Susanna Originals

No More Artfire Shop

2012-01-22T13:12:00.000-04:00

I've been hanging on to my Artfire shop for much too long because of the $5.95 a month lifetime price. Figured that a little over $60 a year was worth it to keep the shop and some day I might have time to add more goodies and tend to the search optimizations. When I joined Artfire, it seemed like such a friendly, happy place to be, where everyone helped everyone else and the only complaining was on the forum thread devoted to Etsy news. This past year I haven't had time for much of anything, so I hadn't paid any attention to the Artfire forum until news of changes began to filter onto other forums and blogs.
After a solid of week of trying to catch up with the book-length threads on the Artfire forum and listening to e-friends tell me how they had been blocked from comment and asked to leave, I decided it just wasn't the place for me, no matter how good the price is. The atmosphere is poison, the once-helpful and approachable management has become scathing and dictatorial and the forum is awash with novels of back-biting, anger and frustration. All of this is just my opinion, of course. I don't know what happened to the fresh and optimistic company I joined but t'aint there no more.
So when I have time to think about it, I might give in and join Etsy but right now, my jewellery has no home but the convenience store.

When I Am Old....

2012-01-12T15:55:00.002-04:00

I knew I was a pack rat and horrible hoarder, but didn't realize it spilled over into my email account until today. I found an email from a dear friend filed away neatly in an electronic file I haven't looked at for years. It was worth saving and worth reprinting (to all dog lovers) so here is the 2004 email I thought was worth saving: (And far more pertinent to me today than it was 8 years ago!)

When I am Old.
I shall wear Turquoise and soft gray sweatshirts... and a bandana over my long, silver hair.....and I shall spend my Social Security Checks on Sweet Wine and My Dogs.......and sit in my house on my well-worn chair.and listen to my dog's breathing.
I will sneak out in the middle of a warm Summer night and take my Nero for a run, if my old bones will allow... and when people come to call, I will smile and nod as I walk out and show them my dogs...and talk of them and about them... The Ones so Beloved of the Past and the Ones so Beloved of Today.... I still will work hard cleaning their runs and mopping and feeding them and whispering their names in a soft, loving way.. I will wear the gleaming sweat on my throat, like a jewel .. and I will be an embarrassment to all...and my Children ... who have not yet found the peace in being free to have dogs as your Best Friends.... These friends who always wait, at any hour, for your footfall...and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep, to greet you .......as if you are a God.
With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope that you will stay and hug their big, strong necks...and kiss their dear sweet heads...and whisper to them of your love and the beautiful pleasure of their very special company.... I look in the Mirror...and see I am getting old.... this is the kind of woman I am...and have always been. Loving dogs is easy, they are part of me, accept me for who I am, my dogs appreciate my presence in their lives...when I am old this will be important to me...you will understand when you are old....
if you have dogs to love too. Author Unknown

Birds On The Brain

2012-01-09T17:44:00.000-04:00

I've been working for months on and off, trying to make bird clasps. It's difficult when you're working in your kitchen and don't have a range hood to vent the fumes from the soldering. I don't want to poison the dogs or me with the fumes. So every setback or thing that went wrong took weeks more waiting for good weather and time off from year-end bookkeeping.

The result is pleasing - haven't strung them yet so there's always a possibility that they won't hang properly. In which case I might give up until spring.

Each one is slightly different, even though I'm using the same hand-drawn pattern. The cutting is fun, I love using the hand saw and following the lines, like a little kid with crayons. The soldering was a stinker and a few birds were sacrificed before I came up with something my hands could manage. Shaky hands run in our family and it's painful watching my father or my son working with screwdrivers or anything that requires precision handling, although both of them are quite adept. Mine haven't been too shaky since I was a teenager but they seem to be getting worse as I get older and trying to solder copper posts was not going to work. I tried bending the wire in a "u" shape and soldering and even then I couldn't hold it steady enough. It was so bad that it made me giggle.

The solution was to coil a small piece of wire with a tail, solder the coil to the back of the bird and loop the tail over. The coil was flat, the bird was flat and I didn't have to hold it. Or jiggle it, as was the case.

These pictures are really bad - taken in the dark on a piece of paper towel but waiting for the time to do a decent daylight shot might be another week.

Next step is to make something with one of them. Hopefully it won't take quite as long.

I'm Going To Explode!

2012-01-04T09:20:00.000-04:00

Today, I have to explode on paper.
I love a good argument. Anybody who has ever known me for more than 24 hours will know that fact about me and, if you asked them anything about me, it's probably the first thing that they'd tell you. When Survivor was first becoming so popular on television, a bunch in the office tried to decide who would win if our entire office was on the program. They told me I had won and I was feeling all warm and fuzzy because they all liked me so much until they said that I would have hung on to near the end because of my likeability. Then, with only a few people to argue with, I would have driven them crazy arguing about things and the rest of them would quit.
That wasn't very nice. I don't correct people or assume that my way is the only way; I just like to discuss things. To death. If I have a decision to make in my life, I'll even argue the pros and cons with myself.
These past few days, I'm either going to explode or my blood pressure is going to cause me to have a massive stroke right here in the store. All because I'm keeping my mouth shut and not arguing. And forgot to turn my brain off.

Yesterday, it started with the postal service. Yeah, it's bad but it's cheaper than any other form of transport for small goods. Until I was informed in no uncertain terms that Purolator was cheaper. A little discussion elicited the fact that Purolator, a courier service, would send goods from Alberta for $5. And it would get here in two days. Yup! The reason for this miracle is because all planes that are flying to other countries have to go to Alberta to refuel. Because it's halfway, you know.
Mmphmmmphhhhhhmmmmmphhhhhhhhh
Yup. Even if they're flying to Ireland (from Atlantic Canada) they go west if they're flying to Europe.
I got through yesterday without an explosion although my teeth hurt from clenching them. But two days in a row is hard on the health. Today, I was working on my computer when he arrived, so the talk was about computers. They have three laptops and: get a new one every year because the father-in-law gets a new one every year and gives them the old one; take them in to get them upgraded after a year and the computer people can't upgrade them because they're three years old and outdated; because they're three years old and they can't be upgraded, they're no good so they get thrown out. Yes, it's the memory too. They get full and the computer people won't put more memory in because they can't be upgraded. And these computers are so sophisticated that you can't put the memory in yourself. They have to be taken apart and cleaned first. You can't use a computer unless it's upgraded. The father-in-law, a mechanic, is getting them upgraded so high that he can get into government sites.
It's cruel to even think about arguing with all of this. What I've mentioned is only the tip of the iceberg, but I forget things in a few days for my own sanity. I'm not arrogant enough to be thinking that it wouldn't be a fair fight; he would have the advantage of arguing with a woman and everyone knows that women aren't quite as smart as men and tend to argue more a certain times. Mmmmmphhhhhhmmmmphhhhhhhhhhh
But it wouldn't be an argument. My idea of a good argument is one where two sides have opposing views and can debate their positions, either persuading their opponent or agreeing to disagree. This wouldn't be an argument. It would be a freaking fight!
So each day I smile, I listen with one ear in case I need to make a response and try to find a mental distraction after he leaves. He's a good man, a nice man and will do anything for you, but he is very hard on the blood pressure. Thank you for letting me vent!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:40:00.000-04:00

I don't do New Year's resolutions. A brand-new, fresh year seems to be the time to decide on big changes and since my changes don't usually last very long when they're made that way, I just don't bother any more with the New Year thing. Changes in your life need careful thought and determination, not the excitement of putting up a new calendar with fresh new pages.
This year is a little different. I have actually made a resolution, not exactly a New Year's resolution, it just happened to be made around the Holidays. My cousin Vicky sent an email with a TedX youTube attachment, about happiness and it got me thinking. I always seem to be waiting for something to happen in order to do something that will make me happy. Every year I endure winter in misery, waiting for summer to come back. I've been waiting for my store to sell so that I can retire and be happy. All of a sudden I'm at an age where people actually start dying off and I realized that I just don't have time to wait. It's not like I'm not enjoying life as it is. I'm just not appreciating that enjoyment.
So right now, I RESOLVE...to stop waiting. Take life a day at a time and quit wishing it was tomorrow. It's not going to be easy and I'm not going to get all weird and Pollyannish and find reasons not to hate the short days and cold, wet feet. I have to remember and savour the moments that happen every day that make me laugh or make me happy. Thank goodness for goofy dogs and strange people. And I still hate winter.
Happy 2012!

Jens Pind Chain Maille

2011-11-19T16:16:00.000-04:00

I can't remember if I tried to do a Jens Pind pattern before or not. If I did, it didn't stick in my head, because I must have flipped back and forth through four tutorials and still couldn't figure out the weave.

Here's what it looks like - complete with Dewey hairs and dust. It's a nice weave, isn't it?

This is a better view of the completed chain.

A big "thank you" to Crafty Cat Jump rings, who had the only tutorial that said Jens Pind is actually a spiral! The picture to the right is the same chain, same weave! Just hold both ends and twist! Once I knew it was a spiral, it was really easy to put it together and if it got confusing again, I just twisted back into a spiral again and picked up the next part of the pattern. So if anybody besides me didn't know all that and wants to do a Jens Pind weave, just find a spiral tute - it's a heck of a lot easier!

Corky Relaxing At Home

2011-11-19T16:02:00.001-04:00

He's just so modest, isn't he? Today was the last day of his obedience classes. Three times, I took the same Lessons In Leadership class, mainly so that he would feel comfortable with other dogs and new people, because, believe it or not, he's shy. You can see that he's very aware of who's the boss now.

Wire Wrap Commission

2011-11-19T15:59:00.000-04:00

This is actually the second PEI penny I was asked to make into a pendant. Of course, I did the first and gave it to the lady without taking any pictures. She showed it off to the man who had given her the penny and he decided to have the one he kept made into a pendant for his wife for Christmas.

They're actually stinky little things to wrap, a) because they're so thin, b) because you want as little wrap as possible so the design isn't covered up and c) because you can't do any fancy stuff with the leftover wires at the top for the same reason. I hate the fancy designs on top of some wire wraps anyway, they detract from the beauty of a stone.

The coins are 1855, I think, with Queen Victoria on the flip side, and the little blue stones are iolite, known as the "navigator" stone. Rather fitting for an Island coin.
The trees are oak - a large tree beside three smaller trees, the coat of arms of PEI. It's supposed to signify the three counties under the protection of Great Britain, if I recall correctly.

Poor Neglected Blog

2011-11-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

Everything since September seems to have been behind and required doing NOW and the blog was neglected. I'll make up for that today with a flurry of posts.

Another Great Giveaway!

2011-10-31T11:12:00.001-03:00

Check out beadinggem.com for BeadCrafty's $85 giveaway. It's not just the giveaway that's great, this new company has some beads I definitely want (check out the apples and oranges!) and terrific international shipping prices from the U.K.
* I'm editing this post because I just went to BeadCrafty's site (www.beadcrafty.com) and this is a site you need to visit. Their web page is so colourful you'll get inspiration just scrolling the pages. And I'm afraid I'll be spending lots of money there; want everything!

Huge Giveaway!

2011-10-21T11:13:00.002-03:00

You don't want to miss the giveaway on Melinda Orr's blog:
http://orrtec.blogspot.com/

Let The Good Rise Up

2011-09-11T15:59:00.000-03:00

I just read the news about the three-year-old boy in British Columbia, who was abducted from his bed and just returned to his house. Safely, one can only hope, but the news of his return brought tears to my eyes. I could just imagine the anguish, helplessness and abject terror of his parents. There were a lot of people praying for him and I don't want to say their prayers were answered, because that would mean our God arbitrarily chooses which lives to spare, which children not to torture, which diseases to heal and which prayers to answer. I don't believe in that kind of God. I believe that the man who stole Kienan was evil, made his own evil choices and brought Kienan home because he knew he had nowhere to run with a baby and prison is not a good place for baby killers.
But the talk of God is what prompted this post. On this anniversary of 9/11, another horrific example of the power of religion to make people hate, I find my mind skittering all over the place, about religions, ethnic groups, hatred and immigrants.
When I was a kid in the post-war years, immigrants were mostly from the Eastern European bloc, Lithuanians, Hungarians...anybody who made the escape from the Russians and were lucky enough to get to Canada. DPs, my parents' generation called them...Displaced Persons. They weren't treated too badly, just looked down upon as not quite as good as "us." They weren't hated, as were the Germans and the Japanese at that time, just blamed for taking jobs that could have gone to "us." Before them, the ignorance and fear was reserved for the Irish immigrants, the Chinese railway workers, the blacks who escaped from the south. Anybody different from "us."
There are none so different to the ignorant as those who call God by a different name. Or even worse, worship a different god. Especially if they insist on not assimilating into our culture, wear different clothes and speak a different language..
I'm a typical mongrel Canadian, ninth generation on both sides. My whole family is composed of immigrants of one kind or another; some looking for a land where they could practice freedom of their religion, some crossing the border to practice freedom of politics, but all, at one time or another, immigrants. Maybe not all; a wide face and high cheekbones that squinch my eyes when I grin might have slipped in from Labrador but it just as likely did not and native Americans were immigrants at one time, too. I believe in God and try to be a good person but I also believe that Jesus was sent to us to bring us back to God, as was Mohammed. I don't believe that Jesus had any intention of making us worship Him except as an embodiment of the one God. If you look at the different churches of the Christian persuasion, their rules and beliefs are every bit as different from each other as Islaam. Men interpreted and corrupted the Word from the beginning of time, sometimes because of the times they lived in and sometimes because they just knew better than anyone else.
But in every religion there is a core of good and a periphery of fanatics. Christianity has had more than its share of fanaticism in God's name: the crusades, the inquisition, pograms, to name just a few. The fact that Islaam has its share of zealots and fanatics shouldn't come as much of a surprise. It also has a core of good and truth and the God that Islaamics worship is our own.
I guess what burns my butt the most is that throughout the ages, so many have been tortured and killed in the name of God. Or Allah. Or any other name. Who are they trying to kid? Their actions are no different from that of the man who abducted that little three-year-old - evil, pure and simple. He wasn't following the instructions of a higher power, he was just satisfying a debased impulse that makes him lower than any animal. Those people from any country or religion or colour or creed who kill in the name of their god will never see Him in the afterlife. But the blame for those deaths does not belong to the country or religion, it belongs to terrible, terrible individuals who worship evil and have distorted others' faith for their own purposes.
This is a rambling post and much more opinionated than my usual, but on this 10th anniversary of 9/11, I've done a lot of reflecting on good and evil. Evil gets much more press than good, but I still believe that there are many more good people in this world than evil and they make our lives tolerable.

And Then You Wonder Why Healthcare is So Expensive!

2011-08-23T12:11:00.000-03:00

My mother was taken to the hospital yesterday with heart problems, disturbing enough in itself, but the story my sister told me on the phone last night was something that should disturb all of us.
Mom was taken by ambulance and as all ambulances do, had one driver and one attendant. When they reached the Soldier's Memorial Hospital in Orillia, she was triaged, again very normal. Because she was stable and accidents and near drownings took precedence, she was at least three hours on the guerney before she was treated and admitted.
The ambulance attendants are obligated to stay with their patient until they are treated. So the two of them had to wait around for three hours. Actually, their shift ended in the middle, so another two were sent in to take their place and the original two went home. In the meantime, two other patients were brought in by ambulance and their attendants had to stay with them. Six paramedics, taken out of service for almost half a day, just to stand around and wait for their charges to be seen by a doctor. It was a busy day for emergencies and because of the demand for ambulances, paramedics had to be brought in from a neighbouring municipality to take up the slack caused by these six being out of service for hours. And that was just ONE hospital.
The hospital could hire an extra nurse, or even have one on call to stay with patients waiting to be treated. And why don't they? Because that would come out of the hospital's budget. Six paramedics standing around aren't the concern of the hospital, because they don't have to pay them. Who pays for six wonderful, talented and poorly utilized people to stand around at a median wage of $25 per hour? Ultimately you and me.
When government looks at health care to determine ways of cutting costs and streamlining care, they look at each individual service. It's about time the system was looked at as a single entity with different arms and maybe that would eliminate a hospital trying to save money like a corporation and forgetting that they are only a part of a larger whole. The money they save in this case is simply money lost by another partner. And we keep on paying through the nose.

On Becoming An Older Woman

2011-08-22T23:22:00.000-03:00

Being sixty something hasn't bothered me much, other than a bad back from old horse-related injuries. I still work just as hard, probably do more physical work than a lot of twenty and thirty-year-olds and don't think of myself as an older person. Until last week. Last week I actually bought clothes from Alia.
Don't get me wrong, Alia has nice clothing. But it's permed silver-haired, Florida in the winter, matching type clothes. I wouldn't even go in the store until last week. Desperation drove me in, looking for cropped pants, capris, or whatever they're called this year, that had pockets. I need pockets.
What really scared me was that once I got in the store, I saw all sorts of things that I liked! Sets! Embroidered blouses to cover the tummy bulge! Florida type clothes! So I found a pair of nice, light cropped pants with a small blue check on white and of course, I had to have the matching blouse to cover the tummy. All on sale, of course, I won't pay full price for clothing. Put the outfit on to go to town the other day and looked at myself in the mirror and realized I had just bought my very first old lady clothes. It's a sobering moment.

Bits and Pieces

2011-07-29T11:07:00.000-03:00

I had an electronic meltdown, possibly from an electrical surge but possibly from my tinkering. Do you remember that poem, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..."
That's me and computers. I know just enough to be able to screw things up in a big way. The whole thing started with my office laptop, that started getting the blue screen of death. By the time I was finished (or the power surge, whichever it was) I had no internet on any of my four computers. After many frustrating calls to my server, Bell, and my router company, both of whom blamed each other for the problem, I replaced all the ethernet cables, the telephone cable, the router and anything else that could be replaced. Except the modem, which Bell continued to insist was not the problem. So I upgraded and it was supposed to be delivered in two days. When I called a week later, someone had mysteriously cancelled the order, so I ordered again. This time it actually was two days and by the end of that day, I had internet again. Two or three weeks, it took and it was like losing a part of my brain. I just couldn't function normally without it.

The people where I live are absolutely wonderful for the most part. They're still neighborly and kind and you have to be careful what you say you need in front of some of them. The farm up the road has a CSI program, where for $25 you get a basket of fresh farm produce every two weeks or so, and theirs includes eggs, sometimes homemade bread and jam. One of those baskets showed up on my doorstep the other day because they had some left over and didn't want to waste them. Oh man, it's good. Fresh brown eggs, organic lettuce, beets, peas, baby Irish Cobbler potatoes...and broccoli. I'm munching my way through it very gratefully, but I keep eying the broccoli and passing it over. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE broccoli. I just love my broccoli full of chemicals. Organic broccoli has those sneaky, camouflaged, fat green worms hiding between the little broccoli stalks and they put me right off. I soak the broccoli in salty water and they fall off and die, but my brain is not convinced that I got them all. I like my veggies to be veggies and my meat to be meat; no way should meat be disguised as veggies. And no way should it be green.
So my theory about farming is that it all should be organic with the exception of broccoli. I've been eating local beef and pork and the difference in taste to the factory-raised animals is amazing. They actually have flavor! But they aren't green and they don't pretend they're vegetables. Poison the heck out of that broccoli!

Another Great Blog

2011-07-26T21:55:00.000-03:00

I'm cheating on my blog posts but every time I get a little time to do something and think I might haul out the jewelry makings, somebody calls for a load of ice.
So another quickie:
Check out Kelsi's Closet Jewelbox Design Journal and sign up for her newsletters...I love her Toolbox Tuesdays and bought a couple of Tronex, one plier and one cutter, on her recommendation. They are totally fantastic and now I want more. It's funny, though, the cutters are so sweet that I "save" them and won't use them unless I'm cutting silver wire. For copper and beading wire, I use the old cheap cutters so the Tronex ones won't get dull.
Anyway, great blog and Kelsi is looking for artists to showcase, so sign up and get yourself a little exposure and some great (and honest) review on tools.

Pearl Has Another Great Giveaway

2011-07-25T09:52:00.000-03:00

Make sure you check out the Beading Gem's blog today for a chance to win a fantastic Modahaus Table Top Photo setup. Pearl's blog is one of my favourites anyway and if you don't subscribe, you should.

Passing of a Friend

2011-07-16T23:12:00.000-03:00

It was a shock to read on the Standardbred Canada website that Bill McBeth has died. Bill was one of the most interesting people I ever dealt with during my tenure at Standardbred Canada and he thought enough of me to phone a few times after I moved to the Island.
Bill was a real cowboy. He came from somewhere in the United States, Montana, I think, and although I never met him in person, I envisioned him as tall and lanky, gruff like his telephone voice. He ran a feedlot for slaughter horses and told me there were thousands on the lot at one time. The thought of horses being killed for human or pet food really bothered me, especially the huge numbers involved, but it was always a little more palatable knowing that Bill was looking out for them, even if it was one horse at a time. If a stock horse or a racehorse came through the lot that looked like it shouldn't be there, Bill would find a home for it. As a last resort, he'd add it to his own band of saved horses. He grieved to see the herds of powerful and majestic Belgian horses being bred strictly for flying to Japan for human consumption. I don't know how he did his job but there are a lot of horses lucky that he did.
Bill was never of the internet generation but he loved to talk on the phone. Like all my email friends that I've never met, he touched my life through those long phone calls. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will miss you, old friend. Ride free.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

2011-05-29T10:56:00.001-03:00

Last chance to leave a comment at Andrew Thornton's blog for a fantastic giveaway Monday. You don't want to miss this!
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

Warning - Picture Heavy

2011-05-21T18:35:00.000-03:00

The PITA people who call the realtor at the last minute to look at the store and my apartment have finished for the season and I dragged out my felted card table, hooked up my new Lee Valley light/magnifying glass and have been working my butt off making jewelry.
This one I made and sold before I could even get a good picture:

The rest are going up in my Artfire shop.

Never Heard Cellos Like This!

2011-05-15T12:29:00.000-03:00

Not only are these guys unbelievable, they're definitely hotties!

More Corky

2011-05-09T23:19:00.000-03:00

Cujo poodle

From Corky

Anybody who thinks poodles are wussy should look at those teeth! Although he's a typical retriever and has a lovely soft mouth. Dewey should know, he took a wiener right out of Corky's mouth tonight. Greed knows no fear.

Beannacht

2011-04-24T00:55:00.001-03:00

Alden Smith had this poem on his Stream Of Consciousness Blog and I had to share it. Nobody can make you see the beauty in misery like the Irish.

My Magic Hook & Eye

2011-04-22T16:16:00.000-03:00

Is anybody else as clasp challenged as I am? It doesn't matter whether it's a hook, a lobster clasp or a toggle, I have trouble doing them up on myself, especially on a bracelet, where you only have one hand to work with. For every hour of wearing, I usually have ten minutes of cursing, as I try to do them up.
BUT!!! I have discovered a magic clasp! Dunno if it'll work on anything other than my cuff because of the placement of the loop, but I'm sure a loop can be worked into most designs.

Looks simple, doesn't it? Aha, but the secret is the little whorls on each side of the clasp. Just perfect for big clumsy thumbs to press. By pressing on the whorls with your thumb, you hold the hook in place and provide leverage while you slide it into the eye. It's like a hook with v-i-a-g r a. (I have spelled that out so my blog doesn't get ads for the same. Hope it works). Nice stiff hook that you don't have to embed in your arm trying to get it into the eye. Tres simple, n'est pas? I'd like to take credit for inventing it, but I'm sure someone has used the same principle somewhere, somehow. I forgot to mention the magic hook and eye with the Oh Be Joyful cuff, but this way I get to do two blog posts. Bonus.

Oh Be Joyful Argentium Cuff

2011-04-22T09:32:00.000-03:00

I don't often make jewelry for myself because I don't wear it often. This cuff was an idea I had in my head and I thought it was a little too different to be saleable but it was crazy and funky enough that it really suited me, so I made it from copper and made it big for a big wrist. When it was finished, I liked it so much that it begged to be made in silver.
It's the embodiment of jewelry making for me. Fun to make, just go where the wire and the beads take you, it wiggles and jiggles so that it's never perfectly aligned, but when the sun shines on the silver, the garnets and the prehnite, to me, it's beautiful. Here's my version in silver of the Oh Be Joyful Cuff.

Byzantine Necklace with Agate Cross

2011-04-09T16:51:00.000-03:00

Just in time for Easter. And just because I figured some jewellery pictures should balance all of the dog pictures lately.
Copper chain maille, Byzantine weave, with a 2" blue agate cross. Bold, strong and definitely a statement.

Right now I'm cheating and working on some aluminum rings from the Ring Lord in different colours. Aluminum seemed a little hard on my Koil Kutter and I wanted to try coloured rings so ordering them ready-cut was a good option. Click on the Artfire button if you want to see more pictures of the Byzantine, with either the cross or the opals.

Housework Be Darned!

2011-04-09T16:29:00.000-03:00

Saturday is my "day off" in quotation marks because it's actually the day I have scheduled to do my laundry, my accounting and my housework. So the laundry got done, I did my books as far as I could until the next bank statement comes and came downstairs to do some housecleaning.
So the dogs and I went to the beach.
Great progress today. Corky jumped right in the truck; He was as excited as Dewey to be going for a ride. Much nicer than having to hoist him in. And Dewey, once he realized I had a pocket full of wieners, stayed right with us, except when I pulled the camera out. I had to take my pictures quickly and then let him see that the camera was put away and a wiener was in my hand before he'd come back. Darned dog!
The first picture is my thumb accidentally hitting the shutter button but I like the tilted ocean and bridge. The rest are of Corky learning about waves, hunting, playing and relaxing after his walk. Except for the one with Dewey leaving quickly in the background. Weird little dog!
Now I have to decide between dusting and napping...

Yay, First Beach Day!

2011-03-31T23:34:00.000-03:00

Yeah, it's going to snow tomorrow night. Mother Nature is playing a cruel April Fools joke on us with 15 cm of snow tomorrow night and then rain but today was gloriously sunny with no wind and the perfect day to take the dogs to the beach.
This was Corky's first trip in the truck since he arrived and he wasn't sure he wanted to get in so he got a little help. (I hope he gets over that before he gains too much weight!) And because I feel guilty letting Corky gambol without a leash, I decided this would be the day Dewey would taste freedom. Just for insurance, I took a bag of wieners. Smart move.
Corky had a wonderful time. He galloped and sniffed and galloped some more and kept checking to make sure I was close. He was just the picture of an extremely happy dog having a joyful time. Dewey...he seemed to have a different agenda and whatever it was, it was happening in the opposite direction to the way I was going. He'd get almost out of sight and I'd call and call and he'd completely ignore me. So I'd call and ask him if he wanted a hot dog and he'd stop and look. If I waved a wiener at him he'd run back but he'd make sure I really had one before he would change direction. He'd stay with us for a few minutes and turn around and away he'd go again. He was only getting little pieces but it was a three wiener trip before I finally snapped the flexi-lead back on him. I wish I knew what was going on in Dewey's head.
No pictures at the beach today but the boys went upstairs to make a mess of my bed when they came home and I wanted to get a picture of Dewey's new haircut.
Corky was quite indignant that I wanted to take a picture of Dewey. Dewey? Why would you want Dewey?

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY, LIBBY, BWAHAHAHA, YOU'RE A SENIOR NOW!

Great Canadian Gem Show This Saturday and Sunday

2011-03-31T20:39:00.000-03:00

This weekend coming is the Brantford Lapidary and Mineral Club's Gem Show at the Paris Fairgrounds. It's a great club and a great show; if you can get there, don't miss it!
http://www.brantfordlapidarymineral.ca/gemmineralshow.htm

2011-03-19T16:44:00.001-03:00

I
have
to
get this
downbelow
my slideshow.
This is how I deal with technology, haha.

New Clerk At The Village Store

2011-03-07T16:10:00.000-04:00

How Much Brain does Sneaky Require?

2011-03-01T17:45:00.000-04:00

Do I anthropomorphize my dogs? Oh, probably a little. (I had to look up the spelling of that word, by the way, I wouldn't want anyone to think I am that smart.) I try not to, but sometimes their actions are far more human than animal.

From Recently Updated

This is a picture of the bad boys on my bed with their bone collection. The weaselly Dewey, who is extremely camera shy, has "the" bone and Corky was hovering in anticipation until I appeared at the door. My story is an example of how sneaky Dewey is, and you tell me if I'm reading too much into it.
The two dogs have a collection of cow hooves any boneyard would envy. But the only important hoof is whichever one the other dog has. This afternoon, Corky had "the" bone and was gnawing away merrily on the love seat, while Dewey stood in the middle of the floor and tried to figure out how to get it. You could almost see the wheels turning in his fuzzy little head. Then, he ran over to me, minding my business at my computer, and put his little paws on my knees, for some very uncharacteristic attention. Corky is very jealous if Dewey gets attention and he immediately jumped down and ran over to shove Dewey out of the way. Dewey immediately ran over and got the love seat and "the" cow hoof.
Corky has only been here for two weeks and Dewey has already twigged to the fact that he's jealous. You might think I'm reading too much into that little comedy and I'd agree if I hadn't seen Dewey pull something similar with Miss Twice, but he changed his methods to suit her personality.
If Twice had a bone, she wouldn't care how much I snuggled with Dewey, but she took her duties as guard dog very seriously. When she had "the" bone, Dewey would run over to the door and bark his intruder bark, again very uncharacteristic, and of course, she'd jump down and run to bark at whatever he heard and he'd run over and steal the bone. I can't remember how many times she'd fall for that trick, but it worked every time.
I can't believe that instinct has anything to do with Dewey's con, nor is it something he has learned, like a chimp learns to use a stick as a tool. Not when he changes his methods to suit the circumstances. And I don't really care. All I know is that he is one of the strangest, funniest dogs I've ever had and he and Corky are pure comedy interacting with each other. Great medicine!

Enough, Already!

2011-02-26T11:41:00.000-04:00

From Recently Updated

How can you complain about a beautiful day like today, when the sun is shining and the sky is such an intense blue?
When another 30 cm. (about a foot) of snow, freezing rain and gale-force winds kept you awake half the night, wondering if your roof was going to take the weight, and your door was drifted shut this morning, that's how! When you're sick of shovelling, wet feet and dogs with cabin fever, that's how!
Yeah, I know, I shouldn't complain, because we're very lucky compared to many places in the world this year. A little extra snow and a longer winter won't kill us, unlike floods and earthquakes. Storms are exciting to watch from the comfort of your home, wondering why people are dumb enough to head out in their cars when you know the road is drifted in just past the village, and being thankful that you no longer have an hour commute that would take at least five hours in that weather. And the hydro didn't go off, for which a person should be exceedingly grateful.
But I'm Canadian. Part of the Canadian psyche is complaining about the weather. We grumble about politics, don't make much of an issue about religion, but we can always count on the weather to be a topic of conversation, long as you're talking to another Canadian. Too cold, too hot, too humid, too wet, too dry...there's always something to complain about with Canadian weather. This summer, when we have a few humid days, I'll wager that eight of ten Islanders will say, "I shouldn't complain about the heat after the winter we had, but..."
So although I know in my head that we live in one of the best places on the planet, because it's part of my national identity, I can say without guilt, "Enough! Quit snowing, quit blowing and warm up! I'm sick of winter!"

Doggy Update

2011-02-17T11:08:00.000-04:00

From Corky

Corky is settling in very well now, although he's even shyer with strange people than Dewey. As you can see from the pictures, they've both staked out their spots and they don't leave much room for me. I get the chair. The dog beds don't get a lot of use. Corky wouldn't care if I shoved him over and sat with him; he's kind of a rubber dog and the only end that moves is the end that you lift. If I want to have an afternoon nap, I have to lift one end, slither myself under him and then pry the other end up with my feet. He thinks that's just fine and would be quite happy going through life as a comforter. The closer he can be to someone or something he loves, the happier he is. I've never had a dog that was that clingy, especially one that big!
And speaking of size, luckily we only went through two days of indoor lakes and mountains. The third day he chose his spot outside and has used it ever since.
It would be nice to be free to travel or visit but it seems to me that two loving creatures that find a way to make me laugh every single day, are well worth being tied down.

From Corky

Ahhh, bliss!

Copper chain maille Necklace With African Opals

2011-02-13T15:31:00.001-04:00

I had such fun working on the Inca Puno or box chain chain maille pattern (complete with toothpicks) mentioned a few posts past, that the chain just grew and grew. Then I got a design in my head and decided I needed two equal lengths to create it, so I made another one. But before the second chain was equal in length to the first chain, I blew my Koil Kutter blade to smithereens (yes, I wear safety glasses!) and it got put aside until Dave Arens sent me a replacement.
The chains sat on my buffet on a teatowel that was the repository of several unfinished products until the day that I moved a string of African Opals to the work in progress towel (yeah, yeah, other people have work benches, I have a work towel)and decided the opals and the copper were made for each other. This is a piece that I'm really pleased about and I hope you like it.

This Week

2011-02-11T18:04:00.001-04:00

Kate McKinnon had a question yesterday on her blog about why people don't blog. She got some very interesting answers. I didn't respond, but if I had, it would have been to say that I don't find myself very interesting and think that recording my normal daily life would bore people to tears. You know, I got up, I ate, I worked, I ate, I read a book, I went to bed. I really changed things up this week, though. I don't have anything on hand that I really want to read so I actually watched television! How exciting! Fuzzy rabbit ears CBC, not much colour but very mindlessly relaxing. Although the news is a little depressing. We're spoiled here on the Island, where the front page of the newspaper is usually a picture of a seal on someone's front lawn or a cute little girl doing something sweet. We had a murder this year that hit the headlines for a day or two but it's the first one since 2006 so that'll be big news for a while. So CBC news of the world with murder and mayhem and people hurting people or hating people in the name of religion is kind of a downer. I'll find a book for next week.
Life did get a little interesting this week, though. I've been trying to get another dog for a month, and had committed to a female poodle in Ontario that didn't come and didn't come and meanwhile poor Dewey was getting more and more depressed. I finally gave up on that one and just on spec, called a breeder in Nova Scotia who hadn't updated her puppy page since 2006. But lo and behold! she had a few young poodles available. (I would have nothing but Jack Russells for the rest of my life, I enjoy them so much, but my whole family is allergic to shedding dogs, so I'm giving in.)
The dog I chose is a one-year-old neutered male standard named Corky. He made the long drive from Aylesford, N.S. in a vehicle transporting fish eggs for the Fisheries Department and I met up with them in a truck stop near Moncton. First time I've been over the bridge since I moved here.

From Corky

He's just a sweetheart and glommed onto me like I was the only friend he had in the world. Dewey bounced up to him when we finally arrived home and licked his face and then spent the next few hours sniffing his butt, so I guess he really likes him. But the poor dog has never been walked on a leash and I don't have a yard. We're having a slight issue about where he's going to go to the bathroom and I hope that doesn't last too long. He's a nervous dog and being from a farm, is going to have to get used to all the traffic both in and out of the store. We walk and walk and walk and he just stays right at my side, watching my face anxiously. I go round and round the store, hoping he'll relax and get used to the territory and noises and feel comfortable enough to have a widdle. I even tried letting him loose but he just stands close to me and stares in my face. So far he's outwaited me and when we're both icicles, we go in the house, he runs around with Dewey, very happy to be back inside, and then pees. Ah well, it's only his second day and next week will be better. Won't it?

Ah, It'll Be Over in Another Month and a Half!

2011-02-06T18:09:00.000-04:00

From Recently Updated

Across the street, yesterday and today. And more snow this week, according to Boomer.

But here's something to brighten up the day:
DJ Robbie and Chris Anderson

Busy, Busy...

2011-01-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

I'm trying desperately to properly stock my Artfire store without compromising my style in jewelry. I got a few things finished and pictures taken (miracle!) but now the descriptions and tags have to be done. Darned store is hard work!

From jewelry

Champagne top drilled pearls with peacock pearls and golden pyrite from Beads Of Cambay. The pendant at the bottom is on a sterling lobster clasp and can be removed to give the necklace a completely different look.

From jewelry

The next necklace is turquoise and copper, Let Your Spirit Soar.

From jewelry

The clasp is a handmade copper bird.

From jewelry

The last necklace is rhodonite with a silver handmade toggle clasp.

From jewelry

Chain Maille

2011-01-15T16:01:00.002-04:00

Making chain maille is like knitting - repetitive, kind of mindless, something you can do without too much thinking - but then you look at what you've done and think, "Wow!" The patterns and variations are endless and a lot of them can be found on Maille International.
I love doing chain maille but I'm a rank beginner compared to some of the fantastic artisans out there. But because I'm a beginner, I'm picking up a few tips that make it much easier and wanted to share them with you. This is not a tutorial: my camera isn't good enough, I'm not good enough and you can find terrific tutes on The Beading Gem's site and Davidchain Jewelry, as well as some great books on the subject. This is for people who have read the tutorials and made a start.

From box chain

The chain I'm working on is a box chain, or Inca Puno chain. It's similar to the way a Byzantine chain is made, but with sets of four rings rather than six.

From box chain

Most tutorials I've seen tell you to use two sets of pliers to work the rings. I find that if you use one set in your dominant hand and can use your thumb and index finger of the non-dominant hand, you get a much better join with your rings, because you have a better feel when it snaps together and then you quickly run your finger or thumb over the join. If it's out at all or has a burr, you can do a quick pinch with the pliers, or sand a little as you go. Of course, this takes a little finger strength and the old arthritis does some complaining occasionally.
Toothpicks are another great tool for chain maille.

From box chain

I hang the chain, and push the toothpick to hold the first set of two rings.

From box chain

Then I hold the rings below the ones with the toothpick, pull out the pick, let those two rings fall outside the ones I'm holding, and put the pick in the set I'm holding.

From box chain

Put your fingers on the first set that fell outside and hold them up, so that when you take the toothpick out of the second set, you can pry that set open slightly and see the tops of the set you're holding. Slide the toothpick through them.

From box chain

I've already got one open ring with two closed rings hanging from it, and the open ring will slide right by the toothpick. I'm holding the toothpick with one hand and inserting the ring with the pliers in my other hand.

From box chain

Once that ring is closed and smooth, I'll hang the chain so that the two rings I just put on hang down, and put, yes, a toothpick through them. You can see by the above picture that by doing this, the open ring you just put on is pretty lonesome looking and it's easy to put the second open ring on without going through part of the chain you shouldn't.
Putting the toothpick in each step seems like a lot of extra work and effort, but it really isn't. Just like a knitting needle, it's in and out very quickly once you get into the rhythm of the pattern, but it can save you a lot of time or grief in the end. You've figured out the pattern, your rings are all opened or closed, whichever you require in sets of four, you're just smoking, putting them together so fast and then you stop to admire the five or six inches already finished....and you see a spot where you've missed a ring, or passed it through the wrong ring...believe me, got THAT T-shirt! You can use a pick of any kind, but toothpicks are small enough not to get in the way and big enough to be able to grip. They separate each step of the pattern and that is so important when you've worked long enough at the fiddly little rings to be half blind. Using a pick makes the pattern look organized and your next step orderly, but try doing this chain or Persian or Byzantine without a tail (my paperclip) or a pick of some kind and you'll see just how disorganized all those little rings can get. But do it right and you'll have something wonderful that is all alliteration - smooth, slinky, supple, sinuous...have fun!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T16:04:00.000-04:00

A few days late but one of the nicest New Year videos I've seen.

2011-01-04T14:48:00.002-04:00

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."

(Will Rogers)

Who's Going To Boss Us Now?

2011-01-03T17:05:00.000-04:00

Dear old Twice, boss of the house, guardian of her universe, gave up the good fight today. It'll seem so strange, walking one dog and being able to socialize with other dogs (Twice would not let other dogs near me), being able to lie on the couch without a dog sitting on my chest, sleeping without a dog under the covers (she was always cold) and not having an empty food dish pushed all around the kitchen until it was filled. She loved balls that she could push, and would yowl at the orange treat ball that needed to be filled every night. When it was filled with kibble, she'd push it all around the lower floor and Dewey would trail along behind her, helping her clean up the kibble as it dropped out. If Dewey had the nerve to be sitting beside me, she'd jump up between us and give him "the look" and he'd leave immediately. She was afraid of nothing or no one, a rottweiler in a little dog coat, even putting the run on a monstrous Irish wolfhound who had the nerve to be in her store parking lot one day. Dewey was probably hiding behind me.
Dewey and I are sure going to miss her.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

We're having a windy,green Christmas, so I'm using a picture of my mother and father's house - pretty as a picture!
May all the blessings of this holy day be yours.
Susan

Bird Brain? I Think Not!

2010-12-22T10:16:00.000-04:00

Not Impressed - What Are We Teaching Our Children?

2010-12-21T18:30:00.001-04:00

The past week from 5:30 til 6 p.m., our radio station has had calls to Santa from

local children. Maybe I'm becoming Mrs Grinch, but for every one that's just adorable and asks for a doll and some surprises or a puppy, the next four will ask for a DS, a cell phone, an i-pod touch, a camera, video games and some surprises to boot. One kid asked for all of that and a laptop. These are kids that are young enough to talk to Santa! Sure, not all the kids will get all they want, but their wish list is unbelievable. I don't remember my kid ever asking for that much. Course, being a single mother in his Santa years, I think I told him something along the lines of Santa having to deliver to so many kids that there was a limit to what one kid could ask for. One little fellow asked for "another" i-pod touch. He was about six years old! How old was he when he got the first one and how much more responsible would he be now?
Okay, end of rant. I just really hate to see kids expect to get so much at such a young age. Especially when there are so many in the neighborhood that will be getting their presents from the Salvation Army.
I just have one more related concern. How do you teach your kids to be wary of strangers? Is it okay if they've seen the stranger in pictures, or the stranger gives them presents? The reason behind this obvious question is that so many of the little kids say so sweetly before they hang up, "I love you, Santa." They don't know him! They only know that he brings presents. They might hear their parents talk all year about Obama or Harper, but the kids wouldn't say, "I love you, Mr. Obama." Because he doesn't bring presents! For some reason, that gives me the willies.
Call me the Grinch, but I'm not impressed.

Still Being Impressed

2010-12-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

Okay, this really impresses me. Love the boogie music but the dancers are amazing - watch all the movement below the waist! If you looked at them from the waist up, they're just dancing, but there's a whole other thing going on with their knees and feet. Way cool!

Things That Have Really Impressed Me This Year, Saturday Dec. 11, part II

2010-12-11T22:19:00.000-04:00

Karen, Nadine and Jake

I own a little convenience store here on Prince Edward Island. We're open from 7a.m. until 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. in the summer. I couldn't get along without good help, and right now, I have very impressive help.
Karen is semi-retired and works three days a week and that allows me to sleep in three days a week. She is eminently impressive because she treats my business like her own and actually cares about it and me. And my dogs. If I need or want to go away, I couldn't do it without Karen babysitting the store and the dogs. She is just an impressive person.
Nadine is a typical 19 year-old, working to pay for her cell phone and her car, and some day in the near future, she will move on and get a better job. But she's a sweetheart and the customers love her. I find Nadine impressive because she has been waiting with great anticipation and just finally got the operation for a breast reduction. She is slim and gorgeous and it is so unusual for a single young woman with great attributes to want to go down, rather than up and out. It took great courage and a rare mind set to understand that although every guy in the area admires big breasts, it wasn't worth the backaches. Five pounds of impressive.
Jake is a fiery red-haired and freckled fourteen-year-old. He's impressive because he's so incredibly responsible for any age and a great worker. He'll go places, some day. Right now, I'm very glad that for the past six months, his place after school is behind my counter.
Am I lucky, or what?

Things That Have Really Impressed Me This Year, Saturday Dec. 11

2010-12-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

Epicure.
What wonderful products! I got their herbed garlic sea salt and their red garlic sansel (no salt condiment) and will have garlic breath forevermore. I make my own gluten free bread in a breadmaker and any of you fellow celiacs will know it's just not as good as the other stuff. BUT, now I'm adding a tablespoon of the Epicure herb and garlic mix (sense a theme here?) and some crumbled old cheddar and it's the best bread I've ever tasted, toasted or plain.
I got their coated grill pan, a square frying pan with raised grills and not only does it cook perfect hamburgers and chicken breasts, it practically rinses off afterwards. Hmmn, let me see, what else did I get? Haven't had time to try everything yet but I think tonight or tomorrow I'm going to make gluten free pizza with herbed crust. I might just go into garlic withdrawal, but I'm thinking of trying their pesto herb mix for the crust.
I seriously like this stuff, enough that it comprised the bulk of my Christmas presents to my parents and my son, so that should tell you how much it impresses me.

Things That Have Really Impressed Me This Year

2010-12-10T11:07:00.002-04:00

This blog post isn't a commercial, even though it might sound like one. I was opening my emails this morning and got an eflyer from a bead seller and thought how much I loved their stuff. And that led to thinking that I had never heard of them until this year and it would be nice to make a list of my favorite things so other people could check them out as well.
So I'll start. I know I'll forget some so this will be my end-of-year project and I'll post them as I think of them. This post has three:
Beads Of Cambay (and sister company "Give Me More Beads.")

From Recently Updated

Their stock of gemstones and semi-precious gemstones are drool-worthy and if you watch their sales flyer or their specials, you can pick up very impressive, high quality stones reasonably. The sister company, Give Me More Beads, is almost like the "specials" department of other companies, because they have lovely stones and some great deals.
I put an order in to both and they were quick to respond, quick to ship and I might never be able to part with some of the stuff I ordered. Sigh. You should see the faceted African Opals. And the pyrite nuggets. I'm right in love with them. One of the things I really like about the shipment is that every strand was actually tagged with what it was and the price. Have you ever ordered beads, filed the invoice away and not used the gemstones for a few months? When you go to use them, they have this little coded tag on them that you don't understand and you can't remember if those were your Indian agates or your jasper. Or what you paid for them. So...an impressive company and I will certainly be ordering from them again. And again. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they have silver/copper twisted rings and beads - very handy.

Kate McKinnon's Books:

From Recently Updated

I think everybody should have a copy of all of Kate's work. Not for the projects. I sell my work and don't want to make somebody else's design and sell it as my own. But for the "aha!" moments. The things I've been taught or read from time-to-time and forgotten. For the little shortcuts I've taken that compromise the integrity of any piece I've made. If you read Kate's books from cover to cover, you'll learn so much or remember so much. Her specialty is the structural aspect of any piece of jewelry and that focus and knowledge will make any piece that you make heirloom quality. Reading her books or watching the DVDs that come with them is like taking refresher courses from a Master. Well, I guess it IS taking refresher courses from a Master. Anyway, those two books and one of her bead stringing notebooks, are the best I've bought in a long time and I'm a compulsive book buyer. They'll make me a far better craftsman.

Susan Boyle's The Gift

Bliss. The woman has such a wonderful voice. I'd say I could live on a steady diet of her and Josh Groban but my country side would start to whine after a while. Just give me music, it makes me happy and beautiful music fills me with joy.

My Toucan Pendant is in another collection

2010-12-06T20:25:00.000-04:00

Canadian Collecti...

Curated By: zoomgraphik

ArtFire.com

Unique Gifts

Canadian Artists Really Sparkle - My Flower Earrings are In it!

2010-12-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

I'd like to promise that this will be the last collection but when people keep using my jewelry in them, I just have to promote them! Besides, when it's such a crazy time of the year, it's a very sneaky way of keeping my blog current without having to do a lot of actual thinking.

Canadians Really ...

Curated By: alwaysdaddysg...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Dear Sandy Claws, I've Been A Good Dog!

2010-12-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

Dear Sandy Claws,...

Curated By: susannaorigin...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Soap

Another Great Canadian Collection

2010-12-05T22:47:00.002-04:00

Cherries on Top

Curated By: SagesCupboard

ArtFire.com

Handmade Soap

Canadian Artisan Collection

2010-12-05T22:45:00.000-04:00

Canadian Makin

Curated By: susannaorigin...

ArtFire.com

Craft Tutorials

Brazilian Quartz Crystal Pendant

2010-11-23T09:53:00.001-04:00

This is a very short post, just a picture of the Brazilian crystal I wrapped the other day. Each crystal is different and each one wants me to keep it. I'd end up pretty spiky looking, since I already have two.
I bought these crystals years ago at the Brantford Lapidary & Mineral Club show in February. I miss that show, you could pick up the coolest stuff, things that aren't available at the big suppliers. On the advice of Joanie, my dear late mentor who was into Reiki, I soaked the crystals in a bowl of water and sea salt, and then dried them in the sun to purify them. She said all quartz crystals should be purified to rid them of negative energies.
This one has a good six-sided point at the bottom, a "ghost" or "shadow" towards the top and is milky at the growing end. Also according to Joanie, all crystals should be wrapped only in silver because any other metal would dissipate the energies. As usual, I wrapped this one in Argentium because I like the low-tarnish properties and the absence of copper in the alloy. You can find it at my Artfire shop.

Actually Made Some Stuff

2010-11-18T18:35:00.000-04:00

Do ya know, having an online shop is an awful lot of work.Actually making the jewelry is almost the easy part, but to get people to look at it, you have to do the social networking thing. First I had to post it on my Artfire shop, shared it with Facebook and Twitter, put it up on the About.com forum and then here, on my blog. Don't get me wrong, my blog is fun and it's kind of an extension of the way I constantly talk to myself, except every once in awhile somebody answers! I find that so cool!

And I have become very attached to the people on the About forum. They're like old friends and we all worry about each other and are very supportive of each other. It's very worrisome when someone doesn't post for a while.

But it's all so time consuming! I finished my pieces around 3:30 and here it is 6 and I'm still promoting them. Oh well, one of these days I'll be retired, no more store, and it'll give me something to do, other than talk to myself and the dogs.

I call this piece "Welcome." I have no idea why, it just told me that was its name.
This is another of the melted silver pieces, and I soldered it onto a hammered sterling ring, added three sterling balls (they're perfectly round, the bottom one is reflecting something) and two wrapped labradorite briolettes. Antiqued with LOS.
I love these pieces and guess its because I love to be different and nobody else will ever make one the same, and they appeal to my quirky side. (Some would say "weird," I say "quirky.")

The next piece is totally different, a little more cheerful, but not quite so much "me." I like it and love the flower but I'd wear the first piece and would never wear something like this. I'm probably the most "up," cheerful and optimistic person you will ever meet, but I like my jewelry to make a statement, not be just pretty. Besides, my neck's too fat.

This was another piece of copper sheet, cut to a freehand pattern, folded, patterned, and basically hammered all to heck. Great fun! Then I put a wash of translucent red enamel on it, and splattered yellow around the centre and on the bottom of the sterling bead. The agate beads are gorgeous - they remind me of little translucent marbles.

The reddish beads between the silver are carnelian.

I don't get another day off until Saturday and really need to do my October books. But maybe I can sneak an hour here or there to do something else - I really want to wire wrap some Brazilian crystals. And I don't seem to be able to work after dark - does anyone else have that problem? I can't see properly, all I want to do is eat and sleep. The joys of Canadian winter - 12 hours of dark every day and a whole population that wants to hibernate. Take care!

I Am Woman, And I Have Tools!

2010-11-14T13:44:00.001-04:00

I'm just so pleased with myself this morning that my hats would never fit on my head. It's not often (if you're normal) that you get such an overwhelming sense of smug, self-satisfaction. Now you'll have to share the whole, probably boring story!
The cash register in the store is reasonably new; I bought it about four years ago. It wasn't the cheapest available, nor was it the most expensive, just a nice, middle-of-the-road electronic register, suitable for a small store.
On Friday night, the LED display quit working. Which meant that the lid had to come off, we had to run a continuous tape of every transaction and we had to cash out before we could see the total with the tax included. Major pain in the butt. Not to mention the fact that the thermal paper that it uses is really expensive and we were going through it like toilet paper at an ex-lax convention. I tried my two favorite electronic fixes: unplug and let it reboot, and whack the heck out of it. Uh uh, not going to work. So I went into town to Staples and decided to bite the $400 bullet. They had the cheap one and they had the really expensive one, but not mine. So I drove uptown to the only other office supply place - closed.
Plan B: Staples online promises next day delivery. Not on my cash register, they don't. Seven to fourteen business days.
Plan C: Kijiji.com. Sunday morning, by this time, and I found a few ads but wouldn't call anyone on a Sunday morning, so decided to wait until afternoon.
THEN! Business is slower this time of year, so I read all my emails, checked the news and got bored. When I'm bored, I'm dangerous, usually ending up buying beads online. Decided that I couldn't make the machine any worse, got my screwdrivers and took the whole top off. Then I decided I should turn it off, since I was sticking my fingers down between wires. Turned it off, followed the LED wires in and out of the dock, fiddled with them and WAHLAH! The LED lights came back on. With the machine turned off, so I guess I should have unplugged it, haha. But the cash register is working! And I even got the screws back in to put it back together!
So I am justifiably pleased with myself. I just saved over $400!
My head will never get too big. I'm probably the only person left in the world that doesn't have a cell phone with a camera, in fact, my cell phone battery died months ago and I didn't know if I could figure out the new ones with cameras, so as of yet, I don't have a cell phone at all. Yesterday, I was driving home from my fruitless cash register search and saw the most beautiful sunset over the water I have ever seen in my life, real or pictures. It was just absolutely, positively glorious, a symphony in coral, turquoise, indigo and pink with the water dead calm, reflecting the entire sky. Boy, did I ever want a cell phone with a camera at that moment. But even though the picture has gone from my head, the feelings it inspired are still there. Time to get a new phone - I'd rather have the feelings AND the picture.
My long stories are a family joke - sorry!

Little Silver Balls

2010-11-11T20:39:00.000-04:00

Speaking of silver...I've discovered a new love. Cutting up pieces of scrap silver wire, putting them on the firebrick and heating them with the torch. They wiggle, they jiggle, they start to curl...and ZING! They roll up into perfect little silver balls. Very addicting. Now I just have to figure out what to do with a whole bunch of little silver balls...

Silver Prices, or The Artisan Gambler

2010-11-07T12:44:00.000-04:00

My supply of silver wire is dwindling. I probably have enough to last me until spring of 2011, especially at my production rate, but therefore lies my conundrum. What will the price of silver be in 2011? Has anybody else googled forecasts? The price right now is higher than it has been all year. Will it drop again or will it continue climbing?
The best (meaning forecasts for dummies) forecast I've read so far was Scotiabanks. They laid it out in very understandable terms and this is what I took from it:
Silver is a precious metal, albeit a cheap precious metal, and is used as a good investment in tough economic times or as a hedge for inflation. Therefore, it will be high at the moment, until the economy has a sustained recovery.
Silver is used for many new electronic applications. Because of the economic downturn, demand for these electronics is lower than usual, but as the economy recovers, so will the demand for these new electronics.
The production of silver has been lower than the demand since 2008. Because of the recession, this has not been a supply/demand thing causing higher prices, but as demand increases, it will.
My conclusion: I'm going to buy as much silver now as I can afford. The last time I faced this dilemma, silver was $17 and change. It rose steadily, dropped drastically for a short time and jumped right back even higher than before. I had bought it at the $17 price, which didn't make me as smart as anyone who waited for the sudden drop, but they are better gamblers than me.
Let's check back in a year to see if I made the right decision!

2010-11-06T22:05:00.000-03:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More wire wrap

Friends & Random Acts

2010-10-29T22:53:00.001-03:00

No, the picture is not recent, it's from the snowstorm of winter 2008.
I hate winter, hate short daylight, having to wear boots and a coat, hate the horrible squeaky sound snow makes when it's really cold and hate bare trees. But I love the people around me in this little village, year-round.
My ice house has a furnace and its own oil tank. The oil business is highly regulated here and tanks are inspected when new and tagged with an expiry date. The store tank is good for another few years but the ice house tank expired in 2009 and had to be replaced. I procrastinated because it had enough oil to last until this spring and I didn't want to shell out the $1500 it would cost to replace it and have another one installed, inspected and tagged. And standing in the store talking to people, it came up in conversation occasionally.
Neil comes in for coffee every morning and we talk about everything under the sun, mostly about how hard he works and how sore his back is. He knew of a tank that was fairly new and should be available, so he'd check with Brian, up the road. Next thing I knew, the tank was delivered, installed and ready for oil. Neil and Harry picked it up, delivered it, dug up the old one, laid gravel and a concrete base, scrounged up some proper oil tubing and installed the whole thing. He won't accept a cent. He won't even let me give him free coffee in the mornings, throws the money at me and leaves it on the counter if I won't take it. Brian won't take a cent for the tank or the tubing. He just laughs and says, "what goes around, comes around; you'll do something for someone else." And I will.
People like Neil and Brian practice true kindness, not expecting kudos or anything in return, just the quiet satisfaction of doing something nice for someone else. In this case it was a big something but so many people here do small somethings in the same way. When they say to you, "Let me know if there's anything I can do," they mean it. I'm very humbled by the kind of friends I have, and hope that not only do I deserve them, but that I'm never the shore where those ripples of kindness stop.

Oh Dear, Who will predict my love life now?

2010-10-27T14:10:00.000-03:00

Paul is dead. Der Tintenfisch, the famous German octopus that predicted the World Cup winners is dead. Of course they have replaced him, but it's along the lines of replacing Wiarton Willie, the groundhog who tells us every year we're going to get another six weeks of winter, or not. This is Canada - on February 2nd, we are going to get another six weeks of winter. Always.
The original Willie was pretty good at predicting the weather, or maybe he just played the odds better than the replacement Willies. The original Paul the Octopus had such an amazing talent for eating the winning team during the World Cup series that an Argentine chef posted octopus recipes on Facebook and Paul received death threats. People do seem to take the World Cup very seriously. Odds of his choices being blind luck are 256 to 1. According to Wikipedia, "Paul's apparent success was considered to be comparable to a run of luck when tossing a coin. This connection has been made by Professor Chris Budd of the University of Bath, Professor David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University, and Etienne Roquain of Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris." Others got involved as well, scientists, aquarists, lecturers and lots and lots of media. Theories have abounded about the cause of his amazing predictions.
Isn't it amazing that so many people with so many credentials had the time and inclination to take a psychic octopus seriously? News of his death has been covered worldwide.
Am I the only one who thinks there is something very humorous about this whole picture?
I wonder if there has ever been a psychic Jack Russell?

Gemstone Nugget Bracelet

2010-10-23T20:49:00.000-03:00

Oh, I had an awful time with these beautiful gemstones. I strung them on a temporary wire and tried about four different ways of stringing them and nothing seemed to do them justice.
I don't even remember what made me decide to simply use rings between the nuggets. Once the decision was made, it was a matter of finding and making enough big rings to use. Some are hammered to be flat on the outside and some are hammered square. Some are just left round.

I like them this way! The nuggets came from MiGems and I was so thrilled when they came; aahhh, pretties.....
They are amethyst, rose quartz and aquamarine nuggets and I still have some left to fondle.
The bracelet is up on my Artfire shop and I hope everybody else thinks these stones are as gorgeous as I do. Did I tell you how much I love stones?

Looking For That Special Christmas Present For Your Dog?

2010-10-22T00:11:00.000-03:00

Yes, I'm a dog lover. And yes, my dogs have clothes. But their outfits can't hold a candle to the ones created by Holly on Spoiled Bratzwear. Until now, Dewey and Twice have only worn utilitarian coats to protect them from the freezing wind or the rain, but now that I've seen what the best-dressed dogs wear, they could be in for some embarrassing surprises.
Even Holly says that she creates some of her outfits with a giggle. The chocolate and pink outfit on the right would require me to be much better dressed than I am at 6 in the morning, walking them down the country road. No way am I going to walk dogs that are better dressed than I am.

How about walking a little elf? You'd certainly start your day (and anyone who saw you) with a smile, but I think the big, sad eyes on this little elfkin say it all.
And I try not to anthropomorphize my dogs, but I know darned well they can feel embarrassed.

Nah, I think an outfit like this is more my dogs' style. Warm, comfortable, and not requiring an owner wearing high-heeled boots.

Seriously, whether you want to show off the best-dressed dog in the city, or just find a vendor that actually makes jungle print No-Leak belly bands for male dogs, check out Spoiled Bratzwear on Artfire.

And for those who want an update, Twice is completely herself when she is, and obviously failing when she isn't. She's very happy, sleeps most of the time and still jumps up and down in true Jack Russell fashion at treat time. She's a tough little lady.

My Lunchroom Sign

2010-10-20T18:04:00.001-03:00

I've been meaning to post a picture of this sign for months and keep forgetting to take a camera out to the store. We sell hot dogs and sausages from a roller grill at lunch time and have a little bar top for the condiments. I found this sign in Charlottetown (actually Anne found it and insisted I buy it) and it was perfect for the wall over the lunch area.
Those who get it, love it as much as I do.

If Swearing Offends You, Don't Read

2010-10-15T16:48:00.001-03:00

I didn't want to forget these stories and if I don't get them down on my blog, I won't remember them past tomorrow.
This morning, a volunteer fireman and a paramedic were in the store at the same time, and did some story telling. True stories, which makes them even funnier.
The first involves a house party up west. The parents were away and the kids decided to have a party, and like unauthorized parties can do, it grew to over 300 kids. Somebody made a 911 call from the house, stating that one of the kids had shortness of breath and chest pains. Because of the size of the party and the number of people involved, the obligatory police presence to a 911 call was increased to three squads of mounties, one squad car from the town's police station, and, of course, the ambulance. They met at the end of the laneway of the house and brainstormed the best way to approach, get through the crowd of teenagers and find their patient without trouble starting. One mountie said, "lets go flying in with sirens blaring and lights flashing, so they know we're coming, and all crouch by our cars with our guns drawn." The town cop said, "What if you get mobbed by 300 kids?" The mountie deadpanned, "I can take out the first six." The paramedics decided that they'd stay behind the ambulance until all of this was over. The funny thing was, though, that when the cop cars went blasting down the farm laneway with sirens screaming and lights flashing, they just didn't find very many people left in the house. Nobody that needed medical attention, either. Lots of empty cars, though.
Yeah, that one was just moderately funny, but I'm still laughing about this one:
A 911 cell call came in from four boaters who had hit a sandbar and were stranded on the Dunk River and suffering from hypothermia. Night was falling so the call was put out to a few municipalities and 60 mounties and volunteer firemen showed up to search. The Dunk is a long, wide, shallow river that runs between a lot of woods, causing the men to slog through a lot of underbrush in the dark, shining lights on the water. A pair of the firemen finally caught sight of the boat, hollered to the occupants and started to wade out in their survival suits, figuring one would have to swim a rope out to the boat. As they got about halfway out, with the water part way up their boots, one said to the other, "This water had better get deep in a fucking hurry or I'm going to kill these guys." The water did get deeper - about four inches. They stood beside the grounded boat and asked the idiots sitting inside, surrounded by empty beer cans, why they hadn't waded to shore. Apparently one of them had rolled out of the boat with that intention, and got right back in, saying the water was up to his neck and it was freezing. The fireman snorted and said, "Yeah, it's up to your neck, all right, when you're lying in it." The other fireman radioed to the rest of the searchers to call off the search and went up to the road where one of the mounties was waiting. After he told the mountie the story, the officer told him to come back down with him, because, "if I go down there myself, I might shoot the fuckers."
I lost some of the humor in these stories, trying to write them down. You lose the nuances in voices and the expressions on faces. Our rural firemen are all volunteers and when a call comes in, they leave their nice warm houses or dinners and rush wherever they're needed, even to rescue four drunken fishermen stranded in about a foot and a half of water. But like policemen and paramedics, they become great storytellers.

News Unfolding

2010-10-13T23:06:00.000-03:00

What a wonderful day watching the rescue of the Chilean miners and the joy and high spirits of the people standing around that hole. The whole world seemed to be holding its breath waiting as each man was shuttled from the bowels of the earth.
The celebration of the miracle began moments ago when the 33rd miner reached the surface. And all I could think about was the two volunteers that chose to go down to that hell, are still there and how they would decide who would go up first. Can you imagine being the last man down? Forty five minutes, all by yourself, thousands of feet under the earth. That man has my utmost admiration and respect.

Artfire Studio

2010-10-10T23:28:00.000-03:00

I just put immense pressure on myself, and opened an Artfire studio. This will require having stock. Which will require certain blocks of time dedicated to making jewelry instead of playing on the computer. (I'm addicted to Solitaire games).
It would be very kind of people to check it out, "like" it on Facebook, if you're a "friend" or help spread the word in any way possible. I will do my part by acting in a professional manner and making more stuff.

You can find the shop under susannaoriginals.

It's Thanksgiving here in Canada and if you're north of the border, hope you had a good weekend with family and lots of turkey. If you're south and celebrating Columbus Day on Monday, I hope you have lots to give thanks for every day.

20 Mule Team Stubborn

2010-09-23T12:14:00.000-03:00

The flower in the picture is one of my first efforts at silver clay and definitely not something to write home about. But my philosophy is that every mistake has the opportunity to become "art" if you make it look like it was intended to be that way. And I'm stubborn, just ask my mother.
I also wanted to try riveting. Never having done it before, I couldn't start with just a simple riveting job, I had to try something different.

Okay, here's the basic premise. The flower is sitting inside a hollow white plastic thingy, so that's not part of it.
Isn't it pretty? So far so good. I soldered the metal clay flower to a hammered 12 gauge ring, also soldered. I had a little trouble here...I have medium and soft solder and for some reason, I can't get the medium solder to melt. My torch is certainly hot enough, because it was melting the flower. So I switched to the soft solder and got the job done.
The centre part is just sitting on the flower.

I punched out a copper circle, stamped and dapped it, and set a flat peridot crystal on top of it. Now here's the part that should have been a wonderful example of ingenuity. I balled three pieces of 24 gauge wire and threaded them through the peridot and copper. Then I twisted them together tightly and cut them off about a quarter inch below the flower.

I blame this next part on Janice from The Jewelry Artists Network. She had a wonderful tutorial on her blog "A Metalsmith's Journey" about creating a ball on the opposite side of a ring. It involves soaking manila file folders and wrapping the bead and bottom of the item in the soaked card stock. Well, Janice must use better quality manila folders than me, or she isn't dumb enough to twist three wires and expect them to ball up. I set off the fire alarm but the wires were not going to ball up, uh uh, no way. And yes, wet card stock does catch on fire.
Okay, plan B. I cut the twisted wire off a few mm from the end and decided to rivet. Twisted wire does not rivet any better than it balls up. It separated as it was hammered, and although it was flat against the back of the flower, it didn't look strong enough to hold the balled pins in place if it had any stress at all. So what to do? By this time, I was out of plans, but not out of stubborn.

Something had to hold the "riveted" wires on the flower and keep them still. So I took about an inch of 12 gauge wire and balled it on my fire brick. Then I soldered it on top of the flattened wires with soft solder. It looks pretty good in the picture, but by this time the front of the flower and the copper was heat patinaed and looked like heck. Luckily, the peridot didn't crack or discolor. It took a lot of sanding and tumbling to get it halfway looking decent, but I figured the copper would eventually darken anyway, so I just hurried the process.

So here's the end result. Definitely "art" because the imperfections were intended, of course. Yeah, right. By this time, the sun had left, so the picture isn't as good as the first and the darkness at the bottom of the ring is shadow, not firescale. But the darned thing is finished and this is what I learned:
Having a teacher or taking classes would be a lot easier on the nerves. But anything can be fixed if you're stubborn enough. And I should never do tutorials.

Anticipating the inevitable

2010-09-18T13:16:00.000-03:00

Miss Twice, boss of the house, guardian of the world, camera poseur extraordinaire and blanket lover. The body might be small but the heart is monstrous, taking on Irish Wolfhounds and raccoons with equal ferocity. Unfortunately, the heart has been slowly self-destructing, no longer thumping in anticipation but softly swooshing with less and less effect. She's coughing now, so the heart isn't able to keep the lungs working properly and the other day she fainted on our walk. THAT was scary. I thought she had died, but she came to in my arms and went home and bossed Dewey around for the rest of the day.
Boy, it's hard knowing one of your best friends is dying. And the thoughts that run through your head! Stupid things that should be embarrassing, but are probably very normal. Like the four-day trip I'm taking the end of the month. Go or not? I pretty well have to go, because it's to see my new grandson and my parents and my parents won't be around forever either. Like hoping that she dies before the ground freezes, because I want to bury her and don't know what I'd do with her body in the winter.
Having a pet die suddenly is a shock and horribly sad, like any death of part of your family. Watching a dog like Blackwatch Twice, proud and independent, carrying on like there's nothing wrong and still ruling the roost, when she's awake, is a lesson in dying. Don't baby her, let her keep her dignity, but make sure you don't forget when it's treat time. Sigh.....

Movie Ratings

2010-09-12T01:00:00.000-03:00

I heard the kids in the store yesterday talking about how movie ratings have changed, and how PG is now much more graphic and violent. This was a 14 and a 19-year-old talking and I found it interesting that they found it disturbing.
I don't watch many adult movies. If I give up a couple of hours of my precious time, I want to be entertained, not upset, scared or provoked. So when something by Disney or Dreamworks comes into the store, I nab it before anybody else can get it, because we get the movies three days before they can be released to the public. Prince Of Persia just arrived, a Disney movie, and I glommed onto it before the afternoon shift saw it and set myself up in my recliner with chips and sparkling water, a real movie night with the dogs. It was a little disappointing. The whole movie seemed to be men fighting and grunting - a Pirates of the Caribbean wanna-be without Johnny Depp's talent. And what's with the hero and heroine stopping and gazing longingly into each other's eyes in the middle of a frantic escape from certain death? Are they stupid, or what? Run, dummies! Along with the rating system, movies like that should carry a disclaimer: "Warning - May Contain Snakes." I may have trouble getting to sleep tonight.

Pendant?

2010-09-07T22:31:00.000-03:00

I've been having great fun with all my scrap silver and the tiny crucible from Lacy Tools in Toronto. Each melt turns out so differently and this one has kind of an organic look. In "person" you can look at it and see a dolphin, flowers, leaves... one of these days I'll learn how to take a good picture of silver.
I put a 4 mm rhodolite garnet in the centre and a 2 mm lab-grown ruby on one side.
Putting the stones in the bezels, I learned something important. I either have to get a third hand and a magnifying glass or never, ever use 2 mm stones again! I still don't know if it's right-side up or upside-down.
Not sure what I'm going to use this piece for. The fun was in the making.

Day at the Races

2010-08-29T18:49:00.000-03:00

Another beautiful end-of-summer day and matinee races at Kensington. Days like this I miss having a horse but it was nice just to sit and watch everybody else working, too.

I love this picture:

We start them young on the Island.

The view around this turn is breathtaking. PEI is surprising for its hills and wonderful views of farmland and woods.

Old-fashioned racing with the horses tied to the trailers, kids running everywhere, blankets instead of purses to be won, no betting except between friends and a lot of people who really love their animals. Lots of sun, hot dogs on the grill and pop in big buckets of ice. Now I'm sleepy....

Glorious Summer

2010-08-27T20:56:00.000-03:00

My friend Anne came to visit the end of July and it was my excuse to have a wonderful, glorious holiday for 10 days. I meant to blog each day and chronicle our travels around the Island, but we really showed our age by coming home each day and collapsing. After we ate, of course. Lobster, lots of lobster.
We travelled from one end of the Island to the other, hitting as many beaches as we could, sightseeing, deep sea fishing, attending a fiddle festival in Abrams Village and eating. Surprisingly, we only got into the wine one day and that's probably a sign of age too. We're out of practice.

So here's a pictorial review of some of our travels and something for me to look at in the dead of winter. I was pretty ruthless, but there are still lots of pictures.

Day two was an ice delivery and an excuse to go to Cabots Park near Malpeque. (Day one was a five minute drive to Chelton Beach and since it's so close to home, I forgot to take my camera!)

A stretch of beach at the end of a dirt road in Kildare, where my late husband was born. Very quiet and private.

This is called the English Church by the locals. Just north-west of Kildare Capes, it's a place I visit every time I'm in the area. Surrounded by woods, it's one of the most peaceful and serene places I've ever been, and it also feels like one of the most haunted.

The stone marker at the gateway to the church commemorates the great storm of 1851, called the Yankee Gale, the most destructive storm ever to hit the Maritimes. The wind came from the north-east and caught hundreds of ships out mackerel fishing. A total of 90 ships and 160 men were lost. Hulls, wreckage and bodies littered the north shore.

The memorial stone erected when the bodies of three unknown American fishermen were found wrapped in sailcloth buried in the church's graveyard.

Deep sea fishing off of New London. A gorgeous day, wonderful tour and a great feed of cod for supper.

Just one of the lighthouses we saw on our fishing trip. I didn't see two whales and didn't see a seal, although some of the other passengers did.

The North Cape windfarm, always impressive with the lighthouse and tides meeting off shore, now even more impressive with fields of monster windmills. The building gives an idea of the scale of these windmills, with one of the generators and one of the blades in the foreground.

I love the landscape left by the wind and waves. North Cape shoreline.

North Cape shoreline at low tide.

Singing Sands beach, near Souris, at the eastern end of the Island. The sands didn't sing to me, but they were like walking in brown sugar. The water was so clear you could see everything on the bottom and I picked up more quartz to add to my pile of rocks.

The cliff at the opposite end of the Singing Sands beach.

Victoria Harbour, on the way home.

My Idea of Tweeting - Another Bird

2010-08-19T00:30:00.001-03:00

I find tweeting very difficult. Can't figure out why anyone would want to know what I'm doing or thinking. So why do I feel comfortable posting on my blog? Pictures? Dunno, don't care enough to worry about it.

Toucan Dance
Shipwreck Beads has some terrific Peruvian ceramics and a bag of birds (nice alliteration there) has been sitting on my table for some reason or other.

If I stare at stuff long enough, it usually provokes, shames or inspires me into making something and this is the second of my birds. I love this toucan and I love the way he can swivel on his perch and face left, right or forward. I really liked the parrot but think I like the toucan even better.

He's sitting on a hammered argentium perch and has a double chain, both round and diamond links to lampwork beads, and then just the round sterling links and two more lampwork beads. This necklace does not have or need a clasp because it should be long enough to go over any head. If it goes over mine, which it does, it should be fine with any other head. Except maybe my son's, but it wouldn't suit him anyway.

Toucan Dance is $50 when I can part with him. He's still sitting on my kitchen table so that I can admire him every once in awhile. Not my work, just the bird and the beads. Look at the way the light shines through the lampwork. Maybe on a cloudy day, I'll take him out to the store.

For the Birds

2010-08-17T12:42:00.002-03:00

It didn't take long to figure out a use for one of the shiny pieces from the tumbler.
Hand formed and hammered argentium silver ring with a Peruvian ceramic parrot sitting on two gorgeous prehnite briolettes from Luxbeads at Etsy. The chain is flat oval links attached to flat round links, all sterling silver, with a sterling lobster clasp.
$50 CDN

Magpie

2010-08-16T00:05:00.000-03:00

Isn't it magpies that love shiny things? I love, love, love silver and nothing looks prettier to me than a bunch of silver right out of the tumbler. As usual, my picture doesn't do it justice, but it's just so shiny and sparkly clean and ...silver!
A few hammered rings, some melted silver, a few balled headpins, a metal clay flower for remedial work and some miscellaneous stuff that might become anything. Stuff to play with when there's time.
I'd be happy right now just melting and hammering and tumbling!

Catching Up

2010-08-15T23:55:00.000-03:00

How come winter seems to last forever and summer goes so fast? It's after 11 p.m. but tomorrow is a typical day - open the store at 7 a.m., work until 3:30 and then make two deliveries of ice, back in the store from 9 til 10, probably 11 before everything is done, counted and closed. About this time every summer, I'm almost wishing it was over and life could be a little slower...almost. After Labour Day, sales go back to a normal level, there's no ice to deliver and all of my summer friends have gone back to their own province or state, and the letdown is so sudden. So, yeah, I'm tired, but I have to try to enjoy each day as it speeds by or I'll be shivering in the middle of winter and wishing it was summer again.

Before things got so crazy, a piece of sea glass had been calling and I finally got around to wrapping it. Dana, on the About.com forum, had suggested wrapping it with the narrow end at the bottom and that's exactly what it needed.
The challenge with this piece was to wrap it without covering up or taking away from the lovely ripples.
It was an interesting challenge but I was pleased with the way it turned out. I laid three pieces of 21 gauge square wire out, with lots of extra length and the centre wire about an inch longer than the outside two. Using a pair of round-nosed pliers, I formed a loop at the exact centre of the middle wire and then taped the wires together about a half inch from the loop. My first wraps were about an eighth of an inch above either side of the loop and that left enough wire to bend up over the point of the glass and hold it from the bottom.
Just above the second wrap, I bent the inside wire across the front of the glass and used an X-acto knife holder to twist just enough wire to reach the other side, work hardening it and making it stronger. I made a 90 degree bend, took the outside wire from the other side and did the same thing on the back. The tricky part was wrapping the wires in with the glass set in the wire frame, because crossing the wires made the frame tight enough that the sea glass couldn't be removed.

What isn't obvious, is that when I bent the wires across the top of the sea glass, I got too cocky and wove the three wires around each other. Once they were bent again to make the bail, you couldn't see the weaving and it actually made a looser fit to the top of the wire. It was a dumb move, but luckily, didn't really show.

I took my flat-nosed pliers, grasped the loop at the bottom and twisted it around 180 degrees. That gave stability to the loop and then I added three labradorite briolettes to the loop. They were a perfect complement to the glass, with their beautiful aqua fire. This piece is sold.

How To Be Alone

2010-08-06T18:24:00.000-03:00

I just dropped my friend Anne off at the airport for her trip home and I'm really going to miss her. It seemed very fitting that CBC was profiling a PEI artist and her video/poem "How To Be Alone" as I made the lonesome drive home and when I arrived, I listened to the whole thing without wind or traffic gaps.
If you count my dogs, I don't live alone, but I'm probably too set in my ways to share living space with another human for any length of time. But Tanya Davis struck a chord with her video and I want to share it.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, even if you aren't alone.

2010-07-23T00:30:00.000-03:00

I was looking forward to getting Kate McKinnon's book on Sculptural Metal Clay but was also a little apprehensive. The ring on the cover was light years away from my level of expertise and I figured it might be a good read and something to think about in the future. Not! McKinnon teaches the little things that will lead to the big things and I learned more from this book (and the attached video) than I have from any of the beginner books on metal clay.
Her enthusiasm is contagious and the kiln is back on the must have list.
I'd recommend this book to anyone with any experience or interest in metal clay - I couldn't put it down.

Oh, Glorious Day! I played hooky!

2010-07-01T19:04:00.001-03:00

Canada Day! It dawned clear, sunny and just the perfect temperature. I threw a load of laundry in the washer, made a run to ADL for some emergency ice cream for the store, went upstairs and sat virtuously at my computer doing my (very behind) books. I was going to ignore the sunshine and get caught up, right? Not. The phone rang and it was my friend Charles down the street. Last week he bought a bigger and better fishing boat and had to take it from Borden to Summerside - his parents and some other friends were making the trip, did I want to come? Oh no, Charles, I'd rather sit crosseyed at my computer on such a beautiful day.
No purse, no cell phone, just a cooler full of water and pop and the nicest day I've spent since Anne and I went lobster fishing with Charles and his brother two years ago. My pictures got a little fuzzy with the movement of the boat and the salt spray on the camera, but here's a little slice of my day:

These shots are of the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered waters.
Eight miles long, costing a billion dollars. Four years in the making, with over 5,000 workers, it opened in 1997.

Doesn't look very big from below, does it?

Beautiful, graceful curves.

Approaching the Seacow Head Lighthouse. A spring storm and excessively high tides created a storm surge that ate away a lot more of our shrinking island.

As long as there are cliffs, there will be boys who need to jump off of them.

I want to be back on the boat!

Charles' father John, his amazing mustache and his wife Rhoda Mary's newest child, Tiffany. John fished all his life and is supposedly retired but he spends most of his time working on his pleasure boat or Charles' fishing boat. Possibly so that he doesn't have to hold Tiffany.

It pulls at my soul.

We took a little tour through the Summerside Yacht Club. Lots of people on the boardwalk and they were more excited to see a real fishing boat than admire the millions of dollars tied up at the club's wharf.

Just before we docked, we cruised past the Canadian Coast Guard vessel, a perfect ending of red and white on this Canada Day.
The display of electronics on the boat was impressive and the boys spoke in awe of the amount of horsepower this ship could boast.

Did I say I didn't want to come home?

Someday......

Fighting Time

2010-06-29T12:22:00.000-03:00

I just looked at the date of my last post and can't believe a whole month has passed. A blog is like a plant...if you don't tend it regularly, it'll wither and die. So do you want my list of excuses? Didn't think so.
No new jewelry this month (yet!), no muse, no time. The store is in its transition period from a happy, comfortable place to stop and chat to summer mode, when everyone is back from wherever and they haven't been here long enough to slow down. Rush, rush, rush.
I've been reading Kate McKinnon's blog and she's mourning the death of the male cardinal that lived in her garden. It made me remember the cardinal who lifted my spirits and helped save my sanity in a very stressful time. My husband had had a severe stroke and was in the long-term care ward of the hospital in Brantford. The hospital parking lot was in the centre of a quadrangle, with buildings all around it, and every sound echoed. Every evening when I arrived from work, a cardinal would be sitting on the top of a light post in the middle of the lot, singing his heart out. He was obviously aware that he was on stage and his song was amplified, and he was just puffed in pride. Standing and watching him for that few minutes each evening always made me laugh and give thanks for the gift of his music and the fact that he was such a ham. The cares of the workday would fall away and I could face the cares ahead of me with a lighter heart. There's a lot to appreciate about being a birdbrain.

2010-06-06T12:52:00.005-03:00

As I've got older, my lungs' tolerance for chemicals is getting lower at an alarming rate. Perfume, men's cologne or aftershave, cleaning products, anything with a chemical base will send me into a paroxysm of coughing and a dash for my puffer. With all the "perfume free" signs everywhere, you'd think people would clue in but there are still women and men alike who literally bathe in the chemical stew they call scent. In my day (yeah, yeah, showing my age here) we were taught that you spritzed the air in front of you and stepped through the cloud of droplets, and that would give you just enough scent to be smelled within your personal space. Some people seem to feel they should broadcast their scent, like creatures broadcasting pheromes to attract a mate. Yuck, what the heck are these people attracting?
The cleaning solution I use for the store is a bottle of alcohol, a cup or so of vinegar, three tbsp. of liquid dish soap in a gallon jug, filled with water. Works great, smells nice and keeps the floor shiny. We keep a spray bottle with a tablespoon of bleach and water mixed, and use it to spray anything used for eating. And another one that is half vinegar and half water for cleaning counters, windows, glass fronts, the top of the ice cream machine...anything we feel like, basically. I spritz a little on a paper towel and use the damp towel to run over the cash register and interac machines.
Well, I started this thread because my brother-in-law sent me a great video, and immediately got on my soap box about chemicals. I also haven't figured out how to put a video on my blog, so only have the link, but check this out - a serious subject but one of the funniest presentations I've seen. I'm still giggling about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k9K8V2-Itw

Harry's New Job As Goodwill Ambassador

2010-06-01T13:43:00.004-03:00

Harry and his John Deere have found a new calling in life. Those of you who read about Harry and the chicken will remember that I mentioned how goodhearted he was. As he and the Deere were putting down the road Sunday, Harry came upon a STRANGER walking down Route 112 near the creek. I'm sure the fact that it was a good-looking 20-something girl from Korea had nothing to do with the fact that he stopped, but fact is, he stopped and asked her if she wanted a ride somewhere. She thought she might see some water if she walked far enough, so Harry invited her to step onto the blade cover and he took her for a scenic tour. Understanding that lawnmower travel might take more than a few hours, Harry, the lawnmower and the girl detoured into a farm and picked up eighteen-year-old Dirk, who had access to a car. This girl is either very trusting or she knows that no trouble can come from being picked up by a man on a lawnmower.
Harry, the girl and Dirk, but not the lawnmower, went on a whirlwind tour, visiting McConnell's Point, with a little lighthouse and a great view across the water to Summerside; Chelton Beach for some great photo ops of the Confederation Bridge; Sea Cow Head for the lighthouse and red cliffs, and last but not least, the lambs at Dirk's place.
"I really had to keep an eye on the young fellow," Harry stated. "He was pretty much in love by the time we got home." The young lady from Korea had visited the Island thinking it was small enough to walk and bike around to most places and she booked her stay at Historic Maplethorpe in Bedeque, one of the nicest B & Bs available, but not without a car. She was probably resigned to seeing nothing but lilacs and creeks until she ran into Harry and the Deere. "When we were at Sea Cow Head, she put her arm around me and had Dirk take our picture together!" Harry grinned. "Me, not Dirk. My picture will be all the way to Korea!"
I wonder how long it will be before he puts the wagon complete with armchair back on the lawn tractor and offers free tours?

Australian Boulder Opal & Amethyst

2010-05-30T22:41:00.000-03:00

This is one of the many moments I wish my talents ran more to photography. The Australian boulder opal is full of hidden depths and flashes of lavender light that perfectly match the amethyst beads. I originally started to make it with hammered copper rings but the brightness of the copper distracted from the beautiful stone. The mix of brass and copper was perfect, working with the mix of light and dark, sombre and surprising.

The first picture almost captures the true colors, although it looks more bluish than the true color of purple.
This is a long necklace, but can be shortened to fit. Price is $60 CDN.

I should be painting my trim...

2010-05-23T17:08:00.000-03:00

But it'll be flaking later and I'm having too much fun to actually go out and get some sunshine.

Am I allowed to really like this?

First, I made my own bezel with a sterling backing and argentium bezel wire, and then I put four little pieces of sea glass in the bezel. Then I covered them with Diamond Glaze and put the little amber piece in the centre and covered it with more Diamond Glaze.

I think the reason I like it so much is that the glaze gives the effect of looking at the sea glass underwater (complete with the little bubbles my blind eyes didn't see until the pictures showed them). It's a very liquid crystalline look.

Now I know what to do with all the beautiful, tiny pieces of sea glass that are too small to drill or wrap.

This pendant is $40.

Plum Blossom

2010-05-21T18:42:00.001-03:00

The focal of this piece is a gorgeous agate that needed the perfect setting to showcase the plum tree on it - one of the marvels of nature and the nicest gemstone I've ever bought.

It went through several incarnations as I tried to complement the beauty of the stone, but nothing seemed 100% right to me, so it sat and waited.

A new crucible and some fun playing with fire resulted in an abstract piece of sterling silver that resembles Chinese calligraphy. Eureka! All it needed was the plum blossom and in my mind, it's a marriage made in heaven.

The beads are muscovite (common mica), rhodonite and a soupcon of fluorite for a flash of green. All silver is sterling, including the OOAK pendant.

The double pendant makes this 21" necklace completely unique, because of the plum tree agate, a natural one-off, and the free-form silver.

Sold

Truths For Mature Adults

2010-05-19T16:29:00.001-03:00

This email really hit home. Nice to know you're not alone out there:

Truths For Mature Humans

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die. Definitely.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. I HATE that feeling!

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. Mine would be worn out.

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? Roll it up and stuff it in a pillow case.

6. Was learning cursive really necessary? Sure, nice writing is a sure sign that you're OLD.

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. Not sure about this one!

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this, Ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text. Or finish a Big Mac you're eating on the run. The lights are ALWAYS green!

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say "Pardon me?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front.

Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber and dumber every year?

29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.

31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time! Amen!

More chain maille

2010-05-10T19:38:00.000-03:00

This is a bracelet in a helm chain pattern that got bossy and decided what it was going to look like. It certainly wasn't my decision because I like big and bold rather than dainty and red has never been one of my favorite colors.

The bracelet is made of 92.5% slow tarnish argentium and ruby/cranberry Swarovski crystals. The stirrup clasp is made of 92.5% sterling silver.

This bracelet is $50 CDN

Catching Up With Wirework

2010-05-09T00:29:00.000-03:00

Figured I'd better do a little wire work because my display case in the store is getting bare spots and tourist season is coming.

This is a pretty piece of green sea glass from Chelton Beach, wrapped in 92.5% argentium silver.

The clear glass piece doesn't show up as well in a picture as the green, but it's nicely wave-washed and looks like crystal. The argentium wrap really sparkles against the milky glass "in person."

Both pieces of sea glass are $40 each.

Fun with Enamel

2010-05-09T00:18:00.000-03:00

My son loves new technology and can't wait to get the newest phone, a plasma HD TV, typical geeky boy toys. I've always tsk-tsked about it, being very superior with all of my old-fashioned gadgets and waiting until I actually needed new electronics before I bought them.
Last week I realized that I'm every bit as bad, only my spending is on new things to make jewelry, and I'd better stop nagging him about his spending habits. Of course, the difference is that mine are necessary and his are not. His are luxuries, mine are business tools. Yep! I can still nag.
I've been casting a covetous eye on enamel and the only thing holding me back was the fact that to do it properly, you need a kiln and there's no room in my kitchen for one, or I'd probably have one of those as well. But doing my quiet-time-in-the-store online window shopping, I discovered that Lacy Tools in Toronto had a whole kit of enamels that only require a half-hour in an oven, or toaster oven. And it was reasonably cheap! It arrived within a week.

A whole lot of things need to be done around here now that spring has sprung and there isn't much time to play with jewelry, but I had to try something with these new enamels. No time to cut and file copper and I was going to just paint some flat copper strips and cut it whenever, but then I thought of the flower from my last post. It had turned out so well but needed a bail of some kind on the back and when I soldered the bail on, it turned a horrible color of old, dry copper, not nice at all and really not salvageable.
But it was perfect on which to try the new enamels. I put a thin coat of red on first and cured it in the toaster oven for half an hour. There was a little red left over, so I added a few drops of dark blue and did the inside and the outside of the petals and cured it another 30 minutes. This stuff is terrific - when it is cured, it has the same hardness and properties of enamel powder that has been kiln cured, but you can paint it on, giving you much more precision. My only complaint, and it's not going to stop me, is that you mix the colors one-third to two-thirds of a catalyst, and the catalyst has a very strong smell, a little hard on the asthma. I'll just do the next mix in the store, under the big vent hood.
So I might have one of the only cell phones left without a camera and a 21" TV with rabbit ears, but I've got some really neat metalsmithing stuff that I don't really have time to play with and a new coloring kit to fix my mistakes!

New Adventures in Metal

2010-04-25T23:28:00.001-03:00

One of my biggest faults is that I try to take shortcuts. Sometimes it works and more often, it screws up a really good idea. This was one of those times and I can only hope to learn from it.
An idea for a flower floated into my head at the tail end of a nap and I couldn't wait to try it, even though there really wasn't enough time to do things properly.

I drew the flower freehand on a piece of card stock and traced it onto the copper with a sharpie. Set my new bench vice up on the kitchen island (did you know those things were packed in a ton of grease?) and after cleaning it up, put the bench block in and sawed the flower. Then I made my first mistake. I half-arsed measured for the centre and eyeballed it as a check.

Second mistake - my dremel is set up for my Koil Kutter and instead of taking it apart and putting a diamond drill bit in to do the centre hole, I decided to do it with a nail on a block of wood. Big nail, big hole and off centre. Duh! It didn't look nearly as bad until I put the LOS on.
Missed a step - taped some brass braided wire to the inside and hammered a dividing pattern. Used a flat hammer for the petals and a dapping punch for the inside. Third mistake - didn't take enough time taping the wire and it's off centre as well.

One good thing is that I had found a $9.99 crock pot for my copper pickle and it was perfect. Holds about two cups, big enough for a bracelet cuff to fit inside and heats fast. So the annealing and pickling was much faster, making it easier to mark and shape.
Next step was my first use of the dapping block and dapping punch to cup the flower. Fourth mistake - hurried again and when I got a few folds I thought they'd add to the look, forgetting that they wouldn't match the placement of the petals.

I used a couple of the different sized holes in the dapping block, going from biggest to smaller and got a reasonable, if slightly off-kilter cup. The nail hole spread and split with the dapping, making it look even worse. Then I took my bent-nose pliers and bent the petals back.
I like the way the dapping punch made a pattern on the back of the flower because the copper was so soft.
So it was not a bad idea and I messed it up trying to hurry. Great learning experience though, and aside from avoiding the four mistakes, I think round-nosed pliers would have made a better curve on the petals. The frustrating thing is that I'm getting into my really busy season and this might be my last chance to play like this until fall.

Pleasant Surprise & Sevens

2010-04-22T17:06:00.000-03:00

Cristina, a very smart lady from Portugal, and one of the nicest I've "met," sent me an email this morning telling me that I was one of the seven blogs she gave the Beautiful Blogger Award. Well, THAT'S a nice way to start your day! Thank you very much, Cristina!
Cristina is a very talented artisan and you can see her work at mypreciousbitsofsunshine.blogspot.com.
For receiving this award, I must reveal seven unknown things about me, and pass the award along to another seven bloggers.
Hmmm...seven things....okay:
I'd rather learn something new than work on something I already know how to do.
I'd rather live with dogs than people. I like my people in small doses. (I'm going to be a hermit when I grow up).
I hate housework. (But anybody who knows me already knows that.)
My sense of humor is very warped. (ditto above.)
I've always wanted to write a book. (Has anybody ever become a best-selling writer in their 60s?)
I can't throw away or give away clothes. Some day they will all fit again.
I love to sing and am incredibly tone deaf. Which is another reason it's best that I live alone.
There, that's me. Now, the important part, which is giving the Beautiful Blogger Award to another seven people. The hard part is sticking to seven.

My first four are amazing women who are not only very talented, they are very generous and giving and share their knowledge of jewelry with anybody who is interested.
www.beadinggem.com - Pearl has a wonderful blog full of fascinating historical tidbits and helpful tutorials.
www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/home-jewelry-business-blog.html - Rena Klingenberg sends a newsletter out weekly with marvellous tips and stories about the business of selling jewelry.
bethmillner.wordpress.com - I've just recently discovered Beth's blog and she's another who is generous with her knowledge and talent.
http://artinsilver.com/blog/ - Hadar Jacobson makes and sells copper, bronze and steel clays and her blog was originally to help her customers, but she has gone far beyond that and has some wonderful tips and techniques for metal clay artists.
http://cctexan3.blogspot.com - Cindy is an amazing artisan, a rape survivor and a recovering alcoholic. Her jewelry has become secondary on her blog, which is often gritty and disturbing, but it's a tribute to the courage of one woman in an adversarial world.
http://www.cafemaplethorpe.com/cafe-blog - Absolutely nothing to do with jewelry but Dianna Linder lets her personality shine through her writing. It's a great view of our Island through the eyes of an ex-pat American. She has a beautiful 4 star B & B on PEI, a gourmet restaurant and if I'm nice, she might keep feeding me.
www.little-epiphany.blogspot.com - I follow this blog just because I enjoy it and like the way Jen writes.

Well, that's my seven. And as I said earlier, it was very difficult just to stick to seven. There are so many interesting people writing blogs now but a person wouldn't have time for anything else if they read them all. Hope you enjoy looking at my Beautiful Blog winners!

The Leaf as Pendant

2010-04-16T16:19:00.001-03:00

The leaf has found a new purpose in life, as the focal of a copper necklace. The chain is antiqued copper, the clasp is hand-hammered copper, the leaf is hand cut, formed and hammered copper and the semi-precious gemstones are amazonite and rhodonite. The little blossom cupped in the leaf is lucite.
The price of the necklace is $50.

In the Grips of an Addiction

2010-04-14T14:51:00.000-03:00

My name is Susan and I'm a beadaholic. Also metal, wire, crystal, glass, jewelry books and tools. Please, advertising people at ArtBeads, Shipwreck, Rings N Things, Aunties Beads, Thunderbird...quit sending me emails about your fabulous sales. Just for a week or two, at least until I use some of the stuff I just got from your last sales. But don't leave it too long, because if the craving gets too strong, I take a quick peek at eBay. Ha!
I've started to feel withdrawal pangs if a day goes by that Canada Post doesn't leave me something.
Fellow artisans, please feel free to add to my list of excuses:
#1 You never know when that might come in handy! (From the look of my stash, about 5% of the time.)
#2 You can never have enough of .............(fill in the blank) (self control?)
#3 The shipping is cheap (or free), I'll just order one thing. (LIES!)
#4 The Canadian dollar is so high right now, I'm actually saving money. (MORE LIES!)
#5 That is so pretty (useful, different, unusual) that if I don't get it now, it probably won't be available when I want it. (Apparently one side of my brain thinks the other side is really stupid)
#6 I've only got 5 feet of ....gauge wire left, if I don't order it now, I'll need it, be out and have to wait two weeks to get it. (that same side is also a con artist)
#7 I need that book for my library, so I can learn something new. (and then have to do a flurry of ordering so that I have the necessary material to make what is in the book. Works for me.)

Have some fun and see if your excuses are better than mine. Just don't comment and tell me that you have self control and only ever order exactly what you need, when you need it. Nobody could be that perfect. Could they?

Adventures in Metalsmithing

2010-04-10T16:50:00.000-03:00

The copper cuff in the previous post was a great learning experience and the tools were calling, but I wanted to try something different, learn something new.

I've used my jeweler's saw for cutting wire and jump rings, but have never actually cut a pattern with it. I knew the basics but putting it into practice was interesting. I drew the pattern on a piece of copper with a permanent marker, put the blade in the saw tightly enough that it twanged and then tried to put the wooden cutting block on my kitchen island overhang with a little vice. The island was too thick for the vice, so I ended up gripping it to the kitchen table. My table wears many hats. When I took the picture, since I only had two hands, I had to let go of the saw to hold the camera and it swung to the left, but I was actually sawing straight up and down and straight forward.

I thought it was a pretty good job!
The hole at the top was either lucky or smart, whichever way you want to look at it. This piece of copper was the one I had out and cut the bangle from and then did my designs on and it was sitting on my anvil. I had also tried whacking it with a nail to see if it made a hole, and it did. When I cut the piece off for the leaf, I arranged the pattern around the hole, because I am basically lazy.
The filing took a little extra time and having done it, I would definitely decrease the number of points on a leaf if I do another one. Speaking of lazy. But I got all the sharp edges filed down. Then I annealed it with my butane torch and firebricks on the kitchen island, pickled it and scrubbed it clean with steel wool and had some fun putting lines on the leaf with wire and a scribe and then bent it in half lengthwise and hammered both sides. It needed annealed again and pickled, and then I opened it up and did some fancy folds and twists.
It didn't look bad without a patina, but the copper chain I have is antiqued, so I got out my bottle of Liver Of Sulphur. Because it's such incredibly stinky stuff, my usual method is to get my bottle of really hot water and plastic spoon ready, shake a pea-sized lump into my hand and dump it in the bottle as soon as I get outside. It sits on my barbeque on the outside porch while I dip into it and the cold water bath. Then I just let it sit there until the water turns clear and dump it in the bushes.

It took me a year to get Liver Of Sulphur because all of the American suppliers had premixed LOS and it was considered dangerous goods to ship. None of the Canadian suppliers I tried had it, until I finally found the powdered form at Lacy Tools in Toronto. It would probably last me for years, but today, when I took the bottle out of the sealed plastic bag, I decided to give it a good shake to break down some of the bigger lumps. Either the bottle was weak or I've been eating my Wheaties, because the bottom broke and glass and liver of sulphur flew all over the kitchen. Of course Dewey thought it might be edible because it was stinky, so it was a flurry of holding dogs, yelling at dogs to stay and trying to clean up the stuff before the dogs realized that they never listen to me anyway. Heaven only knows how long my kitchen is going to smell like rotten eggs. And the stuff I rescued and repacked in a vitamin bottle (double bagged) is full of dog hairs. It might make a very interesting patina - add a pinch of Jack Russell to your mix.
Got the leaf done, though, and the adventure continues.

Update on Coral Conservation

2010-04-08T18:54:00.000-03:00

From a press release from:
Too Precious To Wear Website

From USA Today:

Coral were the latest species taken up at the on-going meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Doha, Qatar. The proposal to protect 31 species of red and pink coral, first discussed during the previous CITES conference over two years ago, was voted down Sunday. A proposal to protect Bluefin tuna was voted down Thursday.
Coral are harvested for jewelry and souvenirs. The catch of red and pink coral has dropped by more than 80% in the last 50 years, according to Oceana, an ocean conservation organization.
"Vanity has once again trumped conservation. Today is yet another example of CITES failing to protect endangered marine species," said Ocean's David Allison.

SeaWeb, a group that's working to protect the coral, is urging consumers to avoid buying items made from the endangered corals through its Too Precious to Wear campaign.
Representatives from 175 countries are at the CITES meeting in Doha from March 13 to 25.
The vote would have put the 31 coral species on CITES Appendix II. Such a listing would require the use of export permits to ensure that the species were caught by a legal and sustainably managed fishery.

Coral are long-lived, some reaching more than 100 years of age, and grow less than one millimeter per year. Coral colonies are fragile and easily vulnerable to destruction.

From the e-letter from Too Precious To Wear:

But the fight for meaningful coral conservation is not over. Now more than ever, red and pink corals need the support of conscientious consumers like you. Refusing to purchase any items made from red and pink coral is key, as there is no guarantee that these species are being sustainably used or well-managed. We continue to receive the support of high-profile jewelers and designers who have pledged never to use real coral and are raising awareness of this important issue. Designers who have recently joined our efforts include Dana Lorenz of Fenton/Fallon, Ileana Makri, Irene Neuwirth, Kara Ross, Nak Armstrong of Anthony Nak and Robin Renzi of Me&Ro. To find out how you can also be a conserver of coral, contact Jackie Marks.

As always, thanks for your continued support. If you haven't already, sign our pledge supporting greater protection for corals worldwide, and strengthen your voice by forwarding on this e-mail and asking your friends to sign our coral pledge. For more regular news and updates from the Too Precious To Wear team, be sure to follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook group.

Faithfully,

SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear team

This is Just the Beginning!

2010-04-07T18:37:00.000-03:00

I get a great magazine called Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist, full of great metalsmithing projects and beautiful things to make. And it drives me crazy, because I never have all of the stuff necessary to even practice making anything. And I really, really want to. So slowly but surely, I've been picking up stuff as I can afford it - a hammer here, bezel wire there, dapping punches, some decent files...and the piece de resistance...a piece of silver sheet! When it came in the mail, I just about cried. A little, tiny piece of 20 gauge silver about 2 inches wide and three inches long and with the shipping, handling and customs fee, about $40! No practicing on that!
This past weekend, somebody in the store told me about a place nearby that sold copper sheet. It didn't take me long to find it and the poor fellow had to drag about 10 pieces of metal off the shelf to find and sell me about 3 pounds of scrap copper sheeting. But oh bliss! I can play to my heart's content and not worry about wasting silver until I know what I'm doing.

My first project was to anneal, bend and texture. This cuff was strictly experimental and not meant to be beautiful. The first test was to clean the copper, and lemon juice and salt did the trick. The second test was to see the difference in texturing between my new hammer and my new dapping punches. Good so far - the hammer makes nice soft dents and the dapping punch can follow a design, so long as you don't mind it in dots. I learned to file the edges and make a nice, smooth rim that won't cut skin. The bending was a little trickier, because I was using a ring mandrel instead of a bracelet mandrel, but with a little patience and a vitamin bottle, it worked and made a pretty good cuff shape. My pickle is in a pint mason jar and the next step is to find a bigger pickle pot, because I'm going to need it for bigger items like this cuff. Soap and water cleaned the cuff this time and my liver of sulphur mixing jar is also pint-sized so I had to dip one end at a time. Worked, though, and when the cuff was sanded, it looked pretty good, even if the initials made it look like a jailhouse tattoo.

Today's playing resulted in my amazing (and cheap!) discovery. I wanted more design options than little round dents or the alphabet and had seen a line engraved on copper with a piece of wire. So I sacrificed a couple of sterling designs I had lying around, taped them onto a piece of (unclean) copper and hit them with a hammer. Whoo hoo! Look at that braided design!
Now my problem is that it took square wire to get that braid, the only square wire I have is argentium and I ain't gonna use it to pound into copper for practice. I've got a roll of steel round wire and if I can figure out how to twist it together in a braid....now I have to play with my drill.
Perhaps I should have called this post "Metalsmithing on a Budget." I could have probably put my kid through college with all the money I have invested in tools and findings at this point and I don't want to spend any more until I have a little proficiency, so necessity has to be the mother of invention for anything else. But stay tuned - this is just the beginning!

My brief career as a photographer - Or...Don't Give Up Your Day Job

2010-03-31T19:01:00.000-03:00

New necklace...finally finished with a lot of help from my friends on the About.com forum. How to take a picture of it was a problem. The curved sterling tubes need to hang properly to show it properly and the necklace didn't show up well on my black display board. No willing necks available.
No problem - take it outside and use the rough boards as contrast. Of course it's raining and the rough boards are also wet and muddy.

This picture does absolutely no justice to the colours. The orangy stones were labeled as Dragons Veins and they are gorgeous, running the entire yellow to orange spectrum. Together with the turquoise and mauve (with hints of orange) they just look like summer, which is why I call the necklace Beach Weather.
The colours show up better in this picture, especially the Dragon Veins and the fluorite focal.
The necklace sells for $40 and the photography is free. I do not do weddings.

Still On The Chain Maille

2010-03-15T22:47:00.001-03:00

Well, I took the plunge, and used my Koil Kutter (with the new blade, unsullied by steel) to cut a whole pile of argentium jump rings. Figuring out the size of the rings needed was very difficult because the required math seems to have taken a holiday. Carol at Beaded-Baubles .com has created a beautiful pattern that she calls Coda.

This is a variation of her pattern, which, I think, is a variation of the Helm chain.

I was too anxious to get a picture and did my photography at night. Not a good idea. You can't see the sparkle of the argentium silver (92.5% silver, same as sterling, but low tarnish). Amazingly, every speck of dust on my board, too small to be seen with the naked eye (my naked eye, anyway) shows up in incredible detail.

I call this piece Infinite Seasons because of the obvious circle motif and the gorgeous peridot green Swarovski crystal leaf contrasted by the burnished copper leaf.

This is a better shot of the leaves, showing the beautiful play of colours on the copper and some of the chain detail. It's also another great shot of the dust.
This necklace is a little over 17 inches long and contains an ounce of argentium silver. Argentium has 92.5% silver, same as sterling, but where sterling is alloyed with copper, argentium is alloyed with germanium, increasing the resistance to tarnish.
This necklace is sold.