In between preparing for the wedding that my friend Janice and I had been invited to, I managed to squeeze in a little bit of shopping. I bought a dress that is crazily gorgeous and horribly expensive and for which I am laying the blame entirely at Janice's door - she "enabled" me. It is so, so dreamy though that I will forgive her.

I also found some absolutely gorgeous bangles.

Bangles or Churi are traditional ornaments worn by Indian women. They are worn after marriage to signify matrimony. It is tradition that the bride will try to wear as many small glass bangles as possible at her wedding and the honeymoon will end when the last bangle breaks. Is that good or bad?

Nowadays the bangles are made with all kinds of materials. The ones that I bought would ensure a very long honeymoon indeed as they are made of resin. Really stylish and modern. Have a look on my Far Away Finds.

It was a perfect New Years Day.

Phew! The 11th December SKIF show is over. It was very fun and exciting and it ended before I knew it. In a whirl! I do love giving trunkshows because part of what gets released from this metaphorical trunk – Pandora, never mind – is how people discover one another as their eyes and hands mingle and contact as they rifle through TOUCHSTONES’ tactile delights ;-)

It was more like a party as friends (and new friends to be) and clients from all corners of my life came to find TOUCHSTONES bargains at SKIF on the Italian Hill area in St. Louis. And then, of course, Nina Ganci, the artist and SKIF creator extraordinaire, had attracted her crowd of fun-loving people… and in the flickering of votive and Chanukah candles, everyone grew to feel that they’d known one another before – in another day, another shop, another life.

It does make me ponder on the allure and adventure of commerce – since the first roamings of humanity trade has expanded cultures and minds and opened up whole new worlds. This whole wonderful party helped remind me that shopping is far better than receiving any day, but especially when the people you shop with are the real treasures!

Back to my worktable now to weave together a whole load more :-)

Find your last minute treasures for the people you treasure at the end of the highway home-stretch.

SKIF is hosting a great invitation-only TOUCHSTONES trunkshow on 12/11 from 5pm to 8pm on Friday.

On Saturday the show is open to the public all afternoon.

I will have about 45 necklaces and even more earrings, some of my unusual pearls, lots of unique gemstone designs, with wholesale pricing on Friday evening!

Please stop by SKIF at 2008 Marconi on the Hill (63110) to view the sale, schmooz and share a glass of wine.

Contact me for a sneak peek of my pieces in the sale.

In St. Louis, MO, Charter cable (ch 26) or access via your local HEC network.

Don't miss 2 of my films, "When the Bough Breaks" and "Veronica's Story" along with an interview with me. These will be cable-cast on HEC's FRAMES every Tuesday night in September and October at 8 pm.

Now's your chance to finally see these award-winning films that I made long before I discovered the intimate medium of jewelry design!

I hope I see you at this unusual 3-day show. Look for my Touchstones jewelry listed on tags as Vendor Number: #153.

This 2009 Summer show offers three days of shopping in St. Louis' most spectacular venue for the highest caliber in original art and handmade crafts.

All craft show sales will be indoors, but there will also be festivities in the courtyard.

The show is open to the public.

Big Ass Indy Art and Craft Show
Mad Art Gallery,
2727 S. 12th Street - (just north of Anheuser-Busch Brewery).
Friday July 31st from 7-11pm
Saturday August 1st from 10am-8pm
Sunday August 2 from 10am-4pm

Big Ass Indy Art and Craft Show

April 1, 2009, I will be giving a film and lecture presentation at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, in celebration of Women's History Month, called the "THE PREDICTABILITY OF HISTORY IN MARGINALIZED FAMILIES". I will focus on how history "is written by the winners" when the socioeconomic struggles repeatedly traumatize families. In conjunction with my talk, SIU-ED will be showing my documentary WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS.

Saturday, March 7, from 9 am to 4 pm, I will be participating in a free day of events: Celebrating Women in the J.C. Penney Conference Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. There's even easy parking!

Drop by for a day filled with workshops, exhibits, and vendors, all focused on topics from health issues to resources in the community to creative artistic ideas - all of special interest to women over the age of 50.

I will be there with my TOUCHSTONES JEWELRY BOOTH, a special sale of many new creations.

The workshops will present information and ideas to help make life less stressful and more enjoyable... and a box lunch is available for just $5 (must be reserved and paid for before the event).

For a detailed schedule of workshops, vendors and exhibitors and to register for the
conference, as well as reserve a box lunch, please click here.

See you there!

Here are some of the images from my current show at COCA St Louis. There is a limited edition book which will be on sale at the show and afterwards through this site.

On December 5, 2008, my digital photography exhibit "In-Different Light" will be shown at the Center of Contemporary Art Gallery in St. Louis, MO. I will be holding an artist's talk and reception at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit runs though January 18, 2009.

To view the full sized slideshow in all its glory click on the link below. Use the "i" key on your keyboard to display or hide the information. Just keep clicking the "i" until it displays the page in the way that you want.

In-Different Light – full sized slideshow

Trunk show and reception in Upper West Side of Manhattan on November 19 (5–8 pm) and 20th (1–4pm) hosted by Elma Kanefield, Roni & Bob Elson. For more info, contact me...


Hope to see you there :-)

Whenever I see lines of laundry animating time-honored landscapes, something exciting happens to me. There diaphanous threads make history-worn spaces into peaceful terrains. There I find an equally ageless, even more telling panorama that the universal presence of laundry provides. Polyglot colors, hanging in the sunlight to dry, speak of anthems and human appetites, of toil and detachment, of shelter and faith. In every country and every culture, laundry is the common language spoken. It speaks of the power of trying, and trying again, one fluid strand at a time. What happens to these strands when they weave together tells humanity’s history.

The photographs in the exhibition were taken in Varanasi and show my long lasting love affair with laundry and textiles.

On December 5, 2008, my digital photography exhibit "In-Different Light" will be shown at the Center of Contemporary Art Gallery in St. Louis, MO. I will be holding an artist's talk and reception at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit runs though January 18, 2009.