the blues beads

Resurrected from a box of forgotten beads, I believe these were the beads I used as the example beads in one of the 2008 issues of Belle Armoire Jewelry tutorial on mokume gane. They are now offered up for sale on my etsy site http://jenniferstumpf.etsy.com.

Do you ever get a bug about something? Something that you just have to do? Well, currently I am completely engrossed in a stack of fantastic books, some knitting that is driving me nuts to finish two cardigan sweater panels, and especially I am transfixed with sewing on some little quilting projects. With all the usual stuff otherwise, my jewelry bench is collecting a little dust! I definitely like to mix it up a little. In immersing myself in other art mediums, little ideas for jewelry projects spring up and fester until I can't stand it any longer and must take up the saw and hammer again. Sometimes it seems a terrible torture to feel I must always be busy doing something with my hands, else I feel lazy or demoralized. It sure keeps boredom at bay. I must say, other than some days at work (ok, most days at work...) I am never bored. No matter how bad things get with the economy or finances or whatever else, there is always a bit of artwork to pick up and work on and it serves me well as therapy. Always after a good session of creating, I come away tired but happy.

Tonight, watching tv about Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, mostly because we only can receive about four channels now and one of them is weather. My husband is now home from band practice and corn is popping in the pan. Mmmm. Right now, it doesn't get any better than that.

Happy Father's Day, Dad

Deuteronomy 1:29-31
Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.

"

Of course I am my father's daughter, but the message is the same regardless. Through good times and bad, laughter and tears, through youth and into middle age, my dad has carried me through. He is an honest man of great integrity, whom I have the great relief and great good fortune to be able to turn to for advice, for sharing my day, and often, for carrying me emotionally (and sometimes financially-- sorry, dad), all the days of my life. I know he will always be there for me. This is my great blessing in life.
Thank you, Dad... Happy Father's Day! I wish we could spend the day together instead of from afar. I love you.

my husband's art

Every now and then I can't help bragging about my husband and his wonderful paintings. This is a commissioned portrait he recently finished and delivered. I think he should do more pet portraits, don't you?

new etsy

New etsy listings tonight. Delicate French script double sided etching with beautiful faceted blue violet mystic topaz rondelle wire wrapped with sterling. These stones are so lovely, they glint in the light and toss off little rainbows.


One of my favorite etchings-- the Kanji script. It is so unusual and no two turn out alike. This one has a larger window to accommodate the glistening faceted pink amethyst triangle wire wrapped with sterling again. Double sided etching on copper.

Both available on http://jenniferstumpf.etsy.com.

I've so been looking forward to this weekend. It's been a long week at work and lots to do at home with little respite. I slept until 9 am this morning and it was soooo wonderful. Mango got Michael up at 6:30 for a early morning feeding (he's so spoiled) and of course Michael obliged. When he came back to bed, he gently shook me and said, "jen, it's 6:30, do you want to hit some yard sales?" To which I answered by turning over in bed and putting the pillow over my head. That answered that and we both slept late.

Otherwise the day has been full and good. Leisurely steamy hot shower, brunch of leftover Chinese takeout, errands here and there, grocery shopping and then a mocha from Starbucks. Not a bad day at all. It's 11:30 and Michael has just popped corn and transported the bowls and icy cold diet cokes into the bedroom to settle in with a movie (Nights in Rodanthe, which I'm not at all sure about because I usually don't care for romances, other than Richard Gere). The critters have already settled in around him, I see from my perch at my desk. Lucy is missing more popcorn than she is catching and then searching around for the missed kernels. Mango is licking a big piece because he loves butter. What spoiled little animals we have but what would life be without them? They make us laugh every day.

It feels great, the absence of frustration from internet deprivation. Hopefully I can get more down to business with Etsy and magazine submissions. I'm getting into sewing, too, and that has been a big source of pleasure for me lately. Can we say art quilt magazine submissions? I see them on the horizon...

finally, a little home computing

It is very late and it's been a very long day and I have to get up again in about five hours to go back to work again but finally, finally, we have DSL at home. I am sitting at my desk typing away, feeling little pain because my laptop has a real live internet signal instead of a big egg for the first time in ages. How wonderful to have it back.

I'm happy to show another cutout that will be on etsy soon as I have time to put it on there, probably this weekend. This one is french script, about two inches long, with a very beautiful faceted smoky quartz barrel.

Sleepy time now.

Cutouts

Files deleted, files moved, files lost, finally I have enough memory on the laptop to upload a few of these to Etsy. These three are now available on my site http://jenniferstumpf.etsy.com. Above, etched cutout copper with double sided Italian script, Peruvian blue opal drop with sterling wrap.

Lovely etched Asian Crane with stunning faceted citrine drop. These are really, really beautiful stones, AAA quality. They toss out rainbows like crazy in the light.

My favorite one, etched Asian Crane with cutout, faceted blue labradorite that I got from AD Adornments at their show in Vienna, Virginia last year. Some of the prettiest labradorite I have ever seen, more blue than gray by far.

My coffee is long depleted, muffin down the hatch and my poor husband and dog have been waiting in the car for me all this time while I've been formatting and writing and uploaded whilst perched in Whole Foods wonderful wireless cafe area. It's the best free wireless signal in town.

Great for wireless, not great on the pocketbook, so our next stop is Walmart for groceries. Until the economy went south, I rarely set foot in a Walmart and sneered at much of everything about them. Too good for me! ha! No more. Now we rarely buy our groceries anywhere else and I am thankful for the cheap prices, marvel at how many bags we can haul out of there for 1/3 or more less than anywhere else. Sorry for whatever else is still going on there, but when money dries up, the thinking process changes radically and fast.

More of these pendants will be popping up on etsy soon as our DSL box arrives, scheduled for June 10 delivery from FedEx. Let's hope they're right and I can get back into business.

Cooperation

These are my babies. I've been working on this new line of cutout etchings with gemstones for a little while. These and more are at the Bello Modo booth 957 at the Bead & Button show in Milwaukee this weekend. Some of the gemstones are pink amethyst, faceted citrine, smoky quartz drops, peruvian blue opal, gorgeous labradorite and then some.

These are also next in line to be in my etsy shop but my !@#@#$@#@$%##@!^&%%&#!!! computer (and more swear words) is not coorperating to get them from Iphoto to a modified form for upload. Soon as we can transfer more photos to the external hard drive and delete still more, maybe it will work properly. Don't ask me why they will upload onto blogger but not to my other file. *sigh*

Compounding the problem is where I am sitting at this very moment. No, it is not comfortably at home with our new DSL. This is because we do not HAVE our new DSL yet. We do have a land line but apparently it takes the signature of God Himself to get DSL delivered too. So, I am currently sitting at Panera Bread, grateful for their free WiFi but the signal is so bad that I could very easily take a deep restful dream filled nap inbetween page uploads. *sigh*.

ONE more day til the weekend. Hope to get these in Etsy then. Wish me luck. Apparently I need it.