Corvus Rising Arts

Stupid batteries. Got out to the Studios, hauled everything downstairs and outside to the tracks (no small feat, being that I'm on the third floor), set up my stuff to start shooting new pictures and...after 2 pictures the camera batteries died.

Replace batteries with fresh ones. Turn camera back on. Ooh, look...low battery light.

*sigh*

Four sets of rechargeable batteries, all dead. I pretty much wasted and hour and a half of time. Frustrated and annoyed I decided that I'd just bring everything home with me and as the sunny days occur I'll slowly work my way through the pile from here. Easier that way and less aggravating.

In the meantime, Corvus Rising Arts on Etsy is officially on hiatus. With the pictures being merely tolerable and everything being re-organized and re-shuffled I decided that it was just easier to pull everything down for now and re-list when I get things all squared away. Who knows, depending on how things go I may not go back to Etsy, but will have my own site instead. We'll see how that goes.

Now, though, I'm off to get ready to go meet my dad for Father's Day and go kayaking with him.

(Sorry...momentary lapse into David Bowie. I'm done now.)

Pondering many things lately. Looking into getting my own website and discontinuing my presence on Etsy. It's really not working for me, and has a few bugs that while not earth-shattering and detrimental (that I'm aware of, anyway) are annoying and the lack of constructive action by the Admins is such abysmal customer service is really making me not want to continue to do business with them.

Working on some other things to try and streamline business plans and what-not and make my business a little more cost effective. Some are little things, like finally getting around to putting all of the stuff I have no use for up for sale. Some are major things that are currently listed as "Classified Information" until I can tie up a few loose ends. Some are in between things like learning a new skill and a new alphabet. (I've got some ideas for jewelry using the Irish Ogham alphabet, and learning how to more effectively make jewelry with wire and a soldering iron.)

My ingenius plan for today though, since it's bright and sunny out, is to grab the ginormous cherrywood bowl from Badger's car and a bag of rice from the grocery store and redo all of my jewelry photos. Some of them are alright but a lot are just not up to what I'd like them to look like.

All of which means I should get myself moving now. Later!

A little while ago another friend approached me about making a piece for her, once again involving wire-work. This time, however, Amber had just gotten a bracelet of a similar concept, which I duly inspected and decided required further investigation. Then it promptly got filed in my brain, and left to stew for a bit.

Then Open Studios happened. And oh my god was it slow. And I was bored. I sat there at my little table twisting bits of wire with no particular aim in mind other than to have something to do to occupy my hands. I realized that I had a little ring, and while it's only the most basic amateur thing, it's a step. Now to perfect it and drag out the soldering iron...

Mwahahaha.... (ahem...pay no mind to me. My brain melted in the heat...I swear.)

My first ever ring attempt (don't laugh, I'm new at this.)

I know, what a mix of emotions, eh? I'm feeling a bit contrary today I guess.

Didn't end up in the Phoenix article. Sad. :( Oh well. Liz and Max did, though, and while I'm disappointed that there was no mention of me, I adore those two ladies, so I can't be sad for long.

Open Studios was yesterday, and was it dead on our floor. I took a break from the monotony in the middle of the day and went exploring up on the fourth and fifth floors where it appeared to be more of the same. A few scattered visitors and a lot of artists. I suspect a combination of it being the first sunny day we've had and it being hotter than the hinges of hell. Most folks were either getting outside to shake off the mildew of three days of gloom and rain, or heading to the air conditioned places to escape the 90+ heat. I sold exactly enough to cover the cost of my gas to and from Lowell. (Yay for sales and all, but meh...)

Under the header of shiny, happy things though, I made a new necklace to love when I went out the other night. The original idea had been from Tam-lin, but when I started pulling the pieces together to construct it, it somehow turned into Bluebeard. (I blame the brass key...it was whispering to me and making all sorts of wild promises that I knew it couldn't keep, but the temptation was too great and I am a weak woman...) I need to re-shoot the picture because the background is horrendously dull and was only taken that way so that in case it sold I had a record of it. It didn't, so I can redo it.

"The Last Door"

Been a busy little bee lately. Unfortunately, not as much in the studio as I'd like. I really wish it wasn't so far away. I've had an idea festering to be made into a necklace in my head since Saturday and won't have a chance to get out until tomorrow. Grr. (I woke up with a song based on the story of Tam-lin in my head and it demands to be a necklace for Berd Janet. It's being very insistent on this point.)

Was talking with a friend of mine the other day who, among other things is a wonderful seamstress, is making some costuming for a women's awareness event in NH and she mentioned that they are doing an auction and are looking for artists to donate pieces. She's going to get me the information. I have half an idea I'm working on that involves a gorgeous glazed orchid pendant I saw in my Fire Mountain catalog. (I'm extraordinarily amused by the project she's working on for them...they're doing a variation on the Vagina Monologues and she was asked to make a couple of, um...well...giant plushy girly-bit costumes...there has been much giggling over this.)

Got an email in the middle of last week from a writer at The Phoenix if I'd be willing to do a brief interview with him in regards to the Dirty Smelly Noisy exhibition (which, by the way, has begun...go see!!). Of course I agreed (after being very glad that my momentary descent into giddiness and squeeing couldn't be seen via email...it would have been embarrassing), and spent a little while on the phone with him last Friday. I really do wish I was half as articulate when I speak, though. I stutter a lot and have a hard time saying what I mean. Oh well. It was neat, regardless of my speech impediments. ;)

There was another thing I was going to mention, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Oh well. Later, I guess.