Barb Baur

I am exhibiting next weekend at the Buyers Market of American Craft. I’m really excited about this opportunity because it’s my first wholesale show. But what is really exciting is that this is the first time the Buyers Market is open to the public.

Baltimore Convention Center Sunday only. Click on the flyer for more details. I hope to see you there!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, right?

Recently much to my amazement, but not that of my friends, I was accepted into Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. My application process was complicated by the fact that I actually attended Temple in 1984. I was a Music Major in the College of Liberal Arts. (No, not the School of Music, I didn’t pass the audition, but they figured they could put me somewhere.)

But it only took one semester for me to realize I wasn’t cutting it as a music major. Aural Theory was the killer actually. I tried again the following semester at Bucks County Community College as their only Tuba major and came to the same conclusion before digging into their jewelry courses to continue on the road I started in high school. And that’s the road I’m still on.

But I digress.

When I attended Temple in 1984, I was still called Barbara Mullen. I applied as Barbara Mullen in the Spring of 84, married in June and changed my name. But I didn’t get that changed at Temple in the Fall. I was too busy trying to figure out how to do Do, Re, Mi. When I attended Bucks it was as Barb Baur and I never looked back.

Even after divorcing, I decided to keep the name of Barb Baur. It’s my daughter’s last name, it’s been my professional name for a couple of decades and I already owned the domain name.

I’ve been trying for a couple of weeks now to get the name changed on the main records at Temple. My financial aid and Tyler information is in my Baur name. My university records are in Mullen. Before I can get anywhere with this stuff, they must match.

So I’m having to back up 27 years to prove my name change. I’m dealing with the Registrar’s Office now and I think I may finally be in the right place.

So there it is…Barbara Mullen, Barbara Baur…a student by any other name will still create.

It’s not often I get to go back over pieces I made and redesign, but I had the chance recently.

For Christmas 99/2000 I made a piece I had been visualizing for a while. It was for my godson, Cameron. (age 8 at that time) I had a beautiful green stone and I wanted to make it into Aragorn’s brooch described in Lord of the Rings.

I’m still not sure exactly what the actual stone is (I’m a metalsmith, not a gemologist, Jim!) but it had the qualities of the Elessar (elfstone) given to Aragorn by Galadriel. [edit: I’ve done a little research and I believe the stone is adventurine.]

Here’s a quote that describes the brooch:

“then she (Galadriel) lifted from her lap a great stone of a clear green, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings; and as she held it up, the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring. “This stone I gave to Celebrían my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope. In this hour take the name that was foretold to you, Elessar , the Elfstone of the house of Elendil !”

So there’s the inspiration.  I created the brooch and sent it to Cami for Christmas. Patty, his mother, wise woman that she is, put it away until he was old enough to be responsible with it. And it was always niggling in the back of my mind that the fastening method was unsecure. There were two loops on the back of the eagle’s wings that the long silver pin was to slide through to fasten it to fabric.

Fast forward to the past few months and Cameron is 19. He would like his brooch. Pat first brings it to me for “cleaning” and maybe some kind of “safety” on the clasp. I am glad that I have the chance to rework one of my own pieces.

It’s interesting to me in 2011 looking back at work I did 11 years ago. My shop at that time was in the back office (formerly the aft head) of the 42 ft sailboat I lived on. It was the size of a small closet and some of the work I did in that time frame was pretty good in spite of my constraints. In fact, I know that this piece was created while we were living on the hook in Indian Harbour Beach just South of the Mathers Bridge next to Dragon Point. That is one rocking anchorage and I don’t mean the music. I remember being very proud of my craftsmanship with this piece, just kind of unsure about the clasp.

It’s been on my bench about 2 weeks and I’ve been scouring my brain about what to do with it. While chatting with Cameron, I think “Darn shame I hadn’t started making pennannular pins at that time. That would be so cool.” But then I realized I could remake it that way. And about 2 hours later it was done.

First I carefully removed the stone from it’s bezel setting and sawed off the loops from the back. I took some 18g wire and did a twist and then twisted the twist. Shaped it around so the eagles wings would complete the circle. I then soldered a loop onto the back of the pin on the section of twisted wire, reset the stone and polished it up.

I’m delighted to get this chance, it’s not often I even see the pieces I made so long ago. Maybe I have penannular pins on the brain, but it’s nice to see it work so well.

And I’m very happy with the finished piece. I must admit that my mind is already coming up with new variations on the Elessar that would incorporate a more secure design to begin with.

My shop has gone through many changes in the five years since I’ve moved back to Philadelphia. From the workbench in the middle of the living room when I first arrived, because there was no where else, to my latest takeover the the entire area that used to be the garage.
The most recent renovation was in early October and I have to say, I think I’ve finally found a space where my work can thrive. Much of my equipment was in other places in the basement, my rolling mill and casting equipment actually required changing rooms in the middle of the process.
And I needed to set up a second workstation. I’ve had a second workstation that I set up at festivals and events where I work, but it was rare for me to have enough space clear to keep it set up. But recently I’ve had more interest in private students and that means they need a better place than just my traveling bench squeezed in a corner. I also wanted to start keeping a separate area for wax working and for base metals. This would help me keep my sweeps drawer cleaner for refining/recycling.

A few weeks after my most recent student started, I had a flash of how to redesign the second workstation to make it even better. The idea just grabbed me and I spent about 3 hours making a solid new bench that works great for home and breaks down well for traveling.

But the best side effect has been that my productive time in the shop has increased. Instead of passing by my work area when I go out the back door, I now pass through it. Maybe it’s some kind of Feng Shui thing, but looking at my bench as I walk by pulls me to it.

Previously the walkway went past my work area and it was easy to forget what I was walking by, especially with all the other junk piled in the “garage” area. Now I am no longer sharing my workspace with “storage.” Well except the four air conditioners piled in the corner, but I keep my photography stuff right there too.
One of the best things about having more workspace in having space to share. There were actually three of us working in there the other day and I just love having other creative energy going besides mine, it sparks new ideas and connections.
Meanwhile, my ideas are definitely in an flow rather than ebb tide right now, and my bench is calling.

My Annual Open Studio event is scheduled to take place on Friday evening November 12 6pm-9pm & Saturday November 13 3pm-9pm.

Come and see my newest pieces and my reorganized shop. This is a great opportunity to talk about custom pieces, get a free cleaning for any of your jewelry and assess any repairs that you’ve been putting off.

I recently rearranged my studio to accommodate having students. This past year I have found that I really enjoy teaching the skills I’ve been learning the last 28 years and I finally have my own space to do just that. I’m just dying to have people come and see!

Of course there will also be food, friends and maybe some other surprises. I hope to see you there. Send me an email if you need the address and directions.

Butter Cake.

A very thin cakey layer topped with an ooze of sugary butter goodness.

From Holmesburg Bakery, this is my favorite butter cake.

In Northeast Philadelphia, everyone has their favorites. Rillings Bakery on Southampton Road, The Danish Bakery in Fox Chase, Holmesburg Bakery on Frankford Ave and even as far away as Croydon in Lower Bucks at Fritz’s Sticky Buns, where the buttery topping will ooze and fill up the space where you just cut a piece.

When I lived in Florida, people looked at me funny when I would ask if anyone knew where I could get one. After checking in with Mom, who of course fed me this confection since I was a child, I found out it’s a Philadelphia thing.

You know. Like Scrapple. Philly Cheesesteaks. Or Tastykakes.

Or so I thought.

I like to treat out of town friends to area favorites that aren’t likely to be found in other places. When Chris and Cherie, my Technomad friends, came by last summer, I offered butter cake. “You mean “Gooey Butter Cake”, like from St Louis?”

Well yeah, it’s gooey, but it’s not usually part of the title.

But. Wait! There’s butter cake in St Louis?

Yes, Barbara, there is Butter Cake in St Louis. Actually an internet search brings up many more instances of St Louis Butter cake than Philadelphia.

I intended to visit St Louis anyway, The City Museum has been calling since I viewed Cherie’s video blog post about it. So this past June, Wendy and I took a road trip with a stop in St Louis. Here’s what I found out about butter cake while out there and since returning.

The St Louis and Philadelphia butter cakes are definitely different animals but with a common ancestor: Butterkuchen.

Butterkuchen is a German cake with a buttery sweet topping. Usually a breakfast or coffee cake, it’s a little tricky to get right. But as German immigrants entered the United States, their recipes followed and evolved regionally.

As I mentioned earlier, in Philadelphia everyone has a favorite place to get their butter cake, usually a neighborhood bakery. In St Louis, it’s more of a homemade treat- everyone has a favorite recipe. It’s served at family functions, backyard parties and special events. The “store bought” St Louis butter cakes just aren’t as good, with exceptions of course.

In St. Louis, most of the recipes use cake mix as a base with modifications. Then the topping is made with cream cheese, eggs and powdered sugar. It’s very important not to overbake.

The Philadelphia butter cakes do not contain any cream cheese. The bakery I spoke to creates the base from a yeast based recipe and the topping is made with butter and sugar. And no, they didn’t share the recipe with me.

This was a fun research project that required hard work tasting and making butter cake. I suggest you try it yourself. If in Philadelphia, look in the Northeast for the bakeries I listed above. If you aren’t in the area, then just take a recipe and make a Gooey St Louis butter cake. I’ll post the recipes in another post.

I especially want to thank Kathy Dunphy who, not only shared her home with Wendy and I while we stayed in St. Louis, but opened up her kitchen and family recipes to share with me for this project.

Wendy, me, Kathy Dunphy & Cherie VeArd

Just wanted to update on my ice cream experiment with the Chai syrup I made. The syrup was exactly sweet enough to use for the ice cream. I churned it in my KitchenAid stand mixer ice cream attachment. I used heavy cream with some half and half.

The taste was wonderful. Texture- not so wonderful. Fresh churned ice cream is always a little soft when it’s done, especially so with the KitchenAid device because the frozen “bowl” you are churning in will only get warmer as time goes on and there comes a point where it’s not helping any to keep churning. This is why it is vitally important to have all your ingredients chilled before you start churning.

I tasted it a little, put the whole lot (about a quart and a half) in a tupperware container and into the freezer. Overnight it became super hard. Dishing it out was more like chiseling or shaving the ice cream.

Other than a couple of spoonfuls, I finally got around to serving it about a week later. It was more manageable if I let it thaw for about 20 minutes or so.

Overall- the taste was great, Texture- more research and experimentation needed.

I had a yen for some Chai the other day, but with the heat, I would prefer iced. Iced is easier to make with a syrup or concentrate. Tazo makes a nice concentrate, but it’s a little pricey and I already had all the ingredients. I also had this crazy idea to making some really intense syrup and churning it in the Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment with some heavy cream to make Masala Chai ice cream.

The syrup came out great and I’ll post later if it ever makes it to the ice cream stage.

Intensely Sweet Masala Chai Syrup

Pressure cook about 10-12 min:
12 cups water
1/4 c. whole cloves
1/4 c. whole cardamom pods
4 sticks cinnamon

Release pressure and keep the mixture simmering while adding:
1 c. sugar
1 1/2- 2 c. honey

Stir often for about 15 min and then add:
6 black tea bags.

Leave on very low heat for about 3-5 min and then remove from heat. Let it cool for about 10-15 min and strain into a container to keep in the fridge. Makes about a half gallon.

Stir the syrup before pouring because of settling.  Pour into a cup with milk and/or half & half with about 1 part syrup to 2 parts milk. Serve iced or heated in the microwave.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, then boil the first step for about 30 min, but you may need to add extra water because some of the water will evaporate in the boiling process.

Carly Burke wears her new creations with delight.

Yesterday was my travel day back from Floyd, VA, home of the Jacksonville Center for the Arts. My five day Basic Jewelry Fabrication class went over very well. With a full enrollment of 5 creative women, we transformed the glass studio into a metalsmithing mecca. I was impressed and inspired by the original designs each of these students finished.

I’ve enjoyed teaching in the past, but this class really energized me as much as the students. Once they got started I couldn’t wait to see how they would finish. During the process of explaining the techniques and helping the students to learn them, I realized that it’s really fun to teach something that I so love doing.

Chris Cox made this piece to give as a gift.

Part of what I love about repairs and custom work is design. Decisions about design and fabrication methods go hand in hand. Challenging a student, but not over reaching their new skills was a fine line. Helping the students design the pieces while learning the techniques was, surprisingly,  a lot of fun. It’s where art meets craft.

But I must say, I was extremely impressed with their final pieces. And for these five ladies, it’s just the beginning.

Designed and created by Deborah Carter, this pendant can be worn three different ways.

“You got to drift in the breeze, before you set your sails. It’s an occupation where the wind prevails. Before you set your sails, drift in the breeze.” -Paul Simon

Sailing has been a huge part of my life.  It was a serious hobby for about 6 years before I decided to abandon land living and moved on the water. I then lived aboard sailboats for 12 years and my daughter spent the first 7 years of her life living on a boat. Most of those years were spent docked in marinas while working normal jobs and sailing our home on weekends and vacations. A couple of those years were spent cruising the Intracoastal Waterway of the East Coast, roaming from place to place on a full time basis while running a small software company.

It’s a life of compromises and challenges. I enjoyed the challenge of entertaining friends and cooking full meals in a sailboat galley. I enjoyed the challenge of converting one of the two heads on our boat to a office and workshop for my jewelry making tools. Raising a kid on a boat? I was right there, having fun building our own playpen out of the  converted settee, fitting a crib in the aft cabin, finding and creating multi use products that fit the live-aboard lifestyle.

But at some point those challenges no longer were exciting, but burdensome. A sea change came in my life and I moved off the boat to the relief of a spacious apartment.

I still carry many of the habits from living aboard, like conserving water, packing efficiently and owning only what I really need. But in the last few years, I’ve really missed the actual sailing- riding the wind, trimming the sails and navigating around a body of water. My life choices for the last 5 years have tied me to this house, taking care of my disabled friend and with a partner who really doesn’t want to sail. But the itch to get back on the water wasn’t going away. Rather than be sad and figure that I was done with that part of my life, I looked around for a compromise.

So last June I chartered in the Chesapeake with Wendy. 5 days out of Rock Hall, MD and it was a great time. I realized that I still had the skills and I could finally start imparting some of them to Wendy. I loved sharing the fun of sailing, my favorite memories of sailing always include friends.

Starting to plan for this year, most of the friends who wanted to sail with us were unable to commit to several days in the Chesapeake, so I took a different tack. Across the river from where we lived at the dock for a few years on Toms River is Nelson’s Sailing Center and they rent sailboats for use on Toms River and Barnegat Bay. Maybe a series of daysails through the warmer months would be an even better idea.

So one Saturday in Mid-May, Wendy, her friend Serena and I took a drive down to Nelson’s. We did the one hour orientation required for a bareboat rental and went for a 2 hour sail on Toms River. (Bareboating is renting a boat without a captain.You have to be an experienced sailor to begin with, the orientation is only to assess your readiness.)

I think I’ve found the perfect compromise to fit sailing back into my life without the expense and responsibility of owning my own boat. Many of my friends who would like to go with me are available for a day sail and at about 90 min away, it’s closer than driving to the Chesapeake.

Wendy’s Girl Scout troop was interested in having a sailing day, so yesterday 13 of us rented an O’Day 25 and took to the river in two groups. I got the chance to share my enthusiasm and knowledge of sailing with 12 other people. Some of the girls just wanted a sailboat ride, others wanted to learn more about how sailing works. They raised and trimmed the sails, steered the boat and soaked in the sun. (And what a lot of sun! The temperatures in Philadelphia were around 102, but we got a little break in Toms River because it was only 98.)

I expected to be exhausted after a day spent sailing in the sun, but I kept myself hydrated and just sharing the experience seemed to keep me really pumped the whole time. I was surprised myself at how very enjoyable it was and I’m excited to start planning my next outing and with whom?

I was thinking this morning about how we create our lives. Sure there are many things we can’t control that affect us, but it’s what we do with these situations that define who we are as individuals.

“You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however.” – Richard Bach