Wishes for a Blessed Christmas

 

12-24-2013
To all we send  wishes of prosperity, love and celebration this holiday season.  This year we  are  without our families in person but  of course  with them in spirit.    As we  wind  down this year  we  wish to thank everyone who has  supported us on starting M&D Design.  It has  truly been a labor  of love.   We have added a few more pieces  to the Etsy  shop  so swing in and  take a look.  I will be adding more pieces this week.   I have been experimenting more and more with wire work and  just finished  reworking a necklace and earring set in tiger eye.  It turned out great but it has been sold.  I hope to add another set to the shop soon.  Working with wire is a  fun new  direction  for me and I am  full of ideas for the future.  Once I get the hang of it better  I will try to  share some tutorials.  For now enjoy the pics  and enjoy the holiday  cheer!  Until next time.

Christmas Time

12-14-2013
Well Christmas time is almost  here.  We have been very  busy  creating beautiful pieces for giving.  Stop by our Etsy store and see all the new pieces that would be perfect for Christmas  giving.  We hope this is a peaceful time for all and a time of family.   The weather here as in the rest of the US  has been chaotic.  We have had snow, ice, single digit weather and beautiful 50  degree days.  Last  weekend was a single digit weather day and of course that is the day I decided we needed to take food and treats out to a local no kill animal shelter.  It was so cold  but we managed to visit every dog and give them a special treat or two.  It is heart breaking to see so many loving animals without homes but we are so grateful for shelters such as this.  Please if you are considering adopting choose a rescue pet and if you are not looking for a new companion please if you can support your local shelters.

We are so excited that our business cards  are  finally done.   We are pleased with how they  turned out.  Not sure  if we will leave the colors the way they are but love the design.






I have been exploring more wire techniques and having lots of fun at it.  Below is a pair  of  earrings I just finished  that would be perfect for holiday parties.  Mitch has continued creating amazing steam punk pieces that again would make a perfect one of a kind gift.  Check  them out  below and at the shop.  Stay warm  and remember to tell those you love that you love them every  day.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Creating

12-1-2013
Happy December!  I hope your Thanksgiving was blessed and full of reasons to give  thanks.  We are especially grateful  this season for my husbands remission from very aggressive lymphoma. We pray for continued remission and are grateful to all our friends and love ones who have uplifted us and supported us during this stressful time.  Hubby and I started a tradition when we were dating that if  we were in orphan mode ( too far away from family to  have Thanksgiving with them) then we found a community organization to  volunteer to help them with  Thanksgiving  lunch.  This year it was the Salvation Army in Lubbock.  It warmed our hearts to see so many volunteers. Often there has been a paucity of help in other places.  This organization does so much to help those in need.  My plug for them is this is their greatest fund raising time so when you see a red kettle drop in some coins and be grateful you can help.
We got to get out yesterday and even though overcast was a beautiful fall day in Lubbock.  I have enclosed some pics of a local park we took the "bosses" to.  Still haven't  figured out the waterfowl here as we are a loooong way from the ocean yet   we have seen Ibis, sea gulls, and a pelican!  They are either very confused or I am!
We have been busy creating for Christmas.  We are still trying to get the Etsy shop moving so please check it out and tell your  friends about us.  This week was a lot of pendants and a few earrings. Life partner is back on track with  his antique watch re-purposing.  I think he has some pretty good ones and he is using a lot of the rubies that are in the old 17 jewel watches.  Makes for a particular good combo for Christmas time. Remember any feedback is appreciated. 

Snowstorms, Craft Fairs and Food Poisoning

11-24-2013 Happy Sunday!  This has been a very interesting couple of days out here in the nether lands of Texas.  Friday  hubby and I both came down with bad case of food poisoning (UGGG!!) but luckily was only 24 hours of misery.  During that time winter storm Boreas hit this part of Texas and we went down and found our car encased in ice.  After getting all the ice off the windows we  headed to a large annual craft fair they have here in Lubbock.  I was very excited as it had been quite a while since I had indulged my not so secret passion of going to craft fairs.  Alas I was  very disappointed.  There were in all fairness some beautiful textiles and some great sauces and dips but not much else that I would consider crafty.  I think we would have done very well if we had been able to  get a booth ( however we were  too late to get a booth and they were ridiculously expensive!) We  finished our day  with some chores and settled in for a night of creating jewelry.  We managed to get  several  new  pieces done that we think would make wonderful Christmas  gifts as  3 are set with rubies.  I have pictures below and they are in the Etsy shop.
This morning we woke up to sight seldom seen in Texas- snow!  It makes for a beautiful sight but I dread the thought of driving in it to work tomorrow as there is a layer of ice under all the pretty white stuff. Being a physician I know the consequences of ice on roads and drivers who don't know how to drive on it.  Hopefully people  will slow down and take extra time getting to where they are going.  For now though it is nice to sit back with a cup of apple cider and enjoy natures  show.   Stay warm  and safe.

Hitting the Jackpot at Garage Sales

11-17-2013
Good morning!  Yesterday we hit the garage sales here in Lubbock and had a successful day  finding components for our jewelry.  Our first stop was a large church sale  where we were able to pick up some beautiful hand painted porcelain Texas shaped buttons and pewter cowboy hats. ( we also of course managed to find the "boys" some new toys as they seem to go thru them rather quickly). Next stop was an old trading post that was closing down and we felt like we won the lotto.  We were able to get 10 old watches to use in our steam punk jewelry and we were able to bargain for a great price.  We then hit a few others with various results.  Of course the grand babies always win and we were able to pick up some great  books.  After we got home we had some fun creating some great earrings from our "finds".  Mitch has been busy taking apart the watches and he found some great surprises with one watch actually still in working condition.  The day was beautiful but windy  reminding me of Fall days in Oklahoma.  We made a stop at one of the local parks to let the dogs run and to our surprise there was a beautiful brown pelican  in the pond along with  the Canadian geese and ducks.  That is not a sight you expect to see in Lubbock! Here's a few pics for you to enjoy.  Keep in mind the holidays are just around the corner so be sure and stop in our Etsy shop to see all our designs!

New Listings and RV shopping

11-9-2013
Today was a beautiful Fall day in Texas.  We started the day with  coffee and Face Time with the littlest Granddaughter, Kaiah, then we decided to go look at fifth wheels.  We have thought for a long time about down sizing and with my travel it is is getting to not make much sense to own a house. This is still a decision a ways away but it is fun to look.We should get settled in the extended stay apartment where we will be for the next couple of months and be able to get our jewelry equipment out and start creating again soon.  I have just listed  2 more pairs of earrings in our Etsy shop so be sure and check them out and let me know what you think.  We always appreciate feedback.

On a more philosophical note my husband lost his best friend of 50 years this past week.  It was not  unexpected but still sad.  With my partners own struggle with mortality this summer in his fight with cancer this was an extra hard loss.  It reminds each of us that  each moment is precious and not to be wasted.  So please tell those you love you love them and take time to stop and smell the roses.

Long Day

11-6-2013
 I have been back to my "other job" as a locums physician the last  2 days and today was  busy! Probably will not be able to get back to jewelry creating until next week when we get settled in the apt we will be in for next 2 months.  Just too much to get it all out then  repack it to move it again on Sunday.  So will leave you with some of our new creations and  remind everyone that Christmas is coming and to visit our Etsy shop and look around.   Think I will head to the shower and wash away the day then settle down to a spaghetti supper Life partner is making. 
I think the "Screw Time" pendant is appropriate for the long day.  Made from a watch face and screws with multi color accent beads.
The other is a pendant from re-purposed Norwegian sweater clasps, New Zealand turbo shells and  silver clap bells.

Great Bracelets = Sore Hands

11-3-2013
Happy November.  Hopefully everyone had a safe Halloween.  We have had some copper tubing for a while that a plumber friend gave us when he finished a job.  I have been wondering what to do with it when I found a great tutorial on Craftgawker for copper bracelets.  Well in theory it sounded easy, in practice it is a lot of hard hand work.  I stopped at local Home Depot and also got some aluminum tubing but they only had it in 1/2 inch.  The copper tubing was about 10 mm.  First you measure how big you want the bangle to be then you cut the pipe, beat the pipe until flat, sand the pipe, stamp the pipe if desired, then bend the pipe and sand again for finish.  Once that is complete spray a modge podge lacquer on them .  Remember  copper oxidizes and will turn green if not sealed.  I also sealed the aluminum ones just because it add such a high gloss shine.  All but the first practice one turned out good but my hands are really sore.  Bending the metal is really hard.  The aluminum was the hardest as it was thicker so I suggest using copper if you are going to try this. I have some pics below of the finished products.  They will be in our Etsy store soon. 

We are also getting the car packed for another of our temporary relocations with my work.  It seems the jewelry  supplies are taking up more space than our clothes!  Soon we will have to be up sizing the rental car just for our supplies!  I laugh as we are supposed to be downsizing.   Enjoy the new products and remember to check out our Etsy store for more jewelry  and be sure to tell your friends.


 copper and aluminum bangles in 6,7, and 8 Inch sizes- Unisex

 Note Annan wearing headphones.  She  does not like the loud noise of the work shop.  She informed me when she grows up and takes over the shop we will have to add and A to M&D Design.  Hmmm M,D &A Design-kinda catchy.

 Annan and her Papa Peach ( she could not say Mitch when she was little hence the Peach which he adores) both tired after trick or treating.

Creating with the Next Generation

10-31-2013

Happy Halloween !  Please be safe and have fun tonight.

One of my great joys is being a grandma.  We are fortunate to live close enough to our oldest granddaughter to get to spend a lot of time with her.  Since she has been very young  I have been crafting with her. It is wonderful to see the joy and sense of accomplishment on her face when she makes something to give as a gift .  Her latest has been working with us in the workshop learning how to make paper beads .  Her mother has been the recipient of some great earrings made by these precious little hands.  I think it is important to pass on the love of creating to the next generation  be it painting,quilting,writing or jewelry making.  Teaching them to respect all things in nature and open their eyes to all possibilities.  She is learning to enjoy the experience of the hunt looking for shells and rocks and starting to look at items to re- purpose.  I hope this is something we can do together for a long time and that she will make a part of her life as an adult.  

This is one of my granddaughters designs we had made into a necklace for her Daddy for Father's Day

How to Find The "Right Stuff"

10-30-2013
Goodmorning!  The soap is done and turned out great. Now time to get back to jewlery.
We have been asked how we find all the items  we use to make our jewelery.  Its pretty easy.  Start going to second hand stores, garage sells, antique stores anywhere where there might be items you can re-imagine.  It helps if you love to go to all those places in the first place.  The fun is in the hunt and the discovery. It is always better to not be looking for just the right piece as you will miss a lot of cool items if you are so focused.  When you look at something try to picture it being used for something other than its original purpose. There have been many times I bring something home and my Life Partner looks at me like I am crazy ( he is not as good at this) but then gets the  " Ah ha"  look when he sees what it becomes. Of course the other is our rock hunting and beach combing.  I kid you not our box we shipped back from New Zealand contained a large amount of rocks and sea shells. So the best advice is keep your eyes and  imagination open and you will find the "right stuff" for your creation

This is a great example of re-purposing

This is a fence in a small town in Washington State.

Soap or Jewlery Today?

10-29-2013
It is a tough  decision but  I have to make it- jewelry or soap today?  I have been putting off making a new batch of soap in favor of working  in the workshop but I think the time has come to make the soap.  I am fairly new to soap making.  I started about a year ago and it has definitely been a trial and error.  I like making mine using the hot process because I want that instant  gratification of using the soap versus  waiting weeks to use it if cold processed.  I started making soap in keeping with our other belief of using natural products.  When  you make your soap you know what is in it and there are no chemicals, it is all natural.   I have yet to come up with my perfect base because I love to experiment and be creative.  I think I will go for a goats milk grapefruit scented batch today. 
Yesterday was a good one in the creative jewellery department.  I managed to finish two pendants  and Life partner ( who does not choose to be involved in soap making) finished several great new pairs of his steam-punked earrings.  We will have to down size a bit for the next 2 months as we are going mobile again and and can't take the whole workshop with us ( sigh!)   However some of our best jewelry has come out of working in small spaces.    I have found one of my biggest challenges of late is trying to figure out the slip knot to use on the leather cording.  I must have watches 6 U-tube videos on that one but think I have finally got it licked.
I will leave you  with a tastes of some new M&D Design creations and a beautiful Fall rose we have blooming on one of our bushes out front.

                                                                   

   

 

Great Day for Jewelry Creating

10-28-2013
Today we woke to a foggy  day here in Texas.  It is the perfect  day to be in the workshop creating.  I have been asked why jewelry?  I think this stems from a lot of things.  I have crafted as long as I can remember. I  used to love the Fall when all the local  and church craft shows made their premier for the Christmas season.  It is a cherished memory I have of sharing it with my Mom.  I am one of those people who is a very frequent pinner on Pinterest  and have enough pinned projects to last a lifetime.  Ahh so many crafts so little time.  Being a physician  and a life long needle worker ( starting with embroidery and quilting)draws in the precise scientific part of me that gets infused into the creating of my jewelery.The love of re-purposing probably goes back to my roots of being raised by depression era parents where everything was re-purposed and reused and never wasted.  I feel jewelry is a way to combine the love of re-purposing  and my creative side.

Life partner was a wonderful carpenter and before having to retire was doing a lot of historical renovation.  His precision was obvious in his restoration work and now in his jewelry creations.  I watch now in awe as he takes apart old watches and separates those very miniscule parts for later use.  I watched him do the same in his past profession. 

I think we are  fortunate to have found something we both love and can share together.  We continue to work on creations that we hope you love as much as we do.

Steam-punk butterfly earrings

Fall Is In the Air

10-27-2013
Good morning!  It is a rather overcast  day here in Texas.  We were blessed with lots of rain last night.   With the last couple of years of drought any rain is welcome.  Fall is always a  beautiful time in Texas.  It is the reward for making it thru another scorching summer.  The leaves are turning, the temperatures are wonderful and the smell of Fall is everywhere.
Will be taking the oldest granddaughter  trick or treating this year which is always lots of fun.  However I think the pumpkin she so amazingly created is not fairing so well. Oh well it only has to make it a few more days.
We have been busy in the workshop.  Several new pieces of jewelry will be going in the Etsy shop soon.  Keep checking the shop to find that perfect  piece for you or someone special for Christmas.  Spread the news  about our shop and that there is free shipping anywhere until Nov 11,2013.  We are  also now set up on PayPal too .

Beautiful Hawaiian shells and sea bean pendant

Wire wrapped with turquoise earrings

Applebutter

Today  I took a break from making jewelry and  made apple butter.  My brother in law who lives in a California apple grove sent us a box of scrumptious apples  but too many for us to eat before they go bad so out came the recipe and in the kitchen I went.  The whole house smells wonderful and each taste is  yummy!
I feel the whole canning process is  in line with what we do with our  jewelry.  Create  wonderful things ( in this case food) from nature.  I also snuck you in a picture of our work shop.  What do they say about messy  workshop equals creative minds?  It really is organized chaos!

 The start of the apple butter process

 Finished product!

 Organized Chaos

 Mitch aka Life Partner creating

 The bosses Nicholas and Keli