Blog

I've been traveling a lot this summer. The most relaxing week was spent with my family in Vermont. Our house is pretty secluded surrounded by woods, at the end of a beautiful lake. We look out on a little cove that's filled with thousands of waterlilies.

I spent many lazy days floating around the lake, kayaking and taking pictures.

I love spending hours in antique, thrift and consignment stores (and thankfully my mother does too). Being an antiques dealer, she started training me at an early age! She's always finding new shops in Vermont and New Hampshire for us to explore on my visits. I'm a very patient and meticulous hunter and I get a serious thrill when I discover a real treasure. I found a few on this trip...

Vintage brass chains that I will take apart and repurpose into my jewelry. Detail of a long Grecian style tunic dress with gorgeous silver embroidery.

A handmade, navy blue lace jacket. The time and love that went into the garment is evident in all the little details.

I found some other lovely pieces but they will remain a surprise for now... as I plan on using them in my next lookbook photo shoot. So stay tuned!

October 04, 2008

Welcome to my new website and blog. I’d like to share thoughts and links about jewelry, design, craft, fashion, food, wine and anything else that I find inspiring along the way. The focus will be mostly, but not exclusively, on green and sustainable practices.

First, some background information about my family’s metalworking and creative history…. I’m Austrian, German, Swiss and Irish. I love tracing the roots of my family and following the narrative. Somehow I feel an even stronger connection to the materials I work with, knowing that my Great-Great-Grandparents worked with them before me.

Austrian
My Great-Great-Grandfather, Ferdinand Muenster was a coppersmith in Mannersdorf, Austria. This first picture was taken in front of the guild, he is the white bearded man in the bottom row, second from the right. His son, my Great Grandfather Rudolph Muenster, made boilers, copper stills, distilling equipment and brewery vats. The second image captures him with one of his boilers.

I had the good fortune of knowing my Grandfather, Alexander Muenster for most of my life. He had a great design sense, loved beautiful cars, suits, hats and women. (but that’s another story) He was a coppersmith and stainless steel worker, designing and constructing industrial kitchen equipment. He was extremely active and the oldest living member of the sheet metalworker’s union in NJ and when he died at age 96 1/2, I was incredibly moved by the number of union members that attended his funeral. One of the men said that he was not just a gifted metalworker, but a true artist. I still use some of his old tools in my studio today.

German
My Grandfather, Herbert Muench was a painter, potter, enameler and photographer and was involved in the motion picture industry. I grew up surrounded by his ceramic figures and boxes. Today I’m happy to have one of his paintings in my studio.

Swiss
My Great-Grandparents, the Bodenmann’s, owned and operated a Swiss embroidery and lace making shop. They made high end lace until WWII. Wanting to contribute to the war effort, they reworked their shop and started making patches for the military. Bags of vintage buttons and belt buckles that they collected were among the coveted playthings I had for rainy days. I’d be entertained for hours with these treasures dumped out on the dining room table. Sorting, filing and arranging…. now I use them in my jewelry.

My Grandmother Anna Bodenmann worked as a seamstress in the garment industry in NY, sewing lingerie. Later she was a knitter, making blankets, ponchos, sweaters and hats for the family.

Irish
My Grandmother, Anne Daily sang with big bands in NY and NJ. She was also a dressmaker. She taught my mother how to sew and they both made a lot of my clothing.

Austrian/Swiss
My father is very creative. He’s the kind of person that can fix and build anything… Growing up, he encouraged me to use tools, and to start making jewelry. He showed me how to cut a sheet of metal and hammer a band around a pipe (I believe we used a rubber mallet!). I’m inspired by the beautiful stone walls that he builds on our property. He uses found stone and hides little tiles in secret spots that you discover while meandering through the paths.

German/Irish
My mother is an antiques dealer and when I was very young, she gave me a vintage silver ring that looked like a garland of flowers. That ring was the start of my first collection, and I realized that I didn’t just want to collect jewelry, I wanted to make it. My mother also taught me a lot about local and organic food and nutrition. We grew our own vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. She knows every flower and tree by name.

I feel incredibly humbled and honored to continue the metalworking and craft traditions that make up my family’s history. The influences and examples, whether they were consciously or unconsciously absorbed in my childhood, really did shape me and instill a love of nature, craft, handwork, recycling, reusing, collecting, repurposing and creating.

More images of my family can be found on my Flickr page:
www.flickr.com/photos/kirstenmuensterjewelry/

Visit my Facebook Company Page and become a fan:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Muenster-Jewelry/23578368980

I would like to thank my boyfriend, Joseph Ternes for creating my new ecommerce site!!!