Maybe I Am a Fan of Vintage

I searched and searched for a thermometer to hang in my studio--got to keep an eye on temp in there! I've always been a fan of new and shiny things, but after spending more time than anyone should looking for the perfect thermometer I discovered this gem!

It's perfect! You may remember that Mr. LuckyGirl and I got married in a hot air balloon over Niagara Falls. I've got this lovely old thermometer hanging in my studio now, a reminder of that wonderful day every time I check on the temp. And I get to learn temps in Celcius--a Fahrenheit scale is there, but it's much smaller, so the Celcius temps are easier to read from a distance.

And I found it on Etsy! Is was at Fab Pad, a shop with a delightful collection of vintage treasures and terrific customer service. Go check it out!

New Tri-Color Braid Chains

I've been itching to get busy in my studio, but for the past few weeks the arthritis in my hand has been making it impossible. This week Mr. LuckyGirl had lapband surgery, so I've been a little busy as a one-armed nurse. Between the two of us I'm not sure that we equal a single able-bodied person right now, so life's a bit extra challenging. Mr. LuckyGirl is adjusting nicely, and I've got a thumb-joint replacement in the schedule, so things should be humming along here soon.

The good news is that I've been sorting through a huge shipment of sterling silver chains. I love this tri-color braid chain! It's sterling silver, with one strand left shiny silver, one plated in rose gold, and the third strand plated in yellow gold. It's a flat braid, about 5mm wide, and I have them in 16-, 18-, and 20-inch lengths. They look fabulous alone and with a large-bailed pendant, and coordinate beautifully with most other jewelry.

Weekend Gem and Jewelry Show

Mr. LuckyGirl and I drove to northern Virginia this past weekend to shop at a huge jewelry and gem show. There were hundreds of booths, thousands of shoppers, the prices were high, and surprisingly the majority of sellers were less than friendly. I learned a lot about how not to treat your customers, both in the wholesale and the retail sections of the show.

We came home with some blue topaz cabs, a few pretty pink tourmaline cabs, some things I've already forgotten, but my favorite find was the cabs in the photo. We met a couple who cut gemstones and they had an amazing collection of cabachons in their booth. They called these cabs Wedgwood agate. I've never seen stones quite like these before, and they're really lovely! Don't know what we'll do with everything yet, but it will be fun designing with them.

I Made a Smiley Face Plate

I had so much fun making this plate! I smiled the entire time I was working on it, and now that it's finished I can't help but smile every time I see it. It's about 4.5" square, with a gentle slope, the perfect thing for anyone who needs a bit of good cheer! Just listed this one in my etsy shop, and have more planned in a few weeks. I can't wait!

I'm Closing Lucky Girl Trading on eBay

I've been trying to work out a better system of juggling things, and closing my eBay store is one of the first things I've decided to do. I want to spend more time in my studio making stuff, not selling things that were made by someone else. The store will be open until next week, and in the meantime everything has a negotiable price. If you see something you like just send me a message and I'll give you the lowest price I can, so for the next few days you can shop and save big!

WASPS! AGAIN!

Last spring I told you about the crazy wasp who was building a nest inside the door to the gas cap on my car. I really thought that was the end of my wasp problem. Nope. Not a chance. I opened the driver's door, and there in the little space where the inside of door is hidden when the door is closed I found this:



Is a wasp-free car too much to ask? Is there something about my black Saturn that has turned it into a rolling home for wasps, sort of an insect's travel trailer? If you've had this problem I'd love to hear from you--maybe we can start a support group. Or a rescue service for homeless wasps.

Sometimes Things Work Out Better Than You Expect

I never thought about making fused glass crosses. I love playing with colors and patterns, but shapes don't fascinate me nearly as much. When my mom called and asked me to make a cross for my sister to give to one of her bakery employees I told her I'd give it a shot. I really didn't expect to end up with anything that anyone would want to wear, but I didn't tell her that.

My first challenge was designing a cross that wouldn't turn out lumpy and blobby. The easiest thing to do would be to layer one piece of glass on top of the other, but I knew that would come out of the kiln with an interesting shape. Not necessarily the shape of a cross, but interesting. I don't have a saw in my studio yet, so trying to cut a single piece of glass in a cross shape was out of the question.

This left me with no other option but to cut small pieces and fit them together, like a puzzle. Ahhh, the challenge of symmetry! Making two things exactly alike is not one of my strong points, and a lopsided cross can't even be called interesting. After making 6 or so (not very good) crosses I created the one in the photo, and both my mom and sister love it! It's pink from some angles, and shifts to green and yellow at other angles.

In fact they like this cross so much they've been showing it off all over town. My mom's always been my best sales rep, and last night she called with a list of custom cross pendant orders. Can I make one with the same pink-to-green glass? And a purple one? Do I have any blue? So I'm headed into my studio to cut and piece more crosses. If I can manage to create a few extra I'll list them in my Etsy shop. Feel free to follow my mom's lead and put in your color requests!