So It's Cyber Monday and all my lucite earrings from this summer are available for 25% off through my Etsy site, http://www.treasuregypsy.etsy.com

Back in Chicago Again. (It's ok if you want to sing it.)

After successfully dodging Hurricane Irene, we are back on Lawndale. Work on the studio space is coming along much too slowly to satisfy me, but I'm taking the time to catch up on myriad other projects. One of these is my pal's website. She's the one who imports stuff from Indonesia. Should have her website live in another couple weeks, at which time I'll post a link. If you are hankering for some unique garden or landscape elements or interesting decor items for your nest, get ready. Her stash is superfine. Here's another little taste:

It's steamin' hot here today, but supposed to be in the 60's on Monday. Typical change-of-season time in the midwest; we get all manner of fluxuation in the temp and have to just ride it out. It's giving my dog fits. Here he is on a finer day, sharing a ride home from school with his new best friend, Rusty. Mars, 82 lbs.; Rusty, 9 lbs. Inseparable.

Signing Off (at least from HERE)

Well folks, southern Florida is not the place to be this time of year. At least not this year. Mosquito population is four times the annual average, and something is up with the UV index. Higher this year than others - not sure why. I guess the ozone has suffered another blow.

We are packing up the jewelry tools and equipment and the doggie and heading back to Chicago on Saturday morning. Plan to be in town for the 4th of July. None too soon for me. The swimming pool here is about to overflow from rainfall. Just this afternoon, a population of black bugs are now floating in clusters in the pool. After a closer inspection, I see they are ants. Why are there clusters of ants in the pool? I'm outta here.

I'll be putting the basement studio back together next week and will sign on again from there once we are up and running again. Happy 4th of July!

Newest Items on Etsy from Treasure Gypsy

Here's the latest from Treasure Gypsy to hit Etsy. Get full details by clicking here

Amazing Indonesian Architectural Elements

My friend Sarah's been sitting on a secret stash of amazing stuff she brought back from Bali. After it arrived, she got a little busy with life in general and this is the first chance she's had to start putting the word out on these items. These are just a couple inventory photos, which don't do the pieces justice. Not to mention, these architectural panels represent only one tiny category of the rediculously beautiful pieces she has. Carousel horses, chests, mirrors, fence panels, gates, and ancient batik stamps.

On or about June 15th, there will hopefully be more photos for you to see. I'll be visiting Sarah at her warehouse space this coming week and we are going to try and get more representative photos of all the pieces. Fingers crossed!

If you are interested in these pieces, shoot me your email and I'll put you in touch with the source. These are one-of-a-kind pieces and they are already going fast.

Back to the Jewelry: a couple new items

I've had these large fancy gemstones for a long time. Couldn't figure how to use them. I finally got on them and now I'm happy with the results. I like the oxidized wire-wrapped look and the texture of the chain. I'm most pleased with my new clasps that I've been working out.

I have a new boyfriend.

While outside the relative safety of the pool cage today taking photographs of new pieces, I had a visitor. This guy has been around before, but when I've trained the camera on him in the past he's always gotten shy.

He does this wild, kinda scary thing with his throat. Being unsure exactly who he was or what his intensions were, I decided to google "Southwest Florida lizards".

This is what I found:

"Anoles are the most commonly seen lizard in Florida. Most people call anoles "chameleons" due to the green anole’s ability to change color. In fact, anoles are only distantly related to the chameleon, and are more closely related to the iguana. Anoles are small lizards that are adapted for climbing trees, shrubs, fences, and walls. They are frequently seen basking in the sun or hunting insects around homes. Male anoles have a large throat fan that is often displayed, along with "push-ups" and head bobbing behaviors when they court or defend territories. The only Florida native anole is the green anole. It is five to eight inches long and can change from green to brown. It can be distinguished from exotic anoles by its long pointed snout and the pinkish throat fan (on males)."

Here he is:

This dude is persistent. And, I think it's safe to say he loves me. I love him back. Hope he comes by tomorrow! It's just him, me, the dog and the bugs here right now.

Google information credit to: Shannon L. Ruby, Natural Resources/Agricultural Agent, University of Florida/IFAS and Lee County Extension Service, rubys@leegov.com

The Pal's Been at it Again

My fab friend Lisa of Fugudesigns has developed yet another marvellous line of awesomeness: polymer clay earrings in mod shapes and hues. These have been embossed with really great microtexture. Wonderful color palate.

This lady has a phenomenal design aesthetic and a wonderful eye for scale. Her work is imaginative, quirky and yet sophisticated. Wish I had half her creative brain.

You are getting a sneak preview. These have not yet been offered for sale anywhere. Check her Etsy site - hopefully she'll get them listed there soon. Click here to hop to her Etsy sight.

Big Bird

Yesterday afternoon, I looked out the window after hanging up the phone from a stressful conversation, and I saw this marvellous anhinga. They are an interesting bird. There is something about the composition of their feathers that makes them need to sit in the sun like this for some time after getting wet so they can dry those big wings.

I love anhingas. When they are really healthy and big, they look like super lux black velvet with kind of a greenish oil slick or iridescent cast. This guy looks like he might have suffered some kind of insult around the top part of his neck. Maybe he had a bad week.

Fishing, anyone?

So I know I'm not alone when I say, "My husband loves fishing." I figured I'd be able to hang with it. I'm a kinda good sport. Not a big complainer; you get the picture.

The first several weeks were just fine. I'd go with once in awhile, and he seemed to really be enjoying himself. Yes, there was the sudden uptick of the credit card balance to match all the new fishing paraphernalia swarming around in the garage, but how can I gripe about that? He's been staring at heaps and piles of jewelry making supplies, tools, paying for tuition and everything else. So I planned to be very cool about this fishing thing.

For the first couple weeks I got to go along on a pretty frequent basis. He's been fishing regularly now for about the past 3 months and on and off before that. At this point, I cannot get an invitation to go out with him no matter what I do. He has amassed a lenthy phone tree of male friends who dance around in circles about fishing. Anytime the boat is going out, the phone tree is activated. They are simply more fun than me.

More recently, he's been pushing himself a bit, in my opinion. For example, he will work all night, fly into town early the next day, and go out fishing with 5 people he doesn't know in rough seas. Upon returning, he is barely able to keep his eyes open long enough to tell me that 3 of the 5 got rediculously sea sick, one impailed himself on a gaff hook, and the other was so overserved before boarding the vessel that he slept the entire time, or seemed to, only to wake up and vomit all over the boat right before arriving back at the dock. Whew! Sounds like fun to me.

There have also been multiple instances of problems with the boat of one kind or another. That's fun. Broken down in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, ninety nine degrees farenheit and ninety eight percent humidity, running out of water to drink, surrounded by sharks and sweaty fishermen. Did you know they actually get bird poop on them while out there? Yeah. The birds start circling the boat hoping to snipe a fish or two, even when they are 60 miles off shore. And eventually the birds will heed mother nature's call. So now in addition to fish poop, blood and guts, I'm also washing bird doodie off the clothes. Do I put those in a regular load with other stuff or make a separate one? I'll never tell.

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Cool beans! Just successfully added the Etsy gadget. Check it out.

Etsy Gadget

Here's Some Photos

Colorful lucite earrings for summer and a couple of my recent pearl items with hammered sterling silver. Feel free to offer feedback. Please check out my Etsy site for the full range of lucite colors (and there are tons) as well as my work using gemstones and metals.

All of my copper pieces and some of my silver ones use recycled material. Click HERE to see the full shebang.

As long as my husband is tied up (literally) out of town, I should be able to crank more stuff out this week.  Cousin Paulette is coming tomorrow.  She has new job training up the road and will only be in for 2 days.  Hoping to take in the annual canoe races at Goodland on Saturday.  Should be interesting!



Colorful Earrings and a few other agenda items.

So a couple days ago I listed a boatload of lucite and sterling silver earrings on Etsy. It was a bit odd for me to go for these lucite flowers except that the colors and the frosty matte texture really charmed me. Anyway, as a result of working with them I finally think I've mastered the art of making my own ear wires. Yes, I've done it before. It's just that I never felt really great about the outcome and had a miserable time of getting any two ear wires to be identical. Never made more than one pair at a time. Always kinda dreaded doing it. Had difficulty getting the work hardening right, etc.

After making a bazillion pairs for these lucite babies, I am happy, happy, happy with the results and feel inspired to go on and make just tons of random ear wires for future use. I'm dwelling on a design I think I will refer to as the orecchiette ear wire. Makes perfect sense, right? And of course, it's shaped like an ear.

Click HERE to shop my Etsy site. Scroll past the first page (nearly entirely lucite) to the metal and gemstone pieces if you are not a fan of psychadellic lucite floral earrings.

Just Getting Started

Need to head off to the gym, but here is my first post anyway.  I'll be updating with proposed projects, photos, progress, musings and some occasional gossip.  I'll try to keep this focused on my metalsmithing and jewelry work, but who knows where my thoughts might land me!  Meanwhile, visit my Esty site and check out the new Colorful Earrings line:  lucite flowers and sterling silver in super crazy BRIGHT colors for summer.  They are casual, for sure, but should be really fun with sundresses while its hot, hot, hot.  Don't forget to scroll around and see my "real" jewelry there as well.

More soon!