Weekend Photos

I had a nice weekend! I hope you did too!

Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it will be fun to have a giveaway this week! So here it is!!!!

To enter the giveaway:

1. Tell your friends about the giveaway on facebook and come back here and comment.

2.Tweet about it on Twitter and tell me about it here. Follow me on Twitter too please at @kathryncole

3. Write about the giveaway on your blog or follow me on my blog and then come back here and comment and give me the link.


4. Go to my business page and "Like" it to follow me (Kathryn Cole Jewelry) and come back here and tell me that you follow me there!
 
Or do all of these. Each gives you an entry to win the ring above in your size! Please comment individually for each entry to help me out!
 
 
 
The Giveaway will end on Saturday at midnight EST.
 
Have Fun! Kathryn

Blog Carnival

University of Texas Photo by Jim Nix/Nomadic Pursuits


Each month some of the Etsymetal team members pick a topic and write about it. This month the topic is Back to School.



The questions are: "Where did you go to school? Are you still a student? What kind of student were/are you? If you had the opportunity to go back to school, would you? Where and what would you study?"


I went to school in Texas. I lived in Marshall (which is in East Texas) in grade school and part of Junior high. And then in 8th grade we moved to McKinney, north of Dallas. Then after high school, I went to The University of Texas at Austin. I was a good student in High School and in College and I enjoyed school very much. I definitely would go back to school now if I had a chance. I would love to finish my Fine Arts degree and possibly my Masters back at The University of Texas. In College I think I was trying to be "practical" by studying business like my Dad.  I started out in the Business school studying Economics, Business calculus (which I loved) and Accounting and Statistics (did not love).  I transferred into the Communications school and studied Advertising. I was still trying to be practical by thinking I wanted to be in the Advertising world. My Senior year while working directly with Advertising Executives from the Big Cities (Chicago and New York) putting together "Advertising Day" on campus, I realized Advertising was just not for me. I looked into transferring into the Fine Arts program. But to transfer at that point it would have been four more full years. Looking back, I wish I had done those four years. I graduated with my BS in Advertising and then continued to take classes in the Fine Arts program for two more years while working part-time at a Florist. I loved being in the studio for full days creating. I loved painting and drawing and  discovered a Metalworking class my second year there. I never got to finish my Metals/Fine Arts program and  would love very much too. After that I continued to learn by apprenticing for a Seventh Generation Jeweler from Belgium. He was tough to work for, but I learned a lot. I wish I could have stuck it out longer with him. Recently, I found a Metals Class at the Arts Center  in St Petersburg that I hope to be able to take so that I can continue learning new skills.

If I really had the chance to go back to school now, I would love too. I would finish my Fine Arts degree and would love to study Illustration, Art History,  and Textile designs along with my Metalsmithing. Hopefully someday.

Here are the links to the others that participated in this Blog Carnival:
Victoria Takahashi - Experimetal
Caitlyn Davey - Discomedia
Thomasin Durgin -Metalriot
Danielle Miller
Stacey - Wildflower Designs

Ann Hartley
Konstanze - Nodeform
Beth Cyr
Jenny Baughman

Inspiration for Ring a Day

On Monday I received a package in the mail from Victoria (Experimetal). Originally, the idea and an inspiration package came from Kathryn Riechert to Victoria.  The rules are: if you open a package, you should create a ring from the piece or be inspired from it within 24 hours. This package could not have come at a better time for me. It is the best gift I could ever ask for.
A gift full of inspiration and magic. I can not wait to see what is inside!
XOXO. Thank you Victoria and KathrynR!


All the little packages put in a bowl ready to be picked!


I let Sophia pick the first one tonight and open it.


And here is what is is :) Ring to be made.


And here is the first ring!