Goals, work, and rest

There's been a lot going on in the studio and at home in the last couple of weeks.

First, I've been working towards the goals I wrote out in the beginning of the month. I've joined Ganoksin, a wonderful resource for jewelers, metalsmiths, and enthusiasts, which has blown my ideas about how wide the jewelry community is clear out of the water! Visit them; they're an amazing resource I've used for a long time before joining.

I've also spent as much time as I could afford to building my line of recycled beach glass jewelry. A custom job came in - two loose peridot stones to be set as matching stud earrings. Unfortunately, one had a flaw in the cut that needed to be worked around, and the other stone was 25% smaller than the first. Wow, what a job! Thankfully it came out well in the end and my client was happy!

Then there's the huge project on the homefront right now... remodeling a full bath. Omigosh, I want it to be done now! I've completely gutted the ceiling, walls, and even part of the floor for the plumber to work in. It's finally at the stage where we can start rebuilding and feel like we're making headway. I say finally, but it's actually gone very quickly - about a week, maybe week and a half. By the end of this week we'll have our new toilet, vanity, floor, tile, paint... all the creature comforts I found I really like!

I took some of the weekend off to breathe a little and gather supplies to finish the bath, but more on that next time.

Ciao!

~Jeni

Going Green

You can tell that I'm busy by the lack of posts! Forgive me for not checking in for almost a month - the crazy schedule will lighten up in a little while, and then my fall routine can kick in. I keep telling myself there will be more time for updates then!

I've been whirling around ideas for a "Green Event" I'll be attending this weekend. I never really thought of myself as a green person, but it turns out some of my natural habits lend themselves well to earth-friendly practices. I use my old acid bath from metal working as a plant booster for the azaleas and rhododendrons in the yard, I melt down metal scraps to create interesting textures on pieces, and I'm a bit of a pack rat for certain things - trying to keep them for something other than obscurity, or worse, the landfill.

A glorified term might be... I'm a collector of nature's beauty, but let's call it what it is: I'm really more like a crow; collecting colorful, shapely, or shiny bits of things that catch my eye. I like my quirks, and lately I've harnessed that urge to save things with any hint of beauty or potential by creating something wearable out of it. Turns out that's a very "in" thing to do right now.

Here are a couple of artsy pendants I've made from beach glass around Lake Erie, and some sterling and gold scraps. I love how they turned out, and they'll be featured in my new "green line" this weekend. If you're near the flats this Saturday, I hope you'll stop by and say hello!

~Jeni