standing here on this frozen lake

This picture has very little to do with jewelry, other than it's a picture of me and I make jewelry.

Though I think it's too late this year, if you're from Minnesota you should most definitely check out the art shanties on Medicine Lake. It's well worth a trip in the cold. And they have giant robots, see?

Well then.
I can't seem to organize my thoughts past posting a picture of me standing on a giant body of ice today.

There will be gioielli posts in the near future, promise. Posts about how I hate making things more than once. Posts about potential craft fairs. You know. Jewelry stuff.

What have I been doing?

This is ever so slightly overdue, methinks.

The basic update is: I hate wax and I am sick of working in it and I just want to fabricate right now.

Of course that comes at a time when I'm trying to build up inventory. Of course that comes at a time when I have 2 commissions to make...out of wax.

I'm trying to push through and have them done (packaged and ready for the post office) by Sunday March 1st. It takes so long to finish pieces that I'll likely only get half or so done by the end of April. Such is the way of things, I guess. I am trying out a new casting place that doesn't require a minimum order which is so very nice! This means that if someone wants to order a cast ring in a different size I can potentially have it to them in a few weeks rather than have to wait for several waxes to be finished to send out.

I've now made two outside sales on etsy, both within a week! This time I sold a ring to England, which was just shipped off moments ago.

In between making making making I'm working on retaking all of my photographs. I'll be the first to admit that the first batch aren't all that great, the second batch is better but still not as good as they good be, and the 3rd are much closer to where I want them to be.

See?

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21410318

This ring is NEWLY listed! I also have one in a larger size!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19359630


This is, of course, all in between trying to balance my "life." Full time job? Check. Part time job? Check. Horse that needs work 5 days a week? Check. Gym 5-6 days a week? Check. And THEN there's jewelry. Somewhere.

Needless to say I don't get a lot of cleaning done.

Let me show you my mess.

This is my grand wax station. The poor kitchen table has never seen a meal and likely never will. All of the dark (purple) items are waxes in various stages of completion. The other tools are various files, my jeweler's saw, my ring mandrel, some dental tools, and tic tacs. Orange tic tacs are very, very important in wax casting. So is sugar in the raw, apparently. (hahaha)

Hopefully they'll be ready to go by the end of the weekend - I will need all the time I can get for finishing!

That pile of pink stuff = shavings from cutting and filing the wax.


Oh yeah, and my GOOD NEWS: First real etsy sale! Hooray! My relisting efforts have officially paid off :)

Well THIS certainly does not help things...

The pendant (that is unfinished) that I mentioned in the previous post? The one I want to keep because I love the setting and the stone is wonderful?

I finally (re)discovered what kind of jasper it is. I remembered it was sort of rare and from somewhere out west (I thought Colorado). Turns out Idaho. Turns out they've tripled in value since I purchased them. Turns out they are getting harder to come by...

Bruneau Canyon Jasper.

I DO NOT WANT TO LET THESE GO!

and so it begins.

When I made jewelry in college, I made it for myself. Sure, a few items were created for my mom. I made a bracelet for my roommate, a pendant for another friend. My last year I even made some stuff I was commissioned for.

But most of it was for me.

Thus far I've been perfectly happy to see my pieces find new homes. I've had no emotional attachment to any of them...they were created to sell.

And then there are these 2. I have to sell them. I do. They are 2 of the best pieces I've made (well, the pendant needs to be re-soldered, but it's destined for greatness).

Really, I just realized how much I want to keep them. I went to list the ring on etsy. It's the last of my new items. I had the description perfected. I had the photos selected. And then I just could.not.do.it. I thought of my ring finding a home on someone else's hand and became quite sad.

I mean...no one will want to buy it anyway, right?

New items!

Yes, I am a week late (oops). I continue to underestimate how long the process of listing takes (and that you need pictures first...) It doesn't help that I have so much else going on!

Enough whining and excuses, check out the new stuff!

www.cholulajewelry.etsy.com

Really, you want to!

See?


I am trying very hard to list a wide range of prices in all of my items. Two more to list...that means it's time to get back to my bench (also known as the plastic table in the garage) and make some more stuff!