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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happy black friday... and FREE SHIPPING!

it's black friday! (well, in the US anyways) and in honour of this, allegedly the biggest shopping weekend of the year, i'm offering free shipping! (and see me in the free shipping gift guide too!)

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October's Giveaway!

yup, i'm late with my giveaway! i can't believe that the time has gone so quickly! if you can believe it, the mini is now 6 months old - unbelievable. she is such a little person now, with such a personality! she's starting to sit up on her own, and babbles all the time. she lights up when she sees us, which is such a joy.

anyway, i'm getting sentimental. back to the giveaway! i've had requests for a repeat of last month's prize, so here you go!

up for grabs is one of my "knotted up" rings in sterling silver made to fit you (or someone special!) i'm making it even easier to enter this giveaway. all you have to do is become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic ) and leave me a message here saying that you are following!)
- for an extra entry, you can go to my shop and tell me what you like the best.
make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you! go enter! now! i'll be picking a winner on november 5th!

happy october, everyone!!!!!! xxoxooxox

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September's Giveaway - Knotted Up in You Ring

i cannot believe it's september already. the mini is 20 weeks old! the time is just flying by!

it's time for september's giveaway! this month, it's one of my "knotted up" rings in sterling silver made to fit you (or someone special!)

i'm making it even easier to enter this giveaway. all you have to do is become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic - just leave me a message here saying that you are following!)

- for an extra entry, you can go to my shop and tell me what you like the best.

make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you! go enter! now! i'll be picking a winner on september 15th!

happy september, everyone!!!!!! xxoxooxox

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Rings, Rings, and More Rings!

i've been working on some fantastic custom ring orders... i'm pretty stoked! i love the textures and contrasts!!!

i've also been mulling over ring designs in my head lately (mostly while mindlessly flicking through the channels from the breastfeeding "lounge") and used some of my spare time putting these prototypes together. i'm not sure if i'm 100% sold on them - they are a little too spiky, i think - but i LOVE the textures! any thoughts?

my cousin and i have also been discussing nursery decor - i never did get around to decorating the mini's room the way i wanted to since she arrived 10 days early - and my cousin is due in october. we've been surfing etsy and the web for ideas... d*mn you, target, for not delivering to canada! - and going shopping on tuesday. i've never been the shopping type, but the idea of making the mini's room an even happier place to be is kinda exciting - and making sure the handmade movement is duly represented! i'll post before and after pics when we're done!

p.s. i took the plunge and am now on flickr! http://www.flickr.com/photos/muffintopdesigns/

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Psssssst... Want Some Skinny Rings?

i need some distraction! plus, the mini muffin has been in a sweet mood lately! so, i'm running a contest from the couch! the winner will receive a custom made set of my Simply Skinny Copper Stacking Rings! all you have to do is this:


- go to my etsy shop - http://muffintopdesigns.etsy.com/ - heart what you like the best, come back here and leave a comment

- become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic!)

- for an extra entry, feel free to read my baby posts and leave a word of advice!


i'll get the husband to draw a winner on July 5th - my birthday! make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you!

go enter! now!

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Thoughts from a New Mom...

1. a shower has never felt so good.

2. the husband is totally hot giving the baby a bath.

3. my dad is scared to hold very small babies.

4. the mini muffin doesn't wake up when i hammer metal! yay for that metalsmithing class that i took while she was in utero!

5. babies know when you are sitting down to eat and then want to eat exactly at the same time.

6. boobs are wonderful, multifaceted creations of God.

7. the mini muffin doesn't like it when i spend time on the internet.

8. you don't really need sleep!

on a more creative note - late night insomnia after late night feedings CAN lead to pretty sparkly jewels!

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Wedding Anniversary... and My Last Day of Work!!!!!!

today is my last day of work! as of monday, i start my maternity leave! i can't believe that the time flew by so quickly - and yet so slowly!!! i have to admit that i have some feelings of ambivalence: this is the first time in a long time that i'll be off of work for an extended period, as well as the first time i'll be home with a BABY, no less! it makes things really REAL now - the mini-muffin is well on her way and we're going to be parents!!!! the most important job in the world! incidentally, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary this week, and i think i was secretly hoping that the baby would make her appearance on that day! we went for spicy korean food - but no go. she's not ready yet. it's okay though - i'd prefer that she bake a little while longer anyways!! and at least she'll know that her parents didn't have a shotgun wedding! (not that there is anything wrong with that!)

i've planned it so that i (hopefully) have a little bit of time to myself to do the whole "nesting" thing, as well as catch up on some reading and TV watching. (nothing like taking time off to watch all 6 seasons of Sex and the City - thank you, Laurie!) but i'm usually not one to sit still for very long, so i'm hoping to also think of some amazing ideas for my etsy shop! i have some magnificent beaded sterling silver wire on the way, which has inspired ideas for more stacking rings! the husband and i were joking about the fact that everyone calls us "bohemian" because we're kind of artsy (before you get all thinking we're hippie-esque, we do NOT own one piece of tye-dye), and that his drum machine lives right next to my jewelry microtorch!

i've also been giving a lot of thought to making sure that i try to maintain a good balance between motherhood, career-hood (even though, believe me, if i could stay home full time, i would!), and crafty-hood. i'm hoping to find a happy medium for all the parts of me!

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The Humble Egg and it's Oxidization Powers!

three of my oxidized sterling rings worn with three polished skinny sterling stacking bands

so i've been experimenting some more with polishes and finishes for my metalwork. i've always loved the look of heavily oxidized sterling silver - the patina is rich and dark and so lovely in contrast to shiny, high polished silver! however, i've been a little reluctant to use silver black or liver of sulfur - the whole chemical thing isn't conducive to pregnancy, you know? so i did a little digging around on the internet and discovered the joys of oxidizing with a hard boiled egg. and yes, it DOES work! i really have to thank my friend lauren from http://jerseymaids.etsy.com/ for inspiring me to try this method - because i never would have done it without her encouragement!

i'm posting a little how-to here so that i can share the instructions - and make sure that i don't forget how to do it!

above: here are the rings prior to oxidizing. they've been tumbled for strength and polish. make sure that your pieces are work hardened/tumbled/pretty much finished. i would suspect that if i threw the oxidized pieces back into the tumbler they would just polish back up to a relatively high shine.

here's my hard boiled egg, straight out of the pot and still HOT, in a plastic container that has a tight fitting lid. (i'm assuming that everyone knows how to hard boil an egg, right? if not, let me know.) you can also use a ziploc bag if you like. you need a container that seals. the more pieces you do, the more egg you'll need. i found that one egg worked just fine for these rings.

smoosh the egg, shells and all, in the plastic container or ziploc baggie. i found using a container a little better for me and my pregnancy clumsiness since i'm not too great at handling hot things.
i laid the rings on top of a paper towel on top of the smooshed eggs inside the container. you can also put the pieces right on top of the eggs - i just am a little bit of a neat freak and don't like touching the egg. if you put the pieces right on top of the eggs, it seems to speed up the oxidation process a little. make sure that you cover your container (or zip up your ziploc baggie) to keep the nice sulfur fumes in there!

and here are the rings - all deeply oxidized! this is only after about an hour on top of the warm eggs. i kept the container in the microwave for insulation purposes, hoping to keep the egg warmer for longer.

and here is the finished product! i love the rainbow-y finish that the oxidized rings have - not totally uniformly dark like you would get from some of the chemical methods, but really nice and rustic! who knew that the humble egg could conquer metal like THIS?????

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Springtime Stacked Rings GiveAway!!

if you've been following my metalsmithing journey, then you'll have realized that i've become addicted to making these lovely stacking rings! in celebration, (and also because i can't stop making them!) i'm giving away a set of my lovely Simply Stacked rings! the winner will receiving a custom made set of three in either 14 gauge brass or copper.


all you need to do is:


- go to my etsy shop - http://muffintopdesigns.etsy.com/ and find the item that you love the best! heart it, then come back here, post what it is and why you like it! make sure that i can find you later (i.e. email address, blog, etsy shop) if you are the winner!

- become a "follower" of my blog! (see the sidebar for the button to click to "follow" me!)

for extra points - if you purchase something from my shop and mention the contest in the "notes to seller", you'll get an extra 3 entries!


easy enough, right? well, get to it! the contest ends April 3rd, 2009, at which time i'll get the husband to draw a winner from all of the entries!

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Obsessed with Solder... and Procrastination at it's Best!

the act of soldering is quite mediative. turn on the crockpot to warm the pickle solution. set up the firing brick. turn on the exhaust fan. cut the metal, apply the solder paste. place on the brick. fire up the butane torch, adjust the flame. apply heat, watch the metal and solder heat up and flow together... then, just at the right moment... quench and throw in the pickle solution. i think i'm becoming obsessed with the way that the solder flows into the metal, and the forms that are created - even with a simple ring! i love how the solder polishes up to a high shine just like the rest of the ring when i throw it in the tumbler - it really lends a handmade, organic quality to it! i'm definitely not making a "perfect" ring, but they way these turn out, is perfect to me! they still turn out as comfortable to wear as if i had sanded them for hours, and have a lovely, rustic look to them!

i'm also working on my bezel settings... not the easiest thing in the world to master, but the "Starry Starry Night" ring above didn't turn out too badly. i did add some adhesive to the underside of the cabochon to add some security, but i wore it to work on Thursday and it survived the whole day! i'm quite thrilled at how this one turned out!

obviously i am too busy playing with fire to get all of my documents ready so that i can get my taxes done... we DEFINITELY need the money before the baby comes, but it's too much fun playing in the meth lab! i am also pretty certain that i owe some GST money to the Government... geez. this is what i get for not setting up my business paperwork ahead of time! i have vowed to pop in a Grey's Anatomy DVD and take the grocery bags full of receipts and forms to sort through tonight. sigh! the joys of owning a small business, working full time, and not being organized! i DID clean out the fridge (no, not by eating) and realized that we had a lot more condiments than actual FOOD! who does that?

fyi - if anyone is looking for something etsy to do, the TradeAHolics' team is having a Trade and Stay event starting tomorrow! check out the team blog here: http://etsytradeaholics.blogspot.com/ and join us! i'm probably not going to trade this time around - i'm trying to get my shop stocked up before the mini-muffin comes - but it's ALWAYS a blast.

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For the Love of Metal...

the husband did a wonderful job of painting the bathroom and cleaning up the baby's room - and they say that men don't get that "nesting" feeling! i tell you, he is so fabulous. as much as we both feel a little twinge of regret that we didn't start our family earlier, we will probably be better parents the age we are now than if we had started 10, even 5 years ago... i feel a little badly for him because all i want to do is solder and think of new designs for my etsy shop! but seriously, do you think it's possible to love your spouse even more than you did when you married them? i do!!!! (thanks, beb, for all the work you've done this week! the baby and i love you!)

i'm sitting in the basement after a fabulous session in the "meth lab" (as my makeshift metalsmithing area in the kitchen shall now be known!), nursing my dry, cracked hands and listening to the items i fired up this evening rustling around in the tumbler. the mini-muffin is bubbling around in my belly... she probably has picked up on my creative excitement! and in the meantime, the husband is sleeping! i've been working on a new design of ring - inspiration courtesy of the cabochons and sterling silver wire that came in the mail today! tonight is the first night in two months that i haven't had a metalsmithing class, and i miss it! i know i've said it before, but i am sooo glad that i stuck it out and finished the course!


i have to admit that with this little bit of downtime i have - my full time job is winding down as i prepare to go on maternity leave, and metalsmithing class is done - i've been considering making some changes to my shop, as well as to my "style" of jewelry making. when i look at where i started in July 2007, i feel that i've moved and grown! i've been thinking about taking things a little more seriously. i printed out several "success" stories from etsy's blog, The Storque, and am taking notes. kind of exciting... a new business direction and a baby!

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The View from the "Meth" Lab...

i am going to admit that i think i'm addicted to soldering now. sigh! i KNEW something like this would happen... :) anyway, here is the view from my guerrilla "meth" lab setup in the kitchen. and no, we are not going to eat those bagels.

the rustic eternity circle pendant above was made by me! i love the way it catches the light.

here are the sterling stacking rings after spending some time in the tumbler. they are so bright and shiny, while being delicate and ethereal at the same time.

off to hunt down some more metal!

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Grabbing the Brass (or Copper) Ring! And Planning the Mini-Muffin's Nursery

yes. it's my first REAL ring! after struggling with the jeweler's saw, i finally accomplished something!!!! i know it doesn't look like much, but who knew that so much goes into making rings out of sheet metal????? the one above is out of copper - hand sawn, hand filed, annealed, pickled, soldered and hammered on a mandrel. quite a rush - probably not in the same way as skydiving or bungee jumping gives you a rush, but i'm pregnant and can't do those things right now. i love the way the metal responds to the open flame and how you can make it do what you want with just a little coaxing (or pounding!) i'm quite proud of myself - given the pathetic-ness of my initial "piece" (see my January 24th post). we're working on a band ring in sterling silver now and it's looking good so far! i'm really, really excited - now if i could just stop napping to design and cut metal! i definitely am not feeling as discouraged as i did a few short weeks ago! i still may one day be a world famous designer!!!!!



speaking of napping - i suppose the napping isn't really my fault - the mini-muffin is now almost 30 weeks along and she feels like she's getting so big! the husband can feel her moving all the time now and it's so miraculous to be able to be sharing this experience with him! i'm getting a little stressed out now worrying about maternity leave, finances, registering for baby items, and getting her nursery put together - but my wonderful cousin, littlepapercuts, is walking me through it. she has done TONS of kids' rooms and i'm pretty lucky to have her help us out!




these pictures are of her son Alex's room, and they were a winner in a HGTV photo contest last November! she has such a wonderful sense of design and style that i couldn't possibly hope to have. we're working with a pale green and buttercream colour scheme (today anyways) and she already has tons of ideas. (which reminds me, i really should be taking photos and measurements to email to her! sorry, jo!)

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Resonating for Resin! And Clamoring for Clusters!

i'm lovin' these new earrings in my shop! the bright colours are courtesy of resin covered silverplated brass shapes... a little splash of sunshine in your ears!

i also can't stop making these amazing cluster cocktail rings! they are so fabulous and surprisingly comfortable to wear!!!!! hmmmm... maybe this is another new design technique i can add to my New Year's resolution list????

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