live site

a big THANK YOU must be extended to my brother KAI SALMELA, graphic designer extraordinaire (who btw designed the hot new Hero typeface for Guitar Hero through his work at pentagram. it is all the buzz in the graphic design world) ... who re-visioned and conceptually re-organized our website -- and of course to Jake Ingman, webmaster extraordinaire who is so tech-savvy that he sometimes makes me feel like frank loyd wright trying to turn on a computer! but it is aaaalll good, because we have a new live site that at once encompasses the broad scope of silvercocoon (architecture to jewelry) and then also has a built-in flexibility that will allow me to grow a jewelry business without having to create a separate website. i could not be happier!

as previously mentioned, a download able PDF version of the catalog/photography book that I've been working on all summer with Paige DeWees is also accessible through the SHOP section. (there is also a link that allows you to print your own from lulu.com )

---When the first sparks of vision for this project started prancing around in my brain back in April, i envisioned a book that was equally a representation of mine and Paige's work. i envisioned a book that could function as a coffee-table photography book and a catalog to represent my jewelry designs simultaneously ... we had extensive conversations about wanting it to speak to our midwestern-ness, to speak of real women of different ages, sizes and colors, and we wanted it to capture and tell the story of lifestyle and simple everyday moments. because our lives are made-up of those simple moments - they are strung together in ways that define us and inspire us and allow us to see time and growth and change. we also talked about weddings (Paige is primarily a wedding photographer) and the notion of "big" or "important" days. i want people to think of my jewelry in everyday terms - as if our every days can become our own special occasions simply by the addition of some jewelry that helps celebrate ourselves on a daily basis. logistically, we tried not to style or stylize things too much. we worked entirely with each woman's (& man's) own wardrobe and relied entirely on the hair and make-up that they showed-up with. we also worked with locations that are a part of my everyday, or the person who was modeling for us: my back yard, the walker art center-minneapolis' backyard, the csa farm where my friend has worked for the past several years, and the very first house that my father designed (before i was even born!) ... all in all, i am proud of what our book is and i hope Paige is too. I am grateful to her for this experience!

Always thinking ahead -- I will begin work on a derived version of this book that gives more specific/detailed information about each piece of jewelry - and that could be printed more cost effectively, allowing me to actually print a decent amount of them to disperse. one step at a time, though... right?