Visiting

We have had a house FULL the last few days.

As I mentioned last week, my parents have moved here to Colorado from their home in New Mexico and my sister, her husband, and my brother, and his wife, helped them with their move.

I had a few minutes today to pop in and share a few pictures...

I love having my family here.

I'm scheming on ways to get the rest of them to move here as well!

And on an important sidenote, Norbert and I have been incredibly flattered and thrilled with the response to our

 Quit Your Day Job article for Etsy. The response has been absolutely wonderful. I can't tell you how much it means to us to have so many people take the time to send such uplifing comments and emails.

Thank you SO MUCH!!!

Now, time for happy hour on Pearl Street with mi familia.....see you soon!

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Etsy Interview

And THIS was our morsel of news!

Norbert and I were interviewed by Etsy for their Quit Your Day Job series and the article went up this morning. I would have posted this earlier, but I was out and about running errands and kids to school and just got back now.

The link for the article is above.

We are pretty dang excited, people :)

Now off to make lunch!

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Studio Scenes

I want to show more glimpses of my studio time, here in this space.

I feel like it appeals to people, especially those of you who enjoy buying handmade, to see how my pieces evolve and take shape. Often when I head into my studio I get into my 'making' mode and just get to work so I tend to forget about my desire to share more images. I'm trying to rectify this :)

I shot just a few pictures, in process, while soldering.

One day I should follow up on the promise I made, eons ago, to upload a process-type video of me creating a piece from start to finish.

I haven't forgotten this, and I swear it will happen one day!

The end finish:

 

And here is the vibe in my shop today, while wielding this flame of mine...

Please stop by tomorrow.
I have something else to share....

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the Latest

We've been pretty busy in our neck of the woods lately and its going to get even busier, but before I get into that, I'd like to share a few custom pieces I made recently.

The ring above holds a gorgeous piece of druzy and I made the bracelet below with labradorite.

I made this cocktail ring with a piece of malachite chrysocolla.

All lovely blues.

So.

There is a lot coming up this month.

Business and Family.

I'll mention one of the nuggets of news at the beginning of next week so check here or on Facebook for the update. I'm also working on a shop update for next week, too. Just a lot of good stuff coming up.

On the family front, I had yet to mention that my parents are moving up to Colorado. They are arriving at the end of next week, which is HUGE and very exciting for us. They've been in love with Colorado for a long time and I think they were ready for some change in their retirement years. We will definitely be spending a lot of time, as soon as they get here, helping them get settled and finding a place to live. 

So more updates to come, but now it's time for some Chinese takeout....talk to you soon ;)

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Seen

Things that I am seeing today:

A magnet with the inscription:

Only the soul that loves is happy.

                                          Goethe  

An afternoon cup of coffee lit by the sun.

Will be seeing them in three weeks.

(Last saw them in 1997 when I was a wee college kid)

My five year old's artwork.

He has an insatiable appetite for markers and paper. Love!

And looking forward to an hour and a half yoga session topping off my day. :)

p.s. We have a free domestic and $2 international shipping special running right now through May 8th for Mother's Day. Also, our newsletter is going out tomorrow. Let me know if you'd like to receive them: info@bluehourdesigns.com

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winding down

Do you ever get stuck at the computer?

Sometimes before bed I'll plop down and look through certain sites....and then all of a sudden it is far later than I intended for getting to bed. Even if I was dog tired when I first sat down.

Tonight, I got stuck reading a few very inspirational blogs and watching some new favorite songs.

Over and over.

This is one of them.

Time to pry myself away and get to bed.

Goodnight.

 

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A Message

The timely message from my morning cup of tea:

Duly noted :)

I got this idea from the lovely Crownology blog.

Always inspired by her photography.

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Seeing

I've decided that I don't pick up my camera nearly as much as I'd like to.

And on top of that I've decided I want to just start taking more pictures of things I see.

(This will be my springtime resolution)

I enjoy looking closely. I enjoy looking at the big picture as well as the details.

They can be mundane or sublime, but through my lens it is all very visually stimulating.

I'll be sharing more of that because sometimes I just don't have a whole lot to say.

But, I do want to share more of what I see :)

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The Lengthening of Days

One of the things I love about spring and summer is the increased daylight.

Many people moan (yep, you Dad :) about losing that daylight savings hour when it first happens, but I happen to be thrilled because that means more time to spend outdoors. 

More time to spend walking to coffeeshops. 

More time to garden.

More time for that evening walk or bike ride.

More time for eating and drinking on a patio somewhere in the sun or under an umbrella.

More time to just bask.

Don't you think?

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The Rundown

Here is the new work that I listed this week....in a complete rundown minus a few pieces that were re-introduced into the shop.

How incredibly beautiful is this Willow Creek Jasper? It is very similar to Imperial Jasper, which I adore.

There were several brand new techniques and materials that I introduced this time around.

One of them was the inclusion of gold. I plan on using it more as an accent to silver, like the nest necklace below. I love the combination of mixed metals.

There will be a few pieces, however, like these earrings that will be solid gold all on their own.

The copper version!

This Turquoise puppy joins the amber burst family of rings.

And I included pearls for the first time in the remaining pieces.

I know I am going to be using them much more. I think they have become a new obsession :)

I had yet to use faceted stones, as well. I just feel like I opened so many more doors to my designing with this new batch of jewelry.

The construction of hollow forms is a new technique I learned and have had so much fun with.

Each of these pieces also houses a pearl.

I have had so much fun making these pieces. It's safe to say, more fun than I have had in a while.

I always love designing and making new jewelry but working with new tools and materials this time around just raised the ante thrill factor for me. 

So, 29 listings in total, which is A LOT!

Of course, it had been far too long since my last shop update so I needed to make up for some lost time.

I can't wait to get started on new work next week.

Lots and lots of ideas are brewing...........stay tuned ;)

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Dusting off...

It is time.

I am dusting off this blog from it's extended hiatus.

And to be honest it was not intentional...at least not in the beginning.

Here is where I have been:

Creating/Making/Designing - a lot

Taking a metalsmithing class

Learning

On the yoga mat - wonderfully a lot, too

Healing

Visiting family

Thinking in my little cave

There are many layers to the above and I am sure I will touch on them quite a bit in the future. I have mulled so much in my mind the past month and a great deal of things are happening.

Good things.

I've learned some new techniques that have really invigorated my metalsmithing and I hope you'll think so as well. So my absence was really just about me shifting, expanding and learning.

I will share much of it with you very soon.

For now, I've got to get back to editing my pictures because I plan on updating our shops tomorrow afternoon.

I hope you'll be there as well :)

goodnight



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