Create Beautiful Jewelry at Fritz and Friends

If you’re in southeast Michigan and have ever thought about making beautiful metal jewelry, you’ve got to check out Fritz & Friends!  About 10 years ago, I learned how to make a Byzantine chain bracelet.  I needed to buy supplies, and the people at the jewelry supply place told me about Fritz & Friends.  (Back then, it was Fritz Willis.)   And I’ve been there ever since!

Fritz and Friends is a stand-alone jewelry studio in beautiful Franklin, Michigan, where your creativity has no limits.  It offers a fun, friendly and well-equipped learning environment for the study of both basic and advanced techniques in metalsmithing and jewelry making.  Lead instructor, Susan Hoge, has multiple qualifications, including a Masters in Fine Arts from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bachelor of Arts (Studio) from the University of New Mexico, Bachelor of Arts (Creative Arts) from the University of Michigan and Associates in Applied Science (Jewelry Studio) from the Fashion Institute of Technology at the State University of New York.

The studio offers specialized workshops on the weekends, as well as a 10-week session of three-hour day and evening classes (cost is $27 per class; tuition for all 10 weeks is due in full before the session starts).

Fritz & Friends is unique in this region. Students of all ages and walks of life come to learn and work at different levels and paces.  And it’s the kind of place where you can’t help but enjoy yourself.  I like to say that I stick with it because it’s cheaper than therapy.  That’s because I can come in exhausted after a bad day, and by the time I leave, I’m energized and smiling.   

Don't miss out!  A new session begins this week, September 9.  It's not too late to start!    Or you can reserve a place for the Winter session, which starts in January.  Call Jayne at 248-762-4810, or visit  fritzandfriends.org  for more information.

Create Beautiful Jewelry at Fritz and Friends

Mini-Med "Graduation"

Last Tuesday night was graduation from Mini-Med. I must explain. Mini-Med is an annual program offered to the community by the University of Michigan’s Medical School in Ann Arbor. It consists of six weekly classes taught by med school profs, often renowned specialists in their fields, who volunteer their time. And it’s incredible!

A friend and I enrolled in Mini-Med six or seven years ago. My son, who shares my fascination with medical subjects, started attending four years ago. And my husband joined us in 2008. (I think he goes mostly because he likes stopping at P.F. Chang’s in Northville for a late dinner on our way home!)

Each year’s syllabus focuses on a new topic. The subject for my first year was cancer. Every week, we had two doctors who lectured on various cancers, the latest research and their experiences. After each lecture, the doctors took questions from the audience, and people could go up and speak with them individually at the end of the evening. To say that it was interesting is a huge understatement. Subjects since then have included, the brain, the biology of aging, the metabolic syndrome, the G.I. tract and this year’s metabolism, endocrinology and diabetes. It’s an amazing program that’s well worth the $75 fee. We learned a lot and now have the names of some great doctors, should we ever need them.

But back to graduation. On Tuesday, we celebrated with cupcakes and a gift, which this year was a cool key chain with “U of M Mini-Med 2010” engraved on it. If you think you might want to check it out next spring (sign up early, because the class fills up fast), here’s the Mini-Med website:

http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/minimed/

And all these years I assumed that Mini-Med was exclusive to the University of Michigan. But I was surprised to see that U of M’s site has a link to the National Institutes of Health’s list of American universities with Mini-Med programs. Here’s that link:

http://science.education.nih.gov/home2.nsf/DC+Area+Programs/+Mini-Med+School/33AE0968ECE91CDD85256FFC006B245D

If you’re a medical information junkie, this class is for you!

Mini-Med "Graduation"

A Class That’s Cheaper Than Therapy

I missed my jewelry class the other night. Aside from the fact that I didn’t get to finish any of the bracelets or chains I’d been working on, not being there was really a drag. That’s because the class is not only fun and interesting – it’s therapeutic. We have a great eclectic group of students, and we kind of feed off each other, talking and laughing all evening.

The instructor is a brilliant jeweler whose stunning pieces are truly works of art and whose patience has nurtured hundreds of students. The few guys in attendance are a lot of fun. There’s the retired insurance exec who makes flawless rings, bracelets and pendants that could pass for David Yurman pieces – they’re that gorgeous. (And this guy never forgets a joke!) Another talented artist makes his living as a mortician, and his beautiful jewelry sells like crazy on the internet. Then there’s the attorney who makes fantastic pieces and whose specialty seems to be adorable sterling baby spoons. And we have a very talented autoworker who makes impressive gifts and commissioned pieces.

But the women students far outnumber the men. We represent a hodgepodge of backgrounds – teachers, nurses, a doctor, automotive, saleswomen, stay-at-home moms and a number of other lifestyles. Almost all of them have one thing in common – they’re artists who create amazing objects of beauty. And probably the most skilled is Mary, to whom I felt an instant connection.

Mary knows so much about metalsmithing that she teaches it at art centers, schools and other establishments. She sells her creations at several area art fairs and a few galleries and has even sold a few of my pieces. Because she’s so knowledgeable, she ends up spending a good portion of her class time teaching the rest of us how to do stuff. Just being around her as she works makes me want to produce more!

But perhaps the best thing about the group is the wicked sense of humor that seems to permeate the room. The bantering goes on all evening, and sometimes we laugh ‘til our guts ache. Because of the camaraderie, we help each other with projects and personal issues alike. We care about each other. And the energy in the studio is amazing! That’s why I can arrive feeling frazzled and worn out and leave renewed, like I could take on the world.

Yes, when I miss my jewelry class, I get really bummed out. It’s way cheaper than therapy, and those people fuel my soul!

A Class That’s Cheaper Than Therapy