The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly – Part One – The Good

I’m an artisan jeweler.  I have been making jewelry for about three years now.  I have learned over this time that jewelry can be GOOD, it can be BAD, and it can be downright UGLY.  In this blog today, I will share my thoughts as to what I feel fits into the “good” category.

THE GOOD

One of the best things about being a jeweler is being able to make my own jewelry.  I don’t need to go to the mall or a jewelry store to get really cool jewelry; I just have to walk out to my studio.  Actually, this was the whole reason I took jewelry classes to begin with.  I LOVE rings.  I mean I really, really love rings.  Good quality jewelry can be expensive.  I figured it had to be cheaper to make my own.  I originally intended to buy gemstones and take them to a jeweler to be set.  Then I got to thinking (which we all know is dangerous) “Why not take a class and see if I can set the gemstones myself?” and so the journey began.

I love making jewelry.  I love the creative process.  I love unique items that no one has ever seen before.  I also love making things for my customers.  One of the best parts of the job is to see their face the first time they see their completed piece.  There is no greater satisfaction than seeing the look of awe on someone’s face when they see the jewelry that has been made just for them.

Another good thing about being a jeweler is I have had to educate myself on gemstones.  Knowing what gemstones are and what to look for can be very helpful.  Recently I went antiquing with a friend and she found a ring that she liked.  She asked me to take a look at it.  The stone was purple, but in the case I was seeing flashes of blue and green.  I first thought it was some kind of topaz (the “mystic” kind that has been treated).  Out of the case, it just looked purple.  I looked at it through a loop and I told my friend, without the proper diagnostic tools, I would guess this is an amethyst.  The price was fair for what the ring was and my friend bought it.  When we got back to my house, we showed my husband the ring.  We were outside.  We kept seeing green and blue flashes.  I ran into the house to grab one of my alexandrite rings so I could compare the two.

If you aren’t familiar with gemstones let me take a moment to give you a little education.  Alexandrite is a stone that changes color.  It is known as “emerald by day, ruby by night”.  What this means is it will appear blue/green under outdoor light and purple/red in indoor lighting.  Natural alexandrite is VERY expensive and quite rare.  To make lab grown alexandrite you still have to start out with a piece of natural alexandrite, so even the lab grown stuff can be pricy.  

Based on what Aaron and I were seeing, we determined my friend picked up an alexandrite.  Clearly it was lab grown, and it didn’t change color 100%, but it was a 13mm round alexandrite.  Trust me, for what my friend paid, she did really, really well.  I was glad I had the knowledge to help her out.

There are many other good things to being a jeweler, but this is a blog, not a novel (if it were a novel, I’d have to charge).  Tomorrow I will tell you about the bad.  Now, you must excuse me, I need to get back to my day job, designing and fabricating custom jewelry.  Until Tomorrow – Melissa

Should you want to see some of my custom pieces please see my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Chrysalis-Jewelry/193401868091 or my Etsy page at http://www.etsy.com/shop/chrysalisjewelrytx?ref=si_shop

Single White Female...A Cautionary Tale of Skyrim

I recently lost my husband of twelve years…to Skyrim.  You could say that I’m a PlayStation widow.  It all started off very innocently.  The night before Thanksgiving Aaron and I were out running errands.  Aarons says to me, “Do you mind if we stop at Best Buy? There is a new game out I would like to get.”  This is not unusual - my husband is a gamer.  So we stopped at Best Buy.  If I had known then what I know now, I would have driven on by.

We get back to the videogame section and Aaron asks the very helpful sales associate if they still have copies of Skyrim.  I politely stand by and wait.  I had no idea what Skyrim was.  I should have done my homework before I let that home wrecker into my house.  The devil you don’t know is indeed very dangerous.

Aaron normally plays first person shooters (think Call of Duty) or fighting games (like Tekken or Mortal Kombat).  The last thing I expected was a role-playing game.  Actually, Aaron normally makes fun of role-playing games, or RPGs.  I should have known then his gamer soul had been seduced by the dark side.  Hind sight is 20/20.

Thanksgiving morning I got up to find Aaron playing Skyrim with my little brother watching.  It’s bad enough to lose your husband, but that trollop wickedly seduced my brother as well.  On the rare occasion that Aaron left her side, Chris was right there to keep her company.  Why oh why did I let this harlot into my house?  I feel so stupid.

At this point I am grateful to live in Texas where basements are not common.  I can at least walk through the living room and catch a glimpse of my husband, however bittersweet that glimpse may be.  He’s always with that tart, Skyrim.   I always hear him talking about Nords and elves and leveling up.  It seems Chris and Aaron now speak a different language, one I can barely understand.

I’ve been told I’m a good cook, or at least I used to be.   Meals have gone uneaten.  I have been unable to tempt them away from Skyrim with the delicious smells of the kitchen.  Is there any hope left?  I am grateful Aaron at least leaves Skyrim’s side to go to work.  There is a plus side.

I think I may need to start a Widows of Skyrim support group.  Would you be interested in joining me?  Until tomorrow – Newly Single White Female – Melissa :(

*Editors note: Some of the information in this post *may* have been played up just a tad for comedic effect.  Aaron’s a good guy really.  Except when he’s killing dragons or orcs.

Insomnia...It's not for wusses

I looked at the clock this morning at 5:45 AM.  This was not an extraordinary event.  People do it every day.  I proceeded to ponder at this time, if you haven't been able to get to sleep and it's 5:45 AM, does this mean you are up really early or really late?  At what point to you throw in the towel and proceed to get on with your day?

Around 6:00 I heard my husband stirring in the room next door (Before you ask, yes, my husband and I have separate rooms.  We've been married for over 12 years and it works quite nicely for us, thank you very much).  It was at this point I threw in the towel.  I got out of bed and went next door and told my husband good morning.  He sleepily replied "Good Morning".  He then got a quizzical look on his face and proceeded to ask "Why are you up so early?  Or have you not been asleep yet"?  Ding ding ding Bob, we have a winner.

In addition to other assorted odd things that my body has decided to do this year, I have developed insomnia.  My husband (Aaron, not to be confused with Bob, the game show host...) has even granted me the honorary title of mayor of Insomniaville (I will gladly give you the keys to that city.  Trust me, I'd gladly give it up).  Ambien worked for a few months.  Not so much anymore.

You, my dear and loyal reader, may ask what I do all night.  Well, sometimes I read books, sometimes I surf the internet.  I've been known to work out in my jewelry studio (might as well be productive I'm not going to partake in one of my favorite pastimes).  I  also watch DVD's (because there IS nothing on over night, except infomercials) but a lot of the time I am just left to think.  This might lead one to believe this gives me lots of time to come up with blog topics.  I wish it did, these post would be much more entertaining.

There comes a point when you are so sleep deprived you can't remember what is going on.  For example, another odd thing my body has decided to do this year is to have my heart beat REALLY fast (the doctors call it tachycardia.  I call it my chest hurts, I can't breath and walking any distance is out of the question).  About a month ago I was put on a beta blocker, which has allowed me to return to a "normal" life.  When I remember to take it twice a day.  There's the rub.  One morning a few weeks ago I went to go take it.  I got to the bathroom (where my pharmacy known as a medicine cabinet is) and forgot why I was in there.  I went to back to what I was doing trying to remember what I got up to do in the first place.  I remembered a few minutes later, went to go get my beta blocker again, got side tracked, went back to what I was doing and only remembered to take the beta blocker when it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest.  Third time's a charm and all that.

Bottom line, insomnia sucks.  I wouldn't recommend it.  But if you decide to give it a test drive, send me a message...I'll be up anyway.  Until tomorrow - Melissa.

Nature vs. Nurture

If you have spent any time at all in school, you have probably run across the theory of nature vs. nurture (you can familiarize yourself with the theory here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_vs_nurture ).  I was thinking of this today as I was conversing with one of my cats, Mr. Holstein.  Now, before you stop reading this blog and write me off as a total loon, trust me when I tell you Mr. Holstein likes to talk.  When he has something to say, he will walk up to you, look you right in the eye, and meow.  You then can begin to ask him "questions" and he will meow in response.  He is quite a vocal cat and admittedly, has a very interesting personality. (you can view some of Mr. Holstein's antics here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQaocsFLoYY  .  Please note when my husband says "That's Holstein", he meows.  See?  I'm not making this stuff up.)

Now, where was I?  Oh right, Nature vs. Nurture.  Most pet parents will tell you how special their animals are.  While I would be the first to tell you how special my little furry bundles of joy are, I will also admit they are a little odd.  Holstein talks.  Holstein also has a girlfriend; she just happens to be a German Shepard.  Gus (Holstein's brother) has a large tongue, so big in fact, you will catch him with it hanging out of his mouth a lot of the time.  He is also one of the most loving cats I ever met.  He is so into his humans, he sneaks into our bedrooms any chance he can get to sleep with us.  The fuzzy twins (Anna and Nina) are cousins of Holstein and Gus and also have very gregarious personalities.  Then there is Yoda.  We have had her for 11 years, so she is our grandma cat.  She despises the other cats with a passion, but loves the humans.  She doesn't mind the dogs at all.  Oh, and most of the time you can find her on top of the Fios box (cable).  The Fios has never been stolen on her watch, so we call her the Guardian of the Fios, or GOF for short.

So the question is, do I have odd animals because they were born this way?  Or is there something about living with me and my husband that makes them a little off?  I had cats growing up; I wouldn't say they had remarkable personalities.  We got 4/5ths of our cats from my in-law's farm in Missouri.  Is there something in the water up there that makes for very personable cats?

Dear reader, I don't have an answer for you.  I don't know if my cats' personalities are because they are Missouri Mutant Cats (not to be confused with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) or if somehow living with me makes them off.  It was just something I was pondering today and since this blog is about my random thoughts, I thought I would share with you.  Til Tomorrow - Melissa

Nina, Gus, Anna and Holstein (L-R) taking in some fresh air

Gus and Holstein ready for Thanksgiving.  They volunteered to sit at the "kitty table"

 Gus with his "famous" tongue

Help Your Neighbor's - Shop Local Saturday

Here we are, Black Friday.  The day retailers have been waiting for.  The day retailers have annoyingly over advertised for (I was particularly annoyed at the Wal-Mart ads this year featuring AC/DC's Black in Black.  Something about metal for Christmas rubs me the wrong way...but I digress).  But did you know tomorrow is Shop Local Saturday?

It's sponsored by American Express (I know, I know big bank, blah blah blah), but I think it's a great idea.  It encourages you to spend your Christmas dollars with local small businesses.  I personally think it's a great idea.  We all know the economy is bad.  Everyone is hurting, you just need to turn on the news to be reminded of it.  While local small businesses can be more expensive than Wal-Mart, I personally feel in the long run they may be cheaper.  We have become a disposable society.  Things are made to be used for a short while and then tossed.  I have an idea, why don't we buy things that are made to last?  I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend more to have the item last longer.

It is my opinion dear reader, that your local small business has higher quality items.  I would guess in most cases they procure their items from local craftsmen or they might even make the items themselves.  Which means you are investing your hard earned dollar back into the local economy, not some sweatshop in China (Don't we owe China enough money?  Why voluntarily send them more?).

Now, since I am a Small Business owner ( http://www.chrysalisjewelry.com ) this post may seem a little self-serving.  Admittedly, though I'd love to get a ton of jewelry orders tomorrow, that is not the purpose of this post.  I want to encourage you to shop your local small businesses.  If we all start helping each other, we all win.  It's quite simple: Keep the dollars here.  Help small businesses.  If small businesses grow, they add more jobs.  Local jobs.

So there you have it.  Shop your local businesses tomorrow.  This will help your local economy.  As for me, I will be by my phone ready to take jewelry orders - Melissa

The following may not be local, but I would like to recommend these craftsmen:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/maybeads?ref=seller_info

http://www.clockworkcouture.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MsPurdy

http://silversmyth.bigcartel.com

http://www.daniellemillerjewelry.com

Week of Thanksgiving - Thursday AKA Thanksgiving Day.

Here we are, the fourth Thursday in November, which here in the United States means it's Thanksgiving.  Its a day where we cook up a feast, maybe drive to a family members house and break bread.  It was originally intended to be a day of thanksgiving for a successful harvest.  Some use it as a day to reflect on their blessings.  I am one of those people.

As a zoomed around the kitchen this morning preparing for our little feast (aided by my ever present sous chef, Aaron), and old hymn kept going through my head.  The lyrics follow, please feel free to sign along.

Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr.  Published 1897

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   • Refrain:
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

*Alternate text.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I look around and see so many blessing.  To many blessing to list.  I hope you have had a wonderful thanksgiving.  Now my dear reader, I am about to partake in an activity I am extremely thankful for...a nap.  Melissa

Week of Thanksgiving - Wednesday

It's the day before Thanksgiving.  Like most women in America (and maybe some men), I am starting to cook what can be done up ahead of tomorrow's feast.  Time to make the pies, the cranberry sauce, salads that can be prepared now.

As I prepare to feed an army (well, I always make enough stuff for an army, it's only my husband and my brother...that's another story), I think of our Armed Forces.  There are brave men and women all over the world right now serving our country, protecting our freedoms.  These citizens volunteer for this duty, which makes them even more extraordinary.  They volunteer to be separated from their friends and family knowing that there is a possibility they might not come home.  Their protection is a very precious gift, one I am most thankful for.  They do their job, they call it duty, so I can do trivial things like make jewelry and write a blog.

Today I also think of their families.  Wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, all separated from the ones they love.  They sacrifice time with their families so we can enjoy our freedom.  I can not imagine what it must be like for a wife or mother to be separated right now from her husband or son.  The holidays are a time when you most want your family around (well, most of us do.  Maybe you have Clark Griswold in your family, in which case I understand...).  I am so thankful service members' families are willing to share their family with us, in defense of our nation.

As you sit down to the table tomorrow with your family and friends, please take a moment and think of our brave men and women overseas and at home.  Some are in very inhospitable areas.  If you are so inclined, whisper a prayer for their safe return home.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a turkey to stuff.  Til Tomorrow...Melissa

Week of Thanksgiving - Tuesday

Today I will continue my week long series of blogs for things I'm thankful for.  Yesterday I wrote about my thankfulness for my family traditions.  You missed it?  Well, I will wait a moment while you go catch up.....

Today I want to tell you about someone very special, someone I am very thankful to have in my life.  I am so thankful that I am married to a wonderful, loving man.  Aaron and I met while we were in college.  We had a class together and ended up working in the same group.  This group work made it so we had to exchange numbers and then call each other to coordinate work on the group project.  One evening Aaron called me up and asked what I was doing on Friday night (I believe it was a Tuesday).  Being slightly daft, not realizing this poor guy was trying to ask me out I replied, I'm not sure, I'm not there yet.  At that time, I had various responsibilities on campus and things would tend to pop up at the last minute.  Thankful Aaron persevered and asked me out.  We had a wonderful first date on that lovely April evening.  Over labor day weekend he asked me to marry him.

We were married about a year later, on August 14th.  We were both still in college.  This was one of the reasons we were given that we shouldn't get married.  We were to "young".  Can I tell you that our marriage has been easy, smooth sailing with no bumps?  Of course not.  Marriages are work and both partners must work together.  I feel so blessed that over 12 years later, I am still madly deeply in love with my husband.  I can not imagine what life would have been like without him.  God blessed me with a soul mate.  I am thankful he blessed me with this wonderful man.

On this Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I am thankful to have a caring loving husband who supports my ideas, hobbies, and goals.  Not every man would spend his summer break converting part of "his" garage into a dream jewelry studio.  Aaron did a beautiful job and I have a wonderful environment to design my jewelry.  Aaron, I am so thankful you are in my life.  I love so very much!

Week of Thanksgiving - Monday

Later this week, our nation will be sitting down to tables laden with turkey and all the trimming goodies.  We will stuff ourselves silly and then watch football in a tryptophan haze.  Some of us will begin our strategic plan for overindulgent gluttony of consumerism that is Black Friday.   We will stand in lines and then climb over our fellow man to obtain giant screen televisions or Tickle Me Elmos (or whatever the "it" toy is this year).

In my blog this week, I want to focus on things I am thankful for.  I think that no matter what situation you find yourself in, whether it be abundance or wanting, you have things in your life you can be thankful for.

Today I am thankful for my family traditions.  Growing up, I had no idea how very blessed I was.  I thought my family was normal.  I thought everyone had the life I did.  I had both my parents, not step parents, step siblings or half siblings.  I would be in high school before I realized how abnormal this is.

Before my father got a job in New York and moved the family half way across the country, holidays would be spent with cousins, aunts, uncles, and BOTH set of grandparents.  My parents dated in high school, getting married a few months after my mother graduated.  Since they were from the same town, my grandparents houses were only about a mile apart.  Holidays were split between the sides.  Christmas Eve and the Mizell's, Christmas day at the Creamer's.  Spending holidays with my family was really great.  It makes me wish there was a time machine, so I could go back to the early 80's and enjoy these family holidays once more.

I would love to experience Grandma Creamer's oyster stew again (I can make it, but it just isn't the same).  I would love to hear Grandpa Riley read the Christmas story from the family bible again with all the family gathered around listening.  I would love to sit at Grandma Mizell's dinning room table and listen to grandpa Riley say grace.  I would love to steal the mattress from the crib in the pink room and proceed to take turns riding it down the stairs with my cousins until the adults made us stop.

There is no time machine.  So I can't go back to enjoy these traditions once more.  However, I am thankful, so very thankful I was able to experience them in the first place.  My family is one of many things that I am thankful for.  In this Thanksgiving week, what are you thankful for?  I'd love for you to leave a comment and share with us.

I hope you have a wonderful day.  Until tomorrow....Melissa 

Knowledge Lost

In my post a couple days ago, I talked about my obsession with antiques.  It might be more appropriately stated as an addiction.  Some people go to the guy in the alley in the sketchy part of town to get their hit.  I just have to go to my antique dealer (her shop is quite refined and not sketchy at all).

In the world of antiques, there are many different things to be interested in.  Some people are into china, or quilts, or items from various eras (example: WWII).  As for me, I am all about the Victorian Period.  I love the fashion (God bless those corset wearing women), I love the furniture, I love the elegance of the period, but I also LOVE the books.  I can spend hours at my antique dealer's shop digging though a new cache of books.  Some are period stories, some are about medical knowledge or advice of the day (which can be quite comical when viewed through our advanced technological society lens), some can be books by authors we all know (Shakespeare, Mary Shelley, etc).

I have lots of lots of old books.  So many, I don't quite know where to put them all.  These book possess a lot of knowledge.  In this day of smart phones and Google, I have to wonder how much knowledge has been lost.  We have all kind of prescriptions that can cure this and that.  Are there herbs that can do the same?  People use to have to know what to keep in their gardens and what could be used to help what ailed you (mint for an upset stomach comes to mind).  I can't help but wonder, in gaining all the knowledge and know-how we have today, have we begun to loose some of the of wisdom?

One can tell by reading these old books that our language has certainly changed.  I don't think it's for the better.  How would you prefer to be greeted?  "Good day Mrs Smith, how are you today?" or "What up my nizzle?".  People's vocabulary is certainly lacking,

In a sad but true story, my husband, who is a high school teacher, overheard  a conversation a colleague was having with a student.  The fellow teacher had pulled an unruly student into the hall to have a little chat with her regarding her unexceptionable behavior.  He said "I need you to stop with these shenanigans".  The student then retorted "What did you call me?" and proceeded to get all upset.  This student was all offended because she had no clue what shenanigans were and thought it was a slight.  To this day, when ever my husband or myself use the word, we have an inside joke of "what did you call me?"

This high school child came off as very ignorant.  I would expect a high school junior to know what shenanigans are. It makes my heart heavy to think of the knowledge that is being lost.  Can everyone know everything? No, that is not my expectation.  I just worry about the fundamentals that are slipping through our fingers.

No one person can save the vast amount of knowledge the human race has amassed.  Will you join with me to learn what is new and what is old so we can pass this knowledge onto the next generation?  This way we will have knowledge gained, not lost.

Snap, Crackle, Pop

Snap, Crackle, Pop.  I’d love to tell you that is what I heard this morning as I poured the milk on my cereal (mmmmm….rice crispy treats.  Maybe a project for later?).  My cereal is not where these sounds are coming from.  It’s my joints.

It’s in my hands, my arms, my knees, my feet.  I thought you had to get old before you heard such sounds coming from your body.  I’m in my early thirties.  I’m not old.  If 60 is the new 40, I must be a teenie bopper.  I sure don’t feel like one today.

When did this happen?  It seems like yesterday that I was in high school.  Then I actually give it some thought and I realize that was 15 years ago.  No wonder most of my friends on Facebook have kids.  Has it really been that long?  This makes the snap, crackle, pop seem more reasonable (but I adamantly refuse to acknowledge it might be because I’m getting old.)

They say time flies when you're having fun.  I must be having a blast because I couldn't believe that next week is Thanksgiving already.  Where did 2011 go?  Does time go buy as you get older?  It sure must.  I need to figure out what to make for Thanksgiving and quick.  If I don't act soon, all the store shelves will be bare and I will end up with a dented can of cranberry sauce and a box of Twinkies from the corner gas station.

Snap, crackle, pop.  Upon further examination, I'm glad my body us letting me know time is going by.  I think it is my body's way of saying Hey!  You'd better pay attention!  You need to take time and smell the roses once in awhile.  Life is blowing by you while you weren't paying attention.  Sometime, we all need wake up calls.

Have a good Friday everyone.  Now where did I put that Bengay?

Obsession

Antiques.  They are one of my favorite things.  I love going to antique stores.  It’s like going to a museum, but better, because you can touch the items.  I can lose track of time in antique stores.  My husband has learned (the hard way) you’d best eat before we go.  Once you get me in an antique store, it’s hard to get me out.

Today (Thursday) is one of my favorite days.  My favorite antique store opens for the first time in the week.  McGillicuddy’s in downtown Garland, TX is only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Karen Scott is the proprietor.  I don’t know how Karen does it, but week after week she finds the coolest, most unique antiques.  If you want the really good stuff, you’d better go on Thursday.

I approach my trips to McGillicuddy’s almost like Christmas morning.  I never know what I am going to find.  It might be some interesting old books, maybe a unique piece of furniture, or possibly an old gadget (the stereoscope was one of my favorite finds).  Every room of my house has an antique from McGillicuddy’s in it.  We are even going to build an additional room onto the house because of a parlor set we found at McGillicuddy’s.

Why do I love antiques so much?  I think it is in part that I know I’m touching history.  I’m a huge history geek and I love owning pieces of history.  Antiques are also so well made.  Back in the day, things were made to last.  I know I can go to McGillcuddy’s and find pieces of furniture that will last for years to come.  A year ago next week I found a Hoosier for my kitchen.  I have made gnocchi, bread, and spaetzle on that Hoosier.  I love the amount of storage it has.  I love that, for the price I paid for it, I couldn’t have gone to Ikea or Target and gotten more storage or more charm.

Which brings me to another reason I love antiques.  What a great way to recycle!  Is there anything “greener” than reusing an existing item?  I sure don’t think so.

Well, it’s almost opening time.  I’d better go!  Happy antiquing, y’all.

 One of the many finds from McGillicuddy's.  I love this old dresser!

Confessions of Disorderly Conduct

I’ve never been a tidy person.  As a child I always had to clean my room before I could engage in desired activities, like playing with my friends.  In high school my mother decided it was best to just keep my bedroom door closed instead of forcing the issue.  Right before I got married, my father took a video of my room while I was at work to show my fiancée.  My parents wanted Aaron to have full disclosure of what he was getting himself into (I will take a moment here to thank my husband for not running away screaming when he had the opportunity).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a slob per se; I prefer to call it a disorganized organized.  I know where stuff is…it just happens to reside in multiple piles.  Some might call it cluttered.  It’s just the way I am.  I will set things down when I am done with them.  I was always getting in trouble as a child for not putting objects back into “their place”.  These habits of mine have never really bothered me…until today.

I was trying to work in my jewelry studio.  The space in the garage my husband (known as Saint Aaron to some friends) built especially for me to create my little works of art.  My studio is a disorganized, cluttered mess.  For almost two years, this has worked.  I was only fabricating silver jewelry.  It is not uncommon to have parts of projects here and there.  Various silver pieces and gemstones lying about as I tried to figure out the designs.  It was a devil may care type of studio.  “Was” is hopefully the operative word here

Recently I have expanded my jewelry knowledge to include chainmaille and lampwork beads.  This means more tools…more supplies…in the same amount of space.  I realized today, I must change my ways if I am going to have a successful jewelry business.

I now find myself trying to figure out how to better organize the space, how I can get the most out of the finite amount of square feet that I have.  I must reform my ways…

Dear reader, I confess, much to my shame, my studio is a disorganized mess.  My name is Melissa and I am a clutteraholic.  Is there a 12 step program for this?  If you have any suggestions on how I can reform I would appreciate your advice.  Think of it as Dear Abby in reverse.  Now that I have publicly shamed myself and stitched a letter C on my top I am off to organize.

If you don’t hear from me tomorrow…please send out a search party.