made by AnnaK

2010-04-12T08:46:00.003+02:00

Hey ....You!!

I'm posting Work in Progress pieces over at Black Daisy Designs blog.

Don't miss them!! :D

You haven't forgotten have you??

2010-03-24T15:09:00.001+01:00

That I've moved, that is. I've posted lots of new posts on Black Daisy Designs.
Pop over and have a look. And while you're there - don't forget to Follow me.

Hugs!!

New pieces

2010-03-06T12:33:00.002+01:00

What a lovely Saturday!! The past night was really cold (-10 / -15 C) and we've still got a lot of snow, but the sky is as clear blue as the the sky only gets in early spring and the sun is pouring warmth, with all its might, down upon us.

Yes, I can with absolute certainty say that spring has come! :D

~ ~ ~

Lately my Muse has gone into some kind of hyper-active drive and she's been throwing ideas in every which direction and I'm scrambling like crazy to keep up. With disappointing result I have to say. There's simply too many ideas. And it's hard to jot down notes while driving. (She's been REALLY active in my car going to and back from work, lately.) I just hope I'll remember the really good ones. Hey... maybe I should get one of those small tape recorders.... what do you call them?? The ones doctors use to take notes. That is actually not a bad idea... *thinking hard*

Anyway - I spent the morning photographing a few new pieces that I've finished during the week and I've got more pieces, about half way done on the way. I'm particularly excited about a pendant with a lovely green-blue Chrysocholla and a rather intricate backside. I've still got some final soldering to do and that will either tip the scales to success or to fiasco. Keep your fingers crossed.

I also got some gorgeous faceted ovals of Lapis Lazuli from my supplier and you can expect a new, modern, shiny ring within short.

Ok, now it's time to go sit in the sun for a few minutes. Hubby and daughter went to the store so I've got the whole house for myself. What better way to use this rare moment, but with a hot cup of freshly made coffee outside in the sun, eh?

Happy Spring everybody!!

~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

A friendly reminder! Don't forget to follow my new blog
~ Black Daisy Designs ~
as I will close this blog later on this spring!!

~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

Sooo... where exactly DID I put them?

2010-03-04T19:37:00.003+01:00

Driving home from work the other day, I got two new great design ideas. And better yet - I built them around stones I already had at home! Like all gemoholics I tend to "need" new gems and cabs whenever I get an idea, but here I was with two great ideas that didn't require me to go on a shopping spree. (A very ambigious feeling though... you want to shop, but at the same time you want to use what you've already got. I guess I'll never figure that one out.)

Anyhoo..... I got home, dashed up to the studio and picked up the box where I knew the stones were. *cough* Yeah.... maybe I should say where I THOUGHT they were. Hmmm.... ok, so ...they weren't where I thought they would be, but there was no need for panic. They had to be there somewhere... hehehehe.... unless they've sprouted legs and took off by themselves. And what are the odds for that happening? Right. So, they had to be there. Somewhere. My eyes travelled over the boxes with stones on the shelf. There they were, somewhere deep within the abyss of my gemstash. I just knew it.

So while I sat there, breathing slowly to calm myself down - not that I was agitated in aaaany way... but just to... you know... focus - my eyes wandered from the shelf to my work table and ... HEUREKA.... there was one! Woot.... my Peaoni pendant is safe. Now.... all I needed to find were the stones for my rings. Yeah.....

Guess you didn't know this, but apparently, stones CAN sprout legs and take off on their own. So if you see them - please send them to me. *grumble grumble*

~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

A friendly reminder! Don't forget to follow my new blog
~ Black Daisy Designs ~
as I will close this blog later on this spring!!

~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

2010-02-28T10:38:00.007+01:00

A little sneak peak of a new necklace.
I'm busy cropping photos and writing descrioption for it now, but I'm hoping to list it
later today or possibly tomorrow. :)

Oh.... and I need to find a name for it. *thinking*

~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

A friendly reminder! Don't forget to follow my new blog
~ Black Daisy Designs ~
as this one will be closed down later on this spring!!

~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

I'm moving!!

2010-02-26T22:19:00.003+01:00

Photo: Lolita

Ok, so after a few months of contemplating (and closing the Små Blå shop) I've decided to close this blog and move to the Black Daisy Designs blog. I will run both the Black Daisy Designs blog and this one side-by-side for a transit time and then make the final switch later this spring. Make sure you bookmark the BDD blog so you won't miss out on any goodies. ;)

Soooo.... time to start working, huh? Who's going to help me pack?

The Black Daisy Designs blog!

GIVE AWAY!!!

2010-02-25T18:39:00.007+01:00

The ever stylish blog She's Smart is now having a giveaway extravaganza with a $40 gift card from Black Daisy Designs.

Make sure not to miss it!! You'll find all the info on She's Smart.

More riveted stacking rings

2010-02-25T13:53:00.006+01:00

Ok, so I've seriously jumped on the whole "stacking-ring-train". I suppose it's the immediate gratification of making somehing pretty, quick! Anyway - I'm very pleased with the riveted rings - they're very simple but the stacking possibilities are endless.

My new fav-combo is the Amazonite and the Apatite along with a couple of basic stackers. Feels fresh and springy with the aqua and green colours!

Riveted stacking ring with Amazonite

Riveted stacking ring with Apatite (not listed yet)

New ring!

2010-02-22T20:57:00.005+01:00

Anthurium, sterling silver ring

A single big and boldly red Anthurium flower in a simple vase is all it takes to lift a table setting I think. And a single sterling silver Anthurium can make a whole ring.

Made from scratch - sawed, sanded, hammered and soldered. I gave the flower a hammered texture and soldered it on to a simple sterling silver band.

Oxidised and stamped with my signature ~ BDD ~ and a .925 hallmark.

The measurements:
Size approx 17 mm (US 6½)
Flower is approx 2 cm x 1,5 cm (0.8” x 0.6”)

Interview!!

2010-02-18T13:17:00.009+01:00

My Squiggly ring and Curled Hoops have been reveiwed by a fantastic blog called She's Smart and now you can also read an in-depth (cough, cough) interview with yours truly. All shall be revealed.

But that's not all.... soon you'll be able to enter a giveaway to win a gift card to be spent as you wish in Black Daisy Designs' shop. Don't miss it!

Interview HERE

Review Squiggly ring and Curled hoops HERE.

Will it ever end?

2010-02-16T18:26:00.005+01:00

I really, really ..... really want spring now. Warm winds, sunshine, green leaves, flowers., birds chirping... but nooo..... this is what I get. Icicles on a row outside my kitchen window. *le sigh*

And I'm getting seriously tired of having to wait until the weekend to shoot photos.

Bring on the light already!

Birthday girl!

2010-02-12T19:57:00.003+01:00

Daughter turned 6 years old on Tuesday and tomorrow Saturday we're having her party. Please think of me at 13.00. It'll be me, hubby and 9 screaming 4-6 year old girls. *sigh*

Hubby has been blowing up a gazillion balloons and I've been making fairy wings and fairy wands for all of them (and me ;). We're going to have a treasure hunt. But...ssshhh... don't tell her. It's a surprise. :D

Sunday will be our day for recuperate, me thinks. ;)

It's not easy selling online!

2010-02-08T17:13:00.013+01:00

Riveted stacking ring with Aquamarine

From the Etsy forums. I laughed so hard reading this list. :D

~ ~ ~

How to use this list:
Print it out. Cut each number up onto its own little slip of paper. Put them in a jar. Each day when you're wondering why you haven't sold anything, pull a slip of paper out and get your answer.

1) George W. Bush. Yup. Everything's his fault.

2) Barack Obama. Freaking socialist. Screwing up all this wonderful capitalism on Etsy.

3) The economy. Seriously people. Look around. Nobody has a job. Nobody has money. Why do they want your stuff when you have the nerve to charge them money for it in these tough times?

4) Relevancy- need I say more?

5) Recency- need I say more?

6) Resellers. Why would people buy my stuff on Etsy when they can buy Target's products here too? I mean seriously, what do I have that can compete with stuff from Target? It's so much easier for people to buy those things on Etsy than it is to just drive to their local Target.

7) Undercutters. Yes undercutters. I mean you. Everyone has their own reasons for naming a price. But I haven't seen William Shatner here so I'm pretty fricking sure this ain't Priceline. If you want to sell something that took you 22 hours to make for $10, you and I are going to have a problem. I'll meet you outside after school after the bell rings. Alone.

8) The weather. If it's hot, they don't want your stuff. If it's cold, they don't want it either. So strap yourselves in because whatever the season people ain't buyin what you're sellin.

Basic stacking ring

9) Your prices are too high. You think folks want to pay $50 for some yarn tied in a bunch of knots? I don't care if it looks like a hat. It's a bunch of yarn. In knots.

10) Your prices are too low. Hmm. That item looks like a lot of work. Why are you only charging me $5 for it? Oh, probably because you live in a crack house and have swine flu. Yeah, I don't trust it. I'm going to go buy it from someone who will charge me $20 for the same exact thing.

11) People are stupid.

12) The internet is broken. Yes. The whole internet. Call Al Gore. I heard he can fix it.

13) You're never on the front page.

14) You're never in gift guides.

15) You're never a featured seller.

16) You're never in Etsy finds.

17) No one liked you in high school.

18) They don't like you here either.

19) People need to see your items in person to appreciate them. Okay, maybe not that underwear made out of cream corn, but you know what I'm saying.

Stacking ring with Rock Crystal

20) You have your items on a gasp, real person, in your listing photos. I mean, come on. That necklace was completely sterile and free of all bacteria until you let it touch that ugh, HUMAN! Now it's no good. Sorry. Game over.

21) You are not showing your items on a human. How can I tell if those panties will look good on me when the mannequin doesn't have a spotty arse like mine? It's false advertising.

22) Your photos are too dark. Yes, yes, I know you're selling a lamp that glows in the dark. But still, your photos are just way too dark dude.

23) You need more items in your shop. Would you keep going back to Home Depot if they only had six flashlights and a pile of shingles in stock? I thought not.

24) You have too many items in your shop. I mean really, those huge stores like Walmart with tons and tons of items in tons and tons of different categories are never going to be successful. Nobody looks past the first five aisles. Oh, uh, wait...

25) Your items are aimed at too narrow of a market. I'm sure if there were more professional football players from Tasmania shopping on Etsy your tasmanian football helmets would be doing much, much better. Honest.

26) You have to go find your target market. No, I'm not going to tell you who they are or how you'll recognize them, but trust me, you have to find them. And fast.

27) Don't rely on Etsy to make your shop successful. I mean, I know we're on Etsy, and we pay money to Etsy and are here because it's well, Etsy. But yeah, don't count on them for a thing. If anything, pretend like they're working against you. You'll be better off.

28) It's a slow time of year. Maybe not for everyone else, but for you, that's the time of year it is.

29) You haven't built up enough momentum. So take all your inventory in your arms, put it in a shopping cart and send it down a hill to get some momentum going. Report back in the forums after the sales start rolling in.

30) You're not in the US. Just because people in your own country wouldn't buy it, doesn't mean that Americans are dumb enough to (hard to believe, I know).

Faceted Basic stacking rings

~ ~ ~

All the rings in this post are part of my new series of stacking rings. They'll pop up in
Black Daisy Designs soon.

Three rings and a necklace

2010-02-06T17:50:00.013+01:00

It's been a bit of a strange week. No reason in particular - just.... strange somehow. But, I did finish a few pieces. They're not listed yet, but I'll do that next week. :)

~ ~ ~

The design of the first ring hit me one night when I was just about to fall asleep. My 6yr old daughter had been talking to me about maps and I tried to explain all the different information you could get from a map - besides the obvious - how to get from site A to site B. And as I was about to fall asleep my thoughts wandered off to topography and it really took all my will-power not to get up and start working on the ring immediately. :) I have other ideas for this design, so it'll surely pop up again.

Topography of Copper - ring in layered copper with sterling silver band

~ ~ ~

I've also tried my hand on riveting. And that was FUN! I have already dug out a few more stones that will be used for riveting. Expect to simple sterling silver rings with riveted rondelles of pink opal, aquamarine, apatite (if it'll hold - brittle stone), green onyx etc etc etc....

Stacking rings with pebble and riveted pink opal

~ ~ ~

The last ring is a combo of two of my previous designs - the Tattered petal ring and the Experimental 3D pendant. To further enhance the texture on the 3D silver element I oxidised the base black but kept the 3D in shiny silver. The contrast is very intruiging.

Contrasts, stering silver ring with tattered petal and 3D element.

~ ~ ~

And finally the necklace - and I'm very proud of myself for pulling this one off. :) When I bought this Ocean Jasper I thought it was a traditional flat back cabochon.,the listing didn't say anything else. So guess if I was surprised when this lentil shaped stone landed in my mailbox. But - I decided not to fret over it and just to make it work. I've added a lovely Prasiolite (Green Amethyst) on the end of the very long chain and they complement eachother beautifully.

Ocean Medallion, old style sterling silver necklace with Ocean Jasper

Green Opal and sterling silver ring

2010-02-03T18:19:00.003+01:00

Romantic - organic
Green Opal - sterling silver
And a scalloped bezel to give the ring a slight touch of old times.

Read more and see more pictures HERE.

Vitamin shock!!

2010-02-02T20:14:00.005+01:00

Time to fill those reserves up, darling. Even if they're only visual. :)
Aren't these apples and oranges in LINEN THREAD just about perfect?
I so want to take a bite.
From Lira Designe on Etsy.

Tired

2010-02-01T12:49:00.008+01:00

So, we went away for the weekend to my PIL's and even though we had a good time, am I really happy to be home again. I've got so much to do that even a couple of days away means I have to double the effort to stay on schedule. Among many other things I:

need to take pictures of a couple of new, fun and BIG rings but I don't know if it'll be light enough for me to do so until this weekend. (Darn the dark winters in Sweden!)

want to finish up a couple of adds for Project Wonderful. I tried PW for Små Blå last year (read about the test here and the result here.) and now I'd like to do the same with BDD. Somehow I imagine silversmithed jewellery might get better visibility than wire wrapped. But hey - I'm only guessing here! LOL

Oh yes, I have some very fun things happening in the near future and I'll tell you all about it when the time comes, but let me tell you that I'm very excited. Mwahahaha.... got ya all curious now, didn't I?

And then - as always - I have a ton of different design ideas I'd like to play around with. It's just so hard to know which idea to start with. But I suppose my Muse will guide me.

And - for the icing on the "literal" cake - my daughter's turning 6yr old next week and she's going to have her first birthday party with only friends. Think of me please and send me strength. It'll be me, hubby and 10 screaming 3-6yr old girls. *head-desk* What was I thinking??

Finally - if you have some time to spare - please check out this fun blog, She's Smart - Savvy Shopping for Women. If you scroll down you'll even find my Perfect Drop necklace! Woo-hooo! :D

A lucky mistake!

2010-01-25T21:11:00.005+01:00

I made the first Autumn Copper leaf earrings almost a year ago and I've been lucky enough to sell several pairs of them. They are simple but still eyecatching, lighweight and very comfortable to wear. But I made a lucky mistake with the last pair I sold. :)

I have a little box with all my templates that I use for my "made to order" jewellery. Once the design is set I write the name on the template and toss it in the box and then when it's time to make another pair I just dig the template up. Well... to make a long story short - I used the wrong template for the last pair.

Brilliantly enough I had named them both Leaf *eye-roll* and I didn't realize I was using the wrong one until the earrings were made. So there I was, with a pair of right... but wrong earrings, ready to ship.... or not to ship, to my customer. My immediate feeling was to make a new pair - with the right template this time - but the more I looked at these wrong ones, the more I just loved the way they looked. So, I decided to let the customer choose! And guess what - she prefered the wrong ones too!!

So - here they are - the new, old Autumn Copper leaf earrings.
See more photos and read more HERE.

I need a holiday. Again.

2010-01-21T19:09:00.005+01:00

Photo by lovely Gordana from g(ART)en photography

Ok, so I unfortunately don't silversmith for a living. (Not yet anyway, I have to add that. I have to believe. I have to have faith. :) So this means I have a full time day job.
It's secure.
It's a monthly pay check.
And you get all the holidays off. Like I was this Xmas and New Year.

But when you get back to work after a couple of weeks off, you're kind of... how should I put this... umm, lazy. You want to ease into everyday business again. You want a soft and tender start. You want to stroll around the office with your mug of coffee, talking to your co-workers exchanging admirations for ones gifts and gossip about the New Year Eve's party. What did I get?

WHAM! Full blown, in between-your-eyes, phone-ringing-off-the-hook and email-extravanza kind of start. Really. I'm exhausted again! Can I PUUULLLEEEEZZZZZ have another two weeks off, please. Pretty please. With a cherry on top?

Caribbean Shores

2010-01-17T17:20:00.007+01:00

From my private collection - Caribbean Shores, sterling silver and Chrysocolla

I am so keeping this one for myself. Sorry, but I just can't let it go. BIG, heavy Chrysocolla with gorgeous colours in blue and green. Just like tropical waters. *happy sigh*

This was also my first try with sterling silver in the bezel but as sterling silver is not as flexible as fine silver, I really had to work hard to get a good fit around the stone. I do like the heavier gauge in this bezel though, so I've ordered heavier gauge fine silver sheet to make bezels from. :)

Not so Perfect

2010-01-16T10:03:00.004+01:00

Not so Perfect, sterling silver dangle hoops

As you can tell from the titel, this post is not about me. MWAHAHAHAHAH... sorry... I just couldn't resist.

I was playing with the thought a while back how far it's possible to push the irregular, not so polished look of a piece, without it looking like something the cats been playing with. And let me tell you, it's not all that easy to make something deliberately not perfect. It's very easy to slide along the scale to either making the piece too scruffy looking or ending up with something too perfect, for being a not so perfect piece. If you know what I mean.

Anyhoo... this was an experiment. It was fun. Maybe I'll do it again. Or maybe I won't. :) But you can read more and see more photos HERE.

New ring!

2010-01-12T21:35:00.006+01:00

Chocolate Drop

Sometimes you can't help yourself. Sometimes you let your palate and tummy guide you and sometimes that leads to names like Chocolate Drop. *sigh* But I couldn't help it. Because this lovely freeform Biggs Jasper really DOES look like the batter for a chocolate cake when you're starting to stir the chocolat in!! You know, you've melted the rich, dark, high quality chocolate and slowly pours it into the batter and ever so gently starts to stir.

So you see - I really couldn't help but naming it Chocolate Drop. Read more and see more photos HERE.

(Picture borrowed from spiceline.com)

But then again... I'm a nutter for anything chocolate. And in my humble opinion chocolate is one of the true high lights in life. :)

It might make me a bad mom...

2010-01-09T15:40:00.004+01:00

.... but I REALLY don't enjoy having to stay when daughter's friend from daycare is having her 5th birthday party.

I begged. I pleaded. I tried to bargain. But to no avail. Daughter would not let me leave the party. So, as the only adult there (except birthday girl's parents) I cruised the perimeter of the party, trying to look content and happy while sipping my cup of coffee , singing along and semi-particitpating in the games. Baahh.... oh well. It was only for two hours and I made my daughter happy so I suppose I can live with it. BUT I DIDN'T ENJOY IT. So there.

Beyond the Mountains, sterling silver necklace

2010-01-08T17:48:00.005+01:00

I really love Plume Agates. They feel so very ethereal and yet so very organic.

This lovely freeform Prudent Man Plume Agate with colours ranging from brown to white is no exception. The darker colours could be a mountain ridge and the paler ones the sky above. The lighter band in the middle of the stone is actually transparent so you can see the silver from the back shining through the stone when the light hits the pendant in the right direction.

Read more and see more pictures HERE.

The Flora series

2010-01-05T22:25:00.007+01:00

And so I have finally started to list my new Flora series. First out are the dangle earrings and they are just about the cutest little flowers you'll ever wear. Read more and see more photos HERE.

Next out are the post earrings and they are even cuter because they are so tiny. They are not listed yet but I will list them tomorrow probably. / Update - they are now listed and you can read more HERE.

The Flora bangle is next in line after the post earrings. I'm REALLY happy with how this turned out. I wasn't quite sure myself how to fasten the flower as i didn't want to solder it on to the bangle, but I found a solution I'm very happy with.

New earrings.... almost

2010-01-03T19:54:00.004+01:00

Medium Curled Hoop earrings

Ok, so these aren't exactly brand new... as a matter of fact I have two other pairs of these in my shop. But they are bigger and smaller. Not at the same time of course LOL.

These new ones are a medium size in heavier gauge wire and not oxidised and I have to say they are my new faves. They are so easy to throw on and I wear them almost every day.

Read more about them and see more photos HERE.

The very last post and the very last day of 2009

2009-12-31T11:49:00.005+01:00

I've been slacking. Big time! But it's really not my fault. Really... it's Sookie's fault. And Eric's. And Bill's.... *swoon*... ok ok ok... I've had sort of an unhealthy appatite for vampires lately. But what's a girl to do? Gorgeous, gorgous men... eeh... beings... umm... undead, they are. *happy grin*

But I have been creating. A little. And to proove it - a little sneek shot of the latest pieces. I'll start to list these in my Etsy shop next year. And we all know that's not that far away. Merely hours.

And for 2010's New Years resolution - I solemnly swear not to make any resolutions what so ever, as I can't keep them. But it's really not my fault! :D

HAPPY NEW YEAR
to all of you my darlings!

And all the best for 2010 to you and your dear ones!

Well... that was that

2009-12-27T00:19:00.003+01:00

Christmas 2009 - all done.

It's been a fun and relaxing Christmas in our house and I've got loads of photos to share. I got some lovely books about jewellery making and especially 'Creative Stonesetting' caught my Muse's eye.

Between all the food and the chocolates and the pressies and playing-with-all-the-new-toys I managed to finish a few rings and some items in my new Bloom series. You know, the one I talked about here. At least I THINK it's called the Bloom series, it's a working name. Anyhoo.... I finished a bangle, a pair of post earrings and a pair of dangle earrings. A necklace is next on the list.

And ... talking about chocolate... gotta go. Bye!

Winter Wonderland....

2009-12-20T17:31:00.014+01:00

This weekend in photos.
A lot of photos.

Yes, this was a good weekend. A very, very good weekend.

Snow and a strange feeling

2009-12-17T23:02:00.008+01:00

So winter has hit Sweden full force and the entire country is skidding like Bambi on ice. I'm so happy that we actually got some snow this winter .... and with a little bit of luck it'll stay over Christmas. Yeah I know... I'm probably jinxing it, but I'm still hoping. But even more important than snow is the cold. The air feels so fresh when you go out and it's a couple of degrees below zero. (And I'm talking Celsius now. ;)

And as soon as there is a few millimeters of snow .... a snowman has to be made. He looks big in this photo, but he's actually just a baby. Only about 50cm high. HEY! No laughing.... there's not THAT much snow around you know. LOL Well I think the sailor guy and the daughter did a pretty good job. He looks happy.

From our porch (you remember the new porch we built last summer and that I was writing about here?) we have an excellent view over the neighbourhood. And with the snow covering trees, bushes and streets the world goes silent. You know how it feels - like the whole world is wrapped in cotton. I love it. Makes me want to go for long walks, thinking about life. And mulled wine. Glögg.

And today we bought the tree and the sailor guy fought a loosing battle with trying to secure it on the porch until we can bring it in tomorrow or possibly on Saturday.

Oh ... and the strange feeling?? I don't have anything that needs to be done! And that - my luffleys - means I'm on schedule for Christmas!! *faints*

New pebble ring

2009-12-16T22:06:00.005+01:00

I really enjoy making these pebble rings. They can be made in so many different versions. Really, there's no eeeend to the possibilities.

Black and White Pebble ring

This one is a little stack of two pebbles on top of eachother. My first plan was to oxidise the whole ring but realized I would get so much more texture if I only oxidised the bottom one. And to get the big stone really black, I put the oxidation on.... and went shopping. I came home a few hours later and rinsed the ring off. You think it's black enough? LOL

See the black spot or cirle in the centre of the shiny pebble? That's the reflection of my camera lens. Hehehehe....

See more photos in my shop HERE.

Santa Lucia

2009-12-13T09:39:00.003+01:00

Happy Lucia to one and all.

Well, now I've gone and done it.

2009-12-12T22:06:00.010+01:00

Bragging about my new ring so much that I'm (almost) afraid to show it to you know. LOL Well... so much for getting up on high horses. But - I DO love this one. I need to figure out a support during the soldering though - the discs are slipping away like butter in a hot pan and I just about manage to keep them steady.

But all and all, I think it's a pretty little .... eehh... ehhh... what is it?? A flower? I don't know. I need to figure that out so I can name it. Suggestions will be very appreciated. :)

Four discs of sterling silver, soldered together and topped with a little pebble of fine silver. Broad half dome band.

And no, this has not been listed yet. I'm thinking of waiting with the new stuff until next year. It's not that far away you know. And with all the upcoming holidays I'm guessing people will be too busy drinking mulled wine (or egg nog), eating and frolicking around the Christmas tree to be gawking on jewellery. I know I will be anyway. :)

But I will keep my shop open all through the holidays as we're staying home this year. I'm sad not to meet my family but excited to ~finally~ be able to celebrate Christmas at home. Hence the busy schedule in previous post which by the way, is growing with two new entries for every thing I manage to take off!? What the....??

New series

2009-12-10T19:48:00.003+01:00

Remember the new series of jewellery I was brewing on? Well, I made a ring in copper a few days ago, just to try the design out and it turned out really good. Needless to say I was really pleased with my idea and today I made a ring in silver in the same design and - excuse me while I throw my head back and laugh with satisfaction - IT'S EVEN BETTER!! MWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA.......

To bad for you it's too dark to take photos. But I promise I'll do it on Saturday.

Promise.

Cross my heart and hope to die, promise.

FOOD!

2009-12-09T17:11:00.005+01:00

GAAAAHHHH..... the grocery shopping list for Christmas grows by the minute. *head-desk* And I'm guessing it won't prepare itself either. And I still haven't finished the hall. I mean ... when am I supposed to have time to create jewellery?? Pfftt.....

Time for a new list:
9 Dec - after dayjob, work in hall, scrape old paint of the walls.
10 Dec - after dayjob, cont. work in hall, scrape old paint of the walls.
11 Dec - after dayjob, cont. work in hall, scrape old paint of the walls.
12 Dec - sand and paint walls in hall
13 Dec - LUCIA!! and cont. sand and paint walls in hall
14 Dec - after dayjob, finish up in hall
15 Dec - dinner out with work
16 Dec - after dayjob, buy Christmas tree
17 Dec - after dayjob, decorate Christmas tree
18 Dec - after dayjob, breath
19 Dec - grocery shopping, buy Christmas presents, buy snaps!
20 Dec - make and fry all the meatballs, cook the ribs in oven
21 Dec - after dayjob, Oscar comes down from Stockholm. Prepare the kippled herring
22 Dec - after dayjob, buy the last Christmas presents
23 Dec - after dayjob, make the ham and the "brunkål" and the salmon. Set the table and make the house spiffy
24 Dec - CHRISTMAS EVE! The big day in Sweden and also my first day of my 11 days off!

I can feel something new brewing...

2009-12-04T23:26:00.006+01:00

.... inside me. A whole new designs series with rings, necklaces, bracelets, ear posts and ear rings. I had to try a ring... just to see if the design worked. And it did!

Now it's just that teeny tiny question of finding the time to start. But - I hear you say - you have the whole weekend to play. But alas, my sweets, I don't. First thing tomorrow morning I'm off to buy paint for our walls. Since I was sick with the flu for a week, nothing much has happened in our hall. And in case you had forgotten - IT'S CHRISTMAS IN THREE WEEKS!! Oh... sorry for shouting. I didn't mean to. It's just that I get so stressed everytime I remember it's CHRISTMAS IN THREE WEEKS!!

Anyway - we're going to get the tree in a week or two and by then I better be finished in the hall, so we can clear the living room from all the stuff that's usually in the hall, so we'll have room for the tree. You see the dilemma?

This is last year's tree. The tree that took a tumble and a fall JUST as we were finished decorating it. That's why it looks a bit bare. New baubles had to be purchased. How it fell? Well... *cough*... eeerr.... oh, did I say it's CHRISTMAS IN THREE WEEKS!!??

Today I finished a ring...

2009-12-01T21:10:00.007+01:00

... and it's a whopper of a ring. Biggest one I've ever made. And it's heavy. It sits on your finger, weighing it down and demanding the attention. And although the dendritic Agate cabochon is very subdued with it's milky white chalcedony and charcoal black dendrites, it still manages to get the attention. From you. And everyone else.

And the strangest thing about this ring - it's soft! Or perhaps smoooooooth is the right expression. No soft... eerr.... whatever it is - it's yummy to handle. The silver is buttery smooth and the polish on the Agate is like well kept porcelain and your finger tips just slides over it. SO yummy.

The Agate sits in a simple and completely handmade setting (no cheating here) and the ring band is based on my Wrapped Fern Leaf ring, so it's wide and slightly tapered and stamped with my fern and dandelion tool. (Nope, won't tell you exactly what that tool it is... it's my secret ;)

I do apologize for the chubby fingers in the photo.
As a friend of mine said - my fingers were the only ones around.

Read more and see more pictures (of ring, not chubby fingers) here.

New necklace

2009-11-29T16:52:00.009+01:00

Ok, my darlings... here is the necklace I was talking about yesterday. I finished it and I must say ... I LIKE it! :D Just have a look at this Idaho Plume Agate. It is amazing.... and I love the cloud like inclusions deep within the stone, that can be revealed by holding it up towards the light.

And the colours are gorgeous - dusky blue, okra, pale blue, brown. All mixed in unearthly feathery plumes in several layers. It really feels like a looking glass to another world. I know, I know... I'm repeating myself. But that ought to give you an inclination as to how stunning it really is.

And even though this necklace gave me head aches for several weeks and even thougth I had to remake it several times and despite the fact the stone is so mysterious .... this necklace makes me happy.

It's probably the satisfaction of success.

Early morning thoughts

2009-11-28T07:14:00.003+01:00

It's 7.15am and I've already been awake for an hour. It's still pitch black outside, the little one is playing D-D-D-D-D-Doooooora on the other computer and I'm sitting here trying to stay awake. Really, 6.15am is way too early to wake up on a Saturday morning.

Woke up feeling pretty good though. After a week in sick bed I'm so used to waking up feeling like a zombie, so today was a welcome change of pace. I'm still tired, but not tired and zombie sick! :)

And since I'm feeling better today, I've already decided I'm going to finish a piece that's been giving me a headache for several weeks. I've tried to solder it I don't know how many times but it's been fighting me every step on the way. So finally I changed the design and the stone and once I did that - I managed to solder it on my first attempt. Sometimes, I'm sure my Muse gives me an idea only to fight me on it, just to test me. To see if I've got what it takes. If I know when to persevere and when to call it a day and to trot off in another direction.

So, for the last week both setting and stone (and Muse too I'm willing to bet) have been sitting on my work bench, taunting me to come finish the piece and today is the day. It'll be simple, but big. And the stone is mesmerising. It has an unearthly air, a mythical shimmer, like a passageway to a faraway mystic place.

New ring and the flu shot

2009-11-26T18:42:00.007+01:00

I got the flu shot last Friday and Monday evening I got sick. Really sick. So for the last three days I've been laying flat on the TV sofa and I've watched enough films and shows to last me for a year. But, since I'm STILL not feeling well... *sigh*... can I look forward to another day of watching telly all day tomorrow. *grumpy*

Creating is really out of the question right now, but I do have a rather big back log I can list from and I'm starting with a ring from last week. Loooo-ooovely cabochon in this one.

Black River, sterling silver ring

I set this lovely stone in a simple, rectangle setting to really show all the beautiful matrix in the stone. And this ring is big. So be prepared to be noticed.

Secret Language - sterling silver bracelet

2009-11-22T11:20:00.002+01:00

LOOK... not a necklace. A bracelet! :) And I am VERY disappointed that it's too small for me. And since it can't be made bigger, what's a girl to do but list it in her shop? *sigh*

Secret Language - sterling silver bracelet

It's simple yet intricate, it’s lightweight yet substantial, it works for everyday use as well as for more special occasions. It’s simply wonderful.

New necklaces

2009-11-17T22:41:00.007+01:00

I've been having a necklace bonanza lately, churning out one necklace after the other. Guess I better start list them as well, huh? Especially as I now have about 5, 6, 7... rings on the way.... sheesh... how about making a little bit of everything?

Anyway - first out is Autumn Flower with a super sweet minty Aquamarine and a yummy, chocolaty frosted Smoky Quartz. Hmmm.... maybe I should've named it Minty Chocolate instead? LOL

And secondly, Experimental 3D pendant no. 3 - Moonflower with the most stunning white Moonstone. This one is a little bit more deliberate than my first ones and I continue to be amazed over the possibilities these pendants show. It is truly only my own imagination that sets the boundries.

Renovating the hall

2009-11-15T17:21:00.002+01:00

Ok, I am SO over this renovation now. The sanding dust is everywhere. And my fingers are cut and scratched and LOOK... my hair is turning grey...ish.

My new bag

2009-11-13T22:23:00.007+01:00

Tres fabulous!! I am so darn happy with this baby it's ridiculous. From US/Thailand located seller Jennifer from Zhen U.N Leathers.

It's a lovely photo but the bag is even better in real life. It is so beautiful. And it smells yummy of leather and it's big and sturdy (yet soft) and it sits great on the shoulder and it fits my coat and boots perfectly. *happy sigh*

Update 091114
Just took the bag out for the first time... *happy happy happy* It sat like glued to my shoulder and even though it has some weight, I hardly felt it. Seriously - this has to be the best bag EVER!

(photo: proporty of zhenunleathers)

New long earrings in BDD

2009-11-12T22:48:00.009+01:00

Hot Pink and Citrus earrings/post s

Citrine and hydrothermal sapphires

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love long earrings. I love the way they look, they way they can lift a rather simple outfit and I love the way they feel, dangling from my ears. So very feminine! So very sexy.

Posts made from hand cut sterling silver sheet, a little sterling silver wire, a couple of fine silver pebbles and a lot of love.

Flying High earrings/posts

Sky Blue Topaz and Amethysts

How not to write descriptions

2009-11-09T19:11:00.012+01:00

Yesterday I pulled myself together and decided to write descriptions for all the new pieces I haven't listed yet. I pulled out the laptop, positioned myself on the living room sofa and started to write abou...

- MOOOOOOMMMMMM.... I wanna dance ballet!

*sigh*

- Ok, find a CD and we'll pop in the player so you can dance.

She finds a CD with mixed Baroque music and starts it up. The house is immediately filled with beautiful music and she starts to twirl around the living room.

I - on the other hand - place myself once again on the sofa to continue with my descriptions for all the.... *scratch scratch scratch*.... ehh... for all the ne...*scratch scratch* FOR ALL THE NEW ITEMS I'M ABOUT TO LIST. *scratch scratch scratch scratch* Oh for heaven's sake.... two yellow eyes are staring at me, very angrily from the other side of the patio door. Allright, allright I'm coming.... le door is open pour vous, Mr Cat-Diva extrordinare.

Ok, where was I? Oh yes... descriptions. Ok, let's see... I'm going to write descriptions for all of them so how about I just grab one and get going? Perfect.

*shuffle shuffle*

Hmm.... my newest necklace with a Mexican Lace Agate. I really do love that stone. I wonder if he has more listed... maybe I should go an... NOOOO... stay put and write woman!! Ok, here we go. Name....ummm..... ummmm.....mmmm.... I've been thinking about waves... and edges and...

...

....

...

*sigh*

...

Edges something....

....

waves....

...hang on.... something's moving in the back of my head....eehh... WHAT? ..... what are you doing up there Mr Cat. Get down.

ALLRIGHT... Walking Along the Edge... YES.... that's perfect. I'll start with writing abut this Agate I love so much and... I wonder if he has any more? I bet he could make one for me if.... FOCUS!!

"It was love at first sight for me when I saw this Mexican Lace Agate. I just had to have it and whe...."

-HUNNY!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHERE WE PUT THAT THING???

*head-desk*

- WHAT THING?

- Huh?

- I SAID WHAT THING??

- Oh never mind. Found it!

*teary eyes, biting lips*

I will write these descriptions if it is the last thing I ever do. So here we go:

And then I sat silently for about 1½ hours and wrote my descriptions while baroque music filled our house and the little one danced and danced.

Walking Along the Edge, sterling silver necklace

2009-11-08T20:41:00.007+01:00

It was love at first sight for me when I saw this Mexican Lace Agate. I just had to have it and when it arrived home it was even prettier then the photos showed. The delicate waves and tiny dots of the stone, the subdued colours and its polish are perfect. To me.

Read more and see more photos here.

Oh and.... I will take a photo of me wearing this necklace but bad hair day do not encourage model shots. Seriously... you should be glad.

Some new items in Små Blå

2009-11-07T09:42:00.009+01:00

I've had a few pair of earrings and some necklaces for sale on another sales venue and I'm now moving them into Små Blå on Etsy and the closing sale. So don't miss to check back in Små Blå.

Shopping

2009-11-04T21:20:00.003+01:00

Today after I picked Sigrid up at the daycare, we went down to the grocery store as I had to post a package and buy some female stuff, you know.... pads. This is what happened.

Us, as we're passing through the doors.
Sigrid: -ARE WE GONNA BUY ANYTHING?
Me: Just one thing and then we're going to post this package to Joanne and you don't have to shout Sigrid. I'm right here.
S: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BUY?
Me: Ummm.... just a thing I need
S: WHERE IS IT?
Me: It's over here

We walk over to the hygien section and I pick up a package of pads and then we continue over to the cashier to pay. There's a line. An ALL MALE line. So we get to end of it and wait for our turn.

Us in line.
S: BUT WHAT IS THAT?
Me in slightly hushed voice: Just things I need
S: ARE YOU GOING TO USE IT?
Me: Yes
S: BUT.... HOW DO YOU USE IT?

Here I- for some unknown reason - decided to take control over the situation and get a grip. It's just pads for heaven's sake, right?!

Me: Well... you could say I use it as diapers. (yes, I actually did say that... *sigh*)
Now Sigrid's eyes are just about to pop out as she looks at me and then at the package.

S: AS DIAPERS!!??
Me. Yes, well almost you kinda...... faiding off.....getting very interested in a 3-for-2 offer.
S: LEMME SEE!!

I hand her the package and she turns it over and around and she looks at the pictures, looks at me and then looks at the package again.

S: MOOOOM.... IS IT LIKE BAND-AID?
Me. Yes, kinda.... for grown-ups...

I'm finally at the counter and can pay for the pads and the postage for the package to Joanne.

Us walking out.... but just before we actually exit
S: MOOOOM.... ARE YOU GOING TO USE IT NOW??

Computers and new goodies

2009-11-03T18:25:00.010+01:00

So the sailor defragmentized my computer on Sunday and gave it an overhaul and some TCL. Which was good because now it starts faster then you can say "defragmentized your computer on a Sunday" .... however.... he did not have time to install Photoshop - which I can NOT live without - but sweet as my darling is, he promised to fix it on Monday evening when he got back home from work.

Yeeeaah...... about that....

Monday morning he calls me at work and tells me "Hunny, I'm not coming back home until Thursday evening... sorry. We're going out to sea for a couple of days." *head-desk*

Good thing for him he looks smashing in his uniform.

And good thing for him they're out to sea or I'd drive down to the docks and drag him ashore and back home to install Photoshop for me. *picture me annoyed*

So here I am.... with photos of new goodies that needs to be edited but with no tools to do it with. Grrr.....

All Saints Day

2009-11-01T21:36:00.004+01:00

We don't really celebrate Halloween in Sweden, we celebrate All Saints Day. We light candles on the graves in rememberance of dear ones that has passed on. But Halloween is - without question - banging on our doors fighting to get in and I suppose it's just a matter of time before we adopt that celebration. Sigrid did her best to increase the Halloween decorations in the house. She didn't think my ceramic carved pumpkin was enough.

Please meet - from left to right: a sailor's anchor, Teeny-Tiny baby sister Ghost (laying down), Big sister Ghost, Mama Ghost, Papa Ghost, the haunted house and Papa Tombstone. (The rest of the family Tombstone - Teeny-Tiny sister, Big sister and Mama Tombstone) was being created as the photo was taken.)

When it got dark we decided to take an evening walk. Down to the cemetary. No, we're not thrill seekers. We wanted to see all the candles on the graves. It's always so beautiful and serene to walk among all those flickering lights. (click on photos for larger images)

And above us, the Man in the Moon was watching.

Bohemian revelations

2009-10-31T14:28:00.010+01:00

A few weeks back I made a revelation about myself.

I was feeling particularly grumpy and annoyed. I was annoyed and to tell the truth, sick and tired of all the perfect people around me. You know, perfect people in perfect little houses that they re-model perfectly every few years, with perfect children and perfect gardens. With perfect fridges and freezers always filled with perfectly healthy - yet yummy - food, throwing perfect little parties where everyone gets just perfectly tipsy and no-one too drunk and still manages to be up and clean the house again at the crack of dawn. You know, THOSE people.

And I was feeling grumpy because I don't care about stuff like that. My house is not perfect but it is (I hope and think) very homely and relaxed. It's not tidy and we have piles of magazines and books and drawing papers all over and in the corners dust bunnies live. I don't have perfectly healthy food in my freezer and fridge, yet we do not starv and we're not malnourished. Daughter goes to daycare some days in clothes with *gasp* stains on them. But she is a happy, creative little girl anyway. And when we throw parties... we all have a blast and everyone gets too drunk. And we NEVER get up in the crack of dawn to tidy the house up. We tidy the house up... eventually.

So, there I was grumpy and annoyed when all of a sudden it dawned upon me! The reason that I don't care about these things that other people seem to find sooo important.

I am a bohemian!

As soon as "labeled" myself it all made perfect sense and I felt how my grumpiness disappeared. I'm a bohemian. I don't live and follow conventional rules. I live the way I want to live. Not how I want other people to think I live and I frankly don't give a frack how other people feel about me. Especially if the feelings are negative.

With this new revelation I walked around for a couple of weeks, musing and feeling pretty darn good about myself. Then this morning, I decided to share this with my husband. So, after breakfast I started to talk to him. I talked about "perfect people" and their lives and compared it to our lives. I built up a pretty strong introduction and as I drew closer to the big Revelation I was imagining his surprise. When the moment came, he was busy clearing the table after breakfast and putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher. And so... I dropped the bomb:
- .... so darling, I've realized I'm a bohemian!!

And I swear, he didn't even look up from the dishwasher. He just said:
- Yeah I know and....?

WTH?? HE KNEW!! I didn't know. How could he know??

And then he continued to tell me I had always shown traces of being one, but ever since I (and this was so sweet).... ever since I became an artist (yes, he said "konstnär" which is the Swedish word for artist) the previous traces had evolved to be more prominent features and now HE even labeled me as a bohemian. Well... talk about revelation!

So there you have it my friends. I am a bohemian. And pretty darn proud of it.

PS. But I solemnly swear never ever to start drinking Absinthe. Nasty drink... *shudders*

Back to business....

2009-10-30T15:33:00.006+01:00

So for the last week my 15yr old son, Oscar, who lives with his dad far far ... way too far away from me, has been visiting. This meant things got somewhat on hold here, especially with Black Daisy as the 50% sale in Små Blå is well under way. But, now son's gone back home again... *sigh* and we're back to normal again. Whatever that means. :P

Today I listed the Aqua necklace. A lovely, simple little necklace with a gorgeous Nacozari Turquoise in a bright aqua blue colour with a little matrix. Really, quite beautiful.

Små Blå CLOSING SALE - 50% off!

2009-10-26T16:54:00.018+01:00

Yup... after much deliberation I have decided to close my Små Blå shop. It feels very sad, but I want to focus on Black Daisy Designs and the silversmithing.

So, starting immediately, EVERYTHING in Små Blå is 50% off!!. I will start to update all the prices but it will probably take a little while for me to do so. So if you want something not marked with CLOSING SALE, just go ahead as usual with purchase but wait for a revised invoice from me.

(Items already in sale section and shipping not included.)

I'm dreaming...

2009-10-25T19:59:00.006+01:00

... of a white Superellips dining table by Bruno Mathsson
with a large, thick, white rya rug underneath.

Yeah, I know. A white rug like that under a dining table??

Hey... I did say I was dreaming, wasn't I.

Experimental 3D pendants

2009-10-24T10:59:00.008+02:00

Experimental 3D pendant no. 1 - Sakura

Lately I've been experimenting with a combination of fusing and soldering silver. I've wanted to do this for a long time, but my torch just didn't cut it. To do what I wanted to do, required quite a lot of silver and my torch was simply too weak. But a couple of weeks ago I bought a new stronger and more importantly HOTTER torch. It's still a small hand helt butane torch but SO much better than the old one, that I actually was able to start with my experiments.

Working in silver means not only creating pieces of jewellery but also producing lots of silver scraps. A snip here and a snip there and before you know it, you have bags of cut off silver wire ends and corners of silver sheet. From this pile of silver scraps the Experimental series was born.

Experimental 3D pendant no. 2 - Dancing

The idea was to fuse scraps to create very unique and free form pendants that would be - along with some more structural soldering - (hopefully) pleasing to the eyes.

When you fuse silver scraps in layers you never know what you'll get in the end and the hardest part is to know when you 're done and it's time to remove the fire. My firsts attempts were anything but successful and after heating the silver too much I ended up melting it all to pebbles instead. (Expect to see several new Pebble rings in my Black Daisy shop soon. ;) But when you do it right - you have created a completely unique 3D image in silver and it's all up to you and your imagination to find some structure in the chaos.

My first two pendants in the Experimental series are Sakura and Dancing. And I know, it takes a lot of imagination to see cherry blossoms and a couple dancing, but once you do it's hard to see anything else. These two will soon be listed in Black Daisy Designs here

2009-10-23T18:43:00.003+02:00

Moving, sterling silver and Owyhee Picture Jasper ring

At first I was at a loss with how to set this lovely Owyhee Picture Jasper in soft teal and burnt umbra. I scribbled and sketched but nothing seemed to work. Not until the cabochon accidentally landed on my work table, beside some sterling silver pebbles that I’d hammered flat.

More in my shop, here.

Autumn, bad news and being prolific

2009-10-21T13:52:00.007+02:00

Autumn is keeping its grip on me. Everywhere I look I see traces of the past summer and I'm dreading the winter to come. Maybe because I got some bad family news earlier?

I don't feel comfortable talking about it here yet, but I do know it's going to get rough the coming months and the need to vent might spill over here. Please bear with me if/when I do so. ♥

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I've been quite prolific this week - if I may say so myself - and have several pieces ready to be listed. It's just a question of descriptions and editing photos. *sigh* Anyone voluenteering?

And yes yes... I know - for those of you who do this full time, these few items are probably a day's worth for you ... but since I only have a few hours every night to work, I'm feeling pretty darn pleased with myself. ;)

Finally - I'm going to try to model my jewellery myself more than before.
(And NOT to be afraid to show my face... but thank God for PhotoShop... LOL)

I think it shows the jewellery off so much better when you can see it on a person. The really hard thing is to take the photos. My sailor and I have slightly different ideas of how to shoot a good photo so I need to do it myself. *cough*

HEY... know what I need? I need one of those "press-the-button-extensions". You know, you plug your camera to a cord with a button on the end and when you press it the camera takes a photo. Now... where to find one of those?? Hmmm....

Autumn melancholy

2009-10-19T19:09:00.008+02:00

Today autumn hit me full force with it's beautiful melancholy.
I just want to sit still... alone and think about nothing.
I want to take a break from the mundane everyday and escape to a more beautiful place.

I need to stop for a moment and breath.
I need to stop and listen.
To me.

New in Black Daisy

2009-10-16T18:37:00.002+02:00

Halo, sterling silver post earrings

Sweet little post earrings with a little fine silver pebble surrounded by a halo.

I cut out two little discs from sterling silver sheet and made two pebbles of my fine silver scraps. I cupped the discs slightly and soldered the ear sticks and the little fine silver pebbles to it before oxidising and polishing.

Egg thief

2009-10-10T10:23:00.013+02:00

Our two zebra finches - Bengt and Catrin - are laying eggs. LOTS of eggs. And we really don't want any baby birds so all we can do is to pick the eggs out again and agin and again. Something that REALLY upsets Catrin. It's just heart breaking to see her jump around in the cage, tweeting and calling out. (I'm sure she's calling us egg thiefs.)

Something has to be done, but what?? With a strike of genious ... oh alright... maybe not so much genious more of a crafter's brain doing what it does best - recognizing a problem and immediately tries to solve it (in a crafty way, of course. :P) I realized I had to fool them. Said and done, off I went to the craft store and bought myself some white Cernit clay. I've never used this stuff before - I'm not much of a clay person - but by golly, I wouldn't let that stop me. Daughter bought bright pink clay... she made snow men out of that.

Back home we got working - daughter with said snowmen - and me making white Cernit clay eggs. *patting myself on shoulder for super smart idea* They weren't all that hard to make and after 25min in oven they were ready. (In the photo my fake eggs are the ones in the back and the two in the front are the real deal. The yellow tint is the egg yolk.)

Now... all we had to do was to wait for the next time Catrin started to lay eggs. And today, was the day. Boldy I closed in on the cage, opened the door, paid no attention to the two shreeking birds and quietly lifted the nest out off the cage. Sure enough, three eggs laid there exposed to my cruelty. I removed the eggs and replaced them with my own hand made porcelain eggs (now marked with a little blue dot to avoid mix-ups) and put the nest back and we waited to see if they bought it.
Me thinks she looks pretty content. Very cocky expression in her eyes, though. Ferocious animals.

I wonder...

2009-10-08T22:25:00.005+02:00

I've been thinking about a newsletter for ages and I still haven't done anything about it. The original plan was to send a letter out one or two times per month and in each give readers a heads-up for new upcoming designs, if any items were moved to the sale section, inform about giveaways etc.

Do you think it's a good idea? Do you read newsletters you get from different sellers/companies/organisations? I'm asking because I honestly don't know how I feel myself.

So my darlings, help me out. Drop me comment and tell me your inner feelings about this subject. :)

2009-10-04T15:46:00.009+02:00

Still Waters, sterling silver and Kyanite ring

Ok, may I humbly say that I LOVE this ring and I am very very happy with it?

This stunning bright blue Kyanite – with its slightly rough surface – is really a bead that I’ve set with a simple broad bezel on to a sawed out sterling silver oval. I filed and sanded the setting excessively so that the solder border between the sheet and the bezel wire would disappear and only leave a smooth wall.

Oxidised and then polished to high shine.

The measurements
Size 17 mm (US 6½)
The setting is just over 2cm (0.7”) long and 1,1 cm (0.43”) wide
The ring shank is 4mm wide

New in Små Blå

2009-10-04T08:55:00.002+02:00

Distant Dream, wire wrapped earrings

Long and sleek - but those lovely keishi freshwater pearls with their amazing lustre soften it all up! The keishis sit in a little cluster above stunning smooth smoky quartz nuggets, on my own handmade headpins. Above them the long double wrapped elements hangs from handmade ear wires and make the earrings move the most delicious way when you move.

Total length 6 cm (2.4")

New in Black Daisy Designs

2009-09-30T21:47:00.002+02:00

In all its simplicity, this is one of those necklaces I just took an immediate fancy to. So much actually, I kept the first one I made and I still use it almost every day. It’s - simply - the perfect everyday necklace.

A stunning drop shaped Labradorite is bezel set on a hand sawed drop of sterling silver. It hangs from a simple sterling silver chain that closes with a sterling silver lobster clasp.

Oxidised and polished.

The measurements:
Total length 51cm (20”)
Labradorite cab is 16x12mm and the total drop of pendant is 2,5cm (1”) incl. ring bail.

New ring from Black Daisy Designs

2009-09-22T17:32:00.006+02:00

Clear Blue Day ring

A sweet Blue Lace Agate cabochon is set in a fine silver bezel. I soldered the bezel on to a sterling silver bottom rectangle and added a couple of sterling silver discs on each side and by that giving it an ever so slight touch of art deco. The setting is soldered on to a half dome sterling silver band approx. 4mm wide

Oxidised and polished.

The measurements:
Fits a size 18mm (US size 8)
The Blue Lace Agate is approx. 12x12mm

New OOAK necklace

2009-09-22T06:38:00.006+02:00

Echinacea Purpurea wire wrapped necklace

I get these crazy ideas sometimes. Ideas that grow into monster projects that consume all my time for days and days. The Echinacea necklace is such an idea. I’ve been doing these wrap-around-the-neck necklaces for some time now but decided I wanted to take them one step further… and so I did by trying to emulate the Echinacea Purpurea – another of my favourite flowers.

Using 90cm (3ft) of 14ga sterling silver wire I shaped the neck piece and the flower separately from each other and then wrapped them together using over 36 meters (118ft) of hair thin 30ga sterling silver wire. After the frame had been completely wrapped - except for the little hammered piece of wire that’ll drop down in your cleavage - I continued with “painting” the flower. For the centre button I used hand cut and hand polished amber coloured Hessonite Garnet and for the petals sweet and sparkly Mystic Pink Quartz. (Mystic Pink Quartz is not Rose Quartz but coated clear Quartz and the pink colour comes from the mystic coating.) To create some interest and movement in the petals I added a couple of spots with tiny 2mm smooth Rhodolite Garnet rounds.

As always - this style of necklace is exceedingly comfortable and you barely notice it when you wear it. I actually forgot I was wearing this one, when I was setting up my “studio" for taking photos of it. When I was ready to start shooting I couldn't find it and it took me a few minutes before I realized I was still wearing it. *cough* Embarrassing but true.

Oxidised and polished.
Registered shipping included in price.

The measurements:
Will fit any size neck.
Flower - approx. 12 cm (wide 4.7”) wide.
From centre neck to end of “tail” - approx. 26 cm (10.25”)

I Am Strong!

2009-09-20T20:29:00.003+02:00

Affirmation ring, I Am Strong in sterling silver and Labradorite

Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

If you can persuade yourself day after day that you are too thick, too thin, too tall, too short, too stupid … then you can tell yourself you are strong, beautiful, smart and plain awesome. It’s just a matter of choosing different words. This ring is made to help you remember those words, so that you before long will see what everyone else is already seeing - a strong, beautiful, smart and plain awesome person.

An amazing Labradorite with fantastic blue flash is set in fine silver bezel on a sterling silver oval. I sawed out the oval from a sheet of sterling silver, sanded it buttery smooth and then soldered the bezel on to it. The ring shank is made from heavy gauge sterling silver wire.

The measurements:

Will fit a size 17,5mm (US size 7.25)

Labradorite is 13x18 mm and the bottom oval is 22x17mm.

~ ~ ~

http://www.blackdaisydesigns.etsy.com

Vampire Smurf

2009-09-19T19:31:00.001+02:00

Look what I found in the toy store today!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA......
And yes... I bought it. I just had to. :D

50 sapphires

2009-09-16T19:22:00.010+02:00

I've got two older sisters and on Friday the middle one, Lena, is turning 50 years old. Early tomorrow morning she's leaving for a birthday trip to Svalbard and I so wish we could come along with her, but alas... not this time.

I did send her a special birthday gift. Let's hope she likes it.
And that she isn't reading my blog tonight!! LOL

New bracelet in BDD

2009-09-12T14:57:00.003+02:00

Coccoon - sterling silver and pearls bracelet

11 big, bold and beautiful freshwater pearls on a row, nestled between discs of sterling silver.

I cut the discs from a sheet of sterling silver and sanded them all silky smooth before dapping them to a domed shape. I continued with wrapping the pearls between the domed discs and finished the bracelet with a simple lobster clasp.

The pearls are approx. 9-10mm across and with a gorgeous steely pink nacre. There are some very minor pits and ridges but nothing that reduces the overall beauty of these wonderful pearls.

Oxidised and then hand polished for shine.

The measurements:
Fits a wrist size 17,5cm (6.9”).

New earrings in Black Daisy!

2009-09-10T20:57:00.003+02:00

Kiwi Juice earrings

Flawless smooth 6mm cabochons of luscious green Peridot are set with fine silver bezel on to sterling silver discs that I cut out from a sheet of sterling silver. These Peridot cabochons are truly lovely - they look like little green drops of Kiwi juice.

The discs hang from sterling silver round ear wires.

Oxidised and then hand polished to high shine.

The measurements:
Total drop 3cm (1.2”)
Width of discs 13mm.

New in Black Daisy Designs

2009-09-06T19:07:00.003+02:00

Copper Discs bracelet

I really love this bracelet. It feels great on your arm and then there is that noise it makes! Like a soft clanking, not intrusive, but just enough to remind you that you are wearing it.

I cut a total of 30 three different sized discs out from a copper sheet and sanded each of them to a buttery smooth surface. They were then attached to a chunky copper chain that closes with a handmade clasp.

This bracelet is not treated in anyway and that means it will oxidise in time. You can see signs in the photos that the oxidation already has started. It will with time darken to a lovely brownish colour, but how dark and when is something for you to reveal. Right now it sits in a sealed zip lock bag to prevent it from oxidising too much, before it finds its new home.

The measurements:
Will fit just about any wrist up to 22,5 cm (9”).

New in Små Blå

2009-09-06T18:41:00.004+02:00

Monogrammed Medallion "A"

A unique gift for someone special or perhaps something for yourself?

A hand shaped circle of sterling silver wire was gently hammered and then wrapped with thin sterling silver wire. I filled it to the brim with lovely faceted rondelles of Garnet that sparkles with soft hints of pink among the red. The Garnet is wrapped to a dome shape and acts as the backdrop for – in this case – a hand shaped letter A . The medallion hangs from a silky smooth sterling silver snake chain. Oxidised and then hand polished.

This necklace can be made with gemstone and letter of your choice.

Front page of Etsy!

2009-09-05T13:01:00.003+02:00

YES... I was on the frontpage last night with Deep within the Kaleidoscope.
THANK YOU Ginger for letting me know and saving a screen dump for me. Mwah!
~ ~ ~

added note 6/9-09 - AND TODAY IT SOLD!!!

And the winners are......

2009-08-31T21:18:00.007+02:00

Hear ye, hear ye ... the giveaways are closed. The winners have been randomly selected by using www.random.org and the time to reveal them has come.

But first - I really want to thank each and everyone of you for participating in my giveaways. It's been huge fun reading all your sweet comments and I really wish you all could win. :) But, that is unfortunately not possible so without any further a do...

For the Små Blå giveaway

The winner of the Blue Shells earrings is APRIL!!!

~~ ♥ ~~

And for the Black Daisy Designs giveaway

The winner of the Lunaris earrings is
SU from Il Mare Atelier.

~~ ♥ ~~

Congratulations to you both!!

You will receive an email from me and as soon as I know where to send your new earrings they will be on their way.

~~ ♥ ~~

And as I said previously - these were my first giveaways ever and I've quite enjoyed it. I've learned a few things and I think I will try this again a little bit later this autumn. So, be sure to pop in once and a while. You never know - you might be the next winner.

Luv you all!

Are people completely nuts?

2009-08-30T15:29:00.006+02:00

So I went to the pharmacy this morning. I was a bit early and they hadn't open yet so I stood in line with a few others. I was number three in that line. But just as they were opening the doors, people started to pour in from all over the place and scrambled to get a good position in front of the doors. So, once the doors were open, quite a few number of people were rushing in through the doors. And now the madness began. In a mass hysteria all of these people tried to reach the queueing-number-machine-thingy first and they shoved eachother and pushed eachother aside to get there first.

Maybe I'm a snob, but situations like that is such a turn off for me. I get very annoyed and as I find it so demeaning acting like that I really can't understand people that do. Who are they? What do they do? Aren't they embarrassed?

But the best was yet to come.

As I - with some ill feigned dignity to keep my spot in the line - reached the machine and was about to push the button... a man PUSHED MY HAND ASIDE AND PUSHED THE BUTTON BEFORE ME!!! WTH???

If he'd known me he probably wouldn't have done that. But he didn't know me and that gave me a rare oppurtuntiy to scold an entire store with people and to accuse them of not being adults. The respons from the crowd?? Nerveous giggles.

Oh, they knew they were wrong and I was right.

It felt good.

Last two days of my Giveaways!!

2009-08-29T12:49:00.002+02:00

Don't forget to enter yourself in my giveaways. They are open until 31st August 2009 so you still have two more days. The earrings below are up for grabs! Just click the photos or the text below to come to the giveaways.

The Black Daisy Designs giveaway

The Små Blå giveaway

Golden Disc, sterling silver and brass ring

2009-08-26T19:11:00.002+02:00

An architectural ring made from sterling silver and brass.

I sawed out both the sterling silver square and the brass disc and then stamped the silver square to give it some texture and for depth I gave it a slightly domed shape. I continued to hammer the brass disc for texture and irregular edges and then dapped in to a domed shape and soldered it onto the silver square.

I oxidised the whole ring and gave it a good polish.

The measurements
Silver square: 19x21mm
Size: approx. 19mm (US size 8.75)

The Chestnut Tree

2009-08-23T14:16:00.003+02:00

From our dining room table I have a clear view of a beautiful chestnut tree in our garden. I follow it all year round - from the cold winter with its bare, frozen branches, in to spring when the first green starts show, when its white plumes of flowers are buzzing with foraging insects and on to late summer when the chestnuts are green on the outside, but still white on the inside.

We are now getting close for the chestnuts to fall to the ground, hoping to find a place to settle down. Unless, one little girl who lives in the house – no, not me, my daughter :) - picks the round, prickly nuts and pries them open to pick out the lovely, smooth treasures hidden within. She does that. A lot! And all the chestnuts she picks - ends up in a big bowl on our dining room table with a clear view of the beautiful chestnut tree they once fell from.

The tree is made from two layers of sterling silver sheet soldered onto each other. The top layer has holes cut out and in those holes I soldered round “chestnuts” of fine silver to the bottom layer. The pendant hangs from simple sterling silver chain that closes with a lobster clasp.

The whole piece is oxidised and then polished to high shine.

The measurements:
The tree is approx. 4cm (1.6”) long incl. bail and 2,5cm (1”) wide.
The chain is 45,5cm (18”) long.

~ ~ ~
Available here in Black Daisy Designs.

Giveaways!

2009-08-22T08:33:00.005+02:00

Don't forget to enter yourself in my giveaways. They are open until 31st August 2009 so you still have some days left. The earrings below are up for grabs!

The Black Daisy Designs giveaway

The Små Blå giveaway

Drip Drops, sterling silver earrings

2009-08-19T18:31:00.003+02:00

Drip Drops, sterling silver earrings

One perfect drop spiralling downwards until it remains hanging, softly swinging in the wind. Glistening and gleaming in the sun.

With 18ga sterling silver wire I coiled the spiralling path of the smooth pale blue Chalcedony drop. These briolettes are wonderful – the polish is fantastic so they really do gleam and glisten like a drop of water.

Total drop approx. 3,5 cm (1.4”)

Autumn Copper Leaves earrings

2009-08-17T18:26:00.005+02:00

I know, I know, I know... it's too early to talk about autumn. I know... and personally I still crave long, hot days. Preferably spent flat on my back with a cool drink within reach. But, the sad truth is... some trees here, are already starting to show a change in their colours. Not much. Just ever so slightly. But still...

Hand sawed copper leaves that are sanded silky smooth and then soldered on to a sterling silver wire that continous up as the earwire. The leaves edges are slightly curved upwards, creating depth not only in shape but also in colour.

Total drop 5,5 cm (2.2")

Available in my Black Daisy Design shop.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

2009-08-16T09:54:00.009+02:00

And the Birthday Sale is closed!
Same thing next year?? OK. I think we can do that. ;)

Dapping block!!

2009-08-15T00:34:00.005+02:00

Look what I found in my mailbox today. :D
He he he.... well an early Happy Birthday to me! Now - excuse me... I need to go dap something.

End of the Summer Vacation Big Giveaway for Black Daisy Designs

2009-08-11T19:15:00.012+02:00

Since summer vacation is over for this year *cries* and I've open up the shops again, I was thinking this would be an excellent time to do a giveaway. Well.. TWO giveaways actually. I'm doing one for Små Blå and one for Black Daisy Designs and for each giveaway, one pair of earrings from the shop is up for grabs. Both giveaways will run until Monday 31th August 2009.

This is the Black Daisy Designs giveaway
(you'll find the Små Blå giveaway in a seperate post)

Lunaris - long sterling silver earrings

Looong, dangly earrings in matte sterling silver. The silver discs were cut from a sheet of silver and then carefully sanded to a satin finish. I gave them a slight domed shape and hung them from long silver chains and modern style handmade French hooks and finished it off by giving the earrings a good polish. Total drop 7,5 cm (2,95”)

So what do you have to do? Well, not so much really. Anyone of the below actions will get you one entry in to the giveaway... so there is actually the possibility to get 5 entries, as in 5 chances, to win the Lunaris earrings.
Please leave each in a seperate comment under this blog post.

Go to my shop Black Daisy Designs and pick a favourite among my listings and make a comment here which item it is and why.
Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and then make a comment with a link back to your post.
Twitter / Plurk about this giveaway
Follow my blog
Purchase something from Black Daisy Designs and comment with a link to the item.

Make sure your email address is valid and/or post the address in the comment.

Giveaway ends Monday August 31, 2009 at 18.00 Central European Time. One winner will be randomly picked with the www.random.org.

What??? You don't know what time it is at your place at 18.00 Central European Time?? Tsss....ok, have a look at this World Clock Converter. ;)

Pssst.... the 16th August is my birthday and there might be - or not - a little sale in my shop. You never know with things like these so.... ssssshhhh.......

End of the Summer Vacation Big Giveaway for Små Blå

2009-08-11T18:40:00.008+02:00

This is the Små Blå giveaway
(you'll find the Black Daisy Designs giveaway in a seperate post)

Blue Shells - wire wrapped sterling silver earrings with Sky Blue Topaz

Yes - these little darlings can be yours!
The earwire is one of my crossover French hook / post earring (but without the nut) that has been carefully wrapped with hair thin wire. Below the swirls of the sea shell, a gorgeous Sky Blue Topaz dangles.... like a drop of sea water, still clinging on to the shell.
Total drop 3cm (1.20") from top of shell.

So what do you have to do? Well, not so much really. Anyone of the below actions will get you one entry in to the giveaway... so there is actually the possibility to get 5 entries, as in 5 chances, to win the Blue Shells.
Please leave each in a seperate comment under this blog post.

Go to my shop Små Blå and pick a favourite among my listings and make a comment here which item it is and why.
Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and then make a comment with a link back to your post.
Twitter / Plurk about this giveaway
Follow my blog
Purchase something from Små Blå and comment with a link to item.

Before and After

2009-08-09T14:35:00.007+02:00

(Photo taken 29th May 2009 when we'd just started with the work)

(Photo taken 8th August 2009)

Well.... I guess some hard work really do pay off. I am in love with our new porch. It is perfect. Almost. :) Next year we will continue on the grass below the stairs and lay a deck there too, and that is actually how the original drawings from 1961 of the house was drawn up - with one big veranda on the back. I guess they changed their minds during the building of the house.

OPEN!!

2009-08-07T09:40:00.001+02:00

Hear Ye, hear Ye...... The shops are all open again! I'll start to upload new items this weekend and then the giveaway will start next week. Be sure not to miss it. :)

Giveaway in August

2009-08-04T11:56:00.005+02:00

(My daughter's birthday loot this year.)

Ok, so from the poll I had about doing a giveaway when I re-open the shops after my vacation, it became obvious you want to have two different giveaways. (Why am I not surprised?? :P)
76% voted for two giveaways and 23% voted for one combined.

So... so be it. Two giveaways it is and both shall be posted here in the blog. Now - the shops open up again on Friday 7th August but I want to take some time to add new items and to "freshen up" the stores before I start to promote, so the giveaways will probably start sometime next week. I'll keep you updated here what happens.

Last week!!

2009-08-03T13:34:00.006+02:00

Oh dear.... this is my last week of my summer vacation. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.... Guess I'll be busy fighting off the work angst that will accumulate during the coming days. As usual.

Why is it so hard to really enjoy your last vacation week? Why do I dwell on the fact that I'll be working next week? And why do I always do that? Year after year after year?? I need to get a grip and stop this nonsense and to start enjoying these few precious lazy-with-no-obligations-days I have left.

So there.... now I'll go make myself a LARGE latte and a nice tomato, lettuce and ham sandwich and place myself out on the deck with my sketch pad. Keeping one eye on daughter in the pool and one eye on the pad. Maybe I'll be able to think up some new designs. Maybe I won't. But it's still vacation so I don't care. :D

Purple Martini

2009-08-02T16:26:00.006+02:00

Purple Martini earrings from Små Blå.

Wire wrapped sterling silver and faceted rectangles of deep purple Amethyst and one hot pink hydrothermal Sapphire.
(More photos in my shop when I re-open after my vacation, Friday 7th August.)

Sneak Peak #3

2009-07-31T11:50:00.002+02:00

Lunaris earrings from Black Daisy Designs
Sterling silver. Nothing else.

(More photos in my shop when I re-open after my vacation, Friday 7th August.)

Sneak Peak #2

2009-07-30T08:20:00.002+02:00

Solaris earrings from Black Daisy Designs

Sterling silver - oxidised black - and highly polished brass.

(More photos in my shop when I re-open after my vacation, Friday 7th August.)

Sneak peak!!

2009-07-29T09:56:00.004+02:00

Absinthe earrings from Små Blå.

Wire wrapped sterling silver and faceted rondelles of lovely green and sparkly Chrysoprase. Cross-over stud/French hook.
(More photos in my shop when I re-open after my vacation, Friday 7th August.)

Pool problems

2009-07-25T18:06:00.007+02:00

Our garden won't allow us to have a pool dug in to the ground, so we're testing the cheaper above ground pools you can buy in just about any store. If that works out well, we'll invest in a "proper" more expensive, version in a few years.

So day before yesterday we went and bought one and yesterday we - the whole family - assembled it and started to fill it with water. Full of eager anticipation for that first swim.

Today we tore it apart, returned it and bought a new one. Yep, you guessed it - the liner was torn. And not by us. It was clearly some kind of fabrication fault. My husband, my darling, love of my life, turned a nasty shade of red when we discovered it. And this morning when he was packing up the old one, he produced sentences of seldom heard caliber. I swear - a lot - but he put me to shame this morning.

So he left the house with the torn pool, crammed down into it's box, fuming and prepared to get into a fight with the staff at the store, if they refused to accept the pool back. 20 min. later he called and said: I did good! And I could hear he was smiling.

He went to another store and bought another brand of pool and so - just for the fun of it - we assembled another pool today. And it's not leaking.

Now we're too exhausted to go swimming. Maybe tomorrow.

Giveaway poll

2009-07-23T10:56:00.003+02:00

I'm planning on doing a giveaway when I re-open my shops in August. The prices will be one pair of Små Blå earrings and one pair of Black Daisy Designs earrings.

But, I'm not sure if I should have one seperate giveaway for Små Blå and one for BDD, or if I should group them together? If I group them togehter you could win either pair with your entry. If I make two seperate ones, you'd be able to choose which giveaway to enter.

Please help by answering my poll out to the right. :)

Grasshopper in my bra

2009-07-23T08:00:00.006+02:00

Yesterday was a garden day. I mowed the grass. I cut the hedges. I weeded the very long and very wide graveled garden path. And what did I get for that?
A grasshopper in my bra! *annoyed*

And to go with that "theme" - some old necklaces with bugs from Små Blå.

Ladybug Promenade

Dragon and the Waterfall

Bumblebee leaf

For Susanna! :)

2009-07-20T08:21:00.008+02:00

And .... so you'll see how they hang, a pair of my Trillium Honey earrings with Citrine. (Don't have a hanging photo of the Rose Quartz ones. :D )

Earrings on my mind

2009-07-19T11:16:00.010+02:00

So, morning coffee is all gone and I'm ready to start the day. My sister and her husband are staying two days with us on their way to their vacation in Cornwall, UK. Haven't seen them for a couple of months so that'll be fun. Now, I need to get cracking on the vaccuuming and making the beds.

I've been making earrings like there is no tomorrow lately! I've got plans for braceletes and necklaces too, but it's only earrings being made. I guess my Muse is in an earring mood. And you know me - I never mess with my Muse.

As I STILL haven't taken any photos of the new stuff, I'm once again diving into the Små Blå archieves and this time - earrings. (What else, ehe?;) Earrings in red, rose, pink, blush... etc.

Madame earrings

Trillium rose

Raspberry Beret earrings

Dusky Rose earrings