It's Cold Outside!

I hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a really nice day! We had relatives over to our house. We ate too much and have lots of leftover turkey. I'm sure you can relate to that! We also fired up the Wii and had a bunch of laughs watching everyone play it. I really enjoy hosting the annual Thanksgiving dinner.

Even though we live in a temperate area called 'The Low Country' of South Carolina, we are getting some cold weather. It is frosty out in the morning and chilly throughout the day. I can't complain because there's no snow to tackle. That's one reason we moved from Pittsburgh, PA to SC. It is really nice here.

Over our long Thanksgiving holiday, I've been trying out new stuff. Sorry. Not jewelry. I made my first batch of soap EVER! I love cooking and it is as technical as that but a bit more dangerous. I have a really nice bar of soap curing in my laundry room. The batch made 2-1/2 pounds. I was able to try it out because of the process I used to make it. It still needs to rest a while in order to dry to a harder bar.

Yesterday, I had another jewelry commission requested. I LOVE commissions! Especially when I get to see how people respond to the finished product. This is a copy of the chain maille bracelet below. However it will be a bracelet and necklace. This is a really nice chunk of chain and it really gets noticed. I hope the recipient enjoys it. I will try to remember to take pictures and post it. It should be a day or two by the time I finish. I only have a couple of hours a night to work on it by the time I get home from work. I finished about 8 inches of chain last night. I may be able to finish the necklace tonight. I still need the measurements from the recipient so I know what length she wants.

Well...it's time for me to get ready for work. Take care and, for those of you who do it, happy mailleing.

Getting Ready for the Show

I hope you're having a great beading day! I've been busy getting things ready for my show this Saturday. I've set out all of my jewelry to take count of what I already have and what I need to make. I've incorporated some of my new shiny stuff into this, but I've also used up a lot of my old beads to match the jewelry I already have. I have some of my props ready. I've decided to go with a fall theme...baby pumpkins and dried flowers. Maybe I'll pick some wildflowers instead. I'll be taking some pics of the jewelry and table probably tomorrow and Saturday. All I really have to do to get ready is clean house and make munchies. I don't overdo the munchie thing. I just have a sweet and a savory plus drinks.

Take care.
Michelle

Some Pics of My Jewelry

Hello, all. I am going to try to add a few pictures of some of my favorite jewelry items. A lot of experimentation has gone into trying to take these pictures. Full indoor light and with flash, indirect outdoor light, filtered outdoor light. The filtered outdoor light seems to work the best. My setup is so high-tech it's embarrassing! I set up near the North-facing door. I put a clear plastic container on an end table near the door. It is about a 1-1/2 foot by 2 foot box. I put a background in it and put the jewelry on the background. I only have about an hour a day to do this, if I want to take pictures. This seems to have worked best. I'll try to include a picture of each way so you can see the difference. The top left is one glass beads wrapped in copper and set up in the filter box with indirect outdoor light. The top right one is of imitation hematite on a table with indirect light and a flash. This didn't turn out too bad, but it's a bit dark. The last one is of Czech crystals. The flash actually worked on this indoor photo on a display table. It's not as clear as I'd like, but it's not too bad. I need a lot of work and a lot of pointers on this. Any suggestions are helpful. What do you think about some of my early work? Take care, all.

First Day of Posting

Hello, everyone! Thank you for stopping by. Jewelry making has become one of my most favorite hobbies within the past year. I have become so addicted to the process that my husband thinks I am a bit crazy. Luckily, he lets me pursue my passions, so I can't complain.

Let me tell you how I got started into this hobby...
I am sick and tired of going to the store to look for complementary costume jewelry for my outfits. Needless to say, I don't buy much because it is so expensive. A lot of it is ugly. (my opinion only! LOL) I decided to buy some beads and stuff at the local discount store to make what I wanted. So I got online and looked to see what I needed and how to make what I wanted. OK. Got info, went shopping, spent a couple of bucks (including a cheap set of pliers), went home, made a bracelet and earrings. I wore it to work and a co-worker really surprised me by asking where I got it. So I told her I made it. (Shocked look on her face!) She asked if I could make the exact same thing for a present for a family member. (Shocked look on my face!) I said 'Sure'. She said 'Go for it.' And, that was that. I never thought it would turn into an addiction, but it did. Like any other female, I like shiny things and shopping. This satisfies both of those requirements and it makes me very happy. It also makes me happy to make jewelry and give it as presents for someone who has been nice to me. Not to mention, it's a great marketing tool.

I am still at the hobby level because I don't have much time to market my jewelry. I hope to, someday, make this hobby into an income-generating tool. Although, it will mostly be so I can buy more shiny beads and stuff, but the other motive is to help my husband retire when he wants to. (in a couple of years) He has no idea that this is my motive, but I want him to take it easy because he works so hard. Yeah, I'm quite a bit younger than him and I have a lot of working days ahead of me. However, it would make him very happy if he can enjoy a retirement in good health and he could putz around the house and yard on his own timeclock. It would make me happy to see him happy.

So, if you would, please leave a comment on the pictures I post. It will help me to expand my repertoire of jewelry making skills. Thank you for stopping by. Best wishes to all of you.