Hop a long...

This week has been a long boring week, my knee up on a pillow encased with ice... can't reach my wire or my tools. Thankfully, I have my computer and my phone and my family has been great. 

I finished my applications for Wire Masters, Baltimore (so excited that they asked me to teach) and also for for Bead Fest Texas.

I am working on applications to teach at William Holland and have two new classes for Sawtooth.  My teaching career is well on its way, and I am so excited to share what I know with others!  It is a humbling experience to have others entrust you with their time, money and their dreams of learning.  I am always thinking about how to make my classes better, more fun, more information all crammed into a small amount of time.

Learning is a continuation throughout life.  I take as many classes as I can, as often as I can.  I read, I experiment, I fail and then finally I succeed. So my advice, is to hop, crawl, run into the experience of learning.  I hope to meet you along the path~

Snow Day....again

Well the kids have been out of school for 4 days.....in.....a.....row!!!!  We didn't get alot of snow, but those of you from the south know about black ice and boy have we had that!  Patches melt and then come back, its very dangerous!

Good news is that Darling Son and I have gotten along great and I have stuck close to home and finished some pieces.

Here are my skeleton keys.

And my friend Bob Mattingly made some scrumptous enameled components for me.  Here is the partially finished pieces. Still need to work on the bail, but hammering is out since Darling Son is still asleep!  Don't you love the yummy soft colors! Pink Topaz, yellow topaz drops and yellow adventure small beads. Exciting news is that I am going to visit Bob and his wife Judy for a weekend of enameling, late February.  I will take loads of pictures and let you know how that goes.

Stay safe everyone!

New Thoughts..New Year

I've been thinking alot about resolutions.... should I?  I have never been one to really make alot of them and in the years past those that I make with a set date are doomed to fail.

So.......

New thoughts....

Instead of making resolutions of things to 'do'... like I will lose weight... or I will stop drinking (full strength Pepsi's that is)... never make it, and I mean never!!

I digress, new thoughts... I decided to make my resolutions around 'being'

I will BE!

More patient.... with my family, my friends and those stupid, rude, untrained salespeople that you meet everytime you go out.  I will smile, be kind, remember that their day must be worse than mine... I will be more PATIENT

I will BE!

More active.... I will strive to go to the gym more than 2 times a week, I will move around a little more, park the car a few spaces further from the door.. I will just try to not be such a couch potato... .I will be more ACTIVE

I will BE!

More focused ... on the craft that I love; jewelry making and all that goes with it (that is really the key, the paperwork, the inventory, the picture taking, the selling, the marketing).  I will carve out time to look at my work with a critical eye and just try and stay true to my journey..... I will be more FOCUSED

I will BE!

What will you BE!

Ready, Set, Go!

I've been working like crazy to get ready for my open house this Friday and Saturday.  It really gets my going!!  I made a ton of beaded earrings, shaped some cool sterling wire earrings and then made a few silversmithed earrings!  Finished some beaded necklaces that match some bezel set stone pendants and polished alot of chains!

Hoping for a good crowd, but will be glad to see those that come not matter how few or how many! House is clean (well..... as clean as it gets!!), snacks made, house decorated for the holidays.

Now to sit, relax and chill!

Cold Connections

Just a couple of weeks ago I had the greatest class on cold connections at Sawtooth in Winston Salem.  I had worked for a couple of weeks getting several samples ready and figuring out how to best get the class started.  I ordered some great textured copper and brass from Metalliferous in NY, put in a lot of mini screws, nuts, beads, stones, tubing... you know, all the things you need to make some cool jewelry.

We started with basic screws and then did rivets, sewing, tube rivets and tabs... so much fun!  It was a very technique oriented class with each lady doing her own thing!

 

Two days of working with 10 of the most creative women really boosted my morale and my creativity.  Just take a look at what these women made!