadlines galore.

It's part of it. 

I was ok with it.

(and I'm honestly really still trying to catch up.)

Once I had any open creating time, it went to pieces in the sketchbook.

Stuff on the bench I left.

And all those new ideas.

I found myself in a much different place than I was at the beginning of 2015.

A place where I had too much creativity.

I had a hard time focusing on just one project.

And I found very little time to make these lovely little earrings.

Honestly, I thought about quitting this whole thing.

I got what I set out to get right? 

Inspiration abounded, why stress over completing the earrings? 

Why worry that I was  behind? 

Each time I'd start to saw a little squirrel, I'd think, "ugh, I have so much more important work to do."

But do I? 

I spent over a week just letting that question sit.

Is the EAD still important to me? 

Is it still worth it? 

Are there still lessons to be learned? 

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

I know there is still so much more this journey will bring me.

Maybe this bump in the road is a lesson.

A lesson of drive and perseverance.

Learning to commit to something even when it's not seeming to give you what you need in the moment.

Finishing something you started.

And so I just started.

Back again, I didn't worry about how much silver I was using or how the pieces would look.

When I second guessed my design, I just kept going.

Pushing.

Driving.

Sawing.

Hammering.

By the time I finished 10 of them I was smiling again.

I remembered all the EAD had brought me.

I knew it was still part of what I needed to do.

I can't guarantee there won't be bumps along the way.

I might not finish 1 earring everyday.

Maybe I get behind.

Maybe I have to get ahead sometimes in order not to fail.

But I'm recommitted and it feels good.

shop here.

♥ Carin

To Do //

 September is almost over.

October rains have come in the NW.

I feel the cold settle into my bones.

I feel drawn to cuddle more.

I want to drink more tea.

This season is always a contradiction for me. 

Although it is my favorite time of year. It also kicks off my busiest.

I feel like the days are drowning in "To Do" lists.

I have so much on my plate. 

BALANCE.

It's a true art form. 

As we plunge into fall, everything of is getting a makeover.

New charm shop options.

New website.

New fall inspired items. 

Can't wait to show you more! 

♥ Carin