On the Soldering Block….

I’ve decided to start a series of “in the studio” posts.  I’ll be honest, after my first show of the year on May 10, I’ve kinda been in a funk.  I did a lot of cramming trying to finish my very first collection in time for that event.  It all came together nicely (ooh which reminds me, I still need to load the items to my online shop, oops!) and I was so excited to show it all off, along with my revamped display.

The show went well and now, after a few weeks of slacker time, I need to get back at it.  Here’s the very first thing to come off the block after my little hiatus.

 

There are 3 others along with this one…and they’re taking a spin in the tumbler right now to get them all nice and shiny!  One will be a pendant, and the other 3 will be a trio necklace (like the one in my logo).  These are a special order from a customer at the show.  🙂

I’ve got some ideas dancing around in my head right now for some new earring designs….and I’m itching to get back to playing with sheet metal again and try out the flex shaft tool I bought months ago and have yet to use.  So stay tuned….the next items to come off the block will be brand new designs!

Karen

 

 

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A Glimpse Inside My Studio…

Here’s the first installment of a Glimpse Inside My Jewelry Studio

I will try to post these periodically to give you the inside scoop of what a jewelry designer’s studio is all about.  I’ll warn you now, it’s sometimes pretty out of control.  Viewer discretion is advised.  😉

A jewelry designer’s studio tends to get a little crazy.  When that creative mood strikes, it takes over and organizing and straightening up usually fall to the wayside.  In March of 2013 I decided my jewelry studio needed an overhaul and I’m pleased to share with you the results. (And yes, that’s a cat litter box you see in the photo…the cat and I “share” a room because we have a dog (that the cat doesn’t like) and dogs will eat ANYTHING if you know what I mean.  Plus, it’s a rather horrific experience chasing him around the house with it in his mouth.  EWW!  Having to account for space for the cat’s things provides a challenge as space is a premium with all the stuff I have in this room!)

My old jewelry table setup (top left) was a little precarious.  I was afraid my hubby may find me buried under it one day if I wasn’t careful when I went to take something out.

My NEW jewelry table  is still organized in my “climbing up the wall” fashion.  But this time it’s a lot more stable!  I used white closet organizer cabinets and cubes (I’m a pro at assembling those suckers now!) so at least now I’ve got one unified color scheme and not a mish mosh of things I scrounged up.   This area is always a work in progress, however.  After I started working at the new table, which is several inches higher than the previous one, I needed a new chair (bye bye green electric company office chair, you’ve served me and Miss Kitty well) .  I also realized that my setup didn’t allow for a whole lot of work space, so it has actually been rearranged since then and it’s working out much better.   Also, shortly after my big jewelry studio reorg happened, I got into working with metals and soldering and realized I didn’t have enough room to fit that in.  So I added a “penninsula”  to expand.

And as a side note, seeing these photos of my nicely organized, clean studio is making me feel really guilty about what a mess it’s in right now.  But not guilty enough to make me go clean it.  😉