What I'm working on...

I spent last night casting a custom order for a lovely etsy customer. I hadn't done any casting in awhile, and it was good to get back to it. The starfish was cast in sand using molten pewter (lead free of course), the oldest and simplest method of casting. Its a technique my son taught me, messy and fun. I'll  do a tutorial in the next couple of weeks. This is the underbelly of the fish:

And a johnny crab claw which will find its way to my shop later tonight:

Tea Proof

It turns out my laptop is tea proof. Scalding hot liquids are no match for this little workhorse. A full cup of freshly brewed black tea all over the computer. After a brief moment of panic and a roll of paper towel, its as good as new. I hope. Just another event in my quest to be The Clumsiest Girl Who Ever Lived.

photo curtesy of WbDsgnr1 on photobucket

What I'm working on...

Well, its finally finished after a couple of false starts. The cobalt blue I had originally planned to use chipped when I was drilling it (sigh, it happens more frequently with bonfire glass than regular sea glass), and I originally replaced it with an amber, but  the blue was so much more lovely. I dug through my collection again and found this lighter blue, with a bit of white fused at the top. And was happy. I'm really enjoying working with brass. Here are  some other pieces to come out of the studio this week.

Sea Lily, turquoise glass

Brass in Pocket earrings

Cobalt Sea Lily necklace

White sea glass and brass earrings

Buy Craft; Local

A great new project by the Craft Alliance ~ Alliance metiers d'arts
Words to live by from the new buy craft; local site:

This is what happens when you buy craft locally...
1. You Embrace the Unique
You want your home to be a unique reflection of yourself... It makes sense that you buy something handmade,
rich with character and a sense of place.

2. You Nurture Community
We all like to support local businesses and causes. Your craft purchase helps us to build strong relationships
within our community.

3. You Vote for Quality
We support the best quality handmade products that meet our guidelines, for the best in local craft. We stand
behind our local craft products as being safe, well made and well designed.

4. You Keep Dollars in Our Economy
Nearly every cent you spent stays in this community. Our craft producers are from the region — many of whom
use locally sourced materials!

5. You Invest in Local Jobs
You are helping to create jobs in your community and region. The local retailer and craftsperson are often
self-employed entrepreneurs, employing themselves and others, many in small towns and rural communities
throughout the region.

6. You Help the Environment
Buying from a local business conserves energy and resources in the form of less fuel for transportation and
packaging.

7. You Create More Choice
The nature of being handmade by local craftspeople, in not being mass-produced, are better able to respond to
what you want and like.

8. You Make Dreams Come True
Local craft retailers and supporters are passionate about life and community... so are our craftspeople. More than
anything else, craftspeople want to pursue their dreams of a creative life in their studio and workshop.

9. You Support Local Entrepreneurship
Creativity and resourcefulness are a key to successful creative economies. Small businesses are paramount to
making that happen.

10. You Reinforce Local Destinations
The more memorable and unique we are as a place and people, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors
and guests to our local retailers and craft studios. This benefits everyone!

When you buy craft locally, great things can happen!
Thank you for your support…
© 2 0 0 9 C R A F T A L L I A N C E

You can register here as a supporter of the buy local movement, and you can download nifty web badges, product hang tags, flyers, bookmarks and other great stuff here. 

Front Page Happiness

I woke up to find my Branching Out necklace on etsy's front page this morning, a nice Sunday morning surprise! Thank you to The Lost Earring for curating this lovely list. The Lost Earring's shop is inspired by all of the beloved earrings she has lost over the years. She incorporates natural elements in her jewelry, designing beautiful one of a kind pieces. Take a look at her Leafy Dream Pressed Leaf Floral earrings:

And her Cedar on Blue Sterling Silver Earrings:

These will certainly make up for any earrings you may have lost over the years, don't you think?

What I'm working on

I've been enamoured with the warm tones of brass for the past couple of weeks,  must be the cold winter sinking in, pushing me to seek warmth anywhere I can. I spent the morning going through my sea glass collection, remembering summer, and pulled out these little gems of bonfire glass to set off the brass in this necklace to be. I hope to have it and other new brass and silver pieces listed in my etsy shop next week.

The Little Amaryllis That Almost Didn't

My amaryllis opened today, planted in late November for Christmas, a bit late but beautiful. At first I thought he was a dud- two weeks after he was planted, there was still nothing, not a single green sprout, which is unusal for an amaryllis. Usually you can just stand there and watch them grow. Well, almost. And the cat hasn't bothered him, which is also unusual because he's pretty sure we grow houseplants as salads just for him. I'm going to go stare at my amaryllis a bit longer before I start the Things I have to do today even though I'd rather do anything else list.

The Beach, my favourite theme...

Cobblestonelane has done a beautiful job with this etsy treasury, gorgeous colour mix and of course my favourite theme :)  And a thank you for including our red sea glass necklace. I'm a bit jealous though, had my own treasury all ready in poster sketch, sat by my computer doing the treasury countdown, then, BAM, it was full again. How does that happen? Maybe next time...