tax season = crazy season

Phew, another year has flown past, and I am crazy again at work. It does make the day go by lightening quick, and most of our clients are an enjoyable lot. So far the most remarkable event has been pushing a clients car out of the mud pit that we laughingly call our parking lot (a pox on the R&**%bury Township planning board). I managed to only get my red and white polka dot wellies dirty, but my dad was pretty much head to toe, with a sassy splotch on his forehead, like a dollop of whipped cream on top.

My husband and I are notorious couch potatoes.
This whole writers strike has really made my husband stretch outside the box to seek out things for us to watch. We really enjoyed the new Battlestar Galactica, Freaks and Geeks and season 2 of Big Love. The last two series can really put a persons deodorant to the test. Freaks and Geeks takes place in 1980-81, which was grade school for me, but the angst of high school crosses over all decades. Scott and I both squirmed in delicious discomfort through each episode. Seriously a shame that show didn't at least get a season 2. Big Love season 2 is just a festival of f-ups. Too many to name, the reasons to squirm in this one had absolutely nothing to do with relateability. It's a stretch to imagine yourself in any of these situations, and at the end of the hour, you feel oh so grateful for your monogamous lifestyle. But it is quite fun to order your spouse around claiming to have had a testimony for ridiculous things (I have received a testimony that we should not watch the Devils game tonight).

Oh, and exactly how does one inform their loved ones that they have created an amazon wishlist just in time for their birthday?
Well, I guess this works...


take it...

experiment with lomography

Created with dumpr.net - fun with your photos

where did december go?

Okay, an entire month without an update is kinda crazy. I know that nobody's life was at risk, but, the whole point of this exercise is to check in regularly, hopefully with jewelry related posts, but other (interesting to me) stuff too.

So, where to start? The holidays are over, thankfully. I have a love-hate relationship with November through January 1. I love being with friends and family, I love the challenge of finding good gifts. Christmas Eve is the one time a year that we entertain. I hate that I have to clean my house up, but I love showing the people around me that they matter by feeding them. I'm a control challenged person (spoken like a true freak) so I get to feeling overwhelmed, when all I'd have to do is ask for a helping hand. Anyway, enough of this weird self pity part of this entry.

Anyway, the turducken took the most time ever to cook in the 3 or 4 years we have done them for Christmas eve. But when you eat at 2:00 am Christmas morning, it's really Christmas breakfast, isn't it? The shame of it is, that I tried very hard this year to get the dang thing on the table at a reasonable hour, and failed. I do have a new plan for next year, so who knows, maybe it will actually be dinner on Christmas Eve for 2008

Also in December, I've been working on my photography skills. I seem to be improving, but I think that my camera may be holding me back a little bit. I don't think the macro is as good as I really need to take the close-up shots necessary.

I got my disc cutter this month, which was very exciting. With a few whacks of the hammer, I can have perfect little circles of metal. My first few projects using this tool were a sort of charm bracelt for my mom and mother-in-law. Each child and their significant other have an etched and domed disc, linked back to back. Then as grandbabies arrive they will have little charms that will hang off of their parents bigger discs. I really like this whole concept, and think I will offer these as custom pieces on my etsy shop. I just have to work out pricing. I really don't like doing the same thing over and over, but, because each disc is hand decorated, and the links can be different for each customer, I think I won't get bored. My sister in law inquired about making pendants somehow, so I'm working that out as an option.

I'm also working out a way to frame those gemstone donuts that are so easy to find, yet, what the heck do you do with them. I think I've figured out an Etruscan feeling type of setting for these challenging little baubles. Pictures to follow. I had technical problems with my jewelers saw, and had to deal with those before I could finish.

Oh, here are some pictures from the show my sister did. I was disapointed about no christmas tree on the ceiling, but everything still looked lovely.

Ohh, and remember my $599.99 crocs, bought over the summer? Well, they went down to $139.99. We received a checked for $400 from our insurance company this weekend. They must have settled with little-girls insurance company, and so we got 80% of our deductible back. Happy New Year to me! I also now have purple mary jane crocs. A fun little Christmas present (no car accident necessary).
Yeah, and to complete, random pictures of my dog, 'cause she's cute.

Okay Abbi, I've been bugging you for an update. Now that I've done mine, I can really be a nudge.

busy hands...

I've been a very busy little bee these past few weeks. The great grab bag design experiment has really been working. Every once in a while, I'll switch something out, for a better choice, but there is a lot of pressure off when a part of the design process has already been completed.
Here are some of the results...

boulder opal and copper, with a big shell flower, serious Wilma Flintstone territory

Lapis with pink calcite, very simple

Incredible peacock colored stick pearls with labradorite and amazonite
Mookaite and coral. Made to be worn with clasp anywhere. Pretty versatile.

Rhodonite with onyx, and fun fringe.
My sis Abbi had asked me to send up some stuff to her for an event in town. She is very active in the arts community up there, and they are planning new and exciting events to attract people to the talented artists up in Northwest PA. I sent 16 necklaces and a mess of earrings. They were decorating for it a couple of days ago, and a Christmas tree installed on the ceiling was mentioned. When I get pics I will pass them along. I am very excited for her and for the opportunities that are presenting themselves. In February, they have this very well attended wood and ice carving event, with participants from all over the world. When I say wood, I mean giant log and chainsaw stuff, not for the faint of heart.
Anyway, besides a wonderful Thanksgiving, that's pretty much what I've been up to.
Oh, I went to a concert in a friends living room Tuesday night. Ed had heard this young singer/songwriter on the Prairie Home Companion. His name is Jon Troast (the greatest thing since sliced bread). Ed was impressed, went to his website. Apparently he had been planning this living room across america tour. For like , a hundred bucks, he comes, plays, and sells CD's, all in the comfort of your living room. (Ahh youth!) Well, he was pretty darn good. If you go to the link, you'll see us in Bill and Ed's living room. I'm in the back right, peeking in. So if you get a chance to see him in someone's living room (or perhaps more boring, a coffee house), go, he's good.

Not an ordinary commute

I commute to my 9-2-5, just like anyone else, but I was struck recently by the beauty I encounter along my commute. Yes, I live in New Jersey, and I have a beautiful commute.
Here's proof...






I do spend some time on Routes 287, and 206, but I'm pretty darn lucky, almost no time spent sitting in traffic, beauty all around.

I did have an unfortunate brush with nature (or, nauture had an unfortunate brush with me). I was almost to work, it was the first Saturday of tax season, a frosty February morning. Out of the corner of my eye a flash of color. A small "bonk." Out of my rear view mirror a pheasant is rolling toward the side of the road, his little harem watching nervously, safely from the lawn they had been crossing. I was unable to stop, and when going home a few hours later, I did not spot him on the shoulder. I hope that he was just stunned (and maybe a little embarrassed) by his running into my wheel. I was only going 30mph (the speed limit on this particular road), so maybe he made it.

So, what is the point of my little tangient, you ask? I guess, to say this to all y'all out there whose sole experience in New Jersey has been the Newark airpport, or the Meadowlands for a concert: New Jersey is beautiful, you just have to venture off the turnpike. On second thought, this is such a tiny little state, and already pretty crowded so maybe I shouldn't work so hard to convince anyone else how great it is here. We already know.

PS: yes I took most of these pictures while driving, but you know, I didn't try to frame a shot or do anything fancy. I just snapped while going along, to see what I would get. Two of them I pulled over, because I wanted a something on the side of the road, and I can't get clear shots from the side while moving. No more dangerous than that lady who was tailgating me so close this morning that I could smell her coffee.

yes, I still make jewelry...

Lately, I have not really been keeping up with my jewelry blogging. Recently, my SIL helped my by dumping out all my stone beads on my dining room table, and helping me put together combinations. Sometimes you stare at the same two beads, forgetting all the other beads you have put away. So they sat on the table for a while in matched piles.

Then I wanted to have people over for dinner, so, the piles went into sandwich baggies, and put into my storage containers, marked "grab bag, if you take it, you must make it". The whole point being, I should just grab a random bag, and use what's in it. Hopefully, it will make the composition aspect a little quicker.

Here are three necklaces I've made so far using this "system."

This one is a wire wrapped red agate wavy disk, combined with peridot jasper, olive jade, peridot and more red agate

This one is probably my favorite so far. I will put it up for sale, but I must admit that I made sure I would have enough stones left over to make one for myself. It's substantial, lizardite (a form of serpentine) puff ovals, with onyx rondelles and small lizardite rounds. The lizardite has the coolest texture.

The spiderweb jasper on this one is amazing as well. The irregular web pattern along with the randomness of the coral, offsets the squareness of the beads. I've had the focal piece for a while now, and finally figured out something to do with it.

pics for october 3 post

Okay, couldn't get blogger to let me edit the post for the 3rd of October, so had to create a new post to get these pics up.
Here's the necklace that the dumbest "torch" ever helped me make




















Here's the first thing I ever cut out of sheet. It was always supposed to be a leaf, but at first it just looked like a misshapen heart. It has since been etched for the veining, a tube rivet was added for the bail, and it was antiqued and tumbled. It's pretty big, about 3 inches square