Around here, lately

First of all, let me just say, my husband is an Animal Rescuer.  If you have a small child in your house, feel free to sing that in the style of Go Diego Go.  Because that's how we say it around here.

(I apologize for that now being stuck in your head all day)

This tiny tree frog was hanging out at the playground, as you see here, on the rim of the garbage can. Pretty much as soon as we said "I sure hope he doesn't jump inside it" the little bastard did.

But don't fear!  Handsome Husband swooped in and literally scooped that tiny tree frog out of the garbage can.    He (she? How can you tell with frogs?) was released into the garden right behind where this picture was taken, right next to a little babbling brook.  Where he (she?) hopefully lived out a full froggy life. 

The ungrateful bugger never writes or calls.  No thoughtful Thank You card in the mail.

Typical.


And THIS THING, good gracious, was consumed almost ENTIRELY by me, covertly, straight from the freezer.  I thank Gwyneth Paltrow for this thing.

Good...  So good...
(made from this cookbook here)

The only thing I changed from the recipe was straight up plunking those chocolate chips into it, instead of melting them into an even top layer.


Sonny went to his first NBA basketball game.
This is a big deal you guys.  Geoff is a Fan.  Of the game itself and also of the Toronto Raptors, who played the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game here earlier in the month.

I took this picture pretty early after getting to the stadium, the whole place was PACKED when the game started.

And this kid, was so good.  For a kid who can barely sit still long enough to brush his teeth, or put on a single sock this is saying something.

He and I had to get up and walk around a couple times, but overall he was there and he seemed to have a good time.

Thank you protective headphones, you are a lifesaver!

And, last but not least, this Turkey.
Who as of this week, is 6 months old, is full on crawling, is pulling herself up to stand around the furniture and yesterday cut her first tooth.

Plus give me a break with those gorgeous chunky thighs.
I want to eat her.

Wait, what is this?? I am ALONE???

 Well, I'm not really sure what to do with myself at the moment.  The Sparrow is napping, Sonny is at preschool (PRESCHOOL!!) and the giant pile of laundry I was going to tackle this morning is in the same room where the Miss is asleep.

So obviously I CAN'T do that.

So hey internet!

Here's a little recap of the last few weeks...

I make school lunches now.  Because my sweet wee baby is IN PRESCHOOL.  And loving it.  Having 15 other kids his very same age around is EXACTLY what that Turkey needed.

We live on campus at UBC, which is pretty kick ass if you don't mind me saying so.  I'm crossing my fingers that I will make a couple friends... some of the moms and dads at preschool seem cool and nice.  But I am not going to be a weirdo and force the issue.  I will be cool.

JUST BE COOL.
ahem.

Back to living on campus...
We haven't done a major exploration yet, just a few nice long walks here and there before classes started, but there is some very seriously cool things nearby.

Like THIS!

 The Biodiversity museum is home to this amazing Blue Whale skeleton (I'm pretty sure its a Blue Whale, I could look it up and confirm but I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE before the Sparrow wakes up from her nap and hell no I am not going to Check my Blog for Inaccuracies.  That's ridiculous)

We are going to go back THERE soon, for sure.

There are sprawling avenues like this all over the place...

 (hey cute husband!)

 This castle is the Chemistry Building.
Please Chemistry, give me a break.

And there is a plaza with ten or so of these weirdos.  Lounge Poofs for Lounging.
Sonny was impressed.

 Pretty flowers.

And this view, from the Rose Garden.

Yeah, UBC has it's own fancy shmancy Rose garden.

With those mountains.

*sigh*

(the sound of crickets)

So once upon a time I wrote this blog.

And then we had another baby.

This lovely little Sparrow.

 Who is completely ADORED by all of us.  Especially her big brother.  Who is The Best.  Holy shit, the BEST big brother there is.  Sometimes a little too rough and tumble, sometimes a little frustrated with how small she is, how much she needs us and how often we say "STOP DOING THAT TO HER!"

"NOT HER HEAD!"

 "DON'T YANK ON HER ARM LIKE THAT!"

 But those moments are interspersed with moments like this...

 Every morning he climbs into bed with us and has to day good morning to her, his favorite lately is
"Nice to MEET you Hazuu! Nice to MEET you HAY ZUUU"

It's absurdly cute.

And moments like this...

 And this...

 I was told while I was pregnant that having two is Exponentially more work.  That it's really hard and that I can kiss my free time goodbye.  Which has been more or less the case.  Except for the Exponentially part.  She has been a DREAM baby. (up until last week, an unbelievable, super chill little dream baby.  Now she is teething and on the verge of crawling and FLIPPING MAD about it)  Yes there have been times when I have literally pulled my hair out in frustration.  Days when Sonny has needed more from me than I could give him and the guilt that made it that much worse. 

Days when there has been no time for me AT ALL, no time for Geoff, no time for anything other than taking care of these two perfect humans THAT WE MADE.

But they are both so wonderful and funny and I could not imagine life without them.

And I am so aware of how lucky we are.



Oh yeah, and we moved to a new city.
So now we are doing it without family around.

So, in light of this, Janamade is taking a hiatus.

While we are back in Vancouver (Yep, we're back!) my kit is in storage and I will not be making jewellery.  At least, not a lot.  We might be able to swing trips back to the island where I get time to work on the odd commission.  But it will be few and far between.

It's hard to think about not working or making right now, but it's also TOTALLY INSANE around here.  So I am not going to take on any extra stress at this point.


And in light of the shift away from work and back towards family life, this little space here will be changing as well.

Don't worry, it won't all be pictures of my kids.  There will be some Mom, but I am not super comfortable spreading their faces on the internet, so they will be sparse.

So I don't know what will happen to this space actually.

I am hoping to start drawing again.  That has been on my mind a lot.  But until I can get this little Sparrow of mine to sleep ON HER OWN, ever, that is still on the back burner.

So follow along if you wish, if I haven't lost you already.

And now I have to go get her out from under the armchair.  I kid you not.  She's already giving us a run for our money. 

OOAK Family Ring... maybe it's a Lichen ring? Coral?

I can't remember if I posted this ring already or not, please forgive me, but my brain is not working like it usually does.

But I came across it in my inventory stash this morning and thought "I SHOULD POST THIS!"

Entirely made by hand, two layers of hand pierced silver with a Chalcedony cabochon and a facetet Peridot set in GOLD.  There are a couple gold beads in there for interest too.

I like me some gold bead details.

This is a custom order piece,  made with your family's birthstones if you wish, or just your favorite stone.

This is also something that will start happening in the Summer, AFTER baby.

I'm not taking any commission work right now, just because we are IN THE ZONE and I don't want to commit to work that I can't finish in case Chickpea comes early.

But it's something to think about if you have a special date in the late Summer or Fall!

The Chop and The Bump

 So I finally did it.  After MONTHS of thinking about it and dreading the scarf and jacket season (does your hair turn into a nest for birds or rats at the back of your head when you wear a scarf?  Because mine sure as hell does)
I chopped off my hair.  At least 8 inches I think.
It was rolling around the middle of my back and it was great, for years I kept it long.  But it was time.

Every ten years or so I chop it off short, and it had been at least 13 this time around.

I realize that chopping off a lot of my hair while PREGNANT is a questionable decision.
I went into it recognizing that I might cry like a teenager for weeks afterwards.

But you know what?
Nothing!

Not a single tear!

Not once have I looked in the mirror and gone "WHAAAT HAVE I DONE??"

Some days it's a little goofy.  I will happily admit that.
Like in this first picture.

Also why do I always have to make that face??

But all in all, it's great. 
Plus, I am still basically doing what I did before, which is blast dry my bangs and then let the rest fend for itself.

When I first did it (it's been about a month I think now) I actually used a CURLING IRON on the top sections, because they are juuust short enough that the curl is gone.

But that's INSANE.
I'm going to have another BABY in 2 months.

I can't go around CURLING MY HAIR everyday.
I'm lucky if I remember to brush my teeth in the mornings.  NOW.

Plus I went out and bought myself some dry shampoo (WHY is that stuff so smelly??  Does anyone make a non/mildly scented version of that stuff??) and some "molding paste" or some other crazy product (equally smelly) to rub into it on non wash days, because let's be real here.

TWO KIDS.

But I likes it and I'm super glad I did it.
The lovely gals at Shampoo Hair Bar treat me right, if you are in the area and want a great cut.

Also, side note, LOOK AT MY BELLY! I'm at 30 weeks in this picture.

I have literally only taken THREE pictures of my pregnant self. All of them terrible.
But if you really want to see, I am growing nearly EXACTLY like I did last time, only Chickpea is riding lower.  Whatever THAT means.

Plus I'm bitchier about it this time.

The Fox is this weekend!

My lovely friends Jen and Joanne organize the incredible Fox Fair every February.
This is the 4th year now and it's one of my absolute favorite markets.

The vendors are great, the music is fun and the energy the whole time is just so wonderful.
I always get a little silly at markets, and I am guessing that since this will be my last face to face market before baby arrives, that I will be sillier than ever.

I will not be packing chocolate covered almonds this year... our usual Power Pellet staple snack, because Terrible Truffles is a vendor this year! 

They make a cassis truffle in white chocolate that is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE and I will be budgeting extra cash to eat a lot of them this weekend.

A lot.

I am bringing some new bangles to this market, I ordered some new stamps that I am really excited about, a Bee, an Arrow, and a new Crescent Moon.

Oh they are so sweet!

I've made some new recycled charms with the new shapes, along with some more birds, and these new bangles!

I'm not sure what to call them yet, it's just in time for Valentine's so they could be Cupid's Bangles, or Flight of Arrows??

Not sure what their name is yet, but they are pretty darn cute.
I'll be bringing 10 finished ones with me, as well as more Birdie Bangles.

And new Leather Feather earrings!
I've updated the shape and there are some new printed colours in there and I am working hard to not keep them all for myself.

 Which is ridiculous because there are something like 30 new pairs.

And I've got the new Bronze Cocktail rings on my bench getting cleaned up over the next couple of nights as well.
I only have 8 of them, but they are pretty nice.  If I do say so myself.

 

(these shots aren't the greatest, I have only been using my iphone to get pictures at night while I am working... but I am charging the battery for the real camera AS WE SPEAK, so to speak)

And I will also be bringing a few sample pieces that have been hanging out in the studio, just waiting for the light of day to grace themselves...

Like this one...

Metallic Leather Torc style thing?

Yes please!

I think I might sell these ones extra reasonably, sample style, because I am not sure about the design totally.  

Come on down to the Fox this weekend and check out all this great new stuff!

It's my last market for a while, and I would love to see your lovely faces there.

I'll direct you to the Truffle booth, don't you worry my dears!

Family Headcolds

We are coming up to day 4 of Head Cold 2014 around here.

It's been mostly Sonny really.  Geoff and I are just getting it now. 
But whoa, for a kid who is usually pretty mellow, we've had some pretty amazing meltdowns in the last few days.

So he's watching ANOTHER episode of Dora the Explorer (why does she always have to yell??)
while I putter around the house and try to stay on top of things.

I have NO idea of what we will eat for dinner.

So I know what I will be doing for the next little while I guess.

Figure THAT out, is the answer.  In case you weren't sure.

please bear with me... pregnancy brain (aka The Stupids) plus headcold = s l o o w   J a n a.

(I love this picture of us from this summer.  That HAIR!  Oh those curls were so out of control!
Taken by the always lovely Stephanie Rae)

Sketchbook

A little peek into what Spring is shaping up like.

Long chains with Barnacle pendants!
New Leather Feather Earrings!
Chain style Charm Bracelets!

Plus some returning favorites... Recycled pendants and charms, Barnacle Earrings (in copper AND in silver!)  all of the Birdie series are still in action (bangles, charms, pendants and maybe some earrings?  We will see.

I'm working on a big order for a new account right now, and then I am going to jump right into commissions and inventory for The Fox Fair! 

The Fox will be my last market before baby, but I am working hard to maintain accounts until the very end, and then I am even hoping to come back after a shorter maternity leave this time!

Fingers crossed this baby is into it.

Ceramics!

I started taking a ceramics class in the fall with my lovely friend Paige (who is the genius behind Blackbird Studio and The Congress Collective) and I had kind of forgotten how much I LOVE it.

We did ceramics for two years during my Foundation Arts program back in *gasp* 1999 (!!) and I really liked it, but it wasn't the Passion.  So once I was finished that program I didn't take another class, even though I really like it.

So when Paige offered open studio classes at her studio I jumped at the chance to get back into it.

These are all the pieces that I made in the Fall, all of them Christmas gifts.

Actually, if I am totally honest, Sonny claimed one as his, so I am thinking of making three more and making him  set of little tumblers!

THE CUTENESS!!

I am really looking forward to getting back in the studio over at blackbird and making more!
I love how the cloud shapes came out in the glaze and I want to explore that a bit more.

Kids in suits

The only time he will wear this Bear Suit is when we go out.

Obviously.

In no way a productive post, I'm just thinking out loud and sharing with THE INTERNET

My Stellar ring is one of my absolute favorites.  It's so simple, but still has some whimsy and it just feels right on my hand.

When Geoff proposed to me, I had a really hard time deciding on which of two designs I wanted.

Did I want to make myself a stellar ring in gold with 2 little diamonds and just have the one ring.
Or did I want to have an engagement ring and a band that I would wear as a set?

I decided that I wanted us to both have bands.  And my Mom offered me her original diamond when we told her we were getting married.  (and it's just slightly too big for the Stellar design - OH THE HARDSHIPS!)


So I made my sweet little ring and a gold band to match Geoff's.

I have since altered BOTH of those rings for various reasons.

Ridiculous I know, trust me!  But I had good reasons both times!
First that Geoff gave me my Chrysoprase ring by KyleAnne Metals, which I still wear every single day.  And I wore it with my wedding band, so I sized my engagement ring down to wear on my right hand.

Then about a year later I switched the chrysoprase over to my right hand and my engagement ring spent some time in my jewellery drawer.  Because it was too small for my left hand now.

So it got sized up again and is back in rotation.

I feel weirdly MORE married when I am wearing it.  Even though I wear my wedding band every day.

And my wedding band also has had a transformation.
I originally made a simple flat band in gold to match the silver one that Geoff wore.

Now it is forged down narrower and I added a layer of white gold on top so that it looks similar in colour to Geoff's, and has a shiny gold center!

I really love it.  (I loved it before, but I really wanted them to match.  More)

But my stellar ring!  I keep coming back to it.
I wear it with my wedding band and it looks great stacked with the simplicity of the narrower band.

So I have decided that I will make myself a Family ring, with little set stones for each of us.  Set in gold.  In the Stellar style.

I am very excited about this.

I told you.  In no way a productive post!