the ultimate in handmade...

i have to admit, part of why i haven't been as great at keeping up with the blog lately is because... yup, i'm pregnant!  obviously my productivity went down as i went through 1st trimester morning sickness (well, it was more like all day sickness) and just came to terms with the next steps in our lives!  we seem to have passed all of the tests okay (at the lovely age of 38, this pregnancy is termed a "geriatric pregnancy" so you can understand why i'm a little nervous) so, at just over 19 weeks, i am putting the news out there into the blogosphere.  meet mcbaby!!! (as L and i have named him/her - it looks like it's a her, but the tech wasn't sure so we're still trying to be gender neutral)

i am a little nervous, i'm not the spring chicken i used to be, and of course finances always come into play, but i am trying to enjoy the honeymoon period of this pregnancy while still juggling everything else - the day job, the jewelry making, and the running of the household.  we are all very excited about the next chapter in our lives - especially the mini, who already seems to love this new little one.  well, until he/she starts stealing toys and whacking people on the head. 

now if i could just budget a little better, i'd be good. 

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inital bangle.

as the last hours of my time off slips through my fingers, i'm posting these pictures of my latest design.  my vacation hasn't just been about making oddly placed tan lines or planting my vegetable garden (of course, there was a lot of that) but i also worked on my item to send to kaley cuoco.  after a few hours of browsing google images of the actress and her style, i finally decided to keep things simple and am going to send her this lovely sterling silver bangle with her first initial stamped in oxidized brushed brass.  the flash of pink is courtesy of a niobium jump ring, making this just a little more girly, without the frills.  i will also be offering these in my shop because i love them!  honestly, this would make the perfect bridesmaid gift or birthday present, don't you think?

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more spinning.

well, not in the handspun yarn/prick your finger on the spindle sort of way, but in relation to my spinnerette collection, and, as my friend Anne-Marie would say - "jewelry for anxious people"!  inspired by a custom request, i am now thrilled to show off these lovely sterling silver hammered hoops, accented by a rosy copper "spinnerette".  a beautiful mix of metals, this is another discreet way to fidget during meetings or appointments!  just lovely, and perfect for summer!  (and of course, available with a sterling or 14K gold filled "spinner" as well!)

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raw stones & silver.

lately i've been fascinated with raw, uncut stones and trying to set them in rustic claw settings, like a cocktail ring redux. i've pretty much given up - at least for now - on learning how to sink set, rub set, or properly seat cabochons, but the concept of a unstructured claw setting didn't seem so far out of reach.  i had some lovely rough, uncut turquoise lying around, so i based my ring design on one of those.  i used some scrap sterling that i had saved up and constructed a simple ring shank, but in the end, the setting was way too large for the stone i had chosen.  digging around in my inventory, i did find a center drilled hunk (seriously, there is no other word for this stone) of amethyst in deepest purples, and it fit.  while i am not too thrilled about the fact that the ring isn't what i initially envisioned, i am pretty pleased with the overall outcome.  the ring has also held up to the mini's rough and tumble testing - surprisingly - so i think i might try my hand at setting the smaller turquoise after all.

thoughts?

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