Bad Blogger

I have not been blogging lately. I am existing at a slower pace than life during the show season ( which is most of life for me) and this slow pace feels lazy although I am still working. I have forgotten about things that I do constantly during most of the year, like production, and I am "getting" to do things I don't do most of the year, like polishing up my rusty silversmithing skills. I procrastinate doing the silver work, but once I get started, and accept the dreaded learning curve ( you know that curve, where you make a lot of crappy stuff until you get over the hump!) I really enjoy the work. So I am posting some pictures of the rings and things I have been doing. The photo to the right is a ring in progress that I was thinking about turning into a pendant on these pearls. It isn't done yet, but I think it will turn out to be a ring.

The "hump" ring, figuratively and literally, is the copper and silver ring. What a monstrosity!! But I am showing you all right now, but don't expect to see this ring, or it's relatives at a show this year. The photo of it will show up at the right of this post.

Working

I am making it to the studio everyday. I have spent hours putting things in their place, sweeping and cleaning. I am a few weeks behind in my production schedule. Christmas too more time than I thought it would, but then again, that was probably more fault with the schedule than with the holiday.
None the less, I am working, and I started the silver fabrication I have been talking about for 6 months. I knew I would procrastinate on this. There is a big learning curve with silver work, and it isn't pretty. At the cost of silver these days, it is not pretty and not cheap! So I fumbled around for a few days, burned up some silver and some time. I solved my problems, and I am happy to say that yesterday I make 2 1/2 rings!! They are pretty simple, but at least I am going on them and warming up the old skill sets.
Right now I am waiting on a kilnload to cool down, so I think I'll go out and see whats happening. I will post some pictures of rings when I get a nice grouping.

Onward

Here is a Christmas Chunky Monkey I did last month. Lots of fun!

Well I am still practically comatose. Fragments of ideas about work are starting to swirl around in my befuddled brain, and I suppose sooner or later they will begin to coagulate into a complete, coherent thought. I am reluctant to go to the studio, as I can only imagine I will sit there in complete confusion.

Next week my husband and I are taking a trip to the Impression Show in San Francisco. We like to stay in the Cow Hollow Motor Lodge, because you can walk out the door of the hotel and you are on the sidewalks of the bustling Marina District, full of restaurants, stores and pubs. For the City, it is a pretty good deal, about $100 with taxes, and there is no charge for parking. I am always hesitant to try to Priceline a hotel in the city, since I have once been charged $35 a night (extra) for parking.

So this is the regular room rate at the Cow Hollow, not a Priceline one. I Pricelined a hotel by the San Francisco airport once, and it was really inexpensive. Then I spent the night wishing for an air filter for the smell, and a Uzi for self protection. Won't do that again.

The Crocker Preferred Customer Show Special

I've done a lot of these fun roll on bracelets for the Crocker "Show Special". Buy any two bracelets, and get a free pair of $29 earrings. You must have a coupon to recieve the show special, so click on the newsletter link above, and sign yourself up for my newsletter. I will send you the Crocker Newsletter containing the coupon by Thanksgiving evening....
Don't forget that the first 10 Fun Girls that present me with the coupon receive the gift felted bag containing a silver polishing cloth.

Fun Show Special at the Crocker Art Show Thanksgiving Weekend

Here is a fun reason to be on my email list. The first 10 people to come to my booth bearing a copy of my email will get one of these fun felted bags with a silver polishing cloth inside. How fun is that? No purchase necessary for this, but you will have to bring a copy of my newsletter. If you aren't currently getting my newsletter, there is a link above where you can add yourself. You will need to add yourself by Thanksgiving around 5pm in order to receive the email in time.

The Bruno Room at the Crocker Holiday Show

It is so hard to believe the holidays are upon us. WHEW. What a year!!! It is cold and rainy outside right now, just like winter should be.
If it's Thanksgiving, it is time for the Crocker Art Museum Holiday Art & Crafts Festival. They hold this event at the Scottish Rite Building in Sacramento. I will put a link on my blog soon with a map to the location.
I will be in a small room off of the Atrium, called the Bruno Room. In the past, they had artists in the lobby, in the main auditorium and in the Bruno Room, so I can only assume this year will be the same.
I will have a Crocker "Show Special", but I am still working on it, so come back in an hour or so!

Orinda Holiday Show This Saturday Nov. 6, 2010

I'll be back in Orinda this Saturday at the Community Center for their Holiday Bazaar.
They brought the show back this year after having been cancelled last year. It is only on Saturday this year.
It is a fun little show. Not everything is handmade, as it isn't an arts and crafts show, but there are the usual knitters that sprout when it gets cold, Narsai David food stuffs are there, and it is just a little different from the shows I regularly do. I will put a link to a map on the left if you need directions.