Nonpareil

Such beautiful, rustic-y jewelry from New Hampshire based Lisa’s Lovelies {or, New Hamster as my daughter used to call it}. There seems to always be something new at her shop…and, I know, because I’m there more often than I’d like to admit visiting the “bramble ring” above. Gorgeous pieces…and ooh, how I’d love to sport that ring on my finger!

Hi everyone! I took a little much-needed {and unintentional} blogging break…and it’s really nice to be back! June has been a little crazy: I’ve been to Oregon to visit my parents, to Thai Massage classes, had a visit from the in-laws, and have been driving my daughter to Chicago for two weeks to art camp at Lill Street Art Center {yikes}…which brings me to today’s post!

One of my daughter’s classes was a week long “metals” class from a fantastic teacher, Rebecca Zemans. Of course, I HAD to check out her site, and was totally impressed with her beautiful jewelry and metal sculpture…what a lucky girl to have such a talented teacher!

I adore the jewelry from Maine’s Quench Metalworks. Let’s just say that you were wondering what kind of gift to get me…you know, just in case you didn’t know. Then, you might consider the fabulous butterfly necklace {bottom, right}…or the ring {top, left}. That’s just the nice kind of person I am…helping you make these difficult decisions easier!!

You can learn more about the artist, Jen, here. Follow her blog here. Fan {or, “like”} her on Facebook!

My mom used to do enamel work…before I was born, and up until I was a toddler {and could potentially get WAY too close to a hot kiln}. I’ve always wanted to learn how, but have to make a point of asking for a lesson next time I visit my parents…my mom still has the kiln!

I think the enamel jewelry from Angela Gerhard is beautiful. I love her color combinations, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. I’m totally in love with the bracelets {center, left}. Just gorgeous.

PHEW! I took a much longer break than I had intended…I’ve been paying the price for having a ton of fun while on vacation…I have had a nasty cold for the past week…Bleh.

Amazingly, while we were in Sedona, I did ABSOLUTELY no shopping. NONE. Zilch. Zippo. It’s hard for me to believe, really. We just hiked around the beautiful red rock, cooked gobs of food, drank wine and hot-tubbed under the stars….

I DID find a wonderful online-jeweler who is BASED in Arizona…does that count?! I’ve been a fan of Starving Artist Bazaar for years, and her work has been featured on pretty much EVERY indie blog out there…but I just had to share too! I love lampwork beads, and especially the pieces she creates!