The Sentimental Gardener
We took Ponderosa out on her very first hike this morning and it felt like taking a very deep breath. I’ve been holed up in the studio working with total focus on things set only a foot in front of my nose all week - and I didn’t realize until we were winding our way through the forest that I’d forgotten to look up.
There is a bigger picture here, more than the letters typed on a screen or the silver dust that’s always covering my hands. I felt all of the pieces falling into place and I’m ready to say it - I’m getting close. Really, REALLY close. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
Tomorrow evening, the bright and shiny new website shop that I’ve been toiling away on will be going live. I’m so, so excited about this - it feels like a big step for me and though I know there will likely be bumps along the way as I learn, this is a change that feels long overdue.
Along with moving all of my old Etsy listings over (and putting them on sale to celebrate this move!!) there will be some new work going into the shop tomorrow night as well. A couple of these pieces I’ve already shared on Instagram, like the Riverside pendant and the Perennial belt buckle.
I also shared the Remedy ring in a post on Instagram a few days ago - but I’ve decided she’s staying with me. I tell you, there’s a reason I don’t make rings in my size!! But in all seriousness, this treasure box ring really spoke to me in a way that few do and I just couldn’t let her go. That being said, I will be putting together a collection of Remedy rings and pendants for you all in the next few months - so stay posted!
What I haven’t yet shared is the batch of rings I finished this afternoon (and photographed between rain showers - weather this summer has been madness!!). So, without further ado…
A story, of course.
I think it’ll probably be next year before we really get our garden up and growing. Between moving from California, house maintenance (aka, painting our pine walls!!), and getting Ponderosa I haven’t had a lot of time to put plants in the ground. So, I’ve set aside this year for planning.
And it’s funny - though for me, terribly predictable - but every plant I choose for my dream garden has a story. A connection to an adventure or a time in my life or a person I love. I’ve taken to calling myself the “Sentimental Gardener,” because when I finally get to planting, what I put into the ground will be more than just leaves, stems, and flowers - it’ll be a record of memories.
It was after a plant planning session that my eyes landed on a Lodolite, or Garden Quartz, in my cabochon box - and, because I just can’t help but see pictures and images in stones, I immediately saw my someday garden in its luminous depths.
For all the memories you carry and all the memories you’ve yet to make, your own little garden: captured in stone, wrapped in silver, and set atop a weighty and luxurious silver cigar band. From left to right, these rings will fit sizes 5.75, 6.5-6.75, 8, 8.5, 9.25, and 10.5.
In the new shop tomorrow at 5pm Mountain Time - hope to see you there!!