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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Metalsmithing is Over... and I'm SAD!

i really can't believe it. my metalsmithing class is over! i think about how frustrated i was when i started (and was nearly ready to QUIT after the first night) and how i feel really happy about taking it now! i thought i'd share some pictures of the things i completed in the 8 short weeks of instruction... and how psyched i am to get started making things on my own!

above is the sterling silver ring that i finished during the last class. the stone is a 14mm pink rhodocrosite set into a sterling silver bezel (all made by me - as you can probably tell from the roughness of the bezel edge).

here is the first heart that i completed - sawn, pierced, polished and suspended from sterling silver chain.

here is the second heart in brass - a little more freeform in design and hung from brass rolo chain.

today i actually set up a little ghetto metalsmithing area on top of the kitchen stove (under the range hood for ventilation - i should have taken a picture because the husband asked if i was running a meth lab!!!!!!!!) so that i could make some delicate organic sterling silver stacking rings. i cute the sterling silver by hand, soldered, pickled and then tumbled in my trusty tumbler for hours! i can't wait to put these in my shop!

so there you have it! i think it was mostly a success - i definitely learned a lot of new things, and now the books that i have on metalsmithing make so much more sense! totally inspiring! now i can tell the mini-muffin that she and mommy took a metalsmithing class together!

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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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Wire Wrapped Loops, Taking the Homicidal Edge Off... and I LOVE my Husband!

i went for my latest baby checkup yesterday and got some really good news:



- i don't have gestational diabetes! (i guess that gives me free rein in the candy aisle!!!!)
- i gained 3 pounds this month! (i was worried that it was going to be 10)
- blood pressure and cholesterol and all the other stuff she checks for is awesomely fine
- my uterus and the baby measure perfectly normal


i did have two questions for the wonderful Dr. C though:


- can i take B6/niacin complexes for the carpal tunnel syndrome? (her answer was not really, since the amounts i'd have to take are pretty high. so i'll just have to stick it out for the next few weeks. thanks to smilemoon for the suggestion though!)

- will the homicidal feelings i've been having go away??? (her answer was preceded by sympathetic laughter - and then she suggested that i get more rest and perhaps increase the iron in my diet. she attributes it to hormones and says that it should go away after the baby comes. as long as i get some sleep.)


i was mostly concerned about the homicidal feelings. no, i haven't killed anyone, and of course i wouldn't, but i FEEL extremely irritated, frustrated and my tolerance for anything slightly resembling stupidity (including bad drivers, potholes, the constantly malfunctioning Xerox machine at the office, and other people's spelling errors) is very, very low. which means that i am quite prickly (or, as the husband says, UNCOMFORTABLE) to be around. because i usually don't feel this way, i am also irritated at myself. so i guess i'll just stuff myself with iron-rich peaches, spinach , oats and beans and hope for the best. or at least, a minimal amount of bloodshed. i apologize to anyone i may have already p*ssed off. :)



actually, what's helped keep me (relatively) sane is my newfound love for wire wrapped loops. i've made several bracelets like the one pictured above, all with gemstones, brass stampings, and wire wrapped loops. almost rosary-like, they drape wonderfully, and i find that the little loops showcase the stones! of course, it takes me probably twice as long to make these due to the fact that i can't feel my fingers and therefore am EXTREMELY clumsy, but it certainly keeps me busy and stops me from stomping around the house and scaring the poor husband.




(who is also doing a great job of keeping me sane. thank you, hunny, for cleaning the house yesterday. and for telling me that i am the prettiest pregnant lady you know. and for not running away when i was insane yesterday and the day before. hopefully soon i'll return to my normal self.)

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