Week 42 - All in a Day

Focus on Life week 42

Mmm How to deal with this, I'm a self employed gallery owner and jewellery artist....  So some days I make beads.. 

In the summer I always start and end the day by putting out open flags... this season of the year it's by chance or appointment!

These beads were made for someone... well I needed 9  think there's 22 or 23 there (my hearts are free form no mold! other than what grows on them when I forget them in a bucket of dirty water)

Some days I make components

occasionally I even make them into pieces of jewellery!

Enamelled components for a gallery show in SK

(I cut out the cow skulls using a blanking mold and my hydraulic press!)  Enamelled pinwheels made into earrings... yes they do spin!

Most days in October I pick grapes

OK the grape vine picture is from Sept when the grapes were green... but it's pouring rain today so ... Big picture is processing grapes to make a orange cranberry pecan loaf using 'concord' grapes...I probably bake 3 times a year...

Most evenings I knit

These Socks are a triple first... First time  I've knit from the toe up, First time I've knit two socks at once, and First time I've knit socks using circular needles.... These are for my husband... they ended up a bit big!
 Two at once is fun, knitting on circular needles sucks, and I quite like the way the heel looks on these.... 

One evening this week some of the resident deers wandered past during supper

She had two fawns earlier in the summer but one seems to be gone, also she has been running around on three legs most of the summer... still is so I'm not sure how she'll do this winter!

And I read.... Most evenings in the hot tub...

This week was book bus week, the bus comes to the island once every 4 weeks, I missed the Sept stop...
The top two book are by Alan Bradley... a series about a 12 year old girl in England trying to figure out creative ways to 'kill' her two older sisters.  I usually get about 10 books and get through 7 or 8....

But I start everyday by feeding my fish, Sophie , winding my cuckoo clock, and grabbing a cup of coffee... I actually end the day by turning off Sophie's light and winding the cuckoo clock again, as it was hung two inches too low to make it twenty -four hours!

I had this post all queued to post tonight then realized I forgot to mention the hours I waste on the computer every day... no need for pictures you all know what a computer looks like!

To see how other people spend their days click on the following links!

Bead Table wednesday (BTW)

A collection of this weeks beads...  Gearing up for summer!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

This was my soldering exercise this month ... I wanted to see if I could solder all the tiny loops (23 gauge silver) at the top of the hearts without melting the hearts into blobs!

Hearts are all my lampwork/flamework.

Come check out this piece and the other entries for The Starving jewelry Artists Feb Challenge....
February's challenge is to make something that you love, that represents love, for Valentine's Day.

Roller Ball Finger

I think this will be the next computer generated 'ailment'... Actually my husband pointed out that it's actually a scroll wheel... but Roller Ball finger sounds so much classier than scroll wheel...

The top joint on the second finger on my right hand now screams at me every time I reach for my mouse... even clicking hurts.. I'm sure it's all the scrolling while I'm reading posts in the forums.. trying to stay educated... and not playing games that's doing it! But if you get right down to it what it really means is I am spending too much time on the computer and not enough time making beads, windows and jewellery!

The Picture of the heart has absolutely nothing to do with this post... It's new and I like it ... I really like the patina on the copper... while I was playing with chemicals




I managed to also etch the glass... I think this is a much nicer etch than I get using glass etch... but i doubt if I can do it again.. also I think it spent 3 or 4 days living in various chemical baths!
( do I remember what I used ... YES do I remember the order I used them in NO!)
Sounds yummy doesn't it!

Cupid finds a Heart

Cupid finds a Heart is my latest listing on Etsy... Looking at this bead I'm not really sure that Cupid has found his heart.. He's got one heart the one he is 'living' o, but he appears to be trying to get round the bead to see if there really is another heart hidden on the back...

Both Cupid & the heart are little copper cutouts... I use the small craft punches for scrapbookers... unfortunately most of the available punches are way too big... and they seem to be getting bigger! This is a white heart that has copper cutouts think the copper is about 28 gauge sheet and then is decorated with Thompson enamels ...

I did a quick search on cupid and it turn's out that there are actually two cupid's in mythology one is a lively youth who delights in pranks and spreading love. The other is know known for his riotous debauchery. Somehow I think we've combined the two into our modern day interpretation of Cupid...

However you want to interpret Cupid... he does seem to be a represntative of Modern Day Valentine's day ...

Beads

Friday I was suppose to do a demo on making beads at the local high School "Fundy High". But there was freezing rain over night and even though it was in the mid 50's (+13 C) by 9am, they canceled school because of the possibility that the roads were slippery. I think they just wanted a 3 day weekend!

After I was asked I had to learn how to use a hot head…. My first bead took about 30 minutes as I was holding the glass where I would hold it in the flame on my minor… On a hot head the glass needs to be about an inch from the torch… I still have to catch myself as the bead drifts back into the flame. I also offered to give each of the kids a free bead… there was only suppose to be 12 kids… final count was 30, so I spent all my torch time last week making free beads! Now I have 35 unloved handformed disc beads....

Not sure when the demo will be rescheduled as Friday is the last day of school before the Christmas break and hardly any of the high school kids bother to go to school … I made my son go every day that the school was open (evil mother!)… and he was absolutely mortified when he got an attendance award at the grade 12 awards night!

Guess it’s time to move my bead making thoughts onto hearts as Valentines is just around the corner!