New Jewelry - Check My Etsy Shop

New jewelry on Etsy.com - you can access my shop on the right side of the blog. Just click on the Etsy name.......more to come......

Namaste'

New Jewelry Coming 8/16/09

[Sorry, difficulty with editing - please read current post, thank you for your loyalty]

A hint of what's coming on Sunday, August 16, 2009 - a few new pieces from jbaxstudio

Earrings. pendants - some on rubber cord, some on silver and/or copper chains......some with bronze....all with semi precious stones......



Check back......be surprised.......

Namaste'

The Art of Living Fearlessly

A few days ago I was given a gift. This came on the heels of a conversation about being different, creative, living outside of the box, ceasing to be what is expected and choosing to be what and who one really is. It isn't always easy living outside of the box. It can be stressful, lonely, and often exhausting but it is never dull and always and without fail, it is worth the effort.


The imagination is an amazing place to live but it needs breathing room, places to fly to, journeys to take, battles to win, and it needs fearlessness. I can not think of a better way to live because for me, for many of my friends, for countless young people who are desperately trying to "fit in" and failing at it, there is a time when one recognizes that they are different, that the ordinary rules do not apply, can not apply, and should not apply. Some of us are renegades. Some of us are builders. Some of us are rule breakers. Some of us are peacemakers and healers but absolutely no one should ever have to live in a box of any sort at any time and if we do, we should be able to decorate it as we wish, call it what we want, and turn it into any object we choose because it is ours.


Published in 2006 as a children's book, Not A Box is something that you might want to read aloud to yourself slowly in a quiet room as a reminder of your long ago dreams. And if those dreams have come true, then congratulations, buy it for someone you love who might not remember how to dream, or perhaps a child who needs encouragement.


I love this gift. I cherish it and the people who gave it to me. I think it is safe to say that I am someone who does not live in a box, and for that I am utterly grateful. Life has always been an amazing journey and when I'm very old I will have great stories to tell (some of you know about the chicken accident already). I wish one of them could be as sweet as what Antoinette Portis has written in Not A Box....

NOT A BOX

Antoinette Portis

Go ahead, take a peek, you know you want to.......

Not a Box, Amazon.com

Namaste'

Art of Recycling

How cute is this.....

I fell in love with these and will make a version for my own personal use. However, if you'd like to buy one, please check Vintage Renaissance's Etsy Shop (we love supporting Etsy sellers as we are one...:)) I think it is a wonderful gift for the pet lover who has everything and it is a great use of an old item which is always good for the environment. And this brings us to a subject which is dear to me. Why must we buy everything new? The quality of old suitcases is incomparable. There is strength of build, quality materials that we no longer need to acquire and can still have a long life. This is typical of items that can be made creatively, safely without toxic paints and finishes, and can bring great joy to a loving pet and therefore great joy to your household.

__________________________________________________

And what about recycling something current and interesting into unique furniture? Try skateboards. Try J. Ryde Visuals




Interesting recycled, functional art pieces. Think outside the box, stop living in the box, make a new box out of an old one, get back to basics and live a cleaner life.

___________________________

Check out these wonderful ideas, all of which are courtesy of and can be found on Recyclart which is a wonderful source of forward thinking ideas for existing ones. Happy shopping. You can always contact these particular vendors directly at their respective links. And for those of you who are artists, remember: these people began with an idea and followed through. I'm just sayin.......



Namaste'

Art in Everyday Objects I

The Chemex 10 Cup

I had one of these from 1972 through possibly 1985. I currently use a french press. Seeing this, however, brings back memories of a very sweet time and I'm reminded that the Chemex was invented by a scientist for his own personal use in the lab. The wooden collar seen above which was how the Chemex was marketed, was originally duct tape. God bless duct tape. Necessity definitely is the mother of invention. This is still a beautiful design and probably makes the best cup of coffee......Starbucks begone....

Photo courtesy of Swipe books on Advertising and Design

The Art of Sport

For my bicyclist friend, who epitomizes good health, good attitude, and a great passion for life, the Georg Jensen Bicycle - silver with leather or perhaps the Schwinn Paramount Series 9 MSRP.........difficult to decide. Both are incredibly beautiful and so is my friend.

Art is in everything we do, see, make, feel. And isn't the bicycle the most amazingly sleek piece of functional art? Take a look at the Georg Jensen website (link below). Why not whiz through the universe on a silver cloud? Perhaps you don't want a $5,500 bicycle, but it is beautiful nonetheless. And isn't part of our legacy the creation of the objects we once considered ordinary and mundane? You have only to visit a good museum to see the elevation of ordinary objects from other cultures and times. There has never been anything ordinary or mundane about bicycles. They have been basic to our society, basic to our childhood and have been the building blocks for incredibly rich memories. This is simply a magnificent example of raising the bar.....and, well done it is. But there is more.....

Courtesy of Georg Jensen


Not into Georg Jensen silver bikes? As elegant and well built and as popular and gorgeous in its own right is the Schwinn 2009 Paramount Series 9 MSRP. It is also as pricey. So whatever your choice, these are only two examples of sport and art coming together for absolute and true beauty. Alone, however, they are simply objects. Add the rider, the master of the craft, and the journey begins......

Courtesy of Schwinn

Namaste'

Art Smith - My Jewelry Muse

Art Smith was a very important and prominent jeweler of the 40's and 50's. Anyone who knows me well knows he is my inspiration for making jewelry. I have many favorite artists but Smith is the one whose jewelry makes my heart soar. Here is one of his most known works.


And here is the man (courtesy of http://www.modernsilver.com/)

He is an example of my belief that true talent is never one-dimensional, it never lives in only one part of us, it never betrays us, and it never leaves because good art is our best legacy.

I would encourage you to read his obituary (link below) which is incredibly rich in respect, celebrity, life and the honoring of greatness and talent. Jewelry was what he chose to do but it wasn't who he was. He was a fully realized and highly developed artist in all ways........and will always be my muse.....

Courtesy of 925-1000.com - Art Smith

Namaste'