mixed metal

Well, since I couldn't exactly type my woes away this week (with the mac on it's death bed) I made some jewelry. This necklace is made of headpins and some pink tourmaline I had been hoarding. It is very delicate looking but as I gently hardened the headpins after I bent them it's pretty sturdy. The magnetic clasp was a desperation moment. I had no gold clasps at home...geeze, you'd think I could manage to get my hands on one somewhere!

That is a problem I have had a lot since I set up a studio at home this past winter. I never have everything I want. I used to work at the store, and that meant a sort of unlimited supply of whatever I needed. With a second baby on the way I realized that if I couldn't do it at home it wasn't ever going to get done, so we rearranged and set up a studio at the house. It is nice, I can work for a few minutes at a time whenever I have the time but it set off a shopping frenzy on my part. I didn't have my own anything-I had used all the store stuff and just pulled from stock when I needed it (don't worry, I accounted for it in inventory!) I had to 'buy' a ring mandrel, flush cutters, a crimper, rulers, artbins to hold beads, a bazillion spools and coils of wire, a bench block and hammer and all kinds of other do-dads. The only tools I had of my own were some Lindstom pliers (so nice!), an assortment of round pliers and a pair of those Soft-Flex cutters that I scammed out of Mike from Soft-Flex by saying that there was no way they could be worth $70 (um, they are, thanks Mike!)

So I bought all that stuff (and made for a good day at the store!) but I still don't remember to get all I need for each project. I usually have to put the clasp on in the morning, first thing when I get to work. Or I do a lot of mixed metal projects. You know, 'hmm, I would make this all in sterling but I only have copper jumprings and a copper clasp...' Mixed metal it is!

the mac is dead

It has been a while since I have posted here. Sorry. The mac is dead. Yep. For a while my problem was limited to a 'j' key that didn't work periodically but last week it died. The screen just went all cabana striped and that was that. I am going to try taking it to the mac store in Crabtree Mall and see if they can get my files off at least. I will not be buying a new computer. That means that Galen and I will have to share mac laptops for a while, which could be dicey. I like to use mine to write and do work. He uses his to do work and (often) to play music. We have a PC laptop (an IBM) that we can both use but we both don't enjoy it as much. We have to have it because our macs or should I say more accurately now, 'the' mac, doesn't interface with our POS (Point Of Sale) cash register system we use at the stores. We do need to get into the system from home occasionally. Galen does it to fix problems without having to go into to the office and I use it to check on inventory levels when deciding about orders, etc. Other than that, we both prefer the mac for the obvious reasons. Now, since Galen spent 7 years working for IBM that is a bit of a sacreligious statement, I guess, but we didn't buy my mac until after he left and then he got his a year later. I think he still feels a bit like a traitor!