I CAN TALK WITH ALIENS.........

Gigantic sigh, you know of course that I'm joking....or do you.....who is that guy in the next room at the computer. He doesn't read my blog, so I can poke fun at him here.  I've been gone so long, it's hard to know where to start. It always seems like starting at the beginning is the thing to do, but the beginning was so long ago, do I really remember it all? After all, no one but me knows the difference between the beginning and the middle, so here goes.

I've been taking silversmithing classes, and it has been a real challenge for me, but also lots of fun. I don't always like what I make, but it is about the process, not the end result, about the learning, not the loving everything I do. (and I don't!)

I was signed up for a class called Trapped Faceted Stone Fusion. I sign up for classes to learn techniques instead of wanting to make "that thing" and I drew a design of what I wanted to do. Something simple and a bit asymmetrical. For some reason, after the initial demo, I chose to do something entirely different......what was I thinking???? ^*%^%&..... I dunno!

As I was finishing it, it looked like one of those si-fi communicators and it made me laugh, so here it is for you to see, and please, touch your screen on the picture and see if they talk to you.....I'll never tell if they talked to me! ;-0)

For inquiring minds, the next photo is of the original sketch that I thought I'd do.

I have to wonder why I bother sketching when I go in and do something completely different. I think the trapped faceted stones are cool and making a pair of earrings using the technique could be really nice. If I ever get around to it, I promise to share. And I promise to try to blog more frequently, without making anyone crazy, except myself.

Should-a, Could-a, Would-a!

There are so many should-a, could-a, would-a's in life, that you can drive your self crazy thinking about those, for instance, I should-a posted a weekend eye candy, I could-a done it if I were more organized, and I would-a done it, but if I did, something else that needed doing would have fallen by the way side.

So I'm taking the easy way out today because I have to finish getting ready for the Rose Bowl craft show tomorrow. I recently had 2 professional photos taken of my work. They were taken by Marsha Thomas a friend and member of the PMC Guild. I'm so happy with the pictures that I had to share them with you. The first one is a water etched pendant made from PMC Standard. It is an eraser carved image that I did "a number" of years ago.

The next one is a new piece Made from Robert Dancik's Faux Bone. You can also see it in his FB Gallery along with some other really cool jewelry pieces. Just click on his name and you'll go there.

I've officially run out of time! Off to do things I SHOULD BE DOING! Hope you like the photos.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I've been so busy getting ready for 2 craft shows. I haven't really done one in about 38 or 39 years! I used to do regular shows to sell my pottery way back in the seventies in my days of being a hippie!!

I had to get together a display without spending too much moola. So I used some elements I already had, and got some things at Cost Plus, and Viola! Below is a picture of most of it. It is not fully loaded with jewelry, but will be before November 8, which is the first show. For all you So. Cal. dwellers, if you are looking for something to do that Sunday, come out to the Rose Bowl and say "hi". It will have a green cloth on the table under all the elements you see here.

Next is a little close up of some fold formed scarf pins that will be for sale. I just love hammering. Hope to do some more fold forming next year. I think they look cute in the little basket!

The next photo is of some of the earrings. My friend Paige of Hammer, Stitch, Burn engineered these cute little earring card holders. I love them because they are stand alone, so you can put the earrings any where you want them on the table. I also have some on a picture frame (no photo, sorry) fitted with elastic. You can sort of see it on the far right of the first photo. It looks better with all nine spaces filled, but again, load it up and put it where you want it. Thank you Paige!

If you don't make it out to the Rose Bowl, I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the display. All comments are really appreciated, so feel free to put in your 2¢ any time.

This is a busy season so I'm not sure if Paige and Christine have posted this weekend, but Lora is a loyal blogger, so go see hers, and peek to see if the other ladies had extra time to post.

Weekend Eye Candy, Flying Things Scare Me

Recently, my friend Paige posted on her blog about the scary beasts called birds. We share this fear. Seems silly, I know, but it comes from a childhood encounter with a bird (for me 3 separate encounters) that were not positive, and were very scary.

I have had encounters with other flying things and jumping things that have solidified my resolve that all things that have the potential of flying around my head or jumping at me are to be avoided at all costs. These include among other things, frogs, grasshoppers, and the dreadful Dragonfly! I had a very scary encounter with a dragonfly when I was a kid. It paralyzed me with fear.

For quite some time, dragon flies have shown up in the craft/art arena. I guess as long as they aren't real, a rubber stamp, a metal clay version, a painting or photo all show the part of them that is actually beautiful.......but excuse me, I just can't get past those EYE BALLS!

So they might inspire you with their pretty colors, or just the shape of them. I'm really trying hard to get on board with the images. So I hope you find something inspiring about them. They seem to have the same posture as little old people, don't they?

You can go to my Flickr Page to see who took all of these *scary* photos.

Check out Lora, Paige and Christine's blogs to see what they are up to.

Did You Know?

Last Tuesday I took a class called Fold Forming and Embossing from Carl Stanley at Farrin O'Connor Design Studios in Pasadena, CA

It's a great jewelry studio, and Carl is a wonderful teacher. One little trick (among the many)I learned from him in that class is: *Did you know*, that you can turn your flexible shaft machine into a little mini lathe?

That is how the little wooden pin cap was made!

The photo at left is the finished pin, center is a close up of the fold formed and embossed top, and right is the little pin cap that was a wooden dowel, "turned" on my flex shaft *lathe*.

Great fun, hope you like it!

Weekend Eye Candy, My Earrings!

I'm still dealing with little Miss Lilly and her surgery, so the easiest eye candy to post was my own recently finished earrings. They are Copper Clay, Silver Clay (PMC), some beads and bits of sterling wire where needed. I hope you like them!

These and other photos can be seen on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelleross/

I know Paige is at a huge craft fair in S. Dakota, so I doubt she'll have time to post, but ya never know, so check out her blog as well as Lora's and Christine's to see some yummy "Eye Candy"

Faux Bone

Hi everyone, or all 3 of you!!! (just a little joke so I don't loose my sanity),

Check out Robert Dancik's Faux Bone Inspiration Gallery at:

http://fauxboneinspirationgallery.wordpress.com/inspiration-from-michelle-ross/

My Faux Bone scarf pin is up there. I'm loving that stuff!

Back to doggy insanity world and hope to be posting soon.