Creative Space

Another pair of my beaded hoops. 100% sterling silver. 100% hand made. 100% fabulous.

It was a great weekend. We had zero plans for Saturday night, and it ended up being the highlight of our weekend. That's how it often works out...

I went on a late evening walk with my neighbor, and we ended up having a mini neighborhood gathering of chit chatting and drinks.

It's ideal for us, because Elias can go to bed at his regular time and we can socialize with the baby-monitor on our hip! To anyone considering starting a family, I definitely recommend a baby monitor, and making friends with your next-door neighbor! :)

On that same note, my neighbor and I became inspired as we were chatting into the wee hours of the night. We spent part of the day Sunday working on our idea, and we are both so excited...

We are transforming my basement into a beautiful creative retreat. It's great for my neighbor who is in need of some extra space for painting, and it's great for me, to have a positive creative contribution to the space. We are both so excited about this new beginning. Fortunately for both of us, Timmy is totally on board with the idea. All in all, he's a nice guy, I suppose. (Nothing's worse than having a new and exciting idea, and then having someone significant pop your bubble!)

I hope your Monday is off to a great start!

♥

Sylvia

New Item & New Inspiration

I was asked to make a locket for a friend... now I am excited to make lockets for my shops. They are such a fun, classic look!

I am still working on getting just the right photos for my promotional post cards. I am thinking of adding this one because the photo looks nice...?

I have had so many new ideas in the works.... and I've been getting packages at my door nearly every day with supplies I've ordered.... it keeps inspiration fresh. Unfortunately, that means I have been on my computer clicking around in search of the best components, figuring prices, and comparing shops. I am on my way to making some fabulous new pieces!

It's a little after 9 and Timmy and I are both on our computers. Something (someone) needs to give~!

Hope your week has been great!

♥

Sylvia

Nearly 90th Percentile...

We were all decked out in RED, WHITE, and BLUE, so we took a quick family photo. Elias looked crabby in all of the pictures, but he wasn't really. He just wasn't feeling very photogenic!

So, at his 4 month appointment the other day, we found out that Elias is nearly in the 90th percentile for height. Which leads me to the brain-buster of the day...

Who is Elias taking after in the vertical department... mum or dad?

(See photo for further clue).

Have a great day!

Sylvia

PS- He is in the 50th percentile for weight, so I won't even go there for guessing who he is taking after in that department! :)

Metalsmithing and Me

So, I've been putting my metalsmithing skills to the test, and as a result, I have made this beauteous sterling silver ring. I am, quite honestly, proud of myself.

The other evening when I was out for a friend's birthday, I got to meet some new friendly folks; some of which were interested in seeing more of my jewelry. While we were chatting about the life of a jewelry designer (sounds fab, huh?) one gal asked if I had a brochure. While the idea of a brochure seemed a bit overwhelming, her question did trigger a great new idea: product post cards!

I'm now collaborating with a graphic designer I found on etsy to put together a post card with photos of my products to hand out to interested customers. I think this will be a great promotional tool for people I know and come into contact with on a regular basis.

Did you see my 4-month pictures of Elias? I am loving them! I haven't done enough close-ups lately, so I'm glad I thought to do it. He's sleeping now, and he's been wearing me out lately, so I am going to get off of this silly computer and do some creating!

I hope your week has been great so far.

truly,

Sylvia

4 Month Old Photo Shoot

Happy.

Sweet.

Inquisitive.

I hope you had a great 4th of July. I hope you missed me. ;)

Be back soon!

♥

Sylvia

ice cream, inspiration, and stuff

Mason (my nephew) is 16 months old now. He wants to do EVERYTHING all by himself! He is a whole lot funny and a wee bit naughty. ;)

Reilly is all skin and bones, but loves her sweets.... just like me! (not the "all skin and bones" part, the sweets part).

Elias didn't get any ice cream... but he should be starting solid foods soon!

It's a rainy Friday morning, but it feels like a rainy Saturday morning because Timmy is off from work today. I think his presence makes me a bit lazy.

We went out last night to celebrate a friend's birthday and it was a lovely time. I was able to be away from Elias for longer than normal because I fed him and then put him to bed for the night at my sister's house. So we were gone about 3 1/2 hours. We could've stayed longer if we weren't so tired. But, it was GREAT!

I had an eye dr. appointment yesterday also, so I was able to shed my glasses in exchange for contacts, and I decided to straighten my hair for the event. I haven't done that since Elias was born (it takes a solid 20+ minutes...). It was great to be social and out on the town. It was also nice to beautify myself. I'm going to suggest [to myself and to you, dear reader] that we beautify ourselves on a fairly regular basis. It's worth the time to feel dazzling every once and while.

I have tons of fun new jewelry supplies on its way to me {via snail-mail}, and I am feeling hesitant to start creating without it. Perhaps I am just procrastinating...

I was asked to make a locket necklace this week, and so I have been inspired to try some new locket designs in my jewelry collection. I am quite excited about this new addition! I think a couple of my shops will be delighted to carry them!

You just never know how or where inspiration is hiding...

Have a terrific day!

truly,

♥

Sylvia

The Waiting Game

He still has a side mouth smile....

This is cooper. We watched him for my sister last week while their family went on vacation. He is terribly cute. Also, he is terribly odorous and a terrible listener.

So, today I am playing the waiting game. The cable guy is suppose to come sometime between 11am-2 pm. That's a lovely three hour window of playing the waiting game. It's so NOT my favorite game to play.

Nevertheless, the week is just speeding by. It's amazing how fast time flies these days. Before I know it, it's the weekend. This keeps happening about every five days....

;)

I haven't done much jewelry this week (yet) but I plan on kicking it in gear for the second half of the week. Last Saturday about half of my inventory went into a new shop. That's great, really, because things don't sell when they are sitting in tubs at my house. But, now I need to build my inventory back up, so that I will be ready for my shop appointments in July. It's so hard to believe it is July already!

Elias will have his 4 month appointment this coming Monday. I am excited to get an exact weighing for him. I am guessing him to be 16 pounds?!? But... I'm not so excited about another round of shots. This time I am prepared, though..... Tylenol is my friend.

And last but not least... You know your life is on a different schedule when- you have a roast [along with potatoes, carrots, and onions] in the crock-pot by 9:00 a.m. Indeed, Elias gave me a generous [early] start to the day today....

I hope you have a lovely day,

♥

Sylvia

Our Little Fish

We took Elias to the pool yesterday evening. It seemed like the perfect time. It had been a hot day, but the outside evening air felt great... We weren't sure what to expect.

But, he loved it! He didn't cry or fuss once! He enjoyed the water the whole time.

Even as we dried him off, he didn't make a peep. I am hoping he will turn into our little fish!

~~~

In other exciting news, I soldered two rings last night... ALL BY MYSELF. Wow, I'm a big girl, now. ;)

I have been nervous about using a torch, and remembering all the steps, but I seemed to pull it off without anything catching fire! However, my sterling silver rings have a matte finish, and I can't quite figure out what I did differently from when I had my tutoring session.

I ended the night by watching a gazillion videos on soldering and I couldn't find a step I had missed. Perhaps there was a step she showed me that I am forgetting. (And the supplies for it, will probably cost me another arm AND leg)...Hmmm. The hardest part is always getting started.

It's amazing how many times that little voice pops up and says: This is really hard. Maybe you should just walk away now...

I almost find myself wanting to listen to that little brat. But, alas, I find that somewhere within-- I want to do it more than I fear to fail at it.

~~~

We have a double header softball game tonight. I had to sit out last season because I was pregnant. So, I am excited to be back in the game! Timmy and I plan on taking turns sitting out with Elias. I hope Elias enjoys softball as much as he enjoyed swimming... [my fingers are crossed.]

~~~

I took the entire day off from jewelry work, and that felt nice. It's nice to give Elias my undivided attention. Life is funny, really. Sometimes you realize you've been living like you are waiting for something--but when you stop to think of it, you have no idea what you've been waiting for.

This ain't no dress rehearsal.

I hope you have had a splendid day!

Sylvia

Quick and Random

~~~Quick and Random~~~

by Sylvia C.

Frosting, by the spoonful, is delicious.

Elias went to bed somewhat early. And, so, like old times, Timmy is working on his geek stuff, and I am working on my creative stuff. It's nice.

You really don't realize how much extra *muscle* a baby requires.... LITERALLY. They are heavy, and they require big heavy contraptions to go here and there (called a car seat). It makes you rethink even stopping by a gas station for a beverage. If it ain't drive thru, then I ain't gettn' it.

Weekends are nice. They give Timmy time to be with the baby. And, it gives Timmy time to see how grueling a day at home with him can be.

Mondays are still nice, because Elias and I are at home alone together and sometimes that's the way we like to roll.

Date nights are... non-existent. But something must be done about this. I will work on it this week.

♥

Sylvia

Organization - a journey, not a destination

Like a "Deere" in headlights... ;)

My latest purchase... from craigslist. I am feeling 1000 times better now that I bought this cabinet to store all of my jewelry making supplies. I don't exactly love its current location, but I don't hardly care about that. It just feels so good to be on the road toward organization! It's super spacious and it's "Ethan Allen Vintage."

And last but not least, this is the journal I will be using for Andrea's creative journaling workshop. I have tons of these journals on hand. I am trying to decide if I want to list some them in my shop...

I hope your Friday has been great, and your weekend is even better. I'm off to make some jewelry. I had a last minute call to bring in my stuff to a new shop this weekend. I LOVE it!

best,

♥

Sylvia