Coming Soon (or, Why do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow?)

Me, a fan of procrastination? Let me get back to you on that...

So a while back, the talented Sharon of HaberHeartwork contacted me about putting some of my designs on her awesome glass pendants. Since I used to make necklaces like this but stopped (I can't handle the smell of even the mildest of glues or sealants), I was delighted at the opportunity to partner up with her.

Of course, me being who I am, that delight transformed into sitting on my hands about the whole thing for a month. Finally today I sent her the necessary images.

If Sharon were like me, that would probably mean it would be another three months before anything actually got made. She doesn't strike me as that type, however, so hopefully sometime soon you'll see lovely necklaces like the one pictured here with my Kitty Love design on them.

Pending Pendants

Now that my struggles with glaze are sufficiently resolved, and I was able to get some photos of my new pendants that I was actually okay with (you have to be picky about these things on etsy--there are so many awesome product photos on there! To be honest, I'm still not completely satisfied with mine...), my necklaces are finally going up in my shop.

(Pause for thunderous applause.)

Okay, okay, I guess it's a bit premature to expect all that stomping and cheering. Anyway, some of these are in the store already, some are ones I haven't listed yet (I'm spacing it out to one new listing a day). However, if you see one you want and it's not in my store, by all means feel free to contact me--no waiting required (unless you're into that kinda thing, that is).

A few more details for the information inclined:
* The artwork on each pendant is a miniature of one of my original drawings.
* Each piece of art has been carefully hand-cut (and, in some cases, hand-colored) by me.
* Each pendant is glazed for added shine and durability.
* The pendants are all strung on a lovely satin cord with pretty chinese button knots and overhand loops to fasten them in the back.
* Most of the pendants are made with bamboo, a very eco-friendly woody grass with lovely grain patterns.
* 15% of the sale price on any of my chokers that sell by Sept. 1st will go to an animal charity--specifically team efa's animal charity of the month.

Comments, ideas, advice, critiques, questions, and anything else you can think of (other than just unproductive hateful bile--but I just don't suspect that will be an issue with any of my lovely readers) are always welcomed.

Things not to do with glaze

I'm in the process of expanding my PurrPrints designs into a line of pendants and I'm consequently learning the joys (or, so far, mostly the exasperated sighs) of glazing. So I thought I'd share a few glazing don'ts for any other glazing noobs out there.

1) Don't let the piece dry in a vertical position. If you do, you're likely to get some ugly lumps where the glaze has gathered at the bottom of the piece. This, of course, was how I was initially drying my pendants (I'm sooo brilliant, oh yes).

2) If you do get lumps in your glaze, don't try to sand them. Especially don't ignore the advice of a more experienced pendant maker who says "sanding doesn't work so well" and proceed, willy nilly, to try to sand it anyways because darnit you just can't stand those ugly lumps and maybe, even though you've never sanded glaze before, you'll somehow discover a magic way to make it work. Right. Five minutes later you end up with a result that is much much uglier than the lumps (see that nasty spot in the picture? That was what happened when I sanded--a rubbery chunk half came off, and pulled off other glaze with it. Oh yes, I rock, you can send me flowers and chocolates now).

3) When you eventually get your glazing technique down, don't let some weird black substance abruptly materialize in your glaze (or hairs, or dust, or all the other things you suddenly realize are floating around while your piece is air drying). This cat, for example, was not supposed to have spots or a weird black haze.

Maybe I could offer him as a stylized impression of a leopard? Hmmm...

4) Finally, when you (hurray!) manage to get a piece you like, don't forget to applaud yourself, do a little happy dance, and skip around the house singing "it actually worked!" while your cats and spouse stare at you and roll their eyes. Especially don't forget to scoop up one of said cats and give them lots of kisses and then a kitty Greenie for putting up with you. (By the way, those things are like crack to my cats--is it the same with yours, or are mine just weird?)