One Year Anniversary!!!

Tomorrow, Nov. 26th will be one year since I decided to start really selling the crafts I make. It's been a year of learning and surprise and growth not only in my business, but within myself.  Learning all that I've learned in such a short time in my jewelry class has been so fulfilling!

So in my shop there is a Sale going on for 20% off your order! Use coupon code 1YEARANN to claim your 20%.  Let your friends know to Shop Small Business for Christmas this year. Shop Local too if you can!

Mothers On The Mountain Etsy Shop

My Honey's New Wooden Boxes

My Husband is a carpenter and a talented artist with wood too. He gathers up the throwaway wood from job-sites and turns them into beautiful boxes and other creations.
Here's his latest boxes.

First Bezel - Turquoise and Silver Ring

Here is my finished ring and I'm very pleased :)
I learned so much making this ring! I'm really looking forward to the next class.

Amazing Engraving Video

A fellow student shared this video with the class.  This man's work is amazing!  My daughter and I were mesmerized!

Here's  part two of this amazing process of carving metal.

My First Bezel Setting with Granulation

I got really excited in my jewelry class when the next assignment was learning how to bezel set a stone!!  At this time, the Stone Setting class hours didn't work with my schedule ( and it's the one I really want to take too! ) so I figured I'd have to be patient till I am able to take it.  So happy me when the teacher told us we'll learn bezel setting!

She told us for the first one, pick a stone that is as round as possible (putting away that complex stone for later...) to make it easy the first time.  So of course, I pick a sweet little greenish turquoise (my favorite stone).  The bezel is fine silver and the back plate is my mom's sterling silver.  It ended up that I soldered it just right and the stone fit afterwards too! Phew! I didn't shape the bottom plate first because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it yet.

 I can't tell you the feeling of joy at learning this process. I have been waiting YEARS to learn this!

 See? No gaps! Yeah!

The sweet little stone I picked.  The dental floss is so I can get it out easily.

After this process, I shaped the plate. Making sure I got is as round and even all around too.
There is so much patience that goes into jewelry fabrication!

The week before my teacher did a demo on granulation and fusing. I really like little balls of silver on rings and jewelry so I thought I'd try it out. The teacher was all for it, so I got some fine silver and measured a lot of little pieces, cut them and laid them on a solder brick and took a fine torch to them and giggle when they got hot and pulled together with a little "boing" into little metal balls. 

My teacher told me to put a strip of solder around the bezel and melt it.  I know there are other ways, but for right now, this was what she wanted me to do.  After that, I fluxed (Flux is your friend!) and laid the balls all around the edge and crossed my fingers that it would all work out!  Smart me took a picture of how it was supposed to look in the end!

As it turned out only 10 stuck! So next time in class I got more creative and more flux and tiny bits of solder in crevices and I got all of them to stay! Phew! Afterwards, my teacher (with a big grin) told me they sell ball wire so you don't have to do it individually!! But hey, it's all about the learning process right?

Can you feel how happy I am!! The stone is just in there right now for looks as I work on the ring shank next. I soldered it to it and now have to fix the shape a bit. Then I'll set the stone in for good!!  

I am really looking forward to the next few years when I have more experience in this field and really get to make all the ideas that have been floating around my head all these years. 

What a Nice Saturday!

There was a craft show a block away from home today, so I convinced my 13 yr old son to walk over with me to check it out. It was a beautiful day (still is as I write) and really wonderful creations were all about us. Then I saw the loose beads!
I can't fight the urge, I have to "just go look", secretly hoping for that "find". At least a few beads to go home with. Just looking at beads, ideas start to flow.
I ended up with a "find" for a good deal!

Ideas are flowing...oops wait, what am I going to make for dinner?.......but the rocks.....I'll give myself 15 minutes with my new beads, then figure out dinner :)
What a nice Saturday.