Back From Break!

Hello everyone!
Hope you had a wonderful break, I did! My parents and boyfriend and I went up to Boston to see Peter Pan 360. OH my goodness did I love that performance! Not to mention that Peter Pan is one of my all time favorite books.

So, some New Year's News!
This year, I will be opening up a new shop, as well as getting a website up and running!

I am excited to announce the impending opening of my new store, Towee, this spring! Those of you who are familiar with Lyssa's Stuff (and those of you who are not) will find that Towee takes my jewelry collection in a new direction. Every piece in Towee is inspired by a literary quote. Some are quotes about books, but most are quotes from books. The quotes from books are those that have stuck in my head for years and have in some cases caused no end of contemplation.


The pendant pictured above provides an example of the sort of thing you can expect to find in Towee. The image on it is inspired from a passage in Peter Pan, one of my all time favorite books. Remember how Peter and Wendy exchange kisses (his an acorn, hers a thimble)?
I drew the image of the kisses, then hand carved a stamp to impress the design on PMC (precious metal clay). The back of the pendant has the chapter number where the image reference can be found, and my maker's mark. Once fired, the clay turns into fine silver to which I apply a patina for a weathered, well-loved look. I have many other pendants of the sort coming to the shop. I will also work with my clients on commissioned pieces, just as I have in the past.

By the way, note that this pendant style is not just any old pendant. If you are reading your favorite book and are called away, you may remove the pendant from its necklace and hook it onto your page as a book mark! I expect this will make it an inspired gift for your well-read friends, especially if accompanied by the book referred to.

Now you may wonder why on earth I have named the shop “Towee.” No, the inspiration was not the bird, nor the boat. The story comes from my earliest days of speaking, when I was not yet two years old. I was in the baby seat in the back of the car, my dad was driving. According to him, I said, “Daddy, towee.” He tried several times to guess what I was trying to say, but never succeeded. He quit, and we both traveled in silence a while until I said, “Daddy, li-bu-rary, book, towee.” He finally understood that I wanted him to tell me a story while we traveled along. That moment has become family lore, and “story” has been “towee” ever since.