on the flip side

I have a 30-40 minutes drive home from work 

and I spend most of the time day dreaming about metal. 

Or how wonderful it would be to do this full time...

I think up elaborate designs. 

Crazy ideas.

Things that would be fun to make.

Things that make me smile.

I think about my life. 

How I react to things. 

I ponder about people. About friends.

I try to see things from other perspectives.

Things on the flip side.

Saturday I spent on the bench. Finally.

I worked with my heart filled with joy.

Excitement. 

I haven't touched a torch for what feels like forever.

I just wanted to play around a bit.

Hours flew by and the ring started to take shape.

There is tweaking to be made in the construction.

It's not working as smoothly as I want it right now.

But the idea is there. 

I have planted a seed and now I am obsessed.

to be continued...

And then I got the best gift a girl could ever get.

I know I am strange like that.

My very own stump!

 It has the most perfect curve that fits my body...

I just want to hug it all day.

...and a gorgeous tree on top.

If you make something functional never hesitate to make it beautiful too

Isn't mother nature amazing?

And just like that it was Monday again...

What kind of mischief did you get up to this weekend?

love ~tess

a weekend of adventures ahead

 

My rehearsal dinner dress.

Just when I had given up hope of finding it.

There it was

 

 

 With tony dots of gold.

Swoon

 And I finished all the wedding flowers.

FINALLY!

Doing a happy dance as I am typing.

I get to cross off like 5 things on the list :o)

 Davids flower. With a tiny ladybug.

Psst... I have a matching lady on one of the flowers on my bouquet.

Aren't they too cute?

A flower for my lovely mother. 

She is going to give me away. 

I am so happy that she can be there on my wedding day.

She'll be traveling with my brothers all the way from Sweden.

Hopefully they won't be too jet-lagged.

 

  A flower for David lovely mother.

I found the perfect vintage flower for it.

Let me tell you that searching for vintage flowers is hard work.

Not all flowers are created equally.

When you find the perfect ones you 

have to grab them and hold on tight.

Flowers for David's guys

Flowers for my ladies

and hopefully that is the last of fabric flowers you'll see here for a while.

I know you must be sick of them by now.

I know I am...

I finished my bouquet and I'll show you but only if you want to.

I think this wedding stuff has taken over my life and my blog ha ha

But what I really wanted to say is that it's FRIDAY! It's finally Friday!

WOOO HOOO!

You know what that means?

A whole weekend of undiscovered adventures.

Hopefully all at the bench he he

I swear I can hear my stones calling..

and my silver is jumping up and down with excitement..

Better get going so we can start this weekend already!

see you later!

love ~tess

bursting to get out

This morning I woke up and went into the studio for a little bit. 

I sat at my bench and picked up some 

of the new pieces I have been working on.

It feels like it was forever ago I held the torch in my hands.

I hope you haven't thought that I have lost my marbles 

in a world of fabric and wedding plans.

There is still a metalsmith dying to get out there. I promise you that.

The raven who stole the sun

A native american inspired filigree raven with a gorgeous Laguna Agate

I'm thinking it will make one heck of a necklace

for someone special out there in the world.

With draping feathers of gemstones coming down.

I've been on a gemstone buying kick lately... 

They're like candy with their brights colors.

Faceted, carved, briolettes, plump onion cuts... 

oh I can hardly control myself..

Seedlings

You could say these little guys have just begun to sprout. 

They're naked and have just arrived into the world. 

I will dress them up. Prepare them for the big world.

I'm thinking colors...

They are just crying for some enamel...

Maybe there will be some rose vines involved.

You'll just have to wait and see.

 Chandeliers

This is where the mad scientist in my brain took over. 

I am experimenting. Testing and trying.

It will either be fantastic. Or an utter disaster. 

But there will be enamel involved. 

And possible some newly acquired delicious gemstones...

And my other friends waiting patiently on my bench... 

Agua Nueva Nodular Agate
Laguna Agate
Agua Nueva Vein Agate
Polka Dot Agate
Madagascar Ocean Jasper

I have big dreams for all of them

 But now it's time to get back to reality... and work.. 

and all that other stuff that just keeps piling up. 

Like giant piles of laundry. 

And that yucky litterbox I have been neglecting (I'm sorry snugglers!).

But maybe this weekend I can revisit my friends.. 

I sure have missed them.

love ~tess

metal flowers and a whole lot of boxes

  

I stole a moment when David was cooking dinner last night.

Seared tuna with salad and couscous which was scrumptious.

 I played with my bouquet again. It's hard to layer the flowers together.

Each flower is attached to a single stem to make it feel like a real bouquet.

I grouped them together. Looked at them. Took them apart..

Scratched my head. Grouped them together again.

It's getting closer to what I envisioned. Still not sure.

Maybe I am just over thinking it?

Stella says it's just fine. 

She tried to taste one of the flowers when I looked away for a second.

I wonder what enamel flowers taste like... 

probably not as good as the roses David gave me for Valentine's. 

Those were munched on beyond recognition.

 It's official. The wedding is taking over our home.

love ~tess

and it's back...

just when I thought I could smell spring in the air...  

nature greeted me with a new white outfit this morning.

gee thanks..

Don't get me wrong. I adore snow.

It sparkles.

It's white and who doesn't love white? :o)

If I didn't have to make it to work every morning

I would probably jump up and down with joy right now.

HA! I'd probably be in the back making snow angels...

lucky for me I have David.

And the trusted truckie. She's a trooper.

and no, despite David's quite ambitious sticker attempt we have yet to win the free gas...

All bundled up. Ready for work! ha ha

On the plus side, riding with David to work does not only mean a pretty view :o)

It also means I get off work earlier than I usually do 

(what can I say? I like to sleep in when I can...)

so I'll be getting back in the studio faster!

I am happy to report that my custom orders for novaoflove is almost done. Almost!! I am dying to get back to metal. Literally dying. I think my head might explode if I don't get to play with silver soon. And we can't have that. What a mess that would be...

wedding weekend

Cake topper is well on it's way. I made little bugs out of sculpey.  :o)

Mine is the green one. David finally decided on blue for his.

He wants to be like avatar I think...  More photos of these in progress here

 Did a mock up for the table settings to see how 

it will look with the center pieces that David is making. 

Pretty cool right? 

We are gonna put little lights inside the sphere so it looks like fireflies.

I finally found some time to start working on all the 

corsages and boutonnieres for the wedding party. 

I am using some vintage brooches together with fabric flowers. 

I love the white and green/blue one I am making for David. 

It's divine... Swoon...

It's gonna have little leafs on the side and a ladybug. 

I'll take photos for you when it's done so you can see for yourself.

So the whole weekend was devoted to wedding prep. 

It went by way too fast. David has made a plexi notice board that 

we've written our whole to-do-list on. 

It's HUGE. 

After working the whole weekend I got to cross off one thing on the list. 

Humpf...

Hope you had a fantastic weekend too!

love ~tess

how on earth did I get to be so lucky?

 ...and there it was. The box I had been waiting for. It felt like Christmas.

 Oh so gorgeous.

 Perfect size and perfect color for me. 

I still can't believe I was so lucky to win Nikki's giveaway!

 I had to immediately put it on. 

Feel the metal on my skin. 

Touch the stone. 

Parade around the house like a peacock.

 Stella gave it a sniff of approval. 

I think she was jealous.

Thank you so much Nikki. I absolutely adore it. 

For you guys who want to see more of Nikki's work 

make sure to shop by her Etsy shop.

What a spectacular way to start this weekend!

love ~tess

flowering thoughts

Flowers, fabrics, petals, pearls.. rhinestones, ribbons.

The studio is a mess.

and so am I...

A couple of more orders to finish..

and then it's ME time. 

I feel a little guilty for saying that. ME. 

It's definitely not all about me.

But sometimes it's good to be a little selfish.

Been thinking a lot lately. Nothing unusual for me....

David always jokes about how much stuff there must 

be constantly going on inside my head.

It's a lot...

Sometimes I stress myself out completely.

I can talk myself into something and then talk myself out of it.

All in the same thought.  

Sometimes I get really tired of the constant chatter in my head. 

Sometimes I love the bustling sound of all the ideas crammed into my mind.

When I allow myself to pause for a minute and 

embrace all the thoughts dancing around. 

I feel focused. 

I feel positive and creative.

It's a good thing.

I've made a lot of decisions. 

Where I am right now and where I am going.

I can't really share it all with you right now.

A little too new and a little too fragile to be

tossed out there into the big scary world.

But I can tell you that I finally have a one year plan.

Did I tell you I love plans? And lists? I absolutely love making lists.

I hope that my one year plan will set me free. 

I feel like I have been tied down and blind folded for the longest. 

And having a plan feels like I can finally breathe again.

There is hope. A shining light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you so much for dropping by. For reading. 

For caring enough to come back and see what I am up to.

I hope I don't bore you too much with my sometimes cryptic ramblings.. 

 

I can feel your presence 

and it feels like an old friend came to visit.

love ~tess

chatty metalsmith talk about - change

I am lucky to be a part of a community of metalsmiths on Etsy that meet every day and chat about everything from heaven to earth. This month some of us are doing a blog post about change.

Recently there has been a lot of changes with Etsy. A lot of turmoil. A lot of drama. Everyone handles it differently.  Change is so personal. My life is constantly changing. I actually prefer it that way. Every since I was little my family were in a constant state of change. We moved all the time. We stayed in the same city but probably move closer to 20 times before I eventually moved out and started living on my own. It was a change that I looked forward to. Time to evaluate where I was or where I was going. What I was taking with me and what I was leaving behind. A fresh start if you will.

Change can be scary though. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Sometimes change is painful. But I'd like to look at it as an opportunity to make it into something good. Take the change and turn it into a positive experience. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.

My life is about to change again. David and I are getting married. We want to start a family. There are some big changes in our life about to happen. And I am excited, scared, happy and a whole lot of other emotions all at once! But imagine how incredible boring it would be without change. Life throws you curve-balls all the time. The question really is how you decide to handle it. And how you grow from it. What you learn and what you take with you...

Please stop by my fellow metalsmiths blogs to read what they have said about this topic!
love ~tess

1. http://annhartleystudio.blogspot.com/
2. http://janedeauxmetalfabrication.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.nova-designs.blogspot.com/
4. http://bellabijoujewellery.blogspot.com/
5. http://2trickponystudio.blogspot.com/
6. http://sassyglassdesigns.blogspot.com/
7. http://beadsnbanglesbykim.blogspot.com
8. http://kobrienjewelry.blogspot.com
9. http://www.artaddict.wordpress.com
10. http://www.abellablue.com/blog
11. http://luxedesignworkshop.blogspot.com
12. http://glenshire-shop.blogspot.com/
13. http://beachstonz.blogspot.com/

Valentine Sale

 

Seed Pod ring

 

Circus Butterfly brooch

 

Chasing rainbows ring

 

Climbing roses earrings

 

Raindrops necklace

 

Reflections ring

 

Soaring high ring

Valentine's Day is around the corner....

I want to thank all of you amazing women 

for your continued support 

by offering 20% off all my designs. 

Just use coupon code LOVE2011 

when you check out to receive the discount.

love ~tess

simplicity

I've cut back drastically on my online presence.

I felt a bit lost. Spread too thin perhaps.

The shops are slowly being put on vacation. 

novadesigns went first then novaoflove.

Novaofsweden will remain open as I will only

add designs as they are born in my studio. 

No custom orders, no made to order. 

No stress, just pure joy of making.

A strong need to go back to basics is filling me up.

A need for fun, creativeness and time for living.

It's safe to say that working full time, running 3 shops

while trying to plan a wedding was a lot to handle.

As I slowly remove myself from the world of Etsy,

social networking I am becoming more relax. Happier. 

And I am feeling inspired again.

This weekend David and I spent so much time together.

More than we've had in a very long time. Sunday we

went for hours of walking. Just talking. About life.

What we want. What makes us happy. It was wonderful.

It's so easy to get caught up. In all the musts. 

In responsibilities. Paychecks, production mode and 

bills. It's not how I want to live my life. 

It's never been how I wanted to live my life. 

So back to basics it is. 

And tonight that means cooking dinner

with my husband to be. 

Laughing and tasting together.

I am very excited!

Embrace today my lovely friends cause you never know

what tomorrow will bring

~tess

wedding wednesday's

My man is very crafty with papers. 

And he can draw...

So was our gorgeous invitations born.

Now we just wait for replies. 

Crossing fingers and thumbs that all our

loved ones will be able to make it.