Happy Easter, Enameled Pieces, Google Reader Bye-Bye

First off I wanted to say Happy Easter everyone!  I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday!  Mom and I will be heading over to my aunt's house for Easter lunch in a few hours and then we will watch the munchkins go on an Easter egg hunt.  It is always fun watching because the older boys are very devious when it comes to hiding the eggs :)

Enameling - two weeks ago I had a big enameling session (pendants and BSBP pendants) and yesterday I enameled some more. 

Some of these will be going out on Etsy, when I find the time to resize and post:

These will be made into earrings - or may just get listed on Etsy - who knows :)

Mom and I are thinking of using this design as a clasp - we have ideas already
how to use these clasps in necklaces - stay tuned for those pieces in the next
few weeks

These are the pieces I enameled yesterday:

Will be made into earrings

Fairy pendant

Reminds me of a stained glass window

A custom order piece for a friend - she saw our necklace for the Feb. ABS Challenge
and loved it but it was too big for her.  So, mom and I made a smaller pendant
and we will restring the necklace for her.

Newsflash!  If you didn't know Google Reader was going bye-bye on July 1st.  The only reason I know about it is because of a couple of blogs I follow have been talking about it: Brandi Girl Blog and Studio Waterstone.  I have signed up on Bloglovin and I have signed up at Feedley.  I need to look more into each of them because I need to know how each work.  I am so NOT a tech person and this is freaking me out because I have been happy with Google Reader.  This is making me nervous because I don't deal well with change and I want to make sure that you can still read our posts and see what we have been doing.  Cross your fingers for us - even though we have three more months to figure this out.

Yesterday was the 1st Reveal of the Bead Soup Blog Party.  Mom and I are next week - and yes we still need to assemble our pieces and take pictures.  So, come on back next week and check out what we created with the pieces from Jill.

Focus on Life Week 13 and 1st Reveal of the 7th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party

A angel statue at one of our local cemetery's

“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness…” Dalai Lama

This week's Focus on Life is "Have Faith".  This is what Sally had to say, "There are many of us wheo are religious and there are many of us who are not, but most of us religious or not have faith in someone or something.  A faith that gets us through our day, a sickness or even a death.  Faith is held by each of us, it is what keeps us believing that there will always be a positive outcome even if we can't see it at the time."



A sticker on my car window

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” Dalai Lama

Head on over to the Studio Sublime to check out everyone else.

Today is the 1st Reveal of the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party.  Head on over to Lori's site and check out all the participants.

I will be hopping later today and tomorrow.  Right now I want to finish this blog post, enamel pendants and a custom order piece, assemble the custom order piece and our Bead Soup piece.  While I am doing that mom is working out in the garage cleaning since it is so nice out.  Plus she wants to move all the sawing back out into the garage so she has her kitchen counter space back.

Focus on Life - Observe the Curve

This week's Focus on Life was Observe the Curve.  I seriously can't wait until it is nicer out because I would love to walk around and just observe what is around me - I hate the cold so not going out until it is warmer!

Instead I went around the house to observe curves and there is actually a lot.

The mouse I use on a daily basis at the house.

The glue bottle we use to glue down the patterns on the copper.

The jeweler's saw mom uses to saw out our pendants, plates and bowls.

The mandrels I use to make beads - which I will be doing here once I post this week's blog post.

The pan I use to put frit on to use in my beads.

So, those are just some of the "Observe the Curve" I came across in the house.  If you would like to see what everyone else posted head on over to The Studio Sublime and check them out.

Birthday and Weekend Recap

My office cube decorated

For my birthday this is what I came to work too - isn't it great.  Unfortunately the balloons didn't stay up but I think the office is still great!

I love the 40s hanging from the ceiling!

They tin foiled my chair, keyboard, mouse, monitor, phone, stapler, and a lot of other things - the individual pens wrapped was a nice touch!

For my birthday dinner mom and I went out to our favorite restaurant and I just had breakfast for dinner :)

I didn't decorate mom's office - I got her on her 60th plus she is now in another building.  So, I stopped at her house before going to work and dropped off her birthday card and present.  For dinner I took her out to O'Charley's and we both had the Cowboy Steak.  Mom also got wonderful news that the city has approved the building permit for the extension to be built onto the house - YAY!!!  Now she just needs to sign the contract and hopefully the builders can start soon!

Mom and I took Friday off to just work in the garage - of course that didn't happen.  Mom was feeling antsy so we went shopping (window shopping).  We went to Lowe's, Home Depot and Menards looking at refrigerators.  Mom has been thinking about a new fridge for several years so we just took the day to run from store to store looking at the different kinds.

We also went to one of our favorite furniture stores and were looking at a couch for mom and a chaise chair for me.  This couch is awesome - it reclines!!!!  Plus it is nice and cushy - a big must for a couch in my opinion!

Pretty Danskos

On Saturday mom and I had planned, again, to work in the garage but this time I was antsy.  So, after eating breakfast we went window shopping again.  I think we went to Hobby Lobby, Dress Barn, Sam's Club, PetsMart, and the mall.  Mom and I hardly ever go to the mall but mom need a new pair of dress pants and jeans.  When we were making our way back to the starting point we stopped into my favorite shoe store and look what I spied - new designs in Danskos!

Another pair of pretty flower Danskos.  As much as I love Danskos I need a pair of shoes I could wear in the summer time.

So, I ended up buying these pretty shoes.  They are so comfortable!!!!

Enameling session - can see pieces in the background

Sunday I did finally end up enameling.  I enameled our BSBP pendants and other pendants mom had sawed out.  It was a little nippy out in the garage so that is why the hood is up.  While I was enameling mom was cleaning one side of the garage and getting things down from the attic.  Now that we know I am going to moving back home we are both trying to purge our things.

These are the pieces I enameled yesterday and yes they will be going into our Etsy shop.

And of course I can't show you the pendants for the BSBP yet.  Here is a sneak peek.

That is our recap of the birthday's and our weekend.  I am looking forward to seeing what this week brings us!  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Good Bye Thirties and Hello Fourties

Happy Birthday to me, and mom (on Thursday)!!!

Today I am saying goodbye to my 30's!

And I am saying hello to being a fabulous 40!!!! 

On this day, 13 March at 11:01 am (Alaskan Time) and 50 degrees below 0, I was born.  In mom's words, "When you born you were beautiful.  You didn't look like most of the infants, squished heads/red blotchy skin.  Your skin was like porcelain, your little lips looked like little red tulips, you had "chipmunk" (chubby) cheeks, blue eyes, and white blond peach fuzz for hair.  You were the only baby born that week that didn't have jaundice.  It is a common occurrence in Alaska which requires newborns to be under a sun lamp for awhile.  Good old Alaskan winters and lack of sunshine!".

I have to say I had fun and learned a lot in my 30s and here is a list of some of what happened during this past decade:

Bought a house in 2004 - moved in on December 31st, 2004.  Thank goodness because it was a gorgeous day (almost in the 50's).  The next day it was back to wintery weather and in the ER with my grandpa - Happy New Year 2005.

I was a full time student for a few years at Purdue University.  My first major was Russian and Consumer and Family Sciences; left Purdue because I decided I didn't like either major and enrolled into Ivy Tech where I was going for an English major.  I found out about lampworking, after interviewing a small business owner and took some classes in lampworking from the same owner and loved it.  I then found out Purdue had a major for Metalsmithing and Jewelry so I enrolled back into Purdue as a part time student as I worked full time at Purdue.  I am five classes and my senior show away from my degree - yes mom I will eventually finish my degree I promise!

Trying to figure out how to be a civilian the last 10 years has been interesting.  The first two years I was out I still felt like I was AWOL and sometimes I feel out of step with everyone else.  I wouldn't change the time I was in and I am glad I made the decision to get it out - even though it still feels weird to be a civilian :)

Saw Bon Jovi twice in concert - once was my 30th birthday present from mom (she still has the voicemail from the concert of me screaming that this was the best birthday present ever).  The second time mom and I saw them we were in the mosh pit (about five feet away from the stage) when I was 33.  Mom and I both loved the experience but we will NEVER do that again!  We were on our feet for about 8 hours - from when we had to be there (about three hours before the show) and the whole show with the opening act and all their encores.  We both have Plantar Fasciitis so you can imagine what we both felt like after that concert and the next day :)

Mom and I saw Nickelback open for the Bon Jovi concert - mom really loves them.  So, for her birthday a few years ago I got us both Nickelback concert tickets - the concert was a blast!!!!

Had fun coloring my hair different colors - pink, purple, blue.  I am still having fun coloring my hair but now it is different colors of red.

I got my last tattoo in 2009 as a birthday present for myself.  It is forget-me-not flowers with birthstone colors in the middle of the flower.  The flowers are the state flower of Alaska (where I was born) and the birthstone colors are for my mom, aunt, brother, niece and nephew.  I also have four small flowers with the birthstone centers for the memory of my grandparents.  The next tattoo I want to get mom is working on designing for me and I am so ready to get another one.  Maybe that will be another birthday present for myself :)

I was lucky enough to come home and spend time with both sets of grandparents before they all passed away.  I miss you all!

1. Grandma Jo - October 2002
2. Grandpa Lee - January 2005
3. Grandma Mert - April 2006 (I was with her as she passed away)
4. Grandpa Ralph - July 2010

From L to R 0- Koshka, Reville, Mishka, Tiesha (about all I use my Russian for
now is to name my cats)

When I was growing up we always had dogs and I was never really around cats until mom had Max and Samantha.  I blame mom for hooking me onto the fur babies.  I just sort of accumlated them.  I first got Koshka (her name means cat in Russian) in 2001.  Mishka (teddy bear in Russian) was next in 2003 - he suckered me right in by putting his paw outside the cage and against my cheek - I was a goner.  Chai (tea in Russian) came along in 2004 - she was my present to myself for finally closing the deal on the house and picking out all the interior stuff for the house.  Tiesha (quiet in Russian) came along in 2005 and finally Reville came along in 2007 (I blame mom for her).

One of the hardest things for me to do was put Chai to sleep last year.  I know she was sick and I didn't want her to suffer but it hurt.  I held her as they gave her the medicine and her suffering ended.  She was my bitch cat but I still miss her every day!

The Number One Big Thing of my 30s - mom and me starting the jewelry business - big leap of faith there in 2008.  I have never regretted it and I am so glad mom wanted to start the business with me (even though I made her president and she has to do all the money!).

I had a wonderful 30s and I can't wait to see what my 40s bring.

Help Please - Selling a Ceramic Kiln Question

As many of you know I am moving back home with mom and I am slowly taking stuff to Goodwill, giving stuff to friends or lots of recycling.  Well, I have one thing in the garage I would like to sell but I am not sure what to ask for a price - a large stackable Olympic Kiln.

The model is 1823 (can't read the last letters of the plate), volts 240, amps 26.23, max temp 2300.

I have a couple of kiln shelves and stilts and there are two boxes of small pyrometric cones.

And I have the instruction manual.

The reason I am asking for help in pricing is because I have never used the kiln and it has been in my garage since 2009 and before that it was in storage for three years.  I have not plugged the kiln in because I don't have a 240 watt outlet in my garage, so I have no idea if the kiln still works.

If anyone can help me I would sincerely appreciate the feedback and best place to put this up for sale.  If I only sell it for parts I will be happy to remove it from my garage!