Homage to those lost...

This past Saturday, Joseph and I helped to lay thousands of wreaths on a portion of the 93,000 graves at the Fort Sam Houston Cemetary.  We were volunteering for Wreaths Across America where simoultanously hundreds of thousands of volunteers at cemetaries all over the country were placing donated wreaths on the graves of veterans, and those who gave their lives serving our country.  They do this every year, and there is probably a location near you.  I cannot tell you how moving this experience was, walking amongst the thousands of white gravestones, remembering the wars and battles of the past, and understanding just how much these people and their families sacrificed.  If you are unable to physically help place wreaths, you can also contribute wreaths for the cause. 

Check them out in November 2011 if you are interested! 



military and leopard...combination for the not-so-faint-of-heart...

this is a piece for those that love to make statements...something that is a bit out of the ordinary, yet still familiar. a piece that combines two very in and trending fashion statements...military + animal print.

a duo of hand pierced and formed brass dogtags, with hand etched leopard print on both sides. the gorgeous leopard pattern was the result of a piece of lace that I transferred to the brass, and chemically etched around the design it left. oxidized for color and effect, and hand buffed with a protective wax finish to protect the pieces for years to come. not one two dogtags will be alike! these two tags hang from a sterling silver ball chain, keeping the theme true to military style for this Fall/Winter 2010 Season.

this piece was actually the result of my EtsyMetal Teams Project Runway Challenge, and I fell in love with it so much I felt I had to offer it on my site! follow this link to see the results for this weeks and others on the blog. I love these fun challenges! http://etsymetal.blogspot.com/2010/09/project-runway-season-8-episode-5-there.html



in The Shop now!

EMPR Challenge - Season 8 epi 5

finished with my piece for this week.

I conceived this concept from the beginning and wanted to run with it more to create a more elaborate piece...but have run out of time.

I choose Military (concept) + Leopard (textile). 

my husband is in the Air Force, and I love playing with his dog tags.

choosing the military concept for this challenge hit very close to home for me.

brass military dog tags, hand-drawn leopard print etching, silver ball chain.