Fresh ideas

It's been a busy few weeks since my last posting in October. The same week the Buy Bling site became operational, I also held my first jewellery party.  You invite in some friends, who bring a few of their friends to an open house-style gathering where they can see and try on stuff. Fun way to shop or to sell since it's relaxed and a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Enjoyed it tremendously and I'll be repeating the experience at someone else's home next weekend. For those interested, I've updated the necklace catalogue today with a half dozen new offerings to replace some of the stuff that's been sold. Reminder - just click the Buy Bling box on the left side of the blog to go to the catalogue site

I've also been busy experiementing with new materials like what you see in this photo. Polymer clay has great versatility -- takes shape & colour well, and once it's baked, is hard yet light to wear. All in all, an ideal material. These are some early samples of marbling, a combination of black, silver & ecru which look somewhat like a greyish agate. I've also played with different fnishing techniques, using wire wrapping to create this five-piece set. But now I'd like to get a fresh perspective on how others think these pieces should be combined. There's enough here for a necklace of at least 22" or 55 cm. length, provided a few other elements were added. Would love to hear your ideas both in colour & other materials you think would work well. Especially, if it's something you think you could see yourself wearing. Look forward to your feedback.

CATELOGUES UP!

It's taken more than four months but I'm finally able to announce that MY CATALOGUES ARE ONLINE.

Look left for the BUY BLING icon. Click on it to go to the separate Catablog site where you can browse the collections -- necklaces, bracelets &other accessories -- to your heart's content. And if you feel like shopping, hopefully you'll find it easy.

But not to worry if you don't. I chose to segregate the two sites for that reason alone. Some people would just prefer to read the content and have a look at what I've been up to. Now that Buy Bling is launched, I trust I'll be able to get back to a more regular schedule of posting.

Please note that my email address has also changed. You can now reach me directly at imc accessories

Serendipity

It's been a beautiful last weekend of summer.While the nights and mornings are now cool, the days can still be warm and sunny. Took advantage of the good weather today to move around some lilies and peonies, tidy the vegetable beds and tie up the tomato plants that still need to give up fully ripe fruit. Yesterday I picked the first monster tomato I've ever seen -- weighed a full kilogram! (For those interested, the variety was Hawaiian Pineapple, an heirloom variety that I've grown from seed before but never with this type of result.) Picked it partially green since it looked to heavy for the rest of the plant. Expect it will be ready for a taste test by week's end.

Took a well-earned coffee break about noon and decided to finally take a picture of my patio buddy. This blue butterly was an early experiment in garden accessories. It's been floating in part shade over top of a hydrangea bush for the last few months -- love the way it sparkles when it catches the sun. Thought you'd enjoy it as well.

Silversmithing

I rarely take holidays but last week I treated myself to a "staycation".

I took a five-day course in "Basic Silver Jewelery" offered by our local community college so from 9-4 I sawed, soldered, filed, sanded, set stones and learned about finishing techniques.

At the end of 35 hours I'd made several rings, pendants, earrings and a pin plus had a new respect for the skill and patience it takes to work with metal. Enjoyed it tremendously but I doubt if my nails will ever come clean again.

Here are a few of my class projects.

Good intentions

So much for posting on time. Over the last weeks I've been busy creating a series of new catelogues (see more on this later). I've been doing some experimenting with a new wire tool I picked up early May and photographing my collection for future display. But I wanted to share this project with you now.

I picked up the pendant focal piece at a local bead fair this past weekend. The fact that it's not real amber doesn't matter to me -- I thought it was striking. Trust you'll agree. It will be added to the necklace catelogue when it's ready to be posted.

Here's the commercial message: I'll be setting up separate bracelet, necklace and other accessories catelogues to make it easier for you to review my work. Once payment mechanics are in place, everything will be published so you can start shopping. If you have any suggestions while the system is being built, please feel free to pass them along. Feeback is always good.

Learning curve

Well that was less than successful. There were only three responses to the poll I posted last week concerning online purchasing. Guess I have to take partial responsibility for the lack of results -- anyone who's part of the "blog feed" process only sees the latest posting, not the full blog. To get access to the survey, they would have had to go to the url. Live and learn.

Bottom line, I think I'll have to keep researching. If you have any suggestions, I'd welcome your feedback. Feel free to email me directly if you don't want to post a comment on the blog. BTW, I've completed a few projects using a new tool I picked up several weeks ago. Should be able to post some new pics within the next few days. Enjoy the warmer weather.

Feedback time

I'm looking at different ways to make it easier for everyone to buy my accessories. To help with the research process, I've added a simple survey --- please scroll to the bottom of the page. Would love to get the feedback of the people who have been visiting my blog. Response is anonymous so don't worry that participating in the survey means you've made a purchasing commitment. The survey will be up for a week until May 22 and I'll definately share the results with you. The questions are pretty basic but if you have additional remarks you'd like to make, please feel free to either to comment on this posting or email me privately.

Thanks in advance for your help. Look forward to hearing your views. Enjoy the Victoria Day holiday weekend if you're in Canada.