They Say It's Spring, The Birds Are Light As a Feather...

Hmmm... not sure that's how it actually goes, but I'm in the mood for a little Blossom Dearie. Took my mother to see her play when she was out here visiting a couple years back. She's still a pistol that Blossom!

 

It's been snowing a little here today, but I sure feel the Spring coming on. You know that feeling you get when the season is getting ready to change? A little antsy and rarin to go... I think that's what gets some people "Spring Cleaning"... it's like a Pre-Spring thing. The "Spring is Here" feeling is different. Once it's here, there's no staying inside! No concentrating on the work at hand. I think that's why I'm itching to make so much stuff right now.

 

As I type, there's a mostly finished necklace waiting for me to come back to it. Brass and green stones and beads with some of it OLD vintage and some of it newer. Charms and beads and lopsidedly balanced.

 

I'm a big fan of the lopsided. Always been an asymmetrical person. My face is lopsided. My hair is usually longer on one side. I have more earrings in one ear than the other. I even like to dress crooked when I feel I can get away with it.

 

Back in the day I even had my own look. No, Shabby chic was never my style, the way I put it together I used to call Hobo Chic:

 

Rayon traditional Chinese style shirt or dress and a skinny 20' or 30's silk tie around the collar or my neck; worn on top of well worn jeans or immaculate 60's pinstripe slacks, always with a huge buckle belt; and a 40's vintage semi bowler hat and High Tops just to make the look complete.

 

I still prefer mens clothes to women's. Loose fit to tight. Though, I do wear more of both of the latter these days. I seem to be wearing a lot less jewelry these days too - as I get older, I just don't put any on before I go anywhere. Ironic for someone who makes jewelry, noh? 

Well, when I was a master control operator for local TV, I didn't have a television... though, I did listen to a lot of music at home when I was a radio DJ... hmmm... and I did go out dancing a lot when I was choreographing and teaching fellow companymates technique... Ok. doesn't always follow. I almost never listen to music at home or go out dancing now... Maybe I'm just getting old?

AHHHHHHHH! I'm old!

Ok. Not really.  I'm actually what the kids call middle aged. No, wait. The kids call me old. Drat those kids!

So, I took some time to finish the necklace. Elegantly complicated. Convolute in it's simplicity. I'll get a picture or two in the next couple days and put it up for all to see next week. It's full of lucky charms. It's a March themed month. Everything I've been working on this month includes these gorgeous MOP pendants from the early to late 1940's that have real Four Leaf Clovers on them. I've got some imbedded in resin and mounted in Silver frames I plan to use for bracelets too. Right now, I'm mixing them with Copper and Brass, vintage and modern. There are leaves and horseshoes and coins; all wireworked into a dangling mess of beauty.

 

Let me know if you want one for your very own; I am now taking custom orders. I can even do some earrings if you want. I did some for the physical shop with the smaller MOP charms. Quite nice. Waiting for the replacement bulbs so I can get the pictures of the new stuff, but here's a look at the earrings and one necklace I did for the store:

 

Sterling Silver w/vintage Swarovski
Gold Fill with New Jade
Gold Fill w/vintage Japanese glass

I've got another Gold Fill necklace waiting to get photoed and Silver necklaces on the way... I better get busy! 

Ok. Off I go. Until next week...

It Comes Down to This

Recently, I was asked by an old friend (hi Bronco Billy!) to write for a Blog he was setting up with some other old friends. Music, politics, travel, fiction of our own; those would be the topics plus favorite's and recommendations. I opened up the (at that point empty) link I was sent and couldn't figure out how to join in. Turns out, all I had to do was bookmark the page. Guess, there isn't much else you can do. But I couldn't figure it out. 

Expressing this failure to the friend, I received  the response to book mark it. I thought there should be something more and, being extremely busy and not really thinking I would have time to blog anyway, I took it as a sign. 

That blog is now up and running and full of muted testosterone. Very interesting, very those guys. I thought, as I perused the entries, I don't really fit in here right now. I haven't been able to travel for some time and don't get the chance to listen to a lot of new music. Haven't written any fiction for a long time either. Don't even really feel any particular way about politics - that doesn't make me want to stop my head from exploding - and what more could I say that I haven't already expressed at great length over the past 7 years? These things are not inspiring me to write at this time in my life. 

So, I decided to start my  own blog. Even though I still don't really have the time.  

I just moved a store I was managing and now run as a partner. My former boss and new business half is the non-working half so I'm doing absolutely everything in the new location. I even had to manage the move on my own. It's effectively my store. Though, to call it a store is not really accurate. It's a boutique and fine art gallery. 

We (that is to say I since there are no employees and my business partner doesn't actually do any work) sell jewelry - that I sometimes have others make but mostly make my myself - and textiles - that one of our regular artists makes - and have a rotating exhibit of artists showing works in many mediums. 

I write a monthly newsletter, do all the marketing and PR, book and organize the art shows, buy, sell, make, book keep, organize, re-organize, advertise; take the photographs for advertising, newsletters, and the website; I even do most of the physical labor involved in any remodeling and setting up for exhibits. Heck. I did most of the physical labor involved in setting up the new location; including hand sanding and finishing the floors! 

All I really want to do is make creatively beautiful things and write. And listen to good music and see a few good shows and dance. I haven't gotten to dance in a very long time. 

Recently, as if I didn't have enough to do, I started an Etsy store to sell the jewelry my business partner thinks is too out there for his original concept. Well, the idea behind pearldaddy (the name of the boutique and gallery aforementioned) was, and still is, freshwater pearl jewelry. I have a brain (and boxes) full of designs that do not incorporate pearls. So I set up the Etsy store and spent all my time on my days off taking pictures and editing pictures and uploading pictures and descriptions. 

Apparently, I'm at a point in my life where I feel the need to over extend myself a little. You should see how much laundry I have to do and the state of my work desk at home! 

Oh, and - once again, just to add to the number of deadlines and stresses - I also decided to start writing for actual publication again. Yes, that is to say I am a published author. Though, it was just music reviews and interviews for the Daily Alibi in ABQ; about 10 years ago now. Technically, I suppose the press releases I get printed now might count as being published, but I don't really think so. So, I just sent off a true life tale of late nights and sobriety tests to The Sun. No, not the paper. The literary magazine out of NC with no advertisers. Great publication. Highly recommended! 

Right now, I'm supposed to be finishing a necklace I started and working on something for a friend for her birthday party this weekend and for my sister, who's 40th party I'm going to have to miss because I can't afford the $500 to fly out West. Last minute notification of a party that I was told last month wasn't going to happen. If I can get a good last minute deal next week I still might go, but it's not looking good. So, I have to figure out what to make her that she'll actually wear (she registered for housewarming presents and returns things she's asked for if it isn't EXACTLY the one she asked for). I've never seen her wear any jewelry I've given or made for her. I'm going to try again.

I think I'm hungry and all blogged out now. So, I will endeavor to do this again next week. 

I've decided on dedicating at least an hour on Tuesdays to this blog until such time as more time can be assimilated, created, found, mustered. Sleep is inevitable - eventually. As this is my first one, I still have to figure out how to finish this post and upload images and set up my profile - which I thought would come before the blog box, but whatdoIknow?

So; friends, family and strangers alike; until next week I bid adieu.