Thursday, November 6, 2014

Day 7 of my Solo Journey

Well, here it is, November 6, 2014. Time flies, right? 

Yesterday started as a great day but ended on a sad note. I was in washing dishes and heard a crunch. I went on the balcony to see what the noise was and a poor turtle was run over trying to cross the road to the ocean. So very sad! 

Other than that the day was pretty good. I have been getting a lot done with my work and research for websites that are in progress, although I would be making a bigger dent in this if the clients would cooperate and provide the needed information for me. Sometimes I feel like I am just spinning my wheels in sand and digging myself deeper (okay, so I feel this way most of the time). Here is whats been happening since my last post on Nov 1.

The beach definitely looked a little different on this morning. Brrrrr. Down to 46 on the 2nd of November.
 11/2/2014: So after getting up and bundling up, because in Florida 46 is down right freezing - off we went for our walk. We saw a red tailed hawk on our morning journey and when we returned the view had improved considerably over the beach.

But yet cleared up to a decent day, just brisk.
Red Tailed Hawk.

The rest of this day was more of the usual except I did have to run into town again.  I'll get the hang of this being away from things sooner or later. I still have a little time to go. The sunset was not much to write home about, probably because of the cold and wind and clouds. But there was some color and the moon was coming out. I wish this condo was two floors higher - those wires would not e in my picture.


On 11/3 we woke to another cold morning, probably even colder than yesterday. It is so nice and peaceful up here before all the traffic starts - which is 0-dark-thirty by the way (just kidding! I start to hear delivery trucks around six am.)

Hard to see but a vulture getting ready to land on the beach.
I was sitting and working and noticed vultures circling very close. I was a little worried for Sophie because she cannot here them, and she sleeps pretty soundly, but they appeared to be after something dead on the beach.

I went in to see my husband and doggies on 11/2 and picked up a table to make a desk out of. This is my setup right now. Best view I have ever had from a desk. And the sound of the ocean all day! Perfect work setting!

The day went by pretty fast with a couple breaks to walk Sophie who is up to a full circle now which is about .6 miles 2-3 times a day. I hope this does not mess up Marsha but the dog just loves to walk.

And the day ended beautifully.
11/4/2014: I keep wanting to get up before the sunrise to get some pictures but my body disagrees. But I am always ready for the sunsets. I am even trying to design some jewelry for a line that captures the colors found in some of these pictures. 

Had an appointment in town and picked up my weights. Yea! Now I can get back into my winter routines. 

Still a pretty sunset. Wish I had a better view ... but the one tree that is so tall give continuity to the pictures, don't-cha think?
11/5/2014: Appointment today at my store with an advertiser for digital media signage. I sure hope this works. I am running out of options. There are many changes that I want to do with my business, but the economy is still hurting and I live in a small seaside town. I need additional ways to bring in revenue so if the advertising works, maybe I will get a little more monthly traffic and be able to work on some other areas - like managed services, remote service, etc.

This is my store - and my car covered in advertising.
 I sit for hours each day, and although walking Sophie is helpful, and there are the exercise breaks, I still feel that there is something I could be doing while I sit here. So I purchased a 

11/5 Sunrise. I am making
it a little earlier. This is 7:05.
North American Healthcare Sitting Stepper by Jobar International on Amazon. It was very inexpensive (under 10 dollars) so I did not expect a lot but the reviews on it were okay for something so inexpensive. It is simple to use, and it does keep the legs moving. There are also these little bumps on it that massage the feet - nope - no shoes for me. Bare foot all the way unless I am outside - then sandals.

Sophie walked 1.8 miles today. You know what that means? I walked a minimum of `1.8 miles today. Missed the sunset because I was walking and did not bother taking the phone to take a picture. Sometimes it is just better to enjoy the ride.

I did download a couple apps on my IPad while I was watching the CMA's. I wanted some apps to help me stay focused on exercising my knee in a safe way - since swimming is definitely out of the question for a few months! 


The three apps that I chose are to the left. The Pain Therapy app was created by a Physical Therapist. I will be very careful with this one. I did two exercises from it under the knee section last night and am okay today - so we will see. The Pilates/Yoga I did the Beginner Yoga Level 1. It felt great to do, and although I am a bit sore this morning, no more than I expected. The third one I will be looking at later and let you know what I think. I did like that it shows you all the muscles worked using the different yoga poses.








Sunday, March 16, 2014

Protection Series - Design eight and nine

The next two sets in my Protection Series have been completed. I am really enjoying the finals now that I have figured out what I wanted to convey with my designs.

This is the Celebration of Life Set. I love the colors in this set. Unfortunately the faceted Amethyst beads look black in the photos. There are really a gorgeous deep grape purple and have such amazing color. I may have to try taking a photo on my light table. Maybe then there would be enough light.


Then there is the Tahitian Serenity Set. The colors in this just want to sweep me away and take me to a warm beach with turquoise waters.



Friday, March 7, 2014

My Jewelry Line for New York Institute of Art & Design

A little over a year ago, I signed up for Sheffield School of a Jewelry Design. I have learned quite a bit, and hunger to learn more, but before that happens I just need to get through the final. This posting will be about my adventure in the class - which is now called the New York Institute of Art & Design.


Our final consists of making our own jewelry line that has a cohesive element that makes it ours. I have started planning and designing this over and over ... On paper and in my head. While I know what guides me in my designs - and my passion with design - I had a little problem with trying to plan ahead because my designs pop in my head without any control.

In case you have not guessed by the name of my company, I like dragonflies and when I see them I feel serenity within. Watching the graceful movements that they make, I am able to dream and design. On top of this, when I was younger my father called me dreamer and we had the love of art as a bond. My first jewelry components were a gift from my father. Somehow he saw something that I was not aware of and he opened my heart to the beauty of handmade jewelry and my ability to express my art through all the many ways that you can make jewelry.

After much thought and changing my mind many times, I have decided that the name of my line is Protection. There will be 46-50 unifying pieces that center around this theme. Following are my first few designs for the series and the components and their meaning.

The first in the series is Green Lagoon (named by my sister, Neta).


The second is my Layered Protection Set.


The third is the Labradorite Protection necklace.


Fourth is the Bone Dragonfly necklace set.


Fifth is a Reversible Agate Set. 


Sixth is the Thousand Flowers Set.


 And seventh is my Sea of Protection Set.

This weekend I will be working on other designs and hope to have a few planned out by next week. I really want to complete this class before the end of summer so that I can possibly take another class that will be dedicated more to Polymer Clay or Metal smithing or stone cabbing or lamp working. As you can see, I have a thirst to learn more and add to my skills. Please share you thoughts on my jewelry. Constructive criticism is appreciated.