Workin' It

Do you see this SOLID FINE silver cupcake??? Yep, that's just what you are looking at...not sterling silver and not just a silver cupcake but a solid, not hollow awesome hunk 'o silver at .999 fine silver quality.

Isn't it spectacular? Payton Jett of the Green Glass Cafe toiled over this precious metal clay that when fired, turns to .999 fine silver. She shaped the entire piece by hand creating realistic cupcake lines and frosting. It's quite a wonder.


This is just one of the many pieces of jewelry I've designed this week after reorganizing my studio and family time. I completely flip flopped what was not working before and when I finally calculated the best way to structure my day to achieve balance, within 2 days it's just become awesome.

Here's what I am doing: rising early and enjoying my morning coffee all by my wee self and preferably out in my small and shady front yard the sun has not yet reached. I listen to the birdies and do a little reading and enjoy the peace that exists before the nearby condo construction resumes for 12 hours...seriously.

Then I eat a light breakfast and head out for my 45 minute walk...used to enjoy this before sunset but figured it was probably the main reason for

unnecessary night time snacking & later bed time.
And when I get back home? It's straight to work and I'm really ready by then...revved up and excited about achieving my jewelry goals.

I design pieces, calculate their cost in a very cool little black journal and photog them. This takes place until noon, so it's usually about 3-4 hours. Then my husband comes home for lunch and after that I'm ready to do laundry, errands, get some groceries or putter around up to dinner time.

I used to run around unTIL noon on errand days and then hung out until I fixed dinner (early for us...about 4pm so I'd start at 3) and then just wouldn't feel like working at night.

It just wasn't a productive time and for some reason it took a while to figure out the reasons. But I'm on track now and the first two days were just perfect and I created 12 small pieces, 3 of which you see here.

Megan Ballarini (cool name, huh?) custom designed Minnie's body bead and Carrie McKinney, the custom ordered Minnie head with pink bow. It's a pendant that has matching earrings. And the fabulously talented Lezlie Belanger crafted the Cherry Cupcake.

All of these pieces and more are being listed on www.RockerJewlz.Etsy.com, one or two a day over the next 5 days. Oh man, wait until you see the Luscious Ice Cream Sundae pendant...it's on Etsy right now!

Holy Smoke!

Holy smoke is for fire news, the fact that this is my 95th blog posting AND that I have important business news.

The Napa wildfire wasn't even 2 miles from my sister's home. Is this vineyard a great view? It's from the driveway at the top of a small hill on which she lives...she and her family get to enjoy it but it belongs to the neighbors so it's like having a vineyard you never have to care for!

So that ridge in the background is where the fire was. Next photo is a closeup: all those pale, pinky/rusty looking trees are what burned. Sis's family watched the flames at night time...eeek! Just over 4,000 acres burned, mostly on the back side of this ridge.

The first day of blue sky was such a blessing and it wasn't until I saw the still-there smoky haze contrasted against the blue that I realized just how bad the air was.

So I was in Napa last week as Nanny Jul to my 2.5 year old nephew. Gosh, he speaks in phrases now: "I got it!"..."I did it!"...."me too"...and the first 4 word phrase:"I don't LIKE it!!!!". LOL

It was a treat to be able to communicate much more easily with him...just wonderful. So my business news is that based on some recent snide comments about my business by some family, it hit me that they don't see it as a real job....because I wasn't treating it like a real job but a hobby. I then had a wake up call when I heard someone say they had committed themselves to do all they could to have a successful business and that's when I knew what was missing in mine: commitment.

So after I get my business taxes taken care of this week, my focus will be on creating a commitment statement and specific goals that will drive me to work more diligently to achieve success. I have never been much of a goal setter but I find after recent illuminations into the manner in which I live my life that I am excited about making it more of what I want, and that includes my jewelry and paper goods business becoming more profitable, especially for my husband's looming retirement....not for several years yet, but something for which planning is key.

I already know that the best fit is to enjoy my morning coffee and breakfast and then perform my important skin care and hair styling so I can feel ready for the day. I'd like to add yoga, meditation and bible study to the mornings and then move on to working in my studio. After that, when people start returning home from work, I won't see them as distractions as I did when I tried to work in the afternoons...and can focus on dinner plans, laundry, errands, etc. to keep the house in order and enjoy my family.

This may sound simple but it's a very big switch in how I've been managing my time until now!

On the jewelry front, I'll be working with more large black & white beads and incredible bird pendants with bird focals from Green Glass Cafe.

I hope I've entertained you a little and am glad you visited.