​The signs of Spring are everywhere – butterflies are flitting, birds are chirping, and flowers are blooming.

​A mama hummingbird has her nest under my patio roof. This is the third time the nest has been used and it looks like there’s one baby in it. My deep purple iris is blooming in the backyard and soft blue periwinkle is blooming in the front yard. The air even smells of spring!

​​I look for ways to create jewelry that conveys that feeling of spring. My favorite is to use metal, snippets of greeting cards, and resin. My sister-in-law, Susan, is a fabulous painter who turns her original works of art into greeting cards. Her use of color and pattern is simply intoxicating. 

Once the resin is cured, I turn the butterflies, robins, swallows and flowers into earrings and necklaces. Butterfly or bird necklaces feature one bird or butterfly hanging from a fine chain. Flower necklaces feature either just one flower hanging from a fine chain or a centerpiece of multiple flowers.
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As I work, I’m captivated by the colors and patterns of each butterfly, bird, or bloom. Each piece reminds me of the power of nature to enhance our lives.

​Each bubble is created by forming a loop in a piece of round wire leaving a long stem like a bubble wand. Sometimes I fill the bubble with colored resin. People say those bubbles look like balloons or lollipops. Other times I leave the bubble empty and hammer its edges, so they catch the light. I create a small loop at the end of the “wand” so it can hang from an ear wire or be made into a necklace.

​The earrings and necklaces in my Paddles Collection are created by hammering round wire until it flattens and forms a shape like that of a boat paddle. As I create each paddle, I turn the wire, so you see the paddle shape when you look at the piece from the front and from the side. I drill a hole in each paddle, so it can hang from an ear wire or form part of a necklace.

​For my Scribbles Collection I doodle with wire creating fanciful patterns of loops and swirls. Sometimes the scribbles are formed into centerpieces for necklaces using 10 to 30 feet of wire. Other times, I form them into bracelets using over 40 feet of wire to do so. 

What says autumn more than richly colored leaves? So, this year my fall collection features hand-forged copper and bronze wire leaves.

​Some are filled with snippets of my sister-in-law's greeting cards which contain the deep colors and complex patterns evident in the paintings from which the cards are created. After adhering the colorful snippets to a copper or bronze leaf shape, I coat both sides with resin which brings out the colors and adds dimension.

Others are filled with resin. First, I fill the wire leaf shape with clear resin. Then I add dots of red, yellow and orange tinted resin. Finally, I swirl the tinted resin through the clear which results in a marbled effect.

And sometime, I just leave them plain allowing the rich copper and bronze hammered metal to shine. I often mix plain and filled leaves in one piece.

My fall collection also includes the deep, warm tones of autumnal gemstones such as tiger eye, chocolate jasper and smoky quartz. I enjoy matching gemstones and wire to create the perfect fall necklace or earrings.

Update your wardrobe with a little fall color.

The earrings and necklaces in my Paddles Collection are created by hammering round wire until it flattens and forms a shape like that of a boat paddle. As I create each paddle, I turn the wire so you see the paddle shape when you look at the piece from the front and from the side. I drill a hole in each paddle, so it can hang from an ear wire or form part of a necklace.

For my Bubbles Collection, I form a loop in a piece of round wire leaving a long stem like a bubble wand. Sometimes I fill the bubble with colored resin. People say those bubbles look like balloons or lollipops. Other times I leave the bubble empty and hammer its edges so they catch the light. I create a small loop at the end of the "wand" so it can hang from an ear wire or be made into a necklace.

For my Scribbles Collection I scribble or doodle with wire creating fanciful patterns of loops and swirls. Sometimes the scribbles are formed in to centerpieces for necklaces using 10 to 30 feet of wire. Other times, I form them in to bracelets using over 40 feet of wire to do so. Scribbles Roses earrings and pendants are created by crimping round wire, spiraling it and then hammering it to create patterns that catch the light.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. I like the cool, crisp days. I enjoy building fires in my wood stove and watching the flickering flames in a darkened room. I love the rich fall colors of rust, ocher, orange, red and brown.

​The change of season influences the materials I use to create my jewelry - darker colored stones and metals that have been oxidized to give them a deeper tone. This year, I'm fashioning a new collections of pieces made of hand-forged copper, brass, bronze and sterling in the shape of leaves.

​Hand-forging the metals forms patterns and textures which reflect light. then by oxidizing (darkening) the metals and gently buffing them with very fine steel wool, I can produce leaves with an amazing variation in color. Placing sterling leaves among the copper, brass and bronze ones is like adding a touch of frost to a pile of fallen leaves.

I start a collection by first deciding on a shape in this case a leaf. Next, I cut wire into different lengths and bend it into a stylized leaf shape. Once all the leaves are formed, I forge the wire to add pattern and texture and to harden it so it retains its shape. Then each leaf is polished either by hand or by tumbling in a rotary tumbler. Finally, the leaves are ready to turn into jewelry.

​I lay the leaves out on my work bench and shift them around until a design emerges. Often I have a vision of a piece, but just as frequently the components dictate the final design. Once the design is determined, I link the components together to create the piece - necklace, bracelet or earrings. The final steps are to oxidize the metal, burnish it with steel wool to bring out highlights and seal it with Renaissance wax to provide a barrier between metal and skin.

Add a touch of autumn to your wardrobe with a piece from my Leaves collection.