checking in, quietly

as is usually the case when i've been quiet, when i haven't posted for a bit, i've begun receiving a string of emails inquiring about my state of mind, of being.  i'm fine.  there are times when i'm hunkered down, when i don't feel like talking, when i might be so inspired and consequently  so busy with work that i don't want to stop and spend a good three hours working on a post.  still, i realize that it's an unselfish thing to check in, to share, to ponder and reflect.  this time of year is perfect for that, for the reflecting and the pondering.  cold weather has moved in; we had our first snow of the season yesterday, my first day back after spending a week in alabama with my mother, where temperatures until the last day hovered in the balmy 70's. 
i drove back on monday through torrential, relentless rain, well into the dark; it was good to walk back into a dry house that had remained intact while i was gone.  how sad it is that i now am forced to worry about this, every single time that i go away.  thanksgiving for us was a time of deep and tender poignancy this year; both of my boys had to stay where they were, due to vacation and income limitations, and this was our first major holiday without daddy there at our side.  my best friend julie made the trip with walter and me, which made things better for all of us, all the way around.  now that i'm back home, i'm eager to get back into that sweet little studio, all full of soft light and inspiration.  the snow looked lovely, falling outside the windows as i sat at the studio table for a full eight hours yesterday.  i even ate my lunch in there, so attached am i to this new space.  what is coming out of all of that upheaval and cleaning and purging is a remarkable new collection of work - a nod back to the wrap bracelets i began making a few years ago, with different twists this time around.  i'm obsessed, and this is good.  making things and strongly craving the time to spend making them encourages me more than i can say.  little drawers store the pared down remaining trinkets and findings that i chose to keep out of everything that i gave away (would the recipient, however, of the vintage measuring tape please get back to me, i sheepishly ask?  it wasn't meant to be sent on its way), and in those little compartments there are stories quietly waiting to be told.  my stories become your stories, again and again and again.  i feel as powerfully energized with what i'm making as i ever have - and after some twenty eight years of making jewelry and wearable art, this is an incredible thing.  i had no idea how deeply, how strongly i'd be affected by the act of sorting and deep cleaning what had become a true disaster in there; i had no idea that what would begin to take form afterwards would have such strength and conviction.  what an odd thing to say about an ornamental thing to wear, but honestly, it's true.  you'll see.  i'm not quite ready to show them individually, but as a collection there is a definite gravitational pull.  i learned that when i saw how my mother had recently chosen to display all of the pieces i've made for her throughout the years, together as a whole. to look at these pieces together in one (dim) photograph, i can see the progress my work has made from year to year.  and it is a bittersweet feeling to know that one day down the road these necklaces will all come back to me again.

so, for you who come to visit this place called ornamental, for all of you who've written to ask how life is treating me, here is a little sneak peek of what will be listed in my etsy shop a few days from now (patience, please, i want to actually finish the assorted designs that are swirling around in my head):

xo

Comments

[Sandra]

So glad to hear from you...

Holidays a time of reflection for those we miss...I understand.

Oh I wish you didn't have to worry when you leave from home. I know the universe has an answer for you...

Ornaments...

Omg I want them all....

[sue]

Glad you have re-surfaced dear Nina, and very glad that the magic has started to happen in that tidy studio of yours (didn't I tell you it would?!).

I can't wait to see what treasures unfold...
ox

[Tina in McLeansville]

oh so good to read this! very relieved you all arrived back to the mountain safely, of course....but now you've dangled the proverbial carrot in front of our noses!! ;) absolutely can't wait to see all the lovelies, but most of all, happy your tilt-a-whirl last few months are settling and you're finding your comfortable spot for the winter. hugs...xoxo

[Erin Perry]

What lovely work from your lovely, newly refreshed studio. I've been meaning to ask if you've read "Nightwoods" yet. The latest by Charles Frazier who wrote one of your favourites "Thirteen Moons". I think you'd really enjoy settling down by the fire on these drawn-in late autumn evenings and delving into this marvelous story,
Erin in Morro Bay

[kim]

pure yumminess!!!!xox

[mary]

I do miss you when time goes by without a new post, but understand completely. Life is so full, and I spend way too much time in front of this screen...

Those bracelets are so lush!

[susanc]

So glad that everything is okay. I, too, miss your posts. The "sneak peak" of your new creations is gorgeous, as usual! Can't wait to see them all!

[kathryn]

sometimes artists just need to pull in and be quiet...nothing wrong with that!

love those groupings of bracelets...just awesome!! you are so creative and talented!!

[Folk Heart]

It is astounding to me how comforting are your written words , how inspiring are your designs , and how soulful are your thoughts. Thank you for sharing with me.

[linda]

good to see you here! I also enjoy my quiet time. I guess that I am just comfortable that way at times. I love the new pieces that you are working on, can't wait to see them. And once again, thank you for opening up your home and heart and sharing.

[cynthia]

So glad the studio is clear and inspiring. Can't wait to see the new pieces.

[Carola Slagle]

I wasn't worried about you, you were doin' your thing. I thought about you on and around Thanksgiving time. An arduous time for you and yours, for sure. Your latest endevour looks very intriguing. It's fun to see your work progress, isn't it? Hope this goes thru, my past comments are met with "we cannot post at this time", or something like that. Oh, I meant to say my favorite time of year at your home is snow snow snow! So beautiul.

[Delila]

it was in my thought to write to you Nina, but then i knew that you where in midst of creating and did not wanted to disturb you. your wraps look lovely!! hugs.

[Patricia]

Dear Nina:

Your posts are all the sweeter and precious for the wait.

Thank you.

[Monica]

SIGH! As usual, beauty to restore my anxious brain on a difficult day, which is MUCH less anxiety ridden now after breathing in so much gorgeous artistry and thoughtful words =-)

I'm glad to hear that you've had lunch in your recently restored studio space - it can be a treat to really 'live' in our creative spaces some days, isn't it??

[Emily]

The small peek is so sweet!
And, I completely get the need to stay away from the computer and check in with everyone. I need my alone time and solace too.

[somepinkflowers]

take
~~your sweet time~~
and make things...

i am simply here
to say Thanks
for Pushing me towards
A Studio Clean Up!!!

i can see the light
and my workspace
is
actually smiling...

yes
yes

take
~~your sweet time~~
and make things...

as i may B in the market
after the holidays
for a new bracelet
as a reward of sorts!

{{ seriously!
thanks for the motivation }}

[Nancy Krampf]

well hells bells u made me get my studio back together and i found some great stuff that i forgot about.

see how very helpful you are to us. we need our nina fix and we get a little worried and anxious. and those of us who have lost a parent know all to well how much sorrow one carries especially the firsts.

glad you are cranking the pretties out.

love and light x0xx0xxx00000

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=549723257]

So glad to have a peep from you, Nina...I too am deliciously lost in a creative maelstrom and loving every minute of it. It is soul-healing.

xoxo

Margy

[Jeannie]

Hello! I am glad you are in the studio and enjoying your time there. I worry, but I also know the feeling of wanting to be quiet. Enjoy each day and hugs to you and Walter.

[Minnie]

Hi Nina Your new wraps are filled with love. You are filled with love and inspiration. Xxoo

[Lee]

Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvvvvvvv. Can't wait!!

[Michele Unger]

I am so happy to hear that you are in the throes of creative energy and relishing the lovely organized studio space. I imagine that this last Thanksgiving was difficult on many levels so being able to return to your (safe and untampered with) home must have been a blessing.
XO

[Ina]

I too am happy to hear from you and see what you are up to.

[Kathryn Stripling Byer]

Nina, I'm sorry we couldn't work out a Christmas gathering upstairs above City Lights. I'll be doing a workshop there on the 15th, after the Coffee with the Poets session that morning. Wish you could drop by. It's to be very casual, more discussion that workshopping, probably. The Coffee will feature the anthology Women's Places, Women's Spaces, with Celia Miles and Nancy Dillingham, the editors. That should be fun.
I'm nearly done proofing the copy-editing my editor sent last week for my new book of poetry, out in late summer, I hope. It's dedicated to my father, who died in 2006.
Miss you, xxo K

[Mary]

Who doesn't love quiet time? It's the best.

[Laura]

relax and enjoy every minute of your designing, it all looks so lovely
laura

[Bonnie Moench]

`Just wondering, did you get your meaasuring tape back???
Hopefully whoever has it will return it soon.

xoxo
Bonnie

[Diana Frey]

Welcome back...so good to read yet another inspiring post and to see glimpses of your new collection. Wishing you a blessed holiday season!
Hugs
Diana

[Brenda Bliss]

beautiful..as always.......thank you for sharing.