Weekly update. . .later

I am on a "social media" break.  I do still log on to check for messages and such, but I'm not posting, and I'm not really group participating much. I am just feeling a bit burnt out on the whole thing, social media, business, life stress in general. 😒  

My plan to give Blue legs is not going well, I was so frustrated the other day I was snapping rings and ended up throwing my pliers down. 😖

There is a certain pressure I feel to create content that I really kind of hate. I mean I love making things, but I do not like the constant need for content. . . photos, posts, engagement. The push the business aspect is crushing my creative outlet with its' daily grind-ness, it is literally sucking the fun and happiness out of making things. 😒 Anyone else ever feel that way?  

There was a time, not long ago, that seeing this laying on my bench would have made me so happy, but now I'm just annoyed the legs aren't going the way I want, and it's not done yet and I can't get the photos I need to post more, blah blah blah. 😫

So, I decided to take a break, but each day that goes by I feel . . .guilt/regret, fear of losing ground.  I am going to take my "me-time" though because I shouldn't feel bad about taking care of myself.  I haven't been feeling really well, it's not serious (I don't think) allergies from the high pollen mixed with joint aches and hot flashes from the menopause, I do have an appointment in a few days.  I also have a birthday coming that is closer to 50 than 40. 😏 

Currently I'm not sure how long this "social break" will last, I don't really have a plan. 😐 Ideally it will only be a couple of weeks of no posts, and I can actually get some stuff done to post about when I come back.

Weekly update. . .slow

Well, it's been a week not a super one and not really a productive one, but it's over and I'll try again next week. 😏 

My back is still sore but not as bad. I did stuff but don't feel like I accomplished much because nothing is "finished". I am considering the local farmer's market next month, I have a standing invite, my back should be ok by then, the weather may be tolerable, it's a definite maybe. 😅  

Progress on Blue is slow, I have finished the scales down the back, and I'm working on his tail, but I plan to keep it short.

Since my husband has claimed him and he will be purely decorative and not wearable, it has reinforced my desire to give him legs. However, it's going to take some testing to find a pattern and ring size combo that creates the right look and structural stiffness. I may go ahead and start the next one before this one is finished. 😅 Ya' know because I need more projects. 

Weekly update. . .recovery

Well, Debby passed and made a mess of my yard, although we were lucky no major damage, never lost power, just tons of small sticks, branches and pinecones everywhere.  The clean-up stinks, bending over a thousand times picking up sticks is not helping my backache issue. 😓 My back is slowly getting a bit better, not as sore as it was, some improved range of motion, but nowhere near normal. 😏 

I have made things this week. 😉 I made some progress on the black and blue dragon, he's coming together nicely.  I am very happy with my color choices and pattern so far.  

And apparently so is my husband, he walked in my shop last night to see the latest version and called "dibs". 😐😏😅 Seriously, between my husband, my friend, my mom and dad, everybody wants one, I may never get to actually sell them.  Of course, I am having second thoughts on that anyway, parting with some things is hard when I put so much time, effort and energy into these. I've never had this attachment issue with the jewelry, occasionally with the art I will miss a piece after it's sold but I rarely have that clingy "mine" reaction. 

I got a bracelet order for a color/size combo that I didn't have made, whipped it up, packed it and shipped it off no problem. 😉

I have literally sold hundreds and hundreds of items over the years, from my previous business to tons of jewelry, wire trees, paintings. There are only a couple of things I genuinely regret letting go, a canvas I miss, a particularly spectacular wire tree, but overall, I make things with the intention of selling them, so I don't get attached. I think maybe part of the difference with these dragons is they have a face. 😐😅

When I'm making them, they almost seem to develop personalities. 😇 Or I could just be crazy. 😅😆

Weekly update. . . ouch

Not much business news this week, just personal stuff. 😅

I have somehow messed up my back, not entirely sure how but I think I have a slipped disk or something. Doing all the daily chores like scooping the litter boxes, run the vacuum, empty the dishwasher type things is killing me, but no one else is going to scoop the boxes or vacuum for me so pain be damned house be clean. 😖 However, the continuous pain is exhausting, I am moving slow and regularly stretching but I have accomplished very little this week aside from keeping the house and planning meals. 😕 

I haven't spent much time working because my shop's desk chair makes my back hurt worse. 😑 I've tried working rings on the couch, but I keep dropping them, which gets frustrating since I don't want to have to crawl on the floor to retrieve them. I do have the next dragon layout started he's going to be black and blue, kind of how I feel. 😉

In other news Reover has a vet check-up coming this week, he's due for shots and I'm not really looking forward to the appointment myself. First off, it's not easy lugging that moose to the vet, he's large and heavy when in the carrier if/when he gets mad and flops around, he's so heavy he can nearly knock me over. My back is screaming in protest of his weight already, as I suspect the vet will when they weigh him. 😏 I do not look forward to being told he's "obese" he knows that word and it makes him mad, seriously calling him fat pisses him off you can see it in his face. Not in this photo that's just mild annoyance at not getting outs, notice how he's in front of the door and occupying my slippers. 😅

The last vet that called him obese he hissed at I'm just saying. 

I know my cat is fat, but you can't just put a cat on a diet. First of all, there are 3 of them in this house so trying to limit the food for one is not easy, taking away the food for all doesn't work. Changing and giving special food to only 1 of the 3 doesn't work either, they are cats they eat out of whichever bowl they choose. Getting lazy fat house cats to "exercise" is a whole other challenge, I considered buying him a treadmill/wheel, but I don't think his lazy butt would use it. 😅

Oh and apparently there is a storm coming. 😕

Weekly update. . .oh wow

Oh wow. . .July is all but over which means my months to prepare for that fall art show are just whizzing by and I still have not set up and tested the art resin on a painting. 😏 

The good news is I have completed the second dragon. 😁

He's cool and colorful and most of my testing worked out. I did not succeed with the leg idea this time, but I'm not giving up on it, it just won't be on this one. 😎 Overall I'm pretty happy with him, but there is still room for improvements and future modifications. 

I do like the tail flare, I plan to try again and repeat it in different sizes like barbs. I'm still trying to decide which patterns I like best in the tail, 2-by-2 seemed like cheating to me (at first) because it's so simple, but it is the fastest way to make distance with less rings. 😏 So for the curious . . .

Secondus is actually slightly longer than ReGol, even though his "body" is shorter and he has 50+ less rings. 

He does have a clasp hidden in his tail scales so he can be worn as a necklace too. 😉 

I think the third attempt shall be about half the length and have the legs, be a pure sculpture piece. In the meantime, I have to figure out what to do with these two I'm not sure how to store them or how I'm going to display them in the booth. 😅 But they gotta go somewhere because I need my bench back. 

Weekly update. . . Dragons!

 I am rather proud of my recent efforts. The first dragon was a learning experience with several "new" to me things but as I worked on it, I came up with several ideas on how to do things different maybe better, maybe not better but at least unique. 

I know that for most of my audience any chainmaille is fairly impressive because y'all don't make chainmaille, so chainmaille dragons seem truly amazing, which they are chainmaille dragons in any form are awesome, and they do come in many forms. I have known of the existence of the possibility for years, but the patterns looked advanced and tricky, and I didn't feel "qualified".  😏 I have spent a decade learning well over 20 patterns of chain and studying photos before taking this leap. 

Many of you may wonder why I waited so long or why I felt intimidated at all in the first place?  Well, there are some true masters out there, I have seen their work and they amaze and inspire me and yeah cause the Wayne's World "I'm not worthy" reaction. 😅 I won't name them all, but I must credit Amanda Sanford her work is truly stunning this one is hers and once you see it you will immediately rollback your admiration of mine because I'm still an amateur. 😇 

Seriously just take a minute to be amazed by this magnificent thing that is over 2 foot long, has a 2 foot wingspan and is made of so many rings and scales it makes my head spin. 😳 Honestly, I'm not sure I'll ever be this ambitious as it would take me months to create and the thousand dollar plus price tag would likely make it nearly impossible for me to sell. 😅 

So, my plan is to stick with smaller, simpler styles in hopes of keeping prices around or under the $150 mark. However, I do plan to test legs and different patterns in tails to make each dragon unique. 😎

Also, my last supply order included the larger rings in more/different colors, so they won't all be red in the future. 😉

Weekly update. . . new supplies

 My order of new scales and rings arrived yesterday. 🎉

5 colors of large etched dragon scales, 5 colors of smaller regular scales, more rings because I always need more rings. 😅Now I really need to get busy making stuff and then pray for some sales because I've invested quite a bit of money on frames for the art and expanding the ring inventory to include more sizes/colors and scales. I am super hopeful about the events I have scheduled this fall, if they go well all this should be worth it. 😇 

I am also pretty glad I didn't schedule any June/July events with this ridiculous record heat. I thought about it months ago, but it just didn't work out and now I'm like that's probably for the best. This way I get to spend all summer framing art and making new stuff in my air conditioning instead of dying of heat stroke at the farmer's market. 😎 

I am making progress on framing art, but I have realized that any of them that are/were already listed will have to be deactivated once framed because the listings will need updated with new photos and pricing to reflect the frames, so. . .  

Warning: Some of the art will temporarily disappear and eventually come back framed at higher prices, so if you have your eye on something currently listed, I highly recommend grabbing it now, unless you want it pre-framed and are willing to pay $20-25 more. 😉

In the meantime, more dragons will be coming and probably sooner than you thought. 

I already have a second body done I was just waiting on the large scales. The second dragon will have a color-fade down his belly that will be reflected in the scales on his back, he is slightly shorter bodied than Regol but overall will likely be close to the same length when including his tail. I plan to attempt legs on this version along with several other changes like half the number of scales and slightly different wings. 

We'll see how he turns out. 😉