Where did October go?

It has been a busy October.  Bob is in the Dominican for baseball, tomorrow is Halloween, this weekend is the St. Lucie Rock & Gem's annual show and Friday is Charly's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!  I have finally been released from therapy and am doing so much better.  I have to wear a brace to sleep to immobilize my wrist and wear it on and off during the day, but my tendonitis is finally easing up.  Just have to remember to do my stretching exercises and TAKE BREAKS - which is very hard!

My cabbing machines are finally up and running!  Here are my finished cabachons done at the St. Lucie Rock & Gem Club.

This Tiger Eye is in the process of being polished....

This stone is going to have to be stabilized and refinished.  The stone is just too soft and is chipping off in places.

And the Leopardskin Jasper is the first completed piece.  As soon as the gem show is over, I'm going to start wire wrapping the rest of the cabs so I can put them up for sale.

Here is my first faceted stone!  I am so excited to be able to cut and facet stones!  Just knowing that I can now cut a diamond is a major sense of accomplishment - although I can't afford to buy diamond rough!  I deliberately didn't polish the mains so that when you look through the crown you see a flower.  I know it's not a perfect cut, but it's mine so that makes it perfect to me!  It is a round brilliant Smokey Quartz.

I have also been playing with dichroic glass.  I am so in love with glass.  When I first began my classes, I just experimented with everything to see what it would do.  Today it was so much harder to make a design since I know what everything will do.  But I love love love it!!!

These two pieces are in honor of Charly, who turns 1 on Friday.  HUSH...it's a secret!!!   Found these lovely Rottweiler decals and they are both on rainbow glass in honor of his rainbow baby collar!

Finally, I have also been taking enameling classes.  I really like it, I just haven't gotten it down yet.  I am not happy with my first finished piece (the leaf) and think I will be drilling out and re-doing it.  The orange ones are going to be dangle earrings when completed.

It has been a busy month!  Leaving next week for St. Croix and when I return I will be updating my webpage and ready to get back to work!

If you were brave enough to get through this post, please leave a comment and tell me what you liked the most and why.  I really need a critical opinion.  It's the only way to grow and learn.  Hopefully, next post won't be so long.

Also, please join this site and follow my posts.  It's nice to be liked.

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Fall Classes 2013

This has been a VERY busy, but productive week.  Finally getting back full speed into jewelry and I am in need of desperate rest today!

I began the weekend by cleaning out half of my 2-car garage to make room for a grinding/polishing machine, flat lap, bead maker, stone tumbler, tabletop kiln and wet saw.  I am sure I left something out, but you get the idea.

On Monday, I started my cabbing class!  The Fall series of classes started up at the St. Lucie Rock & Gem Club located at 6901 Heritage Drive in Port St. Lucie, FL.  Check out their website www.slcrockandgem.org for their complete class schedule.  Hannah is again our fearless instructor!  She has to be to handle our crew (LOL)!  Sarah, Gen, Catherine and I are at it again and there is no stopping us now!!!!  I also had my old sewing machine refurbished and will be giving my daughter, Toby, sewing lessons later in the year!

On Tuesday, I started my faceting class!  Our instructor, Jerome, decided that the Keys was a better place to spend the week, but we carried on without him.  I started on the crown of the brilliant cut Smokey Quartz I began in the last session of classes.  I am hoping to have it completed next Monday and will have a finished gemstone to show everyone!!!

On Wednesday, I was at the doctors (again), but this time for an allergy panel.  Needless to say, there is a long list, part of which are cockroaches (yuck) and cattle.  Cattle?  I live in city limits.  Don't know who is hiding cows in my neighborhood.

Wednesday night, our bi-weekly meeting of the Ladies of the Evening Bead Group took place at Catherine's clubhouse.  Always have a wonderful time with my beading sisters!!!  For the first time, in a LONG time, I was able to participate in a project.  Brought my household drill and all the other paraphernalia needed to cut jump rings and then started on a Helm's Weave chainmaille bracelet.  You cannot imagine the excitement of being able to hold and manipulate pliers in both hands after close to 3 years of uselessness!!!

On Thursday, I continued my physical therapy to release my ulnar nerve.  I am finally becoming a functioning person!  The pain down my arms and into my hands is abating and I am able to open and close my hands along with grasping items.  You cannot imagine, until you are restricted, how handicapped you are without your hands.

Friday was a LONG day.  First, I am up early for a haircut and then off to, yes, another class.  I began my first session ever in enameling.  Marilyn is a wonderful instructor and answered all my endless questions with a huge smile.  I did complete my first piece, but next week I want to do a small tweek before posting a photo.  Afterwards, I picked up Sarah from work and we traveled to West Palm Beach to access the clubhouse of the Gem & Mineral Society of the Palm Beaches, Inc.  Jeff has been an amazing help in not only slabbing "Rhodo", but in helping with identification of many of the rocks I got at the estate sale a few weeks ago.

If all the classes I am taking are not enough, next week I will be adding a glass fusion class!  The creativity is getting back into flow!!!

I am going to TRY to take it easy today, but I am so excited to be a functioning human again, I don't know how long it will last.  Photos will be coming soon and better yet, finished pieces of jewelry will be coming up for sale!

Shopping for Inspiration....

Went shopping this morning for background and jewelry display photo prop inspiration.  I found a good amount of things!

This photo shows my love of natural colors and the sea!  Live in Florida, after all, and work a lot of natural rocks and pearls.

And then these items relate to the name of my business, Deborah's Jewelry Box, along with the shell boxes above.  Have a few more items to clean up around my studio and then will be photographing for the rest of the week to make a final decision.

Creativity at work!  YES!!!!

Website Construction

My website www.deborahsjewelrybox.com is getting ready to go down for re-construction.  Just starting to play with MyStudio to figure out my new background.  Thinking about a sandy beach theme.

What do you think about the fabric background?  Going to the fabric store tomorrow to see what else might fit with my favorite piece of driftwood!

Finally feel like I'm getting back to normal.  It has been a long hard road!!!

Goodbye to an Old and Faithful Friend!

After many years of teaching and firing ceramics and then making back splashes and accents for my decorative tile business, it is finally time to say goodbye to my faithful Gare kiln!

But not to despair, I have added a lapidary faceting machine to my equipment and will be knocking out gemstones shortly!

Cabbing Machine

Bought a grinding/polishing machine at an Estate Sale a few weeks ago.  Called to get the pans refurbished, but I think I might need a few new pans.  Sand blasting may take away what metal is left on one of them.  Can't wait to get it set up in my garage so the cabbing can begin!

Painted and looking spanking new :).  Now to get them set up!

New Beginnings

So excited!  After 6 surgical procedures in the last two years, I think they have me fixed (I know, some things just can't be improved)!

I have a few projects coming up.  I have started making cabachons from rough rock and will be posting the step-by-step progress of my pieces in work.

I have also begun faceting from rough stone and will also be posting the step-by-step on those projects.

And a few of my best beading-sisters will be beading the characters from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander book series in honor of the series that airs next year on Starz.  If you haven't read them you are totally missing out!!!

No pictures right now, but work is getting ready to begin!!!  Looking forward to sharing!