these broken hands.

a rhinestone and sterling silver bezel set ring - a prototype that never made it to the shop but i still love it

for a long time now, i have had some sort of carpal-tunnel-esque sort of thing happening with my hands.  it seemed to have started when i was pregnant with the mini - i couldn't drive for very long without my hands falling asleep.  when i took my first metalsmithing class, at some points i could barely hold the jeweler's saw, much less anything small and delicate.  however, after the mini was born, it seemed to improve and since then i have been able to work without much difficulty, at least most days.  the height that my jewelry table is at allows for proper circulation, but my desk at work and at home aren't, which results in my hands going numb if i sit there for long periods of time.

i worry.  i worry because so much of my life involves me using my hands, and i fear that if this gets worse, that i won't be able to continue my craft.  and since i also use my hands to model my designs, i'd be out a photo prop as well.  (i suppose i could have them stuffed and preserved but i'm sure it won't look good - plus how the heck would i take photos anyways?  morbid, much?)  i know that i'm probably scared for nothing, but it causes me some concern.  it makes me wonder if i have some sort of weird rare circulatory disorder, an oddly shaped blood clot in my wrists, or that one day i'll just sit up and my hands will fall off.  sigh.

i know i had posted a link to joe brooks' amazingly sweet song already - but i woke up with it in my head.  and i love the fact that they used it in grey's.  oh callie, i know how you feel.

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british sensibility...

just a little inspiration from across the pond...

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bye bye, little muffintop!

so i finally did it - in the wee hours of the morning, my sweet little muffintopdesigns shop was renamed.  i am now "the lovely smith".  while i've been trying on that name for a while and it definitely is the ONE, i am very sad to be saying goodbye to the muffintop.  new business cards have been ordered, a new etsy banner uploaded, a heartsy deal on deck and now i'm looking at revamping my packaging.  i have kept my 'colours' - it was my intention to maintain my current palette, knowing that i was eventually going to take the plunge, and hopefully it will help with the transition.  i am going to keep my blog and twitter accounts the way they are, just because i'm not ready to completely let go yet.  and really, the "muffintop" is still a part of me.

this has been a long time coming.  i think there will be a period of mourning, but i am still quite excited.  i think that moving in this direction will free me to think a little more outside the box - and better describe what i do now.  the lovely julie already refers to me as TLS - so funny but yet it was kind of the push that i needed to click the button to change my name on etsy.

thanks, little muffintop.  i will always love you!  (now i have to re-register my business name when ServiceOntario opens.  crap, i hope no one has taken it yet...)

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pretty little liar.

they say that once a child reaches the age of about 4 or 5, he or she realizes that people really don't know what's going on in his/her head and lying starts to become a regular appearance.  (i beg to differ about the age estimate, it seems that the mini is either way beyond her years, has a wicked imagination, or is starting to tell me "stories" that are not true.  sigh.)   this week, however, L found out that mr. robot - despite his attempt to get her recently changed phone number and email address out of me on monday - had been seeing other people the whole 4 years that she thought that they were together.  the most recent 'girlfriend' was very much in the picture when they briefly reconciled in the late summer, and allegedly, he is moving in with her.  to be honest, i don't know how i will ever be able to speak to him again.  i guess sometimes you really can never know someone.  especially one who lies with such glibness and little remorse.  psychopath, much?  while part of me hurts for L, part of me is very happy because he is now exposed for who he is.  and we are better off without him in our lives.  oh L, i so wish that you could find someone who is worth your attentions.  (that being said, apparently A is coming down over the xmas holidays to come and stay in our basement. *wink*)

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we are in love. with rose gold.

a close up of the 'we are in love' necklace in sterling and rose gold filled.  sigh. 

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