the art of neglect... and a pre-holiday sale!

so i've been quite neglectful of this blog and i'm sort of embarrassed.  i look back at past posts and like seeing where i've been and what was inspiring.  so now, i am posting again - admittedly, because i'd like to show off some of the things i've been working on in the rare spare moments i've had between the family, The Walking Dead, and the day job. 

gifted to the stylist of "BONES" - not sure if they'll use it, but i sure love mine!

fingers crossed - these babies were chosen for an unnamed TNT network show - i'll let you know when the episode airs!

the latest incarnation of my fidget rings - 'jewelry for anxious people' as dubbed by my friend Anne-Marie from 'do not faint'

i've been working on expanding my "fidget" jewelry.  i've had some amazingly positive feedback from customers who have said that their fidget rings from my shop have worked better than any therapy or medication to help them with their symptoms.  seriously - it makes everything - EVERYTHING - worth it and fuels me all the more to keep making them.

and of course, in celebration of the holidays, from today until December 1st, 2014, everything in my shop is 15% off with the coupon code "NOVEMBER15"!  it's not to early to start your holiday shopping!!!!!

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new in the shop...

showing off some new creations - I have been working on my bezel settings as well as some new additions to the Celestial line and the fidget rings.  thoughts?

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he couldn't put a ring on it.

my newest obsession - whisper thin 14K gold filled hoop earrings.  these are tiny and so cool.  i can't stop making them.

so i'm working in the basement last night (yes, insomnia again, sigh.  but see what i made?) when my BlackBerry trills and a text message comes through from L.  her most recent ex (and the one she fell for the hardest) has reappeared in her life.  we had not heard from him - let's call him mr. robot - since i had a frank, heart-to-heart discussion with him last winter asking him why he could not commit to her and if he couldn't, he needed to leave her alone.  (i usually stay out of my loved ones' romantic lives but this called for extreme measures.  plus, the dude ASKED me what she wanted.)  L is pretty easy going and seriously did not want a huge committment from mr. robot - she just wanted to know that they were in a monogamous, committed dating relationship and she would have been happy.  and a diamond would have been nice too, but not required.  however, mr. robot is an admitted committment-phobe and despite the fact that, on paper, he is quite the catch, he has never been with anyone longer than a year or so, has not really lived with anyone ever, and has a notorious wandering eye.  (or two.) 

however, over the past four years, i have watched mr. robot be drawn inevitably back to L, after every fight, after every crash-and-burn, after every breakup. (he is the nastiest breaker-upper ever.  seriously.)  even after she changes her contact information (email, phone number), he somehow finds her.  because we run in similar social circles, any time mr. robot hears anything about L, or catches a glimpse of her, she gets a call at the office, or a lighthearted email.  which is what happened this time - he saw her, and once again, was a goner.

so i worry about my sweet L.  i know he is her achilles heel, her kryptonite.  she misses him but knows how hurtful he can be.  and the guy is a smooth talker, easy on the eyes, and knows how to treat a girl well - when he wants.  she has put up her boundaries, but as anyone who has ever been in love before, those can be slowly (or quickly, depending) eroded and you end up in a place you vowed you'd never be again. 

for some reason, i hear that annoying, stupid beyonce song in my head when i think of him now - 'you should have put a ring on it'.  yes, the song is tremendously vapid (you will NEVER find a link to a beyonce song on my blog), but seriously?  dude, you could have anything you wanted from L, just if you could commit just a little bit.

don't hurt her again, you jerk!  i have no problem breaking up with you again.

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wired.

there is nothing like going to the post office and picking up a box full of precious metal.  (well, perhaps that is an overstatement - now that i think about it, i can think of a hundred things better than that.)  inside the box were coils of beautiful smooth sterling, golden 14K gold fill, and warm, blushing rose gold wires.  whisper thin, sleek and so, so shiny, i seriously can't resist.  (sometimes i am such a GIRL that it makes me want to throw up.)  so now i'm surrounded by hoop earrings in all sizes - all 20 gauge, slim and sparkling.  obsessed, much?

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lucky. horseshoe.

so the lovely j.r. wanted to see what i wasted so much wire on yesterday.  i've been mulling over the idea of a horseshoe hinged earring design - where the lower part of the hoop is made up of substantial hammered wire and then the loop that goes through the ear is thinner but still sturdy.  i wanted movement but chunky - does that even make sense?  i have to admit that i am not the best at making wire loops (damn carpal tunnel!) but i've been trying. 
the main design issue for me is making sure that the loops on the larger part of the earring are roomy enough for the smaller wire loops to move so that the earrings have some swing to them.  i also need to use a thinner gauge wire for the part that goes through the ear - 18 gauge is a little too thick, i fear.

here are the workable "prototypes" of the lucky horseshoe earrings that i finished last night.  the larger one is in copper (which i probably should have started with in the first place instead of wasting all that sterling) and the smaller in silver.  "lucky" is an appropriate name since it was probably not a good idea to have worked on them after having a drink - i was pretty lucky that i didn't hammer my fingers off.  (i did get my thumb once though.  #$%#$^.)

thoughts?

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metal meltdown

today was supposed to be a relaxing day with the mini at home. but it wasn't. she was in a brutal mood, as was i. she was clingy and whiny and just all around not herself. she threw up and it got all over herself and over me. it took an hour and a half to put her to sleep. the husband, unfortunately, was in a bad mood after misplacing his credit card and was exhausted from work as well and was sent to bed. the ancient humidifier attached to our furnace overflowed and i ended up scooping slimy water onto the floor. i didn't get my package of sterling wire in the mail like i was hoping to. the husband ate the last fresh bagel from our shopping excursion today and didn't share. i felt fat.

so what did i do once i had a second to myself? i found some amazing 14K gold filled wire that i have had in my stash forever. and i pounded on it instead of doing something self-destructive like eat a whole bag of skittles. yay me. and yay earrings!!!! (i also am making them in sterling, brass, copper and maybe some rose gold.)

and no, i'm not angry anymore. not much. :P

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Autumn Giveaway!

seriously, the days are just flying by. sometimes i turn around and i can't even remember where the week went! i even find that this new job is even busier than my other job - and that job was CRAZY! however, i have to admit that i am liking the change and am adjusting slowly.

one of the best things about change is that sometimes it triggers little bursts of inspiration for me. i love simple designs in sterling and i have become obsessed with the idea of the eternity circle as an earring. i have been focusing on rings for the most part, but have made several pairs of earrings that i can't stop wearing!

so, in celebration of the change in the seasons, i'm giving away one of my newest designs - the simply rustic eternity earrings in sterling! all you have to do is follow my blog and leave a post here and tell me about the most recent change in your life! if you blog or twitter about this giveaway, you'll get an extra entry - just remember to post here that you've done that as well. i'll use the all omniscent random.org to choose a winner on october 15th! don't forget to also leave your email address or a link to your site so that i can contact you if you win!

happy autumn, everyone!

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GIVEAWAY!!!!!

the fabulous michelle from epicureanstyle is hosting a giveaway for me! and the prize is this wonderful pair of earrings! so, go enter! NOW!

(and here's the link AGAIN! http://epicureanstyle.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/01/giveawaymuffin-top-designs.html )

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