Presents

Well, Christmas has come and gone, my heart has stopped beating it's self out of my chest. Finally. Thank God. Phew! Now I am trying to majorly get a bee in my bonnet to do some destashing around here.

I used to be the destashing QUEEN! I mean I would throw everything away, if I didn't like it or didn't feel like it was being used enough, it was outta here. Well some family issues developed over that so I had to back off a little....and ended up backing off just a *tidge* too far! So now I'm back at it......doing the refining, so I can FIND things. Oh FUN! ;/

So, here are a couple of presents I made for Christmas.

The 1st is for my Sister-in-law. This set is made from an Onyx focal and Golden Amozonite accents with handmade, soldered round rings for kicks.

This second necklace I made for my mother. We both have a deep love for birds, especially teeny tiny birds, so I made this for her from sterling silver...uhm, it's harder to do than it looks!

A little Christmas Help!

OK, I have done it too, wander around looking for the perfect things and either I end up buying stuff I'm not really that excited about...or nothing and have to go back out again. So today I'm gonna show you some of my faves and hopefully some great ideas for Christmas gifts.

A girl cannot have to many cool pouches!! These little bags by http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7462742 are just Darling!!

And this girl makes the most beautiful cards!!! Just lovely and the price is so reasonable!



Here's her link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7974849


My friend lmea made this gorgeous bracelet with my hand crafted copper button!
Here's her link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7746606

OK, that's all for now, I'll do some more later...looking around for Men's Stuff...that's the toughest usually!!

Ugh...me.....DARK?

Ya, that last post was a little dark for me...ok, you saw my big freakin' grin in my pic......I DO smile a lot. So, sorry if I brought the room down!! Why do holidays bring out the grinch in us? OK...me.....am I the only one? NO, I KNOW I'm not, I have to drive on the freeway with ya'll, there are more grinch's out there than just me and I want to HIT you....yet, smack you.....get outta my way, will ya.....we have to share the same road and you are up my tiny car's rear end with your gross fat gas-eating giant ugly SUV (OR truck...why do the jerks drive WHITE trucks....sorry to any of you nice white truck driver's out there, there must be at least one or two of you.....somewhere....) You make me want to say words that might make me go to hell!!!!!!

WAHHHHH I'm DARK again....WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Ok, well, now...... (works up nice LA white toothed smile).....here's my newest piece of heaven........
(I smiled when I made this) (so there!!!)

Ever feel like you are being Targeted?

Like you could look up and there would be an anvil on it's way down....coming right at your head?

Oh how about sitting in your car and feeling like something is gonna ram right into you. I think this is a reaction to stress. You ever get that? I walk around ducking and hiding because I'm SURE something is gonna get me sooner or later....it always does!

I suppose that with the holidays right around the corner especially woman will feel like that. Like some big awful thing will happen if we dont create the prefect holiday for our family. We have to have the perfect presents, well thought out and lovingly created...for everyone!! Then there are the cardsw..of which I just cannot handwrite anymore, I'm sorry, I can't do it........so guess what, I'm waiting for that friendship that will be out the window cuz I couldn't write out my best wishes to their card. Sheesh, so many expectations.

For me, it's all about hanging out, eating good food and hopefully having one or two moments that make you gasp. Connections with old friends, conversations with mothers and sister, a family member finally singing for all, and with a very nice voice to....seeing how big your nephew got. Seeing how gentle your son is with his new girlfriend. Seing how gentle my husband is with his lovely 14yo daddys girl. Life is full of gasps. I want them ALL.

Oh, that picutre is of a rose necklace that I just finished....isn't it purtty?? I have set a little red coral cab in the middle. Its for sale on my Etsy account lavalleygirly.etsy.com check it out!!

Places I hang out

Well, sometimes I'm here....wanna do more of that. But I also hang out TONS at Cagey Crafters..(http://cageycrafters.invisionzone.com/) What a great site! Wonderful people who are fabulously talented and willing to share their knowledge.

I am also on Etsy a lot to....fun place to surf. But if you decide to wade into their waters...be careful, it's highly addictive!!! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5126595
That's for my shop, but click the Orange Etsy box to enter the deep water!!

Here's a pic of my newest design......lovin' the jewelry!

Balance Challange

Its always a struggle for me to find and maintain balance in my everyday life. Mostly I would just put everything on the back burner and make jewelry. But there IS a business side of it that must be dealt with. But REALLY, I mean, I just want to do my ART! (whine appropriately) I guess I could end up really soon just sitting in piles and piles of my own jewelry. That would be bad! People are supposed to want to want to wear this stuff!!

So, I goota sell it somehow. What I want to do is just make it and not worry about what happens beyond that.....yes, really realistic, right???

More Jewelry stuff

What can I say......I GOTTA do it! So if you stumble in here....you'll see it for sure!!

This is a necklace that I had so much fun making....I love hearts and this is fun because every one I make has it's own personality. I have oxidized the chain and kept the heart shiny bright silver......isn't it cool? It gives it an edgy look!

















This second set is made with Swarovski Crystal Hearts and sterling silver. I have selectively antiqued it to give it a rather edgy look.

I donated this set to help raise funds at a silent auction for Kids Konnected http://www.kidskonnected.org/html/home.htm

Well the holidays are approaching fast and it's that time...time to start shopping for our loved ones before all the good stuff is gone!!!

So go check out my jewelry site, I'd love to make you something special!! And there are plenty of lovely, well-made and unique items there.......plus, I gift-wrap for free!!

Big sale gong on right now....check it out!!!! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5126595

new, uhm, Boobs

Yes folks, as you already now it's breast cancer awareness month! I have made and given several bracelets to charities and survivor friends. But the one piece I just dont know what to do with is this....

A Week for Learning

Wow, I had such a trip!! I spent a whole week at a beautiful lakehouse with a bunch of very talented jewelry artists. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for me!!

These first earrings have many new techniques. I got to roll the silver sheet through a rolling mill to give it that matte look. Then I sweet soldered the curvy copper ribbons on the edges.....then I put a rivet in the top....not my new favorite skill, I almost ruin the whole thing!! BUT, I LOVE doing the bezel setting!! Those are carnelians and I set them in the there bezel!!!

The next project was the three rings. I ran them through the rolling mill pounded them on the anvil and cut the and soldered them, then reshaped them and finaly hammered the texture in. The dumped them in the pickle and finally the tumbler for a super shine!

This next project was the hardest! II had to cut out a shpe to match the stone from a sheet of sterling. Then I had to measure the stone with the bezel wire. Then solder it all together...easier said than done!!! Then I soldered on the decorations...then I SET the STONE!!! YIKES that was hard!!! Got a couple of scratches on it, but not bad for a first try!

This is just an idea I had for mixing metals. This copper disk seemed to want to be dressed up with a silver ribbon!

And this to the left is my first success with chainmaille!! I still have a ways to go before it's done, but I am so hapry to be able to DO it now. This is a Euro 4in1 and I love it!!!!!




I may start to show pics here of my jewelry making expiditions, if anyone would like to see the behind the scenes of how things like these get made I would be willing to do a little of that for fun.......

Lookee what I found!!!

I found this in a strand of freshwater pearls!!! Cool, huh?

And actually the way its drilled is perfect for a little Mickey pendant!!!

Meme??

Huh, I just got tagged for a meme by my new dear friend Chrystal, who I'm gonna shake.....oh ya, is that #3...yes the 'moaning meme'. I do not know what a meme is, I think it's the nickname we called my cousin Michelle she she was a little baby!!!

I'm not even sure how to link to another blog....guess I'll have to sort that out!!! But for now, I'm gonna just show some jewelry I made.

OK, this first piece was from a color challenge on the forum I hang out on: http://cageycrafters.invisionzone.com/

I really like how it turned out, but boy did I get fussy with it! I mean REALLY!!! All those teeny tiny beads! Anyhow, I handformed the base from Sterling silver and hammered that ( I LOVE hammering things!!!) and then wove the rest of the stones on there. It has turned out to be one of my faves...but since it was for a color challenge, that means that they were mostly colors I dont wear....so I have to find something besides a white t-shirt to wear it with......it is LOVELY to wear!!!



Then there are these chandeliers.......I made the forms for these AGES ago when I was first learning to solder. The forms are really hard for me, but everytime I put something on Etsy that is soldered like this, it gets snatched up!! I kinda wish I would have kept these, but the girl who got them say they are her faves now, so that makes my heart very happy!!!!

About Blogging & Technology

I don't want to be one of those old ladies that is scared of everything new. OK, yes, I'm not exactly an old lady yet...but I *know* some. Remember when the microwave came out and old people were sure it was gonna kill everyone!

Now I have to keep up with technology or I will look silly. It's a lot of work for me cuz I just don't think that way. I'm not a techi person AT ALL. I'm artsy-fartsy!!! I mean I spend my whole adult life as a professional singer, now I am a voice teacher and a jewelry artist.

So, recently here are the things I've learned.......how to take a picture and download it on the computer, and learned how to actually GET it to where it needs to be. (oh and edit it and all that stuff) I learned how to open an e-commerce shop. I learned how to record my voice lessons and burn them to a CD..(wish I coulda had that when I was taking lessons!!!) Learned how to use a SLR Camera...sheesh, that was hard, am STILL learning how to work my Blackberry and the Treo bluetooth that goes with it. Oh, and my Ipod mini........*sometimes* I can work that!

And this does not count that I just moved to LA less than a year ago and am still learning to get around. So that's not really technology....but it DOES use up brain cells that are not used to functioning!!!

So, now I have a blog and I have to figure out things like how to 'pimp it out'. LOL

On aging well...

As I age....and age I HAVE! I am learning so much about myself. we have lived in LA for aonly a year and it is quite a striking difference from everywhere else! People here are always 'dressed'....even if you think they aren't...they ARE. their shoes are the *right* shoes with the *right* bag. You might not notice it at first, but everything is very well thought out.

Now, in Vegas, where we came from...anything went.........if you were a fat pig and wanted to wear dolphin shorts and flip flops...go right ahead. We might stare at you, but it's still ok. Here, if someone did that.....the people would be so embarrsed just to have to SEE them like that. I mean what were they thinking??? Your hurting my *eyes*.

It's hard to be relaxed here in LA about how you look. People here are very much all about how they look, without looking like they care very much about how they look!!! Lots of women don't wear any, or much makeup at all, but do you know what they have to DO to get to that point? OH yes, chemical peals and allkinds of nasty stuff just so they can go makeupless!!!

And they are all so TAN. I live here, too, I have a pool, and I get in it and also lay in the sun quite frequently.....but these people have year round tans. Like they have tanned so hard for so long that it just stays now! Their skin is so tan it is leather.

Well, I want to age gracefully, but the closer it gets.......the more I want to check out all those places that do all those nasty things to you to make you look younger......no, I can't, I just can't......maybe I'll just wear my hair pulled back REALLY tight!!! LOL.