The Bold and the Beautiful

I was pretty productive this past weekend. Partly because it was too cold to go anywhere. Partly because I woke up from a dream about making a ring!! Well, I made the ring of my dreams and a few other pieces to go along with it. I'm calling the trio Bold and Beautiful because that is what they are. All the pieces are made of sterling silver and are guaranteed to make a statement of their own.

The ring I made is a size 8, has a domed shape and is slightly hammered on the surface to reflect a lot of light.

The pendant is made of a two inch disk of sterling silver with a shiny satin finish. It has a bail that is 3/8 inches wide, making it perfect for placing on almost any chain or strand of beads.

Finally, make a bold statement on your wrist with a bold cuff bracelet. It also has a shiny, satin finish and a slightly domed shape. A little charm from my Graphic Collection gives a little extra appeal.

I'm on the Front Page of Etsy!

First of all... I am still alive and well. Just haven't been writing very much lately. I should have warned my few faithful readers that when spring finally hits Wisconsin, the last place I want to be is in my basement studio typing on the computer. Instead, I've been working on the garden, playing with my boys and heading to the gym to shed several winter pounds!

As the days have gone by without putting in any action on Blogger (or any of my websites for that matter), the non-blogging guilt has been building up. Add to that a complete lack of any interesting ideas to write about... until today!

At about 6:30 am this morning, a good friend of mine (and the talent behind KPCreations) called. She started the conversation with the appropriate apologies (not knowing that my day actually starts at 6 am). Then she made the long awaited announcement... that one of the rings in my online shop, The Wave, has made it to the front page on Etsy!

By 6:45 am, I was at the computer checking things out for myself and viola! There it was! My ring was selected for a treasury created by "rockstarwife" and showcased with other very lovely items.

What a great way to start the day!! Thanks!

Surprise Weekend Work Time

I was able to enjoy some unexpected, quality work time at home this weekend. On Saturday, Papa took the kids to see the Veggie Tales movie and on Sunday, he took them to Grandpa's for the afternoon.

What did I do with this surprising gift of six hours to myself? Well after I finished my naps, I got right down to the studio and made more rings!

I seem to be on a ring kick lately for some reason. In my last post, I wrote about making several sterling silver bands out of embellished wire. I decided to stay with the simple look and made these delicate little rings. I used 14 gauge sterling silver wire and soldered it into round bands. Then I soldered on 5mm fine silver bezel cups. Next I set denim-blue lapis lazuli and black onyx cabochons. Finally, I burnished them with a brass brush and soapy water until they shined.

I was able to make one ring on Saturday and six on Sunday. Isn't that learning curve amazing!

My fingers are still sore from all of the stone setting and burnishing, but now I have a nice little ring to wear... and a few more to sell at my next show. And since I was on a roll and the boys were still out, I made a couple pair of matching earrings by soldering sterling silver earring posts onto the backs of additional bezel cups.

Not bad for a little surprise work time!

Have We Been Hit by the Plague?

I am soooo glad to be back at the keyboard!! It gives me a sense of slow victory and relief from the "germ warfare" that has been attacking my household over the past two weeks. Ailments of every kind first took over the health of my two boys, causing chaos and confusion... to the point of missing school (yikes!). Even I was taken prisoner and brought down from my top post, leaving hubby to fend for the family and dispense lots of medicine, fetch a ton of Kleenex and empty several yucky pails! Yes, the germ soldiers fought hard and dirty, but we fought harder and were dirtier... and survived!

I tell you all of this not just to gain sympathy, but to let you know why I haven't written in a little while. And now that I'm back, I do not know where to begin. I did manage to make it to my metalsmithing workshop the last two Wednesdays. I've been working on making several sterling silver ring bands to sell at upcoming shows. I like them... they're simple but with a flair, just like me! So far, I've made 15 of them in various sizes to sell for about $15 as a show special. I hope to be able to make another dozen before early April.