Rough Magic Creations : About

I'm a transplanted Texas gal, living and working side by side with my husband-cum-best-friend Joe on the outskirts of a tiny fishing and boat building village on the coast of Down East Maine. Joe is a native Mainer, and in the thirty plus years we've lived here, I've come to love this state as much as he does. Which is saying quite a lot!

Before moving "home to Maine" we lived in New York City, where Joe was a professor of dramatic literature and English, and before that in Indiana. Here in Maine, with its natural beauty - ocean, lakes, rivers, mountains, even a little desert - we've truly found our place.

Now that we've finished (well, almost) renovating the crazy old house we purchased in 1989, we've turned our thoughts to gardening, cooking, beach-combing, exploring the Maine woods, entertaining family and friends, and loving the sweet kitty cat who allows us to share her home.

And here on the coast of Maine I've found my true career - designing and creating jewelry, accessories and decorative items for the home.

Joe and I work with copper, sterling silver, semi-precious gemstones, and the natural treasures (shells, pine cones, birch bark, beach stones) that Maine offers in such glorious abundance.

Currently our emphasis is on metalwork, especially industrial sheet copper, which we reclaim and repurpose to create our leaf and shell dishes, mini-trays, bookmarks and Christmas ornaments.

After Joe cuts each of our original designs freehand from the upcycled metal, I shape it, hammer it for texture and strength and treat it to a gentle flame bath to enhance its color. Because each piece is crafted individually, no two will ever be exactly alike.

For my jewelry designs I work with various gauges of copper and sterling silver wire, hand forging many of my own handmade chains, clasps and earwires.

Semi-precious gemstones are a favorite component in my jewelry, as are unusual glass and ceramic beads.

We also enjoy working with wood to create our "Busy Boxes" and little shadow box dioramas featuring the natural treasures we find in our own dooryard.