what i've been working on...

on monday morning i told myself  "you are not allowed to come out of this room until you have multiple new pieces of jewelry completed and ready to photograph."  sometimes i'm so bossy.  but the good news is, after a lot of work, sore hands and arms, and a hammered finger or two, i finally got some new things made for my shop!

i also have two more necklaces, but wouldn't you know that my camera battery died on me with only about 60 seconds of warning?  so my next goal is to remember to take those pictures (but since i have several paintings to work on, it may be a while)!

i always hate when i go for so long without blogging, but chris was nice enough to infect me with whatever summer cold type thing he had.  i felt awful on friday night, so-so on saturday, pretty good on sunday, and terrible on monday afternoon and tuesday.  it's weird how these things can be bad one day and barely there the next.  but hopefully i've just about kicked it!

so how have you been, and have you been working on anything new lately?

feathers

uhhhmmmm, i didn't really know what to blog about today. i always like to have a few days or even a week of posts planned out, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. so how about if i show you what i worked on this weekend?

since chris left at about 6am on saturday morning and wouldn't be back until shortly before i went to bed, i knew i had the house to myself and could really spread out (translation: make a huge mess of supplies) and listen to the grease soundtrack all day long! in addition to doing my usual boring cleaning, i knew i wanted to play around with watercolors. i kind of liked the way the one feather turned out, so i tried to make pretty much the same feather, but with different colors. i've never been very good with watercolors, but i still enjoy painting from time to time!

i've also been air plant farming. i have a little collection of several air plant species that i've been watering and sunning just waiting to get babies and blooms! this weekend i decided to use some of the plants and stones to make these babies. i guess plants are the big home thing right now because i've been seeing them used in the most creative ways, so i figured i'd have a little fun with them as well!

i guess that's all i've got for now. how has your week been so far? have you been working on any fun projects?

what i've been working on...

well, to be honest, i haven't been working on making as many new things as i'd like, and i attribute that to rubbing kona's belly too much, eating too many cheez-its when i'm not really hungry, and having dance-offs with flojo (which i've still not won). i kid, partially. i have been busy with jewelry, but since about half of what i keep in my shop is made to order, sometimes that's more a priority than thinking up new designs. but i do have three new things to share with you though!

since the natural stone and brass arch necklaces have been so popular, i decided to do a variation on the original design by putting the arch to the side, and then keeping it below, but making it squared. i have several other stones i'm going to use for similar designs, and i can't wait to get those made because the stones (which include calcite and marble) are so beautiful!

the earrings weren't made to go on my website - although i may decide to add them soon - but instead for an amazing giveaway including three other great items on beca's blog (and she's giving away a pair of tumbleweeds sunnies)! i you haven't entered, be sure to do it because the winner will definitely not be disappointed!

two more things that are completely unrelated but you might want to know: last night i made boerenkool for dinner, and i think we have a new regular for mealtime rotation! second, i'm just about to finish up my first week of fat-free milk consumption, and i won't lie, this hasn't been easy.

so what have you been working on, and are you a fat-free milk drinker?

what i've been working on...

in addition to painting my fingernails, trying to convince chris that he'll like brussel sprouts, and working on my endurance (so i can kick at least a few butts in a spetember marathon - yes, i know that's a long ways away), i've been making a few pieces of jewelry. every year since i've been selling online has been slow from about a week before christmas until the middle of january, so i feel like now i can take a little break and work on jewelry when i want rather than round the clock. here are a few pieces of jewelry i've been working on for my shop...

i hope you had a fun new year's eve and started your new year off well! i started my new year off the way any significant occasion should be welcomed or celebrated - WITH FOOD! honestly, i think about it sometimes, and if i ate less (and i could certainly stand to do it) but kept running the same amount, i'd basically be invisible if i turned sideways. but i just can't give up my food. not gonna happen. i'm not sure how i went from talking about jewelry to talking about food, but before i start telling you about my love for orange cinnamon rolls and bacon, i will bid you adieu.

what i've been working on...

lately i've been working my hands to the bone. okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's almost true; i got some metal splinters that i still can't pick out, so that's close enough, right? *edit* after i posted this i went to work hammering out a bracelet, and also hammered my finger. i wasn't sure for a little while whether or not it was broken, but i think it's still in one piece, just a nasty shade of purple! in addition to making some new pieces for my shop, i've also been working diligently to finish up a large batch of jewelry for the bridge's holiday shop, and last but not least, a few pieces for tumbleweeds' store in san diego!

and while we're on the subject of jewels, i just wanted to say (for anyone who might be in the market for jewelry for themselves or as a christmas gift, etc.) for a few more days i'll be donating 15% of sales from my shop to the rachael horton compassionate care fund, so get some new bling and help an animal at the same time!

have you been working on anything lately? if you have a shop, are you prepared for a christmas shopping rush?

what i've been working on.

coming off of such a great weekend, it's kind of hard getting back into the regular monday routine, but one thing that keeps me from getting started on the boring work is blogging! i have so many things i want to share, but it's just a matter of making myself blog. i want to get better about it though, and that's why one thing on my to-do list for today is taking pictures for posts! in the meantime, i'll share a few pieces of jewelry i've been working on for my shop...

i always have new jewelry to add to my website, it's just a matter of taking the time to update that i'm bad about. last week though, i was on top of things! i listed 12 new necklaces and one pair of earrings, and i even have a few other things that i plan to add later this week! the mr. t saying comes to mind right about now, "i love it when a plan comes together."

in addition to adding new jewelry, i also gave the homepage a little bit of a new look. i think i like the way the image turned out, and i have my amazing husband to thank for that since he's the one who found that deer skull complete with antlers for me during one of his walks through the woods!

aside from jewelry making i... celebrated an anniversary with chris, got together with some great friends, saw some family, ate way too much, ate way too much again, discovered some new favorite edibles, bought some books, and did so much walking i actually can't walk right now. whew!

how was your weekend?

what i've been working on...

lately i've had a lot of new ideas, and when this happens, i don't question the sudden overload of inspiration everywhere i look, or the need to make more than sleep, i just go with it because this, as a craftsman (i was going to say artist since, technically, i do create, but i feel pretentious about using that term in regards to myself), is what i LIVE for! not only have i been inspired to make jewelry, but i've been thinking a lot about another project, only i can't tell you just yet, but i promise i will in time! so, here are a few of the things that have been keeping me busy...

and a little note about each, from the top: woven vintage chains set in spent bullet casings, raw stone tube set in angle cut brass (i do not like using that giant saw, so sometimes i enlist chris for help!), i love ombre just as much as anyone else so i figured i'd ombre some chain to make earrings, raw stone set in a hammered brass wrap, citrine and porcupine quill earrings.

i've got so much more that i've been working on, but 1. i didn't want you to get picture overload, and 2. i always have a hard time looking at my pictures and knowing what will work when the afternoon sun is shining warm light through my window straight into my laptop. so that's what i've got for now! they'll be listed in my shop soon!

what have you been working on? where have you found inspiration lately?

what i've been working on.

in a way i've been working, and in a way i haven't. that doesn't make much sense, but some days have been super busy and i feel like i've gotten a ton of things accomplished, and other days i pretty much sit in my pajamas wasting time like a pro. so yeah, that about sums it up! i've added a few new things to my website, but yesterday when i really sat down to update, i realized just how many new items i have that still haven't made an appearance! here's a little peek at what i've been working on...

so what have you been working on? did you have a good july 4th, or canada day, or just a good monday depending on where you live? ours was pretty uneventful, but we did eat some delicious burgers and watch fireworks from our front porch in our underwear. we don't have neighbors, so underwear is acceptable outdoor attire.

rock candy.

i know this post is a little late coming, but blame it partially on my body-related midlife crisis (i just want to exercise like crazy lately because i refuse to accept the fact that my body is changing and decide that i can't do anything about it), and my never-long-enough chat with carla. but i did finally get some pictures adjusted so i could show you some of the beautiful stones i saw on saturday. of course, i wouldn't be me if i was completely with it and prepared, so i forgot to photograph the stones i got! i'll do that later.....maybe.....if i remember.

there were so, so, so many gorgeous stones, and i wish i could have gotten closer, more detailed pictures of some of the large (and really expensive) mineral specimens, but i know some people are really funny about having their stuff photographed. if i thought i could pull off covert picture taking and be sneaky like a jungle cat, believe me, i would have, but i'd probably draw attention to myself by knocking over a 60 pound $750 quartz druzy or something.

it was a really fun day, and i'm planning on going to another one, but coming home with LOTS more. of course after we were about 20 minutes away i got all sorts of ideas for all of these stones and beads i saw, but there was no way i was going to turn around and go back so that all four of us could go back in and look at everything again!

also, this is completely off the subject of stones, but i feel the need for a from the heart type post. i'm going to try to get my thoughts in order and talk about my dilemma tomorrow, because i really am curious as to whether i'm the only one feeling like this, or if it's pretty common.

that's it for now. happy tuesday!

time to...rock!

i had an outfit post planned for today, but since the sky turned black and the sun went hiding somewhere in the recesses of darkness - okay, we had a storm - i was without any natural light, and my pictures turned out looking like grainy turds. the outfit post will have to wait, but this exciting little nugget of information can't... I'M GOING TO A GEM AND MINERAL SHOW TOMORROW! i'm really excited. chris and i are meeting pop and tricia at their house tomorrow morning, first stopping for breakfast and then heading to salem, va! i'm taking two cameras, on digital and one film, and i plan to snap until someone stops me (and then maybe a little more if i think i can be sneaky).

my pop, he's in for a little violence tomorrow morning. he called me about an hour ago and told me he had bad news (the exact same line he used when he tricked me, 3 TIMES, into thinking he had to work so we couldn't go to soul food the other week). i kept insisting that i didn't believe him, but after a few minutes, when he never admitted he was kidding, i finally felt pretty deflated and believed that he really did have to work until 1pm tomorrow. of course, only after i'm on the verge of TEARS does he tell me that he's kidding. i called him a name, and it wasn't nice...good thing he knows i'm kidding. so that's it, from now on, i can't believe what he tells me!

anyway, okay, i sort of got off on a tangent there, but the point is, i'm going to the gem and mineral show tomorrow, and i can't wait to show you pictures and my loot! have a good holiday weekend, american friends!

the beautiful rock collection is from the talented artist cori kindred.

my friend and the beast.

have you met my friend brittan? i could tell you that she's funny, pretty, sweet, creative, and all those good things, but maybe you'd think i'm biased. well, i am. but all those things about her are completely true! she's one of my first and best blogging friends, and i love the friendship that we've developed. not too long ago she did a post introducing her crochet covered stone and beach glass jewelry, and i just stared. and stared and stared. i have one of her crochet covered beach stones, so to think of the same idea, but in jewelry form, just had me hooked! so, last week i had a package from her in my mailbox, and in addition to a gorgeous custom made brooch with a painting of flojo, some quartz and amethyst stones and a porcelain bird, I HAD A CROCHETED AMETHYST NECKLACE! i was so excited! you can find her shop here and take a looksie at some of the necklaces!

the necklace above is mine, all mine! the two below are some of my favorites from her shop. isn't she incredibly talented? i love how the necklace with quartz has the crochet at the top, almost like an acorn.

now for the part about the beast. i was taking pictures this morning for a client, and when i got to this jeep i needed a picture of, i just happened to look down, and there it was. the biggest black snake i've seen since i was 11 or 12, just stretched out in the grass, black scales lit up by the sun, not a foot from where i was standing. i think i did number 1, 2, 3, AND 4 right there in my pants. i jumped, screamed, and ran like the wind back to my car. i got in, hyperventilating and screaming to myself as if that would make the snake disappear (never to reappear again, ideally), and realized i had to get back out. i wasn't finished taking pictures. for the last few, i didn't step foot in the grass, and i realized just how much i appreciate zoom on my camera. i may have had a heart attack, or maybe heart failure, either way i'm surprised i lived to tell about it, not because i'm afraid a snake will hurt me, but because i'm afraid i'll lose consciousness and all major organs will shut down from adrenaline overdose. so yeah, that beast scared the crap, almost literally, out of me. the worst and scariest part of my day!

i hope you've had a good, snake-free day!

stones, man (and a mini what i've been working on)

i feel like i've had a lot going on, and after i decided to do a "what i've been working on" post, i realized that i really hadn't made much of anything. if that doesn't tell me i need to get busy on jewelry for my shop, then i don't know what does. i have made a few raw gem stone rings though, and i was excited last thursday to go back to the gem shop and find a few new stones i somehow managed to overlook the other times i've been. here's what i've got...

i got some double terminated quartz, agate, peacock ore, tangerine quartz, and a few more pretty pieces. now it's time to make more orb necklaces and drill a few rocks.

i feel like a woman of few words today. i had planned to do an outfit post because i love the vintage dress i wore, and i'm always happy to wear my tan dr. scholl's exercise sandals, but of course i forgot until after i changed into my ratty clothes once i got home! oops. i hope you've had a good thursday!

what i've been working on.

i wanted to post this yesterday, but it was such a looooong day. i got home from my part time job at 2:00 then worked on a website until about 5:30, washed the dishes, worked on the website more until about 7:30, printed shipping labels, packaged orders and didn't sit down to eat dinner and finally call it a day until just after 9:00. and the worst part is, i got some new stones yesterday, and i wasn't even able to play with them! that all changes today. once i finish posting this, it's stones, metal and hammers for me!

okay, so now that i'm almost finished posting this, and i've just finished eating my lunch (FINALLY!!!), i think i've sort of hit that 3:30 slump, and a nap sounds more appealing than jewelry-making. we'll see.

also, i love the questions you guys have been asking me for my next vlog post! i'm already getting nervous about doing it! i hope you're having a good week, and i hope it's warmer in your part of the world than it is here.