Sacred Hearts

One of the first things I wanted to work on this year is my Sacred Heart collection.
The idea of eternal love is so romantic, I can hardly stand it! (in a good way)

I love to make my heart have a lot of definition. They are never just flat or round. They swell...


The largest one in the middle has a spiny heart feel to it. I could see Ozzy wearing this one. It is almost 2 1/2 inches from top to bottom and the heart itself is over an inch long and wide.


The one on the left is the first sacred heart that I used LOS on. I finished off most of the oxidization, but gave the flame a kind of smokey look. This flame is more abstract than the others. I like it because it almost looks like a flower of some sort.
Heather actually made a flame look like this one a few years ago, so I can't take the credit for the rockin' design.

(A funny thing about Heather's waxes, she rarely works with the wax, but when she does, the designs always are sweet, silly and wicked cool.)

The last one on the right, I think, is my favorite. This one may not make it out of the private collection. The flame on this one really has movement. Pictures can't show how this heart has that subtle swell that I was talking about, that the flame dips in places, like it just got caught in the wind. Yea, mine all mine....maybe...


Well here they are. My first 3 sacred hearts of 2009.
They are BIG and shiny and will hold on to your secrets of love for you.

Check out our whole collection at www.twigsandheather.com

Handmade in Boston.

Twigs and Heather Men's line coming soon.

We often have requests for more jewelry for the guys in people's lives. We make birch bark rings in bigger sizes and I have always thought that men should be enjoying the twig necklaces more. My husband wears twig wedding rings and a birch necklace.

Our plan is to to make cuff links and tie tacks as well as some more chunky necklaces. We made our big brother the first piece for his birthday. It is an original design carved from wax and cast in sterling silver. We do not know what to call it yet though. I like that it is organic in shape. It reminds me of a thorn and it very natural looking and earthy. Kerry Alice likes that it is kind of goth and rock and roll, part fang... industrial. It is one of a kind. Lucky fellow isn't he!

Here it is. Kerry oxidized it to make it dark. And we like it, hope he does too.

Handmade in Boston.

2009!

We are very excited this year. Kerry and I are designing new pieces every day. We are going to try new things too.

Heather and the Twigs- My first new pieces in the Ginko leaf. I often wondered why people are so inspired by this leaf. We get people asking us every year if we make them too. This autumn Kerry and I notices an amazing tree. It was in full autumn color...bright yellow. Being the tree hugger that I am ,I just had to check it out. To my amazement it was a Ginko tree. I must have walked by this tree a thousand times. I was luck enough to collect a few leaves before them all blew away in a storm just the next day. I am thrilled with the result. It cast beautifully. Now I know! This leaf has amzing detail. A sweet, strange shape and it just just so darn pretty all silvery.

Up next- A men's line. Tie pins. cuffinnks. Big chunky rings and bracelets. I can't wait to start it. We are casting every weekend.

Kerry Alice's designs- I love LOVE and all it's pleasure and pain.
This new year, I am starting to work (again) on BIG, AWESOME sacred heart pieces.

I am also going to expand my Day of the Dead collection. I am really looking forward to incorporating some color and also experimenting with Liver of Sulfer to bring out some of the details of my flower rings.

I don't know why I have been so imtimidated by LOS. It's a great thing!

Autumn, Tiny Twigs, and the Day of the Dead

By Heather and Kerry Alice of Twigs and Heather.
www.twigsandheather.com
www.twigsandheather.etsy.com

It is kind of hard to say which season we like best. Spring brings new blooms and buds. Winter is great twig pickin' because the trees are bare. Summer is well...summer! But there is something about the Autumn that Kerry and I adore. The trees are such an inspiration to us and our work. Seeing them change and get more colorful every day is such a joy. The weather is perfect for doing outdoor shows, going to fairs and apple pickin'. Plus, Halloween and All Souls Day also known as The Day of the Dead falls into this season.

Kerry gets many of her ideas for jewelry from the images and folk art inspired by The Day of the Dead. One of it's most common symbol is the skull. We also use these images in our displays for shows. Look closely enough you can find sacred hearts, winged skeletons, and little devils displayed with our jewelry.

We have been working on a few new pieces this month. Kerry has made some beautiful beaded Mr. Roundhead and Mr. Longhead necklaces. We cast all the skulls, birds and leaves. I have been working on some tiny nature charm necklaces. Each piece of birchbark, acorn, and maple seed is cast individually and they are all one of a kind.

I hope that everyone enjoys this wonderful season as much as we do. It is hard not to with so much beauty outside to see.

Twist Fair in Northampton

By Heather and Kerry of Twigs and Heather

We just got back from the TWIST FAIR in Northampton MA. It was a two day show. Artists showed their work Friday night and all day Saturday, September 5th and 6th. It was held at the Center for the Arts right in downtown Northampton. We are very happy to say that it was a great experience.

Twist was organized by Lexie Barnes, an artists from Northampton. Over 50 artists and crafters from New England exhibited their work. There was a really interesting mix of cool crafts and fine art. Some exhibitors were showing their work for the first time and there were some seasoned veterans, including ourselves there too.

Some of our craftin' friends were there. Egg-a-go-go with her wonderful mixed media paintings, from Somerville, The Crafty Scientist from CT, Carrie Bergman from Boston with her beautiful tiny oil paintings , and Fern Animals, formerly from around our hood, Beverly MA, now Northampton residents to name a few.

The vibe at the show was great. The customers were enthusiastic and the vendors were happy to be involved is such a new exciting event. It was a really nice space too. High ceilings, big windows and lots of light. We also had the opportunity to trade some twigs for some really beautiful art.

We will definitely do this show again ( if they will have us.) Not only were the organizers friendly, but they were super helpful too. It was well publicized and we love the TWIST logo. Very Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is cool with us. They even gave us a free t-shirt and bag as we left. We just love seeing towns like Northampton embracing the arts and craft scene and doing something different with a show like this. Word will definitely get around that this was a great place for artists to sell their work. Let us be the first to sing their praises.

You can still see the vendor list at www.twistfair.com and some of our work at www.twigsandheather.com

New Pincushion Necklace from Twigs and Heather

Oh, the pleasure and the pain.
This is another piece from my pincushion series.
The first one I have made with 6 pins and it's a big one.
The heart with pins is over 1 inch wide and is 1/2 inch thick to fit all those lovely (ouch) pins.



The pincushions are one of my favorite pieces to make and they are a reflection of the craziness of life and love for me (KAC).

I'm pretty happy with the photos too. Usually I swear a lot and may even start to cry trying to take a decent shot.

This one is going to be hard to keep out of my private collection!

You can see more of our pincushion collection at www.twigsandheather.com .