Merry & Mod at home

The Story Behind Merry & Mod

Mary and Maude at Crater Lake, 1944

 

The Story Behind Merry & Mod

Merry & Mod is named in honor of my grandmothers, Mary Knutson and Maude Craven. Mary and Maude met in Grants Pass, Oregon in the early 1940s. They were quick to laugh and effortlessly graceful. Mary’s husband Cliff was the manager of Montgomery Ward and Maude’s husband Lev was the manager of JC Penney. Mary had three daughters; Maude had three sons, then many years later a little girl, Mary Kay. My parents met as babies and shared a desk briefly during third grade. 

For me, my grandmothers’ memories evoke the personification of a family’s love and support, good taste, and class. Merry & Mod defines a festive spirit and a modern, yet timeless sensibility to personal style.

 

About Me

I design and create limited-edition jewelry in my home studio in Central Oregon. Pieces are comfortable to wear, playfully feminine, and surprisingly colorful. The jewelry moves with you, adding kinetic grace to its visual appeal. I fashion my work with semi-precious gemstones, handmade Venetian glass beads, fine gold fill or sterling silver chain and wire, and other objects discovered in the world. Merry & Mod jewelry fuses passion and style into refined, contemporary pieces. 

 

 

 

this time is precious

My youngest and I have long swaths of time together while we wait for his big brother to come home from school. We fill our time at the park, reading stories, running errands, and playing with friends. Even so, it's easy to get bogged down at home: there is always a chore to finish, a meal to prepare. So I made this simple activity jar to give us a few ideas of projects we can do together. Inside this empty candy tin are slips of paper with various suggestions for crafts, projects, and games.

I'm creating time for us together, but I'm also being sneaky in a mama sort of way: many of these suggestions focus on fine motor skill developments such as wooden puzzles, playing with tweezers or eye droppers, sidewalk chalk, tiny sticker art, and - of course - stringing beads. 

This sweet, stubborn boy feels special to have his own list of choices we can do together. And it's special for me, too. I know this time is precious; while laundry and dishes and dinners will always be a constant in my life, an almost-four-year-old boy who says 'yuv' instead of 'love' and refuses to get a haircut will not. 

So he sat on my lap, sorted through my collection of beads and diligently made himself a necklace. We spoke quitely, I stole kisses from his doughy cheeks, and bead by bead, we made something together. 

 

 

brass bangles

Oh, how I love hammering these brass bangles. Teasing shape and form out the metal, waiting to see this finished result. Each one is different; they are all similar. 

Not to mention the satisfaction of pounding, pounding, pounding. 

These are available locally for purchase at Olivia Hunter. They look best stacked on the wrist in groups of three or more. If you aren't local (poor you) contact me directly and I'll make you a custom set. 

 

fresh and meaningful

A fresh display in my studio holds a a few recent creations.  I made the bubble necklaces, bracelet and earrings; my oldest used his bead collection to create the necklace on the far right.  I love the simplicity of his designs, which often feature amazing symmetry and thoughtful color combinations.  To create this display, my husband collected twigs from a manzanita shrub - the bark is a lovely red - and fastened them to a leftover fence board.  A little time, a bit of ingenuity, some love, that's all it takes to make a meaningful gift.   

Thank you, E.  

 

 

proper places

Before we left our old apartment - it seems like ages ago, now - I packed up all but a few favorite pieces of jewelry.  Carefully wrapped in layers of tissue and stored in a variety of jewelry boxes and small containers, these pieces of my past have been dormant for nearly two and a half years.  Intricate necklaces of tiny seed beads strung in high school and college, costume jewelry from my grandmothers, gifts from my husband.  Since then I've made new designs that I love and wear constantly.  Unpacking, sorting, reorganizing began to feel like a chore - what's worse, an emotional chore.  Procrastination became something akin to dread, until finally, I could no longer wait.  

Recently, the time came.  This jewelry armoire was a tangle of lone earrings and broken necklaces.  With the help of a few sushi dishes and some colorful business cards, I've corralled earrings and long necklaces into a semblance of organization.  I even wore Grandma's rhinestone bracelet for the first time in a long time.  

Old necklaces were unwrapped and introduced to new favorites.  Some still require a bit of polish, others are ready to be trotted out on my next night on the town.  

Pieces that I never or rarely wear, yet can't bear to part with are stored in the 'archive'.  All the crazy beads, inherited vintage pieces and sentimental memories rest here, waiting to be remembered.  Those colorful plastic bangles were a gift from my husband on our first date.  I crocheted the necklace next to it when we were first dating for him; I found the instructions on microfiche in the college library.  

The brass locket above was a gift from my grandfather when I was very little.  He searched and searched and found tiny photos of each of us to put inside.  When I was eighteen I strung it on the lacy daisy chain you see above to wear to my grandmother's funeral.  My Auntie Karen commented wryly, whenever I see you, you're working on a necklace.  You always have a deadline and it's always tomorrow.  Some things never change.  

Very Merry & Mod

The holidays have passed, and we are enjoying leftovers and the company of our family.  The next few days will be relaxing as we return to our regular sleep schedules and refresh the house for the new year. I'm looking forward to sharing some of my recent creations now that they've been presented and unwrapped.  

My father-in-law collected these shells on a trip to Aruba, hoping they could be turned into earrings for his wife.  It seems to me he did all of the hard work up front by finding shells in matching pairs.  I added iolite, pearls, garnet and, I think, smoky quartz.  They swing and dangle delicately.  If you're very quiet, you can hear the ocean in your ear.  

My parents are on their way home over the mountains as I write, and I realize I never took a proper photograph of the bracelet Dad gave Mom.  Five lockets, each with a gemstone charm, dangle on a double row of gold chain, hiding photos of her five grandchildren.  On the left, photos of the babies they were.  On the right, an image of the big kid they've become.  

 

 

 

at olivia hunter

I am pleased to announce that local shoppers can now find Merry & Mod jewelry at the stylish boutique Olivia Hunter in downtown Bend.  Adjacent to North Soles Footwear (the location for boot shopping), Olivia Hunter features comfortable, chic, and sustainable clothing that perfectly complements my designs.  If I do say so, myself.  

This collection features an array of affordably priced hammered brass bangles - created for stacking in multiples, naturally...

...a selection of my favorite bubble pieces, some gold foil Venetian glass baubles...

...and a new assortment of gemstone earrings in a variety of colors.  I am proud to be partnered with this lovely shop and grateful to the staff and owner for supporting local artists like me.  

 

 

Friday Art Hop at Hot Box Betty

Hello!  I'm in the studio today with my favorite assistant, getting ready to show my jewelry this Friday, October 1, at Hot Box Betty.  The weather looks promising, so come on down for an evening of art, community, and shopping!

Hot Box Betty

903 NW Wall Street 

Bend, Oregon

5pm to 9pm

 

 

Friday: Art Hop at Hot Box Betty

 

Merry & Mod will be celebrating Art Hop this Friday at Hot Box Betty!  Enjoy a summer evening in style with a bit of bubbly and some local shopping. 

Hot Box Betty

903 NW Wall St

(541) 383-0050

5pm to 9pm

This afternoon, I enjoyed some time in studio with the sun shining, birds singing, and the sound of rushing water in the back ground.  It's rejuvenating and inspiring, to say the least.  I brought out my box of lockets and created a few special treasures.  The vintage locket (engraved RJ, for really juicy, or rejoicing joy, or royal jewels or something) is one of my favorites.  I snagged it a while back, polished it up and then added a long chain and lots of random colorful gemstones. 

 

In addition to this locket charm bracelet, I'll also have a variety of hammered brass bangles starting at $10. 

This is the view out my studio window.  Someday soon I'll get the place all tidied up and share it with you.  It's a lovely little room, if I do say so myself, and just stepping inside makes me feel better about...oh, everything. 

See you Friday. 
 
  
  

Bazaar Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a big day.  I'm looking forward to celebrating a sunny day in the company of some amazing local vendors, crafters and artisans.  Come to shop, stay for the free henna tatoos and fire dancers.

Presented by Nashelle Designs & True North Parenting

June 12th from 11am-10pm

61511 American Lane, Bend, OR  97701

More information here.