These are not jewelry.

One:
I CAN'T NOT SHARE THIS WITH YOU.







I heard it for the first time last night and I just laughed and then I saw the video and it couldn't have been more perfect.



Two:
If you dress up like your (least?) favorite most awful processed/fast food for halloween and go to Chipotle, you can get a $2 burrito! Hot damn! It's part of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, which is pretty awesome.



Three:
This is a face I make a lot of the time.

I was sifting through photos on my computer last night for A LITTLE WONDER, and I came across this. Joe took it. We were on a frozen lake covered in art shanties. You can read more about that here: http://www.artshantyprojects.org/

And I suggest you do, because it's pretty cool. I love Minnesota.

Four:

This is a jewelry-free post because TRUE STORY, I worked on nothing last night.

I am working on some things.

Some new things, like getting some of my photographs together to put here. (I've only had it for 2 years...)

Some jewelry things, like a pile of custom pieces. And some earrings. And charmy things. And I have another home show in 1.5 weeks? Oh!

Some pony things. Cholula is such a rock star. I love her. Last night we rode in the LOUD arena, with winds whipping around outside up to 60mph. The canvas was flapping, the metal bars were creaking, but Cho settled into work like it was any other day. Because she is awesome.

I need to order silver and I should probably just do it but I'm being really optimistic/hopeful that silver prices will go down. Even though they probably won't. $23+ per ounce, sir. No thank you.

It's taking ever fiber of my being to not buy everything. I am in shopping mode, and some people make some really fantastic things.

Like this:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/56788253/margarette-knew-the-day-would

And these:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60067555/three-little-terrariums

AND THIS.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59499208/sale-25-percent-off-the-patience

Back to normal.

I mentioned my weekend was a whirlwind of wonderful. And it was. Some rings I was surprised to see stick around for so long found fingers - happy! And we capped it all off with a lovely dinner and (more) lovely wine.

The world would be a better place with more wine + jewelry parties. For sure.

I added a handful of my made to order items to my etsy shop for the holiday season. Stacking rings like these:

Earrings like these:

And of course, horse halter tags and horseshoe necklaces. Because ponies and girls that love them need presents too.

This afternoon I'm going to take a NAP and then head to the barn to ride ponykins. I haven't ridden in a week and have only seen her a few times in the dark while feeding. I miss her.

hello, it is Saturday.

I can't believe day 2 of 3 of the open house is already over. My lungs are rejoicing (asthma triggered by allergies in a house with multiple cats - which is one of my worst triggers), the rest of me is not.

It's such a wonderfully different thing to sell in person after months of only interacting with people online. I get to see their reactions. I get to tell them how I made something. I get to see people pick something up and watch their faces and put it in their basket. Things I made!

Not to mention being surrounded by such great people. There is a woman who makes beautiful pottery. And another who makes lovely scarves and collages. A gentleman that brings his southwestern flair and endless stories. And another woman, new this year, who makes deliciously rustic copper and silver pieces. And then, of course, the hosts - making piles of gemmy earrings and necklaces, 22k and 24k chains, and SO much more.

Everything about the open house weekends is a treat and I wish they could happen every month.

I finished these 2 earrings shortly before I went over to set up yesterday:

A little different take on my lulas. Next time I do them this way I think they need to be made with a thicker gauge of silver...these are featherweights. I rather like them, though. And I like the texture.

Shaboom earrings:
I started these over a year ago! They kept getting pushed back. Originally they were going to have metal spoony things hanging from them, but I tried it and didn't like how any of the variations looked. Then I tried wire wrapping some stones and I thought that would work, so I ordered these lovely garnets. Autumn-y earrings! Swingy earrings! I really love them. Little fall jellyfish for your ears. They sold almost immediately...so I may have to make another pair or 2.

That is all over here...the etsy shop will be a bit bare upon it's reopening, but that's just fine. I will manage. I will make some more. You know.

3 necklaces. (preview)

I finished these up on Tuesday.





Leftmost: Carnie carnelian necklace. Wait til you see the back! (As usual, my camera picked up more red in the carnelian. It's definitely red-ORANGE.)
Center: Submarine OJ necklace in autumnal hues...this one I made for you! The first one I ended up keeping...I am wearing it right now, actually.
Rightmost: A glowing drop of prehnite. I pierced the little seed pod motif (as seen on the pod necklaces & a few other things) on the back.

Apparently I'll be posting photos later to show the backs of all of these...they all have their own little details!




Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go remove the insides of my ears. They have been itching for the past hour and I don't think I can take it much longer. (If anyone has an allergy medicine that actually works, do tell. I'm fairly sure I've tried them all, but perhaps there is a magic drug out there that I'm missing...)

The Claudias.

I'm back!

I have reopened the etsy shop til Friday, when it will close again until Sunday evening. I can't believe the fall open house is already here! I also can't believe I'm so prepared for it!

Yesterday I jumped into the studio to finish up various pieces sitting on my bench. The poppy jasper necklace that I hadn't touched for 6 months? Well, I decided to finish it.

Head.ache.

This piece makes me feel as though I shouldn't make jewelry. And I don't know how to solder. And that I need a bigger torch (this is a sure thing, I would really like to upgrade to acetylene/oxygen, as scary as that is!).

I think I made the whole thing work, but I'm not holding my breath. I guess we'll see after I put it in the polisher to give it a thorough cleaning. Solder fails always show up better then.

In other news, I'm quite pleased with everything else to be finished. A dear little prehnite necklace (it's pretty dear. Seriously.), a small carnelian necklace with an old/new design, and a submarine necklace for the shop instead of me, since I kept the first one. A handful of earrings and then it's on to price tags and earring cards and I'll be set to sell!

Recap of my trip to see my favorite boyfriend:
-Young's double chocolate stout ice cream floats (!)
-lots of fried things at the TX state fair, including cookie dough, oreos, and pickles.
-minor panic attack on the ferris wheel at the TX state fair.
-lots of sleeping.
-lots of television show marathons.
-my favorite cupcakes ever!
-lots of being completely lazy
-a little plant browsing

And then I came back to one of the neediest cats in the universe. I woke up in the middle of the night and she had positioned herself next to me/on my arm in such a manner that it was as though I was holding my very own live stuffed animal. Pathetic.

Oh, and...

There will be a give away on facebook before the end of the week!