Hello everyone. It has been a while, but what a trip I have been on. There are so many things to share with you. Tucson was fantastic!!!! I am already looking forward to next year, even though I am still recovering. It was completely exhausting, but SO MUCH FUN!

First, Before I left, I got a new hair cut. Of course, I can never get it to look how it did when the hair stylist does it. Don’t you hate that? I liked it when it looked like this, but you will see in the other pictures, it doesn’t normally. HA!

I am also making another big change. I have begun the process, and am nearly complete, to officially change my business name from Kelsi’s Closet Jewelbox to Melissa Muir – Metalsmith. I will continue to operate my shop of Kelsi’s Closet Jewelbox, but I will change the focus to more of my memorial line of jewelry and items. I will be working on my MelissaMuir.Com website more to showcase my videos, tools, tutorials and supplies and such. But that will take a little while.

This is where I spent  my week in Tucson. This is Potter USA. It is an amazing machine shop. Kevin Potter shares his shop with a blacksmith, Doug Thompson who does amazing things!

I have never really been in a Machine Shop before, other than when I visited Kevin a couple of years ago. It was very different to work in here every day. This is also where I held my workshops during the trip.

And this is the man himself, Kevin Potter. He and his family are WONDERFUL people. He is as nice as he seems. It was a pleasure to work along side him in the shop. And he is a lot of fun to shop with when it comes to gems. That man knows his stuff!

On my last full day in Tucson, Kevin and I went shopping. We visited the “big” show, AGTA. This is where you go if you want quality! Yes, the prices are as high as the place is nice, but if you want to make certain you get the good stuff, this is where you go. I could only afford a little.

But that is only because I was saving my money to buy a gem from one of the MOST AMAZING gem cutter, John Dyer. He is so young. And he is just as beautiful as him gems are. Yes, I did buy a gem, only one. And even it was a bit over my budget, but it was so worth it. This is the gem that I will leap and make my first foray into using gold and a couple of diamonds that I have been hoarding. It may take a while to finally release my breath and make the gold purchase, but I plan to make the leap sometime this year.

Kevin graciously opened his shop to all visitors and even hosted a great open house where we had a great turnout. I have finally met some of the people I have been involved with for years online. It was wonderful to finally meet these talented artists in person.

Cristina Leonard – http://www.cristinaleonard.com/

From Left to Right –

Peter D’Enbeau, Maureen Brusa Zappelini, Me  , Emily Ruffin, Andrea (Magpie) Robinson

 

This next group of women are very special to me.  I know two of them from the retreat I attended in North Carolina about 6 years ago or so.

Debora Mauser, Eva Sherman, Me and Nancy Vantassell – I had my very first jewelry teaching gig for Eva Sherman when we lived in Ohio.

Okay, Yes, I am standing. I am short and these two ladies are VERY tall.

Me, Lisa Lehman and Annie Pennington from Art Jewelry Magazine.

This is a fun group. All of us are teachers. I haven’t joined the national circuit due to my children being young and the fact that we keep moving, but I look forward to that one day. I mean who wouldn’t want to hang out with the ladies?

Me, Eva Sherman, Kate Richbourg, Barbara Lewis and Debora Mauser.

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I forgot to get pictures from my classes, but this is the group that took my class on the last evening in Tucson. We made our own silhouette dies. It was a lot of fun.

As I was getting into my car to leave Tucson and head back home, Melissa Cable stopped by to visit with Kevin Potter. I am so glad she got there when she did as we were both excited to finally meet in person. Melissa just came out with a book on making jewelry with Leather. I am now the proud owner of that book and will have a review of it in the next couple of weeks.

And what trip is complete without an adventure at Wal.Mart? Luckily, this wasn’t my car, but we pulled up and there was a tricked out car completely in flames. We even got there before the fire crew. I feel awful for the poor owner of the car.

After 9 days and 4 days of long drives (yes, I drove) Look who missed me? Awwww. I don’t get flowers very often, so it was really nice to get so many all at once. He is such a good guy. I may not get flowers often, but I know he loves me…. I mean, have you seen the studio he let me build? I love my man!

I brought home some new tools for the studio too. This is a bench shear from Kevin Potter. I have just posted a video on YouTube on how to mount and use it. I will post about that soon. Oh, and it was totally a fire in the fireplace kind of day the past couple of days. We may not have snow, but it has been a bit chilly in here.

And yes, there is another press. I know, I am totally spoiled. But this one is soooooo much fun. It is electric. I will be filming a bunch next week and will show you lots of fun things and features of this one. And even though I am not normally a pink girl, this one is so bright and fun here in its new home. I think I will call this the Potter Corner.

And remember when I told you that we had a couple of bathroom remodels going on? This one isn’t entirely complete, they still need to come and fix the grout on the tile, and I need to hang the mirrors, but I am so stinking excited about the new studio bathroom!!!!

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained. Please feel free to repin any of the pictures of pieces done by Melissa Muir only.