bangles!

I had a request for Bangles for a birthday gift, this is what I sent.





Response was good. She liked them very much.
I think what she said was, "they almost gave me a nosebleed, in the best possible way"

I do what I can.

delightful blogs

I received word today that my application to Delightful Blogs was accepted!
It's a great spot to check out new blogs and I am pretty excited to be in there.
You can check it out here
I'm listed under "DIY & Crafting"
There wasn't a jewellery heading, and I blog way more about the random stuff I get up to anyway!
Please take a peek!

I Love Fall!

Yesterday we took advantage of the AMAZING weather and took Norman to Trout Lake.
It was gorgeous all day.

Oh bags.

I am having a bit of a moment over these two bags available at Urban Outfitters right now.
I made a bag this summer that is pretty good. But I realized after I made it that I really need something with a bit more structure.
And I have been eyeing up ladies on the street and on the bus and checking out their bags.
And I am definitely leaning towards leather, and pockets.
Lots of pockets.

These two caught my eye this morning on a quick browse!

(this one is available in multiple colours too!)


Lots of pockets!
They are a little pricier than I can afford, but they are really nice.

A girl can dream!

Out of Hand

I received our Out of Hand package this morning, got our booth number (28) and our flyers to hand out.
Very exciting!
I've been thinking about new designs, as you know, and this morning I ordered some new packaging and displays.
They should arrive on Friday if all goes well.
So all in all I am looking forward to this years fair.
I think that we worked out some kinks in our display style last year, and we both have a better idea of what people are looking for, so I am feeling good.
Way less stressed out than last year.

Which is great. Really great.

In unrelated news, I was a bad jeweller this weekend.
I worked on a few things, but I had ordered some books in to the library.
and they ALL ARRIVED AT ONCE.

I read so much yesterday that I had to go to bed early with a headache!

It was so worth it though!
I read this one on Friday


and half of this one Saturday and yesterday


I've got another one that I am not even going to LOOK at until I've got some more inventory under my belt, for real!
And a cookbook that I need to scan some recipes from because they are SOOO GOOD.
My future sister in law made us a couple recipes from this book while we were on the island for Thanksgiving and they were both AMAZING.
So I now must try them at home.

I love new recipes!

How cute are THESE??

I can't decide which one I like more!
You can find them here and here

I love lazy mornings!

We don't see too many of them around here, at least we sure haven't for a while.
But today I am being very lazy!
I didn't roll out of bed until 9am!!
And I've been poking around on my blog list checking out all the new posts.
I actually have a bookmark folder on my toolbar that I just scroll through whenever I get the chance.

Love it!

And I am working in the afternoon today at the clinic, and I know I should be working on something in the studio, but it just feels so nice to take a bit of a breather.

(I have discovered the italics feature and I might overuse it for a while! Prepare yourselves!)

I've got a big list of Things To Do that I will get to later.
Right now, my tea is still hot and I took some pictures of the studio and of the changes we made to the apartment that I promised to share with my Mom.
So here they are!

This board is supposed to be an inspiration board, but it always ends up covered in EVERYTHING that I find here and there and is mostly about haircuts right now.
Also stuck on there at the moment is a painting I did of Crow Boy. He's got button eyes and is so sweet! I am thinking of doing a series for etsy. We'll see how time goes for that one, but I really like the idea of being able to work on more than just jewellery.


This is the corner of the studio where the Magic happens! It's constantly evolving and that corkboard/whiteboard combo is a new thrift store addition. I have since painted the cork side white and I've got works in progress hanging on it so they are always in my face. I have even been more productive already because of it.
Not too shabby!


When we were home on the island for Thanksgiving last week my mom had picked up these spice containers for me, and they are all in action now (save 3, but it won't take long to fill them up with something!)
Yes, there are a lot.
The ones on the right hand side are full of loose tea.
The rest are spices.


And the last shot I'll leave you with is the new entryway. It's still a little messy -there is a chair that is currently living there that doesn't really have a home, but as soon as I gt myself to Ikea I am going to pick up a couple of folding chairs that we can hang behind the coats for the fold out kitchen table that my boss gave me.(I'll post pictures of that guy later!)
But even though it looks willy nilly now, it's so much more space than we were dealing with before!
Which is rad.

New necklace!

It's taken me a bit longer than I had hoped to get back into the studio, but I am back in action and working on some new designs.
I've got a pair of sample earrings that are almost done (I'll post pictures when they are totally finito) and this morning I finished up this new necklace.
Pretty cute I think.


All sterling silver with some 14k yellow gold beads thrown in for fun!
I want to do a couple different versions to work out the kinks, but I like the way it's started.
There are a couple of other ideas floating around in the old brain at the moment, and I am thinking of some fun new ideas for Out of Hand as well.
(please note, I've added the Out of Hand link to the left, please check it out!)
Now I must brush my teeth and get the heck to work!

I love my tumbler.

For those of you who don't make jewellery at home, (or at all I guess) a tumbler is AMAZING.
It will take a piece of jewellery (or stone or metal) and will burnish the CRAP out of it so that when you pull it out, it's the shiniest, smoothest, SHINIEST thing you've ever seen.

I've got a mini one that I use in the studio here and I LOOOOVE it.
I've got some stuff in there right now actually. I'll pull those pieces out in about 5 minutes and wash them off and OOOH and AAAH for at least 50 seconds.

Then I'll put whatever it is in there (right now it's necklace components, but I will do this any time I take anything out of there) and put it on and silently hope for people on the street to stop me and ask "Where DID you get that fabulous thing??"

It's only happened a couple of times, but let me tell you.
AWESOME.

Also awesome? Check out the coolest 4 year old I know wearing a certain something.
(I nicked the photos' from Dee's blog, but I am sure she doesn't mind!)


I know you can't really see if she's wearing it in the second picture, but I just love that Sass!

Back to work!

getting back to business

Things have been on a bit of hiatus here at Janamade.
The staff crunch at work took much longer than I expected.
But I have hired and am almost finished training the new staff (who are awesome) so I can FINALLY start getting back to my own work.

Which is VERY exciting.

I've got some fresh ideas for Out Of Hand, which is coming up very soon (!) and I am hoping to update and refresh this here blog too.
Possibly this weekend, but I really want to make again. So I might save the blog updates for next week.

On today's agenda: earrings and a new necklace design I need to sample before I get too excited.

And next week I am ordering some display finally.
It was a gift from last Christmas, that I haven't been able to afford to order until now. But it's coming! Oh yes, it's coming.
Professional style jewellery display! Like a bust and really sharp rings stands.
Very cool.

And yesterday I picked up this guy to recharge my production!


And some evidence that I did indeed clean up my bench!


And I am going to leave this post with the last pictures we got of sunny fall weather. We took Norman to the dog park two weekends ago, and it was LOVELY!

Holiday weekends

We're heading over to the island for a double turkey bonanza. It's only been the last couple of years that I have been back on the meat train, and turkey dinner was definitely one of the things that I missed.
And bacon.
What?

Shhh. Bacon.

Who said that?

Said what?

I am not sure anymore.

Uh, anyway heading over to the island, and really looking forward to sleeping in. I've been covering morning shifts and the clinic and training our awesome new gal. So I am REALLY looking forward to NO ALARMS for the next three days.

I hope that you are all having a great long weekend!
xox

I had to bookmark this

This blog is pretty awesome.
They show the outfits in LAYERS people!

I don't know if you know this about me, but I am a HUGE FAN of layering.
It is not unusual to count at least 5 layers on me at any time.
Check it out.





Those Jeans with that Sweater and that Coat??
I am LOSING my MIND on that outfit!

I would wear that EVERYDAY.

gettin back to business

So, my favorite kid is turning 4 next week, and I had a special request for a Rainbow Mermaid.

Here is what I am sending.


(I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this blog, being 4 and all, so I am not worried that she'll see it and ruin the surprise!)
It's so cute! Even if I do say so myself. And I couldn't help it, I had to add an E mini tag. They chime together so perfectly! Dee will always know where Em is when she wears this.

That's getting mailed off this afternoon, so it should arrive just in time!


In other non-birthday related news, it's officially Fall.
I actually worked through the equinox itself, but the weather and the trees are shouting it loud and clear.
I need to get busy and make some fall Cardigans now!
Like right now.

I've got plans for a waffle knit long cardi in heather gray.
And I just saw THIS ONE!

Oh my god so CUTE!
This is the trouble with the internet, too many cute things that I NEED.
Yarg.

On to more productive things shall we?
Indeed.

So my bench is a disaster. Filthy and disgusting.
Please see exhibit A.

Just LOOK at the drop tray! Full of so much filings and dust and C R A P.
My job for today it to clean that bench until I am no longer loathe to touch it. Because that's sort of how I am looking at it right now.
yuck.

I will post an After photo once it's all said and done.


Oh and speaking of Fall (I know, a bit of a round about there)
it was time to break out the teapot last night.

I found this Teapot at the thrift store in Qualicum Beach for something ridiculous like $6.
It holds something amazing like 18 cups of tea! (read 6, it just feels like 18 after you've drunk the whole pot in the evening and you are up until 2 peeing.)
Was that too much info? Well deal with it.

Off to clean the bench!