Fingernail Moon Jewelry

05/21/2026

Me and my girls at SINTER 2026! 7 days of learning and working and laughing and seeing old friends and making new friends and having a great time.

If you don't know, Sinter is an international bi-annual conference put on by AMCAW, the Alliance for Metal Clay Arts Worldwide. This year it was held right here in sunny Orlando, Florida! 🌞 Internationally renowned artists come to teach and share in a multitude of workshops and presentations.

This year I learned to set raw crystals in sterling clay with Corina Georghe , and I learned techniques of granulation in metal clay with Patrik Kusek. I got so much valuable information on presentations from so many amazing artists, I can't wait to get back to the studio and put it to use.

Thank you to all the people who worked so hard to make this conference a reality. Your dedication paid off.

P.S. I promise to post good pictures of finished pieces later!

05/18/2026

05/09/2026

Need a last minute gift for Mom? Or just looking for something to do this afternoon? Several artists are here at FAVO for a pop-up market until 2:00. Come on over!
n.c .smedleyartworks

05/07/2026

So sad. All set up for another fun workshop and nobody showed up. 😢 Actually only one person was signed up, and I think it was a gift, so who knows. But I was all ready and excited. Too bad somebody else didn't happen by to take their place.

When you sign up for your workshop, you won't leave me hanging, will you?

05/02/2026

This lovely lady and her husband are regular visitors to our monthly Open House Art Strolls at FAVO, the artist community where my studio is. She has also purchased several pieces of jewelry from me. Awhile back she bought a ring which she really loved because of the unique stone. And there begins the tale.

A few months ago she brought the ring to me to show me that the decorative wire around the stone had lifted on one side and she was afraid it would catch on something and pull off completely. Of course I took it back to repair, but I warned her that I would have to remove the stone to make the repair and could possibly damage it in the process.

Damage is a mild word compared to what happened to that stone. I knew she loved it so I tried to epoxy it...yeah...no. But joy! I found a beautiful turquoise in my stash that fit the setting perfectly! So I put everything back together, and even improved on the shank design because it had been a little large so she had bent it up to make it fit.

When they arrived at Open House the next month, I presented the ring, with fingers crossed behind my back! There was a moment, she missed the original stone, but this was lovely! Whew! But, uh oh, it's too small now. So I bring out my trusty ring stretcher. And while I'm jokingly telling them about a student who he-manned the stretcher and busted his ring and I'm showing them how gently I'm stretching...POP! The shank snapped! Not the solder join, the actual silver broke! And I was barely putting any pressure on it!

At least I knew this stone wouldn't crumble. But I didn't know that I could repair the ring. So I started from scratch. Didn't have any more of the decorative wire so I made my own. Triple and quadruple checked the size the the shank. Everything going perfectly until, the day of Open House when I was ready to set the stone and finally give her the ring, I realized that I had soldered the decorative wire on upside down, and the side I had filed flat was facing up! I had to take it apart again!

But at last.... Last night I was able to present her with the finished ring! And it fits perfectly! It looks fabulous on her, don't you think? Happy endings! ❤️

04/25/2026

We're here at beautiful Wickham Park in Melbourne until 5:00. It's absolutely gorgeous! If you can't make it today, we'll be back tomorrow, 9:00 am until 5:00. Definitely worth the drive!

04/22/2026

Come on out this weekend to the fabulous Melbourne Art Festival in Wickham Park. Just barely over an hour from Orlando, hey, Orlando is an hour from Orlando! It's worth the ride! The weather's gonna be gorgeous. Come see me in booth 186 on the northwest side of the lake.














artfestivalinmelbourne

04/17/2026

Oh my goodness, what a fun time we had with these lovely ladies in the Fantasy House workshop! 2 nights turned into 3 but I would have happily kept going, we had such a great time! And they did such beautiful work!

Kelsey took the beginning metal clay class with me a little while back and she showed up ready to rock and roll! Even had her own cool new molds, some origami animals for her circus tent! You can't see them in the pictures, but the animals are performing inside the tent! She created her own texture and striped color of the tent with patina and turned it into a fabulous piece of wearable art!

Tracy claimed to not be creative at all and that she had never touched metal clay before, but I'm not sure I believe her. She went from "I don't know" to the most adorable fairy house in a tree stump I've ever seen! It's got a giant flower for the roof, a giant leaf for the front door, little leaves and flowers for shutters... It just makes you want to shrink and run inside! It must be magic in there!

I think I may just have to hold this workshop again soon. What do you think? Want to come make a fantasy house? Ooooooh!!! How about a fantasy grass shack on a beach for summer? Keep an eye on my class schedule on Eventbrite for your chance to join in on the fun! Link in bio

04/12/2026

Another magical evening making rings! Jeannie gifted Stephen with the experience for their second anniversary, and Dylan surprised Isabella for her birthday (he really pulled it off - she had no idea what was going on until she walked into the studio!). Two adorable couples that I was blessed to spend a few hours with and hopefully they went home with jewelry and memories to cherish for a lifetime!

Do you have a special someone you'd like to share this unique experience with? More info on my website or Eventbrite. Link in bio, you know the drill!

04/11/2026

FAVO Motel Studios: The Acclaimed Exhibition

My first actual gallery exhibition, y'all!!! In City Hall no less!!! The exhibition is part of the City's effort to showcase the vibrant arts community in Orlando. FAVO is a long-standing and very unique