Walking Advertisment

I was told the other day I looked like a walking advertisment.

Well of course I did!

You have to be willing to wear your own creations.

Why would you make something you don't absolutely adore yourself?

I don't.

If I wouldn't wear it I don't make it.

Ok I kind of take that back - if I get an order for something of course I will make it.

Even if it isn't something I would pick to wear.

But yes I do wear my pieces.

I wear them to test the strudiness.

I wear them to test the comfort.

I wear them all almost!

At least once.

Well minus the earrings - because of the obvious.

I find myself actually liking to wear jewelry now.

I didn't at one time.

Because I wasn't finding MY style.

Now I totally have my own style!!

And I love it!



Indie Emporium

I am really excited about being a part of the Indie Emporium this year.

The shop where I teach classes got us teachers into this show.

I had never heard of it - WHAT!

This is exactly the kind of show I want to be a part of!

Here are the things I have worked on just today for this show:

Sterling silver dangle star earrings.

Sterling silver love bird earrings.

Copper love birds on sterling silver hoops.

Copper love birds on sterling silver hoops - matching necklace.

Dainty sterling silver w/ copper center flower earrings.

If you are local COME VISIT!!!

My First Indie Show

I am kind of getting a taste of being at home again.

Oh how I love it!

I know I can't get use to it - I have to work.

But for now I am enjoying it.

I have been working on jewelry non-stop!

Having time to really get some of these ideas out of my head has been great!

I have several shows coming up that I am really excited about.

Here are a few pics of what is working:

My jewelers hand saw has become my favorite tool.

Well besides my torch.

Love fire!

I have a show this coming weekend that I decided to make 50 pieces for their swag bags-

They give the first 50 people in the door these bags!

I have put together the cutest lil' bags & added a necklace inside.

Each one handcut, soldered & put together by me!



I Refuse To Be That Girl Again

The big girl on the right.

That is me.

Over 200lbs of me.

I am now 150.

I originally got down to 135 - eww.

That was yucky.

I officially had people asking me if I was taking drugs.

It was kind of like a drug in the beginning.

I lost all of that weight in about 3 months.

Yes I said 3 months - that is almost 60lbs.

I didn't look good.

But there was more to it than just being a big girl.

I was so unhappy.

I didn't like the way I looked.

I didn't like me.

I wasn't being me.

I love life.

But then I hated it.

But I do love me now.

I love being alive.

I love being happy.

I don't mind speaking my mind.

I don't expect everyone to agree with me.

But I have that right.

I also have the right to be happy.

So I REFUSE to ever be that girl again.

I will forever be the girl that loves life.

Loves the people in my life or gets rid of them.

Simple.

Faith

If you haven't read the post I made about where my name came from I will give you just a little piece of it.  It is necessary for what I want to say today.  My middle name is Faith.  I try to have Faith in everything I do so it is just a very big part of who I am.

I tend to jump a lot & just have Faith.   I believe if you have Faith in what you are doing you can do what ever it is you want to do.  I am a very true believer in this. 

But - isn't there always one of those?  I love what I do with my jewelry.  I love learning new techniques.  I love sharing new pieces.  I just love everything about it.  I want this to be what I do.  For a living. 

I work now because I have to.  I have a family that counts on me.  So I do what I have to.  I don't work at a fancy job.  I don't make a ton of money.  But it is what it is ... & that is an income that helps support my family that counts on ME. 

My husband supports my passion for making jewelry.  Completely.  He is my biggest cheerleader.  I love that.  He is also a very hard worker.  He has worked through this summer that has been nothing less than absolute torture.  Here in Oklahoma we were in the hundreds for something like 18 days in a row.  One day getting up to like 115.  But he never took the day off to stay in the AC & a break from the heat.  He kept going. 

So - so do I. 

I truly believe if I quite my 'day' job I could make the money I need to make with my love for jewelry.   I would have the time to do more with the business side of it.  More time creating. 

But my Faith isn't giving me the ok to go ahead & jump on this one.  I think if it weren't for having a family counting on me ... all would be good. 

Well ... now that I have that said ... kind of put out there.  I do have new things to share!
Some of my pictures are from my phone ... as we have just moved & I have 4 shows coming up in the next month ... so I haven't exactly taken the time to take good pictures.  So bare with me here.

I love the way these came out.  And putting these together were like working a puzzle ... so much fun.  Each piece had to be perfect - for it to fit.  These are made from sterling silver & copper wire.

I have become slightly obsessed with making rings.  This one just seemed like a necessary ring to make.  It is large - but a lot of people like big these days.  And of course I had to put my signature on it.  Flowers are in bloom for you finger now.

As you can see ... slightly obsessed.  But I love making them.
I have also learned how to use my saw that I bought months ago (ok like a year ago)

My first necklace made with my saw:

Like with all my new techniques ... I make the first piece & think 'oh this is amazing' ... now I look at this one & see where it is lacking.

But here are a few things I worked on today:

My 17 year old son has wanted me to make him a necklace with the Monster 'M' on it for a while ... I couldn't get the right look with wire.  If you make jewelry you can probabley imagine.  So I used my saw & cut it from a piece of nickel silver & then soldered it onto a copper dogtag.  He is most pleased with it ... didn't even want to wait for it to go through the tumbler.   Already wearing it.

And yes I kind of saved my favorite of all the pictures I am sharing today for last.  Many inspirations sent me here.  I have always been a lil' country girl at heart ... lets just be honest.   But first of all I have a show next weekend that is a western themed show so I have to have some western pieces.  Last night I went to the Tulsa Fair Grounds & played with minature show horses ... oh my are they small.  I had no idea how small they really are!  My two Great Danes are bigger than a lot of those horses!!  They are just so stinking cute!!! 

But my biggest inspiration is my 15 year old daughter.  She loves horses.  She just had to give hers up with our move.  So I have wanted to design a great necklace for her.