Rustic Goodness

'I love your rustic heart' by coldfeetjewelry

Rusty Heart Art Print fringefalcon $30.00	Robot Birthday Cake Top... RobotsAreAweso... $35.00	Rustic Copper Heart Art... JoLovesJewelry $22.00	SoLdEr aRt Rusty Heart ... katinn $22.00
Rose Pink Czech Glass a... BellaLinaDesig... $38.00	Dramatic Hammered heart... Starsbcreation... $36.00	Sterling Silver and Cop... coldfeetjewelr... $58.00	Artisan Rustic HEART C... cathydailey $11.78
Rustic Heart assortment... ChelleV2 $10.00	Rusty Heart Photography... autumnraincrea... $10.00	Red rustic polymer clay... thefunkymelon $30.00	Rustic Spice Hearts WanderingWhims... $7.95
Coptic stich rustic woo... crearting $95.00	Darya. Copper Fish in L... SimpleeYou $55.00	Burlap Pillow from Upcy... MarthyMay $28.00	Industrial Chic Wall He... jmrpottery $64.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Twittering

I've just joined Twitter.

I joined once before but didn't really use it and didn't really understand it - well, that's not strictly true, I understood the concept but not the ins and outs so to speak. So now I have 'rejoined' the twittering world in an effort to help my jewelry sales.

I have finally decided to commit to Cold Feet Studio.

For various reasons I have never fully committed to putting my work out there. I have had an Etsy shop for years now but never really worked it until recently. To be honest I don't really expect much from Etsy but I do know that I'll have to put a lot more into it to get anything out of it. And I only do one art festival a year.

But I love making things and I love it when someone likes what I've made. I feel happy and at home as soon as I walk into my studio and I have fought this for years with my lack of confidence. Well, that's getting old now and, frankly, who cares anyway.

So I have made my commitment. I have a website, I am blogging, I am committed to perfecting my craft and finding venues to sell it and now I am twittering - well, as soon as I can figure out what I'm doing that is.

The quilt I made for Nikki.

I made this quilt for my daughter, Nikki. It took me a long while because I tend to take long breaks.

I have so much I love to do and when I do them I tend to go for it with all my focus and time and nothing else matters. I cannot be distracted. And then something shifts and I stop. Sometimes for months, even a year, at a time. It might be ceramics, painting, quilt making or jewelry. It can also be writing. But, at least, there is always something there for me.

When I picked this quilt up again, I worked solidly on it until it was finished. All told, in work hours, I really don't think it took me that long - in real time, about a year.

I designed it with my quirky flowers, and picked bright, vibrant colours, because that is what is in my heart for Nikki.

My mind is now conjuring up designs and colours for Becky, my other daughter, but I know I will have to wait for when that quilt wants to happen.

New tricks

It takes me a while but eventually I get there.

After looking at work by artists I admire, I was baffled how they didn't get all the bumpy overspill of solder around their wonderful clean silver cut outs - until I remembered that you don't need solder if you are fusing two pieces of silver together. Definitely a 'duh' moment. Not quite as 'duh' as when it finally clicked that I could use my rolling mill to thin my metal to the gauge I needed instead of buying loads of different sheets, but pretty much up there!!

To say I'm a slow learner wouldn't be far off the mark, but I'm nothing if not persistent!

Birds!

'a little bird told me' by coldfeetjewelry

Original Acrylic Mixed ... Beckylbowman $50.00	LOVE BIRDS V015 - origi... onceuponapaper $65.00	SALE save 5 Dollars-Lit... ForeignAffair $15.00	The bird watcher - enca... BrightDay $98.00
Bird Painting for Weddi... ContemporaryEa... $72.00	1x2 inch dominoes tile ... graphicland $2.99	Cat Bird. 8.5 x 11 prin... matteart $35.00	Wedding Guest Book Alte... fancyprints $45.00
Raven, Crow, Blackbird,... doudoubirds $18.00	Retro Flowers Bird Tree... Sascalia $18.00	Bird Earrings - Secret ... TillyBloom $16.00	Felt Bird Aqua Blue SeaPinks $14.00
B is for Bird Envelope ... crabappledesig... $24.00	Pendant Bird-- Pendant ... CaughtREDhande... $12.00	Personalized Vintage Bl... oiseaux $15.95	Flock No. 1 Art Block -... johnwgolden $20.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

What's in your wallet!

My third helping of Moo Cards.

Love them.

I love that I can change my images easily.

I love that the website is soooo uncomplicated that I can navigate it standing on my head.

And,

I love that they are, in my humble opinion, the best business cards I have seen out there.

Everyone I give one to at shows comments on how fun they are, and yep, that means that maybe I stand out just a little bit more.

Thank you Moo for making me look good :)

Thank you Ira Glass

I know you shouldn't quote from someone you're not familiar with, and maybe this will come back to bite me, but this quote definitely resonates within me. I am so close to quitting all of the time it's become boring - at least to me and I know it must have to my close friends also.

I often wonder why being creative is such a problem for me. I enjoy making things. I love perfecting things, honing a craft. I love beauty. I have the interest and excitement and a need to keep coming back. It is obviously important to me. I am also fortunate enough to be able to pursue my artistic endeavours, so why is it that I find it so hard?

I think Ira Glass is bang on when he says that there is a gap and this is the first time I have looked at my struggle with creativity in this way.

The gap between my taste and my ability. The fear I have that my work doesn't have that 'special thing'. It's with me all the time and it eats me away.

So thank you Ira Glass for the encouragement. 'It's gonna take awhile' but I've 'just gotta fight my way through it'.

Hopefully ....

(By the way, to all those who are amazed that I have lived in this country for twenty odd years now and do not know who Ira Glass is, I will be checking him out, so that I know who I'm dealing with.)