Vegas is Hot and I don't mean what they mean!

This is no joke! 100 degrees plus outside and they didn't turn the air conditioning on until noon. It's some kind of modern day torture. Trying to set up a show in this kind of heat takes you to a different place.... delusion... near fainting... but all fun! Can't believe that after all these years, I still love doing these shows.

We spent the last 4 days at the JCK jewelry show in Las Vegas. It just closed today and was fabulous! Seeing such a wonderful, eclectic assortment of artists and buyers and wonderful eccentrics just lifts your spirits. It's always a learning experience to go to these trade shows, you never know who you'll meet, the orders you'll write or some interesting tidbit that sends your mind speeding in a new direction. I'm always inspired to make magnificent new designs after each one of these shows. Just being around all the incredible creations and stones, my heart is full and ready to explode with shear joy!

I'm still like that little kid ogling over a box of rocks. Actually, most of the rocks were in or under my bed in those days. Fortunately for me, my mother was quite an unusual soul and didn't much care if we made our beds very well. Once as she came to make my bed for me, she pulled back the covers, and was horrified to see that it was literally full of rocks. I would collect them during the day, lovingly inspect them, lay them out on my bed to admire them and when it came time to go to sleep, I just pushed them to one side. They're a little rough to snuggle with, but I managed happily. Certainly not your typical girly attitude.
Mother Mary would come in every so often and throw a fit because you could barely walk in the room without something crunching under foot. Then my sister and I would dutifully throw everything in a large moving container in the corner of the room. As time went by the container emptied, as though by magic, all over the floor again.
Sounds like some parable of life....

Blogasaurus!

What a truly wonderful day! The sun is fabulously bright and the air is dry and almost cool, 78 at the end of May in Arizona is cooool. A beautiful breeze is rustling in the pines, what a mysterious sound. I'm sure most people would be inured to all this, but I'm from the big city and this really beats the sound of fire engines at 3:30 in the morning!

Just took my new cat, Mars, out for a walk. Oy vey! I leashed him up and off we went for a wonderful adventure. This is only his second day here and our second attempt to take a walk in his harness. He spent the first 15 minutes inside the recycle box. ha! ha! Then he took off under a big manzanita bush, I didn't know how fast he could run! Unlike his brother in arms, Mushi who is staying with his friend Blue in PA for this trip, Mars has never been on a leash. He's long and lanky, built for speed and somewhat unpredictable... not a good thing when the coyotes come out at dusk. He's a great guy and I would be devastated if anything happened to him. Maybe this freedom thing is not such a good idea for Arizona.

We built a special, very large, outdoor pen with a high perch so that the cats can watch the goings on in safety. At night it's really magical, all the spooky night sounds of the high desert... coyotes calling to each other, javelinas rooting up my plants, rabbits rustling, lizards scurrying and families of quail running for their lives. My neighbor, another NYC transplant, has seen bobcats in her yard and there was an enormous buck, with a huge rack of antlers just 10 feet from the house last month. This is the real deal and you never know what's going to happen next.

I think I'll take a break from all the excitement and stress of cat wrangling and nature and make some jewelry. What a peaceful respite from the "real" world!

of Jewels and Transporters

I'm just discovering the joys and the incredible time it takes to do this social networking stuff. I guess this new virtual world is where we'll all be before long. Wii anyone? 

Decades ago there were many prescient science fiction films that foretold our current world... which we now totally take for granted. They were always my favorite films and I would spend most Saturdays dreaming of being a hero on another planet; transported to another time and to very strange places. I always thought they were great fantasy. Not so fantastical after all!

Remember how cool Captain Kirk looked flipping his "communicator" to call his pals on the Enterprise. I have one of those in my pocket right now and so do you! Some of those science fiction writers were actual scientists and no doubt inspired the Steve Jobs of the world. I'm just waiting for the transporter... beam me up Scotty! It takes way too many hours to fly back and forth between NYC and Sedona. On second thought... maybe I'll wait a little on that. I saw The Fly and was traumatized!

Hiking in this beautiful Sedona is just spectacular and unlike anything I've experienced before. The light here plays tricks on your mind. Sometimes it seems as though a distant mountain is just beyond the next tree and the howling of the coyotes at night reminds you that the world is not just your oyster.

Last night

I'm working on some luscious new pieces for my upcoming QVC show on February 5th. I'll be rushing back from the Tucson Gem Show where I meet once a year with my amazing stone carvers. They come here from all over the world just once a year and we work together on creating magic. Our carvings just take your breath away!

In the meantime, check out the truly exquisite Mars and Valentine Underworld collection that just arrived in most Nordstrom stores. Smoldering and luxurious...

     See you next time!
                 Margaret

What a wild year this has been!

This is my first blog post, so please be patient until I get the hang of it.

I hope with all the crazy weather across the country that everyone is okay. What a wild year this has been!  So full of all the colors of life, joy and sorrow, elation and disappointment... the poignant human condition.

We're gaining many wonderful new fans on QVC who write me the most beautiful emails.  What a smart, savvy group of ladies!  I'm so pleased to be part of this amazing community.  My first show on QVC was in August of 2009.  I was part of Designer Day and only on for 15 minutes to introduce the Garden Party bracelet and Butterfly ring.  

Over two years later, and both are still customer favorites and top rated!  After that first show, as we came out the front doors into the sunshine, a little butterfly fluttered to the ground right at my feet.  I put my finger down and he climbed on it and stayed there all the way to the parking lot.  Butterflies are quiet little messengers, we just have to take a minute and listen.  Pay attention to the small things because they are really the big things.

In May, my daughter Myoshin gave birth to a beautiful amazon (23", 9lbs. 14 oz!) who she named Tallulah True.  Truly a blessing.

I'm working on some gorgeous new collections that I know you'll love!  If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you.  I don't have my ears pierced (total chicken!) and was thinking of making clips for some of the collections.  Are any of you interested in clip earrings?

XO
Margaret