Wordless Wednesday - The Wonders of Nature

Latest Happenings

I finally finished the Infinity piece and am extremely pleased with the way it turned out. I knew I was saving that upcycled suede for something special. I just had to wait for the design to be shown to me in a dream.

It's made completely with upcycled suede from a purse and coat I found in a thrift store. The Infinity is represented by a continuously flowing Jen's Pind weave, which is sewn into the top layer. Inside of the Infinity are butterfly wings using the same suede and black inlaid dots. To view and read more about this piece, please visit the listing in my Etsy shop.

This weekend I'll be participating in the Durham Art Walk as an exhibitor. My booth will be located at Vert & Vogue... an Eco-friendly clothing store at the Brightleaf Square Mall. I will be there both Saturday (18th) from 10am - 5pm and Sunday (19th) from 1pm - 5pm. This is a huge event with Artists spread throughout the downtown area, all within a 10 minute walking distance. The weather is supposed to be fabulous this weekend, so come on out, get your daily walk in and check out some North Carolina artists.

In two more weeks, I'll be participating in the Salisbury Cultural Arts Festival (May 2nd & 3rd). Since Ted will more than likely be out of town that weekend, a couple of great friends will be making the trip with me to help me out. This will also be an outdoors festival in downtown Salisbury, full of art, music, literature... everything you could possibly want to see. If you're in the area, please come out.

Now to get back to making more pieces... Although we all dream of selling out at a show, we really don't want that to happen. =)

Peace, Love & Happy Mailling,

Chris

Much Fun!

I had a blast this past weekend participating in the Shop Local Fair at Eclectic By Nature in Greensboro. We had 9 artists there, showing off their labors of love. The traffic was kind of slow since the Craftsman's Classic was at the coliseum and there was another festival going on, but it was worth being out there just for the company.

Outside of Eclectic By Nature in the State Street Station. It's a beautiful little strip consisting of many shops, galleries and restaurants. If you're in the area, I highly recommend going there, even if it is to just walk around.

This is my table with every piece of jewelry out for display. I've made of several of my own signs for the credit cards I accept, email list, about the metals I use, etc. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough room to display them all. =)

Some of Angela Jamison's energy artwork paintings were displayed on the walls. She also has prints, magnets, boxes and coffee mugs. I do love her paintings and you'll probably see more in the rest of the pictures below.

This is Angela and her boyfriend, Paul. That's another piece over Paul's head. You can visit Angela and see her work at Lyndon Street Artworks.

Brittany Sondberg is a metalsmith and creates wonderful jewelry out of recycled materials, including recycled Sterling and Fine Silver. She has some awesome rings!!! It was all I could do to keep myself from buying one. She is also at Lyndon Street Artworks if you like to meet her or see more of her work.

Mariana Rodriguez-Pardy is also pictured.

Mariana makes stoneware and burnished terracotta pottery with original designs inspired in prehispanic art and shamanic traditions

Anna Waters and her Tees 4 Trees table. She has organic cotton and bamboo tees with original tree designs. I love the softness of the shirts and they're Eco-friendly.

Vicki Gabba has a self-published book of original poetry and she is also a Metaphysical Consultant. I see lots of readings in my future!

Not pictured are Scott Walden who is a singer of "Shag Rock" music. He and Vicki were sharing a table.

Also not pictured are Marilyn Schendel, owner of Ritual Waters and maker of handmade natural soap and bath products, and Cay Bowman who is a Reiki Master and also handcrafts gorgeous chakra blankets.

Most of us went out for dinner and drinks after the Fair. They're all wonderful people and we all just seemed to click right together. We're talking about having another one in July, also to be held at EBN, so keep an eye out for that information.

My next showing will be at the Durham Art Walk on April 18th and 19th. I will be at Stop #12 on the map, which is Vert & Vogue... an Eco-friendly clothing store in the Brightleaf Square Mall. If you would like more info on the Walk, please visit the Durham Art Walk site.

Until next time...

Peace, Love and Happy Mailling!

Chris

Ahhh... A Break

I've been super busy the last several weeks trying to get things ready for the NADE Convention and then the First Friday Art Show. Now that both of those are over, things can get back to a normal pace for a little while. I don't have anymore shows until April... a small one at the beginning of the month, then an Art Walk in Durham in the middle of the month, so it'll be nice to sit down at my work table and ponder how to bring my next Leather N Maille piece to life. As before with Tiger Lilly and Lace (see next post down), I can see it clearly in my mind, I just need to figure out how to get it all to work in real life. =)

It's been a gorgeous weekend here... mid to high 70's both days, and we've taken full advantage of it. Saturday I parked myself in the driveway and stained shutter doors the whole day. I'm planning on using them as part of my displays at shows, but didn't like the plain wood. I went to Lowe's a while back (last Fall) and purchased Cherry Orchard and Onyx stains to use together. It's a timely process... stain with Cherry, let dry a little bit... stain with Onyx, let dry a little bit... repeat... but it'll be well worth it for the look. I was having to fight to stain between the slats, but Ted got tired of listening to me complain, so he pulled all of them out. It's making the whole thing go a whole lot faster and it looks so much better. =) I'm wanting to get those finished up in the next few weekends since I've applied to be a Juried Exhibitor at the Lexington BBQ Festival in October and they need booth pics by May. The deadline is a pretty good motivator to get it completed.

Today we had softball practice... a mix of co-ed and women's. The sun was blazing both days, so needless to say, my face looks like a beet. It's not painful, but I know it's there. It is however, painful to look at. LOL At least I'm not a halvsie like some people turned out. You know... like Richard Dreyfus from Close Encounters... sun burned (or UFO burned) just on one half of my face. LOL I can tell I got a little more on my left side though, it's just not that noticeable. Hopefully it'll sink in a lot by tomorrow morning.

Well, I'm off for now. I'm gonna finish watching Stargate-SG1 then I'm headed to bed. I can't wait 'til tomorrow so I can start on the new leather piece.

Until next time...

Peace, Love & Happy Mailling!

Chris

Still Working at Home and Loving It!

It's been a little over a month now since I was laid off from my Administrative job and I've been working on jewelry the entire time. Of course the first two weeks were taken up with getting my taxes organized, but the last two weeks have been nothing but jewelry. It's been wonderful and I can really tell a difference in the way I think (creatively). My mind has opened up like never before and all of these ideas have just flooded in.

For the past few weeks, I've been incorporating leather in my chainmaille pieces. Actually it's more the other way around... lots of leather with chainmaille accents. I've completed two pieces with great results. I finished the third piece last night, but unfortunately, it didn't make the cut. It wasn't up to my standards and it pretty much looked like crap. LOL The leather cuff itself turned out great, but the chainmaille accent wasn't working right. Because of the way it was all tied together, I ended up having to trash the whole thing except for the maille. Here are the first two pieces.

(Lace) Upcycled black leather pieces with black leather cord used for the stitching.

The chainmaille piece is a Stainless Steel Japanese 12-in-2 weave. All metal is covered with leather, so there's no need to worry about any allergies you may have.

(Tiger Lilly) Upcycled orange leather pieces for the front and back with black leather cord used for the stitching. Black leather inlaid dots accent the piece and break up the orange nicely.

The chainmaille piece is a Stainless Steel Helm (or Parallel) weave. Once again, all metal is covered on the back of the piece, so only soft leather comes in contact with your skin.

I'm really proud of these two pieces, since it's a first (and second) for me and leather. I just wish my third piece had turned out. I'll have to give it another go to see if I can make it work. I don't give up on things that easily. I keep at it until it works. =)

On the job front, I just started getting my resume out there. I applied to 4 jobs by email and one through the mail this week. It sure is different since the last time I was forced to job hunt (yet another lay-off back in 1990). Now, just about everything is done electronically instead of by the good old US Postal Service. The four jobs I applied for the other night, I actually FORGOT to attach my resume on the email. LOL How stupid is that!?!?! Yep... I resent them with resume attached, but I don't expect to get any replies on that batch. LOL

As I type this, I just got a response from one of them. Go figure... The sucky economy strikes again. The position I applied for is no longer available due to unexpected cut backs at the company. It just goes to show you that no job is safe. Oh well!

Today I'll be finishing up a "regular" maille piece that's been sitting in my work-in-progress box. It's a Stainless Steel Dragonscale weave that's massive. It's 1-1/2" wide and it's fabulous! I can't wait to get it finished and listed.

I guess that's enough blogging for the day. I'm off to finish me some maille. =)

Peace, Love and Happy Mailling!!!

Nothing But Fun

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

When I first read this card, I thought "what luck have I had lately... this totally doesn't fit me". But then I thought about the other things the card mentions. All of the awesome friends I have, all of the things I've succeeded at and my wonderful family, son and boyfriend... Whether it's luck or fortune, I'm grateful to have every piece in my life. I'm happy by nature... pretty much always... and the simplest things in life bring me the most joy. And there's definitely a big change coming. What it is, I'm not sure of yet. But it's there, just barely peeking over the horizon, just waiting to be seen. So yeah... it does fit, and it fits well.

I pop bubble wrap at 17.04 bubbles per second! I popped 196 bubbles in 11.5 seconds at www.Virtual-Bubblewrap.com! Can you beat my score?

Just fun... simple, enjoyable, bubble popping fun. =)

SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

* Electric Light Orchestra was who inspired me to play the violin.
* I have a Geographic and Fissured Tongue, as does my mom, brother and grandma.
* I hate getting in a swimming pool, but don't think twice about getting in the ocean.
* I have to pop both of my big toes before I can go to sleep.
* I often sing the Muppet song "MuhnuhMuhnuh" (in my head) to clear my mind when I can't sleep.
* I still sleep with my original baby pillow from when I was born.

I'm tagging Martha Horman, Zephi, and ChatNoir. My tagger was CLKcreative. The rules (more or less): link to your tagger, share 6 random things about yourself, tag a few others (be sure to tell them). Participate only if it makes you smile. And of course, post the rules.

Big Changes for 2009

Well... what can I say? The first month of the new year isn't even over yet, and I'm already in for some big changes ahead.

Two days before Christmas, my sweet little kitty, Ms. Moe (Elmo), passed away. She was my companion for a little over 17 years and a big part of my life. From the start she was "my" cat... she had tagged me as hers. (The cat people out there will get what I mean.) As a little kitten, she would hunt me down and crawl up in my lap no matter where I was or what I was doing. Of course this became the norm. If I was sitting or laying down, she was too, right there on me. She would sleep with me every single night, laying right on my hip. If it was a restless night for me, she would roll as I rolled and turn as I turned. If it was a cold night, she would root her way under the covers and curl up against my stomach. She was the most precious and sweet cat... and the biggest pig.

She loved food... human food. Her first experience, (well... sort of), was one day, when my son was little, he was sitting in the floor eating a chicken wing. Moe took off running towards him and without stopping at all, she snatched that chicken wing right out of his hand and kept on running. It was hilarious, but unfortunately (for her), my husband (at the time), got a hold of her and took the wing away. All I could do was laugh, but he was pretty mad at her. From then on, where ever the food was, she was. Always meowing and whining, wanting food and getting under your feet or in your face to get it. She weighed all of 4.5 lbs... she was a tiny cat, but man, she could eat like nobody's business.

I could go on and on about her, but I won't. I'll just say that Moe was the best cat ever... sweet, comical, loving, and didn't have issues when we brought other cats home. She holds a very special place in my heart and I will never ever forget her.

Rest In Peace sweet Moe!

The second change came about by way of needing to organize my work area. I've been using my kitchen table as my work area for a long time. We have two, so it wasn't the kitchen-kitchen table... the one we eat at. That was all the space I had, but with a few accessories, I was able to make the space work by adding shelves to the back to put things on and by using cork board on the wall to hang my finished pieces on. That lasted about a year until this past Christmas when I just couldn't take it anymore. I didn't have anymore room because I had too much stuff and it was taking over. It was almost impossible to keep the table clean to give me enough room to make maille, so Ted brought home a credenza from his office for me to spread out on. I have before and after pictures to show the difference... and what a wonderful difference it is. The before is REALLY bad, but please know that it only got this bad because I hadn't been doing any maille for the last few weeks of the year, I was preparing for tax time and the things I got for Christmas were just laying there (not put up). I am a VERY organized person normally, so I'm pretty ashamed of these pictures.

These are BC (before credenza):

My space... all of it (YUCK!) Everything is everywhere, and with no place to put my lap top, I had all of a about 1-1/2 feet back to work on. My supplies were very organized... clasps, earwires and beads are in the containers on the shelves (there are two more behind the laptop) and rings, wire, cords and "special beads" are in the little stacking containers on the left side. Tools and other packaging supplies are in the rolling bin under the table.

Everything is just kinda crammed everywhere. There's no easy access to anything because you have to move things out of the way to reach something.

My cork board to hang finished piece on. I loved this idea as it keeps everything right there within reach. It also reminds me to promote, promote, promote, because it's a visual reminder of what I need to sell. LOL

My printer-on-a-crate. LOL I didn't have anywhere else to put it, so Ted brought in the crate for me to sit it on. Of course it was always in the way and I was always hitting my knee either on it or the rolling bin on the left side.

Behind the printer was where I stashed all of my shipping boxes. It wasn't the ideal place for them because I couldn't ever see what I was grabbing.

Ok... here are the after pictures:

Now, I have plenty of work space. I can keep my laptop pushed back when I want to do maille or I can slide it up when I need to use it. My original bins are still on the left and I added one more big one and one more smaller one to the right to separate ring types (precious metals on the left, others on the right). My photography lamps are in the corners, within easy reach and easily slideable when I need them. My timer is on the right, so I can keep track of how much time is spent on whatever maille I'm working on.

The Sun on the left is one of my favorite things. It's a Story People piece by Brian Andreas. I have a few of his poems/prints throughout the house and plan on getting more. My hooks on the door stayed put. They hold my headphones and my Story People bag that I got for my birthday.

My rolling bin is still there, it's just a lot less cluttered and a lot more organized. Tools on top, tags, and bags in the middle and glues, torch and butane in the bottom. I even have room on the table now for my coffee warmer. =)

There's nothing on the right side of my chair for me to hit anymore... everything has a place and is within easy reach. My make-shift light box is easily gettable and usable without having to move anything. And I have my little foot rest back too. =)

Here's the credenza all neatly organized with everything having a space. I moved the shelf that was behind my laptop over to the center opening and am still using it to hold my supplies. I keep my beading and cutting boards on the very top and use the shelf itself as a divider to seperate printer supplies on the left and my AR/AP file, receipt book and cost notebook on the right. I purchased the little blue baskets (2 for $1.00) at Walmart and they're great for keeping packaging tape, files, my jewelry tags and hole punches in.

We purchased a (put it together yourself) two drawer unit ($25.00 at Target) to keep my packaging tins and tissue paper in. The little baskets on top ($2.00 each at Walmart) are for my leather tools and supplies. Mailing boxes and tin filler are beside the drawer unit, putting everything I need to ship orders right within reach.

My printer is now off the floor (finally) and is sitting on the back corner of the credenza. All of the supplies for it are below it on the left side of the shelves.

I now have room on top for my Hex Cats from ChatNoirStudios, my SevenBot from TofuNutLoaf, Marvin The Martian and other little doodads that I like.

Whew!!! That was alot of work. LOL But it was all worth it. Now I just have to not buy any big supplies that'll take up more room. Pfffth... yeah right! I'll probably outgrow this in another year or so.

Now, on to the last big change so far this year (I'm sure it won't be the last though).

As of today, I have been unemployed for a week. My employer laid me off last week after 12 years of service. It's been hard to deal with, but I'm coming to terms with it, realizing that it was probably for the best. Part of my mind was ready for a change before the lay-off, but the other part just didn't want to accept it, so I held on as long as I could. I've been doing administrative work since I was 18 years old... I even took classes for it in high school. I did enjoy it, but it just got so boring and mind numbing. Our business had slowed down tremendously, so I'm really surprised they kept me on as long as they did.

What now, you ask??? I have no clue. LOL I do know that I'll take full advantage of being at home for a while... at least a few weeks... to work on my jewelry business. I won't be able to draw unemployment for another 5 weeks because of the severance package I received. I have to figure out the insurance part too. That's up at the end of January and I can't go without it because of my asthma. I have looked in the paper for other adminstrative jobs, but so far there hasn't been much. This past Sunday, there were only 3 part time jobs listed. Not a whole heck of alot to choose from. LOL I've been on several websites looking, but I just can't seem to wrap my mind around staying in the same field. I want to do something different now... something fun and interesting... something that'll keep me from sitting on my butt 8 hours a day. Welding maybe, but I would have to take classes unless someones willing to hire me as an apprentice. Retail??? Hmmm, that's a possibility if I could find the right type of shop. I've thought about construction and landscaping too. It's all coming back to me doing things with my hands. That, I think, is what would keep me happy... working with my hands.

One door closes and another door opens, right? Hopefully the universe will show me that other door pretty soon. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to keep my sanity, to stay busy and to stay happy.

Until next time...

Love, Peace and Happy Mailling!

Chris

Busy for the Holiday's and... Oooh, look... a Contest... and What's That??? A Sale Too???

I've been quite busy late, and have really been neglecting my blog. Actually, it seems like everything's been pushed aside so I can get my new website going... cleaning, making jewelry, listing pictures. My site has been my priority and it's slowly coming together. It's hasn't been difficult, but it has been a pain at times. I kinda messed it all up today by putting too much CSS code in, but it was pretty easy to fix once I got the hang of it. You can check it out at Ikow Designs. It's up and running, I just still have a lot of blank spots to fill in. If anyone can come up with some ideas for my home page, I would greatly appreciate it. I'll even go one better on that...

For the person who can come up with the best ideas for my home page (content and/or layout), I'll send you a either a pair of my Vision earrings in Argentium Silver or if you don't wear earrings, I'll send you a Vision Pendant on a silk cord of your choice. Cord colors are light blue, black, brown and light purple. When I say ideas, I don't mean just one thing. I mean enough content to make on good dent on the page. =) Submit ideas here by posting it in comments and I'll make a decision... we'll say on December 1st. Of course, I guess how this goes will depend on how many people read my blog. LOL Right now I don't think it's that many. I know websites are a personal thing, but right now, I am just at a loss as for what to put on it.

I've managed to retake a lot a pictures for the jewelry that's on my Etsy site, and hopefully will get them all listed soon. I also have a lot of jewelry that hasn't been listed yet. There's just so much to do, but until the site is at least somewhat in a livable condition, I just can't bring myself to work on other things. I'm hoping by this Wednesday, I'll be able to push the site aside and get everything listed on both locations.

I have managed to wrangle up a sale for both sites. Everything in my Etsy store and my website store are 20% off from now until the end of December. For my Etsy store, follow through with the purchase, but don't pay. I will send you a revised invoice to pay from. Once payment is received, your item will ship. From my website, the discounted price should show up at checkout. Of course this is the first sale I've had since getting the site up, so I apologize in advance if any little buggies show up.

Ok... I'm signing off for now, but hope to be back on here sometime this week.

Making the Time

Oh how I love creating chainmaille!!! I'm especially busy right now on the jewelry end of things and it's hard finding the time to do what I need... better yet what I WANT to do. I work a full time day job and I'm the manager of two softball teams, which are starting their seasons next week. I'm having to organize alot of stuff to get the two teams ready, plus come home, pick up (what needs picking up), cook dinner if Ted's not home, clean that mess up and still have the energy to sit down and do maille. Not that maille takes a whole lot of energy, but usually if I'm tired, I just wanna plop down on the couch and watch something on TV. My addiction calls though and just about every evening, I'm sitting at my desk creating away. I love it!!!

This weekend I'm headed back to The Hideaway for another round. They're having a Customer Appreciation Day which includes vendors, a cookout, horse shoe tournament, two bands, plus a few other things. I'm really looking forward to it... especially since the only thing I'll need to do for my displays is touch up the paint a bit.

I've also signed up to sell at the Honey Bee Festival in Kernersville next month. It'll be great going back there to work. We lived there for 18 years and I do miss it something awful. It's a great little town (that's not so little anymore), where no matter where you go, you see someone you know. I love it like that! I've also been asked to set up at a small wine tasting event, also in Kernersville, early September. It's very small... just a few hours one evening. I need to get more details on it, but I'm also looking forward to that.

A dear friend of mine, Texstyle Textures (www.texstyletextures.etsy.com) has placed a wonderful order with me. Full Persian Cross keychains... 40 of them. =) Of course, they're not due for a while so I can pace myself to make it a whole lot easier on my time, hands and back.

There's also an Art Studio/store that I've been wanting to get my jewelry in. I've already approached the woman that owns it... now I just need to set up an appointment with her to show her my work. I'm actually waiting on some tags and earring cards I ordered before I do that. I want to look as professional as possible, but still handmade. I think the tags and cards will bring all of that together just perfectly. They match my business cards and banner and will be attached with black ribbon to my bracelets and necklaces. Everything was designed by Tartsie, on Etsy (www.tartsie.etsy.com). The tags and cards are being printed by KittyCrossBones, also on Etsy (www.kittycrossbones.etsy.com).

These next few months will be so exciting for me. I love having a purpose! By that I mean, not just sitting down and creating something to list on Etsy in hopes of selling it. I'd much rather create knowing that it's definitely going to someone, or that it's for a show (and more than likely going to sell).

I'm hoping Sunday I can get back on here an do a Featured Artist. It's been a while since I've done one... a looooong while, so I need to make that a priority.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Peace, Love and Happy Creating!

It's been way too long...

I've obviously been very slack in updating my blog. Seven months have gone by since my last post and time has just flown on by in the blink of an eye. I've been fairly busy these last few months as business has picked up fairly well for me (off Etsy of course).

During the months of May, June and July I was very busy, trying to get ready for a "show" (if you want to call it that). It was for a Summer Bash that was being held at The Hideaway... a small, local bar that caters to the motorcycle enthusiast. My cousin hooked me up with the owner of the bar for their 3rd Annual Summer Bash (Thanks, Kim!!!). She (Billie) had always wanted to have a jewelry vendor there, and fortunately, my cousin had me. =) It turned out very well and my displays, which I made out of motorcycle parts, were a hit. Mostly what I sold was stainless steel, but a few sterling silver pieces went to good homes.

My handle bar and fender displays came by way of Jack at Clayton Auto Air in Greensboro. Big kisses to Jack. He's such a sweetie! And the muffler and seat were courtesy of BMW in Greensboro. Thanks to Richard and the other guys there for letting me scrounge through all your parts. (I hope I wasn't in the way.) I actually have some more parts from the shop that I haven't done anything with, but I fully intend to make something with them.

The best part of putting all this stuff together was using a dremel tool to cut through the muffler. I went through 4 blades cutting that thing apart and still had to get my son to cut through the center pipe with a hacksaw. I also went through 3 drill bits trying to make holes. *Tap first... a good tap, then drill*. LOL It was all worth it though. I think that and the handlebars are my favorite pieces.

The fender... ahh the fender. LOL Tyler had to use the hacksaw on that too. He and Ted actually took turns cutting it in half (thanks guys). It was tough, and I totally felt bad for them while I was standing there watching. =) I was only able to do a base color on them (working at the last minute), so they're not actually finished yet. I have intentions of doing some more painting on them, but my idea of what I want them to look like has changed. I'll probably end up hunting down another one and reworking it, because I'm not too fond of how they look right now. I don't even think repainting them will change my mind. I actually want to change the shape of it, or at least part of it. I see things in my mind and won't stop until I make it happen.

This little piece (my wire tree) is something I made a year or so ago to display some polymer clay ornaments that Ted and I made. Luckily, it's great for hanging pendants from. =) It really doesn't fit with the theme yet (except for the fact that it's wire), but it will. That's what some of the other motorcycle parts are going towards... a base for my tree. Ted put together a make-shift base out of softballs and cloth. It's not that pretty, but it served it's purpose. The tree is fairly stable, but a bump on the table will send it toppling over.

Here's my whole set up under one little tent. It looks a bit crowded, but it really wasn't too bad behind the tables. I say that, but actually when everyone got there (people I knew), they started hanging out at my area. I loved it, but it did get crowded with 4 chairs back there... especially when it started to rain. Thank goodness the rain only lasted about 10 minutes (due to the overcrowding). We did welcome what rain we got though. It was scorching hot out there, very humid and no breeze at all. And of course, after all the sweating, running makeup and frizzy hair from being out there all day long, a lady from Full Throttle magazine came around to take pictures of us for their magazine. I bet that's gonna be a great picture. LOL

I'm actually going back to do another round at The Hideaway next weekend and am really looking forward to it. I'm diligently working on more weaves (I've had to order more rings... YAY) and will work some more on the displays next week. Derek's loaning me his tables again PLUS an extra tent for all the peeps hanging around (Thanks Derek!!!). I think I'm pretty much good to go. At least I'm alot better of than I was around this time for the last event there.

Here's hoping for another successful event!

... and not so much time passing before I update my blog. *snicker*

Back to the Grindstone

My rings finally came in and I was able to make Ann's bracelet for her. It shipped out yesterday, so hopefully she'll receive it in another day or two. It turned out beautifully (for my first Full Persian) and I was so glad I got the opportunity to make it for her. I had a really hard time finding copper clasps, so I ended up making one and giving her a choice from 3 different styles. Fortunately, she liked mine better than the others, so it ended up staying. =) I hope she truly enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Now, it's back to the grindstone. I get to continue with the "entering data" part of my inventory. I think it'll go pretty quickly as soon as I get the program down. I already have everything written out on paper, so I don't have to search for info as I enter each one in. Maybe... just maybe, I can get it all done tonight. Wishfull thinking, I know... but it would be really nice for it to happen that quick, since I have lots and lots of rings just sitting here waiting to be made into chainmaille.

Patiently Waiting

I've been asked to do a custom order for a Full Persian bracelet in Copper by a very sweet woman and I'm trying to be patient while waiting for the rings to arrive. It's getting really hard to do, as I ordered them almost a week ago (tomorrow). It's not that they're taking longer than normal to get here or anything, I'm just anxious to get started on it. I do get all excited when I've ordered rings. They're all shiny and pretty when I open them up and having them around means I'll always have something to do. I did have a pretty big order, so I'm hoping they'll be here today or tomorrow.

I'm almost finished with inventory. Thanks to Ted, I was able to get all of my supplies counted pretty quickly. Now it's just a matter of getting them all into the computer. Of course the data entry will have to wait once I get the rings, but I don't mind pushing it aside. =) You never realize how many supplies you have until you have to take inventory. Jewelry, I pretty much knew because I look at it every day. It is a bit different seeing it all on paper though and I'll probably pass out when the total cost of it all is figured up. My Polymer Clay supplies were crazy. LOL I have tons of PC in all different colors, glitter, pigments, vases coming out the yang... it's nuts. Even if I do run out of rings to do chainmaille, I can't ever say I don't have anything to do. LOL

Ted changed my Godaddy account last night, so I should be able to work on my website soon. He had to change it over so I could use templates instead of HTML. I'm excited about that too. I'll finally have another outlet other than Etsy where I hope my work will be seen. I do like Etsy, but it just so crowded... especially the jewelry side of it. Etsy does have alot of great people, Street Teams and wonderful art, so even after my site is up, I'll still stay at Etsy. I've met too many wonderful people to leave, plus our Freethinkers team is just getting started.

It's taken me just about all day to get this post written. I have some time on my hands throughout the day, so I figured "why not". I did just check the mail and my rings came... YAY! They're all so pretty! That's at least enough rings to do four bracelets and a couple pairs of earrings. I can't wait to get home and start...

It's Tax Time

I haven't been doing much creating since the weekend... I'm trying to get ready to file taxes. This will be the first year I'm filing for my business and I'm kind of at a loss as to what I need to do. I'm trying to research as much as I can on the internet, but I'll end up calling my Accountant in the end to get specifics. The biggest part of what I need to do is inventory and I am SOOOO dreading that. My boyfriend installed an inventory control program on my computer, which will help out tremendously... it's just going through everything to see what I have. He's not even sure that filing this year will be a good idea since I am still in the start-up phase. I guess he's trying to tell me that I'm still just a bit unorganized. LOL

As soon as I get all this tax stuff done, I'll be ordering some more rings and getting back to creating chainmaille. There's a ton of weaves I want to try, but I can only do one at a time. I actually have the rings to do the Jens Pind's weave sitting right in front of me. It's all too tempting to just drop the tax stuff right now and work on it, but I really do need to wait.

I have a little special going on for those who actually read my blog. If you purchase any jewelry piece off of my Etsy store, enter BLOGSPECIAL in the Notes to Seller and I'll give you a 15% discount on the listed price. If at all possible, convo me BEFORE you add it to your cart and tell me BLOGSPECIAL and which piece you wish to purchase. I'll then change the listing price just before you purchase it. This will save on sending a revised invoice to you. Either way is fine though... just remember BLOG SPECIAL. =)

I have featured another Freethinker Artist, Le Chat Noir Studios, over to the right. Please be sure to stop by her shop and check out her fabulous art dolls.

Til next time...

Peace, Love and Happy Creating

Out With The Old... In With The New

Wow! I can't believe it's 2008. I had a very busy end to 2007... making jewelry as gifts, trying to find time to wrap everything and getting the house cleaned up for my folks. I made Ted's mom a 20 gauge Byzantine bracelet, my dad got a 16 gauge Byzantine bracelet and my mom got a 9 row 4-in-1 weave bracelet. I saved my mom's bracelet for last because I knew it would take the longest. Little did I know it would take me almost 13 hours to make it. Yes... I stayed up all night making, because of course, I waited til the last minute to do hers. As they were showing up, it was being put into the tumbler. How's that for perfect timing. LOL Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures of it, but the next time I'm down there for a visit, I'll get plenty of 'em.

I got a few new toys for Christmas... one being my new laptop. It's so awesome and beautiful! And it's so wonderful not to have to use my son's to run my shop. It was a royal pain trying to get him off long enough for me to get anything accomplished. I have lots of new programs to play with and lots of new stuff to learn. I want to say "hopefully I'll have enough time...", but I'm actually hoping my jewelry business will pick up so I won't have time to mess with anything else. =)

I've listed a few new things on Etsy since my last post. I do believe they're all earrings too. Not that I mean this in a bad way, but they are less time consuming than bracelets and necklaces. I can get more created and can still tear myself away in between to do other things around the house. Once I set out on making something, I'm pretty much glued to it until it's finished. That's NOT good for the others that live with me and depend on me. LOL But I do enjoy it, no matter what I'm making. Chainmaille is so relaxing... it's almost like I'm meditating when I'm creating. I just zone in to the piece and forget about everything else around me.

So here's the earrings I've made... The first pair, The Vision, is of my own design and I think it's truly beautiful. The second is a mixture of chainmaille weaves (Byzantine and 3-in-1) and the third pair is the Shaggy Loops weave. As usual, if you'd like more information on them, just click on my shop above.

I finally have a tumbler!

Oh and it works so wonderfully!!! After attempting to purchase one through Harbor Freight online, I ended up cancelling it. They sent me one that didn't work (the motor was shot or something) so I sent it back and requested another one. But over two weeks later (today), I called and found out it was backordered until late December. After chatting about it in the Etsy forums, I found out we had a store here in Greensboro. Who would've thunk it?!?!? So, after work tonight, I went and got one from the store.

I've already tumbled two bracelets that I sold to a guy I bowl with and I'm now tumbling two rings and Ted's bracelet. Let me just say I don't see how anyone can live without one of these! It's so awesome! It takes the tool marks right out of the rings and shines them up super bright. I'm gonna have to get the jewelry I made for my boss' wife and clean it up for her really good. =)

Well, bowling last Friday sucked. I bowled two 158 games and one 148. It's way off from what I've been doing (I have a 172 average I think), but hopefully this Friday will be much better. I think my problem was the Strike Pot. You can put in 1$ and get a strip of paper with 3 or 4 strikes marked in any given frame for each game. If you get all the strikes marked, you win money. Right now the Women's Strike Pot is up to $4500 and the general Strike Pot is like $7000. You only get 1/2 the money in the pot, but that's still some major bucks. Of course, since I'd been doing so well, I decided to do the pot. When I bought in, I didn't look at the paper because I didn't want to have the pressure of knowing which strikes I had to get. Evidently that didn't help me because I was stressing and trying too hard to get 'em. I didn't do too bad... got 1/2 of what I needed, but of course 1/2 just isn't good enough. LOL Not sure yet if I'll try it again this Friday. But hey... if you don't try, you'll never win. =)

Ted's Christmas party was good. We ate at The Phoenix in Greensboro. It's a mixture of Japanese and Thai food. Of course I had Thai... Chicken with Basil and man was it good. It wasn't very spicey, but it did have alot of flavor to it. It was almost sweet tasting. I highly recommend this restaurant for special occassions, as it is a bit pricey for every day dining.

Tyler's 19th birthday is tomorrow. My baby is growing up so fast and I'm having a hard time letting go. He just got hired where I work, doing 3rd shift on an injection molding machine... full benefits after 60 days. I think that is so wonderful! I may have helped him get his foot in the door, but they hired him based on his great work. He is a hard worker! I'm so proud of him. We're either gonna take him out for a steak dinner tomorrow night or this weekend. Honestly... that's what he wanted for his birthday. LOL

I'm headed off to bed now. I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful week (and of course everyone who doesn't).

Latest Piece

I just listed this gorgeous Sterling Silver Barrels weave this morning. It's been sitting on my work desk for a week, waiting for pictures to be taken. Since I don't get home from work until almost 6:00pm, it's already dark, so I have to wait for the weekend to take them. If you would like to read the description of it, click here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8182288.

We have our Softball Christmas party tonight, so I'm off to make a pair of earrings for my White Elephant gift. Ted said he wanted to make an ornament... not sure he'll have enough time since he's in Chapel Hill this morning, but we'll see. If he can't make it, I'm sure he'll come up with something else to give.

I hope you all have a great day! It looks like it's gonna be beautiful one! =)