Photo Gallery: Happy Mother's Day Jewelry

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, friends -- and to all of the other wonderful women who share their love with someone important in their lives. In my case, I don't have kids, but I do have a niece and nephew ... and of course, my beloved cat, Maya.

My and my husband's grandmothers died a couple of years ago, but I'm fortunate to still have my mom and mom-in-law in my life. Even better, my parents and in-laws are friends. I hear a lot of horror stories about people's relationships with their mothers-in-law, but I really lucked out!

Both my mom and mom-in-law have been very supportive of my jewelry making... probably because I'm always giving them pieces, LOL. I know they appreciate it, though, and I enjoy giving gifts that come from the heart and my imagination. So in honor of Mother's Day, here are a few of my pieces that make me think of Mom. Some are gifts I've given to my mother or mother-in-law. Others make great Mother's Day gifts in general. You can check out the rest of my handmade wire and enamel jewelry at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Sad News

Some sad news in my family this week. My Grandma Esther died on Sunday. She was 96 and had been ill for a while. Her death wasn't a shock, but it hurts all the same.

My grandmother and I didn't have a lot in common -- she loved to gamble, play bingo and watch talk and game shows. She didn't really understand why my parents and I were so into traveling and had no interest in classical music or books as we did. But one thing that she and I did share was that she was an artist. She was a very talented knitter and made me dozens of gorgeous sweaters, hats, scarves and bedspreads over the years. She rarely sold her pieces and called her kntting a "hobby," but her work was above and beyond. Even skilled knitters marveled at the beauty and intricacy of her pieces.

While she always encouraged me in anything I did, she was particularly interested in my jewelry making. In addition to being a talented knitter, she was pretty crafty and often made art projects at the senior center. So me making jewelry was something that she could relate to and understand. Most people just like to look at my stuff, but she like to hear the details of how I made each piece.

The last two times I visited her at the hospital she was pretty out of it, but she still wanted to hear about my jewelry. She even told the nurses about it and encouraged them to buy my pieces for the holidays! My Grandma Esther was definitely a feisty woman and spoke her mind all the way until the end.

I've never had an interest in knitting, but I still have most of the pieces that she made for me and will of course, treasure them. This isn't the greatest shot (it's a photo of a photo), but here are the yarmulkes that she made for our wedding in 2000. She made about 150 of them completely by hand, without any assistance! My dad then made that sign with her photo so she could get proper credit.

Funky brass triangle earrings with Swarovski crystals

My grandmother is 94 years old, which means that we don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. While I admire her, especially as a talented knitter, one bit of advice she's always giving me is to "not kill yourself," "do the best you can," "whatever will be will be." She has very middle-of-the-road expectations for me; she wants me to do well and is proud of me, but doesn't care if I'm the best or the most successful.

It's great that she accepts me for who I am and for trying my best, and I love her for looking out for me. But the competitive go-getter in me just isn't like that. I LIKE to succeed. I LIKE pushing myself. I LIKE exceeding my expectations. I'v never been able to just sit back and accept things; whether it comes to music or writing and now jewelry making, I've always attempted to make it to the next level.

Take the craft fairs that I signed up for. It's not even about the money for me; it's about people liking my stuff enough that they'd dare to pay me and then wear it. I don't expect to get rich from making jewelry, but I do hope to get some acknowledgment of my efforts.

My grandmother was surprised when I shared that I've made over 100 pieces so far and was of course like, "Well, don't kill yourself." I found this to be pretty funny coming from the woman who never stops knitting! I'm definitely not killing myself; if anything, making jewelry is relaxing for me, which I why I've made so many pieces in a short time.

I agree with my grandmother in that I shouldn't push myself to a point where I'm no longer happy. But for now, stretching myself as an artist and salesperson is making me feel excited and revved up -- so what can be wrong with that?

Speaking of being creative, the jewelry that I'm going to share today are my brass triangle earrings. Honestly, I'd forgotten that I'd made these -- it was that long ago -- until I found them in the bottom of my jewelry box yesterday. I created these when I was teaching myself how to make basic wire shapes and was very excited when I successfully crafted triangles. I then added three Swaorvski crystals to each earring to give some color. They look a little like stoplights or Christmas trees, but well, I like them! I could see wearing these triangles to a club or a party -- some kind of fun event where eccentric jewelry is welcome.

As the craft fairs approach, I'll have to make more jewelry and try techniques that I haven't yet used. I will have to push myself and well, I can't wait!

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs or Naomi's Studio.