Me and a bunch of BMore crafters are down in Highlandtown / Brewers Hill at @mobtownbrewing for a @popupgallery.eastcoast market! Come see us 12noon to 4pm! Get a brew and get some baubles too!!
We still have leftover reception cards from our 2005 wedding. The paper is way too luxurious to toss, so I’m using them for sketches…Hoping to incorporate a little more of my illustration in my jewelry designs. #makecicadatime #koi #koifish #doodles #illustration #jewelry #handmadejewelry #handmade
Today is the market day! Come, check me out at the Valentines market at R.house, greater goods market. I am here selling all handmade jewelry and Adornments, including my newest hair accessories. Looking for something for Valentine’s Day? I’ve also got plenty of hearts! Hope to see you, I’ll be there from 12 noon to 5 PM. @greatergoodsmarket_
Here come some in progress shots of my anatomical scrap hearts for trinket boxes, pendants and pins. Hope to have as many of these done as I can in time for this weekend’s @greatergoodsmarket_ Valentine’s Market! These are each one of a kind, handmade from vintage and up cycled materials! 1 of the box designs is in the @vesaliustrust valentines auction!
#makecicadatime #valentines #hearts #anatomy #anatomicalart #vintage #tin #upcycled
More fun with sand castings! Lego heart brooch with topaz tube setting in sterling silver, bronze heart! @baltimorejewelrycenter #lego #legos #heart #hearts #valentines #brooch #broochhandmade #makecicadatime #narrativejewelry
Another treasure from the @baltimorejewelrycenter and @_eearl ‘s sand casting class! I powder coated one side loosely to see if colored chunky tulip was worth it. I think I’m going to leave the other side bronze for now. I already have earrings to match. #sandcasting #tulips #tulipjewelry #makecicadatime #color #powdercoating
Introducing a little child’s play:
Lego my ❤️
My ❤️ is melting
A hole in my ❤️
My ❤️ is full
Legos, sterling, sand casting
#sandcasting @baltimorejewelrycenter @_eearl #makecicadatime #hearts #valentines #legos
Progress and results from our second day of sand casting class! More than anything, I am proud of the lessons I learned from this iterative experiment! I definitely have some new pieces to polish and use for very unique designs. And I can’t believe I used the big torch and crucible without injuring myself or anyone else!!! 😂 #makecicadatime #sandcasting #handmadejewelry @baltimorejewelrycenter @_eearl @katjatoporski @patbakerjewelry @candacestriblingjewelry
I am having a blast learning #sandcasting at the @baltimorejewelrycenter with @_eearl! Learning a ton about a technique I have long been wanting to pick up! More progress coming up tomorrow! #makecicadatime
Newest Nocturnal Spring moth, 2025 edition! Sterling silver, stainless steel and rose it 4mm labradorite center stone! #makecicadatime #moth #mothjewelry #entomology #naturelover #naturejewelry
New moth wing designs in the works! These are my mess ups, so they are earrings. Better cuts will be pendants. Stay tuned!
Copper, chrome and gold coffee mugs are coming to the shop this weekend! Working on white ones now…
How bout a nice hot cup of joe? Tea for two? Ok before you get excited, I did not make the teapot… it’s dollhouse furniture. But yes I did make the mugs. Making a handful in different finishes. #teatime #makecicadatime #moscowmule #coffee #mugshot #coffeemug #teapotcollector #coffeejewelry #teafortwo
Finally finished this cocktail ring
Here is my little mugshot. I made this little “Life is Good” miniature mug as a reminder of a special life lost. Gary used to walk around our department with his coffee, sipping out of his turquoise cup, a gift from @daciabalch, with a smile and a twinkling eye. Oftentimes he’d leave it somewhere (the studio, by the copier, in one of our offices) and we’d hand deliver back to him as he would respond with his signature Cheshire Cat grin and a chuckle. He was without a doubt a huge influence on my life and career. He was my teacher, and later recruited me back to Hopkins and became my mentor as well. I shared two words at his funeral in how I would describe him in Yiddish: he was beshert (meant to be in my life) and a mensch (a sweet human being). I deeply miss him and will continue to think of him often. I hope his legacy lives on and the memories of his unwavering belief in me, his smile, warmth, wisdom and humor give everyone who knew him continued comfort. Miss you Gary P. Lees.
#makecicadatime #medicalillustration #coffee #coffeemug #smile #mentorship #mugshot #mugshotmonday
Progress on my wee blue coffee mug. Going to paint the final details on it tomorrow #makecicadatime #coffee #coffeemug #miniatures
#lifeisshort #makecicadatime #bangle
Working on another small personal commemorative project. Right now it looks like a miniature of Moscow mule, but eventually it’s going to be a tiny turquoise coffee cup pendant. Stay tuned! #makecicadatime #coffee #coffeecup #coffeejewelry #pendant #smile #lifeisgood
The end of 2024 saw a lot of loss for a lot of people, near and far for both friends and family. One thing I have not forgotten ever since I lost my mom is that life is too short. One of my mantras that has become part of my brand is the phrase, “make cicada time“. It comes from one of my professors who passed away the same year as my mom and it’s a reminder that we need to take time to regularly bring joy into our lives. As many know, the cicada is part of my identity and there’s so many reasons why. Aside from the fact that I’ve always loved insects, the cicada in particular has become a very special and meaningful symbol of beauty for me. If you look at the periodical cicadas, like the 17 year cicada, it lives a very unusual life. Unlike other insects that only live for days or weeks, the 17 year cicada, as it is named, can live longer than a house cat! But it lives most of its life tucked away in the Earth looking forward to that one final summer of its life to come out and have as much fun as possible, only to fall to the Earth and die. But it’s young live on and the cycle repeats. Making cicada time means not only making that time to have as much fun as possible like a summer cicada would, but it’s also a reminder to not wait. Don’t wait for retirement. Don’t wait until the end of your life to then spend just one short summer having fun. Try to find little bits of time in between the waiting periods to find some kind of joy, to make something new, or share something meaningful. I saw these letter beads and I just had to buy a bunch of strands so that I could make a few of these bracelets. Here’s my first one. This personal item is something that I’m going to wear as a reminder to myself and to others to make time to do the things that you love, to spend time with the people that you love and bring joy while you still have the time. #makecicadatime
Happy New Year! Trying something new with old items I’ve had forever. I don’t know why I didn’t think to use my entomology texts in my photos before, but better late than never. Feel free to give critique… trying to figure out how I might spice things up for 2025!
#makecicadatime #insects #entomology #insectjewelry #entomologist #entomologyart #mosquito #insectearrings
I sold out of my last pair of big mama mosquitoes 🦟 so guess what I did? I made new ones! And these minis have smaller legs. A redux on the original design and I definitely like them even more!
#mosquito #malaria #insectjewelry #makecicadatime
This was interesting, and not AI. Weird animatronic display at a store that sells glasses. Certainly got my attention.
If a cyanotype is a blue sun print, then what do you call a green sun print? A veridiotype? Verdotype? #greencyanotype #cyanotype #makecicadatime
Fun to see what people stopped to look at this past year. I am forever grateful for the people and community I have connected with and I look forward to continuing our conversations in 2025. Happy New Year everyone! #makecicadatime
Happy Chrismukkah! We had our traditional Chinese dinner, first night of Hanukkah and I got this fortune. I hope it comes true. For you and me 💕 happy Holidays and let’s hope for a very happy healthy new year.
Last project of 2024 is done. Already started new items for 2025! Look for more moths, cicadas and cyanotypes in the new year!! #makecicadatime
Just one more step… #cyanotype #cyanotypejewelry #makecicadatime
One last project!
Posting these to the shop this weekend; 2 hair sticks are complete! I was trying to decide which one in terms of form I like best. They both work well and conform to the head. But I like the way the wings curve with my head. Let me know what you think?
2 last cicada pendants to go out tomorrow just in time for the holidays and a better shot of my new hair stick design! #makecicadatime
Just finishing some NEW hair accessories! Here’s my first hair stick…still needs polishing and forming #makecicadatime
New stones!! #labradorite
You all have seen me grow and I so appreciate each of you following my journey! Thanks so much for following me and I hope to see you at a future event! 💕 #makecicadatime
SHOP UPDATE: the plain cicada wing barrettes were such a hit during holiday shopping that they are sold out. I’ve just begun making a whole new batch, but they won’t be available until the New Year. I still have plenty of the garden wing variety so if you are looking for a unique and affordable handmade gift for you or someone you love, I can help you make those holiday dreams come true! And if you are in Baltimore, there’s free shipping/next day delivery. And you get $10 off when you buy two!
This show-stopper is officially under someone’s Christmas tree. When the buyer picked it up and handed it to me, we both just smiled. It is going to make someone special very happy. This was the first time I tried pliquing one of my origami cicadas and I learned so much from the process that I know I’ll be making more in an upcoming series… once I finish my Nocturnal Spring moth series. Oh who am I kidding? A series is never finished… I’m just getting started! #makecicadatime #handmadejewelry #smallbusiness #madeinbaltimore #cicadapendant #artdeco
PSA for all folks #baltimore looking for unique #handmade gifts! Just got back from the @charmcitycraftmafia Holiday Heap and snagged this sweet anatomical heart (are you even surprised I bought this?) and a comic book hand-signed for my daughter! Shoutout to @blockpartypress and @spaghettikiss for their awesome work as well all the artists at one of the best markets I know of! Happy holiday shopping! 🛍️ also check out the @stationnorth #holiday market right around the corner! #supportsmallbusiness #makecicadatime
Guess what time it is?
#makecicadatime
Going, going, gone! Thank you so much for a great end to my holiday market marathon! Here is just a small sample of the many items that sold this past weekend. I’ve updated the shop and I am looking forward to restocking with new items from my various collections in the coming weeks. 2025 looks to be a great year with more Baltimore area shows on the horizon. I’ll keep you posted with shop updates and show dates as they come up. Have a great holiday and see you soon!
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#jewelryartist #moth #makecicadatime #kimono #kimonomotif #lunamoth #insectjewelry #cicada #cicadajewelry #buglover #handmade #handmadejewelry
More kimono moths to come in the new year! This one features a gorgeous Swiss blue topaz cabochon
#jewelryartist #moth #makecicadatime #kimono #kimonomotif #lunamoth #insectjewelry
I just love coming home after a long day to happy mail in my mailbox! Gahhhhhh!!! @carolynbelefski made these limited edition cicada enameled pins and I am in love with them! Yayyyyyy they are here!! Beautiful work!!! 💕😍 check out her illustration work CURLS!
Just finished my last market for 2024 and I want to say thank youuuu to all the friends, colleagues and new fans who came, saw, bought or chatted with me today! You guys are amazing and I so appreciate your support and enthusiasm for my side-hustle. I am sure you could tell but I really love making new things and sending them off into the world. See you at the next gig! 💕 thank youuuu @micaartmarket !!!
It’s the @micaartmarket holiday sale today! If you are looking for me, I am on the second floor right next to the elevators! If you don’t find me, just keep walking you’ll see me eventually!
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Lots of colored goodies for the @baltimorejewelrycenter holiday sale tomorrow!!
#WIP LOOK AT ALL THIS COLOR!!!
Wee little colorful moths! Making more earrings!!
Tomorrow is my grande finale market marathon! I’m in 4 shows: TH @hocoarts , FR @foundstudioshop and @baltimorejewelrycenter, SA @micaartmarket and SU back at @baltimorejewelrycenter! Whew! It’s gonna be a whirlwind weekend but I’m looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues all over town! Happy holiday shopping everyone!!! #makecicadatime #holidaycraftshow #craftmarket #craftshows #madeinbaltimore
Another kimono moth complete. I don’t know what her name is yet… Coral?
Thank you and a big shoutout to my friend and colleague @teabeads_ for my gorgeous 2025 wall calendar!!! My office will be forever brighter next year!!! 😍