Hot and Dry...in July!

Yes, I rhyme sometimes :) What is it about blog post titles that always hold up my blogging process? I wrack my brain trying to come up with just the perfect zinger that will pull you in...I'm assuming it is that way for all you bloggy friends out there as well?

Anywhoo...been working this week on a few custom orders - gotta love 'em...or do you?  I have mixed emotions.  The last few I have gotten have been stellar.  They gave me artistic license, even though what they were asking for was pretty straight ahead.  But whenever I have custom orders looming, I always, every time, without fail, think of at least 5 other projects I could be or would like to be working on.  But, I buckle down and do my required work.  Then after the custom orders are done, paid for, shipped, in the past, ..well, where is that pressing surge of creativity then?  Meh!

I have found my solution is to break away from the mundane (not to say my cherished customers who custom-order from me are mundane), but mix the required with the "want to" stuff.  Wow...that was profound.  I have to remember I said this! :)

Well, here's a bit of show and tell of works in progress...

I made this flower a while back and it has been sitting on my work bench, all forlorn.  I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it, but I haven't gotten it to pull together for me.  I have added carved coral flowers, a fused and textured fine-silver ring, and a textured clasp.  I have had this wonderful silk cording from JamnGlass for ages and have been trying to incorporate it in some way, but I wanted to use all handmade findings, so was hoping to wrap the ends, but it is really hard to keep the frayed ones from showing.  Any ideas?
This next piece is for me and me alone!

I stamped and dapped these disks about a year or so ago...right after I took the plunge to try and do some new things. Then I put them aside, and moved on to other ideas, never actually incorporating them in anything.  This past week though, after getting some inspiration from lots of places, I decided I wanted a cool "family" piece that displayed my luv for my 2 honeys. So, I started this mixed metal chain and fused a big fine-silver ring and textured it.  I will be embellishing,oxidizing, polishing, etc, as soon as I figure out what else I want to add.  Maybe some birthstone colors, maybe some enameled beads, maybe I will keep it all silver and copper...not quite sure!  I do know that I want to make so more of this cool chain...I am optimistic that is will look much better oxidized and tumbled!

Stay tuned and stay cool!