Hiking

This past Friday I decided to go hiking. I had heard about this trail from a friend and was so excited to see it for myself.

I packed myself a lunch and wore my bathing suit because at the end of this trail is a waterfall. I wasn't sure if it was something I could swim in but just in case I wanted to be prepared.

Here are some picts from my lone adventure.

As I was walking out I even saw 3 armadillos scavenging for food. And then... as I kept walking I came across this guy

He didn't look that nice when I found him. He was COVERED in ticks and was quite dirty. Even though he had a collar he had no id tags and as there wasn't anyone around I knew he was lost. I just couldn't leave him. He was so sweet. I very slowly tricked him back to my car with a ham sandwich and right away stopped at the vet for a good bath and some meds. I have had him for about 3 days now and he is the best dog ever. So laid back and always wants to be petted. We hope to find him a great home although I am tempted to keep him...but I don't think I should...or maybe I could...oh I don't know.

On a side note-I also saw Super 8 this weekend. It was really fun. I recommend it.

The Farm

 

Sometimes it's the small things in life that bring you joy. Seeing these guys every so often always lifts my mood no matter what.

I often drive by this farm and usually the animals are off in the distance. There have been several times where they were really close to the road and I always wish I had my camera with me. I drove past them a few days ago and realized I actually had my camera in my purse. I pulled over and shot these from my car window.

See the little black and white one? I tried hard to get a picture of him, but he kept weaving in and out of the other cows legs. I finally got this picture.

This farm also has donkeys.Even though all the animals are in the same field you always find these guys off by themselves.

And then there are these beauties.

Peaches Galore

I kind of forgot that I have two peach trees in my yard. I pretty much never walk around that side of my house. The other day I just happened to see the splotches of red out of the corner of my eye and turned to see the above tree. Amazing!

Brass and Pizza

My silversmithing classes have come to an end. This morning I stopped by my teachers place to finish up a piece and say my good byes. I REALLY enjoyed working with Nancie who does classes through Bedazzled and also Vanderbilt. I wanted to show you all this awesome lady, but she asked that I not put our picture up that I took and I am fine with that because we both were sweaty faced from working in her garage studio (which miraculously stays fairly cool considering it's been in the upper 90's lately).

Here is a look at one of my projects. She had a few wide cuff bracelets scattered about and I really wanted to try my hand at one. She allowed me to take home a massive heavy piece of brass to come up with my own design to cut out. This is what I came up with-

Here is the final project after it was hammered, edges filed smooth, polished and shaped.

It's amazing how it goes from dirty smudgy sharp metal to something you can wear! I love it and it was so fun to make.

On another note- Tonight we are getting together with a group of great friends for games and homemade pizza. My contribution was to supply the dessert. I made an Ooey Gooey Carmel Cake and a Key lime pie. I can't wait to eat them!!!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Plume Cuffs

I just added these to my Etsy store today! Check them out here.

Two New Cuffs

I just finished these two bracelets and thought I would give you a glimpse

My mom offered to pick me up and take me back to her place in Knoxville. We will be leaving tomorrow morning. I am excited to get to spend time with her. It's been a while.

Happy Thursday!

A New Skill

I have wanted to learn how to make silver jewelry for years, but when it came down to it the classes were too expensive and that is when I got into leather work. I taught myself from online videos and books and the tools were affordable for me at the time. You can do a lot with very little investment from the start. However silversmithing is a whole other ball game. You really need a lot of tools to even get yourself started at home. Many of the tools are inexpensive but there are so many necessary ones that it all adds up fast. Not to mention you need a torch and a decent one isn't cheap. ohh and a rock tumbler and a crock pot for your pickle and so on and so on...

After doing the leather work for a little over a year the excitement to make my own jewelry never went away and so I started looking into classes again. There is only one woman who teaches around here which I was totally surprised considering I live near Nashville which is full of creative people. I signed up for the class and at this point have only one more class to complete.

My teacher's name is Nancie and she is amazing. She is so sweet and so knowledgeable. My first project was to make a simple link bracelet. I had to form, cut, and solder this piece. It's not necessarily what I would call my style but I think it turned out nice. My  filing skills need some work, but I am sure that all comes with practice. It was a great first project to get me comfortable using the torch and soldering. Here are a few picts I just snapped.

The next thing I started making is a large brass cuff. Nancie allowed me to take home a huge sheet of the brass metal and let me come up with my own design. I can't wait for you to see it! I love how it is turning out. It's mostly done, but still needs to be polished up. I am grateful that she is having me play around with different types of metals. Brass and copper are a whole lot more inexpensive than silver and are considered not as nice by some, but I  love the warmth of these metals. After the cuff is finished I start a ring.

It's been a blast and I will slowly collect the tools so I can work on stuff from home. Can't wait for that day!

On another note-
I have been dealing with insurance junk from my accident yesterday (see previous post). I can't wait for this all to be over with. My neck is super duper sore today, but I am thankful I am ok. I find it so interesting that the seat belt gave me this welt. It's weird, but I will share it with you.

Alright-Have an awesome day!