Pearl Everlasting

Pinks, and for Good Measure, a Few Others

2012-02-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Every year I want to make something for Valentine's Day and I manage to miss it. Not this year! I have five pieces for today in shades of pink and deep wine-perfect for holiday gifts and for any other day of the year. I've also readied an imperial jasper cocktail ring and a stunning labradorite necklace.

Here are the three one-of-a-kind pieces:

Northern Lights Necklace: Labradorite

Cosmos Ring: Imperial Jasper, Size 8

Nootka Rose Necklace: Agua Nueva Agate

All seven pieces will be listed in the shop within the next hour. If you would like to be notified by email when new pieces are listed, you can do so here.

New Work and a Discount Code

2011-12-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Today's new listings are mere moments from being posted but here is a picture of the stones before they were set. You will have to head over to the shop to see them in their final glory!

There is still enough time to get domestic orders delivered by Christmas and I want to encourage anyone considering purchasing a piece as a gift to do so sooner rather than later!

As an incentive to do this, I am offering 20% off items purchased today through Thursday (12/13 to 12/15) only. This will include these new pieces as well as all of those in the shop. Enter the code PEARLEVERLASTING20 via the link "apply shop coupon code"at checkout. Etsy will not allow you to combine this discount with any others.

Feel free to contact me: emily at pearleverlasting dot com, if you have any questions!

If you would like to receive an email notifying you of exactly when new pieces go up, you can subscribe here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crystalline

2011-12-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

It's frosty here this morning. Just a thin icing in exposed areas, sure to disappear at the first hint of sunlight. I rushed out to catch it, enjoying it most as edged our evergreen blueberry bushes at the height of their fall color.

Back inside now with the pups dozing at my feet, a hot mug of Irish breakfast on the bench and a new batch of beckoning stones. Just how I like it.

Happy Friday!

Snippets from the Weekend

2011-12-06T13:20:00.001-08:00

We are back from our island visit, to a place where nothing escapes the sea. Each bit is bent, tumbled and formed into a smooth, muted palette of blue, green, gray and gold. It is unlike the forest where everything comes from and leans on everything else, protected and vibrant. Rather it is harsh and exposed, with all present just a fraction of those that started the journey.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope your weekend was a magnificent one.

Early Weekend

2011-12-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hello! Tomorrow I'm heading off to Whidbey Island, for some incredible surroundings and lots (and lots) of family. It will be great to see everyone and I'm sure I will come back on Monday very eager to get back to the bench.

What are your weekend plans? Do share, I'd love to hear them.

2011-11-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

Take me to Pearl Everlasting

Questions? Email me! emily at pearleverlasting dot com

Thank you to everyone who has already stopped by!

New Work Preview and Discount Code

2011-11-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

There will be a handful of new pieces for this afternoon. Below is one (with an incredible piece of Graveyard Point plume agate) of the two necklaces which will be accompanied by four rings and one pair of earrings. They will be posted shortly.

I am offering 10% off items purchased today and tomorrow (11/29 and 11/30) only. This will include these new pieces as well as all of those in the shop. Enter the code PEARLEVERLASTING10 via the link "apply shop coupon code"at checkout. Etsy will not allow you to combine this discount with any others.

Feel free to contact me: emily at pearleverlasting dot com, if you have any questions!

If you would like to receive an email notifying you of exactly when new pieces go up, you can subscribe here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Out amongst the Grasses

2011-11-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first, in my 25 plus years of Thanksgivings, that I haven't spent surrounded by family, either mine or Will's. Instead it was just the two of us, enjoying a rare day, free of any work or obligations.

We spent the morning with the dogs to a huge off-leash area which is nestled at the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia Rivers. It was cloudy and gray, but that illuminating gray that makes the perfect backdrop for the remaining leaves, bare branches and stalks of yellow grasses.

We loved it and the dogs even more so. It is a beautiful thing to watch them do what they were born to do, quite literally in Riley's case.

Dogs make it so much easier for me to remember all there is to be grateful for. Which beyond just the privilege of sharing in their company, is an enormous amount.

Happy Thanksgiving to all in the US!

New Work Preview

2011-11-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Posting within the next half hour or so: Six ring (sizes 6 to 9) and one necklace, brooch and pair of earrings.

Feel free to contact me: emily at pearleverlasting dot com, if you have any questions!

If you would like to receive an email notifying you of exactly when new pieces go up, you can subscribe here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pups and Jewels-an Update

2011-11-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

Remember this post?

Well it's been nearly 8 months since I wrote that and I've come along way since then. I spent many hours volunteering and observing in a number of veterinary clinic settings and have decided definitively that it isn't a place where I want to spend much more time.

I was hired at one dog daycare facility only to leave it a short time later for another where I am much more comfortable with the philosophy and methods. I now spend three mornings a week with two of the most compassionate, caring and patient people I've encountered. And of course, lots of dogs! Riley comes with me to work most days which is a joyful thing for all involved.

I'm also still volunteering at the local humane society which is alternately a heartbreaking, frustrating, wonderful and hopeful place-usually all at once.

And in between all of this, making lots of jewelry! My time spent away from home and my studio makes the time I do have here all the more precious, rewarding and efficient.

It's an excellent balance and I'm so glad to be back.

New Custom Order Policy

2011-11-04T11:06:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I'm instituting some changes to my custom order policies in an effort to streamline the process, especially in regards to what stones I have available.

Pictures of all the stones I have in stock can now be found here! I will keep the site update as I receive new stones and use others in pieces for the shop/custom orders.

Additionally, I am now charging a flat $30 deposit for custom orders. This is a change from the variable $20 to $60 custom order fee that I've had for the last year or so. As with the old fee, the deposit does not count towards the final cost of the piece, rather it is designed to compensate me for the enormous amount of additional time needed for custom pieces.

Here is the listing I will use for custom order deposits. If it is available then I am accepting custom orders!

Additional information is available in that listing. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

emily at pearleverlasting dot com

New Work Preview

2011-11-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

A handful of new pieces for this afternoon:

Laguna agate ring (size 8.5-wide band) and earrings, a condor agate necklace and a Sitka columbine silhouette necklace (made-to-order).

These pieces will be posted within the next 30 minutes or so.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Work Preview

2011-10-28T11:53:00.001-07:00

Hello! I'm finishing up listings in preparation for this afternoon's shop update but I wanted to make sure a preview was up, as soon as possible. I'm planning on posting within the next
hour. Here they are:

Huckleberry Earrings in Amaranth

Laguna agate from Mexico

Layers Ring in Lavender

Agua Nueva agate from Mexico, size 7.5 (wide band)

Layers Necklace in Violet

Agua Nueva agate from Mexico

Northern Lights Ring in Sienna

Willow Creek jasper from Idaho, USA, size 7 (wide band)

Northern Lights Necklace in Petal

Imperial jasper from Mexico

Layers Ring in Crimson

Sonora dendritic jasper from Mexico, size 8 (wide band)

Layers Earrings in Lavender

Laguna agate from Mexico

Thank you for stopping by! As always, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

In Progress

2011-10-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Necklace in progress: Spectacular Agua Nueva agate cabochon with a multi-bead embellished chain. Part of a group of new pieces going up tomorrow.

Portland in the Fall

2011-10-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

It is beautiful in Portland right now. The leaves are well into their color shift but most are still on the trees and there is no shortage of flowers in bloom.

Riley and I went out to investigate this weekend.

Funny how much more you seem to find with a camera in tow.

We are enjoying this while we can. It got into the 30s last night so I don't expect this be around much longer.

Hope you are having a beautiful fall.

P.S. Have any idea what kind of tree the first photo shows? There are a number around the neighborhood and they are spectacular in shades of forest green, bright yellow, lime, orange, red, burgundy and dusty eggplant.

What I've Been Up To

2011-10-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Making a big batch of work for a local boutique:

Mag-Big is a great store, crammed with work from hundreds of Portland artists and not to be missed if you are in the area. My new group of 30+ pieces will be making it into the shop sometime in the next week or so. You can find more information about Mag-Big here. It is currently the only place, aside from Etsy, where my work can be found.

It took a long time to make all of this but Wes and Riley were by my side through out.

It is great to be moving on to something else. I will be back with evidence of that something else soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Work Preview

2011-08-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hello! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I'm finishing up listings in preparation for this morning's shop update but I wanted to make sure a preview was up, as soon as possible. Here is a peek:

Terrain Necklace in Teal

Turquoise

Hard Freeze Necklace in Amaranth

Eudialyte

Terrain Necklace in Turquoise

Turquoise

Cosmos Earrings in Sky

Hemimorphite

Terrain Ring in Cerulean

Turquoise, size 8

Layers Necklace in Rose

Agua Nueva agate

All up within the next 30 minutes or so. Thanks for stopping by!

2011-08-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at our kitchen table, the pups at my feet, editing photos and making new listings. And look what suddenly popped up on my screen:

My narcissus earrings on Etsy's front page! It is still a thrill.

Soaking It Up

2011-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

It's cool here at the moment. The past few weeks have brought cloudy mornings which burn off to warm, sunny afternoons. Warm, but definitely not hot and perhaps a little too cool, if you were to ask the summer squash, beans, tomatoes and basil that are inching towards maturity.

It looks like the coming week may be a bit warmer so perhaps a ripe tomato is just around the corner. The Sun Golds and the Early Girls are neck and neck at this point, though an Early Girl has won out the last two years.

The dogs and I venture out every morning to check how everything is doing. To lift up leaves, peek between stalks, pull spent flowers loose and wrap feelers around their trellises. The cucumbers are especially conducive to close observation, with their growth of an inch or two per day.

It is beautiful here, hope it is where you are too.

P.S. These are the bush bean blossoms. The string beans will be (from left to right) green, purple and yellow.

On the Bench

2011-08-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

We had house guests this weekend and it was the motivator I needed to give my jewelry bench a deep clean. It had been a long time since the last one I did, months (many, many months). Metal is a shockingly dirty craft and I know this state won't last long. I'm enjoying while it lasts.

Here is what I am working on these days:

Clockwise from the top: turquoise x3, agua nueva agate x3 and eudialyte will become one ring, one pair of earrings and four necklaces.

Let's take a closer look at the eudialyte:

Pretty amazing and not something I expect to have a chance to work with again.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Work Preview

2011-07-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm finishing up listings in preparation for this morning's shop update but I wanted to make sure a preview was up, as soon as possible. I'm planning on posting within the next
hour or so. Here they are:

Yellowdot Saxifrage Earrings in Goldenrod

Cherry Creek jasper

Terrain Necklace in Olive

Madagascar landscape jasper

Hard Freeze Necklace in Charcoal

Dendritic Limestone
You can learn more about this piece here

Narcissus Earrings in Crimson

Aventurine and Cherry Creek jasper

Layers Ring in Violet

Agua Nueva agate, size 8 (wide band)

Sea Daisies Necklace in Coral

Fossil Coral

Thank you for stopping by! As always, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Shop Update Tomorrow

2011-07-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Which will including the prong-set dendritic limestone from the last post and six or seven other pieces. It will be around 9 or 10 am PST and I will have a preview here beforehand. If you'd like to receive an email when the pieces are posted then follow this link to join my mailing list.

What I'm loving most in the garden these days:

Our native Douglas spirea. The bees love it too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Trying New Things

2011-07-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

My very first prong setting, to be more specific. I've never been a huge fan of prong settings. I tend to like to the look of a thin, clean line of silver around a stone that you get with a bezel setting (the type you see in nearly every other piece I've ever made). But when I acquired this spectacular little cabochon, I decided it was time to give it a try.

The most difficult part is probably the construction of the wire frame and prongs that compose the setting. The frame needs be exactly the same size as the stone and each prong perfectly vertical and evenly spaced. Hours later, so far so good:

Now for the part I'd been dreading, setting the stone. With bezel settings I know exactly how much leeway I have for fit, edges height, clean-up, etc. With this setting I could only guess. To make things all the more challenging, this fabulous little stone is dendritic limestone. It is rather delicate, certainly sturdy enough to be worn as jewelry but unlikely to hold up well under much direct force. The setting of a stone requires steel tools to push the prongs down over the stone, all while touching only the silver prongs, never the stone itself.

And the result:

Pristine stone and a very handsome setting. Hooray!

New Work Preview

2011-04-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hello! Oh, it has been a long time. I've been slowly finishing this batch of work which I feel like I started ages ago. Despite the slow pace I am so pleased to finally have these ready to show you:

Layers Necklace in Amaranth

Laguna agate

Harebell Necklace in Burgundy

Bouquet agate and czech glass

Layers Necklace in Iris

Tiffany stone

Sitka Columbine Necklace in Crimson

czech glass

Narcissus Ring in Ivory

Laguna agate, size 6.25

Shooting Star Necklace in Thulian

Laguna agate and czech glass

Boysenberry Earrings in Amethyst

Amethyst, amber and garnet

Cosmos Necklace in Lavender

Laguna agate

Listings will be up in the next hour or two. I will be sending out the email notification which you can sign-up for here.

Thanks for stopping by!

And Then it was Spring

2011-04-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

In order of emergence:

Large-leaf lupine

Rhubarb

Red flowering currant

Crocuses

Dwarf blueberry

Rainbow Swiss chard

Sunshine blue blueberry

Flames of passion geum

This might be might favorite time of year, at least in regards to the garden. Winter has lifted but not so long ago that it is out of mind. Each new bloom, each unfurling leaf is a little celebration, as they should be.

Shop Sale

2011-03-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hello and happy Friday!

I've significantly marked down a number of pieces in the shop.

All of these pieces can be found here, while they last.

Regarding my last post, thank you to all of you wonderful people who left your words of encouragement. As excited as I am about this, it is still uncertain and a little scary so your support is very, very, much appreciated.

An Extended Absence and a Shift

2011-03-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Someone once asked me: What you would do with your time if you didn't need to support yourself financially? For a long time my answer to this was that I'd stay home all day, surrounded by my dogs and make things. Small, tedious, intricate things being my preferred medium. Lately I am realizing that I may have a new answer to that question.

The answer now seems to focus more on dogs and less on the rest. The shift has been gradual though I suppose I would have realized sooner if I'd given it much consideration. All of this leads to the reason for my prolonged internet absence: I am giving serious thought to going back to school. To be more specific, I'm planning to apply to a two-year veterinary technician program.

This represents a pretty drastic shift from my current path and I've thrown myself into all that is necessary for possible acceptance into the program. So far things are going well. I've spent time volunteering at our incredible local shelter and am loving it. Tomorrow will represent the first extended amount of time in a veterinary clinic setting, which should give me a much better idea of the actual job.

I'm not sure yet what all of this is going to mean for my jewelry. The plan right now is to continue with my work while exploring all of this. I'm volunteering quite a lot right now and need to take a class next quarter so my work pace is sure to slow, though probably not much more than it already has.

Thank you for stopping by, even after my extended absence! I shall keep you updated.

PS It snowed here a bit ago. Both dogs thought eating the snow was great fun.

Riley was just sillier about it.

New Work Preview

2011-02-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Hello!
After an unintentionally long hiatus I have some new pieces. All in shades of blue and green and featuring more of the piercing that I've been so enjoying.

Layers Necklace in Harlequin

malachite

Nootka Rose Earrings in Moss

chrysoprase

Terrain Necklace in Gold

turquoise

Cosmos Necklace in Turquoise

Kingman turquoise

Terrain Necklace in Sky

turquoise

Avalanche Lily Necklace in Pine

Morrisonite

Columbine Earrings in Cobalt

Czech glass

They should all be up in the shop within an hour or so. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful evening!

New Work Preview

2011-01-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Oh and I am excited about this one! I forgot how much fun piercing (cutting with a jewelers saw) is and how much I like the results. The Thimbleberry and Sitka columbine necklaces are the results of these efforts:

Rivulet Earrings in Jonquil

czech glass

Narcissus Earrings in Amaranth

Agua nueva agate, 14 karat yellow gold

Thimbleberry Necklace in Olive

cherry creek jasper, czech glass beads

Terrain Necklace in Sprout

Chinese turquoise

Terrain Ring in Terra Cotta

crazy lace agate, size 8

Sitka Columbine Necklace in Goldenrod

Laguna agate, czech glass beads

Narcissus Earrings in Crimson

Cherry creek jasper, garnet

I'm working through the listings and should have these up in the shop within an hour. Hope to see you there!

Bits and Pieces

2011-01-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

Coming together, one solder joint, one hammered edge, one stamped hallmark at a time . Tried some new things out: decorative piercing, more beads. Looking forward to sharing the results. Shop update tomorrow, hopefully early afternoon.

New Work Preview

2011-01-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I want to thank everyone who gave me feedback on the process pictures in the previous post. It is wonderful to know you enjoy them as much as I do and I will be sure to have more in the future!

Below is a preview of the pieces to be listed in the shop this evening:

Narcissus Ring in Sun Yellow

Laguna agate, size 6

Nootka Rose Ring in Thulian

Agua Nueva agate, size 8.5 (wide band)

Cosmos Necklace in Lavender

Laguna Agate

Nootka Rose Ring in Blossom

Rose Quartz, made-to-order

Layers Necklace in Amaranth

Laguna agate

Huckleberry Earrings in Crimson

Cherry Creek jasper

Terrain Necklace in Emerald

Turquoise

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A Quick Peek

2011-01-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

I don't post many photos of pieces in progress which is funny because I love seeing what other people are working on. I guess I feel like metal isn't particularly conducive to cute process pictures. It is at its worst, jagged, drawn on in Sharpie, covered in that post-acid bath coating and not even close to shiny. Nonetheless, I thought it time to give you a glimpse into all of this as it does make the finished result all the more sweet. The stones are perfection, as always.

What do you think? Nice to see or save it until it's all prettied up?

I'll be at these, any maybe some others, for the rest of the evening, all of tomorrow and perhaps part of Thursday. I should have a shop update Thursday or Friday.

P.S. It is snowing here! Though we are not expected to get more than a dusting. It would be nice to have just one good snow this year.

New Work Preview

2011-01-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

Terrain Necklace in Turquoise

Turquoise

Terrain Necklace in Sky

Turquoise

Cosmos Necklace in Jonquil

Moctezuma agate

Nootka Rose Necklace in Cerise

Agua nueva agate

Layers Necklace in Lavender

Laguna agate

listing shortly for Pearl Everlasting, hope to see you there!

Domain Change

2011-01-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not have noticed, for continuity's sake I've dropped "Adventures in Color" as this blog's name. It is now "Pearl Everlasting" and can be found at www.pearleverlasting.com. The old url (www.adventuresincolor.blogspot.com) will continue to work. However, it does appear that the old RSS feed is taking much longer (at least 4 hours) to show up in feed readers. If you'd like to receive updates in a more timely fashion you can subscribe to the new feed via the link for "Posts" in the right-hand sidebar directly below my profile blurb. If you are interested in keeping up with new work postings an even better way to do this is by subscribing to my email list which will notify you each time I list new pieces. You can do that here.

In other news, I am planning a shop update for tomorrow. It will at least have these three pieces and I am hoping an additional two necklaces and one pair of earrings.

The wee little rectangle of dendritic agate that I showed in the previous post has already been reserved.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I will see you tomorrow with the full preview of new work!

Oh It is Good to be Back

2011-01-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

Dogs at my feet, stones in hand and looking out on a frozen garden soon to awake from its slumber.

Good to be on this side of the holidays from where the days will only get longer and warmer. Enjoying it all immensely.

New for the New Year

2011-01-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Custom orders:

Prudent Man plume agate brooch and a blue chalcedony cocktail ring.

Twenty Eleven

2011-01-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

This time around I feel like I need a new year more than I have in the past. I feel on the cusp of something better, something harder and more challenging but ultimately more fulfilling, meaningful and authentically me. It has taken me a while to come to terms with what I am good at and the amount of work it will take to be great at it. I've seen what a bit of effort gets me, what it feels like to be just making it and know this isn't how I intend to continue. These realizations are not entirely new but I think I am reaching a critical mass of experience, knowledge and motivation and I don't intend to let it pass me by. The New Year is here and it couldn't have come at a better time.

I hope your year is full of whatever will make it rich for you. Happy 2011!

2010-12-23T13:33:00.001-08:00

Hello!

We are off to eastern Washington for a while to spend some time with Will's family. We'll be back for the new year and ready to jump right in. I hope you have a fabulous Christmas and remainder of the year.

Prudent Man in Hand

2010-12-16T16:22:00.000-08:00

There are two exciting things about this picture. The first is that it was taken with my new camera and looks fairly decent, if I do say so myself. I've been taking numerous breaks over the last few days to have mini-photo sessions wherein I press a bunch of buttons, take even more pictures and then delete them all. I am slowly making progress and all of the little victories along the way are an awful lot of fun. Aside from that, look at this stone! It is Prudent Man plume agate and the first I've laid hands on. It reminds me of just how I felt today as I walked around the garden under heavy gray skies. Things are dormant, battered, stunted, and decaying but this is only a phase. Under it all is a wealth of greenery which will, in time, overwhelm and transform the landscape. And this is just what the stone looks like with the neutral mauve, lavender, sienna and yellow just containing the brilliant rush of green at the bottom. All of this a very welcome reminder in these dark days of the year. Perfect for a brooch, I think. Let me know if it must be yours.

From Wes

2010-12-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

Wes would like to say that he hopes you will excuse Emily for a bit as she finishes up some orders and has some quality time with her new toy. He would also like to remind you that he is even cuter when he is properly in focus and thus understands the necessity of time spent with the camera rather than playing with him. He is sure you do as well.

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh

2010-12-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here at my little desk, in my little red-walled studio, in our little grey stucco bungalow and doing everything I can to keep a gigantic rush of excitement from completely obliterating all of the other to-dos that desperately need my attention. You see, I've spent the last month or so pouring over reviews, sifting through flickr and seeking advice, all with the aim of purchasing a new camera. I finally went ahead and did it last week and this morning I learned that it will almost certainly be delivered tomorrow. It is actually already in Portland(!) which make the waiting all the more unbearable. But I must wait and wait productively. There are any number of tasks that need to be tended to ASAP and I fear that tomorrow will bring very little progress on these fronts; best to get it done now.

New Work, Lots of New Work

2010-12-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I feel like it's been ages since I had anything new for you. It is good to come back with a bit of a bang; twelve new pieces! The group is composed of five necklaces, two pairs of earrings, four rings and one brooch. Included in this is my very first pair of enamel earrings, hopefully the first of many.

Here are they are:

Narcissus Necklace in Persimmon

laguna agate from Mexico

Layers Ring in Coral

crazy lace agate from Mexico, size 7.25-wide band

Coast Necklace in Dove

moonstone

Layers Necklace in Rust

dryhead agate from Montana

Northern Lights Ring in Stone

imperial jasper from Mexico, size 8.75-wide band

Cosmos Brooch in Mahogany

ocean jasper from Madagascar

Cosmos Necklace in Lavender

condor agate from Argentina

Moss in the Trees Earrings in Emerald

enamel(!)

Northern Lights Necklace in Forest

imperial jasper from Mexico

Narcissus Earrings in Olive

Picasso jasper from China

Cosmos Ring in Celadon

ocean jasper from Madagascar, size 8

Sea Daisies Ring in Ivory

fossil coral, size 8.75

I'm still editing listings but I hope to have these posted in the shop within an hour or so. Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

em

Shades of November

2010-11-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Things have been a little bleary here which is why I haven't been around much. Will was gone for a week at a conference and not a lot got done, despite my best intentions to be absurdly productive while he was away.

In any case everything is back to normal and I'm planning on finishing up and listing what I've slowly been working on sometime early next week. I did spend some time organizing and getting better acquainted with my little collection of enamels; pouring them into containers, writing labels and making samples. This morning I worked on an idea I've been contemplating for weeks. Everything is going pretty smoothly thus far so I am hoping to have a couple of pairs of earrings for this next listing.

I also just got this incredible bunch of stones in the mail. I am (at this point) still taking custom orders so feel free to contact me if anything catches your eye.

Things are suitably drizzly and gray outside which I think makes for perfect metalsmithing weather. Who wouldn't want to cozy up to a bushy flame and bright rocks as the rain comes down. Back to the bench!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

em

New Work for Tomorrow Morning

2010-11-11T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I'm composing the five listings that I will be posting tomorrow morning. Probably pretty early in the morning-before 7 PST? We shall see. As always, I will send out the 10 minute email notification beforehand, which you can subscribe to via this link. Here are the goods:

Plume Necklace in Flame

Mexican plume agate

Cosmos Necklace in Heliotrope

Tiffany stone from Utah

Canyons Brooch in Sienna

Owyhee jasper from Oregon

Layers Necklace in Lavender

agua nueva agate from Mexico

Narcissus Necklace in Persimmon

laguna agate from Mexico

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you there!

xoxo

em

Back in the Saddle

2010-11-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Not literally though that post may be upcoming. This weekend I pulled out my knitting bag for the first time since Wes was a teeny puppy. I spent a lot of time knitting in high school (ahem, that being just the tip of the iceberg in terms of my teenage awesomeness) but had packed everything away for college and these subsequent years.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover this pair of very nearly finished Fair Isle gloves which I thought I had barely started.

I was also quickly reminded of how passionate Wes is about wool. When he was younger we couldn't even put on a hat or gloves without sending him into paroxysms of delight.

He has now matured to the point where he just sits politely...

and waits for the chance to snatch something away!

I am planning on making this hat with some pale turquoise cashmerino that just arrived. I will be sure to share my progress.

Is anyone else starting new projects now that cooler weather has arrived? I'd love to hear about them!

Hope everyone had wonderful weekends. Thanks for stopping by.

xoxo

em

Friday Morning Goodies

2010-11-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Good morning (or whatever time it may be where you are) everyone!

It is foggy and a bit chilly here at the moment-perfect weather for wrapping my hand around a steaming mug of Irish Breakfast and getting down to some serious editing and listing. I plan to have these four pieces along with two other little necklaces up in the next few hours.

Cosmos Brooch in Heliotrope

agua nueva agate

Layers Ring in Silver

Moctezuma agate, size 7 (wide band)

Cosmos Necklace in Cream

crazy lace agate

Terrain Ring in Thulian

crazy lace agate, size 9

Hope to see you there and happy Friday!

xoxo

em

New Work!

2010-11-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Eight new pieces for this evening with six(!) necklaces, one pair of earrings and one ring. Listing in the shop in the next hour or so:

Mahonia Necklace in Teal

Layers Necklace in Rust

Moss in the Trees Earrings in Emerald

Hard Freeze Necklace in Amethyst

Coast Necklace in Dove

Terrain Necklace in Turquoise

Layers Ring in Vermilion

size 6.25-wide band

Layers Necklace in Umber

Hope to see you there!

xoxo

em

2010-10-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to drop by with a couple of announcements:

You can now find my work at Mag-Big in Portland, OR on SE Hawthorne Ave. It is a brand new store crammed full of work from over 100 local artists. Definitely drop by if you are in the area, the store's owner, Cassie, is just about the sweetest person you could ever hope to encounter.

Also, I've just marked down my older stock by 30% off. You can find that sale section here.

I should have a few shop updates next week, probably Monday and Thursday.

xoxo

em

In the Midst of Fall

2010-10-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

In a decidedly autumn-colored palate, below are the pieces to be listed this evening:

Hard Freeze Necklace in Charcoal

Sweetwater black dendritic agate (from Wyoming)

Plume Brooch in Sepia

Graveyard Point plume agate (from Oregon!)

Narcissus Earrings in Olive

Mookaite jasper and amber

Canyons Necklace in Saffron

Teepee Canyon agate (from South Dakota)

Cosmos Necklace in Goldenrod

Kentucky agate

The listings will be up within an hour or so. Please note that the Brazilian agate shown in yesterday's picture has already been reserved as a custom order.

Thank you for stopping by and happy Friday!

xoxo

em

Stones du Jour

2010-10-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I am enjoying my morning ritual of Irish breakfast and a dash of soy milk whilst quickly going through email, google reader, facebook... you know how it is. I have the entire rest of the day to spend with some new pieces to be composed with some, though hopefully all, of the stones below.

clockwise from the top: Kentucky agate, Sweetwater black dendritic agate,
Brazilian dendritic agate, mookaite, teepee agate, Graveyard Point plume agate

It would be nice to make a pair of enamel earrings today as well but that is probably completely unrealistic. I will have whatever I've completed ready to list tomorrow afternoon.

I would like to say one more "Thank you" to everyone who entered my giveaway and participated in the birthday sale. The response was more than I ever could have hoped for and I am so grateful to everyone who came out. All of the packages where shipped Tuesday and Wednesday and should soon be arriving on doorsteps.

Thank you!!

xoxo

em

Puppies and Packages

2010-10-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are well into the second and final day of my birthday sale and thus far it's been an enormous success!

I (accompanied by my loyal helpers) spent the morning packing up the majority of the orders but more will be going out tomorrow as they continue to roll in. There are still plenty of wonderful pieces up for purchase.

Everything in the shop was marked down 25% and will stay so through this evening. Here is the original blog post and you can partake in the sale here.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone for all of the birthday wishes and orders. I couldn't have hoped for a better day.

xoxo

em

Birthday Sale!

2010-10-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

As some of you have already observed, today is my birthday. My 25th birthday to be exact. In honor of completing my first quarter century of existence and as a
thank you to all of you for supporting my dreams, work and livelihood, I am having a sale.

My shop Pearl Everlasting, is marked down 25% today and tomorrow. I've already edited all of the prices to reflect this discount so you needn't worry about revised invoices or refunds, just purchase and checkout as you normally would.

I hardly ever have sales so if you've had your eye on something for a while this is your chance!

thank you everyone and have a wonderful day!

xoxo

em

And the winner(s) are...

2010-10-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone that entered my little giveaway! I am so pleased to hear from all of you and to see so many new faces. Thank you!!

Without further ado, the randomly selected winner of the necklace is

genie marie

I do so appreciate all of you who responded so I decided to also give away one $50 gift certificate. The winner of the gift certificate is

lisa berry

Congratulations you two! I will be in touch with you shortly.

I'm sorry I couldn't have something for each and every one of you but I do have an announcement

it's my birthday today and I thought I'd have a sale to celebrate!

that I will post details for shortly.

Thank you again to everyone for their entries and lovely comments. This was great fun and I will be sure to have another soon!

xoxo

em

Giveaway Reminder

2010-10-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

This is just a gentle reminder that the deadline for entering the giveaway is looming. You have until 11:59 PST this evening to enter.

I should clarify that the winner will be picked randomly using a random number generator so each (qualifying) entry is equally likely to be chosen.

I will post the winner tomorrow morning along with another announcement I have.

See you then and good luck!

xoxo

em

Giveaway!

2010-10-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I've just finished the piece I chose especially for my first ever giveaway. I've wanted to do this for such a long time and I'm so pleased that the day has finally come.

This agua nueva agate necklace will be sent off to one lucky person, to be determined Monday morning:

There are six different ways to enter. Leave a comment for each of these that you do:

* Become a blog follower

* Join my facebook page here

* Join my mailing list (or lists) here

* Post a link to this giveaway on your blog

* Post a link to this giveaway on Facebook

* Post a link to this giveaway on twitter

If you are already a "follower", "fan" or have subscribed to the mailing list(s) then that counts as well, just let me know in the comments.

I would prefer that each action be entered as a separate comment though it's not required.

As I have some other things planned for next week, I will only be taking entries until 11:59 PM PST on Sunday the 17th. The winner will be announced Monday morning.

Good luck!

xoxo

em

New Work: In Shades of Grey with Plenty of Dendrites

2010-10-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

For this evening, three necklaces and one ring:

Sea Daisies Necklace in Charcoal

fossil coral

Coast Necklace in Dove

moonstone

Hard Freeze Necklace in Sepia

Brazilian dendritic agate

Haptera Ring in Kelp

Madagascar dendritic agate, size 7.5 (wide band)

and the bull kelp-adorned band

I'm so excited about these.

They will all be up this evening though posting is going to have to wait until after dinner.

See you then!

xoxo

em

New Work for This Evening

2010-10-08T17:12:00.001-07:00

Listing within the next few hours:

Boysenberry Earrings in Burgundy

garnet and Cherry Creek jasper

Cosmos Necklace in Mauve

royal imperial jasper

Moss in the Trees Earrings in Jade

aventurine

The listing notification will go out (as always!) immediately before listing.

Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend to everyone!

xoxo

em

Glass on Metal

2010-10-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Enamel: a material created by using heat to fuse powdered glass to a backing, in my case, copper.

I took a two-day enameling workshop a few years ago but found the whole thing a bit tedious and generally unenjoyable. Though this was also true for my first metals classes, so there you go. After coming upon some particularly inspiring work and leafing through an old enameling book, I decided to look into giving it another try.

After consulting with Shannon and Stacey and gathering various household implements (as substitutes for proper tools), I managed to make 13 little test discs of opaque colors.

I am so much more excited about it this time around. Working in the comfort of one's own studio in a completely different experience. I can watch the transformation taking place before me and focus on the beauty, personality and possibility of the material.

Can't wait to do more. I will keep you posted.

xoxo

em

New Work for Tomorrow

2010-10-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

One brooch, two necklaces, one pair exceptionally long, dangly earrings:

In the shop tomorrow (mid-morning, Pacific Time).

Goodnight!

xoxo

em

More Gratuitous Produce Shots

2010-10-03T21:52:00.001-07:00

Dug this afternoon:

50+ pounds and about 45 pounds more than I'd expected based on the less than admirable care they received over the summer.

Good thing potatoes are so yummy!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

xoxo

em

Melon in Macro

2010-10-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

We grew a melon! Only one and it's rather small but we are pretty proud of ourselves considering our extremely cool summer and lack of experience.

I am a bit in awe that it actually grew and even more so that is looks identical to anything we've ever purchased at the market: perfect orange flesh surrounding a center of smooth white seeds and all encased in a glorious tan-webbed, pale chartreuse, rind.

The garden never ceases to delight.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

xoxo

em

New Items for Today!

2010-09-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Two necklaces, two rings and one pair of earrings:

Narcissus Necklace in Goldenrod

moctezuma agate

Coast Necklace in Steel

Picasso marble

Plumes Ring in Charcoal

San Carlos plume agate, size 5.75 (wide band)

Layers Ring in Persimmon

laguna agate, size 7 (wide band)

Nootka Rose Earrings in Carmine

Cherry Creek jasper

All will be available at Pearl Everlasting within a few hours. Hope to see you there!

For Tomorrow...

2010-09-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

Goodnight!

xoxo

em

Saturday on the Coast

2010-09-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

This past weekend Will and I spent a wonderful day on the northern Oregon Coast enjoying the last few days of warm weather before Fall sets in in earnest.

It was relaxing, beautiful, renewing and just what we both needed.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

em

Around the House

2010-09-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

The above is a good representation of what is currently a thrice daily occurrence, in these parts. Riley is experiencing a litany of skin issues related to increasingly severe allergies, the cause of which is yet to be determined. Of the numerous medications he is currently on, one is to be applied and then left to absorb, undisturbed for a time. This is most easily and gently accomplished by distracting Riley with copious amounts of love, soothing words and petting until he has completely forgotten about it and has become a bit sleepy.

Ready for the first of many naps the day is sure to bring.

Wes looking silly, cuddles at my side in keeping with his desire to be involved in all activities, or at the very least, close to them. This is very sweet at times like this but requires constant vigilance during working hours to avoid rolling my chair over a velvety ear or delicate tail.

I spent some time out in the yard this weekend in an effort to do some end of summer tasks and to give Will some peace and quiet as he moves into the last days of studying for his PhD qualifying exam, not a thing to be taken lightly and he surely isn't. I am grateful for all of his hard work and even more so that I've found a life that doesn't require hours of study or rapid accumulation of ungodly amounts of information. Instead, I get to play around with glorious bit of earth in the form of stone, metal and in between, actual dirt.

The freshly weeded, formerly pea and onion, patch which will be home to beet sprouts in just a matter of days. I think there are few things more satisfying than transforming a piece of dirt from a weedy mess into fluffy, rich, soil. This is especially true if you let things get really out of hand, as I seem do, making the conversion all the more dramatic. You can't quite see it in the picture but the grape vine also continues vertically up and across the front of the house. Isn't it romantic?

Thank you for stopping by!

xoxo

em

Finished!

2010-09-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

And listing shortly, the stones from earlier today. The ear pair didn't quite make it though I have a few other, less elaborate, earring sets that will be included in the shop update. I am finishing up the preparation of the listings (which takes a shocking amount of time, by the way) and then they will be posted, likely within the next 30 minutes or so.

I do apologize for the blurry picture. The days are steadily shortening with less and less sunlight everyday and I've not quite come to terms with it yet.

xxxxx

em

Jewels for the Evening

2010-09-13T17:08:00.001-07:00

The settings are complete, aside from their stones, so all that needs to be done is the actual securing of the cabs in their fine silver bezels and a last bit of finishing. This is the fun part, where I get to see how the setting and stone work together to create the finished piece. They will be listed tonight.

xxxxx

em

And Then There Was Plenty

2010-09-12T21:23:00.001-07:00

Of cherry tomatoes, that is.

Despite the exceptionally cool summer our tomato plants are managing and are currently at their peak. Here are is a good part of our cherry tomato harvest with sweet million, black cherry, sungold, matt's wild cherry and sweet pea currant pictured. The little ones are the sweet pea currant-enormously prolific and positively delightful!

What is it about the tomatoes?

xxxxx

em

Progress

2010-09-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

It is often that I feel like I'm rather slow, in terms of the rate at which I create new work and how quickly that work evolves. Thus, it was heartening to compare the photos I'd submitted for a local craft show application this year to those from last year.

Last year's pictures are on the left and this year's on the right:

I feel like I've really progressed and that, perhaps most importantly, my relationship with my work has progressed. I am so much more at peace with where I am, who I am, what I am currently making and new ideas that are developing. Regardless of whether I actually get into this show, it was so worth it to see and acknowledge this.

xxxxx

em

2010-09-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I hope enjoyable holiday (at least here in the US) weekends were had by all! Ours was spent in the usual fashion with a trip to the farmer's market and a bit of lounging around.

Will and me, post farmer's market but pre-lounging.

The highlight though was the time consumed with wandering around Portland's annual fine arts and crafts festival. Etsy is a bit of a bubble in terms of what aesthetic and price range dominates and it was really good to get a glimpse what else is out there and who is making it. It was enormously affirming to see a group of people who are making a living with their painstakingly-crafted, unique and fittingly-priced work. My most favorite find was this cloisonne jewelry from Linda Lundell:

The pictures really only give you a taste of how extraordinary these pieces are in person. What the photos fail to capture is the great depth and vibrancy that the layers upon layers of glass create in these pieces. It was all very inspiring. I've only done enough enameling to get a feel for just how difficult and time-consuming this work is. Hopefully doing more enameling of my own isn't too distant in the future.

xxxxx

em

Heap of Goodies

2010-09-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It's a bit of an in between time right now. I am applying to craft shows but won't be sure of my participation for a month or so. Things are a little slow around the shop but I know that the next few months will bring a sharp increase in demand. Although I know that this will happen I still have difficulty in creating a lot of new work at times like these.

I have to push myself to trust that these ups and downs are cyclical , inevitable, and a blessing. This is a time to buckle down, develop some new designs, and build up stock for the upcoming holiday season. In keeping with this, I've been working on this earring design for a couple of days and decided last night to whip up a whole bunch.

I finished these this morning and thought I should get a picture before moving on to the more elaborate pieces that are next in line. I'm glad I did. Seeing them as a group is positively delightful! I love how the colors look together and the repetition of a very similar, yet not identical, design.

I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon on pieces that I am planning to list early next week, probably Tuesday. Much time will be spent at the bench over the next few days but I am going to get out for Portland's Art in the Pearl festival and our weekly visit to the farmer's market.

I hope most of you are going to take a bit more advantage of the long weekend and these last weeks of summer. Any fun plans? I'd love to hear them!

xxxxx

em

Additional Shots of Today's Rings

2010-09-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I thought I would post some additional pictures of today's pieces before they head to the shop.

Listings will be up within the next half hour or so.

Prairie Ring in Goldenrod

Trapper Creek agate, size 7.5

Canyons Ring in Sienna

Biggs jasper, size 8

Hard Freeze Ring in Sky

dendritic agate, size 7

Terrain Ring in Ochre

red moss agate, size 8.75

Cosmos Ring in Persimmon

moctezuma agate, size 6.5
(I'm completely in love with this little ring, completely)

Off to list, weee!

xxxxx

em

Rings Just Completed

2010-08-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

Five for tomorrow morning's listing

From size 6.5 to 8.75

Much fun was had in their creation

I'm sure the same will go for their wearing

xxxxx

em

p.s. the new anthropologie catalogue is really lovely. Don't you think?

Necklaces!

2010-08-27T21:07:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

I am preparing to list four new necklaces this morning. I am rather pleased with this group and had a lot of fun playing around with new chains and beads(!). This all proved to be surprisingly time consuming, so much so that one piece didn't make the cut for today though it will surely make an appearance in an upcoming listing. Anyways, here is what will be going up right away:

Four necklaces in crazy lace agate, lapis lazuli, moss agate and royal velvet rainbow obsidian. The detailing in each piece is what makes them truly wonderful but you'll have to check out the individual listings for more pictures. They should be up within the hour in the shop.

Have a fabulous weekend!

xxxxx

em

The Tomatoes Trickling In

2010-08-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Slowly...but they are oh, so lovely!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

xxxxx

em

New Jewels for the Shop This Evening

2010-08-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

Listing in the next hour or so in the shop. I will, as always, be sending out the notification e-mail just before listing. Not receiving the notification emails? You can subscribe by following this link.

Now for the good stuff:

Hope to see you there!

xxxxx

em

2010-08-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

We are on the verge of the tomato harvest storm (should they care to ripen) but there have been lots of other wonderful things thus far:

strawberries-still going strong

shelling peas

blueberries and raspberries

beets and carrots

Australian fingerling potatoes

rhubarb stalks

"volunteer" sunflowers

What goodies are you enjoying this time of year?

xoxo

em

2010-07-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Look at how pretty the potato flowers are! About half of our 35 or so plants are currently flowering and all in this lovely shade of pale pinky violet, though I think there are at least a couple of different kinds in there. Potatoes are a priority around here, we are very fond of them. Aren't you?!

We have been spending lots of time in the garden the past few days, giving it extra water before completely abandoning it for a time. Tomorrow we are heading off to the forests of northern Idaho to do some serious lounging around, light hiking and intermittent lake gazing/swimming. We will be back Tuesday evening, hopefully to an easily revived garden. I am a bit concerned about all of our delicate veggies though I keep reminding myself that I am surrounded by plants that are managing to thrive despite our extremely dry summers. It's been at least a month since we've had more than a quarter of an inch of rain and this is pretty typical.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

xxxxx

em

PS THANK YOU to all of you wonderful people who came out to support the last shop update, in any number of ways. I appreciate it more than I can tell you!

New Goodies in the Shop Shortly

2010-07-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy seeing change over time, how they begin and what they become. In this spirit, I took before and after pictures of the six cabochons I've been working with, as of late.

What started as this:

Has been transformed into this!:

Isn't that fun?

I am readying listings and will be posting these in the shop within the next 5 minutes or so. In addition to these six pieces I also have five additional smaller earrings/necklaces that will also be going up.

Hope to see you there!

xxxxx

em

Sunny and Fussy

2010-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It is beautiful here in sunny Portland and I've been having a really excellent day, in a number of ways but especially metalsmithing-wise. One of those days when stones sit perfectly flat in their settings, solder quickly jumps to its intended location and teeny faceted stones are EXACTLY the size they are purported to be.

I have a feeling this will all continue as I move from the realm of finicky, faceted, citrines to the much calmer and more organic realm of big, spectacular, cabochons. I'm fussy enough on my own, I don't need my materials to be also.

"mango lassi" geum

Anyways, I'm going to go back to my bench and settle in for a bit more smithing. At random intervals I will look up and gaze through the peas heavy with pods, past the grape scrambling along our railing to the four pristine rows of lush potatoes. The upper plant portions, of course. The potatoes themselves are underground and probably not even really formed, at this point. We do have some in containers that are much further along. The plants are nearly entirely dead which means we will be harvesting within a few weeks. These are our Australian fingerling potatoes, unlike anything you'll find at the grocery store and so cool! I will show you once they are dug.

Have a wonderful day!

xxxxx

em

Oh and I almost forgot! Due to extenuating circumstances, this necklace has been taken off reserve and is back in the shop:

You will find it here

Roo's T-Shirt

2010-07-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Riley aka The Blond One (so-called by my grandmother), has spent the last week or so wearing some very fancy dog attire. This was fashioned on the advice of our vet in an attempt to keep him from messing with a cut under his right front leg.

While he isn't fond of us poking, compressing, inspecting and powdering his wound, he is seemingly fine with with his new garb. In all honesty, he seems to be enjoying it. I think he would be happier with little girl in his life to continue dressing and fussing over him but the t-shirt wearing is scheduled to end within the week and I don't anticipate the desire to continue.

And in our container garden: the first baby pepper, squash blossoms and tomato flowers. It's summer!

xxxxx

em

Pink and Fluffy

2010-07-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

The mosquitoes are absolutely out of control, as of late. We came back from our camping excursion (which also had plenty of mosquitoes) and almost immediately decided that the time had come to construct our garden path. It was wonderful to finally get this done and I hope to show you the results once the various ground covers are actually doing some covering. Unfortunately, this effort resulted in a multitude of mosquito bites, eight on my lower back alone. Since then every extended trip outside has left me further harassed. I've taken to dousing myself in chemicals before each outing which is something I wouldn't normally take part in. I'm not sure how much good it is doing but I am crossing my fingers that our recent bout of seriously warm weather will bake away any possible places for them to lay eggs. We shall see.

I did venture out early this morning to see how things are progressing. We have these "volunteer" poppies in front that we were sure were the Hungarian breadseed (poppy seeds for culinary use) poppies that I scattered around last year. These are decidedly not anything that was breed for any activity beyond being pink and fluffy. This doesn't earn you a lot of points around here but I think they will stay for now. They do add some nice vertical interest and contribute to the burgeoning mayhem that we are currently cultivating.

The grapes are growing fatter by the day. This is pretty thrilling.

Tomorrow morning we will be making the trek to the farmer's market in search of more cherries, other berries and maybe even peaches. Rumor has it they've arrived.

xxxxx

em

Listing Shortly

2010-07-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

In the shop

~em

2010-07-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes tonight's shop update turns into tomorrow morning's shop update. The likelihood of this has a positive correlation with outside temperatures. It got into the high 90s today, these will be listed tomorrow:

xxxxx

em

Weekend in the Woods

2010-07-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July weekend was spent traipsing around Mt. Hood National Forest amongst the douglas fir, rhododendrons and wildflowers. It was beautiful, peaceful, cool, and a nice lead-in to what is turning out to be a very warm week.

I hope wonderful weekends were had by all.

The remainder of the day will be spent readying pieces for tomorrow's shop update. Hope to see you then,

xxxxx

em

The Wee-est Patty Pan

2010-06-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Actually, this one is larger than its brethren and enough so to actually resemble a vegetable, which is why it got its picture taken. I really like watching things develop in the garden, especially those that I am not especially familiar with. This is the first year for squash so I'm pretty enthralled though the grapes are also rather fascinating with their clusters of tiny and slightly bedraggled flowers.

In between closely watching the garden's activity, I have been getting a fair amount of work done though a shop update will probably need to wait until next week. We will be exploring and enjoying portions of the Mt. Hood National Forest over the weekend and I have a feeling that I will spend much of Friday getting ready for that. So not a lot of activity right now but lots to share next week.

xxxxx

em

Stones and Some Calm

2010-06-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

After finishing a group of pieces, as I did on Friday, I often take a while to figure out what will come next, what stones will demand my attention and efforts in the coming days. I feel a little deflated at these times, like I would prefer to just sit with these newly minted works rather than hurrying to pack them off to their new homes as I turn to the array of decorative dishes that line my window sill. The dishes are filled with cabochons of every shape and color with each stone a multitude of possibilities and directions. I get a little overwhelmed. There are so many things I want to do, stones that deserve their chance to become something treasured.

Luckily focus arrived via the mail in the form of a stone for a custom necklace and a group of five new ocean jasper cabochons, too compelling to pass up.

Each is a good starting point from which to plan my upcoming days and I will spend some quiet moments with them delivering the careful examination each deserves before I start a new round of work. These are the moments of calm before ideas are solidified, schedules composed and creating beings anew.

xxxxx

em

Listing Shortly

2010-06-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

After a morning of organic veggies (today's farmer's market highlights: garlic scapes and Rainier cherries) and doggy play I am finally getting down to listing. I will start putting up the new earrings and ring shortly:

In the shop

The necklace has already been reserved.

I am a bit behind on convos and general correspondences but I will be getting caught up on that right after I finish listing. Thank you for your patience!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday!

xxxxx

em

Parker

2010-06-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight's listing has been postponed due to the arrival of our cute though rather demanding house guest. We are all getting acquainted and playing nicely with one another, for the most part.

Parker the puppy with be with us for the weekend. I'm sure we will get in plenty of running around in the backyard.

Along with the earrings I previewed the the previous post, I will be listing these two tomorrow morning/afternoon:

Blue chalcedony necklace with a double ruffle edging and a scattering of tiny silver discs.

Nodular agua nueva ring in lavender, pale grey and light rose. Set in a double ruffle setting atop a wide band, size 8.

We will be heading off to the farmer's market tomorrow morning but I am hoping to get down to listing by late morning, earl afternoon. See you then!

Happy Friday everyone!

xxxxx

em

New Earrings and a Missing Stawberry

2010-06-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Four sets of earrings for the upcoming listing this evening! I also hope to have a new agua nueva ring and a little ruffled edge chalcedony necklace.

In between packing orders and finishing up new pieces I took a few minutes to stroll around the front garden the morning. The weather has warmed up a bit and things are really taking off. We've been waiting patiently for the first strawberries to ripen though we were not so restrained with the raspberries. There is one particularly large, perfectly shaped strawberry that we've had our eye on. It appears that something else did too as this morning a small blob of bright red is all that remained. I blame the squirrels though we do have some ever present crows that could be the culprits. Grrrr.

I'll be back later with pictures of the other two pieces. See you then!

xxxxx

em

In Honor of the First Day of Summer

2010-06-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

A collection of four in warm shades from deep rust red to egg yolk yellow:

I made a new huckleberry ring in a size 6 though I have enough of these deep red carnelians to offer it in any desired size.

This is an absolutely exceptional piece of Stone Canyon jasper. The material tends to be a very muted gold color with some dark red highlights but this piece came from old stock and displays a brecciated pattern of bright orange amidst pale blue translucent chalcedony.

Golden cabochon of amber with a few subtle inclusions set in a double ruffle/straight edge setting.

A great little ring for summer.

Size 7.5

These took up most of my day today and were worth the effort. Little thimbleberry blossom silhouettes from which soft tear drops of fortified laguna agate dangle.

I'm off to send my first listing notification email and then get down to listing. If you'd like to receive those emails you can subscribe here. Have a wonderful evening!

xxxxx

em

2010-06-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I hope you've had an enjoyable Friday. We have spent the afternoon readying ourselves for a short jaunt up to Seattle for a friend's engagement party/college roommate reunion. In between festivities we will be spending some time with my parents and visiting Seattle's wonderful nine acre, beach access, dog park. While there, Riley will move joyously and swiftly in any available direction as Wes trots cautiously around and never lets us out of his sight.

Look what I just picked!

These are our red and white currants. All of our new fruits are putting out small yields this year as they focus on growing tall, deep and strong for the coming years, hopefully.

I have a number of new pieces that are in their final stages and will be listed on Monday. I will be sending out my listing notification email for the first time so if you'd like to receive those you can follow this link. A big thanks to all of you that have already signed up!

Have a wonderful weekend. See you Monday!

xxxxx

em

I've Got a Mailing List! Two Actually.

2010-06-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I've spent the morning putting the finishing touches on my mailing lists. The first is the standard newsletter where I will let you know about occasional sales, craft shows, new techniques I will be using, etc. I do not anticipate sending these out more than once a month, probably even less frequently than that.

Additionally, I am going to start sending out notifications about 10 minutes prior to when I list new items in my Etsy shop. The email will specify how many and the types of items to be listed. I typically list once and sometimes twice per week.

The lists are automated and allow you to subscribe or unsubscribe at your leisure.

I'm hoping to send a notification email out with my next listing either tomorrow or early next week. The aim with these is to help all of you lovely people stay informed. If you have any feedback on additional information you'd like to receive or any way that I can make this more useful to you, please don't hesitate to let me know either via Etsy convo or email: pearleverlasting at gmail.com

You can click the following button or the one in the left hand column to subscribe.

Thank you!!

xxxxx

em

Listing

2010-06-15T12:32:00.001-07:00

As we speak:

The extraordinary agua nueva agate I previewed yesterday and an additional two ring that were completed alongside.

The larger of the two rings is porcelain jasper with a double backed setting and six dots of sterling. The stone has beautiful shades of rose and plum edged in white and dark charcoal blue.

size 7.5

The smaller ring has an oval cabochon of dusty pink rhodonite set in a combination ruffle/smooth edge setting.

size 7

And the agua nueva! As I mentioned, I've had this cabochon for months and was waiting until I could come up with a design I felt worthy of this absolutely extraordinary stone. I did a number of sketches and messed around with the gold disc placement for quite a while before it seemed just right. I'm glad I did wait as I am so thrilled with how it turned out!

If you have your eye on this piece please do not delay. I know I will get future inquiries about similar stones but this is the only one I've had or will ever have.

I'm heading off to list these in the shop now. It's just started raining. How pleasant it is to be cozy in the comfort of this little room. I have the nicest tall windows in the front of my studio that I gaze out as I hammer and saw. I will have to show you some time.

Oh gosh, that was definitely thunder!

xxxxx

em

2010-06-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a decidedly bad day. Not because of any actual event but due to the heavy cloud of gloom that followed me from room to room and even out into the garden where I normally find sanctuary. Will maintained a policy of unconditional sweet helpfulness which included listening to my unending stream of troubles and hours of dirt hauling and mounding that I'd been avoiding for weeks. I am deeply grateful to have him.

After some ice cream and a good sleep things are back to normal, better than normal even. This morning the garden seems the vibrant place that it is and yesterday's worries are all but gone.

I spent the last few hours working on the setting for this agua nueva agate that I've been hoarding for months. It's an absolutely stunning piece of stone and I'd been waiting until I had a worthy design. The time has come and I will be finishing up this piece and a porcelain jasper ring over the next day or so. I will post them here upon completion!

Thank you for checking in and reading!

xxxxx

em

Listing Shortly

2010-06-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

In the shop

See you there!

Welcoming June in the Garden

2010-06-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned, it has been very, very wet here. As Northwesterners we are used to this, but not at this time of year, and not to this extent. Four days into June we have received 1.5 inches of rain-the amount that usually falls for the entire month. Nevertheless it is keeping everything very moist and keeping me from making my rounds with the hose.

The garden is looking pretty lush and we are preparing to plant our warm season veggies. Thus far the melons, squash and peppers are in the pots. I am hoping to get to our 11 tomato plants soon-watch out or I might tell you all of their names.

Radish Rainbow

Raspberry Blossoms

Future Strawberry

Past Arugula

Snap Peas in Progress

Blueberries Fattening

The potatoes are totally out of control. They are my favorite.

Will is studying for his last final (ever!) this weekend but I think we are going to squeeze in a farmer's market excursion and some playing in the dirt. I am hoping to get started on some new pieces as well.

Anyone have any fun plans for the next few days?

2010-06-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Listing in the next hour or so:

Laguna agate necklace, amethyst and fluorite earrings and a Picasso marble necklace.

I'm going to have a little dinner then I will be back to list these in the shop.

2010-06-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It is sunny this morning for the first time in quite a while. After a warm dry spell we've had weeks of gray skies and continuous rain. Things are supposed to get wet again tomorrow but we are basking in the sun while it lasts.

Wes and Riley doing some sharing. Just a little.

I am finishing up a number of pieces this morning which will be listed in the next few hours. I will post preview pictures here once they are finished and photographed.

Despite the low frequency of posts I have been doing a lot of thinking about my blog, shop and all of the things that go along with that. It is interesting to reflect on where my work is now, which directions I am interested in exploring further and what I need to redesign to reflect my evolving work and self.

I will be back later today with the new items. See you then!

xxxxx

em

New Pieces. Finally!

2010-05-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I had new work. I've spent the last few weeks on vacation and spending some quality time with my sister. It has been a relaxing and much needed break but it feels really good to be back at my bench, in a quiet house, with the dogs sleeping at my feet and NPR in the background.

Here is what I am listing in the next hour or so:

A couple of these are custom orders (for a very, very, patient woman) but these will be up for all:

xxxxx

em