Random Things About Me

Pearl over at The Beading Gems Journal tagged me with the Random Things About You post.

1. I build computers in my spare time. - It's like building a puzzle you can plug in and use when your done. You can also control the quality of parts, which is important depending on what you plan to do with your computer.
   
2. I have only found 2 creative activities that I didn't like, or really don't seem to agree with me... cooking and making bobbin lace. Why?? I'm not sure, I would think lack of patience... yet I can work with seed beads for hours at a time.
3. I love to learn foreign languages. Right now, I'm working on Esperanto, Spanish, French, and German, and a tiny bit of Korean and American Sign.
4. My favorite time to create is 3am. It's absolutely quiet, and I have a small work light at my desk. At night the rest of the house is black and nothing can be seen except for my work table.
5. If I only have a few spare moments, I like to play at www.freerice.com. You can build your vocabulary and donate rice 40 grains at a time.
   
6. I secretly adore zoomorphic and anthropomorphic food... but will tell you otherwise. (Some examples here.)
   

Leather, Aluminum, and Fractals -- Oh My!

This piece is totally different from every other piece I've ever made.

I love the different textures: soft, supple leather/suede, glass-like resin, fiery fractal photo with bubbly accents, sleek, shiny aluminum-- this bracelet has it all. It was an exercise in concept and technique and just pure fun.

My new favorite buttons! for the browser!!

I'm in the process of putting together a jewelry making fantasy wishlist, for a possible grant or business loan. It's not all fun and games, there is lots of research and paperwork involved. Who knew a wishlist could be so stressful! I have quite a pile of dusty yellow sticky notes with scribbled web addresses and prices, and just about screamed in delight when I found out that there is a great website that can keep track of all your wants for you!!

Kaboodle.com is an awesome wishlist keeper! You can separate them by category, there is a downloadable tool bar and browser buttons that help you add items with just a little more than a single click! I'm glad to have a single place to visit, instead of my old system of bookmarking the individual pages. I can't wait to clean out all those old bookmarks and get rid of those Post-Its!

Use kaboodle with StumbleUpon and you might not ever leave your computer.

Raindrops

Finally, after 2 months of no jewelry making, I'm able to sit up and sit still long enough to wield my trusty pliers! Whilst on the floor for a month prior to my surgery, I had quite a bit of time to hand saw a sizable pile of jump rings.

This necklace is made up of 8mm jumprings with amethyst colored teardrop beads in: glossy, matte, and iridized finishes. If the shiny blue is a little too flashy, the necklace can be worn with the blue side towards the wearer - the coating is only on 1 side, and makes those purple drops really pop without being too overstated. The remainder of the chain is comprised of 4mm jump rings.