Thursday, December 30, 2010

Last Post of 2010

It's the last day of the year for 2010, so I thought I would write my last post for the year. It has been a pretty good year. We moved. Summer turned 2. I opened my Etsy store.

It's been quite hot here most days now...gone are those lovely cool days :( But we have been getting a heck of a lot of rain...too much for some parts unfortunately. Hubby is meant to be taking some time off, but because of the unpredictable weather he has to do his work whilst it's hot and sunny.

I haven't used my torch much...kinda scared/intimidated by it. I do try to use it for small things, just to get into the hang of getting the flame right and how to hold it comfortably. I'm just too used to my predictable butane torch I guess.

I got the flu 3 days ago. I just hope that Summer and the hubs don't get it, but who knows.

Below is a chest that I bought yesterday for myself that I am going to restore. It needs the handles to be centered and it has a piece snapped off the front that we have to fix back on, then it needs sanding back and from there I haven't decided what I want to do. So I've put this picture up so you can see it before and when I've completed it, I will put up the new picture.It's Vintage, from the 1920's-50's. I have pictures in my head of what I want it to turn out like, but it all depends on how it 'fixes' up as to what kind of finish it can carry.
It's my project for the new year and I can't wait to get on with it.

Not much has been happening in the jewelry department. I am working on a couple of things and trying out a new wire, but it's going to take time to get it right enough that I would sell a finished piece using it. I sent all my scrap in and am still waiting for them to let me know whats happening with it (I hate this time of year for that very reason - waiting waiting waiting).

It's too humid to be soldering too, so it will be a slow start to the new year jewelry wise.

Well I hope you have all had a good year and I want to thank all of you who have supported me via blogging, FaceBook and my Etsy store. I really really treasure and appreciate you!!!!!

Till next year :p


Thursday, December 16, 2010

Almost Over.

2010 that is. But that's kinda obvious :P

The lovely cool weather we were having here, is now gone. Well and Truly.
It's so muggy here again. We've been getting a lot of rain on and off too. And a couple of storms with more on the horizon. Fortunately where I live, there has only been 1 very humid evening. Hubby spent last weekend installing air conditioners in the master bedroom and our daughters. I love air con. I hate what using it is doing to the environment (along with every thing else I use) but I couldn't live without it. Not in the Summertime anyway.

I have lots I want to do in 2011. Thinking of Goldsmithing school (night lessons). Thinking of purchasing new tools to learn new techniques - chasing & repousse, etching, tube setting gemstones and the list goes on. I am pondering a rolling mill too. I have the opportunity to get one right now, but not sure if it's worth it yet.

I have a new tool:

An Orca Torch. My hubbzie bought the gas tank for it yesterday, but as it's been too humid and I've had a lot to do round the house, I haven't yet played with it, but plan to on the weekend.

My first ever Etsy sale went fabulously!!! I haven't yet filled my shop back up yet, but that's a good thing :) I've placed my 2nd order with RioGrande this week, which I hope to get on Monday (just in time to play over the christmas holidays). And I am going to send in my 1kilo of silver scrap - that took me an entire year to accumulate - to my silver suppliers to get credit to buy more supplies. I don't have enough to get refined and I will need more sheet soon, so it's the only way for me to go right now.

Well my old mans home and he's brought lunch with him (YUM) so I'm going to leave it here and go and enjoy it :)


Monday, November 15, 2010

Muggy.

The warmer weather seems to be making it's way in now....I hate it as much as I did this time last year, though it's not as hot as then....yet.

Below are a few of my latest pieces.


The top 2 are mine and the bottom one is the first piece I have ever made with copper. It was nice to use something different. I will probably use it more, I do have a sheet of brass to try out too. The top ring I wear all the time, I love it.

I got myself a new toy!

Not 100% confident on using it yet....but I'll get it eventually. I still hope to get a rolling mill soonish...but there is always other stuff that I end up buying in the meantime and then have no money left :(

It's my 9th anniversary on Dec 1st. So I think I am going to hold my first ever Etsy sale to celebrate. Maybe I will sell a piece or 2...I hope so, I could really use the moolah to put back into buying more supplies.

I wish it would just hurry up and rain. This weather sucks.



Monday, November 1, 2010

Creative Block, Unblocked.

Finally my creative dry spell has passed me by. The last 2 weeks I have been back at the bench having fun making new things. It was kinda boring there for a while....wanting to make things, but not being able to, for the lack of ideas.

It's 8pm here and Summer is in the lounge room playing a game, so I thought I would get this post started, then I will finish writing it up when she goes to bed.

(off to sit with my daughter for a while)

Okie dokie, below are pictures of what I made last week.




I'm having a blast using the new findings I got from RioGrande. I am going to have to order larger amounts next time...but the cart always mounts up so quickly dollar wise, I have to be careful not to go over the importing amount. Did that once and it wasn't very fun....

I have my eye on new tools and a nice script stamp set. I am also hoping to have a Rolling Mill by the New Year. Just have to stop buying anything else..but it's so hard...there is so much to buy for this hobby it's kinda hard not to spend.

I have made a few new things this week and over the weekend and have a nice shiny new tool to show off, but that will have to wait for another post, I'm still yet to take photo's.

I enjoyed a nice style cut at my hairdressers this afternoon, I got the 'relax' package. The hairdresser massaged my head and I got to sit in a massage chair whilst she did that. I was sooo looking like a dorky daggy mum and I'm so glad I finally got it all chopped off again! It was nice to get outta the house for a half hour by myself too :)

till next time....

bye :)


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Happy Smithinversary...to me :)


Yes it was about this time last year, that I took my adventure into the world of silver.
It feels like it's been longer than that, but it also feels like it's gone so quickly.
I have come a long way. But still haven't even attempted many of the things I hoped I would have by now. It doesn't really matter though. Ultimately it's about how I feel, I have a lot of fun making things with my own 2 hands. I feel proud of what I have accomplished so far and I look forward to what the future holds :)

Above is a piccie of Summer and I today, at the park. The weather here has been crazy. Still raining and overcast most of the time, but there has been a break of sunshine today. I know if I go ahead and do some washing, that the clouds will open up and rain....so I am kinda hesitant...but I really need to get it done....

Looks like it'll be a wet Summer Season.

I sold another piece last week. I was sooooo excited! I can't wait till she gets it (customer is in USA) and I hope she loves it!

I haven't made anything in ages :(
I have half made a few things, but I have been tossing up with the idea of ordering from RioGrande and I need more sheet and wire and blah, blah, blah. So I took the leap and ordered from Rio today. And I will have to order the sheet and wire probably tomorrow.

I really really want to make something.....from start to finish.....in one sitting......

Oooh I did finally order myself some business cards. I hope to get those this week. Waiting on some refill ink for our laser printer. I hope to make some nice labels to go on my boxes.

Well nothing else I can think of writing about....it's pretty much lunch time for the little one and she is climbing my chair and making it difficult to finish this line.....

have a great day all :)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

....No Title....

Right now, my daughter is running round and round making lots of noise and it's kinda sending me loopy. I just took her to the beach...but it was way too windy, so that venture didn't last long :(

Not a whole lot going on (as usual). I got some new small stones for once


I also got 'bout 17 more Turquoise Cabs this week, but I didn't get a piccie of them. Below is a piece I am working on and some earrings for myself:


I finally got myself an Apron to protect myself/clothing whilst I solder etc. Unfortunately, the weather is getting warmer....or rather, the humidity is back on the rise. Which in turn (same as last year) effects my desire to go to the bench and turn on my torch. So add to that now, wearing a heavyish apron.......yeah I can see I won't be getting much done. Though today is a veeerry cool breezy day, so maybe I should take advantage of that.
That being easier said than done of course, when you have a 2yr old on your tail to entertain.

*insert big sigh here*

Anywho, even with all the lovely new stones I've accumulated, my creating mojo has taken a back seat again. I'm kinda frustrated with lots of stuff right now, so I guess that's not helping.

I will leave it here, before I start whinging.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Finding Findings.....

So I have been searching the net on and off for some of the sterling silver filigree findings I see in so many other jewelers work. And I would like to incorporate them into my own work, to give me some more choice and variety. But I cannot for the life of me find the damned things!!!

It's really frustrating me. I have googled my butt off and have only found maybe one or two of them. If anyone out there feels generous, can you please share with me where you buy yours from?? Puleeeeaase??!!


Anyways, today's weather is really annoying me. It's that gloomy overcast drizzly weather. I did manage to get my floors cleaned, but it took about 40 minutes for them to dry, so Summer and I were confined to the lounge room whilst we waited.

Now I am sitting with a nice mug of hot tea and a shortbread biscuit. It's school holidays over here now for the next 2 weeks, which I am not looking forward to, for several reasons which I won't bore you with.

I haven't been making a whole lot lately, only small stuff, cuz it's quick and simple and I can make it affordable. I am waiting on a parcel of Turquoise cabs, not that I needed them of course.....I just wanted them!


Below is what I have made recently. Of course if you follow me on my FB page, you will have already seen these pieces.





I find resin loads of fun to play with. I hope to incorporate some with some of my PMC, or at least try to anyway.

K, well, I hope everyone is having fun and has their creating mojo with them. I don't at the moment...again....but I hope that will change soon :)

Monday, September 13, 2010

A strange weather day.

The weather is being really weird today. One minute it looks all lovely and sunny, like you could go out and have fun at the beach...then the next it's looking all gloomy like it might storm. So needless to say, I am not even going to bother going out today...though I really wanted to. Instead, I thought I would blog and work on a few things at the bench.


Below is a picture of a Medallion Pendant I made for myself this past weekend. I used some 9ct Gold and a Chalcedony. I love it. It's a really big piece, so it stands out, but that's the kinda accessories I like to wear personally.


I am buying up some more cabochons, all Turquoise this time. And I bought a few nice cabs from Iwoowoo on Etsy. I want to add a lot more smaller items to my stock in my shop

I've bought myself some resin too and some colours for it. I have been working on some earrings and rings using the resin, I'm enjoying it a lot, I just don't like the time I have to wait for it to cure :(

My daughter loves to play with my stacking bangles that I made myself a while back....she cries when I won't let her have them (she bangs them on the tiled floor...dints aren't a good look), so I thought I would make her one of her own yesterday.....but of course, the minute I put it on her, she want's it taken off! Sigh...can't win. I know one day she will want to wear jewellery and I love that I can make her something myself.

Below is what's on my bench at the moment. I understand why many make smaller pieces of jewellery, the solder Always flows and flows quickly and easily when I make a small bezel, when I made my Medallion, I had a whole lotta trouble getting the solder to flow just right, whilst keeping everything in it's place.


Okie Dokie, that's all I can think of writing about right now. I'm just finishing off a cup of coffee and watching some blogs on YT whilst I blog :)

Just a side note to a fellow blogger - Kim from KSKdesigns
Hope you are okay, thinking of you :)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Time for a post me thinks...

First off I just want to say a big thank you to those of you who read my blog and give me encouragement and some very uplifting comments, you know who you are and it means a lot to me!

I haven't really been keeping up with my blogging. We all go through it.

So I figured now is as good a time as any to try and get back into it. It's such a nice day today, warm (but not too warm) and nice n breezy. I have just been to the store to buy some things and of course I came back with much more than I intended on...I hate that! Right now I am cooking dinner (it's almost lunchtime). I have gotten into the habit of trying to get dinner made early, so when it comes to the evening, I don't have so much to do, just dishes etc. I am cooking Shepards/cottage Pie. Yum. One of the hubby's faves and mine too.

I got some supplies today, some much needed wire and some brass and copper sheet. I also got a new bit of PMC3 and some new resin. I sold my heart necklace that had a PMC flower in it and it's been sent off to a customer in the USA. I was so happy!! I did on the weekend stumble across some Degradable Bubble Packing stuff at the hardware store, so I bought myself a big roll of it.

Below are some pictures of my latest work. I decided not to keep the black patina on the 3rd necklace after all.





Well that's all for now I guess. We have some new neighbours that moved in this weekend and the lady knocked on my door this morning (I had noticed her wandering up and down the road this morning) and she intro'd herself and then asked if I had seen her cat. It's a 5 month old Siamese and it's been missing since this morning. So I have to keep a look out for it...though being that there is bush across from our houses, the kitty may not come back....

Hope everyone is having a lovely day like I am :)

Monday, August 16, 2010

Waiting again....

I am waiting here again....for the smoke alarm guy that the real estate lady is sending round...for the second time. The first time, he never showed up....or called to say he wasn't coming....so I waited all day long....for nothing.

So I would assume today will be no different.

Whilst I am waiting, I have been relisting my old goodies back to my Etsy store
which I picked up from the shop on Saturday morning.

And to be honest, I am really down that nothing much sold. I don't understand why either. Does my stuff suck?? I priced it well (or so I thought). Hubby thinks it was a combination of the location (of shop) and the fact that there was a lot of cheap jewellery (not real silver stuff) in there that I had to compete with.

I guess I won't know and I should get over it. But I am sure those who make jewellery completely understand how I feel right now. I am going to just keep on plodding along and making jewellery, because it makes me happy. And I will try and promote my Etsy store as much as I can. And maybe in the future will try those markets....

Below is a ring I have made recently and have listed to my Etsy Store
Turquoise, Sterling Silver, 9ct Gold in a size 6 US.

And below is a picture of a piece I made last week...but I can't decide whether to keep it completely oxidized, as I think it kinda has a Victorian feel to it this way...or to polish it back?? What do you think??

Alrighty then, I am bored now....

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Been A While....

It feels like longer than 2 weeks ago since I last blogged. I haven't really been in the mood lately. This past week I am kinda flat. I won't write about it...but any stay at home mum (of a 2yr old) would totally understand why.

During the day I don't get much of a chance at the bench...and at night, I just am too exhausted to bother, though I have so many things I want to make. But this last week I have gotten a chance to finally make some earrings (which can be seen on my FB fan page). They at least don't take too much of my time and can be done in parts during the day, whilst being mum.

Below are some bangles I made a couple of weeks ago (I made 8 in total) for myself. I added some PMC3 initial charms to 4 of them. I love wearing them. They make a nice jingle, jangle sound and the charms make a soft tinkly sound too. They aren't finished off perfectly, but I don't really care, sometimes I have to have instant gratification!


Below are a pair of my earrings I have made this past week using Turquoise.



The last few days have not been great weather wise, so we have been stuck in the house every day, till today. I got the house cleaning done and then Summer and I took a drive down to the beach and spent an hour watching the tide come in. We got to see some weird looking clear blob, Jelly Fish type things in the water, I always keep an eye out for any special shells that might end up on the sand, but no luck so far :(

I am going to try and get dinner cooked now, so I don't have to do it tonight.... Oh and I go and collect all my Jewellery from the Cube shop tomorrow....quite disappointed that I didn't sell much. But I gave it a shot. I am going to relist it all on Etsy and possibly in a few months time (when I have enough stock) try the local arts n crafts markets. Everything is worth a shot!

K well gonna go buy some onions and bread now....buh bye :)

Thursday, July 29, 2010

LaZy DaY.....

I am feeling really lazy right now.....I have done my housecleaning and I took Summer to the park for a swing and then we went to our new fave spot and spent an hour wading through the shallow water, picking up shells and spotting fish.

It's an absolutely beautiful day....the kind that makes you happy and very grateful to be alive and enjoying it.

Up above are some pictures of what I have been creating since my last post. I have dabbled in my first attempt at lip balm making and it turned out great.

I just received my latest order of silver yesterday....now I am just waiting on my latest horde of cabs to arrive...can't wait!

Well Summer has gone for a nap and I think it's time to have some lunch. I am still trying to sew something, but I am one of those kinda girls who starts one project and then starts another and then another....but never finishes one.....hopefully soon I will :)

Friday, July 23, 2010

Frozen Fingers.


Well not exactly frozen fingers...but they are pretty cold today. In fact the last few days it has been rather cold....just when I thought we weren't going to have a decent Winter.

I have been neglecting the blog. I have been having lots of fun getting out of the house a lot since we moved here. I guess it's 'cause there are actually places to go and things to do, which our last home lacked.

This past week, I have discovered 2 extra nice little spots to take Summer to. One is a nice park near the sea, that has Pelicans and Crabs, the other is a sweet little beach and when the tide is out, you can go walking out onto the sand for ages and ages and you get to see heaps of little blue crabs. Some on their own, some in massive groups all running the same way.

I took the hubby there today, he hasn't seen it properly till now, but the sun didn't show :( so we didn't really see any crabs. But Summer had great fun digging sand and throwing it! And we just enjoyed walking through the puddles/streams in the sand with our shoes off.

So because I have been going out more, I have been spending less time at the bench. But here are 2 pieces I have made since the last blog post...

My first ever bracelet. Which turned out so nice :) And a very large Labradorite Flower ring, which also turned out nicely :)

I have been on another cabochon shopping spree and have about 20+ on their way to me. Half of them turquoise, the other half are dyed agate. I can't wait to get them! Though I am out of silver sheet at the moment, so can't make anything till I get new stuff in....hopefully this week...

This week....

I got a new phone and I turned 31.

I'm wearing 'what the shrek' OPI nail polish :P

I have been sewing and buying lots of patterns off Etsy sellers....but no finished product to share yet....

All in all it's been a pretty good week.

Tomorrow we go to Gold Class Cinemas to watch 'Inception' and we can't wait!!!

Till next time :)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Old Hobbies Die Hard.....



I want to sew again. I don't have a whole lot of time to do jewellery, let alone sewing...but I am sure I will fit it in somewhere.

I have possibly thousands of dollars worth of material and a whole load of boutique patterns and I just bought more material last night.
I am only going to be making small things for now, I'd like to make a handbag or a market bag and the material I just purchased is to make Summer some nice twirl skirts.

Summer and I went to the park this morning and she had fun on the swings for ages and then we went for a little walk along the path by the seaside. It was super windy, but it was nice still.

Now we are going to go out and get our weekly lunch treat together....

Here are a couple of pictures of my latest work:




A nice lapis ring and a jasper pendant.

I finally have reopened my Etsy store. I am going to slowly work on new pieces to put in there and in another months time, I will have my old work back and I will be able to relist on Etsy.

We went on Sunday morning to see if those markets were on...but they weren't. Then the other night whilst out for fish and chips, I spotted a sign saying that the markets will be on this coming Sunday. So I am looking forward to that! There are some Arts n Crafts markets on about 15 minutes drive away from where we live, on Sunday morning too. So I am going to go there as well to scope it out. I really need to get selling some of my pieces so I can invest in more materials....you know how it goes.

Anywho...that's all there is to write about for now. Will probably do a post again, once I have been to those Markets on Sunday morning :)

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

It's almost lunch time and I am a bit bored, so I thought I would write a post.I finally have a ring finished. My first made in my new space, Purple Jade. I love the colour of this stone. It's a nice n simple piece.

Here is my little apprentice....

I got to spend about an hour at the bench this morning, while my little miss played around near me and in the backyard.

This Sunday, we are going to check out where some markets are apparently on every 2nd Sunday. It's only $10 for a stall there and you don't have to book and it's only from 7am till 11am. I wanted to check it out, as I am thinking if it looks any good, I might sell stuff there. It's only about 5 mins drive away from my place, so it's the perfect spot to try.

I only have 1 month left at the Incube8r store with my jewellery. I didn't make enough to justify keeping my work there. I am going to have to relist it all on Etsy or figure something else out....

I had fun yesterday playing with a photo editing program making my own Etsy Banner.I took some macro's of plants and of the only decent finished piece of jewellery I have still with me....here is what I came up with....
When I have made new jewellery, I will probably change it up again...I like change, I think it keeps things interesting.

There was nothing wrong with the banner set I purchased off Etsy, but it just was boring and a bit lame and it didn't really represent my store properly. Now I just have to get to work on making some nice business cards!
My daughter just had a tanty (tantrum) on the floor, for no apparent reason and I just caught her munching on little dog biscuits!!! YUCKO!!!! (well she obviously didn't think so).


I have a pendant and chains in the tumbler right now, so hopefully tomorrow I will have more finished work.

Okie Dokie all, have a fabulous time whatever you are doing!!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Done & Dusted.

Well we're finally into the new place and pretty much settled in. It has been a long 2 weeks since I last posted, but we got everything done. Moving gave us a good chance to sort through all the rubbish we have collected over the last 5 years and we got rid of as much of it as we could. We gave away what we could, the rest we threw away at the dump.

I almost have the new house together. I just have to set up my craft room and finish setting up my studio (in the garage again).

Because of the way the studio is situated, I have been able to already start making a couple of rings. Here is a picture of where my bench resides....


There are sliding doors at the back of the garage, where I can see out over the patio area and some of the back garden. So when Summer wants to go out and play (she mainly stays on patio) I can go out to the bench and create and still be able to keep an eye on her. It's a fabulous set up!!! Inside the garage there are normal walls and not the brick walls like the old house had. So I can hang a picture up and make it a little nicer. I am going to purchase a nice screen of some kind too, so I can make my space feel a little more separate from the rest of the garage and have it feel more like an actual room.

This house has double the cleaning for me, but as far as I am concerned....it's so worth it. I actually find myself enjoying the cleaning!! Oh and I have a real washing line too!! I hung out 2 loads of washing today for the first time in 5 years. It was great!! :)

Here is a picture of our front lounge area view, where we watch t.v. The whole bottom area of the house has high ceilings which I LOVE!....



NO neighbours across the road!!! Just lovely Bushy rainforesty area!! It has a fantastic feel and a great breeze comes in and we get to listen to some gorgeous birdies too!!

sigh....I love it here.... :)

Monday, June 14, 2010

I wish.....

That I could just go back to bed and get up whenever I felt like it.

Obviously when you have children/jobs, you don't really get that choice, it's made for you.

We get the keys on Thursday and we move in on Saturday. It's now Tuesday. I haven't hardly got anything packed. I just look at everything and feel overwhelmed, I don't know where to start.

We have sooooooooooooooooo much 'stuff'. (Points the finger at myself)

Yes. I have much 'stuffs'.

I really should just go ahead and get it done, I haven't enough time to dilly dally now :(

Can't wait to get back to blogging about making new shiny things! Can't wait to get back to making them either!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Moving On.

It's really cold today and I am wearing fingerless gloves and will end up in slippers soon. I'm loving it.

Good news....

We are moving! The house we had applied for, we were approved for yesterday!! And wow do things happen for a reason or what??? Cuz the house we are currently in, is going up for sale! So really, things couldn't have worked out better!! Makes sense now, why we weren't given a new lease to sign. Though I am rather cross with our rental agent, as they didn't even tell us. But all's well that ends well eh?!!

So over the next week I have tonnes of packing to do, and hubby has already organised the electrics, phone, internet, pay tv to be hooked up over there once we've moved in. So we will only have a little bit of downtime without the internet, but that will give me time to get the house in order.

My folks and hubbies folks will be helping us with the move/clean up and I will have to try n get the house on the other end cleaned up before we move in as it's been vacant for over a month and needs a vacuum/dust down.

Well I am off to get my little girl and I some lunch, once a week we have a takeout together, she absolutely loves it! Don't we all :P

Take care till next time :)

Monday, June 7, 2010

waiting...waiting....waiting

Waiting sucks.

We have applied for a house.

Still waiting to see if we were successful or not.

Now of course, I am starting to change my mind about moving into it. But that's me in a nutshell. I am constantly changing my mind and I drive myself INSANE!!!! Hubby didn't see it either. So now we think if we are approved, we should probably both go and check it out together before signing on the dotted line. I almost wish they would call me and say we didn't get it.......

I'm hardly making anything, but would love to just spend hours at the bench. I would love to start sewing again in the future. I would really like to start sewing with leather one day in the future too.

I got my order from Monsterslayer within about 5 days. So I have tonnes of bezel now and I am very happy with their service, I will certainly go back for future orders.



Friday, May 28, 2010

What's been happening????

well lol...not a lot has been happening actually.

I think I'm officially in limbo :(

Still looking for somewhere to move to. We only have 3 weeks left on our lease here and we are still waiting on the lease papers...our Agents suck, so they will get around to it when they can be bothered and will probably back date it anyways. There are a million rentals to choose from at the moment, especially in a certain price bracket. I have been watching the rental market for a couple of months now and many are being reduced again and again, cuz no one is taking them.

There are 2 places in particular that have grabbed our attention. We hope to look them over the weekend if we can get keys, but the sad part is, they are available now. Which is too soon. I am starting to fall for one in particular and am worried that my heart will get attached and then it will go to someone else. I hate that about house hunting. You want the place to grab at you, then you know you will be happy living there, but if you miss out, it's sooo disappointing!

On a diff note, I have placed my first order with Monsterslayer.com and I should hopefully have that next week. And I made an order with my usual supplier yesterday and for once they had everything in stock! W O W!!!! So for now I am stocked up, but have no creative juices flowing. My mind is just too absorbed on this whole moving thing. So much so, I only slept 4 hours last night, cuz I woke up just after 4am and was thinking about it and couldn't shut my mind down.

Good news! I sold a piece from my Incube8r cube! It was a plain piece, but it had a beautiful Labradorite stone. It took 2 weeks, but it covered my rent for 3 weeks! I can only hope that I will start to sell more and make an actual profit. I def still wanna do my Etsy shop too though!

Well that's it folks. The dog is licking my foot......I love it.....is that too much information maybe?????

Sunday, May 16, 2010

A Whistle in My Nose.

well that's what it sounds like when I sniff. And yet again, it would seem like I am getting sick again with allergies, in fact it always seems like that now.

Right now I am just sitting playing on the internet, soon I should have my groceries delivered and will have to put them away. I have some laundry on and then I really should be cleaning the floors, but it will all depend on how I am feeling by then.

My hubby and I spent the weekend in 2 specific areas, looking at houses. Summer spent that time with her grandies. We think we have pretty much decided on where we would like to move to, provided a place that fits our needs is available. We are both ready and excited for a change. So until I have moved, I doubt I will be listing much at Etsy :(

I hardly get any time at the bench. I would like to start making earrings, as I haven't really made many and earrings can be made easily and faster than large pendants/necklaces & rings.
Plus since they are made easily, they can be more affordable.

So though I have my jewllery now in the cube store in Town, I do intend on filling up my Etsy store. Just right now, I can't manage the time to include much being spent at the bench :(

Anyway, here are some pictures of my latest stash of stones:

There are lots of Peachblow Jasper and several Labradorites too.

I did manage to pick up some other stones I haven't worked with yet. I can't wait to get into it all again one day soon! In the meantime I have been trying to take Summer out more, to nice places, since the weather has become nice and comfortable.

This is a picture of Summer at the duck pond last week.

That slice of bread was kinda meant for the duckies, but she wanted to chew on it instead :P

I have made a new chunky PMC3 piece and I fired it last night. I need to solder some jump rings to it, then I can tumble it for a few hours. I'll take pictures when it's all done.

Well that's all for now folks. My bird is making an awful noise outside and it's driving me crazy!!!

Have a great day :)


Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Hello you :)

Well it has been a busy time since I last posted.

If you've dropped by my FB Fan Page, you will have seen what I have been up too lately. It's not much, but I don't get much time anymore.

I made a very chunky finger print charm (more like a pendant really) out of my new pack of PMC3 and it turned out fabulously! I am really reallllly pleased with it and wear it every day. I had read that you cannot torch fire over a certain size, so I was very apprehensive when I went to fire my piece. But I proved that theory wrong as my piece is really large and it fired just fine.

It took me about 4 tries to get the fingerprint impression into the clay, Summer wanted to bend her finger when I wanted her to keep her finger straight, so it was hard going. But in the end it all worked out well and I got it okay. It wasn't a perfect impression, but I didn't wanna push my luck!

Here it is anyways:

It weighs a hefty 25gms and I rolled it at 10 cards in thickness, I like weighty pieces and this is definitely that! I put a purple CZ in and scratched out Summer's name into the clay once it was fully dried. I am really loving the whole clay thing, shame it's so expensive :(

My latest news is I am now selling my jewellery in a shop in town. It's called In.cube8r. It's a regular shop, but only for people who make their own things. You rent a glass cube, under a 3 month contract and you don't have to pay commission. I am going to give it a go for the 3 month contract and see where that takes me. I will have to remove everything from Etsy and make new stuff for it, as all my other work is now in the cube shop.

In other news, we are still searching for the right location to move to. We tried today to check out a new area that we haven't ventured out to before, but Summer wasn't going to let us do it peacefully, she was extremely grumpy and making it hard to enjoy the experience, so we hope to go out on the weekend (and have Summer babysat by grandies) and check out the area properly so we can make an informed decision. The thing that worries me most with moving, is moving to somewhere I end up regretting. That would really suck.

Okay well that is all for now. It's getting colder here this week, I can't wait till it's Winter for real.

Friday, May 7, 2010

I Need slippers......stat!


Over the last few nights it's seemed to cool down a lot. Finally. Though during the day time it's still kinda warm....for me anyways. Right now my feet are cold and as we have tiled flooring under the computer desk, it makes for colder feet :(

Today my little sweetie pie turned 2. I've merely blinked and those 2 years have passed. And today I made my big fingerprint pmc thingy of her finger, it's a really big heart with a cz and I might try and inscribe her name on it if I'm game...I possibly have made it too big, but I am going to go ahead and try and make it work anyway, only this time I will take more care to finish it off and then will tumble it when it's done.

I tumbled the other pmc charms I made and they turned out lots better, so I am not scared off trying more pmc...for now.

I also got some Art Clay Copper to play with. It's really hard to find time to do anything now though. Summer is more and more demanding of my time and it means I cannot go to the bench and create. Though I did get a little over an hour out there yesterday afternoon and I have almost finished 1 piece and got to finish off another that was laying round on the bench for a while.

I have some exciting news in regards my jewellery, but I won't share it just yet. I will wait till Wednesday to share :P

I have found a house to look at....I called to get a viewing and they said maybe next week sometime, so I hope that happens and I can either go for it or move on. I have to start getting a hold of moving boxes too. I am going to throw a lot out and give a lot away to charity shops. We have accumulated way too much stuff and we don't need to take it all with us. I am so excited to move...I get itchy 'need something new' feet every few years.

Anyway it's that time of night when I need to make myself a hot cuppa or rather a thermo full of tea (I likes it verrrry hot).

Take care guys :)



Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Stupid PMC3.....

well only kinda.....see, I'm having a problemo with the charms I made..already :(

You saw in my last post how they turned out?? I was pretty pleased with the result.

Well this is how they look now.....


yeah....not so pretty anymore... :(

sob

big (typical) sigh

I have no idea what's gone wrong/what I have done wrong. I allowed charms to dry overnight. Fired them with my torch for 2 mins once they got the 'glow' and then allowed them to air dry. Then polished them up using super fine steel wool. So on paper, it would seem as though I have followed everything correctly. I have posted in a forum for some help, so hopefully I can get some answers soon.

And I already have a new lot of pmc stuff ordered and I am kinda worried that I will ruin it...spesh since I want to make a fingerprint charm of my daughter on Friday her birthday. I have also ordered some ArtClay Copper to try out as I have read you can torch fire that too. I have tried to get some info about pmc classes in my area, but can't seem to get any replies, which is disappointing to say the least.

But I am considering doing a longer silver smithing course .... maybe.... it's a lotta moolah and can't really be splashing the cash just now.....(she says after she has just spent on pmc)!!

Oh well....I know it will get sorted eventually...it's just got me a bit deflated now. I really want to make some normal silver jewelry too, but just seem to have lost my mojo. I think the whole house hunting really has me consumed right now, knowing there is so much to be done etc.

Hope everyone is having a more productive week than I.

:)