Michigan Fire Hydrants, Sawing Snowflakes, Copper Malfunction, Photo Taking and Etsy Posting

Fire hydrant on University of Michigan

Each year my friend and I go up to Michigan for the large art fair they have on the University of Michigan campus (click here for last year's trip).  And each year I take pictures of the painted, chipped and rusted fire hydrants.  I FINALLY downloaded the pictures I took from July.  I thought I would share three of the pictures I am in love with.

I just love the way the paint chips and rust coming through.  I do have some of the fire hydrant pictures for sale on our Etsy site if you are looking for something rusty and unique.

Mom has started sawing out snowflakes for our last show of the season.  The few we took last year sold out in about 20 minutes - so from the picture below you see there is a pile of them that have to be sawed out.

The ones mom has sawed out

The pile to be sawed out - I will do the perimeters and mom will do the interiors

The copper malfunction - now this is a big problem.  Mom and I just ordered copper (over $200)  from the vendor we always have in the past. Mom opened the package to take out the copper to start gluing down more patterns and it was an OMG what happened moment.

The copper scrap on the right is the 20 gauge copper we use to make our pendants and bowls. The copper on the left is ohhhh much thinner than 20 gauge - I am thinking it is 24 gauge.

All the sheets of copper are like that.  So, we sent an email to them yesterday and are now waiting for a response.  This is not good for us because we need to make up more bowls and pendants before the last show.  Cross your fingers for us that we get this resolved soon or there will be much panic in the household!!!

While mom was sawing out snowflake pendants I was taking pictures of our double-sided, reversible enameled pendants to post on Etsy. Once I got all the pictures taken I then had to crop and resize the pendants - I also created a collage to show the front and back side of the pendants together.  The reversible pendants we have left have now been listed.

Here is what is for sale on Etsy:

Flower and Fleur De Lis Pendant

I call this Cosmos on the Left and Fall Colors on the Right

Snowflake Pendant

Polka Dot Pendant

Colorful Quilted Pendant

Breast Cancer Awareness and Black Ribbon Pendant

Snowflake Pendant

Vine and Curly Q Pendant

Christmas Snowflake Pendant

Butterfly and Flower Pendant

Quilted and Leaf Pendant

Fall Leaf and Orange/Gray Pendant

I also added two of our sawed out pendants:

Bird, Heart and Flower pendant

Celtic Knot Pendant

So, that was my Sunday. I actually feel like I accomplished something in regards to our business. I know we have been pretty lack on sawing, lampworking, creating jewelry, taking pictures, sharing pictures, posting on Etsy and blogging.  I think I am calling this the year of NADA DONE.

Though - I can say I am trying to be better on the blogging.  I think this will be the fourth post in the month of October.  No where close to what I used to blog - but I am slowly building back up to posting.

I also signed mom and myself up for Sally Russick's 2014 Holiday Ornament Swap. Last year was the first year we participated and our swap partner was actually Sally herself.  You can go here and check out what we received from Sally.

Well - I hope you had a wonderfully productive weekend like we did.  Have a great week!

Celebrate the Arts Show Review and Studio b Pink Party

Delphi, IN Celebrate the Arts

This past weekend was the Delphi, IN Celebrate the Arts show.  Mom and I have participated in the show every year since it began.  I seriously don't think this show can catch a break on the weather - but at least we are now in doors where before it was an outdoor show (hurricane force winds and rain).

This year we were setup inside an old Methodist church that the art society now owns.  We were setup in the sanctuary on two sides of the aisle.  One side had the enameled necklaces and pieces in the shadow boxes.

Mom setting up the other side and talking to another vendor

The other side had the bowls, bracelets, earrings, other necklaces and our pictures that have been infused in aluminum.

During the show I took up knitting again - which I have not done in a very, very, very long time.  This will be a preemie hat that will be donated once done.

So - that was our Saturday.

Sunday was an awesome day of relaxing and then of course Studio b Pink Party

Pink Party by Studio b

Studio b is where I go for my Zumba and Tabata classes.  These ladies are a bunch of amazing people and I always look forward to working out there.

The Pink Party is an annual event they host to raise money for the YWCA. Th YWCA uses those donations to help women receive breast and cervical exams. Last night the event had 86 participants and raised over $1200 for the YWCA.  If you like you can go and see a brief video of the whole group dancing on the Facebook page - you can see me for a split second :)

A picture of me before heading to the Zumba party. The necklace I am wearing is one of our double sided enameled pendants with the breast cancer awareness ribbon.  That pendant should be going into the shop sometime this week if I can get off my behind and get pictures taken :)

People signing in for the party.

My friend Julie and me after the Zumba party.  She is the one who inspired me to get into shape with Zumba - she is one awesome gal let me tell you!!!!

Prizes being handed out and treats to be eaten.

The lady throwing the package is Jill - she is my Tabata instructor and she has been so awesome and motivating to get me into shape!!!

So, that was my weekend.  I hope you had a great weekend too!!!!

Personal Update - Sale of House, Zumba, New Hair Color

Found on imgfave.com

Currently this is me - being very patient with my mortgage company as I wait for them to approve the short sale (since January 2014 - yes I did say January).  I have had a buyer since January 16th and I seriously hope I still have a buyer for the house after all this time.  My paperwork has finally gone to the short sale department and I am just waiting (and waiting) for the approval. The department has three more days to get back to me since the paperwork got to them - then I am contacting my Realtor and title company to ask, WTH????

I have also started going to Zumba - I started at the end of May.

This picture sums up how I look during Zumba - but I really don't care because I am having so much fun that I don't care what I look like (except when we have brief solos during one or two songs - then panic mode starts!).

This is my first post workout photo - really bad - I know :)

And a photo of me from a few weeks ago - you sure can tell my face has slimmed down.  I have actually lost 23 pounds since I started with Zumba and Tabata.  I am going to have to break down soon and buy new pants - I am starting to look like I am wearing parachute pants from the '80s and '90s.

via Google images

Last week I went from being a red head back to a blonde - I was getting tired of the gray hair appearing about a week after I colored it.  The gray really shows up against the red hair.

Me at the salon right before I went from a red head to a blond.  It took two and half hours to strip the red from my hair, then another hour to color, cut and blow dry.  I got to the salon at 4:30 on Wednesday and left a little after 9pm - long night for both me and my stylist!

But it was so worth it - I love how the blonde turned out.  Of course it has been a week and I am still not used to having blond hair!

So - that is a brief update of what has been going on in my life.  If I did an update on mom it would be a weeks worth of blog posts.  She has not had a good health year that is for sure.  I will fill you in briefly when I write a post about our Salt Fork River Festival show - now that weekend was interesting.

Stay tuned - trying to get back into the blog posting.

Pendant Production

Front Side of the pendants

Backside of the same pendants

I took today off to work on creating some pendants for this weekends show in Delphi, IN.  Yesterday the copper we ordered finally arrived so I was able to do some enameling today.

Mom and I have been making pendants with designs on both sides of the pendant - so you get a two for one pendant.  I am liking how these pendants are turning out.  I think I have about 20 more pendants to enamel, but not today - my feet are killing me!

So, here is what I did today.

Pendant set 1 - front and back

Pendant Set 2 - front and back:

Pendant Set 3 - front and back:

Pendant Set 4 - front and back:

Pendant Set 5 - front and back:

Pendant Set 6 - front and back:

I still have to share photos from our show at Sleepy Creek Vineyards. I will probably share photos after our show this weekend.  I am off to elevate my feet now and veg on the couch - so tired!!!