My Name in Lights. Wait, no...Print

 Sometime back I saw a call for project submissions for a new Lark book - 30 minute bracelets. I thought it sounded like a fun idea and was super impressed with their other 30 minute books (rings and necklaces). So I came up with a few ideas...

...and, Ta Da! I've been published!

Making chainmaille bracelets is super fun!

Oh, hey, look. That's my name up there!

Actually, two of my bracelet proposals were accepted. Wheeee!

Riveted Reversible Bracelet anyone?

 A few months later I received another book in the mail from Lark and couldn't figure out why....

See that tiny photo right above the author's name?

And then I saw my name, 6th from the bottom on the right side. How cool, published twice! If you'd like me to sign your copy so you can say that you knew me when, I'd be happy to.  ;)

ISF 2011....T-minus 6 days?!

NEW WORKSHOPS AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR

In honor of Studio Fuzzishu's 4th year at the Iowa State Fair we are introducing four new metal jewelry projects that you can make and take home with you the same day. Workshops start every half hour or so, daily 9am to 9pm Aug. 11-21 in the Cultural Center.

New Project No.1 - Mixed Metal Stamped Pendant

New Project No.2 - Mini Mantra Bracelet

Projects 3 & 4 Coming Soon!!!

(hint - they are name tag for your pooch and a yearly charm that can be used for a keychain, charm bracelet, pendant etc.!)

New Project No.3 - Pooch Tags

New Project No.4 - Annual Fuzzishu Charm

And, of course, your favorite project and mine, the one that started them all, the silver ring!

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Dear blog readers, I am going to give you the opportunity to win one of the new workshops for FREE at state fair OR, if you are out of state/country, one of the new projects made by yours truly just for you ;)

To enter to win simply leave a comment below telling me which project you would like to make/have and why.

BUT WAIT, we are giving you more chances to rack up entries. If you follow the fuzzi- blog, share the giveaway on Facebook and Twitter and promote this giveaway on your personal blog you'll receive one extra entry for each act of social media. Just come back here and post a SEPARATE entry for each of your postings or followings. Entries will be accepted until Tue. at 9pm Central time.

Update 8.8.2011 - Thank you for the entries so far! However, please make sure you leave me some way of getting a hold of you if you win. You can email me with your screen name or leave a contact on here. I will post a blog announcing the winner but you don't want to miss your opportunity!

Breakfast at Tiffany's pearls

This is MY color! Love it. Lately I've been working with this lovely shade of pale turquoise / robin's egg / 'tiffany's' blue. It seems like I always have a great spontaneous idea for a piece right before a show. These little loops have been sitting on my bench for awhile. I had planned to make them into a large brooch but they wanted to be a necklace.


See? Necklace. And as it happened to be, someone fell in love with this piece first thing Saturday at the Midsummer Festival of the Arts in Sheboygan.


There were earrings to be had as well. Nice long modern earrings.


Amazonite earrings and necklace coming soon...

A special mother's pendant

I am so very proud! Earlier this spring I exhibited in the Believe in Girls conference held by the Girl Scouts and demonstrated a possible career in the arts. A while after the conference one of the girls called me and arranged a ring making workshop for herself, her mother and her grandmother. We had a blast.

Just recently she called again and wanted to make a special necklace for her mother's birthday. She had bought the stones, come up with a design and needed a little help (and the tools!) to bring the piece to life. I helped with the bezels and stone setting but the sawing, filing, stamping, etc. was all her. Yay! She did such a great job and it was awesome to be able to help her make something special. You too can come to the studio to create a one of a kind piece, just give me a buzz.

....Something Blue

I've been wanting to post about this custom job for awhile...but realized I had no good photos. While going through my old crappy point and shoot camera's cards I ran across at least one, which prompted this post. The rest of the images I've borrowed from the very talented Life Art Photography.


MaCay and Andy were married at Living History Farms last year in Urbandale, Iowa on a beautiful Autumn day. The small chapel was the perfect venue for this small, funky - more on this later, intimate event.


My friend MaCay had approached me about this project last summer. She wanted to do something unique for the bridesmaids' gifts. She had always had a penchant for my a go go 5 loop necklace and wanted to design something similar but different. Something that would work with three different styles of dress and unique personality. Oh yea, and with some small touch of blue.


I sketched a few ideas for her, we played around with some elements on my bench and VOILA! A new necklace was born.


Modern, sleek, but rustic enough to go with the venue. Small touches of lapis lazuli accent the loops of various sizes. Sadly, this is the only photo I have of the piece. Don't worry, I've gotten much better about documenting the things leaving the shop...especially the one of a kinds!

MaCay and Andy are a fun quirky couple - see exhibits A. and B. There were speeches from engineers and the appetizers featured multi-flavor popcorn bowls on the tables and a 'fancy' cheese table by Gateway Market (they also provided dinner, if I recall, OMG the dinner!!!)

[exhibit A.]

Not only does their card drop box look googly-eyed and muppety-y but they walked in to the Muppets' Menomenon song :D Love it! Speaking of...did I mention my dad was their dj?!

[exhibit B.]

Four flavors of delicious cupcakes from the Carefree Patisserie were adorned with bride and groom rubber duckies. Yes, duckies.


I was honored to be a part of their special day and wish them the very best in their new life together.

Jewelry Bites @ the Des Moines Art Center

[jewelry bites necklace sample by fuzzishu]

This past Thursday was the first of three sessions of Jewelry Bites, an introductory jewelry workshop, at the Des Moines Art Center. We have a full class of twelve (12!) excited novice jewelers. Our first class was also jam packed with new technique demos and a chance to try their hands at them. We covered sawing, filing, finishing, texturing/stamping, and 2 kinds of rivets. They also received homework and will bring back sketches of their ideas for next class. Check back in two weeks to see the fantastic pieces they come up with!

Waikiki Wabbit...I mean, Wine

studio fuzzishu is helping to sponsor the Tropical Wine Festival this Friday at the Botanical Center from 6 to 9pm. There will be a steel drum band, delicious nibblies, over 15 wineries to sample and a nice tropical respite from the cold blowing winter weather. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. I hope you can join us - be sure to wear your most festive tropical gear, there are prizes for the best dressed ;)

Ta Da!

Newly designed logo for the studio end of fuzzishu. Comments? Critiques? Congratulations? ;-p

a 'thank you' in 3D

I whipped out this 'worry stone' keychain as a thank you to friend who gifted me a variety of steel ball bearings the other day. The idea of a moving ball riveted between two sheets of metal was given to me a few months back by my student Cindy. Thanks Cindy! And JV for the BBs.

Name that Tune! Er, Workshop!...

And win! I am offering a new workshop in 2011 and it is the Class-Yet-To-Be-Named. I'd love your input. I'd love your input so much I am offering a jewelry prize (joie earrings) to the person whose suggestion I like most. Plus you'll be famous (in Iowa...ok, not really. Just at studio fuzzishu) for having named this awesome class.

What is this class you ask? Go on, ask. I'll wait. ....

It is a class in whence students brainstorm several themes and narrow it down to one then proceed to design a set of three jewelry pieces around their theme. ie - themes 'romance and rock'n'roll', 'forests', 'circles', etc. Let's say Student X chooses 'forest' for their theme. They might then make a branchy looking bracelet, a pair of leafy earrings, and a ring with winter berries on it. They can use any material and any techniques they may have learned up to this point. It's a more self directed class. I am there purely to advise on a technical level.

To enter this contest simply leave a comment or email me with your idea and your email/a way to contact you. You may enter as many times as you like. Keep it fun and creative!

So...any ideas yet? 'Cause I'm fresh out. fuzzi-mom affectionately refers to it as BEN, you'll have to ask her why yourself though. ;) Good luck and happy naming.

Oohhhh Waaaaatttaaaaa Goooooo Sssiiiiaaaaam...*

[ a plethora of texturing tools]

This Sunday was the last segment of the Mantra Bracelet workshop at the Des Moines Art Center. There were 5 students and I think they all did a wonderful job. I know we all had a bunch of fun with 'hammer therapy' and the feeling of accomplishment when the piece is done and being worn? Priceless! The students hustled their buns and finished these earthy and heavily textured pieces in only 4 hrs. I will also be offering this workshop at the fuzzi-studio after the start of the new year or if there is enough interest expressed (they'd make great xmas presents!)

maggie - "love you to the moon and back"

megan - "faith, hope, love"

betsy - "believe in who you are & what you do"

eden - "carpe diem"

katie - "if it is to be, it is up to me"

*My grandpa was always a bit of a jokester. This used to be a 'mantra' he would have us kids say faster and faster 'til we 'got it'. Get it? ;)

New project with Nauvoo Glassworks

matching the hot glass colors to my moretti

heating the color

'gathering' the clear glass

blowing a bubble to get it started

enlarging the form

heating the end so we can create a hole

blowing out a hole on the bottom of the piece

enlarging the hole and opening up the vessel

'blocking' the vessel with wood paddles to thicken the walls

spinning the vessel into disc form

removing disc from the furnace

almost done!

I've had a project in mind for awhile. A large sculpture using glass. This past weekend was devoted to getting this project off the ground. My mom and Lucky (my pup) spent the past few days camping with me in Nauvoo, Illinois while I worked across the street with Jim Topic of Nauvoo Glassworks.

Finding a glassblower in the Midwest is not an easy thing. The glass movement is primarily based in the Northwest for many good reasons. Foremost being the weather. Nobody wants to stand in front of a blazing hot furnace and play with molten glass in 90 degree plus humidity weather. After finding a select few glass blowers in surrounding states the next matter was finding one who would take on such a small and specific project. I had planned to be involved but I hadn't planned to be nearly as involved as I was working with Jim!

While at RISD I had considered majoring in glassblowing. I had tried my hand at it before and had been lampworking for almost 4 summers at that point. In order to make my decision I took a wintersession of glassblowing. After witnessing a major nasty accident, the trials and tribulations of hauling glass pieces to shows, and contemplating the start up costs alone I made the decision to become a jeweler. After this weekend I am doubly glad!

There's something mesmerizing about the flow of molten glass. The magic of the material as it begins to firm up into a shape you've coaxed out of it. Vivid colors, immediate textures, light playing in the transparency. Luckily I have the ability to still witness these qualities on a small scale in front of my torch.