As of late..

I think this last month has been so productive, what means productive? means I fill the orders from the shop, custom orders and make new work, which to me it’s the perfect balance, covering everything so there is a good flow of orders and new listings and I realized there is no updates of the work I’ve been doing over here

Let me see..

First I played a little bit with the idea of the yogis, I’ve been meaning to find the time to maybe make one of these but with several different poses instead of other charms.

Then came what it feel like a lifetime of sawing, for a bracelet needed for a wedding..

 

This was made with a jeweler’s saw, and a lot of patience, usually you can’t rush it because if you do just a slip of the blade can ruin the pattern you are trying to cut.and well you have to start again. and noooo, we don’t want that.

 

This is the final result,  I had to make 2 of them in a row (someone on FB saw it and ordered one just like it), so It was time to make some more coffee and put the same playlist back on..and saw away

 

 

 

I think it would look pretty nice in silver as well..

Then as I was on a bracelet roll I made these two..using lapiz lazuli and larimar.

One night in April just before falling asleep (because between all the things I think before falling asleep jewelry is included) I thought of a ring that had a stone that kind of sat partially on top of your hand.. ermm I know it doesn’t make much sense, and when I jumped out of bed at like 1am like a zombie to find the stone and put it on my hand it didn’t either, but the next day, the wave rings were born:

 

 

Then the latest work I’ve done are pretty big rings, letting the stone do most the work and the detail focused in the band.

 

 

Then came the ammonite addiction , ammonites are the mineral form of a fossil shell of the Cretaceous period
that existed 70 to 135 million years ago

 

 

Still using the details in the bands, this one with little 14k gold pebbles..

That look like this when worn..

 

This morning I made the sketch for the matching pendant, I now want ammonite everything, to me to be able to handle something so old is wonderful.. sometimes we get used to the pretty materials included in jewelry making but if you think twice, it is really unique.

And so this is what I made in the last month, this plus several other smaller pieces..

I have also been struggling with photography a little bit,I think is important to have a constant image but I just can’t decide..been using black backgrounds, I ended up thinking I should go back to grey. What do you think?

And now I am off to get something sweet, summer is here and I keep finding excuses to go for some frozen yogurt!

I leave you with this beautiful,beautiful song.

Oh man, oh my, oh me

Looking back I realize I have a tendency of disappearing from cyberspace from time to time.

March flew by and it is almost over, and what I can tell you about this month is I experienced my first holidays here in Spain, my teacher had warn me but I didn’t believe him and well mainly wine, lots of food, lots of walking to see the different activities, wine, fireworks and more fire works, and did I mentioned wine? starting at noon until the next day..

Then it was the first day of summer, and instead of sun there was the rainiest day since I have been here, so dark and grey..

The following day I woke up with a sore throat and well the rest is history, a week in bed, trembling and watching way too many movies, coughing and coughing which it was kind of odd since now the sunshine was out there, for an entire winter I didn’t get sick and all this time waiting for some warmer weather to go for long walks and here it was but I could hardly do anything uff!

When I started reviving, I melted some silver and made a big spool of wire and wire wrapped some bracelets and necklaces..

    

then made 3 pairs of earrings like these, that swing side to side..

 

And yesterday when I felt finally healed and stopped coughing  made some yogis..

 

All of them can be found in the shop now, while I am off to make some more things! so this month is not the most unproductive ever!

Also the title of this post comes from this lovely song which I cant stop listening to.

Everything was ok..

Then this song comes up…

And I get teary eyed and I stop,

Makes me feel kind of glad to work from home, and nobody has to see me stop what I am doing and singing out loud,  but  on the other hand  I write this post for everyone to know the secret Regina Spektor effect

That’s it!

La Strada

 

 

I decided to go ahead and blog about certain scenes and movies that really get to me, this one for example from “La Strada” , I think what we watch, hear, read, should have an effect on us, if not what’s the point..we are used of just diversion, but details,words and images that stir something inside you are the ones worth watching.

I can’t get enough of  Giulietta Masina she  is perfect in this film, her face is incredible, she is capable of expressing an array of emotions without a word and making you feel closer to the character she portrays..

The Fool: I am ignorant, but I read books. You won’t believe it, everything is useful… this pebble for instance.
Gelsomina: Which one?
The Fool: Anyone. It is useful.
Gelsomina: What for?
The Fool: For… I don’t know. If I knew I’d be the Almighty, who knows all. When you are born and when you die… Who knows? I don’t know for what this pebble is useful but it must be useful. For if its useless, everything is useless. So are the stars!

If you want a  sweet yet powerful movie with amazing acting..you should check this one out.

I did it!

I survived today wow! It started early in the afternoon..

I opened the shop,changed the texts, answered some emails, and then a big big big cup of tea and listing it is, it takes me a while to do each one, description,photos etc.

But I am almost done.. my neck says I should leave the computer aside..

So before I go I wanted to show you these:

     

 

I did a bit of everything as you can see.. and also in the never ending fight between me and earrings, earrings won, now I am on a little post earrings frenzy..

 

 

Then I listed  just one of the “Bubble blower necklaces”.

 

   

 

 

The first one was very well received on Facebook, so this week I’m giving myself the task of making some more.. I will post them here when they are ready..have you seen how it works? look:

 

Yeeeeeeeee! I love them…

Ohhh well! I am off to rest and watch a movie.. a long week ahead, have lot’s of production work to do..

Good night!

Everybody’s got a soft spot, even the porcupine

De prisa, de prisa rumbo perdido..

 

Back to work… finally!

 

 

The Apartment

 

 

Bud: Ya know, I used to live like Robinson Crusoe; I mean, shipwrecked among 8 million people. And then one day I saw a footprint in the sand, and there you were.

I’m not afraid to say, that I want everything

Don’t you wish you had the time to just try different things, to experiment with new materials, to spend days in a single project without feeling guilty about not working?

I have a small list of things I want to learn, starting with baking, I wish I could be really good at it and also I want to learn to sew and learn to make specifically 2 things, long dresses and loose straight pants , the list goes on but each craft,  really is a small world with techniques l,tips, secrets, takes practice, patience, money for materials etc

And then try juggling that with real life, work, house work, family time,that thing people talk about mmm yeeee sleeping! and those of you who have children and still have Etsy shops and work from home, I tip my hat to you and admire you so much.

I want to learn about jewelry because is what I do, and when I see other things such as textiles I just think of how to incorporate it in jewelry, and my brain functions toward how to wear something.

And since I got to Antigua like a year and a half ago, for the every first time i traveled here,  I met  him, he is from Japan and who I bought the stones from, and from then and my travels here to today of me living here he has been my stone supplier, then one day I stop by and see him pulling out of some boxes the most beautiful leather bags

- I lost it-

Specially when I found out the whole thing was hand stiched all the little pockets, all by hand because is too thick for a sewing machine.

He  is so kind, and sweet and told me he can teach me a little bit, and I gave him ideas for belts and jewelry and we both have been collaborating this past week making some bags for my shop, using stones I love and that I would have used for jewelry. He makes the structures this while I learn to set stones with leather and make the right stitching so if over time one stitch got loose all the rest would still be there perfectly not like it would with a machine (you know when you pull it and the whole thread comes out   )

It’s so hard because it’s new, is really cool the new tools, the stitching, the leather itself, it’s so beautiful and like he said, in the begining it was made this way, in an artisan way with a few tools and a lot of love and creativity

You know what I learned this week?

I learned that people are ok with teaching about what they do, if they know you will give it your own twist and you will respect the craft, because it’s true I could teach someone how to do the basics in jewelry but if I felt that person is going to make the exact same thing as I , changes everything, so this harmony of collaborating, sharing ideas, it’s so so so beautiful.

Well let me show you the first 2 bags :

 

This one made with ocean jasper, I am obsessed with mustard/yellow tones, and this stone has them all , and along the leather it looks so nice.

And this one with a faceted agate with a little pocket druzy , a belt with a pocket perfect for jeans and a tank or with a long dress like this…

As for mine I did a little stiching of it and is not done but is also one with a belt , I’ll post photos when it’s done..

I’m leaving in 15 days and well I’m a bit sad because I won’t learn as much, but back home I’ll experiment by myself and see what comes out, also I can’t wait to see my family it’s been way too long.

And now I’m off to list these 2 bags on my shop and I leave you with this song where the title of this post comes from and that I can’t get it out of my head..

 

All last month, and a whole new year.

The last month of the year has been really,really special, I’ve been doing so much, seeing things for the first time and learning about how rich and how beautiful traditions and people are here in Guatemala,prepare because this post might be a little long,  this is what happened in December:

First it was the burning of the devil, I had never heard of such thing and well after asking around, the version is pretty much the same but  I liked the most was the one of a taxi driver who told me that when he was a child  people would grab all their old stuff in December, their clothes, matresses back then made of hemp, etc and they would burn them in the front of the house in a way of saying “off with the old, on with the new” this is not done like that anymore because of pollution and sometimes because the whole burning of things got out of hand.. but we have the devil, that it was a must see.

Sadly I waited for it for like a week and then went to ship some packages to the city and didn’t make it back on time for the burning and couldn’t take photos, but you must see the Devil on a bicycle

This was on early December, then there were more celebrations which I managed to go to,

Folkloric dances,delicious food,music,costumes,good friends tons of laughs..

I made a whole album of the folkloric dances that you can find over here

Then there where the celebrations of the Virgin, the cutest thing in the world, with a bunch of little kids dressed up in typical clothing.

the little girls where so cute, and the little boys with painted mustaches it was just too adorable, they had this little scenes where they could take a photo with the virgin

 

I have a photo with the virgin but I didn’t fit in the chair , some little kids where cracking up when they saw me go in there to take a photo too, and then I told them my friend forgot to dress me up

You can see some photos of this day over here

 

Ohh I’m so in love with this country, can you tell? I feel so happy, I smile so much , I can’t remember the last time my neck was killing me from the stress..

I had a very mellow christmas with some amazing people around me who I’m happy to have in my life, and got so many cute presents that where completely unexpected that really need a blog post of their own.

I am a horrible blogger and didn’t do a Merry Christmas post, so MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Then some relaxing days where I did manage to make some jewelry, not pressuring myself too much just enjoying what I do.

 

Some just for fun:

Now the year is done and I am here on the first day of the year thinking what comes next, there is a lot going on, many decisions to take, isn’t it nice we have the power upon our own life to guide it to the path we choose?

There is a trip coming soon, there is a long journey , some sad decisions, some opportunities for growth,one more time of giving it all away to start in a new place, but all this I have to tell you later because is too early and I still have to figure out things myself.

I like the new year, I feel really good, today I’m starting RAW today, remember the ring a day??? now everyone is making a ring a week, is such a wonderful group of jewelers who do amazing work and support each other,  this time we are doing a ring a week, which is very exciting because there is really more time to make some really nice, more planned pieces.

Feeling ready to work, to move, to take on this year..

And wishing all you that this year is the best one  of your life and only my heart knows  gratitude  I feel , for all your support, in so many ways this past 2010

Happy new year!

-Nat