Perfection is a Problem

Perfection is my problem but that's a story for another time.  Once again I had a vision, I knew just how I wanted the out come to look like...well pretty much anyway.  At first I played around with the beads and findings getting a feel of where I wanted to go and then I sketched out what I thought it would look like. 
This design allowed me opportunity to use my new wire coiling tool, unfortunately the smallest mandrel that came with my tool was too thick to make all of the springs that the design required so I would have to improvise for the tiniest coils. 

Everything looked well until I actually began putting things together.  It was like driving in a section of town where you've never been before, you think you want to go straight down 1st street and turn left on 2nd avenue, only 1st street does not connect with 2nd avenue and so you go round and round trying to get from 1st to 2nd.

Originally I had intended to use the large 7 mm jumprings (see photo above) to attach the 3 coils and their spacer beads directly to the earring however when I placed everything onto the jumprings the coils stuck out at rather ridiculous angles.  So the hunt for 2nd avenue began!  I decided the coils and spacers (which are tiny - 3mm x 1.5mm - sterling silver flat rondell beads) needed some type of straight object to hang from. 
Well I went down one street and up another and after a couple of different attempts came up with the combination shown above.  A sort of triangular bail that I constructed out of 20 gauge wire and embellished with gold plate wire coils (also handmade by me).  These were attached by way of that hefty 7 mm jumpring to the loop of the earring.  Rather indirect route but now that it's done I find I like the effect even more than the original plan.
Would you like to see more ?

I made all those little coils (or springs) myself, some required the use of a piece of 20 gauge wire as a mandrel in order to get the inner hole small enough and were made with 26 gauge wire so as not to overpower the effect I was striving to create. 
The dark gray beads are hematite capped with tiny silver plated bead caps and threaded on to gold plate ball tipped headpins.

Right now I'm debating whether to list them on Etsy or place them in a local gallery.  I'll probably decide upon the gallery as I find my jewelry sells best where people can actually pick it up and see it, as they say; "up close and in person".  :)

The "Adjustment" continues

I really haven't forgotten about my kitchen "adjustment" that was started ...well, let's just say it started some time ago.

Our counter-top man, Nick Formica, was indeed able to salvage the 2 old pieces of solid surface quartz, counter-tops and meld them into one piece to fit the new work space that we created.  They did a great job considering that they were working with 2 different sections and I can hardly see where they seamed the two together...oh it's there but I have to really look to find it, so I don't really look.  :D  Now we have a bit more elbow room to brew our java (or tea) in.

Photos above and below...this space used to be only about 10 inches across, but since we switched the oven cabinet with the drawers cabinet that had been on the opposite side of our oven, we've gained another 30 inches. Yea !!

Unfortunately the project is not totally done as we decided... ahem, make that I decided...that I wanted a tile backsplash.  You really can't blame me as this tile is all too easy to fall in love with, I can envision it on the wall behind my range. 

How pleasant will it be to gaze on a  country scene of Tuscany as I stir a pot of spaghetti sauce ?  Since we had a section of quartz backsplash that had been on the wall previously, those sections had to be removed.  What a mess it made of the walls but the tile person says that's no problem.  He assures us he will patch it before installing the tile.

So now we're waiting on the tiles to come in.  Meanwhile I can dream of these.

The tiles have a precious matching border of boughs of olives but it would have cost us almost $300 more for the border...I think I can live without it...sigh...how nice it must be to have a life where money is no object, well maybe some day. :D

Does Your Barbie Have Alopecia ??

Not long ago a new visitor to my blog graciously left a comment.  As a blogger we all know how much we treasure those comments, it's our validation our reward for being a blogger.  My new visitor goes by the name of Roxy and has a marvelous blog of her own  called: DollyCare  . 
Of course I love to check out the people who come across my blog and so I took a trip down Blogger's Ave to see what Roxy's passion was.  I was surprised to find a well thought out blog, with detailed information, instructional photos and drawings, a blog that was  pretty and cheerful but undiscovered.  I don't know about you but I can certainly remember the many months that my blog sat around with no followers, lonely and unloved.  I felt like I was blogging for myself, talking to the wind or the shadows.  Not even my family cared to visit or leave a comment for me.  (yeah we are slightly disfunctional, lol.)

Roxy's blog deserves some fans. For those of you with children you'll find her blog filled with wonderful ways to salvage your youngster's mangled dollies, maybe even rescue a maneless My Little Pony or a bald Troll doll.  Though Roxy's blog is primarily for the doll enthusiast and collector, her site is one that I wish I had been able to access when my girls were small.  Believe me they had an army of bedraggled, frizzled hair or make-believe beauty salon BAD hair cut Barbie dolls, and Skippers not to mention all of Barbies girlfriends, cousins, nieces and aunts.   If you've never seen a balding Barbie it is not a pretty sight for such an iconic Fashion Diva!

If you have any dolly refurb questions I think Roxy would perhaps know the answer.  AND I think her sweet blog needs to be discovered and given a little blog love. :)   If you'd like to visit Roxy's blog but don't want to click on the links above you can copy and paste the URL into your browser :  http://dollycare.blogspot.com/

From The Rubble A Vision Arises

Photo above...New project made from a past "failed" project.  A pair of classic black & white earrings.

Not long ago I was struggling with a project, just couldn't seem to get things to come together, well more like couldn't get them to "stay" together. 

Photo above...The Mess !!  My pile of inspiration and a dream that wouldn't go from vision to reality.

The project was supposed to be a necklace and I was using some handcrafted jumprings that I fabricated from copper filled, silver coated wire however the rings kept opening up.  Twenty gauge wire should have been strong enough but I overlooked the fact that it was a copper core wire, which takes a bit more effort to harden.  Pounding the wire with a hammer worked but it also created a flat jumpring, not the look I was going for.

Anyway, following the advice of a number of my blogging friends, I decided to put the project on hiatus...but!  Yes there's always that "but" isn't there?  But I found myself drawn to those black and white drops that had already been crafted and I hated to bury them in my "to get back to at a later date" drawer.  I have projects in that drawer that date back to 1999 !!!

Photo above...Black and white Czech glass disc beads that I had made wire wrapped bails for.

Sooo I used those drops along with some new, hardier 18 gauge, ready-made jumprings and fashioned a pair of swinging earrings with them.  The earring hooks are 20 gauge sterling silver and are handmade by me. I like to craft my own ear wires as I can embellish them to suit the design.  Here I've added a small 4mm black glass bead to each wire.

Photos above and below...Finished earrings.  I call them "Day & Night".  They salvaged those neat little disc beads that I had spent so much time crafting bails for and make me feel like that time and effort  was not totally lost.

These have a lot of movement to them and even though there seems to be a number of beads and wire on the earring, they are not at all heavy.

Lovin' the Irrelevancy

Photo above...Totally irrelevant...tube sock flip flops...a fad that never made it !!!

Honestly I have to admit that I've enjoyed the creative and totally irrelevant comments received on my last post.  It was just what I had asked for and you, dear blogger friends, didn't let me down.  Since many people do little more than glance at my blog and few bother to view the wonderful comments that I am blessed with, I decided to continue being quirky  and do something else totally different...I'm posting the completely irrelevant comments on my blog post :

The Lanylady left this irrelevant comment: "I'm having hot dogs tonight."
The Hairy Peach stated: "Ooohhh....the sky is blue!"
 
Aly of Alygatr remarked: "Personally Cinnamon Roll Quaker Oats oatmeal is my favorite. Come to think of it, I just ate some! "
 
T at PoppyPlace proclaimed: "There is a crazy bird that keeps flying against my window! "
 
JamberrySong reported: "And so I told him, What a beautiful dog you have, mister! He was not amused.  ;) ;) " 
 
So Many Memories  noted:   "My right eye won't stop twitching! " 
 
One thing I'd also like to point out that IS totally relevant is that each of these commentators have their own wonderful blogs that are well worth visiting...and following.
My thanks go to each and every one of you.

Irrelevant Relevancy

And so as I was saying....
Suddenly my words seemed to have no relevance.

Photo above...A glass trinket box that a friend of mine made with jewelry that I crafted...relevance to this post...none at all !

Have you ever left a comment on someone's blog and the blogger decides, later, to "edit" their post? Oh I don't mean go in and correct a couple of typos or switch a couple of words around to make a sentence flow better, I mean totally delete a paragraph, a whole subject in their post? I recently had this happen to me. For some reason I returned to a blog and realized that the post had changed and the particular subject I had replied to was no longer a part of the post. Soooo...there was my comment, completely out of context with the post...and everyone else's comments. It was like I had dropped in from outer space, or was whacked out from a chocoholic over-dose. I considered leaving the comment but it no longer fit in with  the rest of the post or comments, it was so irrelevant that, with embarrassment, I was compelled to self-delete.

Photo above...Triple strand necklace of pearls, rose quartz crystals, mother of pearl carved leaves and handcrafted links of sterling silver wire that I made a few years ago. Never could sell it, not sure why, I think it's lovely...irrelevant?...Oh absolutely, totally irrelevant !!

Now my challenge to all who are game is let's see how irrelevant you can make your comments to this post. LOL I'm sure you can come up with some humdingers. :D

Trouble getting from Dream to Reality

Have you ever had an idea but had trouble turning it into reality? 

photo above...elbow deep in a project (idea) that is giving me fits.

I know what I'd like to do but lately my beads seem to be fighting me and I'm getting rather frustrated.  First I couldn't find chain that I could afford  liked, so I decided to make the jumprings and put one together myself.  Using 20 gauge wire I began coiling and cutting away.   Now I'm finding that the jumprings are not staying closed as the beads that I'm adding are too heavy for this application.  Oh bother !

Photo above...The small section that I've done but it's not working out.  Right now I'm having trouble with my homemade jumprings as they keep opening up with the weight of these beads.  As you can see it is going to be a black and white theme with a marvelous Venetian glass bead as a focal pendant.

Photo below...Using some of these black and white beads -

photos below...Maybe a sprinkling of crystals -

Photo below...and a splash of these jet black hearts with an AB finish  -

photo below...Then, just for fun maybe I'll throw in a couple of these?

A Day For Silence and Prayers

Tomorrow will be a day of silence as we offer our prayers to a country devastated by the brute forces of  our dynamic planet.  All too often we take our world for granted and forget the power that wells within it.
 
Though this Earth of ours has mellowed much in the hundreds of millions of years since it was first formed, it is still capable of cataclysmic forces that can wreck destruction beyond mankind's imagination.  Sorrowfully a whole Nation has fallen victim to these unfathomable forces. 

It will take much time for Japan to make a full recovery, in the meantime we should offer our help in whatever ways possible and keep them in our prayers.

Not So "Smart Bargain" Conundrum

My dear blogging buddies, I am turning to you for your advice, suggestions or recommendations.

Recently I placed an order for some jewelry supplies and upon impulse added a few "smart bargains" to my order. Big mistake...be wary and beware of those notorious Bargain Sections ! The price seemed great and from the photos the items looked attractive but photos can be deceptive. When my order arrived I was pleased with most of my merchandise however the "smart bargains" were disappointing. Yes I could just return them but at times the hassle of the return process is not worth the effort for the refund.

So here's my dilemma, the foil and glass pendants that I ordered are not quite the quality that I expected. Several of them are missing the glass coloring and or the silver foil, allowing the stark black backing to show through in certain spots.

Photo above...the black showing through the crackling is expected and a part of the overall desired effect, however the black arch at the bottom of this pendant is not a part of that effect and is unattractive.  It sticks out like a huge zit on a prom queen's nose!

I'm thinking about getting a few large round filigrees to cover the pendant front. The filigree will allow some of the prettier elements of the foil work to show through however these are pretty large rounds of glass, at least 50mm, plus the pendants are domed this means I'd need at least a 60mm round filigree to be able to wrap it securely across the pendant's front and bend it to the back of the pendant all around. Filigrees of this size are not easily found.

Photo above...Here the missing foil is at the top of the of the lower pendant  which isn't bad and might be hidden by the bail.

Another option, other than donating the pendants to Goodwill, is to mount elements to the glass to conceal the flaws. But what adhesive is truly powerful enough to permanently bond a glass bead or metal charm to smooth, hard glass? In the past I've utilized such adhesives as G-S Hypo Cement (which I know will not hold glass to glass), Loctite 454 (it's strong but I'm not sure it's strong enough) and various 2 part epoxies (which seem to vary in their holding capabilities and none have impressed me as being durable enough to hold a metal charm to the surface of a domed glass pendant). I've heard raves about E-6000 but my experience has been less than stellar with it, perhaps the tube I purchased was old? I found E-6000 was rubbery and once it set up it could be easily pulled off of a smooth hard surface, much like rubber cement.

I greatly appreciate any advice or input that you care to share with me.

American Idols

I have my heroes and even if these wonderful men and women weren't out rescuing people trapped in automobile wreckage, or putting out a raging fire they're still my idols. 

This firetruck with its marvelous crew  came around do a routine check of  neighborhood fire hydrants.  I had my camera in hand, waved to them and asked if it would be alright to take a couple of photos.  They waved back, nodded yes and gave me a thumbs up.  

My local fire hydrant passed inspections with flying colors. :)

Getting Hooked on Steampunk

In the beginning Steampunk wasn't quite my thing but lately I've come to appreciate it more and more.  Since watch parts are an essential ingredient in Steampunk design, much like salt is to bread making, I found myself surfing the web looking at designs featuring watch parts.   From there I went to sites that dealt in Steampunk supplies and then on to watches and Steampunk pocket watches.  I found myself in awe over a site that had amazing Jules Vern meets Flash Gordon, genre watches that I thought I had bookmarked but now, unfortunately, I can not find it.  Have spent hours going through my bookmarks and searching the Internet,  it as though that site has disappeared...don't you hate it when that happens?

So if anyone runs across a website that has a dark Steampunk look and feel to it and that has some amazing Steampunk pocket watches that look yellowed with age as if they are 200 years old and were inspired by Captain Nemo's submarine "The Nautilus" please let me know...in the meantime I'll continue to search.

Stoned ... Or Not

 This past week the kitchen counter top company came out to see if our old counter tops could be salvaged. 
When our house was built we opted for a cost effect alternative to granite and chose a solid surface, man-made  quartz/granite.  To save even more of our limited funds we decided upon an overlay.  An overlay is done using a much thinner piece of the faux stone and it is made to simply fit over an existing counter. (Sort of like putting on a wig.)   Since there wasn't an existing counter to start with  a thick sheet of plywood was attached to the top of the base cabinets and then the overlay was glued to it.
The photo below shows the two sections of quartz/granite that were removed from the old base cabinets.  Notice that the one piece is turned over so you can see the plywood underlay (the tiny piece next to it is a piece of the backsplash...which is also right side down but not for any particular reason).

Photo below...Close up of the underside showing how the overlay creates the look of a more expensive thicker slab.

Nick, the owner of the counter top store,  has an unbelievable last name, it's Formica...no honestly that is truly his last name, Nick Formica.  Perhaps he was destined to go into this business or he thought because of his last name he was an ideal fit for this profession. 

Nick has taken the two sections of our old counter and will try to cut, slice and polish it into a new counter that will fit into the newly formed work area.  I have my fingers crossed, please send me your best wishes, as this particular stone pattern is no longer manufactured so we can't order a new section of it. 

We will be removing the remaining sections of backsplash as I'd like to run tile from the counter tops up to the bottom of the wall cabinets.  Wish I knew what could be done with these pieces of  stone as they are rather pretty.  Guess it would probably be impossible to make beads from it as it would make some pretty stone like beads and a whole lot of them. lol 

Could Care Less About Getting My Groove Back...Just Give Me Back My Microwave !

Last week my marvelous hubby, John, got the oven cabinet into its new position.  It was not an easy task as that sucker weighs a couple hundred pounds and that's completely empty, sans drawers, doors and shelves.
Once John had the cabinet in place and leveled he bolted it in place and then inserted and reconnected the oven and microwave.  Oh happy day !  I can't begin to tell you how much I missed that microwave.  At one time I even thought about sitting the oven on the floor and connecting the microwave but then realized that the sides of the microwave were exposed and it was designed to be shielded by the wood cabinet.  Didn't really like the thought of all that radiation bouncing around my kitchen.

Photos above and below...The oven and its cabinet are in position and back in action.  Now the next step will be the counter top and backsplash.

Photo above...John had to add a cove molding between the wall and the side of the cabinet as the wall was not all that plumb.  There was a good gap along a part of the back edge of the cabinet which was far too big to fill in with caulk.  I think the cove moulding looks very nice. 



ETSY...WHERE IS IT GOING ???

Oh where, oh where has the old Etsy gone. Oh where, oh where can it be?
It once was right but now is all wrong,  please bring back the old Etsy !


I used to frequent the forums, truly more fun than it seems
But now it's limited quorums, made up primarily of teams
If I were a customer buying with my paycheck I have just cashed
I'd find it difficult trying to find where Promotions are stashed


So Etsy is now a misfit, I don't like its brand new look
It's obvious some CEO dim wit wants it to be EtsyBook


Oh where, oh where has the old Etsy gone. Oh where, oh where can it be?
It once was right but now is all wrong, please bring back the old Etsy !

Recently I listed a new item of mixed beads and a lovely carved fluorite flower pendant (the beads are carved barrels of pale translucent, lavender amethyst and lovely amazonite. 

After listing I decided to go to the Etsy forums to promote the new listing and...horrors...everything had changed.  I have no idea how to find what I want or even what teams to join.  Perhaps this is Etsy's way of forcing us to purchase their showcases ?  Or maybe the rumors are true about Etsy wanting to become a social networking site.  Who knows?

Trying To Shake Off SAD

Lately I've been out of sorts, moody and down.  Perhaps it's SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) as we've had so many dark gray days this winter.  Yesterday was sunny and today promises much of the same so I'm hoping that my mood will also brighten up and I'll become more functional...especially blog wise.


Our kitchen "adjustment" is coming along nicely though we did have to wait a bit longer for the wall cabinet to come in (about 3 weeks longer).  But it is up and looks good.

Photo above and below...Wall cabinet box is level and in place.

Photo below...Remember the base cabinet that was sitting in our living room?

Photo below...It is now in position beneath the wall cabinet, giving me more useable counter space next to my stove. Yea! 

Photo below...Doors are now on the wall unit.  Looking good!

Photo below...And all those drawers that decorated my family room floor ?

Photo below...Those drawers are now back in their base cabinet where they belong.  Loving it!

Photo below...Just one drawer remains but we'll be getting to that soon. :)

Too Early for St. Patrick's Day ?

Perhaps it's a little early for St. Patrick's Day but then it's getting past prime time for Valentine's Day so I'm trading in Valentine Red for Emerald Isle Green. This earring necklace set was made almost a year ago, unfortunately it was too late for St. Patty's Day and it was stashed away for safe keeping. At the time it was a pendant and earring set with no chain or cord.

 However this year I decided to make up a lovely chain to go with it. Yes the chain is bulk chain. To this bulk, flat-cable chain I've added a simple springring clasp and a round jumpring, doesn't take an accredited jewelry maker to accomplish this but it completes the set making it look high end.

The chain, clasp, jumpring and all gold beads in this design are 14k gold filled...I think we are all aware of the price of gold today, I figure I have almost $15.00 in parts in the chain alone! A ready made chain would have been more, considerably more. I did all the wire work including making the spiral stud post earrings, which come with 14k gold filled clutches.

Now I need some opinions. It's listed in my Etsy shop at $42.00, since it will be shipped in a gift box I have shipping costs at $2.00. Considering my materials and Etsy fees my profit will be $12.42. Now am I asking too much for the set at $42?  Why I ask?  Well it's only gotten 11 views and no hearts so I wondered if the price was a turn off?

Oh btw, the shamrock leaves are from the shamrocks that grow wild in my back yard, thought maybe they'd bring me some good luck even if they're not 4 leaf covers.