"Directions" Earrings

 According to Black Elk's vision, glass beads of white, red, yellow and black indicate north, east, south and west. Strung on silver-plated wire and hung from french ear-wires. About 1 1/4" long. By Beth.

$15- plus shipping.

 

Copper Trefoil Earrings for St. Patrick's Day!

Hammered copper embellished with green and reflective-rainbow glass beads hung on hand-formed copper ear wires. About 1" long.  By Beth.

$26- plus shipping.

 

Gypsy Spirit Earrings ~Copper

Brass India bells & copper wire strung with a glass bead hangs from hammered copper hoops. Ear wires hand made from copper and embellished with a single glass bead.  About 2" long. By Beth.

$25- plus shipping.

Hammered Copper Wire Hoop Earrings

 Hammered Copper Wire Hoop Earrings, by Beth.

Hoops are 2" in diameter, and a rainbow glass bead decorates ear wires.

$25-plus shipping

Made to order ~send me an email!

 

 

Wooden Hanging Hearts

Wooden Hanging Hearts, by Rico.

Painted with mauve milk paint with a twisted copper hanging wire at the top.

About 2", 3 1/2" and 6".

$15 for single heart or $25 for double and triple hearts (plus shipping).

You may purchase them through e-mail, or at the Wolverine Farms Letterpress & Publick House.

 

Mastery and Inspiration

 This is something Rico and I often talk about; the ongoing argument between craftsmen about which is more important, mastery or inspiration.

 It takes almost a lifetime to master a skill and that's quite an accomplishment. The teacher instructs the student to do the same thing over and over and over again and he hates it. He wants to do the thing he's inspired to do. But he obeys the teacher and he learns from it, he memorizes it.

 Many feel that mastery is the most important, but there is a saying (it's actually from the Bible) that we can do all sorts of fancy things, but if we don't have love we're just making a bunch of meaningless noise. (Paraphrased). I think mastery is good, but it can be harmful if used in the wrong way.

 Remember the first time you did that thing you used to love? Your first painting, your first carving... ? You had absolutely no skills at all but you had the inspiration. And in the world of creativity, inspiration is the same as love. Your first craft was something special. Sure, you can become a master, crank out millions of the same products over and over, but will they give you that same joy? Will someone see it and say, "That's special. I want that" ?

 I think mastery has its place. Something well made has to have good form. Mastery helps with form. You memorize what good form is. It looks nice, feels nice, it's functional, it doesn't snag, etc. You can achieve this with just inspiration, but mastery helps.

 I guess I can say that they're both important but, bottom line, inspiration is the best. It's what you live for. right? You want to make something beautiful, something special, something that changes your life for at least a moment. I choose inspiration.
~b

Beautiful Bowls and Spoons by Rico

 Rico's bowls and spoons are for sale at Wolverine Farms Letterpress and Publick House in Fort Collins,  Colorado.

Promises Cross earrings and Cascade Dangle Earrings by Beth

"Promises" and "Cascade" earrings by Beth

"Promises" earrings ~glass beads strung onto silver-plated wire. $15- +shipping

"Cascade" earrings ~glass beads strung onto silver-plated wire. $12- + shipping

About Us

 Nestled near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in colorful Colorado is our home & workshop. We both love to create beautiful things with our hands. We have many different inspirations and passions; raising & teaching (or learning from) our children always being the most important.

 Rico specializes in woodworking with timeless tools, while Beth has a background with sewing & textiles. But we love to experiment and try new mediums from time to time.

If you see anything you like in the "Currently For Sale" category, please send us an email at: ricoandbeth@gmail.com.

  We hope you enjoy our site and be inspired!