Playing with Fire, the Valentine's Day jewellery-making push

Finally! I'm back where I love to be, in my studio (messy disaster though it is!). I must have been a fire-bug (arsonist?) in another life because nothing makes me happier than playing with my torches, and I've been playing a lot this week, so I'm a very happy camper!

As Valentine's Day draws rapidly near, I'm in a frenzy of creating love-themed jewellery to list on my Etsy Shop and website. This one-of-a-kind pair of earrings, "Two Love Birds" are available here. They are made from two vintage metal (pewter?) bird beads, fresh water pearls in soft shades of pink, grey and white. Hung with hand-formed sterling headpins on hand-formed sterling earwires.

As a break from hearts and pearls, I have also been adding to my "Hobby Horse" series of pendants and earrings. These sweet little earrings are the latest in the series, and would make a great gift for horse-loving girls (young and old) . Every pair is free-formed by hand, making each pair slightly different, with its own unique character. These are made from copper wire, but I will also be making them from sterling silver as soon as my shipment of wire arrives. You can see them on my website.

Now I'm off to my studio to make some more love - jewellery, that is!

Cabin Fever and My Favourite Winter Things

Another bitterly cold -40 celsius day, which means another day of being cooped up in my little house. I almost can't remember when I was last able to go outside, or get up the hill to my studio. I'm starting to go a little stir crazy!

So, before I start to feel too sorry for myself I thought I'd make a list of all the things I like about winter. Because I can no longer do my favourite winter things - cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, photography, making snowmen - this took quite a bit of thought. I did manage to come up with a few things:

1. Watching the woodpeckers at the suet feeder on our porch. Downy, Hairy and Pileated woodpeckers are constant visitors throughout the winter months.
2. The morning sun shining on frost-covered trees and bushes.

After this I got a bit stuck, but eventually thought of

3. Snow angels. I've loved making snow angels ever since I was a child. I can't do it very often any more, but it is still one of my favourite things to do in winter
4. Animal tracks on a pristine snowy river or field.
And then I couldn't think of another thing. I know there are more things to like about winter, but the walls are closing in and I can't think of any!

I wish I had thought to bring a stash of art/jewellery making supplies to the house. If I can't do something creative soon, I think I will start climbing the walls! I have been using my time well, working on my website (which is not quite finished, but live - www.wabibrookstudio.com ) and some much needed marketing plans for 2009. After all this office work, I expect that once I can get up to my studio, the creative energy will be flowing in every direction!

No Time to Paint!

I thought that, after a busy autumn focusing on selling, I'd be able to jump right in to painting and creating in the new year. It hasn't worked out that way so far! Now I'm up to my eyebrows in website building. At the rate I'm going, it might be completed by spring. I took a couple of courses on website building and coding, but that was about two years ago. A case of use it or lose it - I didn't use it and it seems I have lost much of it. Ah well, frustrating though it is, I do derive some satisfaction from working through issues and having something to show for it all at the end.

I have been thinking a lot about painting, in between dredging up long forgotten pieces of code. Last fall I painted this picture of Wabi Creek as seen from my garden. I really need to get busy and paint a winter version. It won't be quite the same view - the snow is so deep I can't even get to my garden, and it is too cold to paint outside anyway - but I have nearly the same view looking out my front window. Or, perhaps I can get close enough to my garden to take some photos. Painting from life is so much more satisfying, though.....

By the way, Wabi Creek Autumn is for sale at the Foto Shop gallery on Lakeshore Road in New Liskeard for those living in the Temiskaming Shores area, and also online at my Etsy shop.