Overwhelmed.

Despite carefully portioning out my life into segments: jewelry, barn, work, sleep, reading, cleaning, eating (not necessarily in that order, mind you) I've found myself filled to the brim with anxiety and doubt and discontent.

It's not pleasant, I assure you.

So, I backed off of jewelry for a few weeks. I didn't want to make anything. I focused on other things, other distractions. I stopped reading. My apartment exploded its contents in what seemed like overnight.

All of this over the start of a new job. My brain and emotions went into overload, even though this is just a job.

But I don't think you understand. Maybe not you, specifically, but anyone who thinks I'm dramatizing my life and the difficulty of change and not knowing what I want or where I want to be. My hands need metal and stone and pencils and glue and burlap and the weight of a camera. All of the time.

Not just in my "free" time. Not just when I can fit it in.
All of the time.

I forced myself back into the studio on Thursday, and then yesterday, and then today. I made myself make things. Sometimes that's what you have to do. Small steps.

I can't promise I'll be back to regularly blogging, but I will be here when I can. In the meantime, these are the things I've finished recently:

(Customly made for Cate)
Fordite & sterling

Firefly Ring:

Nesting ring with Mexican fire opal (deep red opal & bright green flash!):


Umba sapphire (PINK!):

Lastly, a poppy jasper necklace that has been on my bench for nearly a year. This necklace just did.not.want. to work for me. But, I finally finished it!

Today is new.

Things have been slow-moving on the jewelry front, and really I'm quite content with it all.

I have 2 rings I need to polish and set stones in, and truthfully they've been ready for this next step for nearly a week. Lazing about is part of winter though, isn't it?
Slowing
down.

One of the rings is quite and odd thing indeed. I'm not so sure about it. I think I've watched too many spaceship movies and such lately. (Ok, really I just watched the entire Firefly season within a few days, following it up with Serenity.)

I am currently reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It's slowed my reading down considerably (I was being sort of crazy for a bit, there) - not because it's boring or hard to read or anything, it's mostly just the timing of things. I'm not quite 2/3 of the way through and I'm still eyeing it suspiciously. The experience is reminding me a bit of watching Mulholland Drive.

Today I'm officially ordering my snowshoes! I'm quite excited about this. I really kind of like the cold once I acclimate to the winter here (it always takes a bit). Now I can go exploring or at least have something to do while I wait for Cholula to dry off after our rides.

And, the last bit of news is that Cholula has a new friend. I have been looking for someone to half-lease her for some time: I just can't get out to ride 5-6 days/week, and it's important that she stays in full work. I found a girl in high school who has been riding for several years but is new to dressage. They get along great and I think she's really having fun with Cho. AND we have tons of canter progress! I'm really hoping we can make it to some shows this year.

Apologies for the lack of photos. Again, lazing about. I do have these...

Zeus does not appreciate the notion of sharing his human (notice the horse to the left, who is apparently getting too close):
Such a face!

hello, 2011.

I am back from a much needed internet break.

Reasons for internet break:
Twitter has fallen to the side, again (I really just can't seem to get on board with that).
I haven't had anything to say over here.
I was extra busy with the holidays and a visit from the boyfriend.
I didn't much feel like interneting.


I completed nearly all of my custom orders (though I have one I'm still trying to figure out) and opted to take a break from everything custom and made to order. Sitting down at my bench was becoming a chore: I would make what I needed to make, order-wise, and then I would go do something else.


Until everything that had to be done was done I didn't even want to think about just making things.

As you can guess, by the time I started making things just to make them, I was a little more than stir crazy. I sat down and in one evening began 7 projects.

For some reason, I finished the blues and greens first:


Prairie Bracelet

handmade chain. handmade everything, save for that wee little 3mm bezel cup holding the turquoise.

Salt Water Necklace cultured freshwater pearl (treated to inky black), blue peruvian opal drop
Simply turquoise ring
with rustic metalwork

Atlantis Ring

The first of my Umba sapphires. A watery blue-green oval. Have I mentioned I love these?

They will be in the shop in the next few days!

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.