Wooo, a busy week! A lot going on this week, but let's talk about the exciting Jewelry Give-Away!

The Holidays are approaching and this tends to be a time of year when we think of others before we think of ourselves, well before we get in too deep here's a special opportunity just for you! Go to my facebook page, Britta Lynn Design and "like" my page for your chance to win a Double Tree Ring necklace, a $178 value! Once I reach 250 "likes" all names will be entered to win this handmade piece of jewelry. A special treat that's all for you! Facebook is the best place to find my current work with a lot of new photos every week. Even if you do not have a facebook account you can still browse the photos there. (Now I know not everyone has a facebook account, so if you do not email me at brittalynndesign@gmail.com to be entered!) Be a good friend and tell your friends :)

First Thursday Open Studio- tomorrow!
Thursday Nov 3rd, 5-9pm
Northrup King Building, Studio 435

Art Attack- art crawl- this weekend!
Friday Nov 4th, 5-10pm
Saturday Nov 5th, 12-8pm **will not be at the NBK until 6:30pm, see below!
Sunday Nov 6th, 12-5pm

Join me and over 200 artists for this fall's art crawl just in time for the Holiday season. Check out new work, find new local artists and give a gift of handmade art this Holiday. This 3 day art adventure has something for everyone with mediums in clay, paint, glass, jewelry, prints, and so much more. Come check out the heart of NorthEast's art district and bring something special home with you.
****I will not be at Art Attack Saturday Nov 5th until 6:30pm, if you come earlier in the day my lovely friend Michelle will be happy to help you :)

Northrup King Building- studio 435
1500 Jackson Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Walker Holiday Jewelry Artist Mart - this weekend!
Saturday Nov 5th, 11-5pm

Come to the beautiful Walker Art Center for this one day jewelry specialty show. Check out local to national jewelry artists with their whole collection to shop and browse. Join me and 20 other artists for this special show. Find jewelry in different mediums: metal, glass, plastic, pvc pipe, felt and more...

Walker Art Center- Skyline Room
1750 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403

Other News....
I just moved into my new workshop space in Duluth and I look forward to sharing photos on my facebook and blog as soon as it looks presentable :) I will always keep my studio in Northeast Minneapolis at the Northrup King Building for a show space and meeting place with clients, but I now have a new workshop in my hometown of Duluth, MN. Next time you are visiting the big Lake make sure to come visit the workshop! Duluth has been a wonderful source of inspiration for me and I look forward to sharing my new collections with you!

As always, if you would like to arrange a private design appointment with me just email to set up a time, I hope to see you all soon!

American Craft Week

It's American Craft Week so get out and celebrate! American Craft Week October 7th-16th "brings together individuals, small businesses and organizations from all fifty states in recognition of the countless ways handmade objects enrich our daily lives and contribute to our national aesthetic and economy". There are plenty of events hosted by local galleries and tonight join me and fellow jewelry artist, Emily Johnson, at the Grand Hand Gallery in St. Paul for an artist talk. From 5-7pm tonight Emily and I will share photos for an off sight demo and talk about our processes and inspirations. Not to mention all the extra jewels we will have for tonight's event only!

Gallery Talk with Britta Kauppila and Emily Johnson
Thursday Oct 13th 5-7pm
The Grand Hand Gallery

Other events:
Thursday Oct 13th 4-9pm
Judith Kinghorn's annual show at her studio. Join Judith and her team for a night of jewels and fun, rsvp to Judith via her website.

Thursday Oct 13th 6-9pm
Gallery 360 Trunk Show with featured artists Beth Novak, Casey Sheppard, Sally Sexton & Rebecca Anderson. A special one night only 10% sale on all jewelry and fall clothing.

Fall Events!

Hope you all have been enjoying the beautiful fall so far! The nice weather and beautiful colors are a great excuse to get out and about and come check out some local art!

First Thursday Open Studio
Thursday Oct 6th 5-9pm
Join me and my fellow studiomates Susan Frerichs, Betty Jager, Lindsay Pulver, Mimi Le and introducing Tamara Stockdale! Tamara is a blacksmith who also makes jewelry so our studio will have plenty to peruse from Betty's heavy metal, Susan's thoughtful silver, Lindsay's curiosities of note cards, drawings and jewelry and Tamara's steel and enamel work. Plenty of fun to be had!

American Craft Week
October 7th-16th
American Craft Week is a celebration of handmade craft and brings together individuals, businesses and organizations across the country to highlight American crafters and handmade objects that enrich our daily lives. Come celebrate with us at the The Grand Hand...
The Grand Hand Gallery Artist Talk
Join me and friend and felllow jewelry maker Emily Johnson as the Grand Hand Gallery hosts us to speak on our inspiration, process, and collection. We will bring photos and metal work in process to share how we create. Check out the Grand Hand's whole list of events during Craft Week. Get out and get involved!

Upcoming Events:

Art Attack
November 4th, 5th, 6th
The Northrup King Building's fall premiere event, come join us for 3 days of art fun with local artists showcasing their latest collections just in time for the Holiday season.

Walker Artist Jewelry Mart- Local to Global
Saturday November 5, 11am – 5pm
Walker Art Center- Skyline Room
Join me and 25 other talented jewelry artists from Minneapolis and around the nation for this one day jewelry shopping experience at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. This event is the same weekend as Art Attack so I will not be present at my studio in the Northrup King Building Saturday Saturday the 5th during Art Attack.

Fall Trunk Show

Well, can you tell it has been a busy/beautiful summer? My last post was in June, it just goes to show you how time flies! If you want to hang on to the carefree spirit of summer just a little longer plan to make your way up the North Shore for the Unplugged outdoor music festival this fall in Grand Marais, MN along with jewelry trunk show at Sivertson Gallery!

Sivertson Gallery Trunk Show

Siverstson Gallery in Grand Marais is the art capital of the North Shore and I am so excited to share my whole collection with this distinguished gallery for the whole weekend. Join me and my friend and fellow designer, Emily Johnson for a weekend filled with jewelry, music, and the beautiful North Shore.

Friday September 16th, 1-5pm
Saturday September 17th, 11-5pm

Sivertson Gallery - Grand Marais, MN
14 West Wisconsin St.
Grand Marais, MN 55604

During this weekend Grand Marais comes alive with their 10th annual UNPLUGGED X outdoor concert. This music festival brings in people from all over to enjoy the beautiful sights and awesome music set from artists like: John Gorka, Pat Donohue, and I'm so excited for Great Lake Swimmers!!! Check out the full lineup here.

A separte note: I will NOT be at First Thursday in September this week, but please feel free to contact me to set up an appointment Tuesday September 13th- September 14th at my studio in the Northrup King Building.

If you need your jewels NOW, stop by one of my local Twin Cities galleries: Gallery 360 in Edina, The Grand Hand in St. Paul, or Lowell Lundeen in downtown Minneapolis who just received a brand new shipment of my jewels.

Have a wonderful Holiday weekend!

Park Point Art Fair

The Park Point Art Fair is coming up and the sun is scheduled to make an appearance just for the special event! This is a fun art fair in the best setting-- the largest lake in the world! Park Point is a beautiful park where you can take advantage of the beautiful lake, skyline of Duluth, and this weekend amazing artwork by local and regional artists. Come see me this Saturday June 25th and Sunday June 26th from 10-5pm and see what keeps bringing people back to this special place. A perfect weekend for a Duluth discovery!

Park Point Art Fair
Park Point- Duluth, MN
Saturday June 25th 10-5pm
Sunday June 26th 10-5pm

Art-A-Whirl

The largest Art Crawl in the nation is coming up! You know what that means: long days, even longer nights, dirty hands, silver dust everywhere, and of course... new jewels! I have been working hard to create new pieces for this great event. I will only be at Art-A-Whirl Friday, May 20th from 5-9pm, but my collection will be on display the whole weekend for your pleasure. Make sure to mark your calendar for this fantastic event with every art medium on display and over 500 local artists showing off their newest work.

Art-A-Whirl
Open studio and gallery crawl- all over NE Minneapolis
Friday May 20th, 5-10pm
Saturday May 21st, 12-8pm
Sunday May 22nd, 12-5pm

Check the website for maps and trolley information that will bring you from stop to stop. Get ready to get your art on! Hope to see you Friday!

Make a Wish experience

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure to meet Peyton. Peyton is an 11 year old girl who loves baseball (wants to be the first female pitcher in the MLB), loves working with her hands, and is fighting Ewings Sarcoma. I met Peyton through Make a Wish Foundation of Minnesota whose mission is "to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy for children battling life threatening medical conditions". This year at the MAW Wish Ball they will have a live auction selling the works of local artists whose donated piece is helped designed or created by a Make A Wish child. Me and Peyton were paired together for our love of gemstones. For Peyton's wish she decided to go to Australia to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and to mine for gemstones in Australia's rich opal mines and she leaves this week. How cool is that?! Peyton and her mother met me at my studio in NE Minneapolis where we talked shop, took some aggression out on metal, and of course looked at beautiful, sparkly things. Peyton was a natural at goldsmithing and even soldered her first piece! She liked hammering the metal best. Together we made a pair of my sterling silver "Bell" earrings with rhodolite garnet briolette gems. The earrings were donated to Make a Wish and will be auctioned off at the Wish Ball as Wish Art May 21st at the St. Paul RiverCenter to raise money for the foundation. It was such an amazing experience and so fun to share my passion with Peyton and watch her thrive.

Here are some photos of our time together! For more information about Make a Wish Foundation or how you can get involved or to buy tickets to the Wish Ball go to their website.

American Craft Council

Thanks to all who stopped by the ACC show this past weekend in St. Paul. The show was a great success and I am so proud to have been a part of this nationally recognized show. I met some other amazingly talented artists and got to share my whole collection with everyone. It is not very often when the whole gang gets together, so it was a grand reunion! I shared a booth with my talented friend, Emily Johnson so there was plenty of jewels to be had. There were lots of "oohhs" and "ahhhs" and of course lots of smiles. Here are some photos of the weekend along with a couple new pieces. I look forward to sharing my new work with you soon at First Thursday (May 5th 5-9pm) or at the Walker Art Local Jewelry Mart (May 7th 12-5pm)."Roots" necklace made of blackened sterling silver and emerald. (above) Hand forged ruby "Cala" necklace made of blackened sterling silver and briolette cut rubies. (below)

ACC Show this Week!

I am so excited to announce I have been asked to participate in the American Craft Council Show in St. Paul this week! Me and my studio-mate Emily Johnson will share a booth at this amazing fine craft event. There are over 240 new and established artists in all mediums that include handcrafted jewelry ;), clothing, furniture, ceramics and home decor. Stop by and see us at booth #2309!

American Craft Council Show
Friday April 15th 10-8pm ($5 admission after 5pm!)
Saturday April 16th 10-6pm
Sunday April 17th 10-5pm

St. Paul RiverCenter
175 W. Kellogg Blvd
Booth #2309

Tickets are free for American Craft Council members or $12 at the door. Friday special $5 after 5pm. This event is like a walking museum but better because you can touch and try things on, and not to mention bring something home with you!

"Show Highlights:

HANDMADE UNDER $100: Brand new in 2011! A perfect category for people just starting their addiction to craft! Don’t miss out on this fabulous collection of items for $100 or less.

LAWN & GARDEN: Features artists who craft furniture and decorative accessories to compliment and withstand the fluctuations of the great outdoors.

GREEN CRAFT: As a reflection of our social responsibility to the environment, this category features artists who incorporate recycled or found materials and use eco-friendly techniques into creating their work.

DEMO STAGE: Lively demonstrations, with topics ranging from ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry and wood techniques, will be presented by local experts.

$5 AFTER 5: Admission is $5 after 5 pm on Friday, April 15 and includes special giveaways.

PLUS, numerous NEW artists debuting their work for the first time at the St. Paul show, and over 25 LOCAL artists."

Hope to see you there!!!

Open Studio and other Events

The sun is shinning! So let's shed those scarves, hats, and mittens and show off some brand new jewels. And here's where to get them...

tonight! First Thursday- April 7th 5-9pm
Open Studio at the Northrup King Building studio 435
1500 Jackson St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413

***as always, if you are unable to make it to open studio hours please email me to set up an appointment when I am in the Twin Cities.

Upcoming events:

Walker Art Center- Local Artists Jewelry Mart
Saturday May 7th, 11am-5pm

Join me and eighteen talented jewelry artists from the Twin Cities as the Walker hosts their annual Artists Jewelry Mart. There will be jewelry in all mediums and price points. Stop by to find the perfect gift for Mother's Day or treat yourself to something special. The event is open to the public and Walker members receive 10% off. Make it a day event and visit the galleries of the Walker during Target Free First Saturdays!

Walker Art Center- Medtronic Gallery
725 Vineland Place
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Other News:

I just got back from a gem show this weekend an found so many beautiful things that wanted to come home with me. Check out a sneak peek on my facebook page and watch for the final creations to come!

Britta Lynn Design coming soon to Grand Marais! I am so excited to have my work carried by Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. This quaint Lake Superior town totally captures the essence of the North Shore. Next time you venture north look for my jewelry at this northern art destination gallery that specializes in regional and Canadian Inuit artists. Coming May 1st, 2011.

Wedding Bells are ringing

As spring approaches, so do more weddings, proposals, and declarations of love. Something about the sun not only warms our faces but our hearts too!
Check out this custom designed wedding ring set for Liz and Doug. Liz fell in love with a 7mm wide sterling silver band with .20ct champagne rose-cut diamond set in 18k yellow gold and with one single 22k gold granule. She created her own combination by matching it with a hammered 22k gold band (my favvvorite metal ever) and a very very thin 14k gray gold band. The color play and warmth of the gold radiate from her hand. Doug decided to go with a hammered palladium 950 ring that has a rustic feel. He works with his hands and will only add character to the band over time. Congratulations to the newlyweds!

First Thursday and Open Saturday

I hope everyone is adjusting to the fickle Minnesota weather. How foolish of me to think spring was going to come early :) but... it is March! So you know what a new month brings....

First Thursday- March 3rd, 5-9pm
First Thursday in the Arts District
Northrup King Building
1500 Jackson St NE, Studio 435
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Open Studio- Saturday March 5th, 12-4pm
Open Saturdays at the Northrup King
Northrup King Building
1500 Jackson St NE, Studio 435
Minneapolis, MN 55413
For all you facebook junkies, make sure to check out my Britta Lynn Design page so you can follow my progress in Duluth and always get a sneak peak of the new designs on the bench!

Jewelry Trunk Show at the Grand Hand

Me and my studiomate, Emily Johnson, look forward to showcasing our newest and expanded collection at the Grand Hand Gallery in Saint Paul for one full weekend full of sparkle. This special Trunk Show highlighting my and Emily's work is just in time for Valentine's Day. Stop by to see the newest creations and maybe bring something home with you for a special treat for yourself or that very special Valentine. Hope to see you there!

Friday Feb. 9th 11-7pm
Saturday Feb 10th 10-6pm
Sunday Feb 11th 12-6pm

The Grand Hand Gallery
619 Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102

Jewelry Sale and New Studiomate!

Love is in the air...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

What could be more sweet? A studio wide Jewelry Sale! (take that Sweethearts) Me and my studio-mates are having a studio wide sale this Thursday and we want you to come. Of course we will have cider and cookies to nibble on while you pick out something special for your someone special or a nice little treat for yourself. One night only:

First Thursday- Feb. 3rd from 5-9pm
20% off silver jewelry, silver/gold mixed metal jewelry, and wood jewelry. 10% off gold and palladium jewelry. In-stock pieces only. Does not include custom or special orders. Save on all studio artists: Emily Johnson, Betty Jeager, Susan Frerichs, and welcome our fabulous new studiomate Allison Johnson of Potpourri

Northrup King Building Studio #435
1500 Jackson Street NE
Mpls, MN 55413

New Year brings Big News!

2011 brings big changes for me and my business. This December I left my full-time day job as goldsmith and studio director for Stephen Vincent Design to purse my jewelry collection full time! I am so excited for this opportunity to have more creative time and expand my business to more galleries and shows throughout the year. I also hope to grow my custom design business and create more wedding and commitment rings, so look for new things to come!

With this business change I also have personal change: my husband and I are moving up to Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth is my hometown and a great source of my inspiration, so I am excited to be surrounded by the tress, rivers, and that big huge Lake Superior and I look forward to how it will influence my collection. Although I am excited about the move, I am not ready to give up my community in NE Minneapolis. The Twin Cities has been an amazing community to be a part of creatively and business wise. I have made so many connections and have such an amazing supportive climate down here, I just can't give it up. So, I'm not! I am keeping my studio in the Northrup King Building as a show space and meeting area for custom design. I plan to travel back and forth from Duluth and the Cities at least twice a month. Now that my schedule is my own I plan to keep a foot in both cities (Duluth and Minneapolis) so no worries, I still look forward to our private design consultations and First Thursday events!

New Year- New Jewels

Happy New Year! I hope your 2010 was a wonderful year and now let's start 2011 off with some sparkle :) Stop by and see me and my studio mates of Studio 435 for First Thursday in the Arts District. We are open 5-9pm every First Thursday of the month and are now adding open Saturdays too! (post to follow with exact dates) But as always, feel free to contact me anytime for a private showing or design consultation.

First Thursday- Open Studio 435, 5-9pm
Northrup King Building
1500 Jackson St. NE
Mpls, MN 55413