Pink Crow Stirrings

Pink Crow on Facebook

I'm already not posting to my blog quite as much as I would like to, but I've decided to spread myself a bit thinner. Pink Crow Studio now has a page on facebook. Become a fan at your own risk:

I'll try to stay on top of things.

Promise.

-c

I Got Schooled

OK, so a couple of weeks ago I boarded a flight and took my seat next to a teenager who busied himself with a Rubik's Cube. Seeing the cube brought back memories of one Christmas during my childhood when Santa brought us this infamous 3-D puzzle...a cube we were only able to solve by peeling the stickers off then re-sticking them where we thought they SHOULD go.

I watched him manipulate the cube with focus and ease. He would quickly solve the puzzle, set it down, then a minute or so later pick it back up and scramble it to start over. He was VERY into his cube. About 15 or 20 minutes into the flight I mentioned the sticker solution of my childhood which opened up a conversation that would last the remainder of the flight.

A few minutes into our conversation he stopped, shook my hand and formally introduced himself. He then went on to tell me that he had Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism, but that I probably didn't even notice it before he mentioned it. He was a freshman in high school and was flying alone, from his dad's home (where he had spent his spring break) to his mom's.

I told him that I was impressed with his puzzle solving skills and he replied that he could teach me, that it's really pretty easy, that the solution "is just a series of algorithms". 

Ummm, yeah, that's what thought.

I didn't think I was up for it, and I let him know that trying to teach me to solve the puzzle might prove to be more frustrating than it is worth. To that he said that he extends the offer to many people, but very few take him up on it.

Well, that was all I needed...I was going to give it a shot. Upon hearing this news my new friend pulled a second cube out of his backpack. This second (4x4x4) cube would be his "teacher's" cube, and I would have the classic 3x3x3.

So, here's where we started:

And after much patience (on his part), and concentration (on mine), here's where we ended up:

When I finally finished the puzzle my friend observed that I must be pretty proud of myself, which I thought was so sweet. And then he said, "So I guess that's proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks", which I though was a little less so :)

I promised him that I would pick a Rubik's cube up for myself and that I would practice. I am happy to report that I have kept this promise, but each time I pick the cube up I am forced to face the reality that I may never be able to solve this puzzle without him. It's still all mixed up.

I'm going to keep at it.

-c

A Tourist in My Own Town

Last week my 12 year old niece was on Spring Break, so she and my sister Nicki decided to take a trip up to Chicago for a visit and a vacation. I love it when people come to visit because it gives me a chance to be a tourist in my own city.

We wore each other out shopping, sight-seeing and museum hopping. We went to H&M and all of the discount clothing stores on State Street, visited Millennium Park, saw an IMAX movie, went to the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum. 

We also went to the Chicago Cultural Center, one of my very favorite buildings in the city. If you're ever here in Chicago you will not be disappointed if you carve out an hour or so of time to explore the building. There is no entrance fee, and there are tours of the buidling, but you're also welcome to just wander around and discover the building's treasures for yourself.

It was completed in 1897 and functioned as the Chicago Public Library for many years. It is an amazing example of the importance that this young city put on its municipal buildings and also on encouraging and educated public. The north side of the building is ornamented in a simpler fashion. The materials are common, things like wood, brass and stone, and yet the details and craftsmanship are still top-notch. There is much to be inspired by here.

If you only have ten or fifteen minutes to pop in, I suggest entering on the south side of the building.

From the south entry you can make your way up the grand (Italian marble) staircase which is embellished with many medallions and mosaics of green marble, semi-precious stone, mother of pearl and Tiffany glass.

Continue up several flights of stairs following the intricate mosaics all the way up.

 

The crowning glory at the top of the staircase is a mosaic-clad grand room topped with a breathtaking Tiffany Dome.

Photos and words can not do this place justice. I wish I could take each and every one of you to the Cultural Center so you could take it all in for yourselves...these are the things that overwhelm and inspire me.

And a side note on inspiration...here are a couple of photos I shot later that day.

Spring is finally coming:

I'll be back soon with another update.

-c

30-Second Rave: Flea Market Fun

This past weekend Martin and I went to a flea market that sits right on the border of Mexico. I thought if I was lucky I might find a few little treasures to incorporate into a future piece of jewelry...I had no idea I would find something even better!

One of the first vendors we happened upon was not manning a booth, but rather more of a field of boxes filled with the most random assortment of goods. I thought there might be some potential here.

The first box that drew my attention was marked $2 and was filled to the top with multi packs of one of my studio staples: Sharpies. Or so I thought. Upon closer inspection I saw two varieties of markers...the "Shoupie", and the "Skerple":

Once I found these I made it my mission to find "almost exact" Chinese knockoffs. It was a fun treasure hunt. There were lots of knockoff purses and shoes and things like that, but nothing as visually satisfying as that first Shoupie find. I did, however, find this "Panasonic"...I mean "PenesamiG" battery:

 

...and boxes of Miao-Bang bandages, which, according to the packaging are "free". 

 

I think the "free" labeling is translated and is in reference to one of two things on typical bandage packaging; latex-free, or maybe the "ouchless" fact that they don't stick to your skin, so, they come free from your skin without a worry. This I'm afraid I will never know.

-c

Creative Cruising

Tomorrow morning I will wake up at an insanely early hour...I'm already grumpy just thinking about it (you can ask Martin).

Martin and I are jumping on a flight to go spend the weekend with his parents in Texas. If you've been with me for a few months you may remember a post from January where I explained that some of my best design sketch time is spent in a pressurized cabin at 30,000 feet. I've got some challenging pieces coming up, so starting off the next production run with a round trip flight is going to really help me to plan how best to set up a production schedule for each piece...I hope to return with many many sketches to show you.

Here is a rough outline of the pieces I will be working on sketches for:

• A "Parts Lite" slide bracelet (a completely new thing for me...wish me luck)
• "The Circus - Act Two"
• Four new Vintage French Stock Certificate pieces of varying designs (this is one of them)
• Two custom pieces based on pieces I've created in the past
• A piece incorporating 7 pendants on one necklace which actually is already very close to being done, I just have yet to tackle the challenge of creating a bale system that will allow each piece to always hang vertically...hard to explain...I'll post photos soon for you to see.

  I'm signing off for now and will be back to post early next week. Have a great weekend!

-c

Back to the Drawing Board

I only have about 5 minutes to post, but I wanted to give you a quick update. My last post was published the evening of April 4th, and by 7 AM on the 5th my shop looked like this again:

I had sold four of the five Stock Certificate pieces overnight. I was so happy to see that people loved these things as much as I do...but phew, now it's back to the drawing board for some more designs.

I spent yesterday packaging the pieces up...

And now they're off to their new owners.

I'll be back soon with more news, I have lots to share.

Thanks for checking in on the studio.

-c

And They're Up...

Just a super quick post to let you know that the latest stock certificate series is now listed over at my Etsy shop. Do you know what this means for me? I have a weekend day off tomorrow...I can't wait to do nothing.

Now that I've completed the third of the three series it's time to start designing again...lots of ideas swimming around! Thanks for stopping in...I'll be back soon.

-c

Studio Update: In the Home Stretch

After two full and productive days in the studio I'm exhausted, but I'm also happy to report that four of the latest Stock Certificate pieces are done. I shot a few "down and dirty" photos of them and am looking forward to a sunny day tomorrow so I can do an official Etsy-worthy shoot. Here is the final preview before I list them in my shop later this weekend:

You've already seen this piece completed, but I had to include it in the set:

===And here are the three I finished yesterday and today===

1) The piece incorporating an onyx cabochon:

2) Two views of the 7-layer silver/glass/certificate piece:

3) The 'soft star'

...and I'm just finishing up the fifth piece and hope to have it done tomorrow. For now it's time to shut the studio down for the day and have a glass of wine. Cheers!

-c