Wild Working Weekend

Last weekend I did all things enamel jewelry as I'm gearing up for the upcoming busy holiday shopping season and thought I'd share some of it with you. Sometimes I can become overwhelmed with the thought of the work I need to so but other times I get energized by it and I jump right in. I'm very happy to say that the latter is what happened last weekend. (And we hope it continues this weekend too!) And it's coming just in time because as of now I am set to participate in three craft shows and I'm also in stores and of course there is the Etsy shop to fill. Lots to do!

(At some point I want to do a proper post on my torch fire enamel jewelry making process but for right now I'll just show you the main points.)

Firing station with torch and exhaust fan. (Taking a break with Cooper).

All the fired pieces go here while they wait for finally assembly such as ear wires and chains for pendant necklaces.

Of course everything is organized! Half of the fun of making jewelry is the organizational system I need for it! :P

Cooper oversees the entire production and gets me back to work when I want to slack off. 

So it was a productive weekend getting lots of pieces underway and I'm hoping to continue it this weekend (and several more to come, of course). I hope you have a nice and productive weekend doing that which you do that you enjoy. :)

The Cows Need to Get to Work!

Cow Coming Home

Hello! Summer is coming to an end here and I am *still* working on getting my little jewelry business going. I am having such fits and starts with it! It is very frustrating but I am not losing my hope - or my desire - to do it, which is a very good sign for me (since I can have a tendency to lose interest when I begin to understand things more.)

Right now I am in the process of expanding my jewelry to include necklaces, bracelets and rings (and maybe even hair-clips in the future). I am also wanting to expand my technique. Currently I melt the glass into enamel by using a stable flame into which I dangle the metal pieces but what if I kept the metal piece stable and dangled the flame instead? (I would do it very carefully, of course!) Hmmmmm. Sounds interesting! There are many options to explore and I am excited to see what results they bring.

I am also planning ahead to two winter shows I am hoping to do and I'm working on a long-term plan to have my own website (not just Etsy) and sell wholesale.

So many things to do!

I have to admit that it's challenging for me to be so excited about so many things I want to do and then to struggle with finding the time (and discipline!) to get to work just *doing* it! I am good at thinking up ideas until the cows come home those cows need to get to work!