Getting reading for Girl's Weekend......

so much stuff, so little time!

 Well the Annual Girls Weekend is less than 2 weeks away, and to my joy today is the day I get to sort projects out for the trip.  I always swear I'm just gonna pack enough projects to keep me busy in Cathie's workroom, but I always seem to try to haul half my studio to her's.  She never seems to mind but Jerry always complains about how much stuff he has to drag up and down stairs.

The problem is when you create jewelry, you have to have CCM --- Creative Critical Mass.  You have to have a huge stash pile of stuff, because when that creative urge hits you have to have what you need at hand... or you lose it.

Yes , you can sketch it out, but sometimes you loose that magic movement and you can't make the piece work right a week later when you purchased whatever new item you needed --- or when you finally get home and figure out where that perfect bit of material got stored away.

So I tend to stick to projects that I already know the "recipe" to... and take extra stuff just in case.  It usually works but then again, I always feel extra creative when I get around my best buddies.  They Recharge my batteries on multiple fronts, not just creative.

This is what my back table looks like most of the time.... 

My little piece of the political process

Pocket Watch plate with regulator still on it, added agate ... top is vintage watch face earrings.

During the Caucus process not only do we pick who we think should be running for president, we also pick delegates for the convention and elect people to the platform committee.

I've never really been involved with politics before, and I guess I figured this would be a great way to start.  The process to pick platform language has been a very interesting, and it's sort of reassuring how democratic it all is and how much thought can actually go into the final platform.  (course I'm a Democrat, so my experience might not match a Republican )   There is at least 1 more meeting before the county Convention on March 12th, and then our job is done.  The the planks go to the county level, then state and eventually to the national committee.  It will be interesting to see what's left by the time it get's to the national level.

Capturing the light....

The crystal looks "dirty" in the pic, but it's not, it's just picking up my hand and the chain underneath it.  

I really like how this turned out.  I had this really lovely piece of vintage crystal, unmounted but with the full back point-ie part.  Most of these types of crystals are called flat backs because they have, well a flat back.  Makes them easy to work into jewelry designs since most jewelry designs are flat-ish in nature.  I knew I wanted to use a clock gear as part of the mount, but clock gears are pretty flat by nature.  I finally decided to use a prong brass mount and use the gear as the base... since I didn't want to poke the eventual owner to death, I carefully created a gap to make the piece thicker.  Now just the very tip peeks out.  Also since the mounting is really open, it lets the crystal do it's job and captures the light.  Since this is metal rubbing against crystal, I used E6000 glue and lined the hole of the gear and let that dry before I added the crystal.  So if someone is looking at the back, they might think it's glued in, and it's not.. that's just me creating a "rubber" grommet to protect the crystal. 

I just love when making jewelry feels like building! 

Since I'm in a sparkly mood apparently, I added a crystal drop.  

You can see the layers in this picture.  Also you can see the crystal is absolutely clear 

Work in progress......

OK, I've got 3 out of the 4 done actually, the the bottom left I'm still working on.  Finished pics coming soon.

Time for Shopping!!! >>>>> and new antique shop in Des Moines

Being winter, its time to shop and source new materials for my Mechanical Romance line.  So after work today Jerry and I visited the newest antique mall/ shop in Des Moines... Ye Old Antique Shoppe  located  at 3005 Merle Hay Road.  It's next door to a locksmith and across the street from the gas station on the corner of Merle Hay and Urbandale.  It's just been open for a few weeks and they are still getting some vendors in and settled, but it has real potential and I've added it to my mental list of places to check out every few months.

Best part is the owner Chip is very personable and friendly... so if you are in the area and in a antique / flea market mood, give it a go.  (SHOP LOCAL!)

This weekend is also the the flea market at the Fairgrounds, 9-4pm at the 4-H building, and also this weekend at the fairgrounds is another antique show ANTIQUE SPECTACULAR  - 

Now there seems to be a cost for this, but heck the big flea market is absolutely free.

So My fingers are crossed I'll find something junky to make into great jewelry this weekend!

bangle bracelet made from the paper line up bar from a 1920's L.C. Smith typewriter

Wednesday and perfect lazy day

Love and bullets... yep, that's a casing, with a lovely quartz crystal point, painted dragonfly with a "love" charm.  I could almost like guns at this point.

I've been trying to work overtime on my days off -- I know it won't be around forever.. but some days you just have to be lazy.  So Tomorrow I plan to laze around in the studio - ALL DAY! - and hopefully make some magic while wearing pj's.  I'm making a cheese ravioli casserole tonight, which I can just nuke as needed all day tomorrow and I've got my old standby of cheese and crackers.  I have a stack of Alan Rickman movies to choose from, and lots of lovely bits to play with.  So unless that other shoe drops.. you know, the one that's always hanging over our collective heads at all times... it's gonna be just about a perfect day.

Which makes me wonder what is your idea of the perfect, soul restoring, lazy day? Would you want some alone time, family time, catch up with a good book, watch movies?

Take a walk in the sunshine - visit your best friend?  Do date night with your hubby or sig other?  Hang out making cookies with your kids?

Whatever makes your perfect day, I wish each and everyone of you gets one in the near future.