It's my birthday and I've got a goodie for you!

I've decided that it's time for a little class participation again.  It's been ages since I've done any kind of give away.  I've been doing all this new work and I just want to share it.  I'm super anxious to get it out there into the world.  I decided that my birthday is the the very best occasion for me to give You a gift.  I made this necklace just for this purpose and I'm over the moon about it. It felt good to start a piece with the intention of giving it away.  I found that I put a whole different kind of energy into it...I have to admit, once I finished it I was so happy with it that I briefly considered keeping it.  But that was never my intention, I want to give her away and I've got a few other goodies to send along, some yummy chile powder my dad sent straight from New Mexico, some pretty paper that I've been hoarding, just some bits and bobs...

The focal piece of this necklace I hand cut from a sheet of silver and then built a little frame to hold the resin that I hand pigmented and "painted" (a new technique I've been playing around with) into the sterling silver, oxidized cavity.  Hanging from a silver bar is a bit of copper that I hand cut, hand formed, and then enameled.  This piece is very representative of the new way my work has been going.  I have several new pieces that I will post to the etsy shop tomorrow morning.

 

 Sterling silver, resin, copper, and enamel.  She would be $225 but I'm giving her away because its fun to just give stuff away sometimes!!

Two quick stories to explain the randomness of this, my gift to you...

My dad (I have two dads.  and I never differentiate when I'm talking about them.  I always just assume that by the context of what I'm saying people will know which dad I'm referring to.  So good luck with that.)  So my dad sends me these amazing packages.  They are filled with the most random stuff your little head can dream up... one box might include some freshly ground chile powder (I will be sharing this with one of you!), an old, disassembled vintage rifle (is it legal to ship firearms?), a vintage fiesta cup and saucer, an itsy bitsy pocket knife shaped like a high heeled shoe, a little leather pouch (that I'm sure he made from some animal he, ahem, killed) filled with Susan B. Anthony dollars, some old photos of my grandparents, an old Altoids tin filled with sterling silver scrap (from where???), some teeny tiny drill bits, and a card, with a picture of one of his dogs or horses on the front, a sweet note, and a two dollar bill tucked inside.   This is how I learned the proper way to make a goodie box.

 My most recent box of this 'n that!

 Now, how do I know what qualifies as a goodie?!?  When I was a little girl my Nana made pies all. the. time.  The best pies you've ever tasted, all from scratch, no recipe, just pinches and handfuls of this and that.  But there was always left over pie crust.  She would roll the bits and scraps out into a thin circle and then sprinkle it with loads of cinnamon and sugar, then roll it up and bake it, she'd slice it into little rounds and they were scrumptious!  She called them goodies.  Goodie might be my favorite word.  It reminds me of my Nana (who I miss tremendously every single day) and its the little left over thought that gets turned into a star. 

Me and my Nana.

So now that you know the definition of a goodie and the very best way to create a goodie box - I would love to know what your dream goodie box would hold.  Or if you are already an expert goodie-
box-creator, tell me what you like to tuck between the layers of smudgy newsprint. 

Just leave me a little comment here (and your email address so that I can give you the good news!) and your name will go into the drawing.  If you wanna enter twice, yes, two times the chance to win the goodie box, just share the link to this post on your facebook page then come back and tell me what a wonderful sharer you are!  I'll randomly choose a winner by writing down all of your names, tossing them around in a bowl, and have Tom close his eyes,  reach in and choose the winner winner chicken dinner!

Thanks y'all!

ps   I'll close this little drawing on Wednesday (August 7th) evening and let you all know who has a package headed to her, or his, doorstep!