Running away..

 

These last few weeks I’ve had a need of running away from everything, yes, everything.. even jewelry, that’s why things have been quiet around the blog,shop,facebook.etc..

I am quite stubborn, and usually when things don’t go as planned, I am embarrassed to admit, I feel annoyed, like crying, like not doing anything, and whine,Oh! yes I whine… but then after I am done letting it all out, I come back to my senses,think of the good things and start planning again, thinking what could I do for my business, for time to go by faster…

Why am I sad? Right now I was meant to be in Spain, H and I have worked so hard,but there is still so much to do, so we can have everything we need over there, going to Guatemala was hard, but moving to another continent, uff is proving to be a whole other deal..we need to wait a little longer.

The future will be wonderful and is almost here, but sometimes there is a bit of desperation when something you want is so close, yet so far.

I have been taking some time for myself..

There was a quick visit to the farm, which was particularly beautiful this time of year..

Let me give you a tour of the garden.

It’s been raining a lot in the city, there was a tropical storm.. over here 6hours away, it was sunny with very little rain, just enough to make everything bloom..

 

We call these “Mamon chino” in Costa Rica, but found out is called a Wild Rambutan in english, anyways right now they are everyyyywhere and I could eat a thousand of them…

 

The colors are so beautiful, funny how I can wander in this place for so long, looking at all the flowers,

 

at all the leafs..

 

And always find something new..

Don’t these look like the stripes where drawn on them?

Grapefruit!

 

 

This tree has dozens of pink bells..

 

 

Little corners..

Walking on moist grass, the smell of earth, the hugs of my brothers, smiles,

and my grandma making tortillas of course.

When I feel like running away, I run away to my home, more than enough to give me that much needed boost..

Hopefully tomorrow I will have some jewelry to show, this blog needs it

Buenas Noches!

A week of flowers..

 

 

 

The set is done! Today I had some time to finish some other custom orders and realized, that  there are flowers all around me..

I wake up at 6:30 in the morning..

 

Every single day, and have a pretty simple morning routine, yesterday, I found a package on my doorstep as I was walking out to work, a birthday present, with a beautiful note, a copy of  “The little Prince” and a wooden box filled with ocean Jasper, Amethyst and Lapis lazuli…

 

Two of them where chosen  by H to be mine and I just wanted to take the day, sit down and make something for myself.. the day went by , imagine walking down the street and running into a girl with extremely long hair, listening to music, with a little smile,more like hopping like a rabbit than walking, that would be me yesterday and well I finally made it to the workshop ((on my bday I know! but I had been celebrating my bday since Friday, it was time to work))))

I found this right next to the door..

 

 

I smelled the flowers, made a phone call, smiled all day and made me this necklace using one of the stones..

 

 

  Feeling loved and blessed..

August break it is…

 

Not a break, break, those come in a few months.. but I am joining this little challenge of blogging every single day! (((((((yes I will be spamming you but being nice to warn youu about it ))today as I was working Jime told me about it..and I loved the idea, we all need a motivation sometimes, what we have to do is post a photo or more  in our blog everyday for the month of August.

Mine will definitely include jewelry photos since this is what moves around my life every single day..

I’ve joined the list! and Flickr group, over 700 bloggers are participating, kinda cool huh?

I’m starting with this one:

 

 

Part of the madness going around these parts these days, I decided to build a stock to list on Etsy and then focus on some bigger work I am meant to do in the next few weeks.

Made 41 different pieces in 10 days!!!!

Few things..

• I am officially addicted to Pinterest, I already have more sites than I can keep up with, but this one is particularly prettier than the rest, basically you collect images from around the web, you have it in your browser, you “Pin” it and the image shows in your site with the source included.. anyways I like the site better tan Tumblr,Twitter etc.. ahhh if you have one mine is over here, I got several invites to Google + but I think that my head will explode if I join one more site…

 

 

 

• I had a custom order request the other day..which I fell in love with.. the earrings specially, I think big earrings are a necessity, I need a pair with Aventurine as well, I’m making me a pair.. look:

This is another custom order I did and shipped this last week..

Here the stone wasn’t set. and sadly I forgot to take more photos and just got this one taken in the late afternoon, still that turquoise is so pretty..

• Following my random blog post of tonight, I’ve been working a lot and soon the work will come to light, I have been making pieces for a small fair, for my shop, and some bigger pieces that I truly have enjoyed making following the Alice in wonderland line..these are very time consuming and done mostly in wax..

The piece is finished and the casting is almost done..

• My hair is getting extremely long but I will not chop it! NEVEEEERRRRRRR! so I have opted to do some messy buns and trying to braid it (((it’s so long my arms are not long enough to do so from the back))) in order to spare me from the danger of lighting myself on fire…

• And I had a long list of things I wanted to blog about and since I always find myself writing  late at night and on Sundays… I have to leave you now because I can’t keep my eyes open..

Good Night!

-Nat

Photos interrupting the conversation with the flower lady..

A day in the market

Finding new ways of packing jewelry  in the market..

Ahhh there was so so much to choose from and all of them were so nice, I finally decided to go for this last batch, the mustard dry flowers were so pretty ((I’m still loving every single mustard thing in this planet)) … Anyways here here you have to do the whole bargaining.. which I don’t like so much since things are already really cheap but hey! everyone does it and you truly can get some deals.

The girl selling the flowers gave a price, I said “What if I buy a ton of them and keep buying them from you months to come” she gave me another price. Then this guy comes in and says well I want 2, I look at him and say .. “oh no they are actually not that cheap that’s my price coz I’m buying 100″.. he looks at me like “what are you gonna do with so many flowers?”, looks at her ..she nods.. he pays  all confused and leaves.. she laughs and gives me what I ordered plus one more as a gift for helping her..

I really dislike to take pictures of people I don’t know for me there is a lack of respect in doing so, how mad would I be if people offer me $0.5o to take my picture, every single day..

But still I had to take informal pictures at the market

This is also another hidden shot I took, which I still don’t like to do but I must give credit where credit is due..

This is the “El Abuelo” not sure of his name coz everyone just called him grandpa, the 4th day after  I got to Guatemala I passed right where he was at and saw him making small boxes which caught my attention and then after seeing them I told him.. I’m going to come buy a lot of them in a couple of weeks.. he was like “Yeah right…”

Then I did stop by and check this out..

I am a happy person when they give me a pile of things to see, touch and find.. He says he has been doing this since he was 5, his hands are shaking now because of his age but when he starts weaving they stop and this really gets to me, can you imagine how many things he has done in his life???

Well back to the packing.. I am still looking at options.. so you might be getting this…

Then you open it..

And you know the tiny earring I make??? i found tiny pouches from handmade woven fabric

I am thinking what to do.. what do you think?? for pendants I could use woven boxes too or I could ship them in a small coin purse…

Ahhh I don’t know!!! .. anyways… jewelry is being made right now it feel so so soooooo good!

And now I leave you..with the flower dance bit late to be blogging but want to have the weekend off to make jewelry to open my shop again!

Good night!

A peek of the madness…

It’s been a while now since I’ve blogged, used facebook anything!

I feel my poor shop is been neglected, no new items for a while nothing!

But again I am testing myself I have never never ever had this many pieces in stock.. I got 74 completely done and some that are still in the making.

From today on I have exactly 10 days to make jewelry, all I can for the fair (if you don’t read this blog the fair lasts 10 days that’s why I’m going crazy) I am getting so excited I just what this to begin already!

Well I wanted to show you some of the stuff I’ve been working on..

My little ladies.. I have to make some more of them.. to think I almost didn’t bring them.

I’m making rings with different stones…

Some of my trippy flowers…

.. and regular flowers..

Some pendants with different stones..

Some cute small pendants…

And the spores collection ..

Double rings these are the big ones…

And I made some smaller ones, and some pinky rings coz they are cute

Variations..

I made 2 sets and several pairs of earrings which I think I will offer polished too

Longer earrings and a pendant with jade in it.. the stand is going to be separated in collections this one goes in the nature one

And that’s it I’m not going to spam you even more with pictures!! haaa I can’t take pictures of each thing I’ve made but I will be back with more!

Have to run now!

Adieu

Ring without a plan

 

The other day I was cleaning my work bench and I found a little flower, some pearls , and a silver ball.. then I though I could make a ring including several little things I work with..

I found some wire I made 4 rings, then I decided to solder them all together as one..because.. mm .. they look pretty

MMM what next? Make a little bowl for one of the pearls. YES! not for the other one because this is not a planned ring..

On an on.. until I finished.. looked at it.. something was missing .. then I oxidized the flower so it stands out a little bit..

And voilà! .. this ring was born  out of the blue

 

About the things found in my Garden (Sterling silver series)

Hellooooooooooo 

Well where could I begin, the other day walking by my garden I tought I should make a line of jewelry based on all the things found on it..

So I went and locked myself in the workshop and this is the result.

First This necklace showing little leafs they are olive Jade:

How it looks on

NExt up we have butterflies! these are so little.. and I was guilty and kept a pair.. these are hanguing from a cultivated pearl.

and my pair..

Then we have the flowers (because I always make flowers ).. and this ring well I love big rings..This was first made for a girl who asked me to do something for her .. without any details just said pearl and do whatever you want.

I love it dearly just makes you want to grab big cups.. or fake a lil cough and cover your mouth so people see it lol!

And last but not least Dragonflies .. !

I handmade a rose quartz chain for it..

And that’s all the new pieces I have.. based on my garden I might make some trees.. not rocks for sure.. well so many things you can see in a garden .. I’m quite happy with the results.. I hope you like it too!

Thank you for reading all this and I’m sorry to bombard you with pictures!

All of these pieces are at www.nataliaraya.etsy.com

Adieu!