Last call...

Our down-time in Long Beach is coming to a close. I have enjoyed being in town for the past few weeks, catching up with friends, discovering what's changed (or not), seeing family, and working on lots of orders that have come in before the holidays. And I'm really glad that we decided to do this, and decided to stay so long (I have Russ to thank for that). And, now, we're preparing to push off again, despite the storms and cold that have suddenly landed on us. (On another note, it's been pretty funny to watch how much Southern Californians freak out because it snowed in the mountains!)

Our plan is to head East from approx Oceanside (Northern San Diego county), past the Salton Sea, through the desert. I envision lots of time with zilch for internet access over the next month or so. (Although, maybe I'll be proven wrong?) I'm looking forward to being in the middle of nowhere again, possibly even spending Christmas far away from anything resembling civilization. But... it does mean that it will be an extra hurdle to send out orders. Not impossible, just a bit of a delay.


So, all you last-minute order-ers, I encourage you to get on it now. Interested in gifting someone a hand-crafted Bike Mustache? Would a pair of handmade earrings or a one-of-a-kind necklace be the perfect gift for your friend? All orders received in the next week (by Tuesday, December 15) will be shipped in time for the holidays (domestic orders, that is). After that, there will be a delay. So head on over to my etsy shop today!





Thanks everyone! And happy getting-ready-for-the-holidays!

Whittling down my load...

My studio that I've been carrying around with me on our bicycle journey is ridiculously heavy. And I've decided that it's time to lighten the amount of weight I'm carrying. I opened up my tool roll and took stock of everything I have with with, pulling out tools that I really am not using (like my hand shears, which are really heavy, extra needle files, pumice and brush). And then, I went further.


For riveting, I use two hammer ends... a cross peen and a ball peen. Of course, they happen to be on two different hammers. When I was working in my old studio, it wasn't a problem to use the two hammers I had (so it never made sense to buy one hammer that does both). When we left, I tossed both hammers in the bag. And I've used both on this trip. But, really, does it make any sense to carry two hammers? Especially when one of them is really heavy? No.

And, so, in a stroke of genius, I realized that I could file down the planishing end of the cross peen hammer to replicate a ball peen and then send back the ball peen hammer. I borrowed some heavy duty machining files from a friend in town and took down the end of the hammer. Then, I sanded like crazy and took a polishing cloth to it. And, voila, a work of art! It looks like that end is supposed to look like that. And it works great. And I get to rid myself of the 10 or so ounces that make up the ball peen hammer. Happiness all around.

New Earrings & Free Shipping!

I finished up a new set of earrings and uploaded them all in my etsy shop. These earrings all feature bits of the Krebs Northern California Cycle Touring map. This map was gifted to us by another cycle touring couple and led us through some amazing areas while we traveled down Highway 1 North of San Francisco. (If you're interested in cycle touring this area, I highly recommend this map!) I decided to use parts of the map that represented some of the best areas you rode through: the Redwoods, Elk Prairie, Bodega Dunes, Samuel Taylor State Park.




And, in honor of the big after-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy, I'm offering Free Shipping on all purchases in my etsy shop from Friday, November 27 through Sunday, November 30.

Happy beginning of the Holiday season!

Join in the Mustache fun!

In case you haven't noticed, the Bike Mustache has gotten all sort of internet lovin' lately. I guess the facial hair trend isn't on it's way out, yet, which is great news for me! And great news for you!

I've been making mustaches on the road as we're traveling... in campsites throughout central California and at the homes of various hosts... and decided that it would be fun to let folks know where their mustaches are being created.

So, now, when you order a Mustache on yer Bike, it'll come with a note about where it was made (and maybe even GPS coordinates, if we can figure that out).

Here I am working on a mustache outside of Yosemite National Park...

Earrings!!

I am thrilled to announce that I have new work available! I just finished up a whole bunch of earrings and they're now available in my Etsy shop.

Some feature bits of Madrona bark and Eucalyptus leaves that I collected in various locations along our journey of the past few months. Others feature bits of newsprint and an old Spanish map.

Matter Gallery Grand Opening

I won't be able to make it to the Grand Opening, which I'm bummed about, but I invite each and every one of you to go on my behalf and explore all the wonderful hand-crafted goodness that Jo has brought together in Matter! Gallery.

Friday, November 6th, 6 - 10pm

113 Fifth Avenue SW (between Capitol & Columbia), Olympia, WA 98501

Live jazz music & refreshments



Also... Mark your calendars for December 4... First Friday at the gallery (and all of downtown Olympia). Extended hours and a holiday focus!

Sitting and thinking...

It's raining today. A hard, driving, steady rain. Supposedly, it's the tail-end of a typhoon that hit Japan earlier. At times, the rain is actually coming down sideways. It's running down the road in a steady river and the wind is whipping the trees. It feels like winter. And I am ever so glad to be inside. We're staying with friends south of San Francisco, and we made it here just a few hours before the storm broke. In this moment, I feel so very fortunate. Not only are we inside, we're warm and dry, with an entire day to read, do laundry, catch up online, and there's no pressure for us to be pedaling down the road today. It feels very luxurious.

Lately, I've been thinking about how amazing it really is to be able to go on this completely open-ended journey. To have the freedom each day to decide what we want to do and where we want to go. It's not un-ending bliss, every moment, but it's a sense of complete self-reliance and ownership of my life that I haven't ever felt before. And that feels very luxurious as well.

Being on my bike, riding down the road, for several hours each day, provides an opportunity unlike anything else to think. Just think. Brainstorm and work through ideas. Some days, I ponder jewelry designs. Other days, I think about how I hate the way houses look when the garage is right in front, or how terribly sad (and smelly) it is to see so many dead dear (and raccoons, foxes, skunks, etc.) on the side of the road.

Without a doubt, the hardest part of this journey has been finding the space and time and energy (both physical and creative) to create jewelry. And, to be perfectly honest, I have my moments when I wonder if I shouldn't just put it on hold for a little while, and focus exclusively on the cycling. Except that, eventually, I'm reminded of just how fascinated I am with studio jewelry and how much it continues to intrigue and inspire me and be something that I want in my life. So, I give up the notion of giving up on making jewelry, and I go back to trying to figure out how to keep creating while we travel. And this is, quite possibly, one of the most amazing lessons of this journey so far... learning how to make the time for the things that I want to do with my life.

So, now, I sit inside, dry, while it continues to rain outside, and I'm thinking about just what type of jewelry to work on over the next few days of non-riding time in the Bay Area. And I find my brain waffling over whether to work on more complex, one-of-a-kind, gallery-appropriate pieces or smaller, simpler, more affordable pieces. Of course, there's no right answer, and if I can figure out the workflow, I'll probably end up making both styles.

Tomorrow, I'll probably still be huddled inside, as this storm is supposed to continue for a bit more, and it will give me some time to make sense of the myriad ideas running around in my head... and, hopefully, finish up some of the pieces that are in pieces in my studio bag. Cheers to the Japanese typhoon!