Posts by Ashley - Ivy and Gold Handcraft - Page 2
Two steps forward, two steps back
Recently, I feel like I’ve been placed in a time machine and sent back to my days at SUNY New Paltz where I was a young, hopeful artist studying metalsmithing. I was, and admittedly still am, in love with pattern. I’ve always had a serious love affair with my saw frame that I’ve owned since 2004. This is the longest relationship I’ve ever been able to maintain. Even though it is unrequited love, I don’t care, so be it. I’ve always loved piercing out complicated designs of wallpaper from the victorian era all they way to patterns featured on Origami paper. I feel like I’ve been returning to this method almost systematically, every time I find myself with a custom request from a potential client. The first project of many to be featured over the next few months really ignited my passion for pattern and piercing. I was commissioned for a pair of earrings in September that would be gifted to my husband’s Aunt from her guy. I had total free reign on design, with just a few guidelines which included: Sterling Silver and Sapphires. I quickly day dream metalsmithed, which I do frequently. It involves me watching myself in ...
Violin Bridge Necklaces
I was approached a few months ago by the lovely Michele to create some pieces for her violin students that were headed off to college this fall. She was looking to make violin bridge necklaces. Now, what exactly is a violin bridge? It is an arched piece of material, generally constructed out of wood which holds the strings of an instrument above the fingerboard. They also aid in transferring the vibrations of the strings to the soundboard in order to produce an audible sound. Out of all of the violins and violas, and guitars I’ve seen in my life I’ve never noticed this piece. So, I had Michele send me over some pictures to get me acquainted what I would be making. As soon as I saw pictures of the bridges I knew that I was going to love working on this project! I found a couple really great examples of different bridges for the proposed design of the necklaces. Michele chose which one she liked best and requested that I make two more necklaces, one for her to have and another for a friend. Michele was kind enough to do a little e-mail interview with me after the pieces ...
Shadia x Luke
This weekend my favorite part of Louisville was up here in Chicagoland. My friend Shadia and her boyfriend Luke were in town this weekend for a wedding that Shadia was photographing sunday afternoon. Luckily, they were able to hang out with a bunch of us during their visit. Friday night was dinner and drinks at Nightwood, which is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in this city. Sunday morning a group of us gathered for Dim Sum at Cai, which was chased with some incredible bubble tea and a stroll around Chinatown. This morning after stuffing ourselves full with blueberry buckwheat pancakes I asked Shadia and Luke if they wouldn’t mind modeling some jewelry for me so I could take some photos. Lucky for me, they happily obliged. Here are some of my favorites:
Wonderful & Strange
I’ve quickly become a fan of the cult classic T.V. show, Twin Peaks. I’ve always found David Lynch’s work mysterious and haunting, falling in love with Mullholand Drive as soon as I saw it. I’ve been searching high and low for cool handmade items inspired by the show and I’ve curated some of my favorites in an Etsy Treasury. Click the photo above to link directly to the Twin Peaks treasury!
I got the World Cup blues…
This was my first year watching the world cup. I mean, I knew it existed but, I never really got into it. I mostly understood the sport, I had no problem watching it and “getting it”, unlike good old American Football. Try all you want I will never truly grasp it. When my husband Jeff and I started dating a few years ago, I quickly learned that the premier league schedule would dictate the course of our weekend plans. Jeff is a massive, die hard Tottenham Hotspurs fan. Maybe some women would get annoyed with this, and I’ll admit there were (and still are) times it was kind of annoying but I made a decision: if you can’t beat them, join them. I started watching games and learned a little bit. Jeff taught me about the players, histories of certain teams, club songs etc. I even got more familiar with the rules of the game. Although, the whole “Off-Sides” rule still really puzzles me from time to time. After a year and a half of watching Premier League Soccer, I decided it was time to choose a team. Naturally, you’d think I’d choose my husband’s team, the Spurs. Which I did ...