pinterest!

of course i've had this artisan's group pinterest board link flagged in my inbox, thinking i'd have time to post it.  finally here it is - the collection compiled by the organizer of the kaley cuoco gift bag (thank you, shawna!!!) of the items that were give to kaley!  there are some very lovely items included here and i love it that i was a part of it! 

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time runs away.

between the craziness at the office, the early emergence of summer, and the husband's (hopefully) imminent job change, time seems to be running away from us.  i squeeze in whatever time i can at my little metalsmithing table, but it always feels like there never is enough time to do everything.  i do have the relative luxury of trying to take holiday days before my maternity leave, so i am hoping to have some long weekends during the lovely months of july and august for hanging out with the mini and trying some new designs.  and of course, working on soaking up the sun (with 30 SPF, of course).

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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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