i thought i would share photos of this recently finished custom necklace:

see wiki for more on theobromine, an alkaloid of the cacao plant.

have you heard of trunkt? - “the buyers guide to independent art and design”.  as an artist, you can apply to have your lookbook (created by you) in their database for buyers to see.  it is a treasure trove of beautiful products and imagery.  beware!  make sure you have a few hours to spare before you start clicking away!  i just started my lookbook last night.  i even made it into the “editor’s picks” (see below)!  if you get a chance to stop in today, please visit my lookbook and leave a comment!

i’ll be packing the bags tonight and heading to providence, rhode island for a good part of the week. therefore, all orders placed after 2 p.m. eastern time today will not be shipped until friday, august 3. thank you for your understanding! any comments on providence things to do/see are appreciated!

our power was out for a good part of the day yesterday, and to escape the severe heat and humidity of the home, we went out for dinner, ice cream, and a gander at the bookstore. i had to post about this book that i saw, extreme office crafts, as a tribute to my cubicle days and for all the crafty 9-5 ers out there!

thursday evening:  while attempting to doll myself up to meet jeweler gal pal extraordinarie, liz mathews, i opened the bathroom door to find this!:

okay. so the little birdie wasn’t THAT calm. steve just happened to capture this photograph in a still moment. (look at him checking himself out in the mirror!) i assume that the bird flew in through the bathroom skylight for a little visit and couldn’t figure out how to return to the great outdoors. he was captured minutes after the photo was taken (in a cardboard box) and released in our backyard. bye, bye birdie!

is it ever hot here in baltimore right now- 90 degrees! my second floor office/studio space feels like it’s about 102. i might call it an early day today- the humidity makes me slow and i think i’ve had my share of woodland creatures for the day. (maybe i’ll catch some hgtv or even some z’s) then, i’m off to meet my wonderful charm city craft mafia peeps tonight. see you tomorrow!

squirrel necklace available now here  and here

what a lovely and wonderful surprise!
i woke up this morning to find that i am featured in one of my very FAVORITE blogs, creature comforts! YIPPIE!!!
(don’t you love a blog post about a blog post? hee hee!)

additional woodland creatures and coral-inspired jewelry available here and here.

do you ever feel just giddy? grinny? i do right now.
it’s just one of those days where i’m realizing that i am so happy to be doing what i do- making jewelry and blogging. i’ve met so many wonderful and supportive people in this big wide internet world. for example, today i had a stumper of an etsy question. juliet suggested that i try posting in the forum. in ONE minute of me posting my question, i received an answer! -along with a congratulations on my first sale! THEN i see this blog post from this girl beads - my very first etsy customer. (hi! i hope you break out that jeweler’s saw!)
i’m so very happy to be a part of this warm crafting community. you all are FANTASTIC. love. love.

thank you indie fixx for the bunny love shout out!! i’m a proud subscriber of the indie fixx rss feed myself. are you?

i woke up on saturday with yet another great urge to pierce all day long. this time, it wasn’t trees, but coral-inspired shapes. available now here and here!

you can find this necklace right now at my etsy shop and tomorrow in the boutique. signing off for the day- i swear! sold! more coming shortly!

goodness, am i ever distracted today!
could it be because i made my first ETSY sale ever?! YES. yay!!!!
AND, as if a girl could not handle anymore-
we picked up the lovely credenza (from yesterday’s blog post), so redecoration is in order.
my head is spinning.

my plan for the day was to etch a batch of silver that i cleaned yesterday. i don’t know if i’m mentally prepared- so that might have to wait until tomorrow.

below is a before and after picture of the silver ovals that i’m getting ready to etch. can you see a difference? it is very important to clean your silver before placing the pnp resist on. (more pics on that soon).

cleaning the metal can be therapeutic if you’re in the right mood. i try to make sure that i am before i start the task!
for etching purposes, i sand each piece starting with 320 grit sandpaper and end with 600 grit. with the 320, i sand lengthwise and alternate direction with each grit step down. rinse with water before changing grits. it’s a nice arm workout- that’s for sure.

oh, and i try to keep my sandpaper very organized. it helps to keep me clutter free and i found that i don’t waste any sandpaper when i do the following: as soon as i bring it home from the store, i cut each piece into a good size square. then, i sharpie the grit onto the back of the piece of sandpaper if it has been chopped off so that i can identify it later. i also file each piece away so that i can find it fast when i need it. (hey! i was a legal secretary for a year- i can’t help it!).

too much information, i know, but thanks for listening!

enjoy your friday!
xoxo.

do you remember the “bird friend” earrings? well, i have stopped making those, but today i thought, “why not a bird friend necklace?” so here she is. (along with a dainty pair of branch earrings to boot). new in the shop today!