2008

The way we communicate is getting more and more impersonal. Instead of a phone call we exchange text messages on our cellphones.
We have so many communication tools available to us and we often choose to abuse of the more impersonal ones. Some people even steer away from email and only communicate on MSN!
That’s just silly.
Yes, [...]

Managing my Time with an Eee PC

Eee PC 901 & MacBook 13inch screen
I bought myself an Eee PC 901 from Asus! It’s easier to carry than the usual laptop, with an 9 inch screen and weighting 1.1 kg, it’s capacity serves my needs well and it’s rather cheap. Plus it’s available with either WindowsXP or Linux!
Having Linux version of this product [...]

Favorite Picks / Oct-6.2008

This week’s picks are all from artists already featured before, but I really want to show these! They have been marked as favorites in my RSS reader for a while now.

by 2Roses Jewelry

by frucci

by nhorfebre.

by mi-mi photo

by 2Roses Jewelry

again, by 2Roses Jewelry

by fahfola

by FLÁVIA FERRARI

by -groc-

again, by -groc-

Setbacks

This is something I need to deeply interiorize myself.
You have your goal set. You’re working towards it. You’re motivated. And then, on a step of the way, things starts to slow down and this step is revealing itself to be a harder task than you anticipated.
Don’t panic! Don’t stress. If you just chill [...]

Self-Limitations: My Skills and What I Can Do

So, why stick to only one profession or field of income?!
We are multi-dimensional beings. We can have a great variety of interests, dedicate ourselves to more than one at a time and get great results.
So, why stick to only one profession or field of income?!
Ever since I was little I’ve always been into plastic arts, [...]

Favorite Picks / Sept-9.2008

Second Edition.
Again, great jewelry found through flickr!

by dalianavi

by freeforged

by Danielle Miller Jewelry

by LAnge Est Là

again by LAnge Est Là

by masaoms

by Revonav

by stile di pallanti

by Chris Parry

by fahfola

Lack of Sketching

I haven’t been drawing every day as I resolved and it shows when I pick up the pencils again. It feels stiff! I need serious practice. I should be constantly drawing everyday.
But right now I’m focusing most of my energies in school, so I can finish it by February. This is the most important goal [...]

Your Body Will Make You Stop When You Refuse To

There’s way too much stuff for you to do which you don’t have enough time. You want to get everything done and you’re always busy and on the run. You get home and there’s others things or more work to do. You don’t even might feel tired but your body starts to play tricks [...]

Favorite Picks (1st edition)

Hello! There is just so much amazing jewelry posted on flickr from people with great talent. I thought I would pick a few of my favorites, regularly, and share them here. No need for words.
Here are the first Picks!
Oh, and be sure to check more from each artist for more amazing jewelry!

by Revonav

by Dee Frost

by [...]

Allow yourself to fail!

No one likes feeling like a failure. But that’s only a perspective…
If no one ever tried out for their dreams, then no one would ever reach them! And I doubt many got there on their first try!
You’re afraid of being disappointed, so you choose to be disappointed ahead of time.
You’re afraid you’ll fail, so you [...]

Writting Insecurity

We all got insecurities that need work. And recently, as I started to write more here on the blog, I acknowledged one more. It’s not new, it’s always been with me, but just now I fully realize it.
“Why should I write something that millions of people already wrote about?”
Why not? Millions wrote about and millions [...]

Jewelers

For a while now I had this visionary idea of a jewelery web portal. It would be a place where jewelry events were announced, articles about the craft and the crafters posted, supply shop lists, so on and where each user could showcase their work on their account’s space. Then there could be featured user [...]

Why do we wear Jewelry?

In the modern day, most of us wear it to express ourselves, our individuality or our sense of belonging to a group, or even perhaps both.
Just like the clothes we wear, our jewelry might say something about us. We choose what we identify with and we wear. We are expressing a part of ourselves, hinting [...]

Life is Simple, Really

Life is simple. It really is! This is something I’ve realized at an early age and I still stand by it.
The tricky thing is, we are the ones that complicate it! I know, I’m rather complicated. We let our fears, mainly, desires and doubts interfere in the way we perceive our lives. When we let [...]

Facing Negativism From Someone Close

Have you ever been a in a really good mood, feeling positive and optimistic about yourself, your life and your decisions, only to be brought down by someone else? Someone whom you expected to share it with, only to have them kill it for you.
Sometimes it feels like taking a beating from someone who’s on [...]

Random Inspiration Sources

Yesterday, I refused yet another leaflet as I walked by two old ladies. I think they were jehovah passing out info on their religion, it’s usual. But that really isn’t important so, anyway, as I just refused, as I always do any handout leaflets, it hit me!
What a great way source of inspiration! Why not [...]

Small, Self-indulgent, Pleasures

This year my parents got divorced. It has been mostly rough on my mother. She is 48 and has always been a bit self-restricted and very practical! So she is what inspired me to write this post!
It’s important to take care of yourself. And not just on a basic survival way. You need love to [...]

back to, Sketching

In the pursue of what I wanted to do for a living, I once stayed home a whole year painting for possible exhibitions. I did a few, collective and solo, but in the end that wasn’t it for me. I didn’t wanted to exhibit paintings my whole life.
Ever since I was a small kid, I [...]

Dreams & slow planning…

So, I bought two travel guides: New York and India! Now, I’m still in the flirting process of planning a trip (or two). And I like to do that very slowly!
If there has to be a reason for the chosen destinations, I would say… I want to see up close a different reality. I [...]

120 colored pencils

When I was a kid, about 6, my mom bought me a tin box containing 36 colored pencils. All 36 colors beautifully and neatly arranged by color pallet and gradient. It was precious! I would always put them back in their original order in the neat tin box. Yellow, orange, red, pink, violet, blue, green, [...]

Jewelry, a personal dilemma…

Three years ago I entered jewelry school. I went in curious, and learned that I liked it more than I imagined. But now there’s been something bothering me.
I like working with metals and making jewelry out of it. But then, lately, I feel like the end result is just something superficial and materialist! I don’t [...]

A personal quest on IDENTITY.

I’ve been working my brains out, for a long time now, trying to find the answer to “Who am I?”. I know the basics, name, age , etc. But who am I beyond that?
I’ve been wanting to make this website more personal and less of a static portfolio.
Jewellery isn’t my identity, so why should my [...]

Fusing Filings

The basic of fusing is heating the metal until the surface melts, but not the entire piece of it. It creates a random texture, but more importantly you can melt two pieces together. There are many possibilities with fusing. You can use sheet, wire, filings, combined either way you want.

On this brooch fused silver filings [...]

Figure-Flattering Jewelry

I’m always curious about this subject of what flatters different people. I think I first got aware of this subject applied in jewelry with a Susannah and Trinny book, “What You Wear Can Change Your Life”. The book itself didn’t reveal much, so I tried to look around for more information on this.
So I’m compiling [...]

What do you do? - “I’m an Artist!”

This is just a little bit of minor venting.
A while ago I met a group people, who were all into art and connected to it in some way. And in introductory conversation they all always answered the same to my question: “What is it that you do?”. “I’m an Artist!” they said back and stared. [...]

(artistic) Identity?

Being an artist. What does it mean? What is an artist supposed to do? How does one survive? How does one exist?
Is it someone who experiences life and then recreate that through a medium? Is it someone who shows the world their skills? Is it just someone with creative ideas?
Or is it maybe just a [...]

Book: A World of Head Ornaments

“A World of Head Ornaments: Africa, Asia, Oceania, America” is part of a 6 volume series. “A World of…” necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and belts.
This is my first and only so far, book of the series. I choose the Head Ornaments mostly because it’s something we don’t seems to wear as much as before. It’s [...]

A Living Exhibition: Contacto Directo’s 20th anniversary

Laura on the right, school pal, and me on the left.
It’s Contacto Directo’s 20th anniversary this year and they intend to celebrate it all year long.
The first event was held on CCB, the past 23th of February. Staff, current and former students were invited.
The concept of the party was simple, everyone dresses black and wears [...]

Book: Jewelry Concepts and Technology

“Jewelry Concepts and Technology” by Oppi Untracht,
published by Robert Hale Ltd.
(Get it cheaper on Amazon though.)
The bible for jewelers, as most say. This book is very valuable if you’re a professional, or a serious student.
This is not something for those who are simply curious about the subject.
Also, this book is written in a very simple [...]

Lark Books’ 500 Series

I don’t own any of the books, but I’ve had a few pass my hands.
Their only purpose is to inspire you, and I think it does a very nice job at it.
Do remember that these are mainly contemporary works.
Rings, Bracelets, Brooches, Earrings, Necklaces, Pendants & Lockets and Wedding Rings, you have a book for each [...]

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