Getting there, getting there

Progress is slow here at the B studio.  Unfortunately, there is so much going on in our lives and in the house, that despite the unceasing efforts of the (world's best) Shop Monkey, I am still not completely settled into the new studio.  This last Saturday we moved (and when I say we, I mean he) the last of the stuff from the old studio and cleaned the place out.  It was a bit of a process.  I don't know how I accumulated SO MUCH CRAP.  Actually, I think I do know.   When I was first starting out with my business, I didn't really know what I would need.  So, I just tended to get anything that I might remotely have possibly ever used, even once.  That is how you end up with a whole lot of things that really don't serve any purpose (anymore).  But I don't see how I could have worked any other way.  I certainly couldn't have scaled up as quickly.  I'm a firm believer that you have to spend money to make money, and that you need to have the right tool for the job (even if you might not know what that job might be).  And if you are pressed for time, the shotgun approach is the best method (at least for me).  So, here I am, with a lot of stuff that I need to get rid of.  Which is also hard.  But not as hard as seeing a bright new studio space slowly getting overcrowded with junk (not junk really, just things I don't use).  DE-pressing.

To be perfectly honest, as much as I love what I do, I think I would prefer being an illustrator or something like that.  Something that doesn't require as many tools (it stresses me out to have to keep track of everything) or dust or dirt or grime.  Perhaps I love the end result of my work, just not the process.

 Yay!

 Ugh!

I don't always feel this way, I think I'm just a little down today.  The Shop Monkey is out of town for the week (super sad face) and I'm suffering a little bit from a light blueish funk.  My sleep hasn't been the best, and it is getting hard to eat without being uncomfortable (double squids!).  And work has been a bit overwhelming, which creates conflicting feelings for me since I am glad I have enough work, but at the same time feel a bit stressed.  But I would much rather be stressed that way, than be stressed about not making enough money.

Ah, Monday.

My new commute

hahahahahahahahahaha!  So happy!

Yes, those are my house shoes.  No, I don't intend on making a habit of arriving at work in my pj's. 

Photos of the new studio coming soon!  I'm not all the way moved yet, I was distracted by a visit from my delicious niecettes.  So adorable!  But now that I'm back on my own, with only the pugs for company during the day (and of course, the two tiny squids karate chopping away at my insides) I think the unpacking and arranging will go quickly.  I'm SUPER happy with how everything turned out with the remodel/construction, it's so clean and bright!  It makes me a bit sad to have to fill it with all of my dusty work stuff.  I feel like I should be making cupcakes, collages or quilts in here.  I'm dreading the creeping mess of an actual working studio.  I know I just need to institute a 20 minute clean up at the end of the day, which I am determined to do (no! really!).

The excitement is building!

For me, anyway!  I'm planning on moving into the new studio this Sunday.  (And by moving, I mean overseeing other people move things, since I am double preggo and not allowed to lift heavy things.  A nice perk that almost makes up for the sleepless nights.)

New things that I might add to the shop eventually.  I really like the lack of texture and the high polish.  Although, I will admit, that I don't really dig on the high polish whilst I'm in the middle of high polishing.  Tedious.

And now a few photos of the studio project!

The drywall was all finished Friday.  This is a view at the ceiling and the little storage area.  The Shop Monkey heroically attempted to prime it on Sunday in 100+ degree weather, but he had to throw in the towel after the first coat (mostly because we were also painting the kitchen at the same time....I still haven't recovered. But the kitchen looks great!).

And then today!

I know these photos aren't super exciting in themselves, but these are my new cabinets and butcher block counters, just waiting to be installed (after the painting and flooring is finished)!  I am so excited to finally have contiguous workspaces and real storage.  I've been working with a hodgepodge of mismatched craigslisted tables and some kluged together shelving for the last few years and it's getting really old.  I'm going to be so organized when this is all finished, I can't even wait.  And my bedroom door is only about 25 yards away, so I can lay down in between projects (which is becoming more and more necessary, unfortunately).

Updates! Updates!

First things first.  YAY!

Studio update:

Subfloor!  Just going to have laminate.  I really wanted colorful marmoleum, but I really needed to stay within my budget as well.

 This little semi-wall will keep the grossness of polishing in one spot.  That is the plan anyway.

That window on the left is new.  Different view of the half wall.

 Oooh! Oooh!  Oooh!  The drywall started going up this week.  The plan is to have it all dry walled this week and then the counters/cabinets/sink go in next week and then I move in!  Yay!

For the pug-deprived.  This is Dieter this morning, leaning against my leg as I ate breakfast.  Sweetness pug.

And this is my newest design.  I had been wanting to do something with more movement in it, and this is what I ended up with.  I have also been admiring the twig/branch rings that you see out there, but I didn't want mine to look so literal.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it has been done and I didn't feel like I need to make my own rendition.  The diamond is a natural cognac diamond, a bit hard to photograph properly.  It has this lovely deep brown sparkle, I love it.

Photography

I have zero training in photography (which might be apparent to some of you, haha).  But necessity breeds invention, so when I first started out I tried a bunch of different things just to get a good shot.  I also take many many many pictures of the same items(s) in order to get a few good ones.  

 

 

The two photos above are the same set.   I love the walnut wood grain in the above photo, but I am having trouble getting the new "back drop" to be as luminous as I would like. 

When I first started out, I was taking photos on my computer table (the two above photos), which is walnut as well, but it has a lacquer on it, which I prefer.  I just need to put a finish on the raw wood from the first photo, I don't know what has taken me so long! (Actually, I do.  I also have the white back drop, which makes things fairly easy to photograph. LAZY.)  I would still photograph on my desk, but it is no longer in the right position to catch the sunlight.  I only like to use natural light to photograph.  I know some people like a light box set up, but I have never gotten it to work for me.  Plus it seems a bit uniform and dull, I like the drama that that the lighting from natural light can produce.  Of course it isn't as consistent, and you have to be careful to not overdo it.  It can also look different during different parts of the day.

Later afternoon/early evening makes everything a cooler blue.  I really like this effect.  It seems calm. Close to mid-day is much cleaner and brighter:

 

I feel like photographing towards the middle of the day and avoiding the blue tones is more consistent (see below), but I also really like the feel of the evening pictures.  Plus, I think it gives me an opportunity to show the different metals in different lights.

A similar set of rings, just photographed at different times (different metals and finishes as well).

I'm not really sure where I am going with this...I had the first two photographs and I just wanted to put them up on the blog and show the difference that a background can make.  And then I started meandering on and sort of ran out of steam.  Hehe.  Oh well.  And I'm not a photographer anyway, so I'm not sure how much more I could say on this topic.  You can't squeeze water from a stone.

I'm so excited I can't even see straight

Dearest readers!  Now that some of the unpacking has been done and a little bit of painting, I'm starting to see the end of the move in sight.  Sort of.  We've painted the babies (baby's??) room a light grayish blue.  Still have the entire rest of the house to go.  At least the colors are decided on, except for the master bedroom.  And double bonus!  We found hardwood under the carpet on the stairs and in the nursery.  Hallelujah!  I have an extreme carpet phobia, so you can't know how thrilled I am to have wood floors throughout. 

But the real reason I am super stoked, beyond the great new house, double squid babies, giant park/yard etc. etc.?  Work starts on the the studio this next Monday!  (OMG!)  I think I've written before about how I've always dreamed about a backyard studio since childhood, with windows and shelves and a space!  Space!  Just for creative pursuits!  Now, I have really had that already, with the studio that I rent.  I love the space I have, but imagine a commute of only 20 steps?  So excited!  And with the twins on the way, it is even more important that I can comfortably work from home.  (At least that is what I tell myself when I start contemplating the expense of the remodel.  And besides, it will pay itself off in saved rent in a little over a year and a half.)

So here it is.  My tiny little cottage studio.  Not too bad from the outside.  Needs some landscaping help.  And a new door.  It has a door, but it is pretty beat. (Tiny pugs included for scale.  Building is around 11'x15'.)  What do you think of a bright new paint color on the exterior?  Right now it matches the house.

The inside has this strange divider wall that will be coming down.  It's not structural.

All of that work bench will be taken out as well.  (Weird divider wall to the right of the photo.)

 I think there will be semi-vaulted ceilings in the end.

They are going to add a window across from this one.


And this is the floor layout I am planning on (from above):

 

The door is directly bottom middle.  To the right is a sink. (A sink!  A sink! The apogee of my home studio ambitions!)  The walled off portion to the left will be where I put my jewelers work bench.  That is where I do the dirty polishing stuff, so I really wanted to keep it a bit separate from the rest of the studio.  The right hand counter will be my computer/businessy area.  On the left wall will be where I will set stones.  And the back wall will be wax carving and miscellaneous.  At least for now.  I can't really know how I will arrange things until I'm in there. 

 

Another view from through the right hand wall.  I plan on having storage cabinets interspersed underneath the counter throughout. 

I can't wait for it to be done!  Especially since this:

is only going to get harder to lug around in the coming months.  (You can see where I've been taping in preparation for painting.  This bathroom is going to be a bright island blue!)

Move-pocalypse now

Moving is the worst thing ever and I don't intend on doing it again for at least 10 years.  But at least the tiny pugs are enjoying their new kingdom:

Alas, I didn't take this photo, the shop monkey sent it to me earlier today.  I am not lounging around my new house, organizing my collection of tiny coffee mugs.  Instead, I am slaving away at work in the heat (which I have to admit, bothers me more as a pregnant lady than as a carefree 20 something).  But soon (maybe next month!!!!) my commute will be 40 feet or so.  Hallelujah!  I'll blog about the studio remodel soon.  Just need to get everything planned.

(On a babies related note, I had an appointment today and heard both heart beats, which was a nice reminder that I'm not getting fat for nothing. :-)

No surprise here...

...I still love 18kt yellow gold. 

This set was for a lovely couple in Georgia.  But I sort of like the way they look paired together as a set:

I know that some people love delicate, airy jewelry.  And I do too, sometimes.  But I'm always afraid I will break it, or wear it out, or something else irrational.  Maybe that is why I am so attracted to a bigger chunky look?  (Or maybe it is because I have sasquatch hands?  And a delicate pavé/filigree ring would look like lipstick on a pig? )

Moving day is this Sunday, my house is in total chaos.  And my mind feels the same.  I don't think I will be able to calm down until the move is over and the glasses are in the cupboard.  And really, I don't think it will be over until the home studio is finished and the studio move is over as well.  I am actually dreading that a bit more than the home move, to be honest.  Moving my workspace is just so stress inducing....trying to keep track of every little tool and all of the paper work.  And having ongoing work happening at the same time is Just. So. Stressful.  Especially at this time of year, when requests for express orders are at a high.  Ugh.  Anyway, I am just aiming to get through this weekend.  Send me your positive brain waves for an easy move. :-)

Where have you been?

Hello, dearest readers.  Where have I been?  Well, I've been sunk into a morass of crazy wedding season business and personal misery.  (And to top it all off,  I found out just now, as I was going to add photos of some of my newest work, that all of my photos from May have disappeared from my iphoto.  WTF?  Fabulous.  Losing photos is really sucky, especially if they were photos of something new that I've already shipped out.  No way to recover that.)

And what has caused me to be incommunicado for the last month and the shop to be closed for the last week or so?  I should probably start at the beginning!

I think I last left you with a hopeful post about our house hunt?  Well, that is progressing, with all of the normal ups and downs and backs and forths that are typical for the house buying process (at least I assume they are, since I have never bought a house before I wouldn't know otherwise).  We had the inspection, which went well, and then the appraisal which went less well.  It didn't appraise for our agreed upon purchase price, so we had been on pins and needles for a while until we found out just yesterday that they have agreed to sell it to us for what it appraised for.  Yay!  We should be moving in around the 10th of next month.  The first order of business is to get the new studio all ready, so I can move everything home.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  No sooner had we put in an offer on the house, and had it accepted and scheduled the inspection, than a fire broke out in our condo building and burned down half of the place.  Luckily (for us) it wasn't the half that we lived in, but we were driven out by the smoke damage and general unpleasantness of being in a building that is half burned down.  I was at work when the Shop Monkey called me to tell me about it.  The first thing he asked me was if both dogs were at work with me (which, thank god, they were).  I had almost not taken them with me that day.  I can't even imagine what my mental state would have been if I hadn't.  As it was I was in tears, imagining all of my possessions as ashes.  All of my letters, and drawings, and my wedding ring!  But we got really lucky and nothing was ruined (and nobody was hurt!).  We just had to pack up 2 pugs, 2 kitties, and one sickly Bean and ship them over to the in-laws for 2 weeks.


And that leads me to my third piece of news.  I'm pregnant!  And I've been feeling like total SH*T!  Seriously.  Being preggo is not for the faint of heart.  I can't even tell you how hard it has been to scrape myself up off of the bed and slime my way into work.  Things were staring to look up last week, but today has seen a recurrence of ghastly nausea and general I JUST WANT TO DIE horribleness.  Yet, here I am, soldiering on, sipping my anti-nausea fruit smoothie.

And would my pregnancy announcement really be complete without an overly intimate glimpse into my uterus?  I think not!

 (My apologies if you came here looking for jewelery eye candy.  I know that a grainy photo of a creepy alien child isn't exactly shiny diamonds.  But this is my blog, so you'll just have to put up with a few ultrasound pics.)

Yesterday was my first real midwife appointment and in the morning I had scheduled an ultrasound.  There I was, floating in the semi-darkened room, blissfully peering at my baby for the first time.  The tech was clicking away, taking photos and measurements, and I was laughing at the little squirming movements and sweet little squid features.  Then the tech asks me, oh so casually, if this is my first ultrasound with this pregnancy.  Immediately suspicious of the worst horrifying possibilities, I answer yes, and ask why.


Does anyone care to hazard a guess at what the below picture might be?

Then she says, because I think I just saw another baby.  My first reaction?  I KNEW IT!  And then she adds, hold on, let me make sure.  And I was so nervous that it wasn't going to be true!  My heart had in that tiny moment already attached itself to that second baby and it would have broken (broken!) if it had been a mistake.

But no!  She sort of scrolled over to the right, and there it was, plain as day.  A second baby!  So, there you have it, dear readers, I'm having spontaneous twin babies.  Due in December.

Wedding season begins in earnest.

Spring has finally sprung here in the gloomy rainy overcast depression inducing beautiful PNW!  Hallelujah!  Sunshine at last!  Even if it is intermittent, some sunshine is better than none.  So I'm enjoying it (while it lasts).  (To be honest with you all, I know I really belong in Hawaii.  I lived there for 3 years and they were the happiest of my life.  Some of us are just not suited to gray weather.)

So!  We've found a house!  OMG!  I'm trying to not get too excited (ha!), but we have a sale pending now and the house inspection is this Saturday.  We found it last weekend and when we walked in, it was literally like "We want to buy this house right this moment".  OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! (That was what my text messages to my sister were like all that day.  I'm afraid I wasn't very coherent.)  It's perfect!  3 bedrooms (plus a little bonus room off one of the upstairs rooms!), 2 baths, .48 acres.  It was built in the 30's, sort of a cottage type house with a peaked roof, and a big front window that has the original leaded glass.  So awesome!    The backyard was the clincher, though.  Fruit trees, fire pit, big patio, hedged in veggie garden area, and mature pinot grape vines.  OMG! And even a little out building that will become my studio (with a lot of elbow grease).  I LOVE IT.  I can't wait to get out of the condo we are in right now. When the Shop Monkey and I blended households, we both brought two animals to the union.  Me, the sweet angel pugs. And he, the Goddamn Kitties.  So things are a little crowded as they are.  I can't wait to have a bit more space.  We won't be moving until the beginning of July (couldn't be worse timing as far as my work is concerned), as long as everything goes smoothly.  Fingers crossed!

Yay!

Is bigger better?

 

Everyday life

As much as I love my job, I also have a life outside of my work.  It consists mostly of reading, pug watching, quilting, working out, cooking, and being with the Shop Monkey as much as possible.


Puggery:

Cookery:

 

Miso soup, to go.

 Quilting:

The everlasting zig-zag quilt.

So those are some of the things that fill some of my time....when I'm not working like madwoman to get things out (close to) on time.