3 Necklaces

I just finished up this custom order for a customer. I love how they turned out!

Have a great weekend!

Boots For Sale

So, I decided that I want a new pair of boots. In order to buy said boots I probably should sell off a pair I already own. Because, I just don't need two pairs of brownish boots.

In the extremely slight chance that you may be looking for a pair of neat cowboy boots and also wear a size 9 I figured I would post the picts here. Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks!

Here is the craigslist ad for them:
http://nashville.craigslist.org/clo/3254935808.html

 They pretty much look brand new except there are scuffs on the pointy toe part. Really comfy and well made I might add! :)

Resin!

 I came across some resin bangles the other day that I thought were pretty and it got me thinking about resin and how I have never played around with it. I decided to order a kit that included Ice resin (name of the brand of resin), tiny plastic cups for measuring, and some popsicle sticks for stirring. Before my kit got here I started planning out what I might like to try first. I had seen some resin jewelry with dried and pressed flowers and decided that would be a fun first project. I searched my yard for some pretty things and found some neat wild flowers and leaves.Got out some huge heavy books and laid the flowers and things between paper towel. I also hung up some bundles of flowers to dry so that they would be more 3-D and not pressed flat.

My kit came and I was ready to start. I made my own sterling silver bezel to pour resin in (no pictures of this one yet), and I also made 2 bezels from a small copper pipe my husband bought me (There are tutorials out there that show you how to make the pipe bezels). I also bought an adjustable ring from Hobby Lobby to pour in.

Here are a few pictures of one of the necklaces.

 What I found out is that resin is hard to capture on film. It has such a nice glossy finish that the light reflecting off it makes it hard to see it fully. Also, I bought these really awesome "chartreuse" beads, but they look more basic yellow in the photos.

 I stamped on the bottom of the pipe bezel "wild flower" just for the fun of it.

 This shows you one side of the pendant.

Here is the other.
I love how these pipe bezels allow you to have something showing on each side. In the future I will probably experiment with making more of my own bezels, but I have seen some pretty neat pre-made ones out there that would make some really fun jewelry. Unfortunately, the silver bezel I made turned out good, but I don't like how it turned out nearly as much as the one in the picture. Because the bezel I made had a back to it the overall appearance is pretty dark. You really have to see it up close to see what is in the resin. I think maybe cutting out a light colored paper background would have helped make the flowers and beads I embedded in the resin show up better. Also, some flowers look pretty when dried and some turn ugly colors when dried. I will have to figure that all out a bit better sometime.

Here is the ring.

I wasn't so sure how this would turn out half way through. What I learned is that you pour your resin to the top of your bezel and let it dry for a bit. Come back and very carefully pour a bit more on top to make a little dome above the resin. It's a bit scary because you basically keep dripping resin in the middle until the resin spreads to the edges and then right when it looks like it could spill over, you stop (and then you pray you don't bump your table). After my first pour the ring looked kind of ugly. There were all kinds of bits that were sticking out and it looked like a mess. It's amazing how "doming" really magnifies what's in the resin and gives the piece a really nice smooth shiny look. I am happy with the end result and I can't wait to make a few more.

Here are a few links to get you started with resin if you are interested:
Ice resin website with videos and all kinds of stuff to look through.
http://www.iceresin.com/
Tutorial video-
http://beadaholique.com/t-video-how-to-fill-an-open-back-bezel-with-resin.aspx

School and Craft Stuff

So, I started school. Just two classes, but so far so good. I am really enjoying it. One of my classes is Psychology and I can already tell that I will love the class.

I haven't really been making many things lately. I felt like I needed a break. It's good that I did take the break because I now have a little burst of creative juice and I can't wait to make a few things. I was asked to make a few custom necklaces and just finished the first one today.

I also bought some resin to play around with. I went out and picked some wild flowers and leaves to dry and press. I plan on using them in some pendants with the resin. My husband bought me some copper pipe to cut up and turn into pendants (you pour the resin inside the pipe pieces). Yesterday I also made a sterling bezel to pour some resin into. I always love learning new stuff when it comes to jewelry. I will share my results with you soon.

Have a great rest of you weekend!

New Chapter

Guess where I am going tomorrow?
Orientation for college! I am 30 and have never been, but have always wanted to. I have put it off for many many years out of fear. Fear of what, really? I am not even sure, but I had a million and one excuses why it would never work out for me.

I'm not sure what happened, but I got a small bit of courage on a Monday and called and scheduled myself an appointment for the Compass test for that coming Wednesday. I have been so freaked out by having to take this test which doesn't make any sense because it's not a pass or fail type of test. It just lets the college know where you are with reading, writing, and math. I studied math like crazy up until right before the test. I took the test and I did surprisingly well overall. I did not do so hot in math, but I knew I wouldn't. I actually got the highest scores you can get for the other two sections. I am not an academic dummy afterall!

To say that I am excited is a bit of an understatement. I can't wait to learn about something new or even be refreshed on what I already learned in high school. After a few years of staying home and trying to make the jewelry thing work I am just ready to be out in the world again-meeting new people, learning new things. I will continue to make things. It's just what I love to do, but I am about to spend time nurturing other sides of me that I forgot existed.

So, here is to a brand new adventure and a new chapter in my life.  :)

Wrap Bracelet

I made this bracelet yesterday for a friend. It's her Birthday today!

I can't wait to make more of this style. I really like how simple it is and the leather is so soft it's really comfortable to wear. I may have to hold off though because my silver supply is WAY low. :(

On a similar note: I love buying from fellow Etsy sellers. I have been looking for a watch and its been so long since I have worn one on a daily basis I just couldn't decide on a style. I came across this Etsy shop called Meggie's Love that sells leather wrap watches. They are really cute and casual and I like that you can switch out the leather cords if you need to. I bought this one and I can't wait to wear it.

My New Vespa!

My stepdad bought a vintage Vespa in need of major work. He intended to fix it up, but got too busy with other projects and decided to give it to me and Christian to work on. Christian has been tinkering away on it for awhile now; replacing old with new. This past weekend he finally got it to start up! He drove it around the neighborhood and even though it needs a paint job it is totally ride-able! It will actually be my Vespa and I am soooooo excited! I get to choose the paint color and I am still undecided. Maybe light turquoise.....