Last Minute

It may be too late for custom orders, but there's still time to purchase last minute items from HannahRuth Designs before Christmas! (and just in time, there's plenty of new etched cuffs and money clips for your accessorizing pleasure)

Holiday Shopping Extravaganza!

My sister Jane and I will have a booth at the Holiday Shopping Extravaganza selling our one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry and clothing from vintage textiles. Please come check it out!

Here's a sneak peak of some of my wares..

eclectic sterling earrings

a variety of handmade designer etched cuffs

handmade sterling necklaces and bracelets

money clips and cuffs etched with local maps

one-of-a-kind mixed metal pieces

Blessed is this Life

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Life is Good Festival, where 100% of the festival's proceeds benefitted the Life is Good Children's Foundation. It was packed with amazing artists and tons of love and positivity. I was able to see an intimate Brett Dennen show in a private tent and share a custom piece of my artwork with him. (I think he liked it.) He is quite a righteous guy!

a polaroid photo op with Brett and my niece Clementine

The money clip I made etched with a San Francisco map with a silver pic that says 'only love'

Celebration of a Mother

My beloved Dovey celebrated her 55 (graciously aged) year last week, shortly followed by my wonderful parents whopping 38th wedding anniversary. If that doesn't deserve some commemoration I don't know what does. Here is the handcrafted gem I made for my lovely Mama for her birthday. A self-authored poem about her, typed on my old-school Rutgers typewriter, nailed to some ancient boards recycled from our old barn using some equally aged nails that I re-purposed after extracting them from some old palettes I found in the woods. Enjoy.

San Francisco, Mon Amour..

One of my etched money clips was recently featured in this San Francisco themed treasury!

I love this city..

New Swag

I've listed some new items on my shop, including money clips and cuffs etched with city maps. Enjoy!

Associated Content

I was recently approached by Rachel Krech, a green contributor for associatedcontent.com, for an interview about my work and my new online shop. You can find the interview here.

Cutting the Red Tape

I have just opened an Etsy shop to peddle my wares! Check out my handcrafted limited production and one-of-a-kind wearable jewelry at HannahRuth Designs. Please take a look and share with your friends! Thanks for helping me spread the word, I love you all.

Here's a sneak peak of some of my shop items....

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HannahRuthDesigns

(A special thanks to the beautiful and talented Lexielove, my fabulous model )

Babies Need Jewelry Too

Hello hello, just dropping a line to let y'all know you can now purchase some of my work (including hand-forged jewelry, earrings, and sweet stamped baby cuffs) at shopSCAD, located at 340 Bull St. here in Savannah. Feel free to drop by or check out their website!

The Midas Touch

I have to say I am a sucker for skills. Nun-chuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills....learning new skills is where it's at. Recently I learned how to gold plate, and though I've never been much for gold until a short time ago, this particular process made me feel like a magician. In a nutshell, this is how it works: you stick your silver or base metal piece in a chemical solution, turn on a machine hooked to chord holding an electric charge which is holding on to another metal thing which is also submerged in said chemical, turn on voltage, turn off after 30 seconds or so, rinse, submerge both in another chemical, turn on the voltage, hope you don't get electrocuted (to an outsider I'm sure this sounds less than safe) and BLAM! Your silver jewelry is now gold! (Ok, so its not that simple, and there is much science to chemical mixing and temperature and voltage and such, but I know y'all don't want me to bore you with those details.) To see something turn gold in front of your very eyes makes you feel like King Midas! Even for someone who isn't much for gold, there's just something about that power of transformation.

Just moments ago, this jewelry was silver!

(interested in purchasing? check out my shop!)

Wanderlust

I've been published! (kind of....it's not a hard copy but I'll take what I can get!) Check out Creo Magazine Summer 2010 Issue. Creo Magazine is a quarterly online magazine focusing on visual culture from the student perspective. This season's theme is Wanderlust and displays some great work from student artists. (I'm on pages 56 & 57.) Feel free to let me know what you think. Enjoy!

and I do my little turn on the catwalk....

One of my pieces traveled down the runway at the fashion show this weekend! My chased and repousse'd cuff Under My Skin headed down the trail of fabulosity to be viewed by the masses! Among those in attendance were amazing designer Diane Von Furstenberg, former Vogue editor André Leon Talley, and runway coach extraordinaire, Miss Jay Alexander.

Look-y Here!

The fashion lookbook has been posted, and some fellow metalsmiths, including the always stellar Alexis Turner (who just happens to be my wonderful roommate,) Nicole Hendry, and myself got our work in the catalog. Please check it out!

Roots to Branches, a collection.

Here are some images of my recent work from my senior collection. Eventually I will get some professional photos taken, but for now my own amateur attempts will do. I have included my artist statement so you can get the gist of my concept and motivation. Please feel free to let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Roots to Branches, neckpiece I

Roots to Branches, neckpiece I detail

Roots to Branches, ring I

Roots to Branches, ring II (rotating ring)

Roots to Branches, neckpiece II

Roots to Branches, neckpiece II detail

Roots to Branches, bracelet I

Roots to Branches, bracelet I (on model)

Coming from a very tight knit family of farmers, I am literally rooted to the land I grew up on. Though this connection is strong, I also have a passion for travel and exploration that lures me places far from my home. This body of work illustrates the struggle for balance between these two intangible, and perhaps irreconcilable situations. Combining several mediums and techniques to characterize my curiosity, I create forms that symbolize unity, balance, and connections among chaos. Some components allude to the solidarity and security of home, while others embody the nomadic freedom of travel. In the same way one may bring a memento from home to carry with them on a journey, or display souvenirs from past travels, these elements contain each other; the notion of existing in one space while desiring another. The connections between components illustrate the attempt to marry the two situations, but ultimately describe the moment of experiencing one while simultaneously longing for the other.

Eclectic

On April 30th, my peers and I had an exhibition to display our senior collections. All of our work was distinctly different, and the show was a beautifully eclectic compilation. We took silly Polaroids for our promotional postcards and then displayed them with our work. There was a great turnout and fun was had by all!

Spec-tacular!

A few weeks ago, I attended the Night of Spectacles in Atlanta, GA to receive an award for second place in an optical and sunglass design competition. There was a sustainability fashion show, silent and live auctions, great food, free bar, and lots of artwork. I brought my two lovely friends Nicole and Ashley (Talls and Beasty Cat, respectively) and got to hang with some other award-winning and absolutely fabulous artists and my pal, mentor, and professor, The Great PJ Chen. The night was a huge success, tons of fun, and I got a giant cardboard check out of the deal, so I was one happy four-eyed camper, which you can tell from the lock-jawed cheesy grin I'm beaming in the Polaroid over yonder.