What's Up

So I have been keeping a low profile here, but some stuff has happened. Firstly, I got MARRIED! A very quiet affair, just my mom and her guy, and my husband's parents. There were five photos.

Secondly, I have had two jewelry parties hosted by some nice ladies. I did very well and hope to have some more. It is nice to get together and drink some wine and meet new people.

I currently have a terrible cold and can't breathe. I have been holding down the couch for a few days.

I made my husband cut down a tree on Sunday. Went to the farm with my Cousin and her family, and my mom. I accidently chose an 11 footer. Loved Loved carrying it!! I got hives from the needles, then it fell over in the stand. It is not really safe for the sunroom, where I wanted it. It is resting comfortably on the deck, laying down.

What I really need to do is rephotograph all of my jewelry with my cool new macro lens, relist them with the updates. I found a really pretty ceramic tile for the background. I want them all to have a uniform appearance. Soon they will be on Etsy.

Next project is to make some bezel pendants with some of the gorgeous cabochons I have. Turquoise, jasper, labradorite to name a few. I made a lovely hinged one with dinasaur bone, but the hinge wasn't soldered properly. Tried to fix, alas, cracked the stone! (note to self) Never heat with stone already set

Ok, time for a nice cuppa.

Happy Holidays...

JET Challenge

It is time for the JET 's holiday challenge! Check the Jewelry on Etsy team blog for a chance to vote and win fabulous jewelry. It is easy, free and a chance for some great bling!

Check the link above!

Voting ends tomorrow, so act quickly before you lose your opportunity!

Power

After 72 hours, there is light. Literally, I mean lights and Internet and coffee that I can make instead of Dunkin Donuts. So happy. Soon the pickle pot will be hot and I can solder. But first out for dinner because I had to dispose of everything perishable. Did I mention that I can make coffee?

Out

Something New - It's the Wood that makes it good

My new fascination with wood
and with layers

I don't list things as often as I should. That sounds like a song! My procrastination will be my downfall. Here I am, now a quit my day job girl, and I have played enough Wii to best my own top score on Link's Crossbow (the only weapon I use) I think about making something, and I have enough materials to open my own shop. Sound familiar?

I love wooden beads. And lamp work beads. Alas glass is soooooo heavy! Wood is light, very light. A perfect marriage. My new bracelet, one of many, features wood beads with a mix of glass, and ceramic spacers. I can't wait to make more, plus they are fast. It's the wood that makes it good. Way back, Kenny Rogers had a restaurant, and that was the slogan. I always got a kick out of that one. Surprisingly, they went out of business.

My other new fave, is layering silver discs to make abstract floral shapes. The gold bezel is pretty and the tourmaline is really nice set inside the oxidized layers. It is like a rippling stone toss, oh that would make a good title somehow. Write that down, self.

My next endeavor is to make some bezel pendants with the plethora of cabochons I have "acquired". Photos to follow..

It's been a while

I recently took a class in wax carving and casting. I had no previous experience in this medium and seriously wished to learn. This is what happened. The teacher was Nanz Aalund, a professional goldsmith who had been teaching for many years. The place was Peter's Valley Craft Center in New Jersey. I spent 6 days in the country, no internet, only peace, and homecooked food. I went running a few times with Jordana, a quilter there for a machine quilting class. I would like to see her again, maybe for lunch in the city.

My classmates and I learned to carve wax into a ring, with specific geometric lines. I was always terrible at geometry. After carving our model, which was the same for everyone, we altered it to our own taste, making certain the balance was good, and it wouldn't turn.

Me toiling away with dental tools

Then a funny thing happened. We had done the investments, and placed them in the kilns overnight. The next morning, Nanz went to turn on the gas tanks to heat the silver for casting, and lo and behold, no oxygen. Not so funny.

Jennifer was the studio assistant, and she went off to fill the tanks, but in the meantime...

One person had her silver melted by two acetylene tanks. When the container was moved to pour, it was dropped and all the molten silver splattered on the floor, and almost Nanz's bare legs. That was not attempted again.

Next we started carving something of our own. Mine was a ring setting for my Etsy shop. A bezel setting with narrower sides close to the setting.

Mine came out great.

During the class, Nanz told me SEVERAL times that I should just send it out to be cast. Now what's the fun in that?

Jennifer is a fantastic enamelist check out her site
weareverjewelry.com

Fundraising Giveaway

I made this lovely pendant as part of my fundraising campaign! To honor Team in Training, I made it in the team colors of amethyst, green and white. Created from gold fill wire, which I soldered into a ring, wire-wrapped swarovski pearls, rolo chain, swarovski crystals, green topaz and tiny seed beads to finish this sparkly, elegant pendant. The diameter is 1 7/8in.

***For each donation of $75 or more, I will made this at my own cost and time! It looks gorgeous on and will be noticed! If you prefer real amethysts and pearls, I will switch them. It hangs from a delicate gold fill 18 or 16" chain which I will be wearing as I run my 26.2 miles!!!

Please check my LLS link below to make a donation (ANY amount is appreciated!!!)

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ct/nikesf10/mreillyr9g

Team in Training-Nike Women's Marathon

It's official! I am running the Nike Womens Marathon in honor and memory of my father, Jody.

This is him in 2009, after he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He died on October 10.

I have written the fundraising letter. I have started the training schedule that I received from Team in Training. I have the link to my website that is my fundraising page for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My goal is to raise $4000!

Now I get to send the letter to everyone I know and some that I don't. That part is scary, but necessary for fundraising. Running the 26.2 miles, not as scary. Please check out the link and if you can help in any way, that would be wonderful.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ct/nikesf10/mreillyr9g

Bead Soup Blog Party!!!

I just joined in on the Bead Soup blog party! Sounds like a lot of fun!

Here is the link to join or take a look...

http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/2010/04/bead-soup-blog-party-is-here.html

Something Different

So I love silver and gemstones and beads and gold and pearls and.....then I bought Beads2010 and drooled on the pages. It was so fun looking at all the pretty, pretty things.

I love the look of color and a mix of ceramic and all of that together. I found some jewelry that I liked and did some research and now have spent a fortune on materials for a new branch of designs for my jewelry. I bought some ceramic eggs from this fab glass artist found here https://www.etsy.com/shop/Kelleysbeads. Of course I probably bought more than anyone else as I often do. I go overboard and get carried away. And some really pretty beads from fellow TeamEPE seller http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeadFrenZ. But buying is not my problem.

Have you ever put down an assortment of things to make a piece of jewelry and your mind looks at everything and can't decide where to start? Four hours later, you are still looking and nothing has been accomplished. I have been working at my regular job, with strange hours, for the last two weeks. We also had the kids staying with us for April vacation. Not a setting for creativity. I have also been training for the marathon. I have to concentrate and no TV, or computer for three days!!!! No, no, no!!

So look out, in the next week, I will have made and posted 10-15 new items on my Etsy site! Yippee!! This is one of them in the photo above.

Nike Women's Marathon

My father Jody, mom Maureen,
me, and my brother, Jim in 2008


I have made a very big decision! A marathon would be nice, and as I am my father's daughter, I have decided on the Nike Women's Marathon, in San Francisco. This event is October 17, exactly one week after the first anniversary of my father's death from Leukemia. The reason I chose this event, 3000 miles from home, is because the sponsor is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
I will have to raise $3,500 to go, but it will go to them. My personal goals in life are run a marathon and go skydiving. The first one I am doing this year. Anyone who wants to do the second with me, I am there! Anyone who wants to run this marathon with me, please be there! The most challenging part is raising the funds through donations, but they are giving me a website and I will start being extra nice to everyone I know!

My father and I used to take walks together and kayak. I always enjoyed those times together and miss them tremendously. I am trying to coerce my mother to go with me and volunteer at the race. This is the mother who let me drive her 900 miles to see Keith Urban in a tiny town called Crawford, PA! (she is my best friend) So what is a four day trip to SF?

This is the link to the LLS site for the event:


http://www.teamintraining.org/

Low profile

So I have not been feeling well for the past week. I had a stomach virus that wouldn't leave me alone, and I am just feeling normal. Yesterday, I went to my cousin's for her 6 year old's Fancy Nancy birthday party. Guess what she has? A stomach virus #&%*!

In the meantime, I have had three sales this week, yippee! Finished and received payment for the wholesale order, and started some new work that I will post tomorrow on etsy.

All in all, not a bad week. Oh thats right, still have to do my taxes.

EPE Challenge

I really wanted to finish it, but I was too tired. My butterfly. I made it, just never took photos or posted it on Etsy. My bunny is tumbling right now. I will post it tomorrow and send the link to enter the challenge. I will post the photos here of both.

I made them from pmc, and think they will make really cute pendants. If you are wondering what I am talking about, then check this:

http://etsyprojectembrace.blogspot.com/

Wholesale

I did it. Went to a local boutique with some of my pieces. They liked it and now I have an order for multiples of four pieces! Yea!

Front Page

I was very happy to learn my treasury made it to the front page. I missed it. I featured a majority of teamepe items, which I hope received a few looks. I can't believe how welcoming and good these people are. We all share a story about cancer in one way or another, ourselves or a loved one. Good people

Wholesale

So should I or shouldn't I? Go wholesale, that is....I have a meeting tomorrow with a local shop. They sell nice things, and I would like to be one of them. The pricing is the worst part, the fear, and trepidition are getting to me. Am I pricing too low, too high? or just right? I DON'T KNOW!!!

Love/Hate relationships

There is nothing like a sale, especially when it is for teamepe! There is nothing worse than a buyer who does not pay. Even after a gentle nudge in the form of a convo. Nothing, nada, none.
Bummer.

Etsy Project Embrace

Last year was terrible. My father had been diagnosed with myodisplasia, a blood cancer. He lost the will to live and started giving up on all the things he did in his life. He had gone to Yale, and his doctor placed him as a bone marrow candidate and began a regimen of chemo.

The cancer center found a donor who matched almost perfectly, dad just needed to clear the cancer from his blood and bone marrow. After six rounds of chemo, including a sudden drop of blood pressure to 29 and a stay in intensive care, a bad reaction to a transfusion which landed him in intensive care, my parents were told that there was nothing they could do, it had become acute myeloid leukemia. That was September 28.

On October 10, 2009, Jody Reilly died. So quickly.

Today, I became a member of Etsy Project Embrace, teamepe, where 10% of sales will go to the American Cancer Society. Nobody should die this way, and I hope this helps others. Checking out becoming a bone marrow donor is my next step.

Michelle

Good intentions

I was using an adorable chia pet to photograph my rings. The color just popped right out and looked great with the green grassy hair. Even though little chia belonged to Adam (a 7 year old), I didn't give it a second thought to use it..

Then one of the kids decided to give poor little chia a haircut, see for yourself.....I tried everything to save him, water, humidity, sun, but alas, nothing worked. Now I have found my new table does a great job for photos, but it is not the same, but new chia is growing, so keep a lookout for my white sapphire resting in new chia....yea Lesson learned, buy your own.

Then one of the kids, unnamed, chose to give poor chia a haircut, and the rest is history... see for yourself...

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is my first post and the first of many. I want to explore the path of my new life as a jewelry designer.

I have done so many things in my life and never found the thing I loved until recently. It is VERY SCARY to make such a big change at 41, but I find that it is worth it. I have many adjustments to make (goodbye heated seats) but this is the path I want.

I have a degree in education and spent many years in travel and retail, before and after teaching. I was never happy or satisfied(except the free trips to Ireland). I love to make things and have knitted for years. I even considered that as a career, but I like instant gratification and a sweater, well, lets just say my brother has been waiting four years for his Christmas scarf...

Now I am doing what I love, making jewelry and creating pretty things. How much fun is that?