Renkum Artist Residency - A Little Movie.

While I was on my artists residency in Renkum Holland I created jewellery pieces based on the theme of movement, change, and growth.  I watched spring bloom around me and sewed brightly coloured felt into flower petals.  I accepted the changes that have been heaved my way recently and twisted wire into wheels.  I propelled myself to the other side of the world to solder wire into wings.  While I was doing this, my beau was making this video.  It's not until coming back to Canada until I realized how connected this video was to the work I was creating.  

Moving Me Forward in The Right Direction - Two Collaborative One of a Kind Necklaces

Sometimes things enter your life when you need them. Part of getting ready for September Shop was doing some collaboration projects with the other artist's involved. Out of this experience bloomed some pretty amazing things for me.

In the spring I started twisting wire. I had a roll of thin steel wire sitting on a table in my apartment for months. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it. One day I picked it up and started to look at it differently. I started twisting it. I twisted through the loss I’ve experienced in this past year of my life……and I twisted into what was blooming around me……

For me art often takes me out of someplace in my head or my heart where I've been stuck. Being stuck isn't very fun. But sometimes I need to tread water in a murky place for a while before I know how to get out of it. Many of my pieces are connected to a bigger story and they often take me from one place in my life to the next. Artistic expression has a way of doing this for me. Writing, drawing, moving metal - creating something that connects itself to my heart has the ability to pull me out of something, to show me what is next, to open my eyes, to dig deeper, to love stronger, to not miss out on something amazing.

Not long after I started twisting wire, Jen Pleadwell of twofolds textiles gave me a handful of her sweet feminine silk flowers in stunning bright colours. I sat with my roll of dark steel wire and these soft vibrant flowers and something incredible started to bloom. Two One of a Kind Necklaces that are completely new for me, completely different, completely unexpected.

A beautiful surprise that moves me forward in the right direction..........



Both of these one of a kind pieces are available at September Shop. September Shop is a pop up shop for the month of September and will close on September 28th, so get there soon.

September Shop is located at 196 Kingsway, the corner of Kingsway and 10th.

What If The Cherry Blossom's Didn't Fully Bloom This Year?

The Cherry Blossom's on my street are about to burst into bloom. Bringing spring, new growth, and new opportunities with them. I crave this time of year. When February gets so dark and gloomy I dream of the pink cherry blossoms that will soon be on my doorstep. Other streets are already blooming. I wait with patience and respect for my street to catch up with the rest............Then I started thinking.......The cherry blossoms only get to bloom in their full pink loveliness for such a short time and then they are gone. Then their tree endures our fall, and winter. Hard months for all of us. Especially hard for me. So what if the blossoms on these trees are reluctant to bloom again to their fullest? What if they just can't do it again knowing that the winds will blow them down, some people will walk past without even looking at them, and they will all fall down again leaving the branches bare to endure the pains of winter? What if they needed more time to heal from what our extra grey winter threw at them this year? What if they just didn't feel like fully blooming again? What if they needed a little longer to protect themselves from being so open, exposed and vulnerable?


New Cherry Blossom Necklaces......made with hope.

New One of a Kind Jewelry

New Pieces on route to Revelstoke's Suzanne Spisani Designs.

Nothing Will Ever Be Perfect

I have always been drawn to imperfection.

When I was six years old I was at my sisters highland dance competition and my Mom treated me to a toy from the vendors to keep me content for the day. I chose a little stuffed koala bear (why a koala bear was at a highland dance competition, I'm not sure). When i brought the koala back to my seat with me I noticed that he wasn't perfect. He was missing two of his little felted black paw pads. I showed my Mom and she took me to exchange him for a perfect one. When I got back to my seat with my now perfect koala bear, instead of being content I was sad. I felt bad for the imperfect one. I worried that he wouldn't ever find a home. I told my Mom about my worries and she sweetly took me to exchange the koala again for my original imperfect one.

I have always been drawn to the imperfect. If something is twisted, crinkled, rusted, ripped or slightly off center and it finds it's way to me then it has likely found a home. I think the imperfectness of a hand made object is magical. I think that loving someone who knows the truth of their flaws is enlightening. Imperfection has so much more truth in it then perfection. At the end of the day I want to know that my day was real, raw, honest, and authentic. I don't care if it was perfect. Nothing will ever be perfect. One of my favourite writers Kelly Diels talks about how the conditions for creativity will never be ideal. I think this translates to all aspects of life - the conditions for falling in love will never be perfect, the conditions for taking risk will never be perfect.

I create objects with my two hands in a small studio space shared with 3 other jewelers, in a windowless old warehouse in east Vancouver. But when I sit at my bench and start to hammer metal I'm in the most beautiful, serene place and I create things that mean something.



When I was six years old and that little koala with the missing felted paw pads was in my arms again, I was finally content. I knew that the imperfect koala was meant to be mine. I knew that for my heart to love something it didn't have to be perfect.....It just had to feel right.


ps. This post was inspired by my online friend and fellow maker of jewelry with meaning, Amy Ambroult, you can check out her beautiful blogpost that inspired me here and you can see her authentic jewelry here. Thanks Amy.

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