two.

I'm in machine mode. This means making lists and getting overly excited when I get to cross something off as complete. Last week, as evidenced by my blog posts, I went earring crazy. I have a handful of designs I make over and over because people like them. Especially open house people. When I realized how soon the open house was coming up and that I had very few pairs of earrings for said open house, I went to remedy that asap. We are now up to a happy number of earrings, but I still have 3 pairs to finish and 2 to start. !

I am secretly hoping that at least one pair of poppy posts does not sell. So I can keep them. They really don't take much time to make and I could just sit down and DO it one of these days...but it is so hard to make things for myself. Too little time!

Here are 2 of the many pairs that are complete, though not yet in the shop:

Petal Posts

These were born of my incredible ADD and hyperactive studio time. I kept going back to the general concept, and oval oval oval, in between "and then solder and then file this and then wire wrap that and then oxidize these and then set that and then and then and then....!" My hands couldn't keep up with my brain.

And then at one point when I was trying to accomplish something else, I looked down at my table and saw an old template stuck to the top of it that was the exact size and perfectly imperfect shape for the idea. So I dropped whatever it was I was doing and cut these out. Good story.

Bow Earrings

A bit of a variation on some earrings I made in the past (you know, the coral and peridot similar to this. you know.). I bought some larger gauged beaded wire semi-recently, as the small stuff was making me mad. Crazy mad AND angry mad. It breaks everytime I pick it up and try and do something with it. I deem it mostly useless.

But not this beaded wire! This stuff behaved. And that was good. I've had those little vintage glass beads for like 2 years and I'm glad they turned into something more fun than their originally intended purpose, which was the most boring earrings ever. I've grown.

The ear wires are pretty long on these puppies, but I can't remember how long they hang down. Longer than your average pair of earrings. Whatever that means.

That is that! Soon-like I will tell you about my latest endeavor, which involves me employing small children with amazingly developed manual dexterity in order to set tiny, tiny faceted stones. Just kidding. We have child labor laws in this country.

But I did buy some tiny, tiny faceted stones and a foot of tubing and somehow the stones are supposed to go in the tubing. In the tubing. Right. If you saw the lack of tools and how I actually do things you would laugh at how hopelessly optimistic (read: stupid) I am being in thinking I can make this work. Seriously. I have 2 pairs of pliers and one is the cheapest pair of round-nose you've ever seen and the other pair aren't even jewelry pliers. And that's it. You'd be amazed at how many uses I've found for my vice! Desperation breeds creativity? I don't know. We'll discuss another day.

Off to the post office and to find some lunch!

a handful.

I made some things, you know.

And then I photo'd them and even managed to put some in my shop.

I've decided that I will be closing the shop while I'm on vacation. Because it's vacation. I've also taken out anything that's made to order, because I have other things to worry about this week, like getting my apartment and clothes clean before I leave.

Sorry to be so business-like...it's not much of a writing day for me today. Maybe after I have my coffee and don't feel like walking zombie. I hate you, Monday.

Onto pretty things!

Lunar Earrings

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57921042/lunar-earrings?ref=v1_other_1

I will be honest with you: I like these earrings. But I like them significantly more because I've associated them with Major Tom and anything remotely associated with David Bowie, even if it's my own doing, makes me a little giddy.



Rawhide Ring (part II)


http://www.etsy.com/listing/57918835/rawhide-ring?ref=v1_other_2

I know I've probably mentioned this a few times before, but I really love Owyhee Jasper. In every form and pattern and color. I also feel like I'm a grown-up jeweler because it's like I made a little series.

Deery Me earrings

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57919515/deery-me-earrings?ref=v1_other_1

I started these with the intention of having them at the art fair. You know, the one in July. Sometimes it takes me a long time to pick something back up again.

That concludes today's blogging fun!

new. announcements. WEG!!!

This week I have been cheering on the grand prix riders doing their thing down in Kentucky at the World Equestrian Games. I so badly wish I could be there to watch - it's so close! - but I have faith that at some other point in my life it will be in the US and I can attend then.

Dressage is truly the closest I get to understanding those who care about sports at all. I think American football is boring, the most unathletic sport ever, and did I mention boring? I don't understand when people are personally invested in *THEIR* team winning and how it can make or break their day.

I care about dressage because it is my sport. And really, it is so much more than that. It is about harmony, athleticism, and partnership between horse and rider. Sure - I want the US to bring home medals. I am thrilled for Steffen Peters getting his bronze. But, I'm just as excited to see a great US ride as I am to see a great ride from any other country. This ride, for example, still gives me goosebumps everytime I watch:



I love how expressive she was - you can tell she loves her job.

Anyway, onto some jewelry things!

This weekend I have 5 new earrings, 2 new finished rings, and 2 new *you pick the size* rings to show you/list! Exciting! I will be finishing up photographing them this afternoon, and some will be listed tonight with the rest tomorrow. I'm prepared this time: all descriptions are written!

Shop closure announcements:
October 8th-17th I will be in Texas.
October 22nd-24th I will be participating in the fall open house I do every year. Everything not sold will be listed on etsy when I recover from the weekend!

I haven't actually decided if I will completely close up shop when I'm in Texas or not. I want to give these you pick the size rings a chance, but I also want to bring them to the open house, finished, if they don't sell.

Picking myself up.

They can't all be good rides: I have to remind myself of this.



Last night wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't good, either. I feel as though our progress towards the canter has taken a huge leap backwards. It's discouraging. But, we'll take today off. A break for a big black beastie and a break for the human's thighs. (Truth be told, I rode them to their limit, last night. I wondered if this was the muscle failure my brother has been talking about.) (Just kidding, I don't really think that trying to get my horse to canter is anywhere near the kind of physical training my brother has been doing in the Army.)



I have to remember that this is a process, for both of us. And that although it's frustrating training a baby (ok, she's not a baby anymore, she's 8) I'd probably be bored with a made horse.

But sometimes the want for a horse that just CANTERS overpowers all of that other crap.


But, enough about that. Tonight I'm going to polish the growing pile of earrings (that stopped growing when I ran out of 20g wire for the ear wires...more on the way!) and work on an order for these:

I love these rings so much that they are on my list of things to make for myself. They started the stacking pair thing for me -- now I'm always on the lookout for little stones that are interesting together.

I have 5 pairs of earrings left to start and/or finish after these and my goal is to have all of them done by this weekend. And then...onto the necklaces. Time is running out quickly!

I have also added this ring to the SALE section:

in which I ramble about earrings a lot.

I have earrings spilling out of every pore. In an attempt to cut down my list of what to make for the open house, I instead ended up adding a few pairs to bunch. Fail.

I've had a really hard time focusing and getting things done, because I'm overwhelmed with the possibilities. There are so many variations on designs I've done, so many new designs I want to try, and then every new design has a million and three new places I could further explore it.

It's a bit of a problem, and I generally end up standing, sitting, standing, sitting, walking over to the notebook, sitting, flipping through designs, standing, sitting, and overall spending a lot of time combating this little ADD affliction I seem to have. Also, throw in some really bad dancing to the really bad music on the radio (must. bring. CDs. to studio.)

But, I seem to have done a fair enough job, as here is the pile of earrings I have ready to take a bath in liver of sulfur (well, some of them anyway) and then happily tumble around with each other and some steel shot:


I really tried very hard to keep only the earrings in frame because you'd be very horrified to see my bench. All of those little pieces of paper everywhere are my various templates that I use and then stick all over the bench. It is ridiculous and I don't know why I do this. The copper was a failed halter tag (I didn't stamp the B properly). Above the copper are stones for a few pieces in progress. And the big black cord is baby torch, aka favorite torch. It's my favorite until I get really frustrated in it's lack of heating capabilities, anyway. Then I remember that I have a larger torch and I should probably just suck it up and turn it on. I'm very lazy. And I am scared of larger torch.

Anyway, I think I have 11 pairs ready for their polish, then will come finishing and stone setting and wire wrapping and such.

I also started working on a pair of earrings with stones, because I seem to be on a metal only kick. The stones of choice are these lovely, BRIGHT BLINDING BLUE apatite cabochons I picked up at the Tucson gem show.

I knew they were going to be tricky. I knew they were brittle. I knew apatite liked to fracture. Dear apatite, move up on the mohs scale, you're brittle and stupid, and if you have to come in such pretty colors you should probably be a little more resilient to the world. I am just sayin.

Anyway, I broke one. Actually, I didn't. I looked at it and it looked like it had a fracture line. I couldn't have possibly caused this because I JUST PICKED IT UP. And I was like "huh I wonder if that's a fracture line" so I tried to snap it with my hands and it broke in 2 pieces, like this:

Stupid apatite.

And if you're thinking "stupid girl, why did you try to snap it in half?" Well, if it was already fractured it would have happened at some point, and better in my hand than in the customer's. I guess I'll grind it up and save it for the day when I do resin pieces again.

Anyway, thankfully I had 2 more. I thought I had more than that, though, and so no more are allowed to break in the making of these earrings. The last one has been reserved for a necklace I'm making someday. Ok? If I break another one I'm hunting down some other 8x10 stones and letting the apatite rest in sweet peace and never buying it again. (but it's so bluuuue...)

My deepest apologies for the picture quality. I left my camera at home today because I forget things a lot and I used my cell phone to take these. Also, my hands really aren't that red.

She's so cute.

Cholula Mae and I had a fantastic ride today. Have I mentioned I love my horse?

a few notes for you. and me.

NEWS:

I have revived the facebook fan page! I'm planning on doing some special offers exclusively through the fan page in the very near future, and move most of my jewelry updates from my personal facebook page to the fan page. Previews of new jewelry will also land there first. Click over to the right to become a fan! Providing it finally works, anyway. Facebook blogger thing and I had a lot of words yesterday.

Status of new work: Due to rains of tropical storm proportions, I've been unable to take photos of anything else. Hopefully this afternoon will cooperate with me!

What I'm working on now: EARRINGS!! The fall open house is VERY quickly approaching, and with a 10-day trip to Texas the week before I have very limited time to get things made! Earrings are always my best seller - what girl can't justify another pair? (I come home with at least 1 new pair every open house. It's a sickness).

I have approximately 14 more pairs to make, but since a lot of them are my "regular" designs it should be smooth sailing. I desperately hope it is, anyway. 14 of anything is a huge number to me.

And then I need to move onto the necklaces. !!

And, as much as I would love to make more rings right now, I'm holding off until after the open house.

BUT. There may be a bracelet in the works. A CUFF, PEOPLE. I've been holding off on making cuffs because I'm worried that it's too much for even my "big" torch. I'm taking a slightly simpler/smaller approach than my most favorite collage cuffs, and hopefully it'll go awesomely and I can be more relaxed about trying a collage cuff.

I actually don't know why I think that this will be easier to heat up because it's a super thick piece of metal.

But it'll be fine. I will make it work.

I want a bigger big torch.

What I am listening to right now: Tool - Aenima. The whole album. I think if you made me choose my favorite, I might choose this one. It'd be really, really hard though.

I'm cleansing my poor ears today. I've been making myself miserable in the studio with the radio. I can't figure out how to change it from the top 4o station and if I have to hear Katy Perry's voice one more time I'm going to curl up into fetal position and cry. Or Mike Posner? "Cooler than me" ?? If there was ever a song that made me violent, this would be the one. "if I could write you a song and make you fall in love..." Honey, if this is an example of your song writing skills, no one is going to fall in love with you. Ever. Just pleast stop writing music.

I feel better already.

Off to be productive!