sweet sharp ♥s squarings

I woke up to a fantastic email this morning - New York based shopping blog, Sweet Sharp, is featuring fuzzishü's Squaring - Pearl in their geometric jewelry post 'Of circles and squares'.

Go on over and check it out!

What's in a name?

Earlier this week I launched a quest on Etsy. I have a series of work that needed a name. They are beautiful little fine silver pendants on 14k gold filled chains. The contrast, the cut-out designs, the curly edges. Many little elements coming together to create a harmonious whole. But they were without a name. 24 hours after turning to my fellow Etsy-ians I have well over 30 suggestions. I was looking for a one-word name to go with my other series (retro, a go go, etc.)

The finalists were :

-melange

-glacier

-serenity

-ombre

-decoupe

-tranquility

-harmony

-silhouette

And the winner is....Silhouette! You can see the winner's post about the contest here.

fuzzishü spotting! Creston, Iowa

There's a fantastic article written about my project to stay in Corning in the Creston News Advertiser. Please check it out!

Artist seeks permanent home in Corning
By TYLER ELLYSON - CNA staff reporter

It was love at first sight for Rachel Sims, who has been an artist-in-residence at the Corning Center for the Fine Arts since July 2007. She lives and creates her handmade jewelry in Corning, and would love for it to stay that way.

There’s just one problem.

The young artist needs to sell close to $70,000 of jewelry before the end of February.

Go to the full article.

fuzzishü ♥s etsy

I've taken the plunge and started posting my jewelry on Etsy for the grass roots project mentioned in the last post (link). Etsy is a fantastic site featuring a wide variety of handmade goods by artists around the world. It is also a wonderfully open community. Another Etsy member interviewed me for her blog for the 'Interesting or Not so Interesting' section. Please go here and check it out. What can I say? I live my life like a Chinese proverb/curse - 'May you live in interesting times'. :P

fuzzishü spotting! Council Bluffs, Iowa

Council Bluffs did a fantastic article on both fuzzishü and the Corning Center for the Fine Arts.

Our Neighbors: Artist Sims right at home in Corning
by Emily Kesten, Staff Writer

...Linda Shearer, the center's board president, would like to keep Sims in Corning. "If you know of any projects for her, let us know," she said.

Artists in residence who open studios in Adams County following completion of their residency receive a reimbursement on their program rent. But more importantly, artists who stay can develop and sustain a creative culture in rural Iowa.

The young artist hopes to raise enough money from jewelry sales by the end of February to buy an 110-year-old building on Davis Avenue, Corning's main street.

"I saw it on my first day in Corning, and it was just like - boom! That's it!" said Sims.

After spending two and a half years in Switzerland, Sims took a chance on Corning, a small town she had never seen with "a population smaller than my high school." The chance has turned into a life decision.

The slower pace of life, close-knit community, its lively downtown and the can-do spirit appeal to her.

Check it out the full article here.

fuzzishü ♥s elements ltd.

Elements Ltd. is a modern and unique art jewelry boutique located in the Roosevelt shopping center in Des Moines Iowa. Founded in 1995 by Mel Parks, Marta Jones-Couch, and Sheena Thomas Elements displays some of the best known studio jewelers in the US. - such as Sarah Graham, Todd Reed, Chris Ploof, and Michael Daniels.


fuzzishü is very proud to be joining this line up (plus, how fantastic do the pieces look in their shop?!) Please stop by and say hi to the wonderful people at Elements and see what's on display.

Elements Ltd.
837 42nd Street
Des Moines, Iowa

515.277.7421

Sweet September Sweeps

I know you've been waiting. You can't take it any longer!!!

Who. Is. September's. Jewelry. Giveaway. Winner????

But I digress. As many of you know, when you sign up for the fuzzishü mailing list you are automatically registered to win fuzzishü jewelry 4 times a year (spring, summer, winter, fall) Pretty exciting, no? Granted there will be other contests on here from time to time, but do you really want to miss out on this?

So, back to the Sweeps. This past month we were giving away a pair of 'winter' earrings. The lucky winner was a visitor to my booth at the Uptown Minneapolis show - Robyn J.

... Bob, show her what she's won....

Robyn will have her choice of colors: blush (rosy pink), dew (yellowy-green), mist (lilac) , breeze (cornflower blue), frost (clear), bliss (seafoam green), or whisper (pale aqua).

For those of you who didn't win, don't worry you are still entered for the next drawing. If you still can't live without a pair feel free to email me. I have more available for purchase. And for those of you not on the list...What are you waiting for?!

Join now by emailing fuzzishu [at] gmail [dot] com with 'MAILING LIST' as the subject. Remember kids, it's as they say. You can't win if you don't play ;)

What's black + white + read all over?

*Update 10.11.08 - After viewing the actual paper I found the article was on the front page. Woo hoo!*

The Daily NonPareil wrote a very nice article about the Corning Center for the Fine Arts, including some quotes from yours truly...

CORNING - Many starving artists move to the big city only to find themselves working full time in order to cover rent while the art that they came to pursue slowly fades into the shadows.

"Most people say if you want to be an artist, you have to go to New York," said Rachel Sims, resident artist at the Corning Center for Fine Arts. "Most artists can't afford to live in New York, and you do everything but art."

Sims began her residency in Corning in July 2007 after living in Switzerland for 2½ years.

"I was coming back to Iowa to start up my business full time and was looking for a place to do that," Sims said. "When I was Googling studio space in Iowa, this residency in Corning came up and it sounded perfect. I'd never had a chance to live in a small town, and the housing was an added bonus; a place to live and work."

For the full article go here.

Introducing....

Apologies good readers. I meant to post this a long while back. Some of the material (regarding fair, for example) is dated. At long last I give you the post that should have been....

As promised, here are some images of the new line a-go-go (for the moment this blog is the go-to place to see my work. My website is not up and operational yet. Webdesigners interested in working a trade please let me know!). Each piece features hammer textured silver discs with a vibrant glass disc adorning it. For this series I am working with a palette of 9 colors of transparent lampworked glass.

Quick history : At the tender age of 16 I learned how to make glass beads by trial and error. In front of audiences. 12 hrs a day. All 11 days of the Iowa State Fair. For 10 years I continued to demonstrate at the fair alongside my mentor (another story for another time) until I decided that taking my 2 weeks of vacation to return to the US (I was living in Switzerland by that point) to work 12 hour days was getting to be a little much. My brother took over my job and I have had to find other ways to become a part of 'fair' again (watch for future posts!) *ed. - obviously referring to the RiNGS workshops

Sandwiching these summers of beadmaking I also took every metalsmithing class available at my high school and some beyond that. I worked for local jewelers doing a variety of oddjobs. I attended and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design after having focused on jewelry and metalsmithing. In all of this time I have searched for a good way to bring my two passions together. This new line is the culmination of that search. It's a starting point that I will be springboarding off of to discover new ideas. I look forward to sharing my journey with you.

State Fair in Review

How awesome was state fair? Incredibly awesome. We had fantastic weather, wonderful students, helpful and friendly assistants and, of course, my groovy state fair 'family'. Thank you to everyone who came out and took the workshop. We had almost 200 students during the 11 days (9am-9pm every day!). That's a LOT of rings. Iptv came out and filmed a segment on the RiNGS class. You can see it below. I am crossing my fingers we are invited back next year. Thanks again to everyone for helping make it a great fair in '08!