Jane and Bjork

This is going to be a bit of a random post ;)

I just finished over the weekend watching the BBC's Masterpiece Theater version of Jane Eyre. I strangely enough had yet to read this book or see a movie adaption of the story. This is strange for several reasons:
1. I love Masterpiece Theater. I grew up watching Sherlock Holmes on PBS with my Dad.
2. I own two Jane Eyre books.
Okay, so this is only weird because of number 2!! Anyway, the series is good. There is just something about 'period' films, though, that always really appeal to me.

If you have yet to seen any of the Masterpiece Theater's Jane Austen productions, though, you have to rent them! Now those are really, really good.

And the music I am listening to while writing this in no way goes with the subject matter I am discussing with you... ;)

I am listening to it though.....and this is a very good song from my favorite Björk album.

Oh....and these are up in my shop:

The amber necklace was there before, but I wasn't too happy with the previous images. I took new pictures and reposted it today. I am much happier with the listing now.

goodnight!

p.s. For some strange reason the links of the two pieces are going to the same listing....some kind of technical difficulty :( Just click on my shop to access both listings!

Giveaway Announcement

Hey there everybody! Boy do I have to get used to this whole 'talking to a video camera' thing ;)
Congratulations to the winner and have a great evening!

Weekend wrap-up

Would you like to see what I just made for myself?

I love, love it!
For being a silversmith, I have too little shiny baubles for ME! At least that is what I told myself while I was making this ring ;) The tremendous stone encompassed in my ring is a labradorite. I am getting more of these stones soon and they will make an appearance in my shop soon after that.

Well, yesterday I was involved in another local town fair and again, not meaning to sound redundant, I had a really good time. The last hour, though, it kind of died on my end of the strip so I was busy sketching designs on my notepad to pass the time (and I was resting my feet because I was wearing my very cute and very new shoes that crippled my toes by the end of the day!) Other than that I met some more fabulous people and hopefully I am starting to get my name out in the community.

Some of the pieces I made for the fair will make their way into my shop this week. Here is one of them.....a pair of earrings with sterling silver and copper (these are mine by the way....I make a new pair for when the listing is purchased :)

I am totally cracking up here....I don't remember why, but I do know that my husband said something very naughty! ;)

And here is my 'ready for fall and turtlenecks' necklace! I've been wanting to make more lengthy necklaces and this one is my first for the shop. The flowers are oxidized to a charcoal hue so that they stand out from the rest of the chain.

Okay, well I'll be personally seeing you all tomorrow because I am going to post a video for my giveaway announcement.

See you then........:)

Last minute preparations

Well, tomorrow is the fair and I am putting the last minute touches on everything. I made a bunch of new earrings this week and I am putting them on the earring cards as well as placing prices on them. I also made a couple more necklaces and rings.

So I will be packing up my lovelies tomorrow morning....early, with coffee in hand to meet and greet the locals. I am also going to take a sampling of stones with me. I had several custom orders from the last fair, so this way I can provide an assortment of me rocks (yes I said me!) for those interested in ordering something other than what is on the table. And that goes for any of you interested in a custom order....if you like any of the stones that I show on this blog or you have a stone and/or color in mind, please drop a line email, blogpost, convo and we'll go from there ;)

So moving right along....I was perusing one of my favorite blogs, a cup of jo, and found this:

How adorable are these Harvey Faircloth clothes? I also love the photography....it has such a great 50's yet modern vibe. I wouldn't mind having all of those outfits in my closet. Especially the top one.

Okay, I'll see you later this weekend. I'll shoot for tomorrow, but who knows how I'll feel after a long day selling my wares ;)

bye!

Winding down

It is tea time....


and time for my last meal of the day.

I am winding down and finishing up some work in my studio. I am trying to get all the pieces ready for the tumbler so that in the morning I can throw them in for a good two to three hours. That cleans and hardens them up really well.

So I did want to say a big heartfelt thank you to all of you who wrote such sweet comments on my giveaway blogpost. Compliments are the absolute best....I'll admit it ;) As a reminder, please check back on Monday to see who won.

This will be a bit of a short post, but I would like to show you what I am listening to right at this moment:

Her name is Lisa Gerrard and her voice is positively surreal. If you click here you can hear a clip of the song she sang on the Gladiator soundtrack (which is playing right now). If you have yet to see Gladiator you MUST add that to your movie list pronto! One of the best epic movies ever made in my opinion.

I have adored her singing since she was a part of the band Dead Can Dance. That was quite a long time ago.....

Tomorrow is a busy day....I have the fair on Saturday to prepare for plus I am pretty sure that Elmo and tinkertoys are on the agenda for the day.....according to my Mr. Potty-training, big-time opinionated, son of mine ;)

night!

Cold hands and a happy heart

Yep, they are very cold! It makes typing very difficult ;)

I put three new pieces up in my shop just a second ago. I love all three....

This last one was already snatched up, but I wanted to include it here because it is a design that I am particularly fond of. I have a treasure trove of stones so if any of you like this particular design, I can make a similar necklace with a cabochon of your choice. Just make a comment on this blogpost or send me an email.

Okay so I have had a fabulous couple of days in my shop because I am doing what I absolutely love the most.....letting my imagination and hands run free over silver and stone. The only way I can explain it is with one word really.....freedom. No restraint, just pure imaginative fun. I have been so knee-deep in necessary business related work that I have had too little of 'this time' over the last couple of weeks. I feel refreshed now :)

I should get some of these pieces up in my shop during this week, but for now I must jump off because I hear the stirrings of a little one........naptime has ended!

Ciao!

Giveaway

Hello, hello!
Well I have decided it is high time to have a giveaway here on my blog. So, I chose this necklace:

Okay, here are the details....all of those who have signed up for my newsletter will be automatically included in this drawing. If you would like your name to be included in the giveaway please leave a comment in this blog post and one week from today I will announce the winner here via video on September 28th...so check back on that day to see if you won and to claim your prize!

If you would like to sign up to receive my monthly email newsletter - for a heads up on future sales or giveaways and news on the shopfront - please send me an email at info@bluehourdesigns.com with your email address. I do not sell or give this information to third-parties of any kind....it is used only for my newsletter, so no worries ;)

If you guys have any questions you can also shoot me an email using the same address listed above.

See you tomorrow....goodnight!

Estes Park

So I promised I would tell you about my day yesterday...I did not forget ;)

We headed up to Estes Park to hang out and check out their weekend Art Fair. It is a beautiful and short drive from our house so we did the usual, for any long morning outing, and we packed coffees, homemade muffins, water, extra snacks and lots of books for the boys, to go and headed out.

When we first arrived to Estes Park we hit a traffic jam, which we thought was odd, and found out moments later that a group of elk had decided to hang out along the highway. So like all of us curious creatures, people were stopping to stare and take pictures.

I am one of those people who like to photograph everything and I snapped some images as well...because seriously how cool is it to see wild reindeer (okay not reindeer, but close!) hanging out within spitting distance??

Okay....so after that exciting interlude (you should have seen my boys!) we headed to the fair.

I was very impressed by the artwork displayed at this particular fair. Incredibly lovely pieces everywhere.

I have always loved arts and crafts fairs and I now have a greater appreciation for the setup of each individual artist!

Today was great, but primarily because we got so much done. I know I've mentioned that I can not exist well, at least in chaos...so putting everything in order has such a calming and purposeful effect on me. We did get our regular Sunday morning bike ride in but after that we cleaned and organized in between dancing and playing with the boys. Oh yeah, and all the boys in the house got a much needed haircut.

So the weekend is over and tomorrow is back to work! (okay that's not really true because I worked on and off all weekend long....such is the life of owning your own business, its hard not to sneak it in when possible!! ;)

Pearl Street

I have had such a fantastic couple of days.

I started my blog yesterday when we got home last night....but ended up fading out and fell asleep instead :) So here I am posting about yesterday to make up for it. It all started with a coffee date with my two monkeys at our local coffee shop. They get chocolate milk and mommy gets a nice humungo (is that a word?) cup of jo. We walked over there and had so much fun staring at the sky, talking to the puppies who walked by and picking up rollie pollies from our path. The kind of simple pure fun that only occurs with little ones.

Next up we had a snack and then headed over to 'our' park to hang out with some neighbor kids and practice some bike-riding. Later that evening we decided to go and hang out at the Pearl St. mall in Boulder. We are just a few minutes from Boulder, so we get to enjoy all the local activities there as well as the multitude of fun things that occur in all the surrounding small towns. There is seriously no shortage of things to do in our adopted home.

Here are a few images from that night:

These ladies were playing some amazing music when we first got there. The boys just loved it...as did Mr. Melnikov and myself. I think there was some dancing involved if I remember correctly ;)

Now this was the favorite....for anyone not aware of the local football goings-on in this area....the Buffs are a big deal. They had a pep rally-esque party on Pearl St. when we were there and the CU marching band was there to rev everyone up. Now seriously who doesn't get pumped going to games and hearing the marching band??

The boys absolutely loved it....and again I think the mister and I were guilty of a little hip-shaking as well!

We had a great day....another one of those 'we love where we live' moments.

And today was just as great, but I'll save that one for tomorrow.....it's movie night ;)

Busy day...

Today was a nice but busy, busy day. I started out with working on some custom orders in the morning and then took off to a rock show in Denver to buy some stones. I completely forgot that I had this on my calendar. I try to get to these rock shows when possible because I prefer to buy my stones directly from the people who cut them, which is called lapidary work. It makes a difference for me to actually be able to hold and touch the cabs instead of choosing from pictures.

I didn't get much today, but here they are:

I bought a number of new stones today that I have yet to work with. The four bruneau jasper cabs on the left look very similar to imperial jasper except for the coloring. They have such be-autiful markings! I am also ultra excited to have purchased a couple of sonoran sunrise stones and an azurite/malachite. I splurged on the sonoran sunrise cabochons....but I still got them for a good deal.

After this I worked more in my workshop and then headed to The Curious Cup for a ladies night out function for women owned businesses. The owner of this coffee shop is always setting up all kinds of great functions to help people who are building their businesses, which of course gets people into her place. Pretty dang smart.


Okay that's it for now....over and out.

Truth

Last week I was 'tagged' by a fellow Etsian (who also blogs) to share 10 truths about myself. I thought today would be a nice day to make the list, but before I proceed I would like to take care of a bit of business first. First of all, I wanted to mention that I will be at the Celebrate Lafayette festival on September 26th....so if you are in the area please stop by and say hi! You will find me amongst 160+ vendors that will take over much of the little downtown area....I think it is going to be a good time. Secondly, the wonderful person who tagged me is found here so when you have the chance please wander on over to her blog and etsy shop. I absolutely love her work.

And last of all I placed these two beauties....

up in my shop today. I just lo-ove carnelian stones and my cabochon stash is just about finito....I must search for some more!

Okay so without further ado....my 10 truths:

1. I am a total gemini: I can be shy and uncomfortable in crowds and also a social extrovert. It just depends and I don't quite know what dictates the change.

2. I can be sensitive. Yep....its true. I work really hard on this area because I know its a flaw....yet it also makes me a very compassionate person. I feel like I empathize with people on a very real level. I guess this can also be my strength. Depends on the day and who you ask!! ;)

3. I love coffee, tea and red wine......suffice it to say I have to regularly whiten my teeth!

4. Traveling is good for my soul. I like to experience first hand the places and people I read about in books. This is really how I like to spend my money....I don't need a nice car, fancy house or a huge entertainment system. Just send me to Brazil, Austria, Thailand or the Napa wine valley and I will be incredibly content.

5. A deal-breaker for me is prejudice on any level. I guess this ties into number two on this list....I can feel emotionally connected to people who are in pain. No matter if they are half-way around the world and complete strangers. How there are people who consciously make decisions to inflict pain and abuse on others is the greatest mystery of the world in my mind. I flat out do not comprehend this. We are all equal.....there is no debate in this area for me and I do not budge on this view.

6. I am a bookworm. I like to read books that expand my mind and intellect and I also love to read good stories that are entertaining. The last book I read was the fourth book in the Twilight series (I couldn't put those books down!) and the one before that was The Alchemist. It's good to have balance ;)

7. I was a teacher before I quit to stay home and raise my sons. I intended to go back when my youngest started school and then the large trapped artist in me begged to get out. I have no idea what the future holds: teaching, art, both?....it's exciting and scary, but fabulous all at the same time.

8. I want more than anything to be a good mother. I think about this all the time. Is it possible for me to raise compassionate, intellectual, worldly men? I am trying my hardest and I know I make lots of mistakes.........but the bottom line, I think, is that they know that they are loved. They are completely and utterly my life.

9. I love music. For those of you who regularly read my blog, this is no shocker. It is pretty much on the same level as creating for me. They are both intrinsic.

10. I like to eat. hahahaha! My love for food is pretty much at level with my appetite (which is big). Good thing my health is just as important....when I'm 90, I want to be like my grandfather and go dancing every day at the senior citizens center!!!!

goodnight ;)

Shop update

I added this:


this:



and this to my shop just now.

If you'd like to mosey on over to take a look just click on the picture and it will take you to the corresponding listing. These are some of the pieces I made for the Louisville fair that needed to make its way into my shop.

Today was a nice day....I delivered a custom order ring to a lovely individual and we had a fantastic conversation over a large cup of coffee. It was great to get out for a bit (okay I admit it....it was 2 hours! ;) and get out into the world. One thing about working for myself is that I am turning into a bit of a hermit.

So I'm hoping to get one or two more pieces up tomorrow, but we shall see....I have my little monkeys tomorrow and they command lots 'o attention!

I'm off............

Back home

Hello, hello everyone :)
I got back home last night and slept in late this morning! This was not exactly the most restful of trips...I guess that is bound to happen when everyone is in a festive mood and celebrating being together again. It was a lot of fun and I had a great time. It was especially nice to see my Arizona family. It had been three years since I saw them last!

So I spent some time at my sister's husband's restaurant this weekend. He owns it along with his family. Yu-ummy food is to be had if you happen to visit. If you are wandering down 1-25 south of Albuquerque, you need to stop by...

Here are some pictures of the place:

I loved this old piece of machinery....it is an 1800s wine press.

We kicked up our feet in the sun here on the patio....I do believe it was happy hour :)

I had to mention that a well known painter created this fantastic artwork on the walls and my dad made those really cool wine barrel tables (I told you craftiness was in my blood!).

We also hung out here at Fat Sat's on Saturday night for karaoke. I only do karaoke if I'm sharing the mic with at least 20 additional people because I can clear the room with my voice...no joke! I do sound amazing in the shower though...

So, there will be additional pieces of jewelry making their way to my shop tomorrow...see you then!

Nightdreaming....

I should be asleep right now....but instead I'm thinking about packing my family in my pocket and running away on this:
(I found this lovely on etsy, of course!)


...and going here:



Doesn't it sound like a good plan? :)

We're off....

I'm heading here:
Beautiful picture of a sunset in NM....clicking on the image will take you to where I found it :)

Adios.

Almost on vacation...

I forgot to mention that I am heading down to NM to visit my familia this weekend and also to attend my grandpa's 90th birthday. We're going to take off after dinner tomorrow....this way my bambinos can sleep most of the trip. We'll get there in the middle of the night and just fall right into bed. We will come back on Sunday so its going to be a short trip, but we wanted to visit....I haven't been there since April. I most especially want to see my little nephew. He is my little sister's first baby so he is extra special ;) The last time I saw him was when he was born!

I decided not to close my shop for this weekend because I will be gone for such a short time. Any orders that come in will ship out first thing Monday morning....I'll put that announcement up in my shop as well.

I plan on posting new pieces throughout the weekend too. A few a day....here are three that I posted today:

Those middle earrings are named for my other sister.....so they are extra special.

See you tomorrow :)

Returning to routine...

So the fair is over and I had a lot of great experiences and I learned a lot of invaluable information. I also strongly believe in concentrating on the positives in a situation and moving forward with that. I met some wonderful people and other vendors who were kind enough to share their own experiences as well as the names of other fairs that they felt I would do well at. It was nice to get that feeling of comradery.

Here are the last of my pictures from the fair:

And one shot of some additional pieces that will go up over the next couple of days:

I'll see you tomorrow. ;)

Day One

One down....two more to go. :)

Before I tell you about it, I need to mention something very important. Awhile back I came across several websites discussing ethical metalsmithing. One of the main topics was on the use of recycled materials and where to find them. The site mentioned Hoover & Strong's Harmony Metals as one of the best choices for reclaimed and recycled silver. I did some research and found that although my previous suppliers recycled silver, Harmony exclusively sells reclaimed silver. So I switched.....and I now proudly carry their logo. If you are interested in finding out more about the company that I buy my sterling and fine silver from, please click on the link:

So the last few days have been chaotic and I definitely hit the panic button a few times. Luckily my husband swooped in and calmed me down in those situations!! I am very, very happy that this day is over with because it feels like a big weight has been released from my chest. I can enjoy the rest of the fair now because the unknown is over with.

The day was actually a LOT slower than we had anticipated. We were told there would be roughly 2 to 3,000 people in attendance and I'm sure it was probably an eighth of that number. Considering the really low numbers....we did well. The best part by far was talking with fellow booth vendors. So all in all it was a really good experience.

I did happen to only get 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night so the fact that I am writing in my blog right now and not sleeping is pretty much miraculous....;)

Here is one picture of my earring cards that I had made....

....and here is the other. I have charcoal and white. I love the way they came out.

One of my signs in action.

Quick snapshot....

Good night!