Kalaya Steede

World Cup  USA vs. Germany A bit cliché as my friend pointed out to me today but no matter.  It was fun and gave me a goal for this morning.  It is great to have a team to cheer for and Sunday we will cheer for Mexico! Not much has been going on this summer.  I have a few short term goals. Being... 1.  Calm And   2.  Happy Seems simple enough but can be difficult at times.  I have never heard anyone tell me that I should try to be happy or calm for that matter so I am changing things now. My goals used to involve making a list of things I needed to accomplish in the studio and at home but to be honest this just stressed me out! Now my list everyday are those two things listed above. So when my mom asks me what I am doing today?  I say those two things.  I think she may stop asking me sooner or later but those two things are important to me, my mantra, and I truly believe if I can str...

This is the time where I should be cranking away in the studio experimenting. Yeah...that's me!   but I am completely shut down for an entire month. And to be honest it makes me cranky! I have kids for at least a month in the summer.  They do not go to camps cause they are kind of old for that and they are constantly asking, "what are we going to do today"? Buuuuut... sometimes you can take opportunities like this to use them as guinea pigs! An opportunity to hone in on my teaching skills.  I used to teach grad students in the lab so why not in the studio? Stepie #1 is kind of a geek.  He is into all that Minecraft gaming stuff and decided he wanted to make a pendant for himself. Stepie #1 being all Zen with the saw. This was his first time doing salt water etching.  His first etching experience was with ferric chloride.  That was when he first learned to saw.    Etching Station (nothing fancy) I love the c...

OMG!!! The deadline? This Sunday, June 6th. The plus side, I started already.  The downside, I JUST started! But no worries.  I got this! Last week I was working on some new pieces for my market last month but it got cancelled.  Oh well. Introducing... The New Science Series Yes!  A new series of science related things and sayings, I had so much fun making these! First prototype (below), I made out of aluminum.  Kind of too light for my liking but we will see. Then I made this... How fun!  At least for me. Do you have a science geek in your life? Maybe it should be "nerd" instead? I'll change it to Nerdy ♥. What do you think? Oh and then there is my Commission Mission! All I need to do is make 10 award medals.  They are going to be key chains. Check them out... It used to be the Fest 100K and now has changed, in memory of our good friend who passed away recently from cancer, to Tom Langston Memorial Fest 100K ...

You may need many gifts in the month of May so why not make them yourself? I like the "idea" of making gifts and if I can get people involved in the piece being made the results can be earth shattering. The piece becomes magical, infused with intention, and has a bit of everyone's essence. It becomes a talisman, something with magical powers. The project is to give a sculptural piece that has been touched by everyone that had been involved in this person's life here in NOLA. And how do we do this? By keeping it simple. I decided to do what is called riffing using an earlier piece that I did in 2013. Prayer Flag 2013 For more about riffing go here to  Stacie Florer's website  where she will tell you all about it. Easy, right? First, I need some tube rivets. I was sawing what seemed like FOREVER and only managed to have a total of 24 itty bitty tube rivets! WHAaaaat? Remember my little friend? Tube cutting jig The plan ...

You may not have used handmade tools or maybe you have.  Either way, you need to see the toys in my tool box. It has been so hard to blog last week (which I didn't) and this week.  What is going on?  I did manage to pull a post together about tools and if our work (mainly mine) is good without them.  Below are examples of some tools that hang out in the studio.  The post is a mixture of two stories.  One, on how I came to love handmade tools, and Two, if using them improved my work. Three years ago I was taking a workshop on how to make your own tools when this handmade rivet hammer was placed in my hands.  The curves and the weight of the hammer were so nice to the touch and with every blow my wire rivets looked like they were glistening like diamonds!  hahahaha!!! So without further ado here are some of the tools I use the most in the Turquoise Studio. 1.  Rivet Hammer My very first handmade tool.   Rivet Hammer ...

Walking into Jazz Fest last Thursday was like walking on the beach with a cool breeze wafting in from the ocean. As I approached the Contemporary Arts area the wind swirled around me and blew sand in my general direction and then Mother nature decided to sandblast me with her white sand!  Thus transporting me to my childhood days in Arizona.  Where the desert decided to sandblast me frequently. Okay so real quickly lest you get bored. Three ways to lighten your load BEFORE you enter the fair grounds. First stop, looking at your left (if you entered River Side)... Contemporary Crafts Tents Three Artists MUST sees for the last weekend of Jazz Fest. 1.  Michele A. Friedman Tent H Picture from Michele A. Friedman Michele had these beautiful earrings and necklaces that captured the vibrant colors of the rainbow but what was most fascinating was the versatility of her pieces.  You could add a blueberry to your necklace or ...

Yeeeeees...there have been voices in my head. And they are asking me questions. Especially after the last market where I did not sell a single new piece. I question whether I am making pieces that are appealing (maybe appalling hehehe) or maybe my prices are too high? AND maybe I should be making smaller pieces which equates to less expensive pieces? OR if I should just give it all up? *sigh* I actually made a piece using gold instead of a more interesting, rusty bottle cap.  Just to give the piece more "worth". Oooooo... I like those earrings! Intentions WOW!  I am taking myself waaay too serious. Okay, let us start over. Mantra... I must make the things my spirit wants to make. Sooooo.... let us begin. Starting with a piece of turquoise. Giving to me by a friend.  Do you see what I see? I wonder? This is a pretty big chunk of turquoise.  Sadly I did not want to make a custom bezel so decided on prong setting it. Wow!  Now I want...