A few Holiday dreams: Jewelry, part 1

I've been spending too much time lately drooling (note: this is bad for the keyboard, so don't look at pretty things you want if, say, you just got a new ergonomic keyboard to keep your wrists happy and your hubby might be particularly upset to find evidence of droll on it) over pretty things on etsy that would be so lovely to get for the holidays. Since I know I can't get all of them, I thought I'd just pretend I was filthy rich and could get anything I wanted and thus was showing them off as items already in my home--except instead I'm not at all, and I'd never let you into my messy home because it would take hours to clean it first, so I'm showing them off on my blog.

I know, I'm demented and strange, but in a (usually) harmless way. (Unless you ask some of my students. They might disagree that it's harmless. So I suggest not asking them; it's easier that way.)

Anyway, doing one entry on my drool-fest would be waaaay too long, so I'm going to break it into sections. This first section in my little fantasy-world series is on jewelry.

One of my fave jewelry-makers right now is the awesome steampunk stuff at CatherinetteRings (except they make more than rings, and neither of them are named Catherinette. I'm hoping this means they might be as demented-and-strange as I am, and might suddenly suffer such a strong demented-and-strange episode as to feel the overwhelming need to give me lots of beautiful jewelery. Unlikely? Of course--but hey, "likely" just gets so boring, ya know?).

All these pics are of CatherinetteRings's incredible stuff. Did I mention it was incredible? And that I love it? Oh, and, um, that it's incredible?

Yeah, I guess I covered that...

Anyway (wait, I already did that once this entry. Okay, definite sign it's time to wrap this sucker up), here's to hoping my hubby gets my heavy-handed hinting and buys me one of these beautiful pieces for the holidays this year! Especially one with moonstone or amber in it--hint, hint, and again with the hinting!

By the way, if you happen to rich, generous, and/or just demented-and-strange enough to want to buy me pretty things, you can see my full list of etsy faves here.

Turquoise tales: Storybeader

I have a confession to make. It's about a secret addiction of mine, one I rarely allow myself to fill because I know it would quickly grow out of control. Promise not to tell? Okay, here it is...I'm addicted to turquoise. I don't even care that it reveals me to be the uber-caucasoid faux-southwesterner that I am, that wearing the chunky native-american or tibetan style pieces would permanently embarrass my oh-so-fashionista sister; I loooove turquoise.

Thus I was delighted to see that this month's featured EtsyBlogger is StoryBeader, an artisan who makes, among other things, lovely turquoise pieces. Even her blog has a turquoise background. She is obviously a long-lost-turquoise-lovin'-sibling. So if you, too, share in this (not-at-all-) devastating addiction, be sure to check her out--and rest easy knowing you are no longer alone.

I'm sooooo cool

Whitey of the Red Cat pendant (I know this seems contradictory--read his story and it will make sense--lol) got into a Treasury West treasury today--I don't know how to do the screenshot thing like all you other talented people, so I'm just including the link to see all the kitty prettiness.

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?)