What I've been working on

I've mentioned before that I am horrible at keeping things to myself. I mean, if you have a deep, dark secret that you need kept hush-hush, you can trust me with it. But when I'm really excited about something I want to tell every single person, even if they don't care.

For example, I've seen several people in the past few weeks announce their moves to new jobs. They kept all of their interviews quiet. They kept the fact that they were looking for another job quiet. It wasn't until they had an official offer that they told anyone at all, and they did it quietly.

And then you have me, who was jumping up and down and telling everyone who came within 5 feet of me "I HAVE AN INTERVIEEEWWWWWW!" approximately 30 seconds after I listened to my voicemail that said "we would like to interview you." I hadn't even set up a time and date yet.

So please know that it was incredibly difficult for me to keep these necklaces secret from their respective owners AND the internet, as their respective owners sometimes read my blog.

Back story: There are 11 siblings in my mom's family. 5 girls. My aunt Martha lives in Norway, and started talking to me last summer about doing sisters necklaces for Christmas.

These are my favorite kind of custom orders. We decided on a general size and shape, and that each would have a birthstone (well, not just A birthstone, but THEIR birthstone. You know). And then I got to take the template I drew up and decide what went inside of each.

Meanwhile, I'd visit my mom, and she'd ask me how all of my custom orders were going. "What do you have left to make?"

"Oh...some necklaces. And earrings and stuff."

I desperately wanted to tell her about how awesome they were because I knew how excited all of the sisters would be that Martha had commissioned these. There were times I wanted to ask "Do you think this aunt would like this? I've never seen what kind of jewelry she wears..." but I just had to keep my mouth shut and wait until our family Christmas on December 19th. Torture.

And THEN to top it off, presents are always passed out at the end. Of course. I carried around the little bag of jewelry boxes off and on all day, because I just wanted them opened NOW. But there wasn't a good opportunity to hand them out until the end, with everyone else.

Onto the photos!

Martha's, in Norway:

The other 4 - I wanted to get a picture without hers so she could see the others and still be surprised about her necklace. And then I forgot to take a picture of all 5! Left to right: turquoise, pearl, chrysoprase, garnet.


The back of each is stamped with my initials as well as "M-sisters 2010"

Announcement

Well hello there!

I have taken a bit of a backseat in the world of the internet, as I've felt the pressure weighing me down.

Marketing.
Selling.
Listing.

Repeat.

I just want to make things.

SO...I have taken all made to order items out of the shop and I will not be taking any custom orders for a short time (never fear if you already have a custom order with me, it will not be put on hold!). I need to sit at my bench and just make stuff. I was the most ambitious I've been in a long time this evening and started seven new projects. Who knows when they'll all be complete...but I'm so happy to be working with stones again. Yum.

I do want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me this holiday season, and always. It's wonderful to think of all the little gems that I've made with my own two hands, making their way to all different countries and climates and people.

Stay tuned for photos of some new stuff soon!

Sooo....that's my car...

Poor Beatrice.


And poor me who has to shovel Beatrice out! It's going to be a long day.

Until then, while I wait for the parking lot to be plowed, I think I'll bake some cookies. Isn't that what you do when you're snowed in?

Sometimes you just have to do something drastic.

Like 7 shades darker,

8 inches shorter,

and bangs.

I am ready to bust out of here.

Only crazy horse people look at the forcast of "ice pellets" and do a little dance, because that means it's going to be in the 20s today! Which means it's warm enough to ride! Icy roads be damned, I'm getting this in before it drops below zero on Sunday.

Some new:

Custom Nesting ring, with a cab of turquoise that I picked up at the Tucson Gem Show. This ring took forever to complete, and thankfully Rachel is a very patient lady and loves it. I even got to deliver it in person and see the reaction!

ever-changing.

My life is growing and changing in such a rate that I can barely keep up.

I'm trying to be healthier, meanwhile mourning the truffle cheese in the fridge (and the butter, and the bread, and the sausage, and the wine...). It's really not so bad, but I'm making some much needed changes and trying to stay focused until it's a habit more than anything. I don't completely deprive myself, but who can eat just a single piece of truffle cheese?

I'm going to warm yoga again, which has been so hard but so good. After I mostly want a hug and/or to cry.

I was offered a new job today and will be starting a new path in January. Mixed emotions, but this is a very, very good thing, as I was looking at unemployment in a few months. When you have pony mouths to feed that is not an option!

Jewelry continues to be sparse, and my time is spent on custom orders. It's good, though. It's good to work with my hands.

Cholula continues to challenge me and test my patience. I'm finding I'm better physically equipped to deal with this. A few months ago, it was so difficult for me to keep my legs quiet. Somehow, something has happened and they are so much better. I feel like I have more control over them. Such a seemingly small thing but so difficult to master, this. Now: to work on my core. You try lifting a 1500 pound beast's belly and shoulders with your abs and let me know how it goes.

Here is a newer ring I finally got around to photographing. It's part II of my organic series:


Rough-hewn. Pulled right out of the dirt. And for sale, here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/63802494/organic-ring-in-jade

winter + deal of the week!

Once I begin to acclimate and once I pull all of my essential winter items out from hiding, I actually really enjoy winter. I imagine some ridiculous sort of camaraderie among my fellow drivers with heavy snow falls. It's kind of comical, really. All of these tires spinning for lack of traction, cars fish tailing around, people desperately trying to go places when their cards are ill-equipped...maybe I just think it's entertaining now because I have snow tires and they turn my little honda into something magical.




I also imagine that the giant snow banks that form along the sides of the road would be like bumpers at a bowling alley if my car were to spin and hit them. I know this is not true, but it makes me feel better when I'm driving about.

Tonight is a jewelry making night, as well as getting a pile of packages ready to ship tomorrow!

Oh, and, I'm trying something new that has been on the back of my mind for awhile. Every week I'm going to offer one of my pieces for a special price. At the end of the week, if not sold, it will return to its original price. We'll see how it goes!




http://www.etsy.com/listing/28281676/deal-of-the-week-sale-silk-ring





This week's deal is the Silk Ring...botswana agate, simply set on a thick band. Size 7.25.





Priced at $55 til Sunday!