Tube setting

I finally got to mess around in the garage yesterday for the first time since last summer. This is rather badly scratched (although looking much worse in the photo than to the naked eye) because I was just playing so wasn't as careful as I should have been. I'll probably clean it up a bit more but my mom has already claimed it - she says (correctly) that since she was watching my kids while I did this she should get to have it. Sounds good to me!

Tube set 3mm CZ pendant, on ginko imprinted sterling sheet. My first tube setting as well as my first time playing with a bunch of new toys I have. Life is good!

Photography

I struggle with photographing my pieces. I know this is a common problem, but it is still very frustrating. Today I got a neutral grey background. I only had time to try it quickly, and most of the photos didn't turn out, but this one has me pretty excited. This is the sparkliest I've managed to show these Oh-So-Sparkly stones.



Of course - now that I've posted them - I see a dog hair in the photo. Oh well, just another opportunity for improvement!

Tourmalines from November

I made these several months ago and forgot all about them until now! Tourmalines and sterling. I am still messing around with my photo setup. The colours are brighter than in the photo. If I get a better photo the next time I'll update this.

Back in the saddle, sort of...

I've pulled out all my stash and I've started playing. I haven't actually made anything, mind you, but I have some ideas and I will be soon. In the meantime I took a bunch of photos with my new camera. I was trying something new for lighting, and I don't think it worked fabulously. This was adjusted in Elements and while the colours are not particularly accurate I think the sparkle comes across.

Does this happen to everyone?

I had hardly started The Ladder when the basic idea for the next piece arrived in my head. I've started it now, and despite the fact that three days ago I hadn't a clue what the third piece would be I now know. I had the idea that I wanted three - three is an important design concept to me - but didn't have any idea what they all would be.

It just seems like I'm always finishing something so I can begin the next thing.

Someone asked the size of the piece I showed in my last post. It is approximately 6" x 4-1/2". The new one will be 6" x 4", unless something strikes me.

No photo today. The camera went off for repair, and will be another 5-7 weeks before it is back.

Therapy beading

The Ladder is the first in a series (tentatively titled Back Off - Get Your Own Body, although on more meditative days I think of it simply as Therapy). I found out this summer that I have breast cancer, and for a while I was rather unhappy. Visualization doesn't usually work well for me, but I was talking to my husband about how I felt like I had fallen in a hole, and couldn't get out - couldn't get happy again - and that I thought I might need to find a physical representation of the hole in order to deal with it. He said that I didn't need a representation of the hole - I needed a representation of the ladder. He was right. In the grand scheme the unhappiness didn't last very long, but the image of the ladder helped me climb out of that hole.

Mostly done improvisationally, this is my first completed bead embroidery piece. Miscellaneous seedy-beads, some Swarovski crystals, and one special (to me - thank you Sander!) faceted hessonite garnet.

I'm having camera & photo editing software problems, but I didn't want to wait any longer in posting this. Please believe the colours are much richer in person.



I recently started working on jewellery again too. Just stringing for now, but at least I'm pulling out my stash and playing! This extra-sparkly three stranded bracelet of faceted tourmalines has a tube clasp for added security. Now I just have to decide if I can part with it.

Update

I know, no-one wants to read an "I haven't posted for too long" post, but I'm posting this anyways. I am going to have to drop out of the Year of Jewelry. Especially frustrating because I would have completed a whole year if I could have stuck it out for this one quarter. Hopefully I'll be able to rejoin next time.

I still owe two pieces for the last quarter. I've done some - just earrings, nothing exciting - but I haven't got my photo setup up right now and probably can't take photos for another couple of weeks. I will get them up eventually.

I'm going to keep this journal going. It'll be updated infrequently, but I'll at least be posting my new work.