Still time for getting Holiday Gifts in time for Christmas Delivery

the holiday rush is here
in a crunch???
you're not alone

LUCKILY for you...
i'm shipping items for Christmas delivery
until Dec. 21st at 10am

plenty of time to pop in the shop
see some new goodies
and old favorites :)

ALL items are perfect for immediate gift-giving
packaged in a jewelry box
accented in raffia ribbon


hurry on in, friends!
and MANY THANKS to those who've been so supportive!

Merrily yours,
Lynsey

Gearing up for the final Holiday Gift-buying

It's been a blessedly busy time making and selling my creations this winter :)
each one i picture being carefully (or quickly, depending on your style) unwrapped
and enjoyed by their new owner

Thank you all so much for supporting my art
for getting a piece for you or someone you love
to enjoy!

Remember, my shop will be open and ready to ship in time
for Christmas if ordered before the 21st!!!
Wishing you a happy buildup to the Holidays!

Cheers,
Lynsey

new in the Etsy shop!

working to the bone the last few months...
i can't say how happy i am
to have found some in between hours
hiding away in the studio and creating.


these pieces breathe new life to my creative spirit
hopefully to people who enjoy my work too


i yearned for something playful and elegant
swinging and swaying
and here they are... the new Droplet earrings!

::: new ::: handmade enamel jewelry

new in the shop this week!!! :)

let me know your thoughts...
hope everyone had an excellent holiday!

xo,
Lynsey

Remembering Today's Message

i heard today: the ocean
though unvisited years pass
my heart beats in waves

witness to tides rising
fall, crashing
taking
restoring

wondering if i could make
stronger the impact
wishing to touch
life's soul

what if we responded
to love's ripples more often?
reaching changing each other
noticing to carry weary travelers
bringing joy and passion to each other.

today i accepted a challenge:
listen tolerantly.
live passionately.
open my heart to
love more
often.


-hoping we become aware of our own ripples-
Lynsey xo

... unbroken ...

i am grounded in this moment.
reaching out
together

passing suggested boundaries
which beckon us to challenge our conceptions;
our fears
and our hopes


wherein life awaits
tall and elegant
gentle
unbroken

apple-grass gazes punctuate
this atmosphere
opening our lungs, eyes, and sure-steady hearts
to accept these gifted times

[] greener [] pastures []

i completely underestimated the way 3,300 miles would change me
finding myself longing for simpler ways
less bustle more living for the moment
appreciating simpler things
like cast-shadows on the valley below
cows sprinkled on the rolling hills
a hinted smell of lavender
pulsing through the mountain stream below

there is an openness i'm having to create for myself
or recreate, as it were
harder to do amidst the twice-daily commutes on bike and in car
trying to allow more time for art
maintaining a space for my imagination
it holds me loosely enough
to continue exploring but close
enough to keep coming back

lately watercolors
with school, practicum, an assistantship, & life...
watercolors allow a quick, sure way
to make art
fluidity pushes my thoughts effortlessly across paper
allowing enough time to create a small and intimate place
for my thoughts to rest.

how do you make the time?
xo,
Lynsey

+++ CINNAMON +++

perhaps my afternoon coffee had something to do with this?
hunting items and photographs which give me the feeling of a season's turn
what does cinnamon remind you of?

i am zapped into a warm kitchen
my parents' house
early in the morning
when the light is dully reaching in
through the windows

hope you're feeling warm thoughts :)

xo,
Lynsey

go out !

hello hello!

it's not too often i have the time on my hands to stroll about
enjoying the sunshine
but today i HAD to make time

morning brought the cool breath of autumn
which the afternoon continues to exhale

my lungs are fresh today
my pedals were pushed faster than usual
carrying my body through the spots of sun and shade

strange how a little piece of nature can go so far
20 minutes outside & i feel revived
*sigh*

hope the day is treating you well
& that you make a little moment for yourself
to experience the wondrous change

xo,
Lynsey

new places within art

'ello !
it's been a busy few weeks,
so my apologies for the lagging

tomorrow brings the bustle of school
at which, i'll be presenting some recent artwork
and wanted to reveal a piece, to you,
a piece i'm especially attached to
for me is represents what words cannot describe
about the counseling environment
its vessel, like therapeutic space is protective, but open
containing spiked emotive pains
a place to challenge
to experience
grow
ages from perfect, i wrestled to create a flawless container
but life, however wonderful,
lacks perfection in our earthly realm.
myself, nor anyone else, can claim perfection

i thought about how experiencing difficult things
takes us to places we didn't know within ourselves
allowing us to develop
this piece too represents that exponential growing potential
when one embraces challenges and tenderness


hoping you all are able to come out stronger in times of difficulty
x

. allowing time .

with school slowly beginning this week... the calendar pages are quickly filled.
appointments here and there. school. assistantship *thank goodness*. practicum.
LIFE
yes, sometimes i need to leave space for nothing else to interrupt


in a meeting today we circulated around the idea of seeing and time
how quickly our pace is as a society
as individuals
fostering the question :

do we allow enough time to really see objects in the world?

sometimes we need to slow down and truly experience
not take a photo,but instead take a moment to look
see. interact. experience.

these are the moments we live more fully
more so than in snapping a picture
or quickly checking a list

i hope that i can slow myself
be more mindful & in the moment
perhaps this seems unreasonable for grad school functioning?
but life is much more than books and articles.
life is to be interactive & engaging

hope you find time to slow down and enjoy and experience you days and nights

~Lynsey~

floating

good morning, glories!
today the backyard is abuzz with a handful of hummingbirds
a spectacular sight and extraordinary creature

these recent years... well, it's like being a hummingbird.
dancing quickly from place to place
wings beating so fast they fade into the background


i have another 200 miles to travel today
soon i'll be able to rest my wings for a short while
settling in to the daily schedule
schedules which are monotonously comforting
at times
and at others, routinely boring

this year to keep the routine from becoming too predictable
i want to keep my spirit dancing
with plenty of time to create
to experiment
learn new things
and remember to rest my beating wings when they tire

here's to the balance we all seek...

love,
Lynsey

... chasing discovery ...

i need to exhaust my lungs today.
they miss climbing mountains.
cool water. fresh air. pine.
. him .

miles between here and there
sometimes i feel torn between the places i am
and those i desire to be
guilty, to not be content with the present moment

perhaps it is the impermanence of being a student
discovering what it is i call home
is it here?
where i was?
where i long to be?
at least i know when i feel at home

something feels undone
or unsaid
or perhaps undiscovered
as if on the verge of finding some great perspective
or new strength

today my body needs to test itself
sweat & breathe hard
i feel connected to myself that way
the restlessness will then be dealt with in my studio
perhaps it will churn new exciting creations

so by tomorrow,
i hope there is something new and exciting
to give to the world.

where we roam...

words and pictures can do little justice for how incredible our 11-day trek West was.
for now, i'll attempt to intertwine a few of the experiences on my favorite hike up to Surprise and Amphitheater Lake on the Grand Teton.

and so i'll let my thoughts go uncensored...
disobeying a usual writing format, hoping to give you how any given moment felt up in the snow-cap mountains:


camp-weighted, we traversed 1,300 miles Westward
pavement repetitiously pushed us further along towards unknown
magnificently stretched mountains greeted us
point reflections in the alpine waters beneath
hastily chosen hike: 9.8 miles. 9,698 elevated ft.



we brought ourselves places. persuaded our breaths to climb higher.
begged-legs and salted brow.
breath-taking views in thinner air
rationing our sips of water
hours like minutes

upward, the trail began to level.
reaching the mountain's bed where treasures were hidden
glaciers melted concerns
into crystalline mountain lakes
their waters of snow and ice, warmed by the closeness of sunlight

the sun stretched closer to the edge of the summit
with daylight perspectives closing
we gathered what will there existed to leave this incredible place
there is a piece of us tucked away in the amphitheater
three pieces tall
modest . appreciative . quiet .
but existent nonetheless
on the Grand Teton, is a wholeness we're certain to revisit

...and We're off!!!

this is it! my last breath of technology for nearly 2 weeks! Patrick and I are taking a week and a half road/camping trip together Westward to Yellowstone!

here's the parting image from dear Lucy (my chocolate lab!)

she spys suitcases and immediately knows something's up...

the resulting image: Lucy always parks it strategically behind my car so i can't leave.

she's also the culprit who pretended to have the urge to pee for 15 minutes as week promenaded around the yard's perimeter.

i will miss Lucy too! :(

anywho... just wanted to say fair-well & hope everyone has a delightful couple weeks!

i'll be missing you, but will be coming back with many a tale to tell :)

it's Patrick & my first trip out West... we're hoping not to meet too many bears along the way... only from a distance.

adventurously yours,

Lynsey

up excitment! down prices! 25%-40% off

hello lovelies!
some exciting news to speak of this morning...
(disclaimer: this is my first video)

while patrick and i are reading ourselves for our trip across the West, my shop is also preparing to be on vacation for a couple weeks.

so now there's a very special offer: almost every piece in my shop is on sale at 25%-40% off.
seriously.
i've only had one other sale in my shop, so that will tell you how often these chances come about.
hope you're able to take advantage of this special event, & give these handmade enamel pieces some wonderful homes!
did i put enough links for you to find my jewelry? here you are, friends:
http://www.VerreEncore.etsy.com

thanks so much!
x's & o's!~

COOL it DOWN

a hot hello from St. Louis today!
(well... not too unseasonably hot)

this past weekend was b-u-s-y.
moved into my new apartment, which happens to be less than a block away.
i have a wonderful roommate now too!

the greatest hardship was lack of AC during the weekend.
luckily i think it's up and running again.
*wipes sweat from brow*



in honor of the return to coolness... i'm featuring these handmade icy blue enamel pieces today!
hope you all enjoy & keep cool
xo,
Lynsey

Living Large (in a sense)

by no means am i living large... but my newest prints sure are.!
i was a bit ambitious creating these 16"x64" woodblock prints... as our longest press bed is only 45". with the help of Todd Anderson, my printmaking teacher extraordinare, we put together an extended press bed

i've been spending hours upon hours in the studio. thank you to Patrick for being so patient as i am living in the printmaking studio. it's uncommon for me to leave the studio before 9pm.... and i've been known to stay as late as 4am. yeah... that was a sleepy drive home.

this is my last week of printmaking... which bittersweet.
ending this intensive summer course is both a relief (time-wise) and difficult (bc it's challenging me as an artist).

i'll be able to grocery shop again with all this time! yesterday was 100% out of coffee, and so desperate that i reheated some leftovers from the previous morning. true.

alas, when it's all said and done, i've acquired a great skill-set for woodcut prints and the desire to push myself in my art.


next on the agenda is marking off that giant 'to do' list so that when Patrick and i on our roadtrip West... there's not a thing on my mind but enjoying some much needed time together. x

Midnight Oil

hi all!

i have a second to let you know what i'm up to... and am excited to show you my first multiple-block woodcut print!

currently in printmaking class, we're working with carving wood to create these lovely printing blocks. the imagery is always up to the creator, but this assignment asked us to use at least four different overlaying woodblocks & to play with colors. (no black ink allowed)

i might do a little show & tell about the process and what each step looks like later on, but for now, here's the final product. not the best photo, but you get the idea of overlapping color and images to create interesting changes and gradients of color and shape.

although i was in the studio till 4 am... working 10-14 hour days, i'm so happy the midnight oil paid off!

hope you all had a great 4th!

Happy Birthday to Canada!

Here's to you O' CANADA!

I'll be wearing my sweet little maple leaf necklace all day, and for the occasion have marked it do [today only] by more than 20%! This piece is on special sale for today only to get you in the spirit of our great neighbors to the North!

A little about the pendant, it's a handmade maple leaf, which captures a delightful sense of warmth, color, and beautiful glow of Autumn/Fall. I've done this in a special transparent enamel, allowing a subtle shimmer when the light reflects just right.

Enameling, put in its simplest terms is fusing of glass to metal at temperatures of around 1500 degrees F. The pendant measures just about .75" (shy of 2mm)and hangs from a 18" sparkling sterling silver chain.

Hope you enjoy the day!
Cheers

weekend shop updates

newly being offered in my shop

they're sweet & simple, like much of my current collection.
these earrings feature domed copper discs which have been enameled and suspended from handmade sterling silver hoops. i have a few colors, which i'll be posting here and on flickr.
my favorite is the orchid color. ou la la! they remind me of the delicate purple orchids that dance on my mother's kitchen countertops

the versatility and light weight make these a style for any occasion.
easy dress up. and easy dress down.
in fact, i'm thinking of making myself a pair for an upcoming wedding this weekend...

good idea!

hope everyone's having a good weekend! mine's been nice & slow. just trying to avoid the heat... minus my 16-mile bike ride yesterday

gimme fresh & cool

OK, you got it, friends!

a perfect piece of handmade jewelry for all year round, but i'm feeling particularly into this piece's cool refreshing color and shape.

maybe it's the heat index of 105˚

this pendant features an intricately pierced piece of copper, which has been enameled on both sides to ensure it's wearer-friendly! One side in cool aqua blue, the other in a deep oceanic blue.

only one! and in shop now :)

scheduling self time

i suppose it's not exactly fun to read about the ways an artist struggles to create, or find the time to do so, but it's something we all go through, whether you're an artist or not. honest. it's common in many facets of our lives: postponing enjoyment with daily busyness

how do we find the time?
how often do we say "i'll do that tomorrow." "let me finish this one thing i have to do first." "i don't have time to do that."

when graduate school began i fooled myself to thinking i would have endless time to also create. i've learned that i need to MAKE to to MAKE THINGS! something inside myself is fulfilled in the process of creating something new --- in translating a sketch (my sketchbook has been bursting) to fruition.

so how do i get there? how do i take my sketches and make them reality instead of paper dreams? seems easy enough, right?

well, i'm going to schedule studio time. while that seems basic enough, it means that i have a designated time where i don't have to do anything else but create. by allotting myself that specific time, i'm giving it importance, and making it something i can't put off or allow to be taken over by the daily grind of school, work, and life.


what can you expect? NEW STUFF!!! :)





















(product photos from michelemaule & boygirlparty on Etsy!)

75+ hours of work =

one happy girl with 2 awesome brooches/pendants

yeah, it may have taken hours on end, with many mishaps, cracks, flows, and chips along the way...
but i have finally completed my two first Champleve enamel pieces!!

*celebrate*

The first piece here is one that reminds me of earth. The photograph does little justice, but if it were a good photo you might be able to see the engravings I made on the bottom layer of fine silver. Here, I have engraved a rocky landscape texture, which shines from underneath the transparencies of the enamel. The layers of colors ensure that no area was left unexplored in the process of creation, and give your eye plenty to move around. I finished the piece by oxidizing the silver, creating a dark charcoal background, from which the brightness of the glass shines through.


This second piece probably took the most time to create. It's easily the most curious piece of jewelry I've made to date, and somewhere I'd like to continue to visit.
I decided not to do any engraving textures in the fine silver for this piece, but rather, let the coloration and lines of silver do all the talking.

i'm making things again!

yes yes, it's actually been a while since i've had creative studio time. sadly, sometimes as an artist ou go through the creative ebbs and flows in the process. when i started grad school, it seemed that with time divvied between commuting, classes, reading, writing, and practicum, there was little zeal to expand my artistic horizons.

but now i'm back in metals studio, learning new techniques...
not the easy way (i never do), but rather through trouble-shooting and many hours of research and practice.

my metals skills were never top notch, so i'm brushing up and taking in.

these are some pictures of a piece i'm making in the Champlevé enameling technique.
these show you some of the first steps of the process.
just a couple little images show you the sketch that i first made... then hand-sawed that image in sterling silver... followed by creating a background for the pierced piece.
the two pieces of sterling are then soldered together, cleaned up really well, and then enamel is carefully packed into the recesses (or "fields"[champ in champleve]), and fired repeatedly.

currently, i'm guessing i've fired the piece at least 10 times.
all i have left to do is make the finding to solder on the back.
the plan is to make this a convertable brooch/necklace, so that its owner has the option of wearing this piece either way!

mind you, i'm planning on finishing this piece up today. it's been 70+ hours in the making.... so i've grown a little attached to it ;)

...more photos to come...

alrighty, i'm off to the studio! happy creating!!

xo,
lynsey

...season of sprout...

i woke up and heard the day's forecast:

sunny and upper 60's

on my drive to school i noticed things were perhaps a little more green than the week before. the buds on the trees are slowly revealing themselves, as are the lovely spring flowers and daffodils.

creating a new treasury capturing this budding beginning was refreshing:
kudos to those who are starting their seedlings for their summer gardens.
i hope you're seeing sprouts!
honestly, i'm a tad jealous and lacking a yard... but i very well may create a little garden on my fire escape stoop.
typing it out has just convinced me to do so. :)

hope you all are having a day of sunshine!

xoxo

.......][.l.][...birch...][.l.][.......

One of my guilty pleasures on Etsy (besides buying handmade goodies or course) is finding time to make treasuries! With school and 2 practicums this semester... it's made my timing abilities to snag a spot nearly impossible. So when I do get the chance, I've got to share the excitement!

Lucky me, stumbled into the treasury just as a spot was opening, and so this is what was created:

Birches are such beautiful treasures in nature, and it seemed fitting to create an entire treasury for them in an online space too. yay Etsy Birches! These artists all did such a wonderful take on the essence of these beautiful white trees. Some birches in the forest, some up-close with the grain, texture and knots, others with the flaky white bark, and even some soft cuddly birch pillows. Hope you enjoy the collection!

xoxo,
Lynsey

Valentine's Day... part 2 ... way overdue!

WOW! it's been quite a busy semester with school, so I'm apologizing for my less than consistent bloggering in late Feb/March. However, Valentine's day happenings were too sweet not to at least show you some pictures and let you know what we did!


While the entire day was wonderful (not everyday do I get to spend with Patrick), our date at Bailey's Chocolate Bar in St. Louis was beyond delicious! The atmosphere could not be more romantic if it tried. Red plush walls, sweet aromas, and candlelight *swoon*

Starting with a couple signature evening drinks, I had the milk chocolate martini, and he had the black and red (i think). Food-wise, we decided to eat dinner later that night... and skipped straight to dessert!

Sharing the "Lover's Plate- Aphrodisiacs - Taste for Tw0," we enjoyed

Cherry chocolate mousse, spicy truffle, fruit truffle, dark espresso truffle, caramelized banana, strawberries, nuts, honey mead, al served with a warm spiced dark chocolate sauce & a warm white chocolate lavender sauce for “dipping & sharing.”

I N C R E D I B L E !!!

I got a cavity just thinking about how good it was...

So yeah, Valentine's day was blessed with the most wonderful man I could imagine & a plate full of aphrodisiacs! ;)

xoxo