My designs can dance!

Did you know that my jewelry designs can dance?  Well…close to it anyway. Enjoy this video and let me know how you like it.   I invite you to explore more of my jewelry designs at my Silver Ranch store.  Enjoy the day!

xo Kristen

Time for Winter Soup

Seeing as we have 12” of snow on the ground now and the fact that another snow fall consisting of three inches is referred to (by me) as a ‘flurry,’ I thought it was time for some nourishing Winter Soup.

I take recipes as suggestions so of course this is an adaptation of North Pole Soup, which came to me via my Mom who lives in (of all places), Tucson, Arizona.  Because I limit the amount of wheat in my diet, I substituted potatoes for the noodles that the original recipe called for.  Limiting wheat has really boosted my immune system, so much so that it is an easy choice to not eat very much of it at all.

Winter Soup

Note: all ingredients are organic whenever possible and amounts are listed as ‘guidelines.’

4 – 5 medium sized red potatoes, scrubbed clean, sliced

1 red onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 stalks celery, sliced crosswise

2 large carrots, sliced crosswise

5 cups water

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

1 tsp powdered dried mustard seed

1 tsp dried basil

Salt to taste

1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes ( I used crushed fire roasted)

1 14oz. can red kidney beans (any beans will do – garbanzos, cannellini)

1 – 2 Tblsp. olive oil or coconut oil

Saute onions in oil for 5 min over medium-low heat, add garlic, carrots and celery and sauté another 5 – 10 min. until soft. Slice potatoes (I use my handy food processor  for slicing and dicing) and place in water in a large soup pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and keep at a simmer. Add salt, bouillon, basil and dried mustard, crushed tomatoes and beans.  Add your sautéed veggies to the soup pot and let simmer for at least 30 min.  This soup is super-fast to make, especially if you have a food processor.  It freezes really well too, but remember no freezing in plastic. Keep it healthy and use just Pyrex.

Enjoy!  Like all soups, this is even better the next day.

My goal in preparing food for myself and my family is that it is healthy, delicious AND beautiful (in a down-home sort of way). I don’t measure except with my eyeballs and my taste buds.  Also, what I love about soups is that you can adjust the amounts of any ingredients to your taste, needs, and what is available in the pantry.  Got guests coming and need more soup?  The solution is, as my Brazilian friend Heloisa says, ‘Add water to the beans!’

When it looks like this outside:  

its time for Winter Soup!

xo

Kristen

It may seem strange but I occasionally ask myself, ‘Why jewelry?’  As in, why design jewelry, why is this my passion?  The answer is about as simple as answering ‘Why am I an artist?’  The only answer that I have found to that is, “Because I am!”

Having two children of my own, I know from observation that they pretty much ‘pop out as is,’ full of their very own character traits.  Almost like Athena from Zeus’ head, although not in adult form (thank goodness!), nor fully armed.  Yes, there is nurture, and my artist mother certainly nurtured my ablity and desire to create just about anything.

I approach my work as a jewelry designer as an artist and I think of each design as a miniature scuplture. That my 3-dimensional designs are wearable is no accident though. I worked as a sculptor, creating large scale ceramic works, for the early part of my ‘official’ career as an artist.  I wanted however to create something more intimate and more accessible, to more people. 

I have always been a collector of tiny interesting things – nature-made and person-made - so when I found my way to jewelry design it was a beautiful and logical marriage of my drive to create sculpture, my interest in personal adornment, and my love of small treasures. I have never looked back!

In the end it may simply come down to this quote I came across by Rob Bell that seems to neatly sum it up, “It was always, I have to try, because that’s where the joy is.”

Have a wonderful day!

Xo Kristen

My life-partner-soul-mate Mike wakes up each day and along with morning coffee, infuses his body-mind with world news and stories that he hunts down from the more astute and thinking websites out there.  I, admittedly with some embarrassment, will share with you that I have never been much of a news consumer.  His habit, however, has rubbed off somewhat and this morning we watched/read some fascinating stories including one about truffles and another about bees.  Specifically, how the head of Bee Inventory and Monitoring Program at the USGS (United States Geological Survey), Sam Droege, refined a system to photograph the 4,000 species of bees that live in North America, north of Mexico. The point being that not only have these incredible photos resulted, but there is now a better way to understand, study and document these creatures upon which our whole life on this planet depends. They are the pollinators.  Without them we all perish - no plants flowers vegetables you name it, can grow. We know this, but somehow seeing the incredible photos of these beautiful and so tiny creatures brought it home again to me, and to put it eloquently: it just blows my mind.  

The beauty and complexity of nature has always affected me in a way that I find challenging to express in words. Words such as ‘awe,’ ‘tenderness,’ ‘excitement,’ and a sort of overwhelming wonder seem to only vaguely describe the response I have when I ponder the natural world in its absolute infinite breadth, complexity and inter-connectedness. That is, then, part of my motivation for being an artist, for creating beautiful wearable mini-sculptures.  It is through my jewelry designs that I express this appreciation I have of the shapes, textures and the light and shadow of the natural world. My designs of minimal forms and shapes are intended to evoke the same kind of pure and ‘coming home’ feeling one may experience in nature.  The simple and organic forms of my pieces are meant to inspire and remind the wearer to take a ‘moment,’ much as seeing a beautiful flower might cause a person to pause and just appreciate.  And with any luck I am successful…

Have a wonderful week!

 xo

Kristen

January Newletter!
2014 is off to a running start for the studio. I am happy to be writing the very first edition of my monthly newsletter, where you will keep up with all the happenings of the studio and be the first to hear about special offers.  

First, a big heart-felt ‘thank you’ for supporting Silver Ranch with your continued patronage.  I look forward to serving your handcrafted jewelry needs in the next year and I am excited about some new designs I already have under way in the form of drawings and wax models.

The studio saw some big changes in 2013.  As we settled further into our new home & studio location, I expanded my offering to local customers in the form of jewelry parties: classic shopping parties and jewelry-making parties.  Each one has been such great fun.  Against the backdrop of the jewelry and creativity, each party guest has truly enjoyed the opportunity to take time out for herself, to nurture her creativity in the form of creating jewelry or picking just-the-right-pieces for herself, and the time it allowed her to spend with old friends and to make new ones.

Another exciting development in the studio last year was the introduction of my bronze collection. My bronze collection offers the gorgeous warm tones of gold at a fraction of the price of gold or silver, and it has been received by all of my customers with great enthusiasm! Thank you and more to come!

As we press into the new year with many dreams and plans, it is also vitally important to honor just today. I will leave you with a quote that hangs on the wall of my studio:

Cease to inquire what the future has in store, and take as a gift whatever the day brings forth.  ~Horace


Much love,
Kristen

Today I am working on wax models for new designs with Valentines Day in mind. Think:  little carved hearts in my signature organic style.  Also working on the business plan & collection ideas for 2014… Exciting things!

Wax model in progress for heart charm!

Been in the Studio

I took my own advice and have been in the studio these last 5+ months. It helps that my littlest is in school full time. It has been great. Pics of: Hoops that haven't made it to the site yet; PMC pieces ready to be fired in the kiln; Earring components ready-to go; and Copper cuffs drying on the very high-tech drying rack after clear lacquer applied.

Cheers! Happy Holidays!

Kristen