Awesome

One word explains her. AWESOME. My daughter Sawyer is awesome. This photo of her is adorable and it was her idea to peek one eye between the wooden letter “W”. She will be 4 years old on June 19, the same day her great grandma turns 80! Sawyer is the type of girl that you can tell will do great things. She shows leadership skills, she’s compassionate and loving, she’s fun and daring, and she loves people. We are so proud of her and she brings us non-stop joy. Jeremy and I are blessed to be her parents and we take our job very seriously. I know we’ll mess up, (we already have at times) but we want to give her the best of ourselves and help her to become the best she can be.

Now that I’m a parent I feel thankful for the daily chores after school, weeding during the hot summer days, and paying for my own car insurance. It all paid off and I’m reaping the rewards today. So thanks mom and dad! I admit, I was the type of kid who thought they knew a lot, but part of that was because my parents taught me a lot~ But now, I am keenly aware of how much I don’t know and that’s ok because it’s so much fun learning with my husband and daughter together. I have an awesome husband and daughter, and it keeps getting better. I will brag about my hubby in another blog.

Literary Inspiration

Why am I so excited (obsessed)? It all started about two years ago when I fell in love with reading. It seems strange to be at my age and discover how amazing books are, sad but true. It started with the Twilight series, and I’m still surprised I gave it a shot. I’m not into fantasy or vampire stuff, but I was convinced by Brenda at church that it was a love story and it wasn’t sleazy at all. So I read them all right after seeing the first movie with my hubby and from there got hooked reading. I tend to enjoy a great love story with some adventure and fun. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and continue to be inspired by her novels with my jewelry designs. I am a sucker for love stories, romantic comedies, and even the sometimes very sad Jonathan Sparks love stories.

Classic and modern love stories have inspired many of my current designs but very recently inspired a vision for new enameled designs. I have designs planned for the following:

Pride and Prejudice
Emma
Letters to Juliet
Young Victoria
Bright Star
Twilight

Although not a love story, Alice in Wonderland has also inspired a design, but I’ve yet to write out the details. I have a feeling that my closest friends will inspire designs also. Their personalities reflect certain colors and styles, and they inspire me too so it’s inevitable. Inspiration comes in many forms, find what inspires you and soar. I am so excited to learn enameling and attempt my new designs. Stay tuned, and I'd love to hear about what inspires you.

Research (blah)

My husband Jeremy is a terrific researcher and he likes to do it (gag me). I, however, do not enjoy extensive research, and am more inclined to just dive in and try. When it comes to enameling copper jewelry, I am less likely to dive in because there are safety issues to consider, expensive investments (like buying a kiln), and I really want to follow tried and true practices. I know there will be some trial and error, but I’d like it to be more about experimenting and not because I ignorantly cut corners.

I started out researching online. It’s free, it’s quick, and it was the obvious place to start. I also checked Borders but didn’t find one book about enameling (granted it was a small Borders). Then I relied on my fellow Etsy sellers. I emailed several shops that sell beautiful enameled work and asked if they could recommend any resources to help get me started in learning the technique. So far two sellers have replied and they both recommended the same book, Linda Darty’s The Art of Enameling. They both said that they still refer to the book. So I bought it on Amazon and I’m reading some each night. It is a great book, and all the colored pictures are very helpful. So far I’m compiling a list of the supplies I’ll need. My next step is to estimate their prices so I know about how much this new venture is going to cost me upfront. I visited a local art store but they didn’t have any jewelry making or enameling supplies, but the lady recommended Georgie’s in Portland. So I checked their web site, and of course they don’t offer their enameling items online. But I’m not discouraged, it may turn out to be better to physically go into the store and maybe even learn something from an employee. Hey, they may even know of another place where I can take an introductory class. My sweet husband helped me in researching enameling classes. To my surprise, he found a class in Portland at a bead shop I’m familiar with. I called to reserve my spot 2 months before the class and it’s full. I’m on the waiting list, but I was pretty bummed.

I also met a woman at work who fuses glass to make pendants. We’re going to meet for break to discuss kilns and what she knows. Meeting her during my lay-off notice was a bright spot during that difficult time. It encouraged me further to pursue learning this technique and following my vision.

So the research continues, especially for a hands-on class less than 4 hours away. If I can learn enough from my book and online resources I may dive in. I’m not sure how much longer I can wait to get my feet wet. If I do dive in I will be as well informed as possible.

New adventures, new visions, new outlooks

This is my first blog, and I must say that I’m not a writer so bare with me. I’d like to start by sharing just a bit about me before explaining the title of this blog. My name is Amy, I am a wife, mother, friend, full-time state of Oregon employee, interior decorator, general crafter, and a jewelry designer. All my friends and family know me to be creating something, planning something, or decorating something whenever I can. I don’t think of myself as an artist at all, that’s a bit too much credit, but I do accept the compliment of being creative. I love to express that creativity in many different ways. My friends and family have been extremely supportive in all my crafty money-making ventures and I owe them my unending gratitude for my success today and tomorrow. Without their love, support, encouragement, and desire for my success I’d be less creative and pretty depressed.

My new adventure was created for me, and I’m truly trying to focus on the positives which is why I refer to it as an adventure. The state government agency I work for is experiencing extreme budget shortfalls. The agency had to layoff several positions, and because we are under a union, we have options to “bump” or displace another position if we have more seniority and qualify for the position. Consequently, I was bumped out of my position and my last day is July 16, 2010. The worst part is leaving my work group. I work and sit by my best friend Ana, I work with other amazing friends that are like family, I have the perfect schedule and a lot of flexibility, I have a window seat (this may seem triffle but if you’ve worked in cubicleville you understand), and I really enjoy what I do because I’m good at it and I’ve had many opportunities to learn new things. Needless to say, the news grieved me and my friends greatly, but my new adventure (besides starting a new job) is looking forward to implementing new jewelry designs. The change in my career has afforded me with the opportunity to look at my life, my personal goals, and perspective.

With the opportunity to take a look at how I’m spending my time on this earth, I have been encouraged by a new vision. I have felt a little burnt out making jewelry lately, and have even considered closing my online shop. The economy has influenced my sales, and I have been distracted by other things also. My fire for design was all but a flicker until I stumbled upon a beautiful technique that I’ve been obsessing about for over a month now. I discovered an enameled bangle bracelet and instantly knew I had to learn how to create such a piece. I currently know basic wire techniques, resin, brass patination, stamping metal, PMC silver clay, soldering, and now it’s time to add a new skill to my design belt. The catch is that enameling is expensive, there’s a lot to learn, and I can’t find a class in my area. I am on the waiting list for a class in Portland, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Regardless of the present obstacles, I am determined to learn how to enamel copper and reinvent my online jewelry shop and vision.

Today, my new outlook is that I’m the only one who can limit me. Money can’t limit me because I can save. Others can’t limit me if I don’t let them. A lack of knowledge can’t limit me because I can learn. So at the optimistic age of 32, I’m going to move forward in living a life worthy of being called a positive legacy for my daughter Sawyer (almost 4 years old). I want her to have courage to pursue what she wants in life, from anything as simple as learning to drive a stick shift, to as complex as completing training in her area of interest. My relationship with God gives me hope and strength to do many things, and I believe that creating things is one of my gifts so I’m going to continue to walk in it, and watch how God uses me and my gifts.