Family Jewels

I’ve had  a rather rough week emotionally, so when a friend emailed me on Tuesday and asked if I would set up a jewelry booth at a pop-up art shop she was hosting this weekend, I got a little excited.

Bless her heart, this sweet woman engages in the kind belief that I’m organized and make jewelry on a regular basis, with enough inventory on hand to do a booth with a week’s notice – her thought that my only outlay would be the time on Sunday to set up and sell my work.

Actually, I had no inventory at all when she contacted me (I gave pretty much everything I had made away as holiday gifts), but I felt a sudden need for an artistic challenge, something to get my head out of my #$$ and end my current pity party.

I said, “Sure! Absolutely!” and jumped right on Etsy and started ordering some supplies.  I figured I’d get everything by Thursday and have about 3 days to put together 20-25 pieces (earrings, necklaces and bracelets) for the art shop.

I started designing jewelry about eight years ago, right after I sold my club and was looking for the next direction for my life to take.  Any type of large-scale uncertainty makes me quite a bit twitchy. Crafting jewelry requires (at least for me) a tunneled focus, a channeled muse and small and somewhat soothing repetitive gestures, with the added bonus of the visual and tactile delight of gemstones and crystals.

It’s ultimately an amazing form of therapy for me and I really enjoy the act of creating.  I would do it more, but I always have the excuse of working too much, spending too little time as is with husband and friends, trying to consistently write a blog…

Therefore my big ol’ box of jewelry making junk typically makes an appearance only around birthdays and holidays.

Well, maybe something for a special dress or new outfit, but I’ve learned that anything I make for myself tends to get conscripted by my Mom.  How do you say no to your Mom?

Of course, my supplies didn’t come in on Thursday.  They came in Saturday afternoon. As in yesterday, Saturday afternoon, the day before the Sunday pop-up shop.

David and I sat up ’til after midnight last night watching the new season of House of Cards on Netflix, while I hunched over small piles of rocks and twisted wires scrabbling them together until I had what I thought was enough of a display for a small show.

But of course, I woke up around 7 a.m. and felt guilty that I didn’t have enough stuff to give my friend variety for her event, so I made coffee, curled up in front of the fireplace and made a few more pieces.

When I realized it was time for me to get ready to leave for the show, it occurred to me that I hadn’t checked my phone all morning.

Sure enough, there was a text message from my friend.

The pop-up shop was cancelled for today, sorry for the late notice.

Oh well, vie la c’est.  I feel much happier and more relaxed.  My “creative” has been let out.

David and I had fun running around this morning outside in the freezing mist to take pictures of the jewelry I made (natural light tends to show color best) and I know they will reschedule the art shop in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I have new jewelry to wear.

I got to watch 3 episodes of the new House of Cards.

Should I provoke the thought, I have enough product to maybe open that Etsy shop I’ve been meaning to do for a few years now.  I would love to do something where I could make a little moolah and donate part of the profits to Atlanta Lab Rescue, a group I volunteer for.

And, I had a blog topic for today.

With photos.

And bling.

A veritable treasure chest of “win” and a “jewel in my crown.”

(Aarrghh.  Sorry.)