Works in Progress and My Old Lady Hands

So there's a new idea I've been playing with for a while - resin cubes with flowers inside.  Not just any cubes - a few different kinds.   The kinds that require you to saw up your kid's Jenga blocks (sorry Sam!) and troll industrial acrylic websites looking for perfect shiny cubes to use for molds.  There's the one I made out of the wood block, so it has a matte wood texture on the sides so you see hazy shape and color, with a shiny transparent window in the front to see in - I actually really like this one.  And then the one that's shiny and transparent all around so you can see the flowers from all of the different angles - that's Clark's favorite.  And then the smaller version of the transparent one for earrings.

They should've been finished a while ago, but as usual life kind of intervenes.  Both in the lure of the woods, and also the fact that the candles and lanterns have been selling well, so then I have to. . . make more of them.  Which is hardly a hardship, except I tend to get focused on one thing (resin cubes) and then feel slightly resentful when something else (lanterns and candles) needs some attention.  Especially since I figured out how to make the lanterns and candles years ago - I'm the kind of personality that likes  new, shiny things.   Lanterns??  That's so last year!  Unless you're trying to sustain a business, in which case that's so "get yourself up to the studio and make a batch right now."

But - it finally fell into place, and in conjunction with a never-ending World Series game I had plenty of time to play with my new toy.  So - here are a few pictures of the new resin blocks.  It's kind of hard to get a good feel for how they're going to look once they're totally finished and actually on a person, but here's a teaser anyway.  And at some point (soon???) I'll have them photographed for real and an actual finished product.

If you're wondering what the strange blue background is - it's a silicone mat.  Word to the wise - if you like playing with resin (and really, who doesn't?), silicone is your friend.  Because resin, even when it's not-quite-cured won't stick to it.  And why would I be fooling with resin before it's all the way cured?  Because it's a LOT easier to screw in little, tiny screw eyes when the resin's still a little soft.  There - for all of you out there occupying yourself with resin hobbies, there's my tip of the day.  Oh - and one more - just be careful you don't put your fingerprints in it.

Along with the resin blocks, I also finally got my molds for a larger (size 9) ring.  I've been waiting for this mold for ever.  Seriously, it took it something like 7 weeks to get here from an Etsy supplies seller in Canada.  I'm pretty sure she used the mule train method of package transport.  Or that someone in customs wanted several size 9 resin rings and just borrowed the mold for a few weeks.

I'm pretty taken with the shape - it's a lovely rounded dome, and these guys should be up on my Etsy site in the very near future.  And why don't you see it on my hands?  Because, as my mother informed me, I have old lady hands that aren't really appropriate for photography.  

I'll admit I was a little taken aback with that pronouncement, but upon closer examination I had to concede that she's correct.  Which is a problem because in the Etsy listings it's nice to see a ring on someone's hand so you can see the proportions.  And the only other hands in this house belong to a 9 year old boy and a 40 year old man - not much better (worse?!) for showing off a ring.  So I hadn't quite figured out what to do about this problem, until I stumbled upon a brilliant feature in iPhoto - edge blur!  

It turns out, if I blur the edges - a lot, like as much as it will let me - I can induce a nice soft focus effect that somewhat hides the true state of my hands.  Not that I mind my hands - they're sort of proof that I've actually *done* stuff.  I'm always slightly suspicious of people who look untouched after the very first blush of youth should have worn off.  I wonder what exactly they've been doing with themselves, and I suspect the answer is not much.

But  - that still doesn't mean these hands make anyone want to buy jewelry.  They probably make people want to buy alpha hydroxy products.  Thus - soft focus!  It allows me to go from this:

To this:

I think that's an improvement.  Or at least a good disguise.  And in the meantime I'm still on the lookout for some fresh-handed teenager that would like to moonlight as an amateur hand model.  Except that sounds kind of weird, and also where am I going to find one of those every time I want to photograph a ring? So  for the time being it looks like I'm sticking with edge blur.

Return of the Markets

It's official - we kicked the season off today with a return to City Market.  We love that market - it's like a carnival, and we're one of the carnies.  And if you think "I bet that's not what you thought you'd be doing when you graduated from law school 14 years ago" - you'd be right.  But if you thought that I'm a hundred (million?) times happier as a carnie than a lawyer, then you'd be right too.

I meant to take a bunch of pictures of the market - but turns out Sam's opening day of little league was today too, so Clark and Sam went to the game and I was flying solo for most of the day, and thus my picture taking opportunities were limited.  And then when they came back I forgot.  Oops.  So here's our market setup:

Note the brown table drapes that have replaced the ratty ones of last year.  (What?  Who says "table drapes" instead of "table cloths"?  Carnies, that's who.)  If you're wondering how one gets custom table drapes made for display tables - turns out you can either buy very expensive pre-made ones, or buy very expensive fabric with which to make them, or buy table cloths from Target and bribe your mom with jewelry so she'll piece them together into custom table drapes.  I chose the last option - with pretty good results, if I say so myself.

If you want to know what sort of magical items are filling our shelves this year - here's the preview.  Note that if you got my newsletter this week you've already seen these.  (See?? I did remember that I'm a business owner and not a full time mountain biker - and I sent out a newsletter to prove it.)

And if you didn't get the newsletter, but you're intrigued by what sort of awesomeness must go into a Spotted Dog Farm newsletter - then sign up in the box to the right of this post.  Lots of awesomeness.  You'll see.

Beeswax candles - old favorites, still going strong.

Glass tile jewelry - still with beeswax and botanicals mounted on a glass tile, but now with a layer of resin too.  Super sturdy, and also I love the shapes the resin produces.  A little more flow.

The latest project - resin block necklaces with botanicals.  Lots of layers of resin.  Fun.

And the next-to-latest project - table lamps.  I took the shells of our tea-light lanterns, and installed an electric lamp assembly that burns a small bulb.  Plug it in and. . . light!  Totally rocks.

Win Free Stuff!!

Seriously, who wouldn't read this with a title like that??  Best of all - it's true!  And it involves the lanterns:

Here's the story:  my friend Leslie just started her blog and FB page for her business - Roost Interior Design.  To kick it off, she's giving away one of my lanterns (pictured below - although if you're familiar with my lanterns, and you have your heart set on cosmos instead of maidenhair, for example, I'm happy to do a little swapping around.)  

Here's the lantern looking sultry with its red velvet:

And here it is with a more casual day look:

So, to enter the drawing all you have to do is like her FB page (for one entry) or my FB page (for one entry), or share either of our pages with a friend (for another entry). And then leave either of us a comment on our blogs letting us know what you did, and how many entries to give you.  (Example:  "Wow, what an awesome contest!!  I liked both of your pages, and recommended them to a friend (or 30), so put me in for 3 entries!")  Even if you're not quite that enthusiastic, any sort of comment that lets us know will work.

 Soooooo - once more:  like either of our pages - one entry!  Like both of our pages - two entries! Like both of our pages and share either/both with a friend - 3 entries in the contest for you!  What could be easier??  (And, if you already like my FB page, and thus can't like it again, just let me know and that will count for an entry.)


Spotted Dog's FB Page:  here
Roost's FB Page:  here

So - leave a comment and let us give you free stuff!  What could be simpler??

In other news, tomorrow is the premier for Race Across the Sky 2010 - the documentary of the Leadville Trail 100 - and it's showing at the Carolina.  Yes I purchased my tickets the day they went on sale weeks ago.  Yes I'm genuinely excited to see it.  Yes I'm a total geek.  But take a look at this trailer - how cool is that???  

Race Across The Sky 2010 from Citizen Pictures on Vimeo.


And the timing's perfect - Swank is on Sunday, so I'm hoping to be totally inspired.  (yes, I'm a geek.)  

Does It Feel Sick In Here to You?

Because it kind of does to me. I'm that kind of sick where you keep telling yourself you aren't, until finally you're forced to admit - ok, dammit, this isn't really some mysterious sinus ailment, this is actually that malady known as the common cold. But I'm fighting it off in semi-determined fashion. Although I'm trying to be smarter this year. Last year I just kept exercising (repeating the mantra, "it's FINE to exercise as long as it's not in your lungs!"), until I had pretty much forced it into my lungs or until I felt like I'd been run over by a car, and then would still take a week off to get over it. So this year I'm doing something different (maybe I'm growing up?) and just taking a few days off when I start to feel bad. So far it's 3 days off, but I kind of almost felt like running today, so maybe I'll give it a go tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm making good use of my non-exercising days by actually accomplishing some work. Don't laugh, it's true. I've been very mad-scientist with the beeswax, and behold - the beeswax lantern:

Same shapes, sizes, ideas as the candles, except this is a hollow lantern that's lit with a tea light - so it'll last pretty much indefinitely. Unless you do something crazy, like put a big candle in it - in which case it will melt. But if you act with just a modicum of prudence - and stick with a tea light - this pup will be in it for the long haul. This particular one is also made from white beeswax, which I've been experimenting with and am enamored of. It makes me happy to look at it.

I've also just gotten my seed order in. Which in a normal year would be late, but given the year we're having now it doesn't seem to make any difference -- I don't imagine anything's going to be planted anytime in the foreseeable future anyway.

And also - Michael Oppenheim, a local wedding photographer, just put up a blog with pictures from a wedding I did last year. Love his photography, and shows our flowers off to their best. Thanks Michael! (And thanks to the bride and groom - they were the best, easiest, nicest people to work with.) Just to give you a taste - here's a shot of the bridal bouquet: