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!

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

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.

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

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

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...

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.