glorious New Year's greetings!

Well, it's been a year, hasn't it?  And, in our house, it's ending on such a glorious high ............
So much to be thankful for, so much to look forward to - feeling very blessed and very inspired and ready to move forward with a ginormous great leap. 

The year's also ending with a couple of really exceptional radar sightings.  Thanks to Clara for telling me about Bill Cunningham New York ... if you love fashion and New York, you have GOT to see this documentary - it is an absolute delight!

And then Cara told me about Urban Style Emporium ... the home page makes me want to swoon!  A favorite is BNG - Design from Istanbul ... so bloody cool!

And then Current-Obsession is looking pretty interesting - here's a couple of very cool necklaces.  One by Nick Mullins .....

One by Philip Sajet ...

And thanks to my family who's been very generous with gift cards, I'm over the top excited about a couple of new book purchases ... both of India Flint's books, Second Skin and Eco Colour.  I'm hoping to dive into some fiber experiments this year and these are going to be hugely inspirational!

I'm thinking that's it for now.  We're not big party-ers, but we are heading out to an early dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant, then back home before all the crazies hit the streets.

I am so enormously grateful to everyone who follows this little blog and my amazing clientele that supports my work ... I am one fortunate woman.

So here's wishing you all a safe and blessed New Year.  

l i g a - kvk

holiday blessings ........

No white Christmas this year, but here's a little something that we always listen to on Christmas day.  Please listen for a sweet reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, John Henry Faulk's "Christmas Story."

be well, be safe ... with deep gratitude - kvk

radar sightings

Just a quickie, 'cause I've got so much to do today .......

Just discovered Spencer Herr at the American Folk Gallery ...

And this is in beta, but The Cools looks like a potential alternative to Etsy.  Not a lot of jewelry on there yet, but I like the aesthetic  .........  we'll see.

Always forget how much I like Sydney Lynch .....

And Terri Logan is doing some interesting new work with more nuggety stones set in concrete ... the link's for her work at Bellagio ....

And of course I love her pebbles in any form or combination ......

And I needed a small dose of Aurelie Alvarez this morning before I get to work .......

And don't forget our Trunk Show on Saturday!

ciao for now!
l i g a - kvk

TRUNK SHOW!!!!!

.........round two.  Cara and I are joining forces with mutual friend and fellow jewelry artist, Tamela Wells, for a second installment of our Urban Primitive Trunk Show.  And we're' going to the birthplace of our creative collaboration - Niche.  We're keeping it pretty simple - champagne and truffles, grapes for the non-sugar types and spiced nuts - well that's the plan as of this morning.  Join us if you can.  The last one was hugely inspirational and such good fun.  I know this one will be as good or better.

 

Lots to do, so back to work for this little peep!

l i g a - kvk

p.s.  the QR code takes you to our FB event page - aren't I just au courant?

scurrying about + radar sightings

Hey ho!  What's up?
As for me ... I'm still catching up from being gone for a week.  I've got a stack of debit receipts that would choke a horse, my worktable looks like an explosion, I've got a stack of new magazines I'm dying to dive into and, the most important thing on the agenda ........ our second trunk show to work on.

But before I dive into all that, I've got some radar sightings to share.

First on my list is the clothing line Hannoh.  New to me, but of course Cara's been following him for ages. 

And I've really been enjoying my daily dose from Trendland which is how I found out that Bjorg has a new collection and lookbook.  See if you can figure out why I love her work ... silly me.

Cara sent me the link for Pip-Squeak Chapeau, which I have had very little time to peruse.  And WeTheUrban looks like it has some potential.

Pretty funny that I found my way to Apparet, a site for international contemporary jewelry designers, and I went straight to one of my favorite jewelry designers, Darcy Miro.  I want to just call it a day and be done when I look at her work.  Here's her website with an extraordinary video and her full range of work ... makes me swoon.

And for a fun little educational break ... my friend Cindy sent this link this morning.  Really fun, really well done and as Cindy said, essential viewing ...

Okay, back to work for this little peep.

l i g a - kvk

p.s.  two more sites for some information that's actually useful ...
How To Raise Your Vibration , Healing your shadow and Earthship, tons of cool information.

a timely voice

I'm not a very political person ... I vote and I have opinions, but I'm not one to organize or pursue causes.  The whole Occupy Wall Street (OWS) thing has me interested yet confused.  One thing I'm feeling is a similarity to the organization efforts of the late 60's.  There are lots of things about right now that remind me of that time and I am encouraged by what I see ...

At our trunk show we talked to so many women who are finding their voices, their passions, their soul work.  Amidst all the world chaos inspired art is being created, people are waking up.  Energetically, we're in the middle of an enormously powerful time and, while I'm not quite on the crest of the wave, I'm not feeling overwhelmed.  More likely, I'm on my way up, gathering kindred spirits and momentum for what promises to be an exhilarating ride.

What's got me all pensive this morning was watching a documentary on Pete Seeger last night.  Throughout the film I was struck not only by the power of his passion, but the complete lack of venom in his words and music ... an overarching sense of what's right, what's wrong, his belief in the basic good of humanity and his deep love for this country. 

I have no tolerance for the mean spirited spewing and constant spinning that consumes the mass media, so I'm not really up to speed on the OWS movement.  But a friend sent me this link and it seems worth sharing.  Maybe a Pete Seeger for 2011?

blessings ...

l i g a - kvk

the day after

Well, our Trunk Show was a resounding success.  The ladies of Moda have a luxurious and ever so elegant shop to complement our wares and put out a lovely spread of munchies.  And so very cool that blog buddies and Etsy friends came and, even more wonderful, bought some treasures - heartfelt thanks to Diane and Jen and Anne and Vanessa and Pam and Catherine and everyone else that came to chat and braved the crazy parking and support our work.

Here's my set-up ...

I had the copper pipe already, then a blitz trip to AC Moore for pre-stretched canvas and plate stands, then the plumbing isle at Home Depot... I love the pluming and electrical isles ... a pipe cutter and some on-hand copper connections, some florists tape, a few layers of paint, some on-hand davey board stapled to the canvas backs and, voila', necklace and earring displays.  The flat pieces are from my craft show days - copper mesh over plywood.  I had several people complement me on my creative displays and it reminded me of a plan I had a while back to develop a display consulting side-line.  I love designing and making unusual props for jewelry and clothing ... may have to give that some more thought.  Feedback most welcome!

Cara and I sold exactly the same dollar amount of work, had time to chat with lots of wonderful women and a couple of interesting guys and even better, got to talk to each other and find out the common ground between is pretty astonishing.  The pic is kinda blurry, but this is Cara ....

So now, I've got to unpack and get to work on a wholesale order to ship on Monday, then clean house and get ready for our housesitter to move in and take care of little Zoe so's we can head to Nashville to pick up my brother and then head south to Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving with my whole family.  Lots to do!

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.  I, for one, have so very much to be thankful for this year.

with deep gratitude and heartfelt blessings .........
l i g a - kvk

the day

Well, it's not the mother lode, but it is what it is.  I am quite pleased with the work ... just wish there was a whole lot more ...

the earrings

and the necklaces

I've only got a couple of bracelets.  That's the thing with designing all this new work ... sometimes it flows, sometimes it doesn't.  Bracelets weren't flowing.

My goal for the day is, above all else, to have fun.  Gots a ton still to do, so wish me luck and I'll see you on the other side!

l i g a - kvk

forward progress

Yesterday - long but fruitful.

Not the best photos, but some of what I accomplished ...

I'm quite pleased ...
Now - back to it!

l i g a - kvk

before

Shutting down electronics, focusing, designing and making and creating and taking lots and lots of deep breaths.  Our Trunk Show is on Friday ... let me just say, I've got a lot of work to do............

my delicious palette of components ... so so inspiring

Can't wait to see how it's all going to come together ... but come together it will.

Onward.

l i g a - kvk

thought for the day........

 

l i g a - kvk

diverge ...

... from the path of least resistance.

Embrace the road less traveled.

'nuff said.

l i g a - kvk

cleansing

Laying low ... doing a bit of a cleanse ... getting ready to switch into high gear as I'm all of a sudden rather busy.  Just found this link on FB ... such a lovely way to start the day. 

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.


l i g a - kvk

Participation appreciated

My friend Stowe is closing in on her deadline to fund her album.  She's an amazingly talented singer/songwriter with an even more amazing story.  Check it out, help her reach her goal. 

You can read more about Stowe's incredible story here.

Many blessings and deep gratitude.........
l i g a - kvk

mark you calendars!

Going to pull this together in a hurry ... November 18th - yikes! ... Cara and I are doing trunk shows!  We're very excited to be showcasing our artistic visions and forging a new friendship along the way. 

Our first one will be at a women's boutique at Biltmore Park in Asheville, Moda ... I'll have my new steel and bronze jewels and maybe some fine silver and Cara will have scarves, wraps and sweaters.  We're doing another trunk show December 3rd and details will follow for that one.  I just finished the announcement for the first one ... me likey very much! 

I'll post a reminder closer to the event, but if you're in town please stop by and say HI!

l i g a - kvk

contemplation, writing + ruby & ochre continued

Lots to think about these last couple of weeks.  Things in the works, new friends, new directions.  Some things changing, some remaining steadfast. 

My setting to work on Danielle's Authentic Dreaming Worksheet ... contemplating: "why do I want what I want" and "dreaming extreme"......

Welcoming guests for a five day stay ... an exercise in faith.

And being in a pensive mood, sharing my growing collection of ruby and ochre images ..........

Heading back to a quiet day in the studio...........
l i g a - kvk

p.s.  special thanks to all who've responded to the call for volunteers!

volunteers?

I got this email from a customer and thought I'd pass it on ...

"A friend and I are doing our diligence in having a platform for women where women in disadvantaged places around the world like haiti, brazil, rwanda would provide some materials (like painted acai berries or prepared recycled material) that would be then incorporated into pieces handmade by local women artisans.  The umbrella organization is called Mothering Across Continents (www.motheringacrosscontinents.org).  We are in search of local artisans that would be willing to make a piece(s) for our test trial to see how the concept is embraced.  Would you or do you know anyone that may be interested in participating? " 

If anyone's interested, leave a comment and I'll send you Courtney's email address.

Thanks!

l i g a - kvk

transitioning

It was such a weird day.  Well let's just say the Atlanta Apparel Mart is not a good fit ... literally nothing really handmade, no artisan work of any kind ... at least we didn't see anything.  We left the house at 6:30 to head down there for what turned out to be a 3 1/2 hour drive - not so bad.  We tried 3 times through the morning and early afternoon to check into the motel, but no rooms were ready.  We ended up staying at the mart for about an hour and a half ... and that was a stretch.  There were some nice showrooms, but nothing for us and then there was way too much really scary stuff.  After bailing on the show, we thought we'd go to a museum that looked like walking distance - it wasn't there!  What up with that?  Back to the motel.  If we left the parking lot, we'd lose our parking space and have to wait until after the show closed at 6 to have any chance of parking.

So about 1:00 we decided to head to a section of town we remembered as having cool restaurants and shops.  It's been about 10 years since we were in Atlanta ... things have changed.  Lunch was okay, the once progressive, interesting shops are gone and the new ones were mostly geared towards the college crowd.  But I knew for sure, one favorite shop was still there - Mooncake.  If you want to see the kind of clothing they sell, it's kind of an east coast version of Kati Koos.  I wanted to see if it might be a good spot for my jewelry.  This is where the day turned around and what the Universe must have been trying to tell us all day ... go to Mooncake!  The owner was there, we chatted for a good while, she loves my work, we exchanged emails, plus I got some much needed feedback.

After that, we were done.  I called the motel and cancelled our reservation.  I called the housesitter, apologized profusely and said to pack up, we were coming home early.  We got home just before 8, exhausted, but confident we had accomplished our goal of finding a place for my jewelry.

That's the challenge, isn't it?  Creating work, designing and making and putting your heart and soul into pieces.  You get to a stopping point, gaze upon your creations and then have no idea if there's a market for this body of work.  I have to admit, it's happened to me more than once or twice, nobody gets it ... at least nobody I know or have access to.  I've spent the last month completely absorbed in my new collection.  I look at it now and there's many elements that are the same or similar to things I've been doing ... but for some reason, it just feels very different ... more raw, more true.  I've been exploring the envelope's edge, well, my edge.  I've slipped my toe out there - just a wee bit.  Getting such a positive response from a respected shop owner was a huge boost to my confidence.

So what's next?  Good question.

I've got the Etsy shop loaded up, but things have changed there as well ... I need to figure out how to raise the profile of my shop and get the work seen.  I'm sort of ... no, I am ... following my nose and my heart.  Just taking one step at a time, and staying open to opportunities ... saying yes a lot more than usual.  One thing, though - I'm hesitant to get any deeper into the world of steel metal clay until I see if this work sells.  I might change my mind.  I've got so many ideas for bigger, bolder, genuine envelope busting work.  Hmmm, as I write this, I can see that - yes, I do need to go further, get fully acquainted with that edge, push my boundaries.  I've got a good start, a delicious taste ... don't stop now.  Onward ...........

Here's a peek at a couple more pieces...

 

    
That's it for now ... brain freeze has set in.

l i g a - kvk

forging ahead

Goodness, I've managed to get a few pieces of the new collection up on Etsy.  I got sidetracked and slowed down with things like updating my shipping profiles and charges and getting the images just right and then ended up with some really great jewelry shots, but the ones of the jewelry on me are less than wonderful ... self portraits are not my strong suit and they'll have to do for now.  But in case you haven't clicked over to see the new listings, here's a wee bit of a preview. 

I've got more jewelry to list, but have just run out of time ... thing is, we're heading down to Atlanta tomorrow to walk the Atlanta Apparel Show.  Of course I'm going to wear the full ensemble to walk the show.  Can't wait to put my new sweater with this piece ...

... and layered with another top favorite, one of the 'Elevenses' series ...

 Here's a sneak peek at a couple of pieces still to be listed ...

It will be Monday before anything else gets listed ... remember, patience is a virtue!
Okay, I'm kind of cross-eyed and pooped and am going to stop for now.  But when I return, I'll have some new radar sightings to share along with more steel lovelies.

Have a beautiful and safe fall weekend.
l i g a - kvk

et voila - the collection

I think I'm done ... at least for the time being.  I've got a few components that I haven't used and I have yet to make earrings or bracelets, but I'm kind of fried and need to stop.  

But, gotta say, I really do love the look of this work ...

After deciding on the closure (BTW - thanks again for your comments and opinions!), I did some final tweaking and fine tuning on a few pieces.  One noticeable change, I switched out the Ghana glass for Basha beads that I had stashed away for something special ... I think these super chunky applications fall into the 'something special' category.

Here's the three Basha beads I used.  I also got onto a theme for the number '22'.  I've been seeing 11:11 a lot and I decided to put that into the work.  The two necklaces on the right are "Elevenses", 11 metal beads, 11 fossils; then there's the piece on the left with 3 mondo turtle shell fossils and 19 bronze discs.

A close up of "Elevenses" ...

Of course, I absolutely adore the way the bronze and steel cubes turned out.  Really exceptional ...

So, what's next you say?  I'm going to see what I can get up onto Etsy in the next two days for a bit of a test drive ... see what kind of reaction I get.  Then, this weekend, we're going down to the Atlanta Apparel Mart to walk the show.  I'm looking into doing the show in February and want to get a feel for where my work would fit.  After that, I'm not sure.  I'd been talking to Colleen at Niche about a trunk show of the new work, but if that's going to happen, I definitely need to flush it out with the earrings and bracelets.  I mean, after all, it was finding that sweater at Niche that started this whole new direction.

Okay, time to do some picture taking and pricing and all that ...

So, if anyone is lusting after any of these, check my Etsy shop later today or tomorrow.

with much gratitude and heartfelt blessings ...

l i g a - kvk

HELP! need feedback

Everything was going along fine and then yesterday we went up to the Penland area for an annual potters' market and to visit a couple of galleries.  So of course I had to put on my artist duds and test drive some of my new pieces.  I had in mind to wear a couple of the raw cube necklaces.  I wanted them to be long and sit one just above the other.  That's when I realized the lengths needed to be adjustable, or at least I'm thinking that the lengths should be adjustable.  I love the look of really long pieces ... you know like 36" and more.  But that was way too long to wear with my inspiration sweater.

Here's the three I had to choose from ...

I thought I had the whole closure thing figured out.  But I'm not feeling so sure right now ... amazing how difficult it is to design and engineer interesting, clean and elegant solutions.  Kind of surprised, but this little conundrum has me kind of deflated.   

This is how I thought I would finish most of the new work ... a fixed closure, the necklace cords are long enough to just slip over the head - I was making these pretty long - 32" to 36". 

I've been in a bit of a snit all day trying to take a step back, not stay annoyed and solve my design problem.  This is the adjustable closure I came up with a while ago.  It still slips over the head, but there's an overhand knot next to the fossil that slides on the cord. 

I thought this looked pretty cool, fit in with the overall theme and functioned well.  Dave, who has a  pretty good eye for design, wasn't convinced.  He didn't think my customers would want to mess with adjusting the cord ... I'm not so sure. 

He was thinking I should do my regular button/loop clasp ...

For years, my closures have always been a KVK button and loop or the forged hook and link (which is silver and doesn't fit in with this work).  I really want something different for this collection. 

HELP!  This is where living in a near vacuum has its problems.  Any opinions here?  I'm definitely not usually one to design by committee, but I would very much love some feedback, opinions, insight ... hmmm, insight's probably my responsibility, but feedback would be lovely.

with deep gratitude ...
l i g a - kvk