What I Did This Weekend

I had a very productive weekend, a great balance of work and relaxation. I hardly ever have a weekend like that, not since I started the jewelry design business anyway! But this weekend was the exception.

After working myself silly last month trying to get the required number of necklace designs for the Baltimore Clayworks show (which I understand may be "kaput" after all the time and money I spent...color me STEAMING MAD, but that's another story), I realized Thursday night that I hadn't clayed in almost a month. I set about remedying that sorry situation and attempted to cover some of the tiny bottles used for "Bottles of Hope" this year.

I purchased some of the same bottles to use in my own projects, but the first attempts were...not good. I decided to get back into my comfort zone and pulled out my image files. Pretty soon, the work table was piled high with images and before I knew it, I had 10 pendants made and cured. I sanded and buffed and glazed them Friday night and was was back at it again Saturday, making another 20 or so, including these. Then I decided to take Sunday off and be a couch potato and not do anything except watch the NASCAR race and my Atlanta Braves, but the race at Pocono got rained out and the Braves didn't play until 8:00 p.m., so I ended up tinkering with some new ideas and making a few more pendants.

I have been experimenting with these little rivets. I found them at Hobby Lobby, in the scrapbooking section. (I find a lot of interesting things in the scrapbooking section, actually. Those scrapbookers are lucky people. They get the best stuff!)

I really like the look of the riveted hole in lieu of a traditional bail. It adds to the vintage look and feel of the piece, and you know I am all about the vintage look.



I also made a few more pieces of some of my most popular pendants. This Japanese Cherry Blossom is probably my most requested image. The colors in it are so gorgeous.


And my new favorite is the "Sapporo Snow" image. I love the person standing on the bridge with an umbrella, which implies the snow is softly falling. It is a very romantic pendant, and the colors are so vibrant! The white and red, pine tree green and aqua to cobalt and iolite blue. It sold almost as soon as I uploaded it to the shop, and I will definitely be making more of these in different shapes.

All in all a very good weekend!