what i've been working on...

i took a little time off from making anything new because i started to feel kind of burnt out on metal and stones and jewelry entirely, but i feel reinvigorated and have fresh new ideas i want to bring to life!  here's what i've been working on the last few weeks...

since these earrings have really caught on and are currently the most popular item in my shop, i've also used the same idea to make that heart bracelet as well as a ring i still need to get photographed.  i've decided that pyrite is my new favorite stone to work with, so be on the lookout for more of it!

what have you been working on lately?

what i've been working on...

i haven't been working on many new designs as the sales from the lonny magazine feature have been keeping me incredible busy, but i did take a little while yesterday to hammer out something other than the brass quartz hoops that i can't seem to make fast enough! i know that the trend right now in jewelry is "the gaudier, the better" and i do like that, but i have a hard time getting away from the aesthetic i feel most comfortable with: simple and modern.

see what i mean? i really don't have many new things to show! although i don't wear earrings (flojo thinks of them as toys, and if i wear them they'll just end up bent or broken) i always seem to have a lot of ideas for them, and since the hoops below are my best seller, i figured i'd make another geometric shape, but on a slightly smaller scale, and see what people thought! and the bracelets, well, i just love bracelets.

because of the number of these hoops i've been making i've collected an array of blisters and callouses, not to mention raw fingertips. still, i wouldn't have it any other way, and i'd rather put sweat and tears (no blood thanks to my skateboard band aids) into what i do than have a "regular" job any day! now, i'm off to go hammer out some more hoops!

have you been working on anything new?

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...

i haven't been working on jewelry as much this week as i did last week, but i blame that on my memory; i'll have so many great ideas while i'm not around my supplies (and yes, i have tried writing them down, but my scribblings mean nothing once i'm sitting there amongst my metal, hammer, and stones), but by the time i get a chance to work on anything jewelry-related, the ideas are long gone. it's so frustrating. but i have made a few things to add to my shop...

top to bottom: a colorful and glam twist on the basic hammered cuff (shown with peridot, iolite, labradorite, citrine and peridot), ruby zoisite in a hammered brass ring, hammered brass earrings with pyrite and labradorite, black quartz and brass bracelet.

also, i'm not going into annoying blogger shameless self-promotion mode, BUT since this is a post about jewelry that is or will be going on my website, i just thought i'd throw it out as a reminder: until november 18th, 15% of sales from my website will be donated to the rachael horton compassionate care fund (you can read that post here).

i've also been working on my appetite. i kid, that never goes away and doesn't require any work, only food! yesterday and today for lunch i made myself a bacon, mozzarella (the real kind, not the fake shredded crap from the bag), tomato and basil pita. i'm actually getting hungry again just talking about it! and seriously, what can't be made better with fresh basil? nothing!

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.

i hope this tuesday finds you well! i spent a lot of yesterday making a few new items for my website, and today chris and i spent some time in the garage with the metal chop saw, the band saw and the grinding wheel (and i hope i have a few of those pieces ready to show you next week) once we got back from his doctor's appointment. good news: his eye continues to heal, so he should be able to wear his contacts again this weekend, although i really like him in glasses. anyway, here's a little peek at a few things i've been working on...

i'm not sure how long i'll continue making the bullet necklaces, but since i still have some casing i've drilled i figure i'll keep them around a little longer at least. i'm so excited to do more work on the metal pieces i worked on today (with the help of my sweet husband who's willing to handle hot metal when i am not) because it means i have a reason to get some new stones!

ugh, i don't mean to be a debbie downer, but i'm not feeling so hot. the pollen has been giving me terrible headaches the last few days, plus i'm tired, plus i got sick from lunch, and i'm still not sure that's over with, so i had more to tell you, but i think i'm going to lay here on the sofa and have a pity party and hope that when i turn on the TV there will be sex and the city reruns on E!

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.