New Shop!

I am so excited to announce the opening of my new Etsy shop, The Hourglass. This shop will feature only custom products; tiny boxes with your artwork encased in glass, simple pendants with a photo of your child...what ever you would like preserved in glass.Engagement ring presentation box. Each of the four sides and the top will have a different photo of the happy couple. The bottom will have a message, custom to the couple. The beautiful ring in the box is mine, made by aprilwaoka.
I was not sure if I should just add these new, different, items to my neile shop, but I decided to give them their own space. Neile is all about me and what I create because I can't help it. The Hourglass will be all about the customer, and how I can make items for them to preserve their special memories. I hope I made the right decision. If you are thinking of opening a second shop, stay tuned. I'll be discussing the pros and cons of running two shops as things move along.

Suburban New Jersey

Proof of New Jersey's bear problem:This guy is sauntering away this morning after he climbed a tree to take down my bird feeder. We finally got the feeder to be squirrel-proof, now we have to make it bear-proof.

I didn't get a very good photo, so here are a few bears by wonderful Etsy artists.

The Bear Facts by altardbeast.

Party Bear by artandghosts.

He says he can hear the Forest whisper by HiddenSeek.

New Designs!

I love working with the butterflies, I love their organic shape, and I usually let that direct my design...But, I've been feeling a bit restless (not quite uninspired) and decided to play around with some different designs and shapes. Here is a little bit about my process: Paper patterns glued to the glass and cut to the exact size. Ignore the needs-to-be-replaced work surface.
The butterfly wings are trimmed to size and sandwiched in the glass with copper foil.
The pieces laid out, and ready to be soldered. I purchased a few beautiful green amethyst briolettes from a lovely Etsy seller, JenniferCasadyGems. I'm determined to find a way to incorporate more pretty stones.

The finished product. I really love it. It seems a bit dressier and more elegant than my usual work. I am so excited to explore these ideas further...and to keep shopping for beautiful faceted gems! I'm tempted to keep it, but for now it is for sale here.