Happy Customers Are Happy

Happy Spring - well, there's still a lot of snow on the ground, but it's warmer than 50F outside and the windows are open! Listening to the Mourning Doves cooing outside in the trees and getting ready to head down to Georgia next week for a Spring Equinox weekend craft show.

Before I get into the whats what for the upcoming show (do that in the next blog later this week), I have some pictures and stories to show & tell you today first.

Ready?

Ok.

This is Hildreth. She's practices Rosen Bodywork and makes the most adorable teddy bears and elegant aprons. (Right now, you have to contact her directly to get one) She bought the earrings in my Etsy store and then got the necklace a few months later at a home Jewelry Party. I traded a couple massage sessions for half of it...

I just love the combination on her. Don't you? I think we both did pretty well.

This is the finger of Chris. Chris found this stone, had it cut, contacted me on Etsy, sent me the stone (from another country), I made the ring with it and sent it back. I love it when a plan comes together!

Doesn't that look great? That's a 9mm Peridot, and one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen! Very happy customer. Very happy ring maker!

This is Lisa. Her daughter came to the last Winter Tight Knit in Troy and got this for her mom because, as the story goes - the way it was told to me, her mom's birthday is St. Patrick's Day. Oh, and because she thought her mom would like it and the colors were right for her.

I think it was a great choice. So does Lisa. Yay! Glad Lisa sent me pictures too!

You know, these last few months, I've actually made quite a few custom rings (all but one via the internets only and never meeting) all with very happy customers as the end result. I don't have pictures of those other rings on fingers but; if you just happen to be one of those someones who has some jewelry I made; you are more than welcome to send me pictures for inclusion here (or just so I can see it on you if you're shy).

Of course, I'd like you to feel free to get in touch if you happen to want a custom something or other too. Naturally. Or, if you want to host a Jewelry Party. Or, if you just want to say: Hi! It's all good.

Ok. Gotta get some other stuff done... So...

Thanks today to our three lovely models for letting me use their pictures! And...

If you're in Utah, go get a massage and a teddy bear from Hildreth! If you're - well - anywhere, and could use a little social media marketing and management help, Lisa is the one to e-mail!

Now, go enjoy the day!

Um... Nearly Three Feet of Snow Later...

Ok. It looks like they're clearing the roads pretty good around here, and not much else is sticking, right now, but it hasn't stopped snowing since I wrote my last entry (just before the power shut down temporarily and I didn't bother to turn the computer back on...) yesterday.

Took more than an hour to dig out the front walk and two cars. Wanna see how much snow was on em? Ok:

Was a little worried I might not make it to the last Tight Knit tomorrow. If it snows a lot more tonight, and isn't cleared before I have to leave at 6am (yep, that's when I have to leave to get there by 8am to set up by 9am), then I may not be able to get out of the complex (condo apartments). Though, I am packing the car as soon as I finish writing this just in case. I'm feeling hopeful since it's been pretty warm since we dug out, so there hasn't been any accumulation on the cars or walk since we finished and it's looking clearer all the time.

Well... it looks a bit like this on our deck:

(Phil took that and did the effect on his iPhone. Pretty spiffy, noh?!)

And a bit like this outside, down below:

(This is the road in and out of the compound)


(This is a neighbors car. The only neighbor who didn't come out to play with shovels like the rest of us. We don't know them.)

So, that's the aftermath of the big storm. Unless it gets worse tonight, and not cleared again before I have to leave, I will see you all tomorrow in Troy, at the last Tight Knit Market for the Winter - cause it rained most of the day there!

Neither Snow, Nor Early Morning Blahs...

Will keep me away from the Last Troy Tight Knit Market this Saturday!

SO, you all better show the hell up!

Ok...

Please?!

You know I drive like 2 hours to get there and another 2 hours to get back so, if I can get there, you can. That, and it would also be nice to have a lot of people show up and support all the amazing Tight Knit talent too! Plus, just to make it more interesting for ya'll (and because this is my last craft show in NY State for I don't know how long), I'm going to be giving everyone who comes Saturday and buys my jewelry 20% OFF... Really! (All you farmers reading this, I am still totally up for some jewelry for food barter too...)

So, if you're anywhere near the Atrium in Downtown Troy, NY this Saturday (the 27th of February) between 9am and 1pm, you should absolutely make the effort to stroll on in and venture upstairs and get yourself some super, one of a kind jewelry deals! It'll totally be worth it!

Seriously.

Do it!

Olympic Theme Song Weirdness

Oh, I remembered what else I was going to write yesterday... Keep forgetting to do this since the Beijing Olympics! Seriously can't believe I keep forgetting this... is the suspense killing you yet?

Ok, this is it:

The new Olympics music is actually the theme song from the tv series: The Adventures of Brisco County Junior! You know, with Bruce Campbell? The guy from Evil Dead...

Anyway, I noticed it during the Summer games. Freaked me out because I had just watched the first couple discs of the series (of 8 discs sent from Netflix of course) and I was watching the Olympics and was like, I recognize this music, what the... and when I got the next disc, sure enough. They didn't even change the arrangement much for Beijing. At least for the Winter games they have a better, more Olympic appropriate, arrangement! Oh, and I just read (on Wikipedia) that NBC is using it for baseball too! Apparently, Mr. Edelman has been reselling it since the show went under - I just wasn't watching the type of sports shows it's been used on so didn't notice until they started using it consistently through the Olympics.

Oh, and the Brisco theme song was originally written just for that series. Of course, I hated that theme song. Sped through it in fast forward while I rewatched (and caught the episodes I missed when it originally aired, which were actually most of them). Super cheesy and didn't really fit the show; in my opinion. Have to admit, I do like the new Olympic arrangement though. Much improved, and it fits much better than it did for the series.

So, ya. That's what else I was going to tell you yesterday... As if you care;]

Last Winter Tight Knit

If you were planning to come out to see me at this winter's Tight Knit Craft Market in Troy, but just haven't gotten around to it yet, well... this Saturday is your last chance.

This Saturday will be the last Tight Knit until Summer, the final craft market for the Winter, and you know I won't be back in Troy this Summer for that version because I'll be in Park City, Utah again this Summer.

In fact, I'll be leaving for Utah mid-May so, you also might want to think about scheduling that Jewelry Party you've been thinking about too... Mother's Day is coming up fast.

Just added some new Amethyst rings to the Etsy store too. Plus one with Amethyst and Aquamarine. That one is just the thing for the woman who only celebrates her birthday once every four years...

Getting all the stones laid out to work on the Sterling half of the U Rock collection too. Hope to have that mostly finished by the end of the week.

Um, what else? Hmmmm... sure there was something else but it's not coming to me...

The Medium is the Massage!

Howdy raving lunatics what follow my sporadic ramblings - sometimes dotted with acceptable photographic imagery.

It snowed yesterday. People freaked out. I laughed... while I was out walking around in the woods in snow up to my shins. There's still enough snow on the balcony to make a snowman... and I might just do it too... Have a couple things to do first though...

Been running around looking at a lot of blogs this last week. Puts me to shame, actually. You know, when you see these amazingly well graphicked perfectly put together blogs with lots of entries that are all amazing and well written and stuff like that there. Keep thinking I should make some kind of new years blogolution and theme myself up for a month and make myself write something every other day - instead of every other week.

I have tons of ideas and things I want to put to screen, but never seem to be anywhere near the computer when I do. Or, like lately, my wrists don't want me anywhere near a computer at all.

Been tooling round the internets all day and my wrists are SCREAMING right now. No. I will not repeat what they are saying. It's just not acceptable for public print (screen) formats. Yikes!

So, I made some new stuff. Did I tells ya? Well, it's with the rocks I been hounding. A lot of the ones I tumbled... well, partially. They're not all super smooth and super shiny. Didn't want to go that far off the natural. Did manage to figure out how to do Crackle Quartz without heating though! Kind cool. Have a bunch I have yet to photograph and some waiting to be made too but, all the ones I'm going to make in Gold Fill are done and I have some pics... you want a peek?

Ok. Here they are... oh, and I made some snow minions when ya'll weren't looking too! Enjoy!

One of these rocks is from right around here in Sterling Forest, one from Crater of Diamonds, Arkansas, and one from around the Colorado River outside Moab, Utah. Can you tell which one is from where? Go ahead... guess;]

This set has Amethyst and Citrine/Smoky Quartz I found in Hiddenite, NC

Snow Minions!