Delinquit Blogger

What can I say, I haven't been good about keeping up with the blog lately. It seems like there has been a lot going on, but when I sit down to write it all sounds kind of stupid.

We (finally) got the new sofa home, so I can't use that as an excuse for distraction anymore. We got the new coffee table put together and have found a homes for most of the rest of the furniture. Furniture obsession aside, it doesn't seem like I have spent much time in the studio working lately. I've been on the go for supplies or networking, today I was fixing a friend's computer. I have two custom orders to start, sewing to work on, and photos to take. I'm really looking forward to a good solid day of work. It is amazing how caught up in minutia one can become if one is not careful.

It hasn't all be furniture arguments and electric guitars this last week. We're preparing to participate in a local art show in March. We'll be joining the gang at Jonesy's Art Bazaar on March 20. It will be the first time we're participating in this event, but I'm really looking forward to it. I enjoy doing shows because it gives us an opportunity to meet our customers face to face. We've started an event on our Facebook page, so if you are local and free come on over and say hi! Click here if you would like more information on Jonesy's Art Bazaar.

I have the most amazing artist to share with you today, Illustrations by Kecky. I saw her print called "The Spaces in Between" on the front page of Etsy the other day and was completely floored. She does absolutely beautiful work and I'm looking forward to ordering from her.

I've been working on a necklace in sterling silver that has been pretty resource intensive, and it is coming out beautifully. You can find a very blurry iPhone photo of it here. This particular project is becoming a labor of love, I hope that someone else falls in love with it too. In it's current state it is 3 ounces of sterling silver and there is still work to be done. It is a variation of the Japanese 2-in-12 weave, similar to our Tranquility style bracelet, but instead of having three rows of same sized rings the rows graduate in size, it is awesome and I need to finish it so I can get some good pics. I tried to convince myself to finish it last night, but that was after two and a half hours of guitar practice and my fingers were swollen and so painful I could barely hold the pliers, let alone pick up the rings. Jeremy encouraged me to practice a little less today to give me a chance to recover.

This weekend we're looking forward to a visit from Amber, Andy's birthday (Happy Birthday Andy!), and the completion (finally) of the topside of the L'Amour quilt. We may also check into the local Curling club, but that is another entry all on its own.

I hope you all have a happy Friday, and a fun weekend!

I don't have a title for this one...

...Again, I really stress out about the "Title" box on the blog page and the subject line on emails. I'm hoping to overcome this little quirk, someday.

Anyway, here we are, rounding the corner into Spring and we're buried in snow. I love the weather here, so unpredictable.

So much happened this week, my guitar came, the new coffee table came, the sofa is (finally) going to arrive on Sunday. For those of you who follow us on Facebook you might have seen that I initially said it would be delivered tomorrow, but alas, that plan changed. I will not say why in this public forum, but if you send me an email I'll tell you all about it. Needless to say, I'm not happy about the sofa situation. Oh, and if you would like to become the proud new owner of our previous sofa drop a line or check out my ad on Craig's List. The only reason we bought a new sofa is to mach our decorating scheme, the old sofa is in good shape save a few pet hairs and a few jump rings.

Wednesday was my first guitar lesson. I have been practicing all week and besides having sore fingers it seems to be going pretty well. In the event that I actually learn a song I might just post it here for everyone to listen to...maybe.

Today's new shop listing is the Half-Persian style bracelet in a matte black finish. We've got one more piece from this current collection to post, and I'll get that listed tomorrow. I really love the simplicity of the all black color palette, the pieces look great by themselves or accent pieces they are layered with. They are sleek, elegant, and a lot of fun. Next week we're going to start getting St. Patrick's Day themed items in the shop. I don't think I'm going to make as may variations as I did for Valentine's Day, but I haven't decided yet. I will be listing a fun piece that will be great either as a pendant or as a keyring, you guys will love it!

In other Etsy related news, I wanted to tell you about today's find: Crowley Manor Bath & Body. Soaps, lip balm, body butter all handmade right here in Colorado. Nigerian Dwarf Goats provide the milk that they use for these amazing products, and the goats are the cutest critters I've seen. Even cuter than Moose I think. I bought the Orange Truffle Kahlua Cream Soap and Soap Cake Duo, AKA the OMG soap and it truly lives up to its name! It is so good I want to roll around it in, and that is high praise indeed. Another reason I'm so excited about Crowley Manor is that at the end of March Jeremy, Eric, and I get to drive up and see the new baby goats! Crowley has amazing products and super customer service, check them out!

In other news, the gones are playing tomorrow night at the Lion's Lair in Denver, check them out if you can. Jeremy and I start yoga classes in the morning and more guitar practice. What are you doing this weekend? You should let us know.

But the Legend of the Sofa Was Way Hardcore

I am impatient. No, really, I am impatient. There is no nice way around it, no sugar coating, it is blind impatience. It is good to know these things about oneself for it makes it easier to get through trying times; but it doesn't make it any easier for the people around me.

I am consumed with the impatience I am suffering while waiting for deliveries to be made. The first thing I think of (well, really the second, no the third...but five is right out) when I wake up is "I hope the sofa arrives today" knowing full well that it isn't even expected in the store's warehouse before this week. As I brush my teeth, shoot photos, and post comments on Facebook all I can think of "It would be fantastic if the sofa/coffee table/jewelry supplies (that I just ordered btw) arrived today, again knowing full well that they won't.

My impatience is starting to affect my work, as I am prone to wandering into daydreams of furniture deliveries and projects that cannot be started until deliveries are made. When Ein hears (and starts barking) at the UPS delivery truck my heart starts to race and I run to the front door in anticipation of the parcels that will delivered today.

Two things need to happen now. Thing the first, I need to learn to be more patient. Thing the second, I need to stop ordering things online.

In shop related news, all of our Valentine's Day themed items have been removed, so I'm sorry to say that boat has sailed. Also, today and tomorrow will be the last days for the Mardi Gras themed items. Tonight we listed an awesome version of our Tranquility Bracelet. I've done the original in matte black with a matte black toggle, sleek and sophisticated, you know you want one! Also, you guys can expect to see a lot more green items being listed toward the end of the week.

Additionally I'm glad to report we've had a ton of really amazing feedback and support from the other Etsy shop owners I mention here, visitors to our shop, friends, family, and the craft community as a whole. I'm touched guys, we absolutely cannot do it with out you, thank you so much!

By now I'll bet you're wondering who our seller of the day is, well that is easy it's Beta Boutique! Fun and unique handmade clothing and accessories and if you want to know why I picked Beta, I have two words for you tulle skirt!

Somewhere in the house I can hear Eric washing up for bed, kitty cats purring and the gentle hum of Jeremy blowing stuff up in video games, that dear friends is the sound of home. As we part from tonight's chat I'd like to remind you all to support things like crafters, local artisans, independent bookstores, library, and the bands your friends are in!

Where in the world is Siouxsiequeue?

To answer that question, I have been right here, buried under projects and minor illness, and new jewelry cases!

On Wednesday Jeremy, Eric, & I went to book club, where I lead a wonderful discussion on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". I love that story, it is part of who I am, so I was so excited to be able to really talk about it with 15 other people! We have three librarians in our book club, so that also helps to make our meetings interesting. The three ladies are so well read and always have interesting tidbits about the story or the author, it is fantastic.

On Thursday the plan had been to join Greg & Co. for King Collab. Several people get together to help each other with their projects, discuss the creative process and fill the need we all have to sit around in a diner drinking coffee and eating pancakes all night. I have been having a lot of fun at Collab, but this week I had a touch of something and a fever so I didn't think the others would like to have me and my germs around. Greg and I are starting to put together a story of, well us, from high school, and tried to work via unreliable Internet connections and text messages, but it didn't work out quite as we had planned. This is a fantastic project, though I don't know exactly what medium it will ultimately take. It is freeing and healing to talk about it, to tell those stories again, and to look at the old photos. We carried so much baggage about that time, it feels like it is finally moving into the past, for me anyway.

On Friday I was expecting parcels full of beads and a new carrying case for my jewelry inventory; needless to say the day passed at a dead crawl and the UPS drive took his sweet time coming to the house. When Jeremy got home from work he helped me get everything organized in the case and it looks wonderful! We spent the rest of the evening watching t.v. and I worked on a few new pieces.

Yesterday we got the brilliant idea to go out shopping, but there were so many people in all the shops we became frustrated very quickly. We started at the Game Stop, where I picked up a copy of Beatles Rock Band only to find out later there are NO Rock Band band kits for the Wii available ANYWHERE in the whole world. I'm going to have to take the game back because we can't play it. From the Game Stop we went to Target where we bought Jeremy a new yoga mat and lamented the absence of Rock Band controllers for the Wii. Then we were off and running to the garden center where we purchased a new solar powered Japanese lantern and some herbs that I will grow in a box on the kitchen counter. Lastly we went by the supermarket and then home again. We're still waiting for more deliveries, furniture and jewelry supplies. I hope that the rash of snow storms doesn't delay these deliveries too much. I think the furniture will (finally) arrive toward the end of this week.

Okay, so enough of my weekend play by play let's get down to business. I have five, yes five, new bracelets to list this week, one of which is pictured at the beginning of this post. (If you click here or on the photo you can see all the items available in the shop.) I've also started planning a few pieces for St. Patrick's Day, we all know how I love a theme! I've also got a couple of sewing projects playing out in my head: I'm going to finish a project tote for a friend who knits and I would like to make totes for our yoga mats. If they turn out well we might be seeing them in my Etsy shop in the next few weeks.

And last but certainly not least, the all important shout outs and awesome links portion of this post. There are a lot of them, so please check them out, pass along the links and any information you may glean. First up, our Etsy shop of the week. Melfitz Handmade Accessories, beautiful knitted gloves & scarves! Love, love, love! I wish my knitting was this good. Next we've got Oscar's band, the gones, who are playing in Denver this weekend at the Lion's Lair. You can click here for details on the show and to check out some of their songs. "Killin' Me" is my favorite of their songs. Also playing in Denver this week is Tim's band, Pluyd. They are at Herman's Hideaway and you can click here for information about that show or here to buy their album.

As if all of that wasn't enough, I also have two little gems from the world of celebrity tweeting. Neil Gaiman (my favorite author) wrote a fun poem in honor of Valentine's day. You can find that here along with his whole blog. And finally, but certainly not least we have a fun and geeky link to a Jean-Luc Picard video that came to us via Chris Hardwick of Web Soup. Okay, I think that was everyone!

I do believe that gets everyone caught up! I hope that you are warm, wherever you are, and that you have a lovely evening.

Who is this guy, and why are we following him anyway?

This morning started out by wrangling cats so they could go to the vet. Yeah, that was super fun. :) The pets all came home with clean bills of health and I anticipate that the cats will stop hissing at us sometime next week.

Today I hit pause on the jewelry making to work on my presentation for book club. I'm leading the discussion on "The Hobbit" tomorrow night so I thought I'd probably better have my questions ready. I'm excited to give the presentation because I'm such a fan of Tolkien. I hope it goes well.

There are lost of fun new pieces in out Etsy shop this week, we've seen so many great shops from other Etsy sellers, there has been craziness from snow, vet visits, preparations for a presentation, and it's only Tuesday!

How's your week going?

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

...and it did, all day. The snow was ankle deep when I went out to get the mail this morning. I didn't enjoy that walk. The most frustrating thing about the snow is that Ein doesn't like cold weather in the slightest and he always gives us a bad time about going out. He just looks up at you with his big brown doggie eyes as if to say "I hope you don't think I'm going out in that weather." Cymru on the other hand loves the snow, we usually have to go outside and bring her back inside.
Besides the doggies wanting either in or out all day they both took turns napping under the work bench in the studio this afternoon, breaking only to chew on toys or to get a drink of water. Ah, the life of spoiled puppies.

I finished three new bracelets over the weekend, all in copper. I'm very exited to get them listed on my Etsy shop. I love copper jewelry, the color is so warm, it almost makes you forget that you're working with metal. It is fantastic!

Today's find of the day, ArtisanTea! I love tea. I love that you can't just have tea, you have to boil water and steep the tea leaves before you can have tea. It is a little bit ritualistic and a little bit meditative, you get a few minutes every morning to just pause and think. Good stuff.

Bundle up and stay warm friends!

Home Improving

Jeremy and I have been watching a lot of HGTV lately, and I do mean A LOT! As a result of our recent television viewing we've been bitten by the home improvement bug. I guess I shouldn't blame it all on tv, it really started with the new sofa, which has yet to be delivered. We started looking for a sofa, then we needed a coffee table, then we needed a new lamp, then we needed to paint the bathroom, then we needed to replace the mirror...and on and on until we ended up at a new patio door.
I love making these changes to our home, especially since it is a very long way from being our dream home. I've enjoyed seeing the evolution of this house from suburban beige mortgage to our home and there is something very satisfying about doing the work as well.
Next weekend we're hoping for some warmer weather so we can pain the upstairs bathroom and get the new patio door installed. We are very lucky that Jeremy's Dad is very handy and has agreed to help us install the door.

In studio related news, I have started some projects in copper this weekend. I'm looking forward to being able to share them with everyone. I should be able to wrap things up tonight and work on photos in the morning. I'm also expecting an order of silver rings and Swarovski beads, so we're going to have a bunch of new stuff in the next few weeks.

If you don't already have something for your Valentine you should stop by the Siouxsiequeue's Etsy shop and check out our range of Valentine's themed bracelets. The last day to order in time for Valentine's (US orders only) is Wednesday, February 10th, so don't wait until the last minute!

One last thing before I go, today's find are these super cute, handmade hats for your beeb! Coverall Hats has an assortment of sweet hats that are worth checking out.

I hope that your team won the big football game and that you managed to stay warm in all the snow that happened all over the country this weekend!

Next week is too far away...

I've got a wonderful new project I'm dying to work on and I don't have enough sterling silver to complete it. So now I'm pacing around waiting on the new sofa AND supplies to arrive. I need to learn to be more patient I think.

Today's find is my friend Jessica, if you are planning a wedding and are looking for some truly amazing accessories hers is the shop to see. Her work is beautiful, I know you will be happy.

It was a pretty quiet day around here today. Jeremy went back to his real job, Eric was at school, even the pets napped most of the day. On an unrelated note, I did get some work done today, and we got a shot out on Oscar's blog! I hope that doesn't start a weird cycle...I mentioned the gones, he mentioned me, I mentioned that he mentioned me....anyway, Oscar is awesome, blogs are awesome, there you go.

I've been thinking about companion pieces, like a necklace and or earrings, to go with the Black Ribbons bracelet. I like the looks of those necklaces that have multiple chains of various sizes and finishes, but I'm not really getting any inspiration when it comes to matching earrings. Oh, speaking of earrings, all of our earrings are 15% off during the month of February.

I also need to finish some drawings for a custom order I've been asked to work on. We're going to do a corset and I have to say that I'm really excited about this project. I've been kind of wading through the logistics of it since the weekend and I think I'm ready to put pen to paper, get measurements, and put together my final estimates. Because of the materials I would like to use in this project I am considering making this a composite piece. I won't be able to solder or weld the maille, so if it stands alone we run the risk of pulling rings apart when she's lacing the corset, and we don't want that. I think having the maille over a traditionally constructed corset would lend shape and structure. Wish me luck and when I get the go ahead I'll start taking and posting photos of the project as I go along. Do you have a special project you'd like us to work on? We love custom orders, don't be shy, I love a challenge.

Why is there a baby in the stupid cake in the first place?

I was raised Catholic. I know, what a strange way to start a post, but follow me here for a moment...I was raised Catholic, so about this time of year I become very aware of two things, Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday. I've never been to Mardi Gras myself, but I have lived vicariously through friends who have gone and brought me back bags and bags of plastic beads. Beads, which according to mardigras.com are manufactured in China by people who believe it is actual jewelry, but I digress. I have never participated in the festival or madness of Mardi Gras, but I have observed one of its dearest traditions, the King Cake.

I worked in an office, one of those swanky high rise kind of offices, with a New Orleans native who on the occasion of Mardi Gras ordered a King Cake to share with the office. As we were enjoying the imported confection one of the young ladies who worked with us (and who fancied herself superior to nearly everyone in nearly every way) began screaming and threw her cake across the room. "OH MY GOD! THERE IS A BABY IN THIS CAKE! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE, WHY IS THERE A BABY IN THIS CAKE!" Most of our co-workers just stared as the man who purchased the cake and I burst into hysterical laughter. The poor young lady was neither familiar with King Cake, nor the fact that finding the baby in her piece of cake was supposed to bring her good luck. Once it was explained everyone had a good laugh, but I am always taken by surprise by the knowledge we take for granted and or project on to others. Maybe this was a story that you had to be part of to really appreciate, maybe it's called pie...

In other, non-holiday related news, it looks like my friend Oscar's band, the gones, are in the studio! I think it would be really spiffy if you went over to their myspace page and downloaded their songs and check out their blog. Jef, Oscar, & Van are amazing musicians and really cool guys, I know you'll love them just as much as I do.

Today's find: handmade artisan mineral make-up (say that three times fast). Good for you, good for the environment, makes you pretty, it is kind of hard to go wrong there.

Um...let's see...random Mardi Gras story, the gones, the find of the day...I guess that's about it for today...I would like to hear from you though. Do you have a baby in the cake story, want to plug your friend's band, or have a find of the day?

New Furniture is Distracting

We ordered a new sofa for the living room this weekend, and for some reason this is preventing me from working. Whenever I sit down to work I starting thinking about the new sofa and I start taking measurements in the living room or trying to find things that are the same color as the sofa to compare it with the paint. I'm not usually this distracted, I just can't wait for the new furniture to arrive.

I decided to take a break from being distracted and I did do some work this afternoon. I accepted delivery of some new supplies (yay!), got some photos from Shawn and started planning some new projects. I've been really inspired the past few days, even if I have been distracted, and I've learned a few new (to me) weaves and projects. I'm also getting some new beads in the next week or so and I can't wait to get the new pieces out in the shop. In the mean time you can check out today's listing from my shop and our other favorite seller of the week, The Green Daisy, she makes super cute magnets.

The February newsletter went out this morning as well, if you're not getting our newsletter you can sign up here and get the skinny on our monthly specials, sales, and all that good stuff.