Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Ring - with cute buttons

With two little ones in my house - a preschooler and a toddler - life gets busy busy busy!  So I have not had as much time lately to work on new earrings.  I'd really like to sit down during my next large chunk of free-time and set up a light box to take my photos in.  That is one of my major downfalls - my photos are just not as bright and clear as they could be to showcase the jewelry as best as possible for those browsing through etsy. 
I have recently been taking a beginners folk guitar class - something I've long wanted to do.  I really am enjoying it.  It's odd though - the calluses forming on the tips of my fingers on my left hand make playing the guitar hurt a lot less, but it also makes them a bit desensitized.  So when I'm working with ultra-small beads it's kind of strange - I don't immediately know whether I've really picked anything up at all!  It does however come in handy with wire-wrapping.  The ends of the wires don't hurt as much if they poke or scratch me there!  :)
An awesome friend of ours helped to upgrade our laptop hard drive and operating system over the weekend.  My computer is a million times faster (approximately - lol).  It is going to be so much easier to work through editing photos and posting styles now!!
Finally, I used my gold craft wire tonight to experiment again with wire wrapping to make a wire-wrapped ring.  It turned out sooo pretty!  I put two blue buttons on the top of it.  I am now wishing I made it out of hypoallergenic metal so I could keep it!  Instead of having to take it apart, I am thinking of photographing it and offering it as a give-away to one of my facebook fans who doesn't have sensitivities.  Because it is darn cute!
That is all for now - a quick update!

Edit on March 23rd:  Here are a few photos of the button ring - size 10.5.



Thursday, March 10, 2011

Musical Inspiration - Rumours

I read the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer and thought it was very interesting that she credited bands and music for aiding in inspiring the books.  When I listen to Muse, who was one of these bands, I can totally see how their music helped to set the tone of the writing.

Music to me is totally inspiring.  I recall in college taking drawing and painting classes.  And the music certainly helped me to get beyond any sort of difficult spots in the drawings / paintings.  To this day, Live's albums, Throwing Copper and Secret Samadhi, take me right back to those assignments.

In fact, music helped me through most of my college career!

So on that note, I thought I would share that my last intense jewelry-making session's creativity was helped along by Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.  Such a great album!

Notes from Facebook

I have a Facebook page over at: http://www.facebook.com/PrettySensitiveEars.  I try to post new styles, ideas, and discounts there from time to time.  I recently set up my page to show my blog posts as well once they've been published.  So in an effort to consolidate, I am transferring any content that was in the Notes tab of my facebook page here to this blog entry.  (And then deleting the Notes tab on there - from now on Notes will be written as a blog entry instead!)

Also, I've set up a Polls tab on the page with fun little one-click-to-vote polls about earrings, etc.  Your votes will help give me an idea of what you'd like to see more of in my shop!  Plus they're kinda fun!

And don't miss the Discounts tab where anyone who likes the page can find great discount / free shipping codes!

Sorry for the repeat Notes info - but some might enjoy re-reading these.  Have a great day!

Materials from February 17, 2010 (updated March 10, 2011)

Surgical Steel
Surgical Steel is a surgical grade stainless steel that contains a very small amount of nickel as compared to other metal alloys typically used in jewelry.  Surgical Steel is utilized in body piercings and surgical devices.  For people with sensitive ears, this can be an affordable solution to wearing earrings that will not be irritating and can work when gold and/or silver do not.  Most Surgical Steel earrings available are of a more "alternative" style, so it is our mission to provide pretty options for those of us with metal sensitivities.

Niobium
Niobium is 100% hypo-allergenic and does not contain any nickel.  Niobium is not a metal alloy; it is a pure element.  This is offered as an option for those with severe nickel allergies and/or metal sensitivities.  Due to the nature of the material, the cost for Niobium earrings is slightly higher than for the Surgical Steel earrings.


Whichever material you choose, you have 15 days to try them out to see how they work for you. Please send me an email or fill in the Contact Form to submit
any questions / comments / requests.

http://prettysensitive.weebly.com/materials.html

The Right Earring Style for Your Face Shape from February 28, 2011

Excerpt from "The Right Earring Style for Your Face ShapeBy Louise McClure for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

There are three basic earring styles designers depart from -- linear, chandelier and hoop. Each of the three earring styles can accentuate and enhance your features and also balance areas you wish to downplay. For example, as with clothing, vertical lines in earring styles will draw the eye upwards and visually elongate features. Horizontal lines will draw the eye from side to side and accent the width of your face.

Face Shapes and Earring Style:

Round Face: Vertical lines of elongated, linear, drop-style and narrow chandelier earrings will add height and provide an overall slimming effect for your face, emphasizing vertical lines.

Square Face: Round contours of hoops, long teardrops and long, narrow chandelier earrings will visually soften the edges of a square face while adding visual height.

Oval Face: Hoops in circles, triangles and ovals as well as teardrops and chandeliers enhance an oval face.

Heart-Shaped Face: Horizontal lines of hoops, teardrop-shaped linear forms and chandeliers that are wider at the bottom than the top will add width to your face and soften the effects of a pointed chin.


Monday, March 7, 2011

A Tribute to an Inspiration

I have been wanting to write this for a long time.  A tribute to someone who played a large part in my childhood and influenced me in many ways.  She passed away nearly five and a half years ago now.  Not a day goes by that I do not think about her.

She was my Auntie Terrye.  The more I reflect on her relationship with me and others around me, the more I am awed by the amount of unconditional love she gave.  She loved, cared, encouraged, influenced, reinforced, supported, helped, inspired, created, beautified, and conquered.  I believe that she planted seeds in all of us around her.  Seeds that have helped us to grow to be more courageous, more confident, more aware of our own worth, potential, and capabilities.  I believe she had an ability to sense when someone needed a little encouragement or a little guidance or direction.  She was an angel here on Earth - and now an angel up in heaven.  She was 50 years young when she passed away, taken by a very swift and aggressive cancer.

I am thankful that in my childhood she saw potential and handed me a kaboodle kit stocked FULL of crafting supplies, including my very first glue gun.  I am thankful that in my adolescence she always inquired as to how I was doing socially and romantically.  In that awkward phase of life she helped me to feel like I was a "normal" teenage kid.  I am thankful that she gave me a beading kit out of the blue, supplying me with something new for me to explore creatively.  I am thankful that she helped to pull me out of my shell, when I meekly did not want to draw attention to myself, having me join the girls in doing hair highlights in her living room one afternoon.  I am thankful that she gave me love, shared her love of the holidays, treated tradition so importantly, loved puzzles and a good competitive game, loved the peace and beauty of Camano Island, and sometimes shared a birthday party with me.  I am also thankful that she helped to create such beautiful decor at my wedding.


She could look at any old thing - be it a thrift store find or dollar store item and envision how it could be beautified.  I believe that this capability extended too to being able to see the beauty and strength in the people around her and knowing how to draw it out.

She had an amazing craft supply room.  After her death when we helped to clean out her home, one item that I did take home was a simple navy blue rectangular table cloth that would fit our dining room table at the time.  I was particularly touched when I found on one side a smear of hot glue.  It made me smile!  


Anyway, whenever I pull out a glue gun now, I think of her.  Whenever I sit down to bead and work on earrings now, I think of her.  I still have the same bead trays she gave me.  Her belief in me has brought me to where I am.  I am forever thankful.  I wish she could see all that I have created (including my two little girls).  I wish I could hear her thoughts, ideas, and advice for my creations.  I can imagine what she would say and can still hear a trace of her voice and laugh.  I can still see her sparkling eyes and genuine, bright smile.  And, as a side, a part of me thinks that she'd be a top seller on Etsy by now too.  :)


Thank you, dear Auntie Terrye.  The world is truly not the same without you.  I miss you immensely and am sorry I never voiced my gratitude to you prior to your death.  I hope someday we will be reunited in warm embraces.