Don't Hide

Don't hide. That's the current message to myself. I need to hear it over and over again right now because I tend to feel guilty about who I am. Like I should apologize for being smart, or for being artistic, or for following my dreams. Like as if I'm not allowed to feel joy in what I do if others around me aren't feeling joy in what they do.

What happens when I do that is I start to forget that at the core of me I believe in abundance (not lack). I believe that what is meant to be mine will be mine, and what isn't......won't. I believe that to be true for everyone. If something is not meant to be mine, I don't try to hold onto it, or persue it. I let it go. I wish everyone well. I wish everyone success. I wish eveyone joy, and love. My wish for everyone is that they discover what brings them peace.

Don't hide your talent

Don't hide your intelligence

Don't hide your curiosity
Don't hide your beliefs

Don't hide your joy

Don't hide your love

Don't hide

Shine, and allow your magnificant presence to ignite the imagination in others.

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Photo Credit

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry

What Is Calling You?

What is calling to you? What is the deepest, most true message that is calling to you? Get very still and hear it. Do everything it takes to really listen, hear it, absorb it. We each have something calling to us that ONLY WE CAN DO.

You have the exact set of skills, you have lived through the exact circumstances, you have met the exact people and lived in the exact places at the exact time to be where you are. To hear exactly what is calling to you at this very moment. So what is it?

Don't let your music go unsung. Don't let your stories go untold. Don't let your mission go undone. Don't let your love go ungiven. Don't hide your talents. Don't ignore the messages that are showing you.

Find what is calling to you and go for it. We need you to do this! You have a purpose in your life that only you can fill. You are phenomenal, beautiful and radiant. Your talents are unique, compelling and needed.

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry

Singing My Soul's Song

The summer markets have started. I have been very busy preparing for them, and now I've been very busy making pieces during the week to replenish my stock for the weekends. Beaded anklets seem to be one of my best sellers this year alongside my number one seller...sterling silver wire wrapped rings. This year I have three new series. Two completed, and one still in the planning stages. The first new item are two part gift sets. They consist of handcrafted cards (and journals) with sentimental sayings, and handstamped jewelry with inspirational words. They are selling very well. Much better than I had hoped considering the price point is much higher than my other items. I've also been getting custom orders for them. The second series consists of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings made of polymer clay with romantic text imprinted in the clay.  The third new series is still in the planning stages because I'm waiting for one of the components to arrive. I have registered trademarks for all 3 of the new series. They will be professionally packaged and shipped to several boutiques in Chilliwack, Vancouver, Kelowna and Whistler.  After many months of struggling to come to terms with my illnesses I came to the realization that I really am an artist. I process my feelings through creative expression. In light of this revelation I decided to take myself seriously as an artist and do whatever I needed to do to get greater exposure for my products. When everything has been finalized legally I will share photos, and the product names of my new series. Until then I'm hesistant to post anything online. Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry

Shift In Focus...

My desktop computer crashed. Lost eight years worth of work. Now I'm a laptop owner. Struggling to deal with the loss caused a shift in focus. I can see clearly now that I don't deal with change very well. Seriously hated the new laptop for the first few days. The way I handled this whole situation made me realize that I have emotional issues that need to be adressed.

How will I deal with these issues? With art. Deep down inside I've known for awhile now that I needed to start painting, and drawing...again. Like I did when I was a child. So, that's what I'll do.




  Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry

Being Free . . .

Shiny, sparkly, colorful beads are an elixir. Today I touched and gazed upon a double dose of this powerful potion. I'm giddy with inspiration.

It's time for a short journey into dreamland where I can weave together magical strands of hope, courage, and love.

Music ~ Joe Bonamassa ~ Bird On A Wire

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry

Under the clutter I found me . . .

My plans for today are to take a brisk walk, and then to create some polymer clay beads. I'm yearning to make something with dark chocolate brown, and deep rich teal blue beads.

It's my 52nd birthday in 15 days so I have been trying to think of what I will give myself. I think I'll give myself a break. A break from beating myself up with doubts, fears, and naysaying. And permission. I'll give myself permission to just accept that I'm having a hard time accepting my illness. And, permission to play and create and believe in my dreams again.

You may have noticed I cleared some of the clutter from my blog and changed the layout. It's a small thing, but it made me feel better when I was finished.

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry. She's also the graphic artist at Mable's Makings, and the author of Ronnie Unplugged.

Music Is My Muse

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence" ~ Leopold Stokowski

"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness" ~ Maya Angelou, Gather Together in My Name

"Music embraces our soul then gently seeps into every cell of our being and shifts our understanding of who we are" ~ Ronnie

It's difficult for me to explain what music means to me. Music is my soul's heartbeat. It's what makes my imagination sway to the ebb and flow of ideas that rush into me from a magical place. A place that I only ever get to visit in brief glimpses.

Rather than talk about it . . . I'll give you a sample of what it sounds like in my studio:

The Black Keys

http://www.youtube.com/embed/wIpm2EbVul8

http://www.youtube.com/embed/5AVd5RVukcs

http://www.youtube.com/embed/v5FW8Xo8ENo

Stevie Ray Vaughan

http://www.youtube.com/embed/6s9M-52fRGU

http://www.youtube.com/embed/VsHXd4rQnW0

http://www.youtube.com/embed/yNuXO60G33w

Led Zeppelin

http://www.youtube.com/embed/WbrjRKB586s

http://www.youtube.com/embed/z1yUvdQnERk

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ly4XGEU6OHI

http://www.youtube.com/embed/8Dp92NZJVBE

http://www.youtube.com/embed/-Thp89MU1Es

Joe Bonamassa

http://www.youtube.com/embed/kDAQm2qWnYw

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Cp1HG5k4yhI

http://www.youtube.com/embed/_eHoixNJh5Q

http://www.youtube.com/embed/0vuqq0HQmqI

http://www.youtube.com/embed/EJ6beKeIFdY

http://www.youtube.com/embed/V135g4YrjJs

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbHzHsCCGuc

http://www.youtube.com/embed/46UFXQVSnKs

http://www.youtube.com/embed/iGF5y0B1eJU

The Tragically Hip

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZuwobLCaoWE

http://www.youtube.com/embed/-3bwDb2piZs

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pw2krdBz7IA

http://www.youtube.com/embed/KldJXc-LdPc

http://www.youtube.com/embed/_gOLNUJcD6E

Gov't Mule

http://www.youtube.com/embed/G-Ke5IM6moc

http://www.youtube.com/embed/JmegDUylRtw

John Mayer

http://www.youtube.com/embed/32GZ3suxRn4

http://www.youtube.com/embed/dBFW8OvciIU

Kings Of Leon

http://www.youtube.com/embed/YQprqMdUdPU

http://www.youtube.com/embed/wKe8HTPTlFQ

http://www.youtube.com/embed/hHOyahv4hSE

The Trews

http://www.youtube.com/embed/pHX7ZSz9FVo

http://www.youtube.com/embed/0uUoqD8a0V4

And this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the music I listen to while I'm in my studio creating jewelry, and sketching designs. Go take a peek at some of my fellow team mates' blogs to hear some of their favorite music.

Kat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/
Stacy - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Clarity - http://www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com/
Happy Tortoise Designs - http://happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com/
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
Autumn - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
HemlockHollow - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Resurrection Silver - http://www.resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com/
RadianTrace - http://radiantrace.blogspot.com/
NancyCreations - http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog

Our Team Blog - http://aspiringmetalsmiths.blogspot.com/

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry. She's also the graphic artist at Mable's Makings, and the author of Ronnie Unplugged.

My Studio - Come On In

This is where designing, sawing, piercing, stamping and filing takes place. Look at my adorable new swivel vise! The wood boxes store sterling silver sheet and precut ring shanks. My tumbler sit on top of the black metal shelving. The white plastic drawers beneath my bench hold sterling wire, copper sheet, design stamps and letter sets plus a whole bunch of other goodies.



Middle of my bench. Texturing, hammering, and drilling station.



Soldering station. This is where the magic happens folks!



This is my beading table, but when I'm working on metalsmithed pieces this area is where I do all the finishing work such as setting stones, and final hand polishing. This is also where I sketch my designs. I call this table my 'Inspiration Station' because I have pictures on the wall that inspire me. I also have a rock collection in a bowl, and I take out a different rock everyday and set it on the table for me to look at throughout the day. Those two cabinets are filled with cabochons and sterling silver findings. Various cabachons get pet several times a day.

Notice the little 'Dream' carving? I also have a framed picture with the word 'Believe' that my girlfriend Pat gave me for christmas. Those two words are what keep me moving forward. No matter whatever else is going on in my life...deep inside at my core I am always dreaming and believing in my dreams. I hope you're believing in your dreams too.

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry. She's also the graphic artist at Mable's Makings, and the author of Ronnie Unplugged.

Illness and Inspiration

I have Grave's Disease which means I'm occasionally a crumpled, trembling mess who can't lift her arms high enough to scratch her head without crying out in pain. I won't even mention what a blubbering baby I've been while trying to sleep on my aching shoulders. Laying on my back or front is impossible because my goiter is so large and restrictive it feels like I'm wearing a tight turtle neck that I can never take off! Any additional pressure on my throat is out of the question.

I've been back on anti-thyroid meds for 12 days now so I'm just putting in the time waiting for them to bring my hormone levels back down into the 'normal' range.

I haven't been able to make any jewelry because of shakey hands and double vision. I'm also back on the beta-blocker propranolol which has helped calm the racing heart and hand tremors. My vision is getting a little better each day so maybe I'm not going blind like I feared I was a few days ago.

So what have I been doing all this time besides feeling sorry for myself? Surfing. Surfing the net looking at jewelry, and individual beads in particular. I also pulled out and dusted off all my polymer clay books and I've been thinking. Thinking a lot about my goals. I've started playing with my clay again. I've been going away from it then coming back to it over and over for the past 4 years.

It's the only material that I can create with that won't cause injury to my fragile and hurting body right now. No heavy tools, no hammering needed, no torch that I could drop if my hands get shakey. I think I'm going to stay with the clay for awhile this time and see where it takes me.

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry. She's also the graphic artist at Mable's Makings, and the author of Ronnie Unplugged.

Pantone Fall Colors 2010

I don't usually follow seasonal color trends when I make jewelry. I order most of my supplies from the US and it often takes 3 weeks for shipments to arrive at my doorstep here in Canada. So, following trends isn't practical for my situation. For this Autumn most of my pieces are in shades of brown and golden colors with a few pieces including green as in my 'Enchanted Forest' themed pieces. And, of course, turquoise. My turquoise pieces ALWAYS sell well no matter what time of year I offer them.

My first solo piece I plan to make in my studio when I get my own torch at the end of November will be a turquoise pendant for my daughter. It's her 30th birthday on December 4th. The cab color fits into the Lagoon blue color scheme from Pantone. It will be embellished with 'water' elements which will further fit into the Lagoon theme. =) Here's the turquoise cabs I'll select her's from:



Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry. She's also the graphic artist at Mable's Makings, and the author of Ronnie Unplugged.

Inspiration for the Spirit

This is my friend Patricia's website. Go take a peek. You'll find it very inspiring. Careful though....it's still under construction.

Inspiration for the Spirit

This is one of the sections I keep returning to time and time again

"Still Waters"

Music as Inspiration

I listen to music when I'm doodling graphics or making jewelry. One of the bands I've been enjoying recently is Kings of Leon. I thought I'd share them with you.

Oh and in case you don't already know I'm also a commercial mousedraw graphic artist. My graphics website is Mable's Makings. The little 'Real Women Donate' to the right is one of the graphic characters I doodle. At some point in the future I plan on making a series of 3D polymer clay figurines based on my Real Women characters.

What Inspires You?

Inspiration is an interesting topic to me. I've noticed a few patterns to what inspires me. One of them being my inexplicable attraction to the color blue. This is strange to me because my favorite color is green. Yet, many of you will notice a lot of my jewelry pieces are blue. The color pulls me into the mysterious depths of my imagination.

I think of vast deep blue oceans, and velvety midnight blue skies filled with shimmering silver stars. In the oceans I swim. In the skies I fly. Blue helps me feel free. The feeling of freedom makes me feel calm. That's it! Calm. Blue calms me when I'm troubled. I suppose my attraction is no longer inexplicable. What inspires you?

The pendant is called 'True Blue' as in my true blue friend.