Busily Building

I'm trying to update the blog more often. I don't keep a journal, and the blog is slowly becoming more journal-like for me. I'm on Facebook, of course, but it seems really odd to post some of my more mundane life stuff there. So I'm sort of journaling here instead. :)

I slept straight through my alarm this morning - I had a horrible dream. It comes in variations over the years, but it's always the same theme. I have to get somewhere and I can't, for various reasons (depending on the dream). Once it was that I had to be at a festival to set up and it was a nearly impossible drive through the mountains and I had to set up on the edge of a cliff. Once it was the same thing - show set up - and I ended up in a warehouse all by myself...I was in the wrong location. This time I was in New York City and I missed my flight home. My luggage went, but I had to catch a MARTA bus to the airport (funny, there's no MARTA in NYC). And a bunch of situations kept me from doing so...first I hadn't packed up my jewelry inventory (though I was not in NYC for a festival) and I missed the bus. Then someone wanted  to buy a piece of jewelry and there were all sorts of issues around that. Then I caught the next bus but they wanted to charge me $10 and somehow I'd packed my purse in my luggage...

This has gone on in different variations for years. The dreams are incredibly stressful and I'm not sure what drives them. I have stresses in my life like everyone, but I aim to minimize them when possible and I didn't feel stressed when I went to bed last night. I actually felt good about the productive day I'd had.

So anyhoo, I started off late this morning. Which really, really doesn't matter because I set my own schedule, y'know? But I really don't like starting my day late, it seems to throw my productivity off. But I got myself on the (hot, so, so hot) skate path and worked out. I pushed my legs as hard as I could (and they're tired, this is the third day in a row on the path) and got a good workout, though my time doesn't indicate it. I think that has to do with those tired legs. But tired in a good way. I am trying to get myself up to regularly exercising four to five times a week instead of my previous three-day-a-week schedule. And it hasn't been easy. My fortyish body is tired. But I'm a stubborn old girl, so I keep on keepin' on.

And now I'll show you new goodies:

The Storm Cloud necklace. The labradorite in the pendant looks to me like a big storm cloud lingering over the land and I designed this pendant around that idea, sawing a cloud shape and adding a dark patina. The back has a raindrop texture.

Change means growing pains, turmoil, and sometimes heartbreak. No one ever wants it, but the restless soul always strives for growth, and growth cannot occur without change. When the clouds gather and the days are dark, know that the low points will give way to peace as the new and reborn self emerges into a place of respite after weathering the storms that mark it. Evolution and wisdom are worth the darkest days it takes to get there.

This is such a glorious labradorite and I am enjoying working with "labs" in my designs. When I used mostly beads, it was a struggle to find several beads on a strand that had enough of that beautiful flash. Mostly they were dull gray. I love these cabs and can (and do!) spend hours at gem shows picking out just the right stones.  :)

Here's the back:

The pendant hangs from a hidden bail so the top of it lifts off the skin slightly and slides freely on a rolo chain. When I first started designing I used the tube bail a lot and then went away from it for a while. But I love the look and now it's back.

Wishing you a happy and productive Tuesday! Tomorrow's the Fourth...are you getting ready to celebrate?   :)

Having a Day + Stone Preview

Woke up at 4:30 this morning, tried for thirty minutes to get back to sleep. No go - finally fell asleep again around 7 (which is when I was supposed to be getting up). So now I'm a little behind today's schedule...but I have goodies to share, hopefully by the day's end. I've set most of my stone pieces from last week and they just need a final polish (and chains / ear wires, and pricing...yada yada yada).

Here's the money shot:

Hoo boy! All that riotous color together makes me happilicious. :)  In generally un-random order, top to bottomish:

Pietersite, labradorite, amazonite, labradorite

Ocean jasper, turquoise, peru opal, turquoise

Chrysoprase, larimar, ocean jasper, labradorite, amazonite, peruvian opal.

I plan to make a few more pendants before the festival but I'm pretty much out of earring stone stock and won't have access to any more until after the festival, so if these sell in the meantime, so be it. But at least they're made.

It seems like it shouldn't have taken almost two weeks to get all these done, but as I've mentioned previously, not every day has been fully spent in the studio. But this week and next are pretty open so hopefully I can really crank up. And stone pieces take me waaaaay longer than almost anything else I make, so the rest of the work should go a little faster (at least, that's the plan).

I'll be individually listing these on etsy and on my web site throughout the week.

Now time for lunch and then more creative time.  :)

In the Works

It's late...I've been in the studio nearly twelve hours today. The husband is traveling so I took advantage of the extra time...

And I am headed upstairs to some ibuprofen, a heating pad, and some sleep...but I am so excited about some of the new pieces that I couldn't wait to give you a quick look, even though they're not finished yet.

An asymmetrical stone that looked like it needed an asymmetrical setting. I added a wire embellishment and drilled a hole. Care to guess what stone is going in here? It's one of my regulars, if that helps.  :)

Little more complex, this one...as you'll hopefully see later in the week. Also a little asymmetrical with some embellishments and it, too, will house one of my go-to stones.  :)

Now, off to bed!