Karena Bella Jewelry

Toot Toot

2011-12-04T15:28:00.001-06:00

Click to see Karena Bella Jewelry in the Des Moines Register!

Forgive me...but I just wanted to toot my horn really quick. Early last week I was contacted from a writer for the Des Moines Register (comparable to the St Paul Pioneer Press) about including my bracelet/etsy shop in a gift giving guide in the Sunday paper. Of course I said YES! The article featured a handful of local Iowan etsy shops. I was honored to be selected. It was pretty cool to see my work in the paper (in color!). The bracelet sold right away, among some other things. Gotta love free advertising!

The Lagniappe

2011-09-10T22:45:00.002-05:00

I am happy to announce that Karena Bella Jewelry is now available at The Lagniappe on the historic Valley Junction in West Des Moines, Iowa! I am thrilled about this new opportunity. Not only to be represented in the charming Valley Junction artist community. But to be represented by such an established gallery. The Lagniappe has been serving the artist community for 22 years and offers a variety of unique and quality art. Not to mention a beautiful roof deck to relax and enjoy the charms of the season. If you are in the area, or ever find yourself in Des Moines, head on over and experience this lovely gallery! Who knows? Maybe you'll find "a little something extra"!

First Time for Everything

2011-08-18T11:26:00.001-05:00

I was only able to take one semester of metals while in college. We didn't work with faceted stones - that was considered 'advanced' level work. I have always been intimidated to work with them because of that. I FINALLY did it! And I even made my own stepped bezel from scratch for the stone as well. It was challenging and fun! I felt quite satisfied to make this ring. I wish I could say this is a diamond...but it's not. It's a 1 carat cubic zirconia. But leaves quite an impression.

Making a hole in the band to fit the bezel was both time consuming and challenging. Thankfully it was a perfect fit. One tiny mistake and I would have had to start completely over. Silver can be unforgiving!

The flared edges make this ring very comfortable to wear.

And it's versatile. Here I paired it with delicate gold bands for a simple look.

This look is quite bold...and my favorite! I've got to say, it looks so much better in person.

Gotta love a good text book!

I've said this before. But it never ceases to amaze me what you can do with some silver, stones, fire, hammers, and saws. I love metalsmithing!

Brand New

2011-07-19T15:59:00.002-05:00

I recently made a goal to make 3 new things in my studio per week, aside from the necessary things like orders or repairs. I figure even I can reach this goal. At times it can be so hard to get to work in the studio. But so far, so good. I reached my goal last week and am on track to reach it this week. Here's a look at my new creations.

First, it always amazes me what you can do with some silver and some tools. A couple of weeks ago I FINALLY bought a disc cutter (the peg looking thing on the left). I gotta tell ya, it has rocked my jewelry making world. I've been making these sweet little silver flowers with the discs I can now so easily cut out.

Pretty cool, huh?

{handmade on 7.9.11}

These little flowers are my new obsession. The best part is that the possibilities are endless. Each one in completely unique.

{handmade on 7.18.11}

These little ladies are donning freshwater pearls (my favorite)

{handmade on 7.19.11}

I am loving this ring. I wonder if I should turn it into a stacking ring? We'll see. I can see lots of different flower designs in cuffs, dangling earrings, pendants. Maybe I'll even try a pin? Again, we'll see. Most of this jewelry is earmarked for a gallery I am hoping to get into on
Valley Junction in West Des Moines, IA. Fingers are crossed.

Check these out! Maybe they don't look it, but they are GIANT freshwater pearls. I need to make more of these babies. They look amazing swaying from your ears.

This bracelet is so versatile. It's one I made a long time ago but recently re-did. It features crystal quarts, freshwater pearls and a sterling charm.

{handmade on 7.18.11}
A high-dome labradorite pendant featuring handmade fine silver leaves. I'm still not sure what I want to do for a chain.

SALE

2011-07-06T22:24:00.001-05:00

Yes. That's right. I am having a sale in my etsy shop. My first sale. I really don't know why I have not done this before. It seems like such a good idea all of a sudden. I want to start moving things through the shop more quickly. And I feel like times are hard for a lot of people. But that doesn't mean they shoudn't be able to treat them self (or someone else) to a pampering gift. You will find select items (many are brand new!) marked 25% off. So, head on over to my etsy shop and score a great deal on some new jewelry. But do it fast, this sale won't last long!

Neutrals

2011-06-09T16:10:00.006-05:00

It is such a great feeling to get new work finished and in my Etsy shop. The following items are listed and ready to send to a new owner {that could be you}!

{Crazy Lace Agate Necklace in Neutral}
View the listing in my shop

I tried something new with this necklace and ended up loving it! I took some silk cord and wove it into the sterling chain. It ended up being a great way to get a little color into the chain without using stones etc.

{Double Strand Bracelet in Neutral}
View the listing in my shop

I'm happy with how this bracelet turned out. It is simple and neutral, making it a versatile piece.

{Crazy Lace Agate Studs in Rose}
View the listing in my shop

These studs are so sweet. I love the rosey hues--even though they have 'pink' they look neutral in person. A great every day earring.

{Crazy Lace Agate Ring in Gray}
View the listing in my shop

This ring was a happy accident. In this economy and with silver prices soaring you have to get creative and reuse raw materials. I won't bore you with the details, but this ring features recycled silver parts.

I am loving the batch of neutral crazy lace agate cabs I bought a couple of gem shows ago. I think it's wise to have pieces that you can wear with everything. These are definitely those kind of pieces. I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Back to Work

2011-05-18T19:26:00.006-05:00

"The Studio" It's a bit of a huge mess at the moment but it works for now.

It's been a month and we're finally getting settled in to our new home here in Iowa. I have my studio in order (aside from a few random boxes that still need to find a home) and it feels SO good to be working in there again. My creative juices are flowing and now I just wish I had more time in the day to play.

These babies are first on my list. I made the bezels for these stones shortly before this whole Iowa thing came about...they've been waiting patiently to be finished (so have I). They are intended for my etsy shop. I'll post pics when they are done.

*Sigh* Pearls. I {l o v e} pearls. I bought a ton of them at the last gem show and cannot wait to play with them. It's a shame that they're not draped around someone's neck or dripping from a pair of lobes. They'll get there! I never did post pictures of all the treasures I found last month at the gem show. I got to buy the 'fun' stuff this time (last time, if you remember, it was all of the necessary supplies...not fun and always expensive); namely pearls, stones, and a wide variety of cabs to set. I'll try to remember to take some pics of them.

Well, break time is over. Time to get to work.

A New Adventure Begins

2011-04-08T17:56:00.003-05:00

Life has been NUTS lately! My husband recently found a new job...in Iowa. This all happened so fast and really I should say this job found him. He'd been looking since last November and nothing had been happening. And when I say nothing I really mean n o t h i n g. Resume after resume, application after application and n o t h i n g (with the exception of a couple phone interviews, so maybe 'nothing' isn't completely true). Then one day a few weeks ago he received an email from a nice man at a bank in Iowa which was followed by a phone interview...then a family trip down including an entire day of interviews, lunch and a tour of the town he'd potentially be working in. Within a week he had the job (!!!). It's quite a big promotion and is EXACTLY what he was looking for. So yay! But in the past 3-1/2 weeks we've been to Iowa twice, come to terms with the fact that we're moving there (away from family and everyone we know), and begun packing. Needless to say I am tired (keep in mind we have a 4 month old!).

Unfortunately, my business will take a little hit from this move. I am leaving behind lots of customers and one of the galleries I have been in (who has a strict 'local only' policy). Big bummer there. They have been a big money maker for Karena Bella. But my husband kindly reminded me that when God shuts a door, He opens a window. It's exciting to think about a whole new market to tap in to.

So, what's on the bench? Hmmm...a batch of half finished work for etsy...a PILE of jewelry for the gallery (sigh...this used to be galleries) waiting for tags and waiting to be delivered. Oh, tags. You have been the bane of my existence as of late. Hours upon hours of designing...changing my mind...coming up with better ideas...and redesigning. I am finally getting there though. I think.

I will soon be packing up my studio (yet again). I should be back at it in a few weeks (hopefully). One really good thing about this move is there will be very little distraction considering that we are leaving everyone and everything we know. I can see myself spending lots of time in the studio! That will be heavenly : )
Later!

p.s. Since I have no jewelry pics to post here is a cute one of Evelyn...*sigh* I love this little girl!

It's About Time

2011-03-09T12:28:00.006-06:00

I am so happy to have new work to post. I feel like it's been a really long time. I suppose it has been! The following is a mix of jewelry I've made for the galleries, my etsy shop, and a couple things I made for myself. Enjoy!

I made the "Evelyn" necklace shortly after she was born. I was aching to make my 'momma' necklace my entire pregnancy. But that's hard to do when you don't know the gender of the baby. I gotta tell ya...this was a difficult necklace to make. Any little mistake in the stamping led me to re-melting down the gold, re-hammering it back out flat, re-polishing it...etc. I probably did this 4 times before I got it right. When it comes to jewelry, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. That fact makes my life difficult sometimes! Ugh. The moldovite necklace is something I made to layer with the Evelyn necklace. I LOVE moldovite. It is the most stunning shade of green (love). I bought 4 stones about 2 years and have not been able to part with them. I also made a pearl pendant to layer with Evelyn but I forgot to take a photo of it. Anyway...

Vessuvianite and variegated green amethyst.

Crazy lace agate (this stone is AMAZING in person).

The most beautiful green/gold freshwater pearls knotted on matching green silk.

Chalcedony

Earrings to match

Pearl studs...love these!

Little rustic hoops

Mmmmm, paisley and pearls. Does life get any better?!

An authentic 100+ year old Indian charm (called "Patri").

Silvery-aqua freshwater pearls

I love this color combination of pearls...it's fresh.

And some bracelets to match!

There you have it. New jewelry. Now I need to attack my next project, new tags for the gallery jewelry. I have no ideas so far. Hmph.

Other than that--life continues to be good. Take care ; )

A New Life

2011-01-28T16:27:00.003-06:00

Nearly 8 weeks have passed since the birth of my sweet, little girl. In some ways it feels like it's been a lot longer than that--for example, it feels like it's been a lot longer than that since a decent nights sleep! At the same time, part of me wishes time would slow in passing. Evelyn has out grown all of her newborn clothes, diapers, and even the need to be swaddled. My heart broke a little while cleaning out her drawers, putting the teeny-tiny newborn clothes away to make room for the 0-3 size.

This new life as a mother has been beyond rewarding. Even though it comes with it's challenges the blessings have been abundant. Things I struggled with for what seems like forever are starting to come easy to me (time management being a big one!). Every little smirk and smile fill my heart with joy. Every diaper, feeding, bath...every opportunity to serve my little one makes me love her more.

I have had some time to play around in the studio here and there the past 7 weeks. I FINALLY got to make my 'momma' necklace : ) My camera is currently full to the brim with pictures of Evelyn so I have yet to photograph some of my new work. Hopefully that will happen soon. I think February will be a fresh start in the studio. I am anxious to re-open my shop and get some new jewelry to the galleries (which is actually in progress...yay!). My husband will be my new assistant. That is he will be in charge (feedings and all) while I work in my studio a few nights a week. I cannot wait to get started!

Love and Hugs!

It's a Girl!!!

2010-12-12T20:28:00.003-06:00

Evelyn Grace Armstrong was born Tuesday, December 7th at 8:55pm. She weighed 7lbs 3oz and measured 20" long. The labor and delivery were 'text book' (according to the nurses)--everything went just as I hoped and prayed it would. We have been blessed with a perfect, healthy little girl and words cannot express my gratitude!

Evie and I locking eyes for the first time--she is so beautiful.

She already has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. Have you ever scene such a look of love?

She ALWAYS has her little hands on her face and every now and then she gets her thumb in her mouth. It's so dang cute to watch her suck her little thumb.

Amos is so interested in her and shows very cautious interest. We've noticed his protective instincts have doubled since we've brought her home. He is already very sweet with her.

So now we're just trying to get adjusted to life with a baby here at home. So far things are going well. But the last 5 days are starting to catch up with us and we're pretty tired today. I'll continue to be in touch but it might be spotty (much like it has been the past 9 months!).

His and Hers

2010-12-06T16:37:00.004-06:00

A friend/customer commissioned me to make her and her boyfriend a 'his and hers' necklace set for Christmas. It was such a fun and challenging project because I had never made anything for a man before. After doing some research on etsy (of course) I found there are some really awesome designs out there for men. I just might bust into that market one of these days. Enjoy the pictures (and ignore the reflections in the stones...there was no way around it!).

Hers & His

We chose to use onyx as the stone because it represents constancy, steadfastness, permanence, & courage (among many other things).

Debbie--this one is yours. It features a 25mm onyx stone set in a very feminine setting with a 18" textured chain (that matches the wire detail around the stone).

And here is Phil's. I *hope* the setting is masculine enough. This is also a 25mm stone and is on a 3mm thick natural leather cord that measures 20".

"love of my life"

Let me know what you think! I hope you love them. I'll send them with Mike Wednesday wrapped and ready to go : ) Thanks Debbie!

New Work

2010-12-06T15:24:00.003-06:00

I finally took some pictures of recently finished projects. Enjoy!

Labradorite. One of my favorite stones, e v e r. This is a particularly beautiful stone. I put it in a very simple setting to not distract from the stone itself.

This stone has such beautiful 'flash' (aka labradoresence)...blues, grays, greens, golds. Lovely!

This necklace features a 100 year old Indian charm, called a Patri. The stones are varigated blend of green amethyst (another personal favorite) knotted on thick, brown silk. I used soft deerskin suede for the bail.

Diamonds, anyone? I used some of the raw diamond beads I bought at the last gem show in this necklace. My new trick--using silver 'drop' beads layered on a sterling hoop for a lovely rustic effect. Here's a pendant and earrings to match.

Other than that my studio time has been taken up with custom orders and some odds and ends repairs. I am feeling a huge relief having just finished up the last of my custom orders (which will appear in another entry today)--the baby can come any day it wants now! We're going to be 38 weeks this week so I am REALLY hoping the baby will decide to come soon. We shall see ; )

"Okay...it's time to slow it down."

2010-10-22T16:34:00.004-05:00

Do you remember that from high school dances? You'd be dancing to some crazy, fast song with a group of your friends and then all of a sudden the DJ would say "...it's time to slow it down..." and the lamest slow song would come on. The atmosphere in the room changed as everyone either scurried off the floor to avoid the embarrassment of not having someone to dance with or, if you were one of the lucky ones, you'd start scanning the crowd for your date. Okay--that's totally random, but that's what this post is all about!

Well...it's time to slow it down here in the Armstrong household and in Karena Bella studio. Since I started feeling less nauseous and more motivated at around 5 months I decided that I'd get as much done as possible both at work and in the studio up until the baby comes. Here we are at 31 weeks and my body just can't keep up. We've learned that I just can't handle the stress of "getting as much done as possible" anymore. So I've cut back (per doctor's suggestion). I notified the galleries that what they have is it until early spring. I've notified people at church that I'm cutting back on my responsibilities there. And well, work is work. But it's so part time that it shouldn't be much of a problem. However, we did decide that I will be done December 16th. I will then be a stay-at-home-mom and run my jewelry business on the side. We're going to take it one day at a time and just go from there. I've got to say it feels good to eliminate stress. But now I don't quite know what to do with myself. I suppose rest and enjoy these last couple months of pre-parenthood freedom.

Here's a recent family photo taken by my sister while visiting her in the Chicago area. I'll try really hard not to mention that I look like crap! Oops. We were going to be in the car all day so I didn't do much with myself. But as always, my husband and dog are adorable : )

Battle of the Bumps! I think I win this one. (I love my baby bump by the way : )

Well anyway. I suppose that's it for now. I have some new work to take pictures of...hopefully that'll happen soon. And I also hope that I'll find the motivation to play around in the studio. As much as I was looking forward to my Holiday line for the galleries, it's such a relief not having that deadline looming over head. I do plan to still work...just for fun (which is the best ever!). Catch ya later!

The Loot

2010-10-15T14:44:00.004-05:00

The gem show came and went. I've got to say that there have been better shows--not that there wasn't some gorgeous stuff! There is always that. However, being low on funds, being 7 months pregnant, tired, and bumping in to everything (people...tables...displays...people--it's always jam packed) I was hard pressed to find the energy and excitement I usually have at the show. I wouldn't have survived it if it had not been for my incredible husband who carried my heavy bag and waited in long check-out lines so I could continue to shop. He's the best!

This show I had to focus on the necessary items that aren't much fun to buy but you have to have (findings, chain, etc). I did score on some beautiful crazy lace agate cabs (pictured above), a strand of rough diamonds, and a few other fun finds.

Diamonds!!! Not your typical faceted and polished diamonds--but diamonds nonetheless. For Christmas Mike bought me 5 sets of these tiny rough diamond beads and I love them. I made myself a little something special with them but wished I had more to make stuff to sell. I found a great deal on an entire 17.5" strand in lovely silvery tones. In the middle of the diamonds is a sapphire, green zircon, and amethyst--my husbands, the baby's, and my birthstones. This was my special purchase. I am going to make a stacking mother's ring with them!

I love, love, love these silver "drop" beads. I bought some at the last show and use them all the time. They are heavy, organically shaped, and add the perfect rustic touch to my designs. I just had to get some more.

The "necessary and not so fun to buy" stuff. This is always the most expensive stuff too. Some chain, crimp ends, attach rings, and head pins. As I was putting all of this away I realized I already had 600 of the same head pins (a few years supply for me) in my silver supply stash and could have saved nearly $20 on a length of chain by buying it online. I felt really stupid. I usually have a list of what-I-don't-need-at-the-gem-show and do research beforehand to see what the things I do need are going for online. I didn't do that this time. I'll blame it on my "baby brain".

And last, but not least, a couple strands of frosted glass beads. I admit I settled for these. I wanted ancient Roman glass but it's REALLY expensive. This was the best I could find that was similar. I kinda wish I'd have not bought them. I have no idea what to do with these??? Oh well, they were cheap.

Well, that's all folks. You'd never believe it if I told you how much all of this cost. It sure doesn't look like much. The next show will be more fun. I'm starting to save for it now and I won't be pregnant (but I'll have to find a sitter!). Later--

Eeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk!

2010-09-25T18:35:00.002-05:00

The gem show is tomorrow!!!!!!! I'm giddy with anticipation. I love thinking about all of the treasures I will find. Gosh--I don't think I'll sleep much tonight. I'll post pics of my loot next week.

The Process

2010-09-17T18:56:00.010-05:00

In college I majored in Art with an emphasis in ceramics. I recall one day being elbow deep in muck mixing a batch of clay with a classmate. Mixing clay is both a time consuming and physically laborious process. My mixing partner, although known for her obnoxiously exuberant zest for life, was a very kind girl. She chattered on about how much she loved mixing clay; how much she loved every step of the process of ceramics. Mixing, wedging, throwing, hand-building, firing, glazing, firing again... I can't say I felt the same way. I liked the process, but I realized I lacked the passion that she and many of my other classmates had for it. I rarely felt compelled to stay in the studio later than necessary. I did the projects required and played around some, but didn't seem to 'live' there like the others. My last semester I needed an additional studio class and was able to get into metalsmithing. Within the first week I realized I could relate to my classmate--I was passionately in love with every single step of the metalsmithing process. I lived in the studio trying to create as much as I could in the short 4+ months I would have access not only to the tools but knowledge of a phenomenal professor. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I thought I'd share with you the process I love. Like ceramics, it is time consuming and physically laborious. But I find joy in every step. Click on the pictures for more detail. Enjoy!

Every piece is born out of raw material--sheets of metal and spools of wire. After selecting the stones to be set the raw material is fitted and cut for each stone.

Once everything fits perfectly (this process can take hours to complete) the pieces are put together with fire, flux, and solder. Each joint is soldered together and cleaned in a heated acid solution called "pickle". Soldering, when done correctly, is a fast process but comes with it's own challenges and problem solving.

Embellishing the setting is one of the best parts. Precision and a tight fit are the keys to a well embellished piece. I enjoy using 'fancy' silver wires and recycling scrap by melting it into little balls to embellish my pieces.

After the bezel is embellished it is made into what it's meant to be--rings, pendants, cuffs, etc. Here I have illustrated creating ring shanks-measuring and sawing the silver, annealing (heating it to make it more pliable), shaping/filing it, and soldering it together.

Once the ring is soldered together it must be reshaped using a ring stretcher to make it round. Then it must be filed and sanded to clean it up and remove all scratches in the metal. Once it's shaped to fit the ring it is carefully placed onto the bezel and soldered on.

Hours and hours (and hours and hours) after the start, construction is complete! I almost always oxidize my pieces to add depth and enhance texture. This is where the pieces are blackened (top right). Using a special cleaning pad I remove a lot of the blackness so the silver shines through (bottom right)

Next comes finishing the setting by either tumbling (my preference) or polishing by hand. I use a mix of stainless steel "shot" and a burnishing compound to tumble my pieces. This smooths and polishes for me and takes hours off the finishing process. Tumbling takes 30 min to an hour.

And now the best part of the entire process! Opening up the tumbler and pulling out the finished, super shiny settings, popping the stones into place, and setting them. "Setting" means pushing the rim of the bezel tightly over the stone using a bezel roller and burnisher (although there are other ways to set stones). If the bezels fit the stone just right this process doesn't take very long. However, if the bezels don't fit perfectly this is one of the most frustrating processes EVER! And Voila! The piece is finished and ready to enjoy.

I hope this was interesting--or at least gave you a greater appreciation for that handmade piece of jewelry you love. Peace.

Finally, Finally, and Finally

2010-09-13T15:38:00.006-05:00

Not only am I finally blogging again, but I have new work to show you too! It's crunch time. I have goals to deliver a large batch of new jewelry to each of the galleries by the end of the month. After that I'll be right back at it to have substantial deliveries for Holiday. Gotta get the galleries stocked before the baby comes in December!

I absolutely adore paisley (I'd totally name my baby Paisley if it's a girl...but Mike vetoed that one). I've had this paisley design for a couple of years now and finally made myself something with it. It has be come my go-to necklace. It's great by itself but perfect for layering as well.

Blue kyanite and organic silver. I LOVE these earrings! I have a couple pairs sitting on my work desk and I just stare at them, try them on, and stare at them some more.

I've been slowly collecting these 100 year old (at least) silver Indian "Patri" (charms) over the past several gem shows. I love the symbols, shapes, and texture on these little charms. One time I had the vendor, who goes to India to collect these treasures herself, write down what some of the symbols stand for. Unfortunately I can't read the vendor's handwriting so I can't tell you the specific names. Many of them are warriors (above) but there are several with temples and gods as well. I finally got around to using some in my designs.

A few years ago I bought a tool called The Bead Knotter. It is supposed to quicken and perfect the process of knotting pearls/stones. It's a complicated looking tool and definitely not obvious how to use it. It took me 2-1/2 years to finally take the initiative to learn how it works. Now I am addicted to knotting things. It's so fun and simple (once you get the hang of it!). I love my Bead Knotter tool.

Peruvian opal--I worship thee! I have loved the look of Peruvian opals for a looong time. I finally bought a strand at the last gem show but have been very stingy with them...more like hoarding them for myself. I'll have to look for more at this next gem show (already at the end of the month!!! Yay!) so I can share.

Here's a glimpse of what's on the bench. Among other things I have a batch of 4 turquoise and one crazy lace agate I've been working on setting. I'm still filing down and shaping the bezels but hope to have a few of these beauties all done at the end of the week.

So there you go. That's whats new in the studio. As far as life in the Armstrong household...well that's been bit crazy. We're busy, busy, busy preparing for the baby to come (we're 26 weeks this week already...oiy!). We've been working a lot as well. I have so much to look forward to--Mike's birthday and the gem show come at the end of the month. We're taking our annual trip down to Chicago to visit my sister and her family in early October. And before you know it we'll be eating some Thanksgiving Turkey, setting up our Christmas tree, and having a baby. Life is great!

Adjustments

2010-08-12T10:28:00.003-05:00

To say that my life has been turned up-side-down by this pregnancy would be an understatement! I am over-joyed to be carrying this sweet little baby and am grateful beyond expression that things are (mostly) uncomplicated. It seems to me though, that I am being prepared for that big shift in priority and responsibility. Having 6 sisters (who are all moms) and many young-mom friends I have heard over and over again how having a child changes EVERYTHING about your life. I used to get tired of hearing "just wait until you're a mom", all the time. I knew that someday I would understand if the time ever came that we would have a baby. Well, already at only 21 weeks pregnant I am starting to get what they were talking about. In so many ways you lose control--control over your body, time, energy level, and motivation. For example, the other day I strained some uterine muscles JUST by taking a walk! I've been in bed for almost 2 days trying to recover. I've not been able to go to work or work in the studio. But unless I want further complications this is what I have to do. It's really inconvenient when there is a running list of jewelry orders, a messy bedroom, and groceries to shop for.

Enough of that! Things have been wonderful! Even though I am in uncharted territory I am very happy and unbelievably excited to have this baby. We'll adjust and adapt and life will go on and be even better than before.

In my last post I promised pictures of new work. Well, there has been lots of new work. However I was in a rush to get it to the gallery and didn't leave time to take adequate pictures. The pics I took were in horridly bad lighting and really just for a frame of reference. They are not going to make it to the blog. In the next couple of days I'll be at it again and leave more time for photography. I apologize for being MIA. I have no hope of life returning to what it was 21 weeks ago. All I can ask is for patience and understanding as I adapt and adjust : )

Big Dog = Productivity

2010-07-01T14:07:00.003-05:00

You all know our boxer Amos. Well Amos turned 1 this past Sunday (Happy Birthday bud!) and he received a big doggy bed for his birthday (as well as a GIANT bone). When I work in the studio Amos loves to sleep on the floor next to where I am working. As sweet as this is, he is 85+ lbs and takes up my entire studio floor (it's a small studio) making it nearly impossible to go from desk to bench. His new bed has provided me with un-for-seen solutions to some problems. One being that it allows me to control where he sleeps...in this case the only space his bed fits is wedged in the door. Which leads me to the second solution; since he is wedged in the door it makes it very difficult for me to get out of here...meaning I'm trapped in and forced to be productive. So there you go! If you have problems being productive in the studio go get yourself a big dog and even bigger dog bed and stick him in your doorway. Dogs sleep for hours and hours, you'll be set!

Just a thought : )

Bragging Rights

2010-06-29T16:59:00.003-05:00

My jewelry was in the Oval Office!!! After my hair appointment today my stylist whipped out this picture to show me. The woman on the far right (note her lovely hair style!) was her bff from high school. Her and her sister met Obama in May and her friend was wearing my Rustic Hoop necklace! It's kind of a silly thing to get excited about...but it made me smile : )

Camping Highlights

2010-06-22T17:36:00.006-05:00

Amos posing on a trail

We had a great time camping this past weekend. I am sorry to say my pictures don't go in order of event, but I've uploaded them...that's a big step for me!

Hiking Sunday--beautiful exposed root system

Hiking Sunday--I love mossy rocks!

Amos--'dog' tired after our nearly 5 mile hike Saturday

Me & Amos hiking Saturday

Mike & Amos on many of the creek crossings on our hike Saturday

Scenery from hike Saturday

Amos playing in the creek on our hike Saturday

He loved the water which surprised us since he's usually such a chicken about it

You have to drive across the creek to get to the camping area of the park

Home away from home

We had a huge & private site compared to all the others we saw

Our site--part II

LOVE campfires!

Again, we had a great time. We got to do a lot of hiking, cooking over the fire, and take in some beautiful scenery. Everything was damp, lush, and mossy which I love. The creek is spring fed and crystal clear. Amos loved running in and out of the creek, it was hilarious to watch him. He did very well for his first camping trip which made us very happy since we love to camp. It was interesting to camp while pregnant...between food aversions (still...grrrrr), constantly needing to go potty, and a (brand new) air bed that wouldn't stay inflated I was exhausted by the time we left. But it was still fun : ) And we have every intention on going again in just a few short weeks time.

Tonight I am constructing a list of daily goals to reach in the studio (i.e. 6/23--3 pairs of rustic pearl studs, one laguna agate ring, one set of stacking rings; 6/24--3 prs Rustic Victorian earrings, one Rustic Victorian pendant, one Rustic Victorian ring...and so on). My list is going to be both long and challenging. But I HAVE to start preparing for December and the arrival of our little one. So from here on out, every afternoon possible I am going to be nose-to-the-grind-stone working in the studio. I can't wait! Expect to see LOTS of new jewelry in the very near future.

Have a great night!

P.S. Did I mention that I got into another gallery in Bayfield, WI??? Well, I did! I am so excited and cannot wait to finally make the trip up there and deliver jewelry. Check it out Stones Throw Gallery

Custom Anklet & Camping

2010-06-18T09:18:00.004-05:00

Textured side

A long-time favorite customer/friend of Karena Bella commissioned me to create a very meaningful anklet for a graduation gift. As usual, my charms are reversible with a texture on one side and the word/phrase on the other.

Texture & clasp detail

Faith--Hope--Dream

Deb--the chain is sturdy yet not-too-chunky. It measures 8" with a 1" extender so it is adjustable up to 9" total, as discussed. I decided to go with just the 3 pearls, anything more looked like too much. It is simple and she should be able to wear it with everything. I hope you love it! Email me if you have any questions about it. Otherwise it will be in the mail this morning.

It should be a very fun weekend! My husband, dog and I are taking our first camping trip of the season! This is our first time camping with Amos (who I just discovered was trying to eat my bottle of travel shave gel...). He is going to LOVE it! He loves going on nature walks--the place we're going has beautiful trails and we camp right on a creek! I don't anticipate him barking at the wild life since boxers aren't a hunting breed. When ever he sees a squirrel or bunny in the back yard he just studies them for a while trying to decide if it's a moving toy! And they're gone before he can test any of his theories. I am a little concerned, though, about how well we'll sleep sharing a tent with a snoring/tooting dog.

I've got a long list to complete before 1:30pm. My husband said he'd leave without me if I wasn't ready : ) Gotta run--have a great weekend!

Green Light, Go!

2010-06-14T14:03:00.003-05:00

I just love this ring! Crazy lace agate & sterling

I have great news! We were able to have another ultrasound last week and the baby is doing very well! We got to hear and see the heartbeat AND watch the baby wiggling and hopping around. I can't even begin to express how happy and relieved I have been. Now I get to enjoy the rest of the pregnancy.

Some other great news is that I brought in the msds info on all of the questionable chemicals I use in the studio and the doctor assured me that with a few simple precautions working in the studio should be fine. So I am getting back to it! I find that lengthy breaks refresh my creativity and am newly inspired. I'll keep you updated with my new work.

Take care--

Buisness Cards

2010-06-08T16:11:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone! I apologize for another long delay between posts. As far as I know (and feel) everything is still going well with the pregnancy. We have another appt. tomorrow so hopefully we'll get to hear the heartbeat. I continue to feel apprehensive about working in the studio with so many toxic chemicals - I am bringing all of the information I have about each chemical in question to the doc tomorrow. Hopefully he'll put my mind to rest about whether there would be any harm to the baby by working with them and I'll be able to get back to it. I am really starting to miss the process!

In the meantime I have been playing around with photography and my graphics program just to do something business related. I was going to have my new cards made but since I haven't been working with metals lately I have had the time to work on it myself. It's been so much fun! So far I am happy with the results--but it's a work in progress.

Take care -

Rest, More Rest and Planting a Garden

2010-05-17T16:06:00.004-05:00

Thank goodness for cuddly puppies!

My life has been a bit pathetic lately. Go to work in the morning, come home, find something to eat that doesn't sound revolting, lay down for a while, get up and do some stuff around the house, lay down again, find something to eat that doesn't sound revolting, and (you guessed it) lay down again for a while. In between all of that I am constantly thinking about the business I have that has been completely neglected for the past two months. I am trying not to beat myself up too badly about that, but I am starting to wonder if I'll every feel motivated to work in the studio again!? I am sure I will, but for now I guess I need to focus on this little baby growing inside me. I desperately need to get some new jewelry to Seasons very soon. So one of these days I am going to force myself to work. I just don't feel like myself at all. I never thought I'd need so much prodding and prompting to make jewelry.

Caleb was our rock picker

It was a beautiful weekend! My sister and her kiddos came over and we worked outside all day Saturday. We cleaned out and planted our little gardens and did other yard work. It was a fabulous day. That evening we grilled out - my mom made an amazingly delicious vegetable pizza. I don't think a cheeseburger ever tasted so good!

Amos sat in a cool dirt hole and chomped on grass all afternoon.

Well, I really truly honestly hope to get some work done in the studio this week. I can't promise anything because I never know how I am going to feel from one moment to the next. But I am praying for focus and motivation. Truth be told I am a tad bit nervous to delve into all of the studio chemicals that say "known to cause birth defects in the state of California" on them. I am sure you metalsmiths know which ones I am referring to. That's the last thing I need right now : )

Alright, it's almost time to start supper - spaghetti, green beans, and garlic bread. Italian food has been sounding sooo good lately : ) Have a great night!

The Best Mothers Day Gift...

2010-05-08T11:13:00.003-05:00

...Is finding out you are going to be a mom!

We lost several babies a couple of years ago and haven't "tried" since. We found out a couple of weeks ago that we are expecting unexpectedly : ) I have a fantastic doctor who did an ultrasound right away to see how things are going and it's all good! We saw the fluttering little heartbeat and strongly developing fetus (I totally cried right there on the table!). I'd post the ultrasound pictures but at this point it's just a little white blob. We were informed that the chance of miscarriage is less than 5% at this point so we are very HAPPY!

So it's no wonder to me now why I've felt so unmotivated the last couple months. Besides being absolutely nauseous, sick, and tired I am feeling good in my head and heart! I'm excited for Monday - I'm going to get back to work in the studio (finally) and life should be getting back to "normal". Hopefully I'll have some new jewelry to post soon : )

Oh - did I mention I'm due December 25th? Yikes!

Give Away Winner

2010-05-06T13:57:00.002-05:00

Congratulations Brittney!!! Comment 7 was the big winner : )

I must apologize for being MIA as of late. Lots going on in the Armstrong household at the moment. I suspect things will be back to normal soon!

Until then...

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2010-04-05T16:15:00.004-05:00

Growing up in a small town definitely has it's charms. Prescott, WI (population of approx. 3,800) is home to one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. Ten years ago I graduated in a class of only 94 people (or somewhere close to that). It was one of those situations where you knew every one's name, how well or poorly they were doing, and what their interests were. It was the kind of school where your teachers would either look forward to or dread having you in class depending on the reputation of your older siblings.

My favorite subject in school was always Art. Our Art program was pretty basic, Art 1, 2, 3, 4 and advanced. The curriculum was comprehensive, we got to try a little of everything. I had the same art teacher from Kindergarten through High School, Mr. "S". He was one of those teachers students considered to be a friend. He was realistic and encouraging. We'd get to listen to the radio while we worked on our projects and would often get to have "pop days". While I was in Advanced Art he gave me his old mat board cutter and then the Art Award at graduation. He wrapped up a new sketch book in my painting smock (we called them "schmucks") and gave it to me as a graduation gift. There was a group of us, 6 girls and we all adored Mr. S. He let us sign our names underneath the stools we sat on and added our pics to his bulletin board when we graduated.

I remember from time to time old students would pop in for a surprise visit during class. Mr. S' face would light up when they'd come walking through the door. He'd always tell us who they were and how long ago it was he taught them. Then they'd sit and chat while we'd work on our projects. Today I got the chance to be that visiting student. However, it was an in-service day so in the place of students was Mr. S' golden retriever. It was surreal walking into that old art room. Hardly anything has changed, not even Mr. S. He is still the likeable guy I remember. It was fun to catch up and talk as adults. I learned that he enjoys making homemade wine and bread. And he ever so generously offered for me use of the casting equipment since I don't have any of my own. He invited me to come be a guest speaker to his Advanced students working in metals. I am really excited to see what they are working on. It should be interesting...we'll see how it goes. I guess you could say that for me he was that one teacher who inspired me to take the path that I chose. Who knows, maybe one of these days I'll be able to call him Karl.

P.S. I looked and looked online and couldn't find a picture of the school...sorry!

And The Winner Is...

2010-04-01T16:33:00.003-05:00

The winner for the March Give Away is comment #7--Meagan Johnson!!! Congrats Meagan, please send me an email with your mailing address so I can send you your free jewelry.

APRIL*GIVE AWAY

2010-04-01T16:08:00.005-05:00

Faceted vessuvianite briolettes are a fresh, Spring green reminiscent of budding trees and popping tulip leaves. The stones are wrapped in a generous amount of sterling wire and oxidized to add dimension and rustic flare. These simple earrings are sure to "go" with everything in your closet and are a must have for year-round style. What have you got to lose? Enter now to WIN these great earrings! A $26 value, yours FREE!

5 DIFFERENT ways to enter and win:
1) Leave a comment saying you'd like to win.
click on the "comment" link at the bottom of this entry to do so
2) Leave a comment saying you've signed up to receive my newsletter.
sign up is at the top right of this page
3) Leave a comment telling me you signed up to follow my blog
sign up is at the bottom right of this page
4) Leave a comment telling me what you like most in my etsy shop
5) Leave a comment telling me that you signed up for an etsy account and marked my shop as a "favorite".

****PLEASE LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR ENTERY****
EACH COMMENT YOU LEAVE COUNTS AS ONE ENTRY. IF YOU LEAVE ONLY ONE COMMENT INCLUDING ALL 5 WAYS TO ENTER THAT COUNTS AS 1 ENTRY RATHER THAN 5 ENTRIES

The winner will be selected Saturday, May 1st!!!
THE LAST DAY TO ENTER IS FRIDAY APRIL 31ST

In Over My Head?

2010-03-29T16:31:00.004-05:00

Now that Abode is stocked up I have lifted my "no distractions" rule for the next several days to work on some personal jewelry projects and other various projects.

For Christmas my mother in law gave me the white gold from Mike's grandmas original wedding set. I want to do something really special with it considering how sentimental it is. One morning in Cancun I woke up with the idea to re-do my wedding set with it.

As much as I love my wedding set (pictured above) there are some practical (and not so practical) reasons I want to re-design it. The most practical reason for re-designing is that the center stone is tension set which is not a secure setting. I am surprised it has not fallen out in the 8+ years I've been wearing it. The jeweler said that the prongs are wearing very thin on the tops (even I can see that with my naked eye) and the stone is "about to fall out". Yikes! Needless to say I won't be wearing the engagement band much any more if that's the case. Some of the not so practical reasons for re-designing are that the setting is yellow gold. Like I mentioned, I chose the ring over 8 years ago, long before I started making jewelry myself. My taste has done a 180 since then. I don't care so much for yellow gold anymore and even though the setting is pretty, it's also pretty common. I want something that is unique and designed by me. Many people who know I make jewelry ask if I designed/made my ring...I want to be able to say "yes, I did".

I made several sketches and got really excited to start looking into it. Since then I have brought two rounds of sketches/ideas to a local jeweler to get some estimates and ask some questions. He has been really helpful, but it seems like no matter what I do it's going to cost a "pretty penny" to have someone else make it for me ($1300-$1500 to have it made, $275-$400 to make it myself, extra gold included). So, I resolved to do it myself. I have experience making wax molds and casting. But I don't have any casting equipment, nor do I know how to flush set princess cut stones (which I hear can be challenging). But I am confident in my skills and know I can do it, with some help and practice. I emailed my high school art teacher to see if he still has casting equipment up at the school...I hope he does and can help me with that. I figure I can always practice with silver and CZs first. And maybe even figure out how to make a mold of the band so I only have to carve it once. We'll see. I'm not in a rush to finish it but am anxious to at least start carving the molds.

Two Post Day

2010-03-25T18:52:00.004-05:00

I need to post again for two reasons:
One - Kristi from Silver Sparrow Designs (who, by the way, makes bold and amazingly meaningful jewelry) tagged me in the "Circle of Friends" award. I am supposed to name five things that I love and then tag 5 fellow bloggers. Here goes...
1) I love my husband, for too many reasons to name. But lately I especially love him for his unwavering support, patience, and encouragement.
2) I love that God gave me artistic talents.
3) I love that I've been given an opportunity to pursue an education and develop those talents.
4) I love my puppy. He loves me unconditionally and always puts a smile on my face.
5) I love nature and it's endless supply of inspiration.

I am tagging Carrie Schaffer, "Gina", Kassie Garlock, Emily, and Liberty Cameron. I thoroughly enjoy each of these ladies blogs!

The other reason I wanted to blog again is to a shine a spotlight on my etsy friend Carrie over at Original Hardware. I hope she doesn't mind, but I just have to brag for her. She just got several pieces of her beautiful jewelry accepted into the Sundance Fall catalog!!! This is a huge honor and even bigger accomplishment. Congratulations Carrie! Read her blog...it is so full of inspiration and beautiful thoughts. Carrie, you give me hope that my lofty dreams will too one day come true!

Okay - done for the day : )

Somethin' To Show For It

2010-03-25T17:55:00.003-05:00

Rings for Abode

It's been a busy couple of weeks. As previously mentioned I placed some distraction restrictions on myself or as I like to call it "code red status" so that I could get some work done for Abode. That meant, or was supposed to mean, no lunches with sisters/friends (okay, so I broke that rule a couple of times), no unnecessary errand running/shopping after work (broke that one once or twice too), and no browsing around online for extended periods of time (guilty again). So I ended up breaking all of my rules. I did manage to get some stuff made. Not as much as I originally planned, but I also decided to focus on the one gallery for now rather than both (plus etsy). So that took some pressure off. I am going to go a completely different direction for Seasons anyway, less rustic more "Springy".

Necklaces for Abode

I am loving the peace symbol pendant. I made two and might just keep one for myself (surprise, surprise).

Earrings for Abode

Bracelets for Abode

I totally slacked on bracelets this time around. I intended to make some cuffs, too. That didn't get done...yet. I will make a few and send them their way. I have a couple of designs I'm really excited about.

So tomorrow I'm picking up Betty (my mother-in-law) and we're taking a trip over to Stockholm, WI to drop off jewelry, poke around in the quaint shops, and possibly enjoy an award winning piece of old-fashioned pie. It will be fantastic!

Business Marketing Makeover

2010-03-16T14:34:00.004-05:00

After 4+ years of being in business I finally hired out having my logo, blog, etsy banner, tags, and other promotional materials professionally designed. My friend directed me towards Kassie and she has been an absolute pleasure to work with! She really listens and even asks that you be picky ensuring you love the end product. She works SUPER fast and does such a nice job! 30+ emails later and a couple of fairly long phone conversations I could not be happier with everything she has done. And I am really excited to unveil it all, but it's not finished quite yet. If you're in need of any design projects...head on over to Designs by Kassie, she's a peach!

On the jewelry end of things, I have labeled this week and next as "Code Red". Meaning no lunch dates with friends or sisters, no running errands or shopping after work, no putzing around online for hours...simply NO distractions (that are not directly related to business). I need to get fresh, new jewelry to the galleries by next Friday. My goal is to make 10-12 rings, 12-14 necklaces, 20+ earrings, 4-6 cuffs, and 4-6 bracelets. Then divide it all up between the galleries and etsy. Designing and making the jewelry is just part of the process, I'll also have to photograph/edit, post, price, tag, and make inventory sheets of all the jewelry. I CAN DO IT! I'm already getting there and am proud to say that I've been sticking to my "Code Red" status : ) Now, back to the bench.

M A R C H * G I V E A W A Y

2010-03-08T18:53:00.007-06:00

In honor of Spring and Mother Nature's re-birth I am giving away these sweet little leaf-bud stamped earrings. They are simple and can be easily worn everyday...with just about anything. The front is hand stamped with a tiny leaf and the back is textured to add a little interest from behind. These earrings feature my handmade long sterling earwires to make them more substantial. They hang approximately 1-1/4" long and the charm measures just over 1/4". Enter to win!!!

5 DIFFERENT ways to enter and win:
1) Leave a comment.
click on the "comment" link at the bottom of this entry to do so
2) Leave a comment saying you've signed up to receive my newsletter.
sign up is at the top right of this page
3) Leave a comment telling me you signed up to follow my blog
sign up is at the bottom right of this page
4) Leave a comment telling me what you like most in my etsy shop
5) Leave a comment telling me that you signed up for an etsy account and marked my shop as a "favorite".

****PLEASE LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR ENTERY****
EACH COMMENT YOU LEAVE COUNTS AS ONE ENTRY. IF YOU LEAVE ONLY ONE COMMENT INCLUDING ALL 5 WAYS TO ENTER THAT COUNTS AS 1 ENTRY RATHER THAN 5 ENTRIES

The winner will be selected Thursday, April 1st!!!
THE LAST DAY TO ENTER IS MARCH 31ST

Cancun Highlights

2010-03-03T14:23:00.008-06:00

Ahhhh...the Caribbean. We had a nearly perfect vacation! All but one day was in the mid 80's, it was mostly sunny most of the time, and completely relaxing, romantic, and rejuvenating. Other than the actual traveling part (delays+long lines+red-eye flights=weary travelers) it was pure bliss.

This is a view from our hotel room. Not so bad, huh?

There is a little restaurant just blocks from our hotel (via beach or street) called Natura. We love to go there in the morning and get their 100% natural, made to order juice. One of my favorites is the hibiscus/orange blend. Have you ever had hibiscus juice? I never had until we were down there a couple of years ago. It's like drinking silk.

Me and my honey on the beach. I'm a bit wind blown.

These birds are crazy. You don't dare leave any food or drinks unattended or they'll have their way with it...and it'll all be gone by the time you can count to 3. Nevertheless, they're kind of cute.

Saturday the 26th was the 11th anniversary of our first date (the only reason we remember that is because it's the day before my birthday : ) We were Juniors in high school when we started dating and we celebrate every year because from that point on we were best friends and nearly inseparable. It's so fun to think back to that day. Between the two of us we remember just about every detail (I even remember I was wearing Bonne Bell Passion Fruit lip balm!...that's scary that I remember that). We hung out and watched "Rainman". I just can't believe it's been 11 years!That night we went to a fancy sea food restaurant called Lorenzillo's. It's in the lagoon and very romantic. Gotta love the cuisine! Mike got the coconut shrimp, they had a nice presentation.

Us out and about one night.

This guy was super talented! He makes these amazing paintings using only spray paint and ordinary household objects. This is one of the planets/space. He used a variety of small plates, caps, and thimbles to get the shapes for the planets. Gosh, I have a hard time painting with brushes let alone having any sort of control over spray paint.

You can kind of see where he's going with it. Amazing.

It was about 10pm or so when we were out and there were still ladies out selling their wares with their little kids running around. My heart always breaks when I see the little 3 and 4 year olds out selling bracelets etc. Part of me wonders if it's all part of the game they play down there. They have a very different sales approach in (tourist) Mexico than in the states!

Mariachi band playing in a mall.

A muchacho whipping around his lasso.

There is a story about this ring. When we went down to Cancun last year I found this ring on la isla mujeres. It was early in our trip and I didn't want to get it in case I found something I liked better in the coming week. Big mistake. As soon as we left the island I couldn't stop thinking about it. The rest of that week I scoured shops in Cancun looking for another one. Since every shop literally has multiples of the same things (with a few exceptions) I thought it would be an easy ring to find. I was wrong. There was not a single ring like it in all of Cancun (ok, that's a little dramatic...but still). Through out this past year I'd turn to Mike and say something like, "remember that ring I found on isla mujeres that I didn't get. I should have bought that." With high hopes of finding it this trip the first thing we did when getting to the island was go to that same jewelry shop and look for it. It wasn't there and I wasn't surprised. However...I FOUND IT in a different shop on the island!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it among all those other rings! It had to be the same one from last year because it was the ONLY one I had seen like it last year AND this year combined. Since most of the shops are connected it's likely that it just got moved around. Happy day : ) Needless to say, I snatched it right up (of course feigning disinterest so that the shop owner would haggle with me). I got a fantastic deal. It was a win-win-win situation : ) Me being the winner of course.

Going to Caribbean Mexico is like dying and going to heaven, in many ways...beautiful scenery...fun stuff to do...and ALL THE SILVER JEWELRY! I am such a dork, I know. But every other shop down there is chock full of gorgeous jewelry. It's pure heaven for me (or any jewelry designer).

Mike gets Husband of the Universe award for patiently going into all of these shops with me to look around. What can I say, he gets me : ) He found himself a pretty cool ring too.

Scenery from la isla mujeres. It was cloudy and a little rainy that day, but still beautiful and tons of fun.

We didn't take very many pictures this year. We captured more with the video camera this time. I am so glad because now we can go back when ever we want (via TV, that is). We were determined to make this trip the best yet and I'd say we succeeded. We are finally unpacked (well, Mike isn't...he had to turn around and drive across the state for some work training just hours after we got home...poor guy) and settled in. As much as I love vacation it's always good to be home. Now I just have to tackle my (looooong) "to do" list.

Later - Janell

Just a Quick Announcement

2010-03-01T21:41:00.002-06:00

Hi! We're back from our trip (which was fantastic...details to follow) and as expected it's taking a while to get settled back into the swing of things. I did the drawing for February's give away and the winner is...comment #21. So Char Kruger, you win the sterling hoops!!! Stay tuned for March's give away, I'll be listing it this week sometime as well as pictures and details from our trip to Mexico.

Later

Winter Wonderland vs Caribbean Blue

2010-02-16T15:10:00.005-06:00

I woke up Saturday morning and peeked out the window as always to see what kind of day it was going to be. To my surprise and delight the world as I know it was covered with beautiful, fluffy snow whisps. The scene literally took my breath away and I gasped in awe of the beauty. I immediately started to bundle up and headed over to my favorite nature reserve, the only place to truly enjoy such beauty.

As I was walking around I couldn't help but think that one week into the future I would be enjoying the exact opposite landscape, but equally as beautiful. Rather than watching cardinals flit from tree to feeder I'll be watching sea birds dive for breakfast. Rather than observing Autumns left over leaves shiver on a branch I'll be picking up sea shells the tide leaves behind. Rather than freezing my bum off sitting on a ice covered bench I'll sweat under the hot Caribbean sun on a white sand beach. Either way you divide it I consider myself blessed to be able to take in and appreciate Gods diverse landscapes.

Cancun 2009

Cancun 2005

Cancun 2008

As you may know, the week before a vacation is stressful to the max. Aside from preparing for 9 days in a foreign country both Mike and I are swamped with deadlines, work, and meetings this week. A month ago life was pretty slow and I was feeling like I didn't deserve an extended vacation...I'm singing an entirely different tune today. I cannot wait to be buckled in to my seat on the plane and leave town for a while. I promised pictures of my progress with the jewelry for the March show at Seasons. The work is done and I am indifferent. Some pieces are extremely difficult to part with and this just isn't one of those pieces. I really like the necklace on. But there are a few things (which I will fight the urge to point out) I would like to change. I didn't expect to like the earrings so much. I think they are sweet. I'm just relieved it's all done and ready to go for tomorrow. One more thing to check off "the list". (the images are kinda crappy)

Well...bon voyage! Be back in a couple weeks : )

Needed to Smile

2010-02-09T23:29:00.004-06:00

What a day! Despite being sick the past couple of days and having hardly enough energy to get out of bed a few things made me smile:
1) Laurie from lhjewelry gave me the "Sunshine Award"! To be honest, I don't know what the "Sunshine Award" is, but I thought it was sweet, thoughtful and made me smile. Thanks again Laurie!

2) A kind person purchased the cuff bracelet pictured above, from my etsy shop. Yea!

3) I had the honor of being sick with my husband. The past two days we have stayed in our jammies all day, with no energy, upset stomachs, looking like absolute crap, but loving every second of an unexpected 2 days together when we would otherwise be apart.

Oh, and our sweet puppy has hardly left our side. What a trooper! So all in all, not a bad day : )

Night

Just Listed

2010-02-08T12:33:00.004-06:00

I have had this trio of necklaces staring at me from my work table begging to be photographed and listed on etsy. I finally got around to it...enjoy!

View Etsy Listing

I LOVE this necklace and fought the urge to keep it for myself. It has such a nice weight to it. It is part of my "silver cabochon" series (see matching ring & cuff). It is all handcrafted and a perfect everyday statement piece.

View Etsy Listing

I bought a slew of these Chinese turquoise and feel the sky is the limit when it comes to them. I plan to make a variety of things featuring them...rings...cuffs...more pendants. They are so beautiful!

View Etsy Listing

This necklace isn't necessarily new, just newly photographed. I hand drilled this large white freshwater pearl to be able to accommodate the heavy gauge sterling silver that gives it's rustic edge. This necklace can be worn alone or layered with other favorites. It definitely falls into the category of "everyday simplicity". It is so cute on, too!

Currently working on: my pieces for the Seasons on St. Croix March "Featuring All Artists" show. The theme is Modern Geometry, which of course is very widely interpreted. I am focusing on "Organic Geometry" and will be designing my line around this gorgeous laguna agate cabochon. I am VERY excited to get to work on it! My goal is to have it delivered before we leave on vacation (which I CANNOT believe is already next Friday!!!!!) So I will soon be posting progress on this project. Stay tuned

Janell

FEBRUARY * GIVE AWAY

2010-02-02T15:44:00.012-06:00

This month I am giving away a Karena Bella Classic. Simplest Hoops are voted to be the lightest weight hoops with flash and class. Many of my customers have told me that these are their favorite "every day" earrings, but that they also love how easily they can be dressed up. This pair is the medium size (approximately 1-1/4" in diameter) and is finished with a lightly hammered texture which really makes them catch the light!

5 DIFFERENT ways to enter and win:
1) Leave a comment.
click on the "comment" link at the bottom of this entry to do so
2) Leave a comment saying you've signed up to receive my newsletter.
sign up is at the top right of this page
3) Leave a comment telling me you signed up to follow my blog
sign up is at the bottom right of this page
4) Leave a comment telling me what you like most in my etsy shop
5) Leave a comment telling me that you signed up for an etsy account and marked my shop as a "favorite".

****PLEASE LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR ENTERY****
EACH COMMENT YOU LEAVE COUNTS AS ONE ENTRY. IF YOU LEAVE ONLY ONE COMMENT INCLUDING ALL 5 WAYS TO ENTER THAT COUNTS AS 1 ENTRY RATHER THAN 5 ENTRIES

The winner will be selected MONDAY, MARCH 1ST!!!
THE LAST DAY TO ENTER IS FEBRUARY 28TH

The Winner Is...

2010-01-29T23:36:00.004-06:00

I am happy to announce that the winner of the January give away is LIBERTY! Congratulations Liberty. Please send me an email with your contact information including: email, mailing address, and phone number (although I probably won't need to call...but just in case). My email address is karenabellajewelry@gmail.com

Thanks to all who registered for my first give away : ) I'll be posting next months give away in the first days of February so check back very soon! I promise it'll be a good one.

Night - Janell

A Day at Leah's Studio

2010-01-26T20:27:00.004-06:00

The Girls

As you may know from an older post I used to share this great studio space with a good friend of mine. Every now and then Leah would invite a couple of her friends over for a "studio day" and we would hang out and do artsy things together. The tradition continues. Leah graciously invited me to a studio day this past Saturday and we had such a great time together.

Freshly thrown tea pot parts, a bowl, and a mug - made of porcelain - waiting to be trimmed

Here are a few things I made on the wheel. I asked Leah (who is a VERY talented potter/painter) "so...what should I throw today?" I expected her to say a bowl or vase. No. She said "oooh, make a tea pot!". I didn't think I was up to it since it's been years since I made a tea pot...but I accepted her challenge.

A collaborative effort

I had to wait a couple of days to let the clay set up enough to trim and assemble. So I invited myself back over to the studio this afternoon to do so. We had Aveda tea, talked about our quarter life crisis' : ), and collaborated on the tea pot assemblage.

I trimmed and assembled the tea pot while Leah (per my request) hand built these adorable flowers and attached them for me. She does the most amazingly detailed hand carving/hand building on all of her pottery. I am honored to have some of that talent on my tea pot!

The flowers trickle and trail all around the pot. We agreed it's the sweetest little tea pot either of us have ever seen. It is so feminine!

The next step is to bisque fire it, then glaze it, then do a high fire. Leah so generously does the firings for me in her kiln. She's the best friend a girl could ask for!

It was so refreshing to do something creative that had nothing to do with jewelry. But with deadlines over-head, tomorrow is back to work in the (jewelry) studio. I am really looking forward to it!

Janell

Various Things

2010-01-22T17:31:00.003-06:00

Hello! Lots of little things to show and tell today. It turns out I couldn't wait to make that stone I posted yesterday wearable. I made a simple pendant/necklace out of it last night. It's been around my neck all day.

I've been working on some stuff to deliver to the galleries next week. It was just sitting on my table so I snapped a quick picture. There will be a cuff bracelet, beaded bracelet and several pairs of corresponding earrings as well. It's kind of a silvery, grayish, pinkish-purple mix of stones and pearls. I really like the effect.

Lindsay, here are a couple of pictures of my pearls we could possibly use for your ring. Like I mentioned in the etsy convo, it's hard to capture their exact hue and luster. But as you can see they are all very smooth. Just convo (via etsy) and let me know if they are what you had in mind or if you have any questions. Thanks!

This picture is more of a reference for size than detail. The large flat pearls are the ones I use for the ring you saw in my shop. Again, it's hard to tell in this photo, but they are a brighter white with more of a iridescent luster. The other pearls are a bit more subtle but very beautiful.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Janell

News: Good & Not So Good

2010-01-21T14:35:00.002-06:00

When given the option, I always choose the bad news first. My darling 6-1/2 month old boxer got a hold of one of my favorite shoes and did this to it. I know, I know. It's my fault for not watching him. But in my defense I had him barricaded in our livingroom/foyer area of the house. I was working in my studio just around the corner, had been through the room he was in happily gnawing on a rawhide twice in 45 min or so. I had no reason to believe he was getting in to trouble since HE HAS NEVER chewed a shoe (or anything he shouldn't for that matter). The ironic this is that given that it is Winter I have not worn these flats for several months. Where did he get it? is my question! Well, what's done is done. I will now mourn the loss of one of my favorite (irreplaceable, might I add) pairs of Summer flats. I am truly heartbroken.

The other ironic thing is that just a couple of hours before my darling puppy committed this heinous crime I had checked out this audiobook called Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison. How did he know? They say Boxers are intelligent dogs...but omniscient??? : )

The good news is obvious, I think. Yowza! I received this amazing stone in the mail today from dalerocks09. Pictures (and words) don't do this Mexican Lace Agate justice. I can't even tell you how happy this stone makes me! When I ordered it I didn't know if it would end up around my neck or someone elses...but I think I may just have to keep it. For now anyway. I do tire of such things quickly. But for now I am perfectly content just staring at it.
Janell

By Small and Simple Things

2010-01-12T16:47:00.005-06:00

image courtesy fey handmade

One of my favorite quotes from the scriptures is "by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass". I am noticing a business trend so far this year towards experimenting with small and simple things. I am trying out a monthly give away on my blog. I am working on a monthly newsletter (which is proving to be much more complicated and involved than I thought it would be). And I have accepted an invitation to sell my creations on a site called Fey Handmade.

I have no idea what to expect from any of these experiments. It is my hope that through doing these things I will be able to keep in touch with my customers from the past and present. And that I can reach new audiences. I figure I've got nothing to lose. A quote comes to mind "the biggest risks are the chances we don't take". We shall see how it goes.

I just have this feeling that this year will bring to pass great things!

The Importance of...

2010-01-08T10:25:00.007-06:00

...good studio music.

The XX
(image courtesy of thelineofbestfit)

It is my opinion that there is nothing better than a day in the studio with good music. Some long time favorites have been Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos and Where Have All The Cowboys Gone by Paula Cole. When these songs came out I was in my early teens and I felt I had to like them in secret. At that time most of my peers were listening to Hanson, the Back Street Boys and other pop-crap. Admitting to liking Tori Amos would have been social suicide! But for some reason these two songs have always got me going. Now I proudly crank them up and get to work. I just can't help but give my self over to the rich, soulful voices and earthy sound.

The last several years I have found countless groups/artists to adore...Radiohead...Morcheeba...Iron & Wine... But I recently found a new favorite. The XX. I just got their debut album and it is A M A Z I N G. I can honestly say I love every second of it. It never disappoints. Another album I am loving is one my sister introduced me to, Florence + the Machine - Lungs (thanks Em!). This one is great from beginning to end as well. So, I am going to go rock out in the studio today...all day!
Have a good one!

JANUARY * GIVE AWAY

2010-01-04T18:26:00.011-06:00

Hi! I hope your New Year is great so far. I can't complain. I am going to start doing a monthly give away here on my blog. I've decided to do this on a 6 month trial. Also on trial will be a monthly newsletter in which I will offer my receivers some crazy good deals and other treats. I am very much looking forward to all of this. So go ahead and leave a comment to register!

For my first give away I will be offering this simple and versatile floral band (made to order in your size of course).

It is sterling, oxidized, and oh so feminine. A $20 value...for FREE!!!

Entering is VERY simple and there are several ways to do it:
1) Make a comment on this entry with your ring size and email address (so I can contact you in case you win!)
2) You can be entered again by letting me know (in your comment) you would like to receive my monthly newsletter (via email)
3) You will be entered once for each purchase you make from my etsy shop.
That's it. Easy peasy. Three ways (at least) for you to enter and win this cute little ring.

***The drawing will take place FRIDAY, JANUARY 29TH. You have until noon on the 29th to enter.***

I hope you win!
Janell

2009-12-28T16:43:00.002-06:00

View Etsy Listing

I am grateful to have had a relaxing holiday. I love spending time with family and friends. I was blessed to have a lot of time to make plans/goals for the up coming year. I am going to try a couple of new things that I am really excited about...but you'll have to wait and see. In the mean time enjoy a sneak peak of some new work.

View Etsy Listing

Mexico Here We Come...

2009-12-18T15:41:00.003-06:00

...Again. In the last two days we very suddenly and unexpectedly have a vacation planned to Cancun. My mother-in-law had yet to find someone to use her time share and with the reservations only 2-1/2 months away time is of the essence. We are the only ones in the family able to go this year so we've committed. We must be crazy for going yet again. This will be our third year in a row and fourth trip total in the 6.5 years we've been married. It's not like we are middle-aged and financially stable (most time-sharers fit into these 2 categories). We have plans to buy a house next year and we know this will set us back a bit, but we are young, able, childless, and won't have to go into debt to go so we figure "why not?!". And we have a feeling that once a house and baby enter into our lives we won't be able to just pick up and go.

Now that the reality has sunk in I am giddy with excitement at the thought of spending a week in the Caribbean with my sweetie! The past two years we've taken some of my family along but this time (like the first) it's just us. No one to answer to. We are planning to have little to no plans other than morning sunrises, long days at the beach, a few hot dates and moonlight walks by the sea. We always take a day and ferry over to la Isla Mujeres. We will do that again this year. But other than that we just want to relax.

I am already dreaming of turquoise skies, aquamarine water, and white sand beaches. I can feel the hot sun warm my skin and the cool sea breeze give me goosebumps. I can taste the colorful cuisine and hear the waves lullaby me to sleep. In a way, vacations like this are pure torture. You go for a week of bliss and then return to sullen gray skies, brown everything, and dirty snow banks. Not to mention daily highs in the single digits. However, I am grateful to have had these opportunities and cannot wait to fall in love with the Caribbean all over again.

Hasta luego!

P.S. Amos graduates from his first round of obedience school tonight! He's come so far : )

Right Place at the Right Time

2009-12-06T14:58:00.004-06:00

My new project/challenge: handmade silver cabochons. Rings, cuffs, earrings, studs, pendants...I can't wait to really focus on doing all of this!

I was able to go visit one of the galleries I am in yesterday. The town it is in was having their holiday kick off event and so there were lots of people around. When I got to the gallery I, by chance and good timing, met a lovely customer for whom I have done some custom work. It was so fun to meet her! It was fun to see someone wearing my jewelry (who I didn't give it to personally). And it was fun to brainstorm for a custom necklace for her.

One of my dreams as a jewelry artist is to one day run into a complete stranger somewhere random like the grocery store who is wearing my jewelry. I suppose this encounter doesn't really count because we were actually at the gallery. Well, hopefully that will happen someday!

In regards to my last entry in getting back on track. Well, I'm still working on it. I did play around with some ideas. I am really looking forward to a productive week in the studio to further develop those ideas. I am also looking forward to a lunch date I have this week with a good friend/customer whom I haven't seen for a long time.

Getting Back in the Groove

2009-11-30T10:21:00.004-06:00

I apologize that this will be a no-picture-post, again. I am sitting here keeping an eye on my sick puppy : ( He apparently has a tummy ache (I hope that is all). He has thrown up a couple of times (tmi) and won't eat or drink anything. He won't even eat treats. He keeps quaking like he's shivering. The vet said that could mean he is in pain. Poor baby. I am supposed to keep an eye on him today and if there is no improvement he's going in. I shutter when I think about how much money we have spent at the vet since getting Amos just over 2 months ago. Who knew dogs could be so expensive. I just hope he can get over this on his own. We still have to get him neutered...and that's not cheap.

I sure hope things have been busy at the galleries because business at the home office has been slow the past couple of weeks. I have been so busy getting everyone stocked up FOR the season and now that it is here I find myself with more time on my hands than I'm used to. Despite this extra time I have had I have hardly been in the studio lately. I've been busy taking photos, editing and listing to update my etsy shop and getting it ready to "do" more with. I have been enjoying this little break. My Christmas shopping is nearly finished and I feel pretty relaxed. But I know that things will pick up again. It always happens that way. I just kick myself when I do start to get busy again that I did not do more to prepare for it. So this week I am going to throw it into gear and start makin' jewelry. I am anxiously awaiting an order of turquoise cabs. I ordered a bunch off of ebay. I can't believe I am admitting to this, but it was the first thing I ever bought off of ebay. I hope it comes today. That would get me nice and motivated. Well, I've got to get going. Lots to do.

Later

Landing on Two Feet

2009-11-26T09:51:00.003-06:00

The phrase "leap of faith" just took on new meaning for me. My mom has wisely said upon many occasions that your 20's are some of the hardest years. That they are all about establishing yourself in every way, work/career; marriage; parenthood; home life; and personally. I think about what my twenties have been like so far and she couldn't be more right. Many trials and tribulations both in the world and in my soul have come to me throughout my twenties. It is hard to describe in words, but I wouldn't change anything so far. Every hardship has made me stronger and better able appreciate the joyful times. Like a master sculptor, my Maker has been chipping away at me with each of these moments, both the good and the not so good. And I am starting to see the shape He is giving me. It is an exciting unveiling!

Suddenly I am able to look back and see each of the times I have taken the leap. Sometimes I have jumped freely by my own free will. Other times I feel like I have been shoved off the edge. But I find myself standing on the edge again, ready to jump. However this time I am anticipating a better landing. A landing on two feet. I am not sure what has changed. But I like it. I feel great and excited to see what will come.

This Thanksgiving I am so grateful for too many things to write. First and foremost I am grateful for my faith. It has gotten me through! I am also grateful for my best friend/husband. He has gotten me through as well. I have never known such an inspiring person. His good example always lays before me. I am grateful for the talents and gifts God has given me. I still stand in awe of the fact that I have been given opportunities to let them flourish. What a blessing! And I am grateful for my family in whom I find the best friendship a person could ask for. I hope your Thanksgiving may be blessed and happy!

Shop Update Turned Shop Overhaul

2009-11-21T08:43:00.002-06:00

A couple of days ago I decided to add some new work to my website. "Some" new work turned in to all new work. I didn't realize how many new designs I had! So my once hodge-podge etsy shop is finally starting to have a cohesive look. I have wanted that for my shop from the beginning but it always ended up being a dumping ground for gallery rejects or random new experiments. The 24th will be my year anniversary on etsy and I am now determined to fill 'er up with all new jewelry and an all new look.

I should have known it would take me this long to finally find a merchandising look I am happy with. I have almost gotten there a few times throughout the past year. I'd pull together new props and do a batch of new listings but then tire of the photos within a short period of time. That is how it always goes with me...jewelry design...home decor...wardrobe... It always takes me some time to find something I can really live with. So thanks for being patient with my ever changing "look". We'll see how long this one lasts. I hope I don't quickly tire of it's rustic simplicity.

I cannot believe another year has almost gone by. I remember last year right now pouring over FAQs on the etsy sellers page trying to learn and get the courage to open a shop. I am so glad I took the plunge and finally did it! I didn't know what to expect for sales or anything else. But I have had fun with the sales I have had and met a few wonderful etsians and been inspired beyond imagination. Here's to a new year (on etsy), a fresh look and a new effort. I hope this year brings twice as many learning experiences as the last.

Reflecting on my business in every other aspect over the past year makes me smile. To have my best year yet in these hard economic times really gives me hope for a good future for my little business. I hope and pray that I can keep my studio put for the time being (two major studio moves in the past year has played a toll on everything business related to be sure!). I love that it is right "there" and so easy to just pop in and start playing any time of the day or night. I hope I can continue to strengthen the relationships I have with some wonderful galleries/boutiques and maybe even find one or two more to entertain. I hope to continue having home parties and may even dabble in art fairs a little this next year. We'll see. I just want a year of stability, growth, and endless hours in my studio.

I am so excited for today. After I am done writing this novel I am going to list more jewelry. Then my sister is coming over and we're going to go hike around our favorite nature reserve. My other sister and her family are coming up from Chicago to stay for a few nights with us. Then me, my mom, three of my sisters (I have 6 sisters by the way, and one brother) and one of my sis' friends are all GOING TO SEE NEW MOON!!!!! I cannot believe I actually fought the urge to go see it yesterday. So, I better get going, there is jewelry to be listed, showers to take, hiking to do and movies to see. Have a great weekend!

Shop Update

2009-11-17T23:14:00.003-06:00

I should be sleeping...but no, I am blogging. Huh? I thought I'd just show off some of what's new in my etsy shop. I've been listing all night and have lots left to do. Plus a lot of new jewelry yet to photograph and edit. And even more yet to make! Now if I can just avoid all of lifes distractions and spend some time in the studio.

I don't think I have kept my love of paisley a secret. I've got a whole bunch of paisley necklaces in the works. I expect there will be some paisley cuffs and rings in the near future. And possibly some earrings, we'll see.

My new Whisper Wishes charms. The by line is "wear your dearest wish close to your heart". A little sappy, but sweet. I like this one, the fish, leaf and bird are meant to represent each of Mother Natures eco systems. I think I have become a "tree hugger". Not only because my style (in almost every way) is leaning towards a rustic-nature yet feminine theme; but also because whenever I am at our local nature reserve I find myself literally hugging a tree. There is something therapeutic about doing that. Try it sometime (although my guess is that you already have at one point in your life).

Ooh la la!

2009-11-15T20:20:00.002-06:00

As much as I LOVE my engagement and wedding rings, I have been itching to create a new rustically wonderful wedding set. I made time to play around in the studio today and created these rings. They turned out better than I hoped they would! And they have sentimental value. The three large gold balls were made out of my promise ring that Mike gave me while we were dating. It was a pretty little thing but the prongs which held the opal kept breaking and we gave up on having it repaired (this was before my jewelry making/repairing days of course). Ironically enough, the last time it broke was the morning after our wedding. I suppose that was appropriate since his "promise" was kept at that point : ) Anyway, the band has been sitting, stripped of it's stones, in a baggie in my supplies for years. I am glad to have finally done something with it. The three gold balls go with the tradition of representing our past, present, and future.

We have enjoyed a relatively relaxing weekend (finally). Days like today are numbered; it was sunny and somewhat warm so we took Amos to our local nature center to hike and explore. We packed a picnic, it was lots of fun. We decided to be adventurous and do a little off-trail exploring. We hiked, well, really we slid most of the way, down a steep hill down to a ravine that leads to the St. Croix river. Even Amos, who has the advantage of having 4 legs had a bit of a hard time making it down the hill. But we all made it in one piece. However, shortly after we got home I realized that one of my favorite bracelets was missing from my wrist. It most likely fell off while I was trying not to tumble down the hill. We're going to go look for it sometime this week. Hopefully the rain/snow we're supposed to get can hold off.

I am getting super excited to see New Moon this weekend!!! I'll be one of those people who sees it a couple of times I am sure...I'm such a dork : )
Later!

Late Night Blogging

2009-10-29T22:07:00.003-05:00

What a day! I finished up a bunch of jewelry for one of the galleries today. I am really looking forward to delivering it tomorrow.

This image is a bit blurry, but you get the idea. This is all going to Seasons on St Croix Gallery tomorrow in Hudson, WI.

I am sick AGAIN. What's up with that??? My mom is just getting over H1N1, luckily I don't have that. I just have a mild stomach flu. Just enough to keep me in bed half the day. However, I really can't complain that much. It's been cold and rainy; perfect cuddling-up-with-a-book weather. I picked up Twilight Saga: New Moon this morning. I need to get re-aquainted with the story since the movie is coming out next month (whoopeee!). I LOVE the Twilight books. I've read all but the second one at least twice. Yea, I'm one of "those" fans : ) New Moon isn't my favorite one...what's the point when Edward's not around, right? As much as I hope I can go to work tomorrow, I wouldn't mind another morning reading session! Actually, I really want to go back to work. I want to feel "human" again. You know - regular clothes, make-up, cute hair, and of course jewelry. I am getting tired of frumpy sweats. I am babbling now. Time to go to bed. Night.

Moved the Studio.......Again.

2009-10-25T18:13:00.007-05:00

This weekend was absolutely nuts! It started Friday with me, Mike, and my dad moving my mom's office to a room upstairs. She has some pretty heavy and awkward furniture so it was very taxing work. But it was well worth it for many reasons. Her new space is very nice, it's like her stuff was made for the room. Another reason is because I got to take over her old office space to use as my studio!!! I really needed a better work space for my growing business. It is so nice to have all of my work stations in the same room again. And I have more room for organization, which I LOVE. I also have a nice, professional place for customers to come as well. It's good all around!

This is a before shot of my mom's office:
And here's the after, now my studio:
Ta Da!

I have lots of space for working now with all of my stones/supplies in easy reach. I still need to organize all of my stuff on the shelves above my tables. And I need some lighting. Ikea has great lighting solutions, I can't wait to go.

Again, I am in need of some lighting. My bench is a mess from my projects today. I made a couple of orders I received yesterday. I also played around with some new supplies. I turned an old plain hammered band into a rustic masterpiece! Well, maybe "masterpiece" is stretching it a little, but I do like the ring WAY more now. We'll see how long that love lasts. I tire of some things easily. It's in the tumbler at the moment...I'll see if it's shiny enough to take out...hold on a sec...
Good enough for now. I really like this ring! Well, I've gotta get going. Have a good night!

October...really???

2009-10-23T15:27:00.005-05:00

This October has been unseasonably rainy, snowy and cold. I actually don't mind, this time of year I'm ready for sweaters and thick socks. However, it does make it hard when you have a puppy who doesn't like it when it's cold and wet. Some days it's like pulling teeth to get him to go potty!

I had the ultimate disappointment this afternoon. I FINALLY found some supplies I've been looking for for a long time online. And I FINALLY found a company that has them is stock. I was hoping the order would arrive today in the mail, but it didn't. Bummer. There's always tomorrow (that's why I love when I can order USPS... they deliver Saturdays!). I really think it will be here tomorrow.

Studio news: tonight and tomorrow I will be helping my mom move some furniture around upstairs so that she can move her office up there. I then will get her old office space to use as my studio. THANK YOU MOM! I have had one 4' by 2' table to do all of my finishing work, packaging, storage, and all other business related work; it has been miserable and messy. But now I will have an entire space where I will have lots of room to work. Plus I'll be able to move my bench in from the garage. All of my tools are covered with dust and who-knows-what from my dad's projects. It will be a chore to clean everything up. We were going to convert the gardening shed into my studio this Fall, but I decided that it would end up costing too much when all is said and done. So that will probably be a project for the Spring (unless I really like having my space in the house, we'll see). Anyway, I cannot wait to have my new studio space all set up!

I am finally finished with all the custom orders from my sister's jewelry party a couple weeks ago. This is the last piece, it's all packaged up and ready to go to the post office. Now I can focus on making a bunch of jewelry for the galleries before the 30th. This has been my biggest month for sales yet for my little business!!! I am so excited about that, and to think it's only October. We still have all of the Holiday shopping yet to come. My fingers are crossed for a strong finish to the year.

I had some questionable reconstituted metal clay and decided to see how far I could push it. I got a lovely paisley stamp while in Chicago and made this HUGE pendant out of a part of it. The clay fired up good and strong so now I have to figure out what to do with this sucker! It's 2" by 1-1/2" and I think I want it to be a pendant. I considered making it into a cuff, but I'm not in love with that idea. I LOVE PAISLEY and am very excited to play around with some designs. I am drawing blank today so it'll just have to sit on my bench as is until lightening strikes. Any ideas???

Well, I'm going to go have a brainstorming session with my sketchbook, a fleece blanket and some hot chocolate. I love it when I can get all cozied up on cold days like this. I am looking forward to a quiet movie night with my love!

Carpenter's Nature Center

2009-10-16T11:01:00.003-05:00

I don't work Fridays (whoohoo!) so this morning I took Amos to walk around Carpenter's Nature Center. I have fond memories of taking field trips here when I was in grade/middle school. But it was my sister who got me addicted to it as an adult. She comes here to walk around whenever chance allows. It is a beautiful and scenic place as well as a nature research center. I am lucky to live about 5 minutes away! Enjoy the photos!

I love these old, gnarled looking trees. There is a forest of them along one of the grass paths. They remind me of that scene in Wizard of Oz when they are in the apple orchard and the trees come to life. They look like they could be grumpy don't they!

Amos loved his first time at CNC! There was so much for him to sniff out. He was happy to be given a lot of slack to explore. He was very patient with all of my stopping to take pictures.

One of the scenic river overlooks. This is the beautiful St Croix river. If you look close you can see a black thing perched on one of the bare branches. This was a bald eagle, which I assume was patiently waiting for breakfast to come along. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of it.

I am always drawn to pictures of wooded pathways. I love this path at CNC because it is paved yet bumpy. It curves and meanders through the woods. And all of the cracks have bright green moss growing in them.

For some reason I love moss!?! I just think it is beautiful in all of it's shades of green (my favorite color). Someday I am going to have a flagstone pathway that leads from our house to my studio that has tons of moss growing between the stones. Someday...

Moss grows on everything here! Look at the beautiful chartreuse color of this batch.

Another wooded pathway. This one leads down to the St. Croix river. I love how it's covered with fallen leaves.

We are teaching Amos not to pull while on his leash by stopping and turning around (eventually he stops pulling and then we move on). Well, this is what I saw on one of the (many) anti-pulling stops. I thought this was a beautiful scene. A lone little tree glowing bright oragney-red (the pic doesn't do the colors justice of course) among muted fall tones. It made me think of my favorite scripture: "Let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works which glorify your Father which is in Heaven" -Mathew 5:16. This little bush sure is letting it's light so shine!

We finished off our explorations with this group of beautiful trees. I wish the colors reproduced more true, but you get the point.

It was such a beautiful and inspiring morning. The crisp, cool fall air made my nose and fingers freezing cold but the beauty around me filled my soul. I always feel so alive and rejuvenated while surrounded by nature; it is therapeutic for me. I am so grateful I live in such a beautiful area of the country where I can experience the beauty and wonder of all of Mother Nature's seasons.

Enjoy your day...I know I will!

All Things Ethreal

2009-09-30T20:55:00.002-05:00

Hi! I never did put a picture of all my lucky finds at the gem show Monday. Between the new puppy and being sick I haven't had a lot of spare time on my hands. I found these beautiful, GIANT freshwater coin pearls at the show and *drool* I fell in love immediately! I couldn't wait to get one set into something. So this is what I accomplished today between taking puppy out to go potty/play and resting because I'm a bit under the weather.

I have always been a HUGE fan of the night sky. I love love love the moon, especially when it's huge and full glowing in all of its silvery splendid glory. I have spent many a night absolutely mesmerized by the stars and entranced by the moon. I thought these pearls are the perfect tribute to 'her'. They measure about 5/8" in diameter give or take. I have been into large, chunky rings lately so this one is very exciting since pearls (my favorite) don't usually come this large. The beaded sterling bands twinkle around the 'moon' like stars. I LOVE this ring and hope it does well in my shop!

This bracelet is a tribute to the shallows of the Caribbean Sea. Like the moon, I am in love with the Caribbean. The colors are unreal (especially since I have lived in the Mid-West my entire life). The shallows of the Caribbean can be perfectly described as aquamarine. This bracelet is full of aquamarine, aqua beryl, aventurine and freshwater pearls. It's two strands and just the right touch of rustic.

I hope I feel better tomorrow so that I can spend more time out creating things. It sounds like I will have my studio (gardening shed turned studio) sooner than I expected. I've mentioned in past posts that we have been thinking of buying my parents house next summer. Well, unless something freak happens, we have decided that we are going to do it. I need more space to work and Amos needs a better location for his kennel. We'll move him to where my beading/finishing area is in our room. I cannot wait to have a building all to myself where I have all my tools, photo area, and everything else all in one place. Let's hope it's done SOON.

New Addition!

2009-09-26T19:05:00.003-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to the newest addition to our little family....meet Amos! We've been looking into getting a boxer for a while now but didn't think it would happen so soon. Mike found an add online yesterday afternoon that was a deal to good not to take advantage of. Amos is 12 weeks old and came with lots of benefits (kennel trained, sleeps through the night, socialized, etc). We picked him up this afternoon and have had a wonderful day together. Enjoy the pictures!

This is Amos and his mama Bella. She has she sweetest temperament and we are learning that he really takes after her. He is so social and such a little love bug! We haven't heard a peep as far as barking goes.

All tuckered out at Petco...how cute is that!?!

Falling asleep in the car. He did such a good job for his first time in the car. He handled it like a pro!

He needed a drink of water before going to his first art fair. He buried his face as far as it would go into the cup to get every last drop, it was adorable! Today was his first time on a leash and he barely started to get the hang of it. He'd start walking with us but as soon as he caught a glimpse of the leash he'd sit right down and just stare at it. Boxers are famous for their intelligence so I'm sure he'll catch on soon. We are assembling his new kennel at the moment and then it's out to go potty and into bed for little Amos!

Hot Off the Bench!

2009-09-25T12:19:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! Here are pictures of some new jewelry I've been making. Both items are spoken for. The first is a large, chunky turquoise ring. I LOVE IT!!! It is so comfortable, which is surprising since it's so large.

This is a very unique and quite expensive stone. It is called Rock Butte Jasper. I got it at the last gem show and intended to keep it for myself, but like always I fall out of love quickly with such things. My good friends mother saw it a few months ago and laid claim. I set it in a very simple pendant as to not compete with the stone itself. I am very pleased with the turn out!

I thought it was funny how you can see the reflection of the light in the stone! Whoops!

Well, I am soon off to spend the afternoon with a girlfriend of mine. Chipotle here we come! Our plan was to go bum around charming downtown Hudson, WI but it's pouring rain so we'll see. I love cool rainy days like this every now and then though. It's just too bad that they seem to come on the days I can't just curl up in some sweats and read or watch a movie. Oh well.

Happy Autumn!

2009-09-22T12:44:00.004-05:00

Summer is over and it's time to welcome in my favorite season of the year! I had a fantastic Summer full of fun adventures with my husband. But I am always glad to see Summer go by this time of the year. I am ready for sweaters, hot apple cider and taking car rides just to look at the changing colors of the leaves. There are too many things I love about this short season. To name a few: the beautiful and inspiring colors in nature, mulled cider, fluffy down comforters, cozy thick socks, homemade soups/chili, the crisp breeze, and finally, shorter days which equals more time to cuddle up on the couch and be lazy with my husband at the end of the day. Of course there are many more things I love about Fall. One of the most important for my little business is that the gem show comes to town every Fall!!! I get so excited to go. It has become a tradition for my sister Emily to come with me. We spend the entire day there together walking around trying to find treasures. We always get lunch at the hotel restaurant and spread our finds out on the table to assess what we still need to shop for. It's such a good time! Yes I am fully aware of how much of a dork I must sound like to the non-jewelry-makers who read my blog...but that's okay, I embrace it ; )

Here is a picture of my stash! White pearls, colorful pearls, turquoise, silver...you name it and it's probably in here somewhere!

This picture is almost embarrassing... Like I said, I have a bit of an obsession with white freshwater pearls of many shapes and sizes. I don't know what my problem is? I suppose I could be obsessed with worse things! In my defense not that you are accusing this is about 6 years worth of finds!

Now that I am caught up on orders and other business responsibilities I am devoting the rest of my week to getting ready for the gem show. Today I am going to start going through my supplies and see what I'll need (and not need...I always always buy too many green and white freshwater pearls, it's a sickness I swear...we'll see if I can stop myself this time). Then I am going to do some browsing online to check out new trends and get inspired. I must say that this is one of my most favorite parts of owning a jewelry business! I love to see what other jewelry artists are doing and creative ways they are using classic materials. I always find some kind of new trick to add to my design process.

Well, it's time to move on with my day. I hope you're all well and enjoying this first day of Fall as much as I am. I'm thinking I'll make chicken/wild rice soup for dinner...mmmmmmm

A New Look

2009-09-18T17:58:00.007-05:00

It always seems to take me a long time and several attempts to finally find a "look" I like. Like many of you I am very particular about aesthetics; especially when it comes to the presentation of my work. I've been playing around with different styling techniques since I opened up my etsy shop but I think I finally found one that I really like. There needs to be some tweaking in the photography but I like the general idea. Below are images of some of my new work that I will be posting in my shop this weekend. Enjoy the sneak peak!

These sweet little hoops will become a staple in my shop. I hope they sell well!
This turquoise stone used to be on the cuff bracelet at the end of this entry. It was way to big for the band so I sawed it off, drilled some holes and turned it into a pendant. I like it better now that it's a pendant but I wish I would have embellished the bezel differently.

I started making a new style of hoops and am loving the results. This particular pair is embellished with handmade fine silver leaves. I have a feeling they will start popping up in my work here and there.

Drum roll please....................

This might be one of my favorite things I have made to date!!! Okay, so it's tied with my moldovite wrap ring, but still!

This is the band that I sawed that turquoise stone/bezel off of and replaced with this sweet white oval freshwater pearl. I cannot believe how comfortable this cuff is! It has not left my wrist since I made it on Wednesday. Except for when sleeping and showering...but it's so comfy I could probably sleep with it on.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to in the studio lately. I am slowly but surely starting to absorb how busy I am going to be the Autumn/Holiday season. The panic hasn't hit yet and I am hoping I can stick to my list and avoid all the stress of last minute preparations. I hope I can start blogging more often. I really want to figure out how to personalize my blog more with cute back drops and fonts etc. How do you do that??? I see that many of you have made your blogs so cute, any helpful hints?
Take care!

Uh Oh!

2009-09-09T14:15:00.003-05:00

Does this freak anyone out but me?!?!? I remember a couple summers ago silver prices soared over $19/oz...OUCH! When I started ordering silver in bulk over 5 years ago it was a $7 market. What happened?! This is definitely hard on business. It's hard to afford to buy the needed supplies and it's harder to sell the finished product because you've got raise prices to compensate. What's a jeweler to do? Thankfully I don't work in gold (yet)!

It's been a busy month. Unfortunately my BRAND NEW computer has been acting up. Have you ever heard of the "blue screen of death"? Well, it has become my arch enemy. After several troubleshooting tests, many many hours of my studio time, and some cuss words we found out that the problem was in the memory. So Dell sent us brand new memory cards and a prepaid box to send the computer out for repair incase the new memory didn't fix the problem. The new memory seemed to fix the problem. All the diagnostic tests passed and we were in the clear...until this morning. My husband went to start the computer and there was that damned blue screen again! GRRRR. So, now it's back to doing hardware diagnostic tests and crossing fingers that everything passes. So far so good, we'll see. We may have to use that prepaid box afterall. What a pain!

Other than that life has been pretty good. I struggled through the entire design/creation process for my early fall line but it's done and delivered. To be completely honest I haven't been that impressed with my past two lines. I always try to make things that I would love to have and that's not the case with late summer or early fall. So all weekend long I pondered the design rut I've been in. I was prompted to go back and look at all of my old inventory pictures. I figured I've had a lot of success with all of those designs and maybe it's time to try and stop reinventing the wheel with every new seasonal line. I'm so glad I did that because I realized that I've been trying to fix something that isn't broken. My old designs are still some of my personal favorites and they've all sold very well. With a little tweeking they are fresh and lively! This will sound very cheesy but I feel alive again! Working in the studio has been the pleasure it used to be. So, lesson learned: stick with what works and build off it as you go. Sooner or later those time-tested designs will naturally transform into something new and exciting. I just think I was trying too hard.

Anyway, I suppose it's time to go check the progress of diagnostic tests. This last one takes a couple of hours but it should be done soon. I am anxious to try to restart my little "green machine" my computer is a lovely green color and she if she's in working order again. Wish me luck!

What's on the Bench?

2009-08-12T13:54:00.003-05:00

I am currently working on my Fall 2009 line. So far I only have 2 earring designs and one necklace design. I don't know what's wrong with me but I CANNOT think of anything for this season. That rarely happens to me; usually I can sketch and sketch and sketch. So, even though I don't have the complete line designed I started with what I had and will go from there. DOES THIS EVER HAPPEN TO YOU?

This is my new studio space. It's not very exciting at all. I'm tucked away in a small area of my dad's garage, which is dirty, dusty and not very inspiring. But I am very grateful to have a space he so generously allows me to use.

Mike and I are currently discussing the idea of buying my parents house next summer. They were planning on putting it on the market around that time. It's a really great house. I grew up here and would love to raise a family here. This is a picture of the potting shed/greenhouse that my dad built for my mom. It is located right off the back yard. If we buy the house this will become my studio! I can't believe how perfect it would be. It has lots of room and even more potential. I have been thinking about what I'd do to make it "me". I have way too many ideas to list. But some of them would be a bright, fun paint job, window planter boxes full of gorgeous flowers, and some pretty landscaping of course. I can't let myself get too excited about it right now since we're not sure about buying the place yet. Lots to think about!

Anyway, I am really in the mood to organize and clean etc. I am going to clean our room, do some decorating and then try to figure out how to transfer pictures to my new computer. After that I'll be back in the studio working on Fall 09. I hope your having a great day!

Eloping

2009-08-06T16:47:00.006-05:00

My sister Emily is eloping tomorrow (me, my parents, the grooms parents and Em's son will all be at the wedding) and this is the outfit she is going to wear. We are throwing her a surprise bridal shower tonight and the theme is "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue". My sister Sam is going to loan Emily the jewelry I made her for her wedding (something borrowed) and I made her this new jewelry to pull her outfit together(something new). The crystals in the set I made are from my husbands grandmother and are from around 1940 so they are vintage (something old). Emily is absolutely gorgeous but now she'll really sparkle on her very-last-minute wedding day!

Truly a Treasure

2009-08-06T13:35:00.003-05:00

I made this ring for my dad's massage therapist. She found the pearl while she was eating oysters! How cool is that?!? We are going to barter so I'll get a massage out of the deal. Yes! Anyway - enjoy the pictures.

Experiment

2009-07-31T13:09:00.003-05:00

I have always admired this particular style of wire wrapping and layering components to create an elegant piece of jewelry. Maybe you've seen some of the "masters" on etsy (check out emily gray, she's amazing!). I've looked in awe and wondered how they do it? But I've never wondered enough to try and figure it out. So, naturally when I saw the cover of this months Art Jewelry magazine I just had to buy it. This is one of the projects they are featuring this month.

It was definitely a challenging project! And my finger tips haven't ached like this since I don't know when! It is totally different than the way I normally work, but I think that's why it was so fascinating to do. I learned a lot and may include some of the techniques I learned into my future work. But overall I am just glad I accepted the challenge to learn something new. And when I gaze upon the beautiful work of the masters on etsy I'll have a greater appreciation for it.

I am soon off to enjoy my anniversary weekend! I cannot wait!!! My husband took off from work early so that we can check in to the hotel right at 3pm. This way we can fully enjoy the delights of a 4.5 star hotel. The pool looks amazing and I can't wait to dive in! I am a bit bummed that I won't be able to model my new necklace. It doesn't go with either of my outfits for the weekend. However, my mom and dad decided to go on a date tonight (which they NEVER do) and I am loaning it to her for the night. They are getting dressed up and everything!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Drama: Just Say No!

2009-07-28T13:39:00.003-05:00

That's all I have to say about that...anything else would just be dramatic!

Snarf...Hack...Snarf, Snarf...Sneeze!

2009-07-27T16:22:00.002-05:00

That is a really unattractive entry title, but it's what our kitty Max has sounded like for the past few days. He got brave and went outside for the first time about a week ago. To our surprise he was gone for about 2 days! A few days after he came back he started snarfing (that is literally what it sounds like). It started getting worse the past day or so. My husband did some research online to see if he could find anything out about kitty-colds. Every reference said not to bother taking them to the vet because they give all of these shots, run several tests, and hundreds of dollars later just tell you to give him vitamin C. We're going to try that out and if it doesn't work then Maxi is going to the vet!

On a more positive note...I JUST GOT THE CUTEST SHOES! It is my 6th anniversary this weekend and my husband and I are going to a really nice hotel in downtown Minneapolis for a night! We're going to go to a somewhat fancy-pants restaurant Friday night and I realized I don't have a Friday-Night-Out-In-Downtown-Minneapolis kind of outfit. So I did some shopping after work and scored! I found an adorable skirt for just pennies of it's original price! A top to match the skirt and these shoes, which of course make the outfit. I also found an adorable feminine-blousy top for Saturday when we go bummin' around the city (which is our favorite thing to do together). Okay - so these shoes have a 4-1/2" inch wedge which makes them absolutely fantastic! I love heels. I don't wear them that often, but when I do they're the real deal. You can't see it in the picture very well, but they are a raw silk material so they're kind of matte. They are very pretty! Anyway, now I've got to make some jewelry for my new outfit...TTYL

Yipeeeeeee!

2009-07-23T14:42:00.004-05:00

Hooray for my new computer! It was here waiting for me when I got home from work this afternoon. So far so good; I am just figuring out how to use it. I've never had Vista before so it's a little different navagating etc. However, it's beautiful and super fast! The internet is a pleasure to use (finally). And I love the widescreen screen...I feel so modern! But still, one of the best things about has to be that it is green! It matches my phone, wallet, planner and almost everything else you'd find in my purse. Not that I'll be lugging this guy around in my purse. I do finally have an excuse to buy a super cute laptop bag now. I'll have to get on that!

It was so nice to hear from my ex-studio-partner this afternoon. Leah and I haven't gotten together in way too long. I miss her (and our studio) terribly. I am going to head over to there

to 'play' the rest of the afternoon! I am so excited!!!

Catch ya later!

Recycled Gold

2009-07-21T19:51:00.002-05:00

This may sound gross, but several years ago while I was taking my college metals class my dad handed me a baggie of some gold dental work that he had replaced. At first I was a little skeeged out by it, but then I thought- hey, gold is gold! Yesterday I ordered some half round beaded gold wire to make some rings with. I have never ordered or worked with gold before so I thought it was time to break out the gold teeth and see what it does under the torch. It works a lot like silver does so it wasn't long until it felt familiar. Half way working with it I remembered to take some pictures, like a before and after thing. Above is picture of the teeth, I had already sawed some of it apart and melted some down.

It came to just over a quarter of an ounce! That's a lot of gold teeth!

Here's the finished product. Sorry the image is dark and yellow tinted, but you get the idea, right? I made a pair of 1st-hole and 2nd-hole studs and a large pendant. Besides my wedding ring, I don't have any gold jewelry. So far it's been fun to wear!

Time to play...finally!

2009-07-18T17:41:00.005-05:00

I have finally met all of my deadlines and took some time out to play today. My sister Meagan and I went to the Stockholm, WI art fair this morning. It was lots of fun! She found a few things but I didn't find anything I could not live without. I was hoping to find a cute scarf, but there weren't any!? So instead I came home and made a bunch of new jewelry. The bracelet above is citrine with a feminine floral clasp. Below are the earrings that match. I'm not sure if I'll keep it or not, but for now I keep walking over to my workspace and staring at it. Citrine is a very entrancing stone.

I also made a set out of 'new' jade stones. I love these stones because of how they vary between shades of cool, opaque white to translucent, grassy green. They are truly stunning all together!

The necklace is very long. I am really into long necklaces right now.

Gosh, the picture doesn't do the stones any amount of justice. They are such juicy, richcolors in person.

I'm loving the earrings! Just a little bit rustic...my fave!

I can't wait to wear this new set to church tomorrow. I'm thinkin' it will be perfect with a kind of transparent, white, crinkly, tunic that I have and my dark denim jacket...hmmm, what skirt should I wear with that? I'll figure it out! Have a great rest of your weekend!

New Work

2009-07-16T21:31:00.003-05:00

I don't know why these images turned out so dark...oh well. Here is my finished Late Summer line. There are things I really like about it and some parts that I could do without. But since I'm working under a deadline I don't have time to go back to the drawing board. I also have to remember that I'm not always going to absolutely love everything I make. And just because I don't love it doesn't mean that others won't. I think what bothers me is the teal/magenta combo. Those aren't "my colors"; but they go so perfectly with the abalone shell beads. However, I do like each of those colors on their own or mixed with greens. I really like the abalone/faceted crystal quartz combo, though. And the dark brown suede really adds a nice texture and warms everything up so much. Let me know if you have an opinion...I am always curious! I miss college art critiques, they were always so helpful.

I always seem to have a circle/suede necklace in my seasonal lines. I just love that look!

This earring style has become a Karena Bella Classic - I've done it it many sizes and with many colors of pearls and different pearl combinations. They sell very well.

I like how simple these ones are, they are go-with-everything earrings.

So, we saw Harry Potter last night and LOVED it!!! On the way home I was telling my husband the ways that the book and movie were different (although I felt that the movie followed the book pretty well). Then I started to tell him what happens in the 7th book. I recommended that he just read it because it is so good; he started it last night when we got home! I hope he gets into it. My jewelry orders didn't arrive today...bummer. I hope they come tomorrow. However today was a gallery pay day and I was pleasantly surprised! Maybe now I can order the 14K gold, 14gauge half bead wire that I've had my eye on. I have never worked in gold before and want to be able to say that I have and that I can if an opportunity arises in the future. I want to make two bands to go above and below my wedding band. My engagement ring has a floating tension setting and I get nervous that the diamond will just pop out...yikes! Gotta go!

Organized Mess

2009-07-15T16:20:00.002-05:00

I love it when my workspace looks like this! I call it an organized mess. I think I am one of those rare artists who likes their workspace to be tidy. I used to feel like there was something wrong with me because of that. Going through art school with tons of disorganized, free-spirited people whom most of which did not shower; and me being what I am - organized, well groomed and somewhat free-spirited - I always felt a little out of place. But now that I've found my niche I really like that I am organized and detail-oriented; makes the business hustle and bustle!

I am currently working on my Late Summer 2009 line for the galleries. Featuring large, organic abalone beads, faceted crystal quartz and teal and "dark raspberry" freshwater pearls. I'll post better pictures of everything once the line is done and ready to go. I have decided not to list my gallery lines on my website. I'll do things with my same signature styles but not in complete seasonal lines. I think this stems from not wanting to make so many copies of each item...that gets boring. I will post the pics on here though so you can see what's new each season.

Well there is a lot to look forward to for the rest of the week. Tonight my sweetie is taking me to see the new Harry Potter (yes, I am the kind of person who loves Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Twilight Saga... but that's as sci-fi as I get). I have tomorrow off of work. My sister is coming to stay a week with her boys. My two jewelry supply orders should arrive later this week. And I get to go to the Stockholm, WI Art Fair. I am so excited about that because I have always been out of town the weekend of it. It is a locally famous art fair - 60,000 people flock to this artsy-destination town that has a population of only 90 people! It is a gorgeous drive so the little town gets a lot of traffic all year round. That is where one of the galleries I am in is located. They do really well! Wouldn't it be great if I also got an email saying that my new computer is made and in the mail?!? That would definitely be the cherry on top of an excellant week!

I've got to get going and get ready for my super hot date!

New Computer!!!

2009-07-13T20:15:00.004-05:00

I am so excited! Two or three weeks from now I will be blogging on my very own, brand-new laptop! I was able to purchase a computer for my business today... definitely a milestone for my little business. The best part (well, the best part for the artist in me) is that it's the color green!!! Which is my all time favorite color. I have been using both our desktop computer and our little laptop for my business and it was getting really frustrating to have to go back and forth between the two. Now I'll have all of my business files, pics, etc in one convenient place. Plus the new one will be about 30 times faster than what I've been using. So it'll be a breeze to upload blog and etsy pics. The only bummer is that I have to wait until August 3rd for it to arrive... : ( Maybe it'll come faster than that. Until then, I'll be counting down!

Other than that my life has been crazy-turned-up-side-down the past few weeks. However, I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Once I deliver a large order to one of the galleries I'll be able to kick-back and relax a little. My sister (from the Chicago area) and her two boys are staying for a week to visit starting Wednesday so I am really looking forward to that. I do need to edit and post a bunch of new work in my etsy shop, I'll probably work on that tomorrow or Wednesday. Here is a picture of a custom necklace order I got at my jewelry party a few weeks ago.

I guess that's it for now. Hopefully I'll be able to keep in touch better now that I'm not so incredibly busy. Later!

Lots to Do

2009-07-06T18:04:00.003-05:00

New work! I just made a batch of new jewelry for my etsy shop. I have yet to move my photo studio here with me so I cannot take any proper pics. I have tried to take some in the natural light but the colors always look washed out. I'll be picking it up from my old studio tomorrow and posting asap.

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend! Mine was decent. Friday late in the afternoon I finally went to scope out some bead shops I've often heard about that are only about 20 minutes from where I live. I was pleasantly surprised with them! One of them was especially nice. I FINALLY found some waxed linen cord. It might sound crazy but I have been looking for it off and on for several months on several different jewelry supply sites. I have probably just over looked it, but I got some so it doesn't matter anymore. The one shop I liked had awesome prices as well. Besides the waxed linen I got several colors of silk cord, some matte turquoise seed beads, and an awesome natures paint brush stone that I used for a large pendant (I plan to keep it, so far anyway). I'm not exactly sure yet how I'll use the waxed linen or silk cord but I have lots of ideas in mind. So, be on the lookout for some new Karena Bella designs soon to come!

I used the turquoise seed beads to make a faux replica of a necklace I made for myself this Spring. I found a gorgeous strand of tiny hand-cut, verigated, natural turquoise beads at the last gem show and had to have them. They were really expensive though (over $50 retail!!!...however I got a deal). I found a hank of matte Czech turquoise seed beads that reminded me of the strand I got. So I am made a more affordable version of the necklace I made for myself. I receive lots of compliments on it so I thought others may want one. It is a super simple necklace that is great for layering. You can see a pic of it above.

Friday night my honey bun took me out on a little date! We had a fun time together. Saturday we slept in and lazed about until we went to his brother's 4th of July party. It was the eighth annual party and every year it gets better and better. This year was kind of quiet due to it being a weekend holiday. In spite of that (and the 1/2 hour down pour) it was a good time. That night we went to see the fire works with my dad, sister, and nephew (my mom was not feeling well so she didn't come). My nephew is one of those musical kids who always marches around to his own beat. He is obsessed with Yanni (yes, that's right...he's 4 years old and obsessed with Yanni). He was so excited about the fireworks that he was air drumming the beat of his favorite Yanni song while singing it at the top of his lungs! It was funny at first but after a 1/2 hour it got kind of old. Sunday we went to church and relaxed all afternoon. It was a great weekend!

We found out this morning that our friends sold their house!!! That means we need to finish packing up our stuff we left there and move it out into storage. I have so much going on this week already so the fact that I have to now move on top of it all stresses me out a little. However, I am extatic at the thought of getting it over and done with. Anyway, I've got to get going and figure out what to make for dinner. I'm thinkin' it will be simple!
Later!

Full Circle

2009-06-24T14:13:00.005-05:00

It's been a while so I am making a "super post"! What's new? I have been busy, busy, busy the past week or so. I had a lot (well, a lot for me anyway : ) ) of etsy action last week thanks to some lovely customers; including my first international sale! Yea! Thank you Sonja in Germany! It was a pleasure ; ) What ever time I had to spare I was getting ready for the jewelry party I had last night. It went really well! I love doing home parties. It is fun to meet the people who will be wearing your jewelry. You can tell them all about what they are getting. Below is a picture with a great story:

I am the one in the green skirt (it's too bad you can't see my shoes, they really made the outfit...floral ballet flats, yum!). The woman to my right is Cathy; we worked at Eddie Bauer together 2-1/2 years ago. She had a party Feb of 2007. Deb, the one on the far left, booked a party at Cathy's party, which took place May of 2007. Then Cindy, the one in the coral shirt, booked a party at Deb's party for August 2007. And here we are, 2 years later together at Deb's 2nd party (which was last night). It was a fun little reunion. These ladies are the sweetest! I am so grateful for their support and generosity! They really helped me get the ball rollin'

Moving on. Here are some pictures from my families camping trip from a couple of weekends ago. We had the best time!

Here's my sweetie being his helpful self setting up my little sister's tent. Emily (my sis), Caleb (my nephew), Mike (my husband) and I shared a site.

Here are some of us around the camp fire Friday evening, we were waiting for 3 more families to arrive (I come from a ginormous, blended family...8 kids total. 7 girls, 1 boy).

Me and Mike. We look like total crap, but what else can you expect while camping! ;)

Saturday morning. Bella loves to stick her nookie in her mommie's mouth. She is ADORABLE!

Saturday morning breakfast.

My mom and sister Meagan.

I do not understand the faces Mike kept making??? What a dork (we are self-proclaimed dorks, he and I)

The boys were all about catching stuff. Here is Isaac and what we deemed to be an army worm.

What is camping without some jewelry orders...wait, that makes no sense! Well, I got orders anyway.

Each year we have this little family reunion it gets better. I cannot wait for next year. Mike and I have another trip planned for mid July. That will be a nice little get away. We are going to canoe and hike the entire time...FUN! Anyway, that's what I've been up the the last couple of weeks. I'll be spending lots of time in the studio this weekend so I'll have some pics to post of new work later on. Have a great day :)

Pics for Crystal

2009-06-17T13:28:00.003-05:00

Crystal ~ Here is my design proposal for your ring. I know it's really different than what you originally asked me about so let me know what you think.

Here is an image of the 4mm onyx stones that I have. They would be set into sterling bezels. It would be a rustic/feminine ring that you could wear with everything. Talk to you soon! Janell

Crystal's Custom Necklace

2009-06-12T11:26:00.002-05:00

Crystal ~ Here's your necklace. Sorry the images are so crappy! It turned out really pretty, my sister wants one now! It's 17.5" to 18" long. The pendant drops up to 2-1/2" long. I hope you like it!

A Special Hello

2009-06-08T16:22:00.002-05:00

To the special guests of Deb Carr's jewelry party:
Hi! Welcome to my blog. I invite you to browse through and get to know me a little bit. If you scroll through older entries you can view pictures of my studio, various custom projects, and lots of other fun stuff!

Just a quick introduction; I have been making jewelry for as long time. I went to school for Art and started my business, Karena Bella Jewelry, in the Fall of 2006. I started out doing home jewelry parties and art fairs selling all my own jewelry. I added my metal smithing studio (which allows me to do custom metal work - soldering, sawing, hammering, fabricating, and more) the summer of 2007 and that opened many doors for me. I started selling my creations in fine art galleries and that has been going really well! I am now starting to do home parties again after taking a short break last year due to focusing on getting into and maintaining gallery relationships.

I am so grateful for Debs support and her willingness to open her home to me and to all of you (again, she hosted one of my first parties Spring of 2007... you may have been there). I really hope I get a chance to meet you all there! So, sit back, relax and enjoy my blog! If you have not had a chance yet, take a peek at my website (there's a link to the right of this entry). I will have almost every thing you see there and more available to purchase at Deb's party. The best part is that you can enjoy your jewelry right away! No waiting for orders to arrive; you can take home your purchases with you that same night! Plus you will recieve AWESOME discounts!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!
Janell

Cutsom Ring

2009-06-05T17:13:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday, everybody! I finally got to go spend some time in the studio today... that always puts me in a good mood (not that I was in a bad one). I had a custom order for a unique CTR ring (in Mormon culture that means "Choose The Right"... like a WWJD thing, but older). People usually have a CTR ring as a reminder to always do what's right. I really like the concept, I know I can use a reminder through out the day! Anyway, it is a graduation gift for a girl at my church. I am really happy with the result! I might have to make one for myself. It's been years since I've had a CTR ring.

I packed up all of my tools etc at the studio today. They are all in boxes in my car. I cannot wait to be able to move my benches here. Hopefully that will happen very soon... we'll see. Have a great weekend!

Custom Earrings

2009-06-01T17:01:00.002-05:00

Crystal - Here are your earrings! I hope you like them. I'll be putting them in the mail first thing tomorrow.

There is a mix of oxidization levels among the chains. A couple are dark, a few are medium, and a couple are bright. They really catch the light! They are light weight and really dangle-y. The lever back wires will be very secure for everyday wear.

They ended up being just barely over 2-1/2" long. Let me know if there is anything you'd like different. If I don't hear from you I'll put them in the mail.
Thanks again!
Janell

Sketch for Crystal

2009-06-01T15:24:00.003-05:00

Hi Crystal! Here is a sketch of my interpretation of what you described you would like. Does it look right to you? Do you think 6 chains would be too much? I may have gotten carried away!

Here are the two chains you mentioned you liked in the necklaces on my site. I will add these in to the mix on the circle with chain earrings. Well, let me know what you think. If you like this design I will make them for you right away. You can let me know through etsy.
Thanks! Janell

KB Fall 2008 (for Naomi)

2009-05-30T08:42:00.004-05:00

I have a customer (Hi Naomi!) who bought this bracelet at one of the galleries and contacted me to have earrings and a necklace made. I promised her some images of the things I made in that series (all of them are long gone from the gallery).

Here are several earrings that would go with your bracelet (you can click on the images for a more detailed view). From left to right there are dark green coin pearls, gold coin pearls, white coin pearls, and bronzy-red coin pearls, and then peacock (iridescent purple) stick pearls in the long oval hoops. I can make the long oval hoops with a white stick pearl as well. I can recreate anything you see here or we can work on designing a new, but similar, item as well.

The necklace that was made to match the bracelet in on the right. I really liked this necklace! I don't remember what it retailed for (ballpark $120-$130). I can remake one similar to this or I can do a more simple version. Let me know what you think of your options. You can contact me through etsy, as we have been doing. Have a great weekend!

All Done! (almost)

2009-05-29T16:28:00.002-05:00

As promised in a past entry, here are some pictures of our new home! I can't believe how well it all fits. I worked all day on finishing up several miscellaneous projects and I'm glad to say it's pretty much done. There are a few minor details left, but they can wait.

I don't know what to do above our bed??? It'll come to me! We have our new mattress on lay-away and will be picking it up in a couple of weeks. I cannot wait for that. Our bed is a 17 year old hand-me-down. We desperately need a new mattress! I also need to get a king size bed skirt... the one I have on there now is from our queen size bed, it barely covers the ugly floral box spring... yak!

I was very happy to get my beading/finishing area all set up and organized. I have a few things to add yet, but it's mostly done and a very workable space. I can't wait to get my metals stuff here with me. I'm thinking that will happen next week sometime.

I'm loving our new TV. It swivels so we can watch it in bed or from the couch. Gotta love my husband for always keepin' us hooked up! ; )

Over all, I love the entire space. It will serve us well while we are here. There are lots of windows and pleasant light. It's definitely starting to feel like home! Well, have a great weekend. TTFN

Custom Bracelet Done

2009-05-26T16:55:00.004-05:00

Hello again! I went to the studio this afternoon to re-do a custom order I had a loooong time ago. It is a bracelet for my friend's daughter's baptism/confirmation present (a person gets baptized at 8 yrs old in the LDS church). I made custom charms and put the bracelet together but it wasn't quite right...actually, it was all wrong! My friend gave it back to me to re-do and I'm glad she did because it is a 1000% better now. In fact, I might just have to make some different versions of this little beauty!

Here are the charms in detail. The dove (representing peace, baptism, purity, etc) has her baptism date on the back. The center has her name and tiny little CZ. And the crown (representing 'remember who you are'... a child of God/King) has her birthdate on the back. The jade beads are from a trip to China (just for show... gorgeous aren't they!?) and the pearls represent purity, virtue, being cleansed from sin, etc.

Here is a very crappy image of my Summer 2009 (part one?) line for the galleries. I have apparently been inspired by one of my new favorite artists from etsy, Carrie. As I look at this image I feel it reflects some of her classic style. It's funny how what you look at influences your work without you realizing it. I have always done some kind of hoop/loop layering. Circles seem to always work there way into my jewelry! I just got the beaded wire a couple of months ago and I am loving the effect! It really adds to the rustic-feminine look I am so attracted to.

I thought I'd just throw this one in here. This is a recent inventory picture from one of the galleries I'm in. They've really sold a lot in the past month or so! My space looks rather empty (they have my summer stuff now, that should beef it up a little) Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up... I suppose that's a good thing :) One thing I cannot keep up with in this gallery is the demand for my rustic pearl studs. I had just brought them several pairs and now they are down to one! The funny thing is that the other gallery gets absolutely no interest in them. I don't even bother making them for them any more. However, they go through my silver moon series and my simple hoops like water. To each his own, right? That's the gallery I just got an email from asking if I can keep a 4' case stocked with all of my own work. What a great (and a little bit intimidating) opportunity! I told them I'd give it my best shot. I am really looking forward to losing myself in the studio to get ready for that. Well, It's almost time for dinner. Being at home is really going to be nice, my mom is a fabulous cook! Have a great night!

A Little Out of Touch

2009-05-21T16:41:00.004-05:00

Hi All! I apologize for not posting very often lately. Honestly, nothing much has been going on besides packing, cleaning, and sorting. We have been getting ready to move and my life has been consumed by the endless errand running and all of the other stuff I just listed. I haven't been in the studio lately. I can't focus while I'm there because of everything else I have going on. I think I'm going to go pack it up tomorrow. We'll see. Take care and I'll be in touch more when we're moved and settled.

Aveda & Herbal Tea

2009-05-12T14:54:00.002-05:00

My new tea! I made the tea pot and mug (set of 4) in college. There is a tray to match as well.

It's been a while! I don't have any exciting business news (other than the fact that it's going really well lately). Nor do I have any fascinating projects that I'm working on (other than my Summer 2009 line). However it was an exciting day for me as a self proclaimed Aveda Lover! As you may know I am moving so I need to find a salon closer to home. Over the past several years I have fallen in love with Aveda: salons, service, and products. Today a co-worker told me about an Aveda salon she goes to in the town we work. I checked it out and made an appointment today with her stylist. My appointment isn't until the end of June, but I am looking forward to it already. My favorite part of the Aveda experience (besides the awesome head massage) is the Aveda brand herbal tea. The salon I used to go to offered tea, water, wine, etc while you waited for your appointment. I always had the herbal tea...it's amazing! They sell it in the salons and I have often thought about buying a jar of my own. The problem is it costs an arm and a leg (or $22 for those of you who don't have a spare arm and a leg to sell)!!! And you only get about 2 or 3 ounces. I'd drink that up in no time, and then want more. I can't afford that addiction so I've never allowed myself to buy it. Well, it just so happens that there is a cute little 'earthy-granola' gift shop right next to my new salon that sells a huge variety of loose teas. I found one EXACTLY like the Aveda tea I love so much!!!!! Plus it's only $2.25/oz!!!!! Score! It gets even better, the company that makes the tea has a website and you can buy any of their blends directly from their site (even in bulk)! The 'Aveda' blend is called Vita Blend. It is $4.95 for a 3 oz. bag. Here's a link to the site Mountain Rose Herbs. Check it out! So, I've spent the last hour or so sipping tea, burning my new Fiesta Lime insence and doing my virtual rounds. Now it's time to crank up the ipod and start going through my closet. Life doesn't get much better!

New Ring!

2009-05-02T20:15:00.002-05:00

I was able to spend the entire day in the studio! I love Saturdays like that. I made my first wrap ring and am really pleased with it! The pictures don't do the stones justice. I just took them on my kitchen table and not in my photo studio so the lighting is awful. But you get the point, right? I used two of the four moldovite stones I got at the gem show last month. The green is amazing! I had an unexpected guest spend the entire afternoon with me while working. Thanks for coming over Debbie! I enjoyed your company so much. Thank you for your incredible support and business; and interest in the process.

The color is a little more true to real life in this shot. It isn't very clear, but you can kind of see the detail in the stones. They are really indescribable. You can see a better shot of them in a posting from last month. Check it out! Have a great, relaxing Sunday!

For Amanda and Carrie

2009-04-28T18:19:00.005-05:00

Amanda - Here is a picture of your prom jewelry. Is this what you were looking for? If you see any issues with it please let me know and I can fix it. Otherwise I can bring it to you tomorrow night. The shortest strand is 17" to 18" and the longest is 20" to 21" long. There is a 2-1/2" extender so you can adjust it to fit your dress neckline. I thought the earrings turned out cute. The hoops sway independent from one another so there is lots of flash. I hope you like it! (but don't hesitate to let me know if you don't). It's $20 for the set, I'll let your mom know.

Carrie - here are pictures are some metal clay pieces I've made for myself. I think if you click on the picture you can see more detail. Let me know what you think!

Fine silver pendant with hand building. If you look close there is a tiny cubic zirconia nestled into the flower. The stones are faceted tanzanite.

I cast leaves and twigs with the clay. I cast these two sweeties to remember a camping trip with my entire family last summer. I wrote the date of our trip on the back of the leaves.

This is my version of an identity bracelet. The organic circles/ovals have my name, my favorite scripture, and other favorite things that describe me.

I learned how to make hollow form beads out of the clay as well. They're a pain to make but worth it. These beads are strung onto sterling box chain for to make a sturdy bracelet. I wear this one and my 'id' bracelet all the time.

These earrings were part of a series I did on a poem by Walt Whitman "Give Me the Silent Splendid Sun". I did parts of the poem on various pendants. These never sold...hmmm?

A Wonderful Day!

2009-04-24T13:13:00.002-05:00

It has been absolutely beautiful out the past couple of days...highs in the 80's! Of course that is way above normal for this time of year; but it has been nice to be outside in short sleeves and feel the warm breeze on my skin. It is supposed to be a rainy/stormy weekend, but I love a few days of that every now-and-then. Plus we need the rain.

My sterling order finally arrived today!!!!! It was supposed to be here Wednesday so you can imagine my anticipation the past couple of days. I ordered some different types of bezel wire, regular round wire, and some fun textured wire. Plus 10 4mm turquoise cabochons. I just love to look at all of the perfectly wrapped coils of brand new wire! I know - I'm a dork! But I would bet that almost every metal jewelry artists can relate! For all of you non-metal-jewelry artists, here's a couple pics so you can see what I'm talking about:

Here it is in all of it's glory! I know it doesn't look like much right now, but just give me a few weeks. When I look at this pile of supplies I see rings, herring bone wrapped pearls, rustic bezels and all sorts of other stuff!

I laughed when I took this spool of 26 gauge wire out of the box; the spool they wound it on is GINORMOUS! I'm used to Rio's conveniently sized black spools (once again, metals artists will know what I'm talkin' about). I'm thinking this will have to be re-spooled onto one that will fit inside of my wire drawer...that can be a very scary task to undertake. Imagine 140 feet of fine sterling wire set loose all over the studio...it's a tangled and kinked up mess, but worth it in the end!

Well, I'm off to the studio soon. I might have some pictures of new work to post later today or tomorrow. Bye!

A Good Day!

2009-04-21T15:04:00.004-05:00

I've been having a wonderful day! I got to play around in the studio this morning, meet my husband for lunch, and I listed some new stuff in my Etsy shop. While working in the studio a couple of really nice ladies stopped in on their lunch break. It's always fun to show people around the studio a little bit. One of them found a couple of pairs of earrings to go home with! Here are a couple of projects I finished up in the past couple of days. Enjoy!

I put a spin on one of my classic designs. I have sold countless pairs of coin pearl drops at one of the galleries I am in. I put a spin on the design with a scalloped bezel, a large loop to dangle them from, and a handmade forged earwire. I LOVE them! I can't seem to take them out of my ears!

This is the first in a new collection called "Nature's Harvest". Everything in this collection will feature a beautiful gemstone cabochon in a unique rustic-feminine setting. This one was so fun to make. I'm trying not to get attached to it!

I had a 1-1/4" plain cuff bracelet that I never wore so I thought I'd do something with it. I sawed in into three pieces and this is what I did with the middle piece. I soldered two strips of fancy bezel wire together and then soldered them to the cuff. It sounds simple enough but I really challenged my soldering abilities making this bracelet. I learned so much and am in love with the result. For now I plan to keep it for myself. But I tend to get tired of things easily, so maybe it will end up on etsy for sale. I'm not sure if it's done yet. I like it the way it is because it will go with everything. But I'm thinking of ways I might further embelish it. We'll see!

Here's a detail of the wire.

This is what is left of my large cuff. I'm not sure yet what I'll do with these pieces. I'm thinking I'll do some kind of set with them.

This is what the wire looks like. Like I mentioned above, I soldered two strips together. It's fun to find new ways to use bezel wire.

New 'Simplify' Line

2009-04-16T15:28:00.003-05:00

I am in awe at the way nature strikes a perfect balance of simplicity and complexity. The biological and scientific aspects of nature are incredibly complex and I admire those who understand them. However, in my quiet observations I find nature to be beautifully simple as well. Nothing needs to tell the a seed to grow into a mighty oak tree, nobody texts the birds to let them know it's warm enough to return home to the North. And it doesn't take an interior designer to decide for a tulip to bloom into a gorgeous orangey-red color. Everything in nature just knows what to do all on it's own and that is what I love about it so much. It is perfectly created!
Nature has inspired me to simplify my life. I do my best to avoid over-scheduling my life. I try to cut back on unnecessary spending. I continually limit my choices of clothes in my closet and jewelry in my box. I love a simple life! I love to be free from wordly and superficial cares.
All of this is what inspired my new jewelry line 'Simplify'. I wanted to create a line of jewelry that was very minimal and affordable with a rustic-feminine twist. This is the perfect never-take-off jewelry. Wear it everyday (it's made to last)! Enjoy simplifying your life with this new and exciting line of jewelry. All of the following are listed in my Etsy shop... new additions will be made as inspiration comes.

'Wishes' Earrings $22

'Three Wishes' Necklace $32

'Rustic Studs' Earrings $18

'Rustic Nugget' Necklace $30

Custom Bracelet Done

2009-04-10T20:52:00.005-05:00

It's done...and I'm happy! Here are some detailed pictures. This bracelet if for my customer's niece for a wedding gift. The handles are from the bride's great grandmother's collection. I made the charms. The oval one has the wedding date engraved on the back. I really like all of the details on the handles. The handles are a lot thicker than the one I made with my own silverware (see pics in a recent post from the past), and it took a lot to get them to bend. I wanted to curve the ends in a little more but just couldn't make it happen. That's it...have a great Easter weekend!

Nature's Harvest!

2009-04-07T19:57:00.004-05:00

The gem show was amazing as always! This time around I focused more on finding cabachons and I feel like I struck gold. =) I am astonished that I didn't buy a single strand of freshwater pearls. I love, love, love pearls...and I have the stash to prove it! I browsed the heaping tables full of them on the look out for any colors that caught my eye. They were all lovely, of course, but I think I wanted to save my money for any lucky cab finds. I realized that I cannot leave the gem show feeling completely satisfied with out one really good 'guilty' purchase. Well, I found an incredible strand of teeny tiny turquoise beads I had to have; sorry, they're all mine!!! Here are some pictures and details of my trip:

turquoise nuggets, rainforest jasper, citrine, and aquamarine

nature's paintbrush, serpentine, moldovite, turquoise, rock butte, and labradorite

turquoise

rock butte (jasper, I think) the landscape quality of this stone is amazing!

nature's paintbrush (jasper?) I see an adorable little flower

moldovite (a type of meteorite)

This is actually what the moldovite looks like, beautiful! I think it is going to have to have an open back setting to show the amazing detail. They are all like this.

This is a rare hand-cut jade from South Central Asia, I am kicking myself for not writing down where exactly is is from. It is gorgeous, matte, and varigated...luscious!

Another one of those rare hand-cut strands, but this one is turquoise. It was very expensive (my guilt purchase). They are incredibly tiny... I knew that if I didn't buy them I would really regret it. They are also from South Central Asia (once again, kicking myself for not writing down exactly where they are from. I'll find out!).

This is what I did with my new teeny tiny turquoise beads. I made a teeny tiny silver pendant to dangle from them. It is very sweet and very simple!

My mind is swarming with ideas for how to use my stones. I am just finishing up a custom order and then I can play with my ideas. I am in the beginning stages of developing two new jewelry lines to compliment my seasonal lines. I cannot wait to spend some time in my sketchbook! This is a pretty busy week for me, I am looking forward for it to be over so that I can spend all of the time I want in the studio. Later!

Just Some Pictures

2009-04-05T10:16:00.006-05:00

It feels so good to be prepared for an upcoming busy week. I spent yesterday afternoon making this custom necklace which I am delivering on Tuesday and a practice piece for commission for which I have a meeting tomorrow night. The gem show is finally here (tomorrow); I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of my custom family necklaces, it is reversible!

This side is simple

This side has the family names

My customer also wanted her pets' names included. I made each of them a little tag and put it in the back.

I made a simple pair of earrings just in case she wants a pair to match.

I have never made jewelry out of antique silverware before, but I have been commissioned to do a bracelet for a new bride. I had been given a few pieces of antique silverware so I thought I'd do a practice piece. I am glad I did because i learned a lot making this one.

My favorite part is the little floral detail on the backside of the spoon handles. I think it is adorable how it quietly surprises on the inside of the bracelet.

In case you were wondering...we got two inches of snow last night...ISH!