Vintage measuring tape or time machine?
I finally got into my studio to work with my vintage treasures and new glass tablets I made. This one has a spiral of iridescent ambers with a hint of purple encased in crystal clear glass. The 32 inch chain is treated with a flame patina that mirrors the colors in the glass perfectly. I attached an old brass measuring tape that works! Looks kind of like a fishing reel...or a monocle...or a telescope... or a time machine.
Sneak a peek at our prototypes...
More vintage finds! Susan Meyer and I are partnering to create this new look and I'm loving it. I was rockin' the little pocketknife/ locket number today feeling pretty spiffy.
You can now find Dale Wayne Designs at Sunshine Herb Corner in Colorado. (Part of their colleciton in photo on right.) I'm amazed and excited that in such a short time I am in seven, soon to be eight retail venues in three states.
Flea market finds!
My friend Susan Meyer and I took a day trip to the flea market in search of interesting bling. At the end of the day when everyone was packing up their goods, Susan stumbled upon these cool vintage swimming medals. Below are the necklaces she designed when we got back to my studio. We are moving fast toward a collaborative line!
Mermaid's jewerly...
Here is the gorgeous display The Studio of Duxbury created for my jewelry. I love how it looks like a mermaid's dressing table. I wonder what she'll chose to wear?
Party at Dale's all day Thursday, May 9th 10am-9pm
My friend artist Susan Meyer is bringing her whimsical wares to show at my Mother's Day jewelry party. Trinket dishes, bowls, platters, trays and cakes stands will be available for purchase or to special order. She personalizes!
As for me, oooo-la-la! Lots of new summery designs! Watery crystal clear colors combined with my oh-so-fun seahorse pendants. (Too-many-hyphens.)
Hope-you-can-come!
Here is a link to the invite.
(Lavender martinis happy hour)
Jingle jangle morning down by the sea...
I was humming Down by the Boardwalk and Mr. Bojangles while I put together these samples for a seaside gift shop. I hope the jewelry carries a happy tune all the way to its eventual wearer. Maybe it will inspire an unexpected spring in her step. If you are on the boardwalk and notice someone dancing for no apparent reason, check out her jewelry! 
How do you say 'ahoy' en francais?
I'm was working on some samples for a seaside gift shop in Massachusetts when my friend Susan Meyer stopped by with these delightful penwork drawings she glazed onto little china pendants. She found her inspiration from antique pieces of scrimshaw. We were so excited to combine them with my glass and this chunky new rope link chain that mirrors the nautical feel of drawings. Pretty sweet, right? Or should I say, n'est-ce pas?
Heaven sent bracelet...
John had to have a second eye surgery adding up to a grand total of 7 and a half hours of surgery in 6 days. Last weekend he was restricted to laying on his back and this weekend to his left side. Thankfully his macula was still attached. I guess if that detaches you have to lay on your stomach on a bed rigged with one of those massage table head rests. He has his 5th round of chemo on Monday.
I snapped a bunch of pictures so that I could work on my web site while I waited. I'm beginning to worry about myself because I find working on it strangely soothing. This picture of my Heaven Sent bracelet has stayed in my brain. I just love the colors. Now I need to make a necklace and earrings to finish out the collection. Otherworldly, don't you think?
Three bird night...
Put this fun piece together tonight and now am trying to decide what to name this pendant: Migration, Family of Three, or Family Tree... I think I like the elegance of Migration but it doesn't have the sentimental pull of the others. Hmmm maybe that's why I like it. Thanks for helping me decide.
$42
Spelling easy peasy, new collections, and emergency surgery...
I've had more fun changing the content of my website though I feel like I haven't gotten the house quite ready for company, but come on over!
All new couture copper and silver collections and I have even figured out how to sneak surprise pieces that aren't in the collections into the bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and earrings categories.
For my less expensive everyday line (under $50), I have uploaded a bunch of pendants with earrings to follow as I continue to add pieces to the site.
FREE SHIPPING SITE WIDE. (Oops, I hit 'caps lock.') I figure it makes shopping on my site more like coming over to my house, which is my goal. Since I am the packaging maven, the pieces will arrive in lovely boxes or pouches, so ordering gifts is easy peasy lemon squeezy (not sure how to spell 'peasy.' Actually, there is no correct spelling for 'squeezy' either.)
I had extra time to work on my site becau
se I spent the night in the hospital with John who had emergency surgery for a detached retina. It looks like he is going to have to have another 2 hour surgery on Wednesday. I guess I should get busy loading up my computer with more inventory to post.
So, the actual and virtual houses are a mess but you are welcome to browse either one. The virtual one may have glitches but no dust bunnies. The actual house has both, hence I am off to vacuum.
Lost in cyber-space...new employee, and NEW COLLECTIONS!
If you have missed me, it is because I have left the planet. I figured out the coding to my website which has led to too many ideas for improvement. Let me introduce you to Jewelie, our model. Her hourly rate is very reasonable and she never talks back, though from time to time she does cop a 'tude. I thought she might prove useful to show the length of the necklaces.
She just started working for me so I only have a few pictures of her modeling necklaces and pendants, but bright and early tomorrow we'll get right to work. (I hope she makes coffee.)
Check out my updated site! All new collections are up. More is on the way! (click on any of these photos to link to their collection. How clever am I?)
Website updates and birthday blessings...
One of my favorite things is to be commissioned for special occasions. I was so honored when a friend requested one of my pieces as her group gift. My friend Susan came over and we had a grand time creating this necklace. I love it! These are the matching earrings from me...
I've been working like a maniac updating my website and switching over to Pay pal. Hope you enjoy the new collections! More on the way...
All Saints gift shop & more thoughts on snakes...
I'm excited that my crosses and pendants (under $45) are available in Winter Park at the gift shop at All Saints Church on Lyman. I wrote little snatches of verses to let the wearers know what was on my mind when I was making the necklaces. Sometimes my thoughts are quirky (surprise) and the little tags communicate something unexpected. I especially like this piece. It's tag reads: "If your son asks you for a fish will you give him a snake?" and on the reverse side: "How much more your Heavenly Father ..." I hope the implied "He cares for you" is understood.
How do you spell unconditional love?
I donated this bracelet to an auction for the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center. I was so tickled to find a kaballah charm that's Hebrew letters symbolize 'unconditional love.' Since part of the center's efforts are focused on anti-bullying it seemed the perfect addition.
BIrds on the brain...
I'm still in bronchial battle mode puffing on inhalers, downing prednisone, and posing for the Xray lady today. Even so, I've snuck in some time in the studio. I've been chilaxin', bird and butterfly watching from the chair I painted turquoise and placed on the front porch. I don't think I would be sitting in it everyday with my tea if I hadn't spray painted it turquoise one day on a whim, or I should say 'lark.' I'm in love with the look of these tweeties on the nest.
I'm trying to find time to update my website inventory. Email me if these interest you and I can post them with a shopping cart. 30 inches long, $50. Shipping is free.
TS Eliot, St. Therese, and shirts of flame...
"The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre-
To be redeemed from fire by fire.
Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.”
― T.S. Eliot,
I am reading Heather King's Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Therese of Liseux. Therese originated the phrase "shirt of fire." King opens the book with the portion of TS Eliot's poem I have quoted above.
Chemo, cosmos, and a mustard seed...
This morning, as I walked up to my door these cosmos greeted me. Don't they look eager and happy to see me? Not too far up the path my sunflowers are getting ready to bloom. I don't usually bother to cover my plants when a freeze threatens, preferring a 'survival of the fitest' approach, but if the weather threatens I have sheets ready to cover them up. They've come too far to give up on them now.
We are nervous about the onset of Thursday's chemo's side effects which were no small picnic last time. My M.O. is to cook all manner of food. I think I might gain 300 pounds before John finishes his treatment. Thankfully, so far his hasn't lost much weight although hair is another story. He keeps saying he is after 'the Bruce Willis look' but John is tall and lanky so I prefer to think of it as 'the James Taylor look.' In proving my point, I found that James Taylor has free online guitar lessons on his website which inspired me to dust off my guitar and give it a go.
After my cooking frenzy, I spent some time in my studio working on designs I'm developing for a local church's gift shop. Since I have loved mustard seed necklaces since I was a little girl, I filled little vials with seeds, then wrapped a tiny piece of leather around the top. Jesus told a parable comparing a mustard seed to the kingdom. It can grow into a mighty tree that will shelter birds. He also talked about the power of a faith even if it is as tiny as a mustard seed. I was so pleased to be able to incorporate my Tree of Life charm so that this necklace has all three elements, mustard seed, tree, and bird: just add faith.
The sunset tonight was so stunning I insisted that John drag himself out front to see. An amazing orangey- pink streaked the sky as the sun set behind trees on the horizon. I don't often take pictures of sunsets because no matter how good the camera or the photographer, pictures never do them justice. I couldn't help myself though, so I grabbed my camera, raising it higher and higher to try and capture the sunset and not the cars and houses in the foreground. While the photo fails, the taking of it, my hands stretched high and heavenward, felt just right.
