Gone for so long, and yet longer still...

As John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Back in mid-February I put the business on hold, the one that I had just started, to take a brief trip to Arizona. I didn't take much with me, put my Artfire shop in vacation mode, and planned to spend a week and a half away from a cold, dreary winter. Then life happened. I loved it down there more than I expected. I had no idea that the desert would be so beautiful (see pic below), or that it would have such a positive effect on me physically. No asthma, no allergies, and I started hiking! I ended up extending my trip, expecting to return to Minnesota at the end of March.

Then life happened again. Instead of flying back, I decided to ride back with my Dad, sharing the driving responsibilities on the 1700 mile trip. Not 45 minutes out from our starting point the engine blew on Dad's new Jeep. I won't go into the details, but it took over 2 weeks for me to get back home. I was hoping to reopen the shop, but then...

Life happened once more. I realized, after being in a place where I felt so good, that I can't live in Minnesota any longer. For my well-being, I've decided to move, first to a temporary location, and then hopefully permanently to Arizona.

That means that MaxLovesCleo, my Artfire shop, will be on hold just a bit longer. I hope to be moved and settled in to my temporary location by mid-June (after a short trip to Florida to visit my Mom), and re-open the shop shortly after.

I'll have lots of new stuff to post, as I have been very busy these last few months. I bought a few beads and found lots of interesting stones on my trip, and I was bending and twisting my way through any rainy days, so my stash of completed pieces has increased dramatically.

Here's just a teaser of what's coming up:







And finally, this is one of the reasons I want to move to Arizona:

Soon to be listed

Is anyone else tired of turkey for breakfast, lunch and dinner yet? It was a good turkey, though - organic, range-fed. And any time my brother cooks the food comes out fantastic.

After the meal my sister was browsing through my jewelry magazines & books, and encouraged me to try a gorgeous wire wrapped bangle like the ones by Sharon Henry of Mana Moon Studios. (found in a past issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry) As luck would have it, I had just picked up some gorgeous new beads from a lovely little shop, Nottingham Beads, in Delafield, WI, near my dad's place. They complimented nicely some large green foiled glass beads I purchased a few weeks ago, and a beautiful bangle in shades of Caribbean blues and greens was born:



The bangle will be up in the Artfire Studio either later today or tomorrow. I'm also working on some images of a brass wire wrapped asymmetric necklace that I finished up this weekend. I'll post the photos as soon as I can.

Blessings!

New Studio Items Listed

Greetings everyone! I hope you all had a happy and filling Thanksgiving. We sure did, although I think we'll be eating turkey sandwiches, turkey chili, turkey soup, turkey salad and turkey anything for months to come! I finally came out of my turkey coma long enough to snap a few pictures of some new pieces and post them in my Artfire Studio:

Cityscape Copper Cuff

Amber Leaf Pendant

Silver colored Leaf Pendant

I've also uploaded a few basic cord necklaces which can be used with the pendants, if you don't already have one of your own.


Artfire and Amazon Wishlists

And, just in case you didn't already know, Artfire has partnered with Amazon to allow you to add any Artfire items to your Amazon wishlists! If you already have registered a profile with Amazon (which you have if you've ever bought a book or other product through them), you can easily add an Artfire item to your wishlist and share it with your family and friends. Each item listed on Artfire has the "Add to my Amazon Wishlist" button to the right of the picture.

So, get going on those wishlists!

Blessings,
Heidi

I've Been Found!

I was checking the stats on my Artfire studio today, and discovered that someone posted my Red and Silver Swirl Earrings on Vote Handmade:


I didn't even know there was such a site, but now that I do I'm sure to visit - I love looking at other artisan's creative works. So inspiring!

So, thanks, quirkydame, for making my day. Warm squishy hugs to you!

Freshwater Pearl Necklace, Moon Drop Earrings

I've been waiting for a while now for inspiration to strike regarding some pretty freshwater pearls I picked up this past summer. It finally came to me last week at my friend's crafting party. Apparently I needed the spark provided by some fun conversation, something that is usually lacking when I'm working alone at home.

I've paired the pearls with some pink and moss green semi-precious stone beads and silver disc spacers, set on a princess length silver-plated steel chain. I love the way the different materials play off each other. So pretty!




I didn't have to wait for inspiration to strike on these earrings - I love watching the full moon, especially when it has a glowing ring around it. These hoops with crystal drops are the earthbound representation of our sister moon!




And for anyone who follows this blog but not my Facebook page, sweet little Cleo finally gave up the fight two weeks ago. I was so thankful that she was at home in familiar surroundings, and that things went somewhat quickly at the end. Max and I are learning to get by with one less beastie in the house. We're doing ok, but Max is not a happy camper whenever I have to leave for a while - he's never been alone before! As long as he has food, though, he manages.

I'll be posting some more items very soon, including some earrings inspired by Cleo's eyes - they were the prettiest shade of green ;-)

Blessings!

Four New Pieces Listed!

I've been keeping myself nice and busy making jewelry. I managed to start a few new pieces over the weekend at my friend, Anna's, during one of her fun craft get-togethers. The reason I didn't say I managed to finish a few new pieces is because I was too busy chatting with friends I haven't seen in a while. It's so nice catching up with friends!

Since then I have managed to finish the pieces, but I haven't had an opportunity to photograph them yet. Hopefully the urge to snap some shots will strike me before the week is out.

In the meantime, here are the newly listed pieces:

To see additional photos and product descriptions, please see my Artfire Studio page here.

Update - more pieces coming soon; Cleo's health

I've been having a lot of fun playing with polymer clay this week, and made a handful of beads and pendants, some of which I really like. I've tried a little marbling, mokume gane, and cane work. One pendant, made with black,white, grays and silver, looks a bit like a river stone. It will eventually make a wonderful necklace. I still need to work on my technique though. The gloss I added to a few pieces highlighted little bubbles I didn't see before I cured them. Sanding and polishing should help, though.

I've also made a few more bracelets and earrings out of stone, glass and crystal, and a very elaborate arty piece made with copper and silver clay & metals, turquoise beads, and a hand made chain. I haven't been able to photograph them yet, though. I'm waiting for some decent weather - it's either been overcast/rainy, or sunny and veeerrrry windy! If Mother Nature doesn't cooperate tomorrow I'm just going to rig something up inside so that I can get these posted.

So, that's the good news. The not-so-good news is that Cleo (of Max Loves Cleo fame, snork) has not been feeling great. She's had some health issues over the last year+ which has caused her to go from 12 to 9 pounds. Then 8. Then 7. Over the last two or three weeks she has turned into a skeleton with fur. Her doctor (that'd be Dr. Cat, naturally) said she's dropped another pound and a half since August. The poor wee beastie! Dr. Cat was encouraged, however, to hear that Cleo is still very interested in food (she begs for it every time I walk anywhere near the kitchen), and thinks that it may be reversible. I'll hear more in the morning when they get some of the lab test results. Love from more than just Max right now would be very welcome!

So, that's all for today. I'm going to grab a bite and then work on some more pieces that are swirling in my brain.

Blessings!