A to Z, 2012-- P is for...

Pain.

Ah yes, my standard picture of pain. The Dread Pirate Roberts has returned!

Before things got too far removed, I just wanted to say thank you, to those who took time out of their day to wish me well.

The new medication (the one mentioned a few days ago) has been incredibly helpful. I'm not quite up to my normal speed, but it is indeed helping to keep my elevated pain levels under control.

I'm not so happy with the world spinning, as a side effect, but when I raised my concern about this, my doctor pointed out an interesting fact. "You're already not able to do anything when things get bad," he said, "But with this, at least you'll feel some pain relief while you're not able to do much!"

Touche, doc. Touche.

Anyway, this was not the "P" word that I had in mind. I have another word that I'll be talking more about tomorrow, in conjunction with the letter "Q". Or perhaps separately. I haven't decided yet.

See you then~!

Day Twenty-Four, It Never Rains But it Pour(s)

So much has been going on with me lately, not the least of which has been my health. Endometriosis is always a yo-yo... sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. I've spent over a week now with elevated pain levels, and there's nothing to be done about it. I'm still making my earrings every day, and I'm still putting together posts every day, but it's hard for them to actually get put *up* every day.

Thankfully, I have an amazing family and supportive friends, who understand what is going on and have been giving me some LOVELY recommendations for things to watch while I'm bed-ridden! I just finished watching every single episode of "Bones" available on Netflix, and am working my way through the first season of Downton Abbey. Next up, I'm going to finish "United States of Tara"~ is there anything else out there that you think I absolutely have to see?

Anyway, onto the earrings.

A friend suggested that I name them after her-- "Yosie's Choice"-- because they're her kind of style~!

Sterling Silver spacers surround and separate two delicate pink beads-- one perfectly round freshwater pearl, and one cool and smooth rose quartz.

Still experimenting with different photo surfaces...

I don't know what I'd do without this teacup!

I have some exciting news to post, both on here and the business blog. Stay tuned!

Day Fifteen... My Energy is Lean...

Today was very fun, and incredibly busy, but not too productive. One of my very dear friends came over today for what we call "Girly Crafty Day"-- a day where we sit and talk and create whatever inspires us that day!

Or, better put, we originally INTENDED to have said "Girly Crafty Day."

Instead, we ended up watching a documentary (one of my favorites-- "Babies"!) and some TV episodes (introduced her to "Bones")... then we grabbed a quick bite to eat and had a day of leisurely browsing. I talked to one store about potentially selling our jewelry, and bought three really cool books from the local used book store. I'll post about them quite soon~

In any case, here are the earrings for today. This pair is a little different than anything else I've made-- I used two translucent white seed beads and one large black angular seed bead to accent beautiful coral beads. I was lucky to find two pieces of approximately the same size and thickness and color-- almost as lucky as the person who will eventually get to wear them!

Yo-HO-HO and a... box of cigars?

They kind of look like dutch shoes here...

And like a skirt here. Such versatility!

As you can see, the camera is all better now-- hip Hip HOORAY!-- so I'll be taking LOTS of photos tomorrow. Yay! *waves flag*

Hope everyone is having a great week so far... one more day is through!

Day Twelve- I Truly Delve!

So, first things first~ the earrings of the day!

Today's pair is a special request from a friend of mine. These are brass wires, wrapped in a spiral, and ending in an onyx teardrop. I plaon recreating these in sterling silver quite soon~ and while I know that you all think the model is OH SO ATTRACTIVE, this photo doesn't show the detail as well as I'd like... so more photographs will be attached tomorrow.

And now for something completely different.

I wanted to thank all my friends and family, and those who have visited me here, for being so supportive. Since posting about my health a couple weeks ago, I have received so much love from so many people, both on here and in real life. It means the world to me, and keeps me smiling when things get hard. Since then, as always, I have had good days and bad days... and the thing that keeps me going when things get tough is the idea that I will always have people in my life who support what I do.

When Hubby and I were watching Star Trek: Voyager on Netflix, and reliving our youth, the Vulcan character (Tuvok) said something that truly resonated within me. I was surprised to enjoy a quote from this particular character, since I am pretty much the anti-Vulcan for the most part.

"Do not mistake composure for ease." 

My life has challenges, but I always try to hold myself together as well as I can. I always try to keep my head up, and keep going. Many people say that they would never have known that I was unwell, had I not told them. I don't like to complain, and I don't enjoy showing my weaknesses to people. Some seem to think that because I don't show these feelings, that I'm perfectly fine.

Even when I'm at my worst-- no, ESPECIALLY when I'm feeling my worst-- I always try to make things seem much better than they truly are.

This does not mean that I feel any less unwell... just that I try to hold myself together as best I can. And the two things that truly help me to do that, are the important people in my life, and my art. Those two things help me keep my composure through the worst of times.

What inspires *you* to keep going, when all you want to do is stop? <3

Day Seven and the "Green Machine" Set!

... Did anyone else find the Top Chef reunion special as amusing as I did? 

Anyway, I can't believe it's been a full week of making earrings! Every day that I do this, it gets easier and easier... today's project matches a necklace,designed a while back, and actually sold at market three weeks ago! It got a lot of attention, and sold the very first day it was on the table, so I made it again-- this time with a pair of earrings to match!

I like to think of this set as "The Green Machine"!

These earrings contain two stones-- bright green agate, marbleized with darker tones of green and shades of brown, and round green jade. Large enough to make a statement, small enough to not make *too* large of a statement. They were made to match this specific necklace, which has a large "yellow" turquoise stone as the center focal. Yellow "turquoise" always intrigues me, since it comes in a wide array of colors, not all of which are actually yellow! Despite being part of a matched set, these earrings also coordinate with other pieces:

If these earrings were students, they would be rated positively for "plays well with others"~!

I like to "test" my earrings out whenever possible, to make sure they stay put. These are the same earrings, with a different necklace from my jewelry collection, out and about in their public debut. Don't they look lovely? I like the earrings, but Hubby would say that he thinks their model is much prettier.

Anyway, these earrings passed muster... they were worn to Hubby's church, for a Lent reflection/bible study/prayer group/dinner party. All in all, a successful evening!

Day Seven-- VICTORY!!!