Golden Tangles, the Work-In-Progress. Polymer Plans; and Metalsmith Dreams.

Gold embroidery floss: Beautiful effects when finished but a right royal pain-in-the-you-know-what to work with. The embroidered pendant Work-In-Progress is to have a gold border to imitate(you guessed it) a gold metal frame. I'm halfway around the perimeter and have already lost count of the times the needle eye has cut through the thread, become entirely unthreaded, or tangled up in itself. Think trying to sew with one strand of christmas tinsel and you're not far off. The concept is always more straightforward than the execution. Always.

I have a lot of polymer clay that's been in storage for several years that I'm slowly reconditioning for a few ideas I have. I've got the brown done, but it's a slow process and a whole LOT of clay.

 One of the local High Schools in the area has an extensive offering of night classes that they hold every term. I did a small business management night class there a couple of years ago, and am looking wistfully at their beginners metalsmithing classes for next term. It's rather pricey, plus the tools and supplies are also spendy...so I don't know. But I really really want to do it. Really really really. If I don't eat for a month or two maybe I can do it...

Clare
Oceanic Beads

Pictures of a design in Progress, and today's new etsy listing: Statement Earrings in green and red.

So yesterday turned out hectic. By the time I got home it was getting too dark to take product photographs. I did get them done today though, and I'll space out listing over a couple of days.
Here's the first, A midwinter Christmas/Christmas in July inspired pair of large silver hoops with green glass beads and a red and gold acrylic center bead:

Statement Earrings. Green and red beaded silver hoops. 

And here is a picture of a prototype simple wirewrapped ring I'm working on. Quite a long way off 'production' yet, as you can see:

Musings of a home-based small business owner

After yesterday's complete lack of inspiration I've made up for it tonight. 1 greenstone/pounamu pin and a pair of enormous green, red, and gold beaded hoop earrings. They're definitely real 'statement jewelry! I'll do a batch of photos tomorrow and get them listed, along with some other pieces that are ready for sale.

I'm really chuffed as I pulled a profit for this month. I opened in late January, but then almost immediately had to go on hiatus as my father became very ill and was in hospital for 6 weeks. After that it took awhile to get back into the swing of things. But we're on track now, and heading in the right direction. My dream is that eventually, several years down the track, that this will be my main job, and however distant that may seem, I'm working towards that goal. Goodness knows how many hours I'm working all up at the moment, between my main day job and my budding business. The usual story, isn't it, during the start-up years. Because I enjoy it, it doesn't seem like work, even the behind the scenes 'dogwork'.

Greenstone/Pounamu/Nephrite Jade

This morning I had a rare Saturday where I was home and had nothing planned, so I popped to one of the city’s Saturday markets. Lots going on. Stalls of all kinds over several streets. I picked up a small bag(about 3/4’s of the size of a pack of cards) of cut greenstone(New Zealand Jade, Pounamu) pieces. Most are various sizes of rectangle, square, with a couple of long thin pieces. They’re undrilled and I’m thinking to wirewrap them into earrings and small pendants. I’ve made one into a very simple pin so far. Pounamu, or nephrite jade, historically has significance to Maori(the first people to colonise New Zealand between 900-1400, and considered to be indigenous). It’s very common for people to wear carved greenstone pendants, as they have special meaning. Different designs also have different meanings.

A couple of links for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pounamu

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/pounamu-jade-or-greenstone

Clare

https://www.etsy.com/shop/OceanicBeads

Brown/Gold/Pink Art Glass Dangle Earrings

Link: Brown/Gold/Pink Art Glass Dangle Earrings

Todays featured listing: These Brown/Gold/Pink Abstract Art Glass Dangle Earrings feature a large Brown/Gold/Pink abstract glass bead. The earwires are goldtone.