leaves, and onions and shells, oh my

I have to say that the best thing I have done for myself lately is to set up my workshop in the utility room.  Our laundry/utility room is on the lower level of our townhome, is a good size and was being under utilized.  It took a lot of fortitude and trips up and down the stairs, but it has been completely worth the effort . I am not entirely finished.  I made a commitment to myself that I would not rush this process, so I have been bringing things down from my upstairs work area (desk) bit by bit.  I will work on something, bring down the tools/supplies necessary and then decide as I am working where to store it, where on my bench does this tool make sense.  If you are trying to organize any workspace such as this, I can’t recommend this method enough.  I realize it is probably not  feasible for everyone, but if you have the opportunity to do it this way, try it!

So, what are the fruits of these labors, you ask?  I needed more earrings for my site, and I love this bulbous tear shape, and I love to wire wrap, and I am really working on my soldering skills:

they are going up on Pulled Sugar Designs today.  They will start as the item of the week, but then will move into regular stock items, along with additional color combinations and a smaller size as well.  These are pretty large, at least 3 1/2 inches long, but are SO featherweight, really comfy, and swingy and fun.  They will be on sale while they are the item of the week.

I also created this ring:

please ignore my heinous knuckles in this picture- I snapped it quickly before work.  The band is quite wide- 1/4 of an inch.  The leaf is hand forged and pierced from etched copper.  I’ve been wearing it all day today, and am quite pleased with the comfort of this ring.  I did realize why I do not like to make rings.  Earring and necklaces, once you put them on, you don’t really look at them all day long.  A ring however (and to a lesser degree a bracelet)  you can stare at ALL DAY LONG.  It is on your hand, it catches your eye, you wash your hands, etc.  If there is a tiny imperfection, I will stare at that minor scratch/dent/(in this case tiny spot of solder on the bottom of the leaf) and will not be able to concentrate on anything else about the piece.  And so although I try to make all my pieces of jewelry as perfect as possible, a ring to me is the most unforgiving accessory there is.

I also worked on these fun chandelier earrings:

They are near impossible to photograph so that they look as pretty as they are.  They are dyed shell, in little shapes, accented with sparkly faceted glass and sterling wire.  There will be at least one additional color choice with these guys.  They are dangly, but not too long- approximately 2 inches form the ear wire.

Okay, two posts in as many days, kind of scary, I now.

Thanks for checking me out-

Jen

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