Silver!

It got here on Tuesday, just like they said! I am absolutely in AWE - from Indonesia to my door in 4 business days. Seriously the USPS should take lessons from FedEx.

Here's the loot:




You don't want to know how much it cost. Multiple hundreds of dollars. I got it because I will be at the DC Craft Mafia Unusual Suspects Arts and Crafts Festival on November 3rd in Bethesda, MD, and I desperately need to make more inventory. A lot more inventory!

Here is a sample of what I've made so far with my new supplies... all of these are in progress. Note the lack of a clasp on the picasso jasper and pearl necklace with the lovely silver centerpiece (in the top left corner), and the fact that the burgundy pearls are not finished being strung yet.


And, for those of you who thought that I, the perfectionist, worked in a lovely neat little creative space, this will enlighten you - a picture of my workspace as it really is. Note the snippets of silver - I occasionally drop those in my keyboard.

Sales!

Hurray! All three of these pieces sold in the past week! I can make duplicates of some of them, so if you're interested, please just let me know!

I just listed another ring on Etsy. You can see it here - purple quartzite and sterling silver wire.

New ACEO!

I just listed this ACEO on Etsy. It's ink on 120lb. watercolor paper, and it's only $3 since I smudged it a little. Phooey. But I have since gotten better pens, so hopefully that won't happen again. It's still archival, and I think it's still cool looking. And $3! You can't get much cheaper than that for an original.

www.shyviolet.etsy.com

FSOJ - Week 19 - Off Theme

Well, it's not on theme, but I like it anyway! The blue ovals are gorgeous blue kyanite, with freshwater pearls and handmade sterling silver beads. The links are of course handmade, which for some reason took longer than usual on this necklace. The kyanite is a bit funny to work with, it scratches easily, so you have to pay attention where the ends of the wires are waving. The clasp in the back that you can't see is a sterling s-hook.

Shy Violet

FSOJ - Week 18 - Oriental Express

The theme this week was Oriental Express. This necklace is large white freshwater pearls and black barrel-shaped cloisonne beads. Simple, but dramatic... I think so, anyway! All comments welcome.

Shy Violet

FSOJ - Week 16 - Spring Maiden

And I'm finally caught up! This is Spring Maiden in the Seasons Collection, sold over Christmas break while visiting family. It is an 18 gauge sterling wire frame coiled with 28 gauge fine silver - accent swirls are 22 gauge sterling with 28 gauge fine silver coiled over it. Beads are pink Peruvian opal, rhodolite garnet rounds, white opal chips, and sterling 2mm rounds. It's pretty substantial, about 2 inches from top to bottom. There's also some criss-crossing fine silver wire on the back to stabilize the Peruvian opals a bit more (they're held in through holes, but they just seemed a bit loose). It's quite stable now, even though it looks very lacy. I'm very pleased with how this turned out.

Shy Violet

FSOJ - Week 14 - Saisons

The theme this week was Hint of Winter - This necklace is actually the original piece in my Seasons Collection, so it's a little bit of every season! Freshwater pearls (potato and rice), garnets (faceted rondelles and diamonds), citrine (buttons and chips), and peridot (chips). It doesn't look quite as lopsided in real life as it does in the picture - the color changes are asymmetrical, but the pearl section doesn't really look so thin in comparison to the peridot section.

Shy Violet

FSOJ - Week 5 - Off-Theme

The theme this week was Something Old is New. The topic didn't really inspire me this week, so I'm off-theme. However, the piece DOES fit into my Garden Collection. It is called Primrose, and also has matching earrings. It is made of pink Peruvian opal, freshwater pearls, and sterling silver.

Shy Violet

Soccer

I've had several sales lately from the website, which has been encouraging. The new look definitely seems to get a more positive response. The necklace above is "Saisons," the inspiration for the Seasons Collection. It is freshwater pearls, faceted garnets and diamond shaped garnets, citrine chips and buttons, and peridot chips. It is closed with a sterling silver hook clasp. You can also view it at Shy Violet.

I've also decided to play intramural soccer. I haven't played since middle school. I have no cleats, shinguards, or even workout shorts (for years I've been doing non-outside activities such as karate and even a brief stint in fencing). But tonight is our first practice, and I'll have to get some shinguards and hopefully shorts before then. Fortunately, we're playing indoors, so I don't have to get cleats.