Wow, it has been a long time since I have been able to sit down and update my design journal. I have finally taken some photographs, however, I am still not happy with them. I am not sure what is going on with my photography, but it seems I am going backwards. I can't seem to get a decent photo for the life of me. I will continue trying, but in the meantime here is what I currently have.

First of all, let's talk about Kelsi's Gift.
I need to run the exact numbers, but I think I am up to about $350 to donate to the Pre-eclampsia foundation. I am a long way off from my super lofty goal of $1,000. But $350 is still a lot of money. It isn't over yet. There is still time and I will be adding a couple of angels tonight. The promotion doesn't end until January 1st, which is the day Kelsi died.

Thank you SOOOOO MUCH to all of you that have purchased an angel, or two, or three. This means so much to me and I really appreciate your support.

School ended on Wednesday, December 12th. I thought I would have a chance to sit down and breathe after that, but I was OH SO WRONG! Things only got busier and I have only just now started to slow down since finals ended. But with all that said, Christmas shopping is done and so is the wrapping. YAY!

So what have I been doing since my December 2nd post? Well, let me show you.

For my advanced metals class we had 5 pieces that needed to be completed for the end of the semester. One of them was a box with a nice working hinge. I have never made either of those. I am EXTREMELY proud of my box. I made it larger which was difficult. But I figured if I was going to go through the work and effort to create this thing, it might as well be something I was proud of and could use again. I even flocked the inside with a black velvet. It is soooo nice. It is made with 14 gauge copper on the sides and the top and bottom are both 20 gauge copper. The design on the box is made with colored pencils. It was a really neat process and the end result is just beautiful.

The next picture shows another of the projects, "Trash to Treasure." This is a bottle cap that I have layered resin and some pieces of an old watch I took apart. The gears and other components float inside the resin for a really neat effect. I finished it off by doing a border wrap in brass wire. This piece is called "Time in a Bottle-cap."





In my morning class we were given the assignment of creating 10 pieces that used similar components. I chose a paisley back plate for my component. If you counted, you have already noticed there are only 8 pieces. I got a B+ for not finishing the assignment. I just didn't have time. I guess that is what happens when you are a mother, run a business and go to school. Life gets in the way, especially during the holidays. Regardless, I am still very happy with my work. I have posted a couple of close ups below.





Here are a couple of new angels I made the other day. I really like how these turned out. I will be posting these on my site tonight.



And last but not least, I have had a few custom orders that I am rather happy with the results and thought I would post them here. The bracelet is one that was made to go with the Sirius Necklace I made a couple of months ago. The dragon fly features a blue sodalite bead at the wings.

 

I wish you all the very best Christmas and a wonderful New Year. May you all find peace and may the new year be a great one for us all.