Small Packages
Things are in a bit of upheaval in the There Was Eden studio these days. After reaching critical mass with my existing organizational system, I had a complete deconstruction of my space and then … well, then nothing. My beads sat in color-sorted piles for a month or two, until a particularly dramatic time-out session caused my son to smoosh everything into one giant pile. Since then, my beads have been in a box, my findings have been piled up on my workspace, and very little has come out of either (with the exception of some commissioned bridal pieces that I was honored to be asked to create). I’ve been seeking ideas and inspirations for redesigning my studio space into something more workable, but haven’t quite gotten the resources together. Although I sell my work, making jewelry is something I feel is a “me” project, and it’s hard for me to prioritize it over the other needs of home and family.
Still, I miss working. So last night, after fumbling through hundreds of tiny plastic bags, I decided to re-start small. It’s hard for me to put an entire necklace or larger piece together when I can’t see what I have to work with, but I can manage to match up a few stones into something pretty. Like earrings. I made citrine drops to match a necklace I already love and found two almost-perfectly-symmetrical faceted emeralds that needed very little help to become a stunning pair. Â I also found a home for a single, random agate in the middle of a piece of leftover chain to make a very simple but striking necklace. (This sure would be a good place for a picture, huh? Coming soon …)
I’m so personally drawn to each of these that I’m not sure if they’ll end up in the store or not, but I do expect there to be more like them showing up soon as I make these small steps to get everything back in order.