Grateful

I love Thanksgiving. I love having a break from work, time to spend with family, and time to reflect on the many things I am thankful for.

I am so grateful for my loving family, my amazing husband, and beautiful, imaginative and spirited daughter....for our safe and comfortable home...for dear friends near and far....for my job, great co-workers, and benefits...for the opportunity to run my own business that allows my creativity to flourish...for my good health...for a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.

I am grateful that we are able to afford a safe home and that we can afford nutritious food, as much as we need, when so many do not have safe housing and enough to eat. I am grateful that my daughter is able to go to a school with loving, supportive teachers.

I am grateful to live on an earth that sustains us in so many ways, and that provides us with so much beauty. Take time out from this busy, commercial season, to breathe in the air outdoors, really look at the trees, the sky the clouds, the beautiful leaves.

Below, some images of fall, taken on a trip to Missouri in October.

Etsy Metal Blog Carnival: Why do you make jewelry?

This month's Etsy Metal team blog carnival is on the topic "Why do you make jewelry?"

Pendant purchased in Athens.

When I was younger, I always like to accessorize with interesting jewelry. As an art major at a liberal arts college, I was schooled in the traditional art making 2D and 3D techniques (painting/drawing/sculpture, etc.). At that point in time, I was mostly interested in drawing and painting. However, I was able to spend a semester abroad and purchased jewelry as souvenirs. After college, I traveled again, and did the same thing. In Athens, I bought a large silver and brass sun pendant from an artisan at a market (see image at left). That’s when I started thinking, "it would be so great if I could do this."

First piece of metal jewelry, a linked silver chain

Fast forward several years, and I started taking classes and loved metalsmithing. My first piece was a simple linked, hammered chain,
but I was so proud and excited when I finished it. Along the way I’ve learned enameling, granulation and stone setting, but mostly I am drawn to the simplicity of forming, shaping and forging silver and copper.

Here’s what I like about it:

• It is small scale art that can be worn. It also doesn’t take much storage space, so people (including myself) can own a lot of it! When I was painting, it was a challenge to find space for everything I produced. Now I can fit a large number of pieces in just a shoebox!
• I find it what you can do with metal interesting and challenging—for example, taking a rigid piece of sheet and forming it into a soft-looking flower. There are infinite ways to work metal, add color, texture it, etc.
• Making art is meditative and calming and satisfies a deep creative need for me.

Read what other Etsy Metal team members have to say about this topic.

Cynthia Del Giudice

Laura Jane Bouton
silentgoddess

Beth Cyr

Peculiar Forest

Tosca Terán

Nodeform

Mary Anne Karren
My Precious Studio
Deborah Lee Taylor

2Roses

Andrea Ring

Gracebourne Design

Danielle Miller

Evelyn Markasky

Inbar Bareket

Jewellietta

Abella Blue