A few more days...

My blog posts may be a bit short for the next week. It's crunch time and I'll be in my workshop pretty nonstop this week, outside of time with my boys, that is. Yesterday I was actually pretty wiped out in the evening and hit the hay really early. I wanted to feel fresh and energized for today.

Here are a few pics from yesterday's bike ride:

It was a really cloudy, quiet and beautiful ride. Most people do not like overcast days....they happen to be my favorite. I guess it is also because of growing up in a land of 310 average days of sunshine out of the year...cloudy days are more rare. Plus, it seems like it adds such a dream-like quality to the day. Great for snuggling up with a cup of something hot, reading a book or just flat out day-dreaming ;)

This morning I woke up to a few convos informing me that the treasury I curated made the front page.

This is a first! :)

I'll be back later.................

Updated shop

I had a custom order request today for a ring that resembled my copper pebbles ring......without the copper pebbles. I had been meaning to add a plain silver band to my shop for awhile now and so that set me in motion to finally do so :)

And so voila:

I finished five listings with this necklace....

I am particularly fond of that bauble.....

So this blog post is going to be short and sweet and will end with another music mention. I named one of my necklaces after this lady's former band frou frou.




I love the uniqueness of this girl and her music is amazing. This is another song that you should hear as well....it came out in the movie 'Garden State', which is a really good movie by the way.

I'll be back tomorrow....:)

Last minute ordering...

Yesterday I was in my shop working for roughly only a couple of hours for the whole day. I had an earring order to fill and outside of that I have been trying to finish all the ordering I need for the fair. I want this to be the last day that I wrap that part up and spend the remaining days just making my wares and fulfilling etsy purchases.

My parents will be coming in next week to help us watch the kids so we can concentrate on final preparations. They will actually be watching my little monkeys during the fair so that my husband can work the booth with me. That is a massive help....and I am extremelly grateful they are coming to stay with us that week!!

One thing that I have yet to discuss on here is the fact that I have not opened up the 'fine art photography' portion of my shop yet. I have been working on it all along as well and after the show I will add that to blue hour designs. It has been a part of the plans all along but it took a backseat while I was trying to get the jewelry going. I will be selling my prints at the fair though, and so I've been having to buy all the matting and prints, which is a big job in and of itself!

I also decided to make my own earring cards because I have not been happy at all with the selection out there. I want a very simple and modern card, but for some reason all I am finding are the puffed pad and velvet kind. I am working on that right now actually. Way to go for last minute plans though, right?!!

Yesterday I posted these two up:



It was all I had time for. I will post a few more today.

I also love to share my favorite finds from etsy and so here are a few pieces that I would love, love, love to have!

Look at that incredible neckline! I love the simplicity of this girl's designs. Everything in her shop is be-autiful.

I really dig the colors too. I have been drawn to more muted colors lately....and then I'll throw on a splash of color with my jewelry ;)

And this fantastic sweater is perfect for fall! I lo-ove sweaters.....this one looks incredibly cozy and warm.

That's it for now...back to work :)

Confession...

When I first started this business venture I was full of anxiety and fear.....but also extreme excitement. I was terrified that this wouldn't work, that I wouldn't have the skills, the imagination, the list goes on. But nothing, outside of my personal life that is, had ever held such a grip on my heart and mind like creating does. To create and surround myself with what I think is beautiful is a pure gift.

I honestly don't remember the exact time when I had that 'aha' moment, but it was definitely a combination of things....sayings even, that inspired me. This is one of them:

“There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, "Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams." Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there. These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say, "How good or how bad am I?" That's where courage comes in.” Erma Bombeck

I didn't want my dreams in a box...seriously. I have come to wholeheartedly believe that I have control over whether things are accomplished in my life or not. I do not want to sit around and only hope for them. Now, I do not regret most of the decisions I have made in the past. I really do value a lot of them. They have made me who I am. I have two degrees that I am proud of under my belt....but I have moved on....to find my passion and to run the gamut of emotions if need be....but at least I am following my heart.

All of these thoughts have been flitting through my mind this evening. I think it started with the amazing feature that Mrs. French wrote about me today in her blog. It was so, so incredibly kind and wonderful of her to write what she did. I danced around my house a little bit, to be honest ;) I am sending a thousand more thank you's your way Traci!!!

I do want to share a few pictures with you of the pieces I have made over the last few days. Yep, it took me three days to make five pieces, but that is only because I have been working on so many other things that have needed my attention!

I wanted to show a few more 'process' pictures again. Here is a pic of the base plates and bezel walls that I am about to solder together. There are definitely multiple steps that take place before this, but I do not have pictures of those.

After this round of soldering:

I threw these in the pickle and then I set to work filing and preparing them for their bails and connections. The process is quite long and I should take pictures of each phase someday so you can see how a piece of jewelry evolves from silver sheet and stone to this:

I just realized how dirty that table is! That's a little embarrassing....

Okay I'll list them hopefully tomorrow. I need to focus on making lots of earrings tomorrow.

10 more days!!

goodnight :)

New treasury

Good morning :)

I fell into bed last night exhausted at like 8:30 pm. It was a full day! I worked in my workshop for a few hours yesterday morning and then spent the rest of the day tying up loose ends for my booth display. I had thought I had my setup design exactly how I wanted it....but last night maybe because I was tired I started to get really unhappy with what I came up with. I think maybe it just needs a little bit of tweaking....as opposed to a complete overhaul!

Yesterday I also created another treasury. I've been making them about once a week now. It is a lot of fun and a great way to connect with other etsy sellers.

I wanted to show this new treasury because my mom is in this one :)

I owe all my craftiness and my artsy blood to my parents. Both of them create and work with their hands. My mom likes to sew, crochet and quilt.....my dad was a very, very good amateur photographer along with painting, woodwork and welding!

Because of my dad's welding background he is able to understand quite a lot when I discuss my silversmithing with him. There are many similar functions with both. It's nice to explain things to my dad and have him understand what I am talking about :)


Back to work now....my worktable is full of new pieces to finish. :)

coffee and rain

We had a change of pace today...instead of our normal Sunday morning bike rides, we decided to walk to a local coffee shop.

That coffee is about the size of my head :) ....and it was good.

It was a lazy morning. We just drank coffee, while the kids played. It was very nice.

In the afternoon I listed my new rings and my husband and I discussed my display for the fair. We are still trying to figure out what I need and exactly how I want the setup to look like. This is our first time so everything is still such an unknown. There are a few things we still have to get....and the fair is two weeks away!! Not gonna panic....not gonna panic.....

Later, we went for our normal bike ride post-dinner.

It rained for a tiny bit while we were riding. The air smelled so, so wonderful!

I love the summer rains....growing up in the desert, monsoon season was always the best time of the year for me.

Now that I have my little camera back I am able to take it along with me everywhere again.

Back to work early tomorrow morning.....I'm off to bed. goodnight!

A full day.

Let me give you a rundown of my day:

After we woke up and got ready we all jumped in the truck and headed to some yard sales armed with muffins and coffee. We haven't done this in awhile. I found a pair of ceramic soup mugs, some goggles for work and a bike for my mom when she comes to visit. We need one for my dad so we will be on the lookout! So I'd say it was a fruitful outing :)

After this, we headed to the Lafayette Peach Festival.

First of all here is what I was happy with: yummy, yummy gyros and greek fries.....ummm and that was basically it!

What I didn't like: Lava-like weather (I'm from New Mexico and this was just UNcomfortable!!), one thousand gazillion people, and lines for the peach cobbler that made you think there was a food shortage somewhere. Which means we didn't get peach cobbler....at the peach festival. There was just no way we were going to stand in a two hour line in that sweltering heat for peach cobbler. So we came home. But that lead to one of my favorite times of day.....'afternoon coffee' in a nice cool house :-) So all was well!

After that I headed downstairs and whipped up a pair of rings:

After I put the rings in the tumbler we ate dinner and then took the bikes out to the lake and park. When we got back I set the stones and then started taking some pictures. I wasn't able to get too many because the sun was already below the horizon. So I will have to post these puppies tomorrow since I couldn't get any good pics of me wearing them.

Now, after I post this blog I am actually going to try and get to bed on time and read for a little bit before going to sleep. I haven't read a book in quite awhile....this is weird and I don't like it! I love reading before bed. It is such a great way to wind down the day. Plus I'm a big-time bookworm....I've always had my nose in books!

I do have to mention that just a little bit ago my 4 year old monkey came to kiss me goodnight and on his own initiative he told me that he loved me....seriously, it doesn't get any better than that :)


goodnight!

Feature

I am posting a bit early today...it seems like most of my blog posts have crept into a pre-bedtime ritual! I do, however, want to share some good news that I woke up to. Laura from Bright, Bold, and Beautiful featured my shop in her blog today. I am very honored that she posted about Blue Hour Designs! I have a little surprise for her readers so go and check it out! :)

Thank you very much, Laura, for your wonderful feature!

Right now I am heading out the door to drop off our car to the doctor for some minor fixing. I made some muffins and coffee and I'm throwing the kids in the car for breakfast.

I am going to try and get two more rings in the shop today....I have a full schedule and it seems like there is some conspiracy going on because I swear that the day is getting shorter and shorter!

- Little Edit -rings will go up tomorrow :)

Winding down...

I found a few more pictures from our trip this summer to share with you.
The first is of my husband at a quaint little restaurant in Gdansk. I really love this photo because it releases such a happy memory when I look at it...we were relaxed and soaking in everything at that moment (plus I happen to think he looks rather hot here ;).

Here, the boys are looking out the windows of the ferry we took to cross over from Denmark to Germany. They were incredibly excited to see all the seagulls and water. :)

This photo was taken in Lithuania outside of our room at a bed and breakfast. The sky was stunning....you can tell the camera is dying, but still it captures the light of the sunset very well.

The good news is that it turns out our camera's defect was not an isolated case. Canon fixed the problem for free and it was returned to us today fully healed. I now have a right and left hand in photography....I will introduce you to both in the near future.

I want to share, again, what I am listening to right now...you know, I am always listening to something ;) If you have ever heard Loreena McKennitt's music, you will understand when I say her music is absolutely ethereal. One of my all time favorite song's from her is Dante's Prayer from this album:

Generally, when I am wanting to relax or decompress I will listen to her. It works....like a charm. Really.....I can not imagine that there are very many people who would not be completely moved by her music.

why is it that I never seem to get to bed on time..............until tomorrow! ;)

Sunrise

I was out the door by six this morning to take some photos...




I had a quiet and wonderful time...

It is amazing how refreshed I felt when I returned home. I was gone for three hours.

I explored and took lots and lots of pictures. Plenty of photos to work with for the days to come. I also found many new trails and areas for hiking and biking. We plan on visiting some this weekend with the family.

Time for dreams of my morning adventures...

goodnight ;)

music and listings

Yesterday I quit working around midday because for some strange reason I had a pretty bad headache. I very rarely have headaches...couple that with an overall achy feeling and I was pretty sure I was coming down with something. Luckily that was not the case. However, I quit after lunch, went to bed and just vegged the rest of the evening. Last night I realized that I had not posted in my blog while I was falling asleep...oops!

As a result, I was really busy today. I worked on several custom orders on top of trying to finish up these pieces plus I had a midday hoedown with my boys in their room. Lots of dancing to some cool barnyard music from a CD we checked out from the library :) :

I finished some extra pairs of earrings for the Labor Day fair that I am participating in as well. Below is a picture of the most gorgeous stone I have ever laid eyes upon...


I had to show that piece individually here...it is just too shockingly beautiful :)

I will work all evening to list these pieces. I hope to finish before going to bed, but if not the remaining will go up tomorrow. I decided I am going to start setting my alarm for 5:30 am and be in my workshop by 6 so that I have a huge chunk of uninterrupted work time before lunch. My plan is to be done by 3 or 4 pm and then devote the rest of the day to my monkeys. So I need to hit the hay early enough so that I can actually be a normal human being tomorrow if I plan on getting up that early.

This morning I started with that wake up time and drank a big ol' cup of coffee I don't usually drink coffee in the morning, but seeing as how I will be up before the b*ttcrack of dawn I think I will break that rule ;), while listening to more of this:

I've been listening to a lot of flamenco in my shop lately. It creates such a great vibe to work to.

I have the CD above, but I usually like to just go to last.fm and listen to his radio station here, then I get to hear a variety of flamenco artists. Since I am on the subject of flamenco....I went to this absolutely incredible show about five years ago with my husband and his very good friend who plays flamenco guitar. It was a flamenco festival at the University of New Mexico auditorium down the street from where we used to live. We sat right on the side of the stage so not only did we have the best view, but we could feel all the vibrations from the dancers' footwork. It was amazing. I would love. love. love. to experience that again.

So I am off to list now with visions of flamenco dancers in my head ;)

Let's imagine...

...I am having a dinner party here:

...and this will be hanging from the ceiling beams because it's outside silly!

....and these will be placed throughout the table holding fresh flowers

...and I will be wearing this dress with some fabulous heels on and one of my necklaces, because come on, look at that neckline!

Do you want to come? ;)

I am sending lots and lots of love to Mona....THANK YOU!

A change of pace...

During my morning run today I made a few realizations about my life. Well, it has been ongoing to be honest, but this morning it really peaked and materialized for me: I make a lot of excuses for things that make me unhappy. I stress out about a lot and it usually results in me feeling like I do not have control over a lot of situations. The problem is that I do have control. Feeling like I do not is just an excuse. I am not ready to go into this into to much depth right now...call it just getting to know you guys, but I have dealt with some depressive periods in my life. And it all comes down to feeling like there is a loss of control.

I have battled and really made forward strides in this area of my life, but I am still having to work on it. The bottom line is that when I start to feel overwhelmed or stressed I am going to look at the situation and just come up with solutions to that problem. Period. Because honestly, without getting too sappy, I have a wonderful life. I am in love with my best friend, my boys are completely and utterly wrapped around my heart it sometimes hurts in such a beautiful way and to top it off I have my health. So basically, what I am trying to say is that I am so very tired of getting upset over ridiculous, meaningless things!

This is on my mind so I thought I would share. A bit weird to do so....but it is honest and what I am dealing with. So be it :)

I'll leave you with a few scenes from my evening. I tried a salad out of my new Martha Stewart mag that came in a few days ago. It was yummy and fresh and went incredibly well with my husband's grilled pork. Have I mentioned that my husband also cooks and bakes? He does and it's wonderful!

I will mention that I did put a bit too much mint and so added tomatoes to help offset that flavor. It was incredibly yummy after that.

breathe.............

............goodnight ;)

Morning....shmorning :)

My husband was not feeling so great this morning so I took over with the boys....thus, listings started in the early afternoon.

Here are images of a few of the listings:

I made that ring for myself ;)

I think I am going to swipe those Aspen Leaf earrings for myself as well...we'll see!

By the way, the seasons are changing.....I can feel it. And what better way to prepare for it than to start lusting for a new wardrobe!

My Athleta catalogue came in yesterday. I love these clothes. They are yoga inspired so it's all about movement and comfort, but the cut is also incredibly flattering.

I would like one of each...!

I am also on the hunt for some boots for fall.

I love fall and winter clothing. These pieces would be perfect for the changing of seasons. It doesn't hurt that I can also imagine myself on that Greek island wearing these beauties :)

Until tomorrow...

Okay, not really...

I'm not so good at this time management thing....what should take me eight hours turns into something like 12. Why? Well, mornings are not exactly my cup of tea no pun intended because this IS part of my morning ritual. It's not like I don't love the mornings. I really do. Dawn and dusk are captivating. You can not beat those skies. The problem is I don't really wake up until mid-morning, no matter how hard I try. I so wish I was a morning person.

So without rambling too much the short story is that what I should have finished yesterday was not finished until this afternoon! Yes...time management indeed. I need to be more efficient...because I would rather spend those times wrestling with and tickling those little monkeys a.k.a. MY boys ;)

So without further ado:

They will be listed tomorrow morning...I promise!

I thought I would also add a picture to show you my spring board for the Aspen Leaf earrings that I made. I was having coffee on the porch when I looked up and caught sight of my aspen trees nearby. I plucked a leaf and the idea was born. I traced it on cardboard, cut it out, traced it on silver, cut that out and VOILA....the Aspen Leaf earrings were born.


I also mentioned yesterday that I would show you pictures of my new signs...
This is the main one and will hang up behind me in the tent.


This one I think will go placed on an easel at the entrance.

I am very happy with them. I think the quality is very good. Exceeded my expectations, certainly.

So I thought I would leave you with an ode to one of my favorite artists. This is an AMAZING photograph.

Just look at that pompadour...

Love. It.

I am listening to this.

Hasta luego....;)