Well Hello Blog World,

I know I am not the first person to feel this way, but somehow it's November.

Updates...

Pregnancy is going well in terms of all the things I thought would go wrong. It took me quite a bit longer to get pregnant than I planned (note to self: planning such an event is just silly). I had hoped that I could slide right off the coat tails of remission to pregnancy, and control the pain better that way. I worried the longer it took that I would start feeling really crappy again at any time, but it didn't happen. There were days and weeks that were decidedly unpleasant, but on the whole my pain levels were the lowest I can ever remember. And they've pretty much stayed low in my new delicate state.

So I would say I'm doing great... except for the new Divine Comedy of Hormones that is taking place in my body. Thanks to hormonal irritation, my gallbladder has called it quits. No more red meat, dairy, or greasy things-- let's just say anything that actually tastes good. There's the eczema, sciatica, heart burn, indigestion, insomnia, and graceless emotional outbursts. But on the plus side, my butt looks amazing. No, really. Perhaps my hiney deserves its own blog post.

In other news, I've decided to give this business thing another go. A natural slow down in sales coincided nicely with my first trimester, near-comatose state, but I'm ready to make a run at this thing. In other words... Google gave me free advertising for a spell ;) There will be a few new designs for Christmas. Stay tuned.

I hesitantly put some paintings in the Etsy shop, and watched them do nothing for a while... But then! Someone I don't know gave me money in exchange for art and said really nice things about my work. Let's hope she still feels that way now that they've arrived. It was very stressful to put my paintings in a box and send them out in the world to be seen (and judged) by others. But here's to getting the opportunity to try it again.

Next up-- t-shirts and cute tiny baby things. I can't wait!

Check out my new digs over at lissabird.com

Valentine's orders are done! Thanks everyone!

But specifically:

Thanks to Rosie for eating pop tarts and watching Sesame Street happily while I worked.

Thanks to Kris for stepping over the mess Rosie left all over the house. I can clean it up now.

Thanks to Somer for the quality control ;)

It's working!

Here's a message I found in my inbox this morning:

Lissa, wanted to say thanks for the awesome necklace- I LOVE it!! 2 people have already asked me about the "Live Love Breathe" and now 2 more people are schooled about CF. It's getting the word out there and making a fashion statement at the same time, haha
I bought a few more from you for some CF friends, we'll all be rocking them soon!

Allison

Me and My Crackpot Ideas

I have a crazy theory.

My arms bothered me for the whole month of January. I thought wistfully back to December when my arms were peaceful and dare I say, nearly pain free, and wondered what had changed.

I wasn't even making much jewelry, so my hands were getting a nice rest. What happened?! Such is the life of some one with Chronic Pain, am I right? The insanity of searching for the cause of the latest pain flare can even get fairly amusing. So imagine how heartily I laughed when I sat down at my work bench yesterday to do a little carving and discovered an amazing idea. You see, I use a Flex Shaft-- which is a motor with a hand piece that spins various tools like a drill bit, or a bur. After a good session of carving the clay for my jewelry, my whole body is energized, for lack of a better word. I think the vibration encourages blood flow, and acts as a giant tens unit, or chord stimulator. Maybe it overwhelms my nerves with white noise, because after a solid 45 minutes I can't feel much of anything in my upper body.

My arms feel great today. It just goes to show, if you do what you love, unexpected benefits will follow.

TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!! Part 1

Yep. That's my goal to donate from my jewelry sales this year. Last year we raised just over $6,000, so I'm trying to almost double my sales. I'm not quite loosing sleep over it yet, but I am shaking in my boots. Although, life is much more interesting if you set your goals high, right?

Why do I do it?! Because I can, I guess. I have been learning to make jewelry for a really long time, and now people are willing to give me money for the things I make (I am still blown away by this!). In the process I have been able to help spread awareness about crappy diseases like Cystic Fibrosis and ALS and raise money for research. I am extra excited about donating money directly to real people for needed medication or equipment.

I love that I get to help other people, but I do it for myself too. Being able to work when I can, and not when I have to is an enormous help-- not only in caring for my daughter, but it also helps my health. I love that I can work with my body and not against it. I don't have to make chronic pain fit into a 8 hour work day anymore, because believe me... it doesn't work well most of the time. I feel so lucky that this crazy idea keeps getting bigger, and I have big plans this year to help reach my goal.

January report... I expected this month to be slow after the holiday rush. I was grateful for the time off, and used it to work on new designs and my new Etsy shop. We have just about reached the $500 mark for January (I need to raise $800 per month to stay on track). That's not bad at all for the second slowest month in the life of an artist (sales are also slow in October as people get ready for the holidays).
So we'll see what February holds. Hopefully lots and lots of Red Heart sales!
(UPDATE!! January = $620... even better!)

Open Lungs

When my darling friend Somer told me about needing an oxygen concentrator (which helps her breathe... apparently her insurance company, which denied the claim, didn't feel breathing is necessary) I had an inspired thought. The small amount of money that I am able to raise would have a bigger impact if I gave it to actual people with Cystic Fibrosis in addition to funding research for a cure. So I created a Special Edition Red Heart, and attached a pretty hefty price tag to it. I figured I would sell two or three a month, and eventually it would add up to the $3,000 we needed to buy Somer's oxygen concentrator. Twenty-one Red Hearts were purchased in the first 24 hours. Less than two months later, we had raised the entire $3,000. I am constantly amazed by people's generosity.

I am excited to add this new design to my collection! $15 of each sale will be set aside to help someone else with CF breathe a little easier.

Possible cure for MS could be one trial away - ABC 4.com - Salt Lake City, Utah News

Possible cure for MS could be one trial away - ABC 4.com - Salt Lake City, Utah News

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This sounds like potentially exciting news for everyone with autoimmune disorders, so I thought I would put up a link. Doctors at Johns Hopkins have found a way to "reset" the immune system and keep it from attacking the body. The problem is that they are struggling to find funding for the the last stage of trials. The patents on the drugs used have expired, so big pharma will have no part in funding this treatment which has so far CURED 90% of MS sufferers who have tried it.

In the ultimate David and Goliath narrative, a woman from Salt Lake has decided to raise the millions needed herself to help more people get this experimental treatment, and complete the trials in hopes of getting FDA approval. I decided to help, and recently asked her if I could make a pendant in her honor. She chose a phoenix for her design since a cure for MS would mean nothing short of rebirth.

Learn more about Michelle at CureForMS.org
You can donate there, or visit my Etsy Shop to pick up your own Phoenix pendant!

A Sad Day

I knew this day was coming, friends. The day when I would be inspecting my pendants after they have already been fired and tumbled, and notice to my horror that I did not drill that all important hole for the jump ring.

It happened today. On all 12 pendants I fired last night. 12!

But I fixed it, and I thought I would attempt to share the wisdom I learned today with the next lost soul googling "forgot to drill hole in PMC before firing"

Though not as soft as the clay, silver is quite soft. It does not require much to drill a hole. In fact, the more speed or effort you put into it, the worse off you'll be. I had to purchase a 1.35 mm drill bit (I actually bought two in case one broke). I got it at my neighborhood jewelry supply store, but if you are not blessed with a store like Freshmans I bet you could just buy the smallest bit available at Home Depot. The bit did not fit in my flex shaft, so I also needed a collet pin. If you don't have a flex shaft, a regular drill should work if you can control the speed easily.
First make sure that you make a dent in the silver where you want the hole to be. I just used a regular hammer and nail. The dent will keep the drill bit from sliding all over your piece. When you're all set with the bit in place, start it spinning and run it through a chunk of beeswax to lubricate it. Then stop the motor. It doesn't take much wax, but it will help with the heat problem to be explained further down. Rest the tip in the dent and just barely start the motor. If you go too fast, the silver will get really hot, and de-anodize the steel. Then it won't be able to cut a thing. SLOWLY increase your speed until you see little curls of silver coming out of the hole. Keep it at this speed and hold the hand piece really straight, or you might break the bit. The slower you go, the faster it will drill the hole (and you won't wreck the bit by over-heating the silver). There you have it-- a hole!

A Kiln Full

These are my orders from just the last few days! It's barely been two weeks and we've already raised over $300 for MDA/ALS Division. Thanks to everyone who has helped to spread the word.


Now I get to wait three hours for them to be done... it's going to be a long night.

Exciting Things Afoot

I've added a new necklace to my collection. It is in honor of my friend Lance, who is living with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). The ALS division of the Muscular Dystrophy Association gives so much support to people with ALS that Lance asked me to help him give back. We are donating $10 of every Dancin' Lance pendant to the MDA/ALS Division. In fact Lance, Bree, and I will be on the Labor Day telethon on Monday (ack! tv!) to talk about the necklace. Quite exciting, indeed. click to see it on Etsy!



I am also preparing to go back into the booth sitting business. I thought that when I said farewell to art shows and farmer's market, that I had spent my last long hot day in a booth, but on September 12th I'll be back (baby). My cute husband will be participating in a marathon relay which benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I asked if I could set up a random table and sell Love to Breathe pendants... but I was informed that there will be a whole expo, and they offered me a booth space for free! I'm quite busy preparing for the event, and I hope to see a big response from the runners and their friends. Beat the rush, buy one here.

And finally... I picked a new charity for my mommy jewelry proceeds. Friends of Maddie provides support for parents with children in the NICU. Heather keeps an amazing blog about her daughter Madeline, who lived a short but beautiful life. Caution, don't read this blog without lots of tissues handy. I was wrapped up in it last night, and it was all I could do to not wake Rosie up for a hug, and to reassure myself that she was still happy and healthy.

I made this necklace for Heather B. Armstrong (different Heather, different blogger...), crossed my fingers that she wouldn't think I was stalking her, and dropped it in the mail. She (or possibly her assistant) recently sent me a post card to say thanks! Followers of Dooce, keep your eyes peeled for a hint of silver around her neck. (I hope, I hope, I hope!).

Handmade Wire Bail

I got a lovely request from another artist on Etsy to explain how I made the bail pictured here:


I'm really not sure I can adequately explain the process, but I will try. It takes a few practice runs, so I would suggest not using sterling to start out. I still get it backwards now and then, and have to start over.

I use 16 or 18g round wire. Flush cutters (they leave a straight cut, rather than a V) make it look nicer, but if you don't have them then snippers and a file will work too.

I use a length of wire that's about 5 fingers long. It makes the wrap at the end easier if you have a bit of a tail. (You can save the tails and sell them to a silver refiner!)

Using round nose pliersand staring the middle of the wire, wrap it twice around in a loose V pattern.


Cross the ends.


Bend the longer tail so that it is going straight down. This piece will be the middle of the wrap.


Wrap the shorter piece around 1 1/2 times, and snip the tail. You want both cut ends to meet each other in the back.


The next part is easier to show in pictures:






This last picture shows a mistake! If you pull the tail around it won't meet the other in a continuous spiral. This will make sense once you try it. So if you have this problem, then just move the tail to the other side and wrap. Don't forget to hang your object,(it sounds dumb, but I have done it many times) and make sure that it is hanging towards the front, and the cut tails are in the back.

Here's what it should look like:


I used wire with a copper core, so that's why you can see a little pink, but you can sort of see the tails come together in the back.


You can pinch the loops at the top all the way together, or open them wide. You can also play around with how big to make the loops.

I hope this helps!

Fascinator!

A bride asked me at a show back in January, "do you work with feathers."

"Of course I do!" I said. Not true, but how hard could it be?

It turns out it was a lot more challenging than I expected to even find pretty feathers rather than the cheapo bag at the craft store. But once I found those, it was actually kind of fun.

New self discovery: I'm allergic to feathers.

Good Intentions

I have a basket in the corner of my living room that's overflowing with good intentions. Or rather it's overflowing with Newsweeks (which I used to devour and wait impatiently for the next to arrive, but no longer have the time or energy to read), National Geographic (which I feel I should read so I will be a better person), and Self (which my sister feels I should read so I can get my slammin' pre-mommy bod back).

Last night I found myself in the tub decompressing from a horrifying personal episode, which is definitely not blog-worthy, for fear of being that person who shares way too much (it might already be too late for that however). I had brought a 3 month old Newsweek along with me and discovered an article which is rather pertinent to my life. The article, "Charity: The Psychology of Giving" can be found here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/187010.

It is about the bystander effect— the idea that "if I hear someone calling for help, and I am the only one around, I am more likely to help than if there is someone else with me who also hears the call but does nothing." We all know there are people and causes that need help, but since my neighbor doesn't donate time or money, I don't need to worry about it either. Besides, the problems are too big. What good would my $10 do anyway?

Almost a year ago I decided that it was time for me to try and do something. That's when I teamed up with my friend Somer to make the Love to Breathe pendants. I donate 100% of my profits to research Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening lung disease. Since then I have been so honored to play a small role in the lives of so many people. They send me stories about loved ones they have lost, or friends and family members who are still fighting to breathe a little easier. People wear my jewelry in tribute and in solidarity. I hope that when they wear one of my pendants, they might inspire their neighbors to no longer be a bystander.

http://lissabird.etsy.com

Magic

I make lots of jewelry from silver clay, and I haven't always been successful with my creations. I have kept a growing collection of dried up little mistakes in a baby jar for a few years now. I had read that it is possible to reconstitute silver clay, and I had even tried a few times with no success. But this time, my friends, I was desperate.

Normally I order my clay off the internet so I can save a few dollars, but it always takes almost a week to get here. I had lots of clay, until a rash of orders for my heart themed jewelry came through this week. A few days ago I got the sweetest email from a lady who had just lost a friend to CF. She ordered 3 necklaces to wear in his honor. I was so touched that I could be involved in her life in this way. But I was one pendant short of filling her order, and my clay wouldn't be here until Wednesday.

I went to the only store in town that sells my clay and found that the shelves were bare. The aging hippie with long grey hair who runs the store was unapologetic. I was on my own. When I got home, just on a whim I poured distilled water into the baby jar full of mistakes, and let it sit overnight.



Next day I found a jar full of mush and started stirring. I stirred and worked the mush for hours. I spread it out on a plate and turned it over and over like putty. Finally it turned into a sticky ball. Then I rolled it in my hands until it turned into clay again! I feel like I have created something from nothing, although physics would disagree. Being an artist often means pretending to know what you're doing and trying new things. Sometimes it doesn't work out- see previous post... and sometimes you feel like you have brought something entirely new into existence and it is thrilling.

Go Team!

I would like to take a moment and thank all of the people who have helped me sell 111 necklaces for Love to Breathe. Thanks to Somer and Peg for selling their hearts out, and to everyone else who has been so supportive of our venture. We have raised $1,110 for Cystic Fibrosis research!

I am so honored

Taste of Salt Lake was fabulous this weekend. There were so many people there, it must have been a record amount of money raised for Cystic Fibrosis research.

I donated two pendants to the auction, and each one was paired with a painting by Somer Love. They sold for around $300 each! I never expected them to do that well. Several people also picked up my business card that night, so I have had a pretty steady stream of orders. It was a great night.

http://www.lovetobreathe.com
lovetobreathe.blogspot.com

Live, Love, Breathe

For Christmas last year I received a calendar from my friend, Somer Love. Each month featured people, young and old, who are living with Cystic Fibrosis, a terminal lung disease. Somer graced the month of May, so I was very excited to hang it up. As I read the stories each month, I was inspired by how each person faced their challenges with cheer and strength. Then I got to August and saw darling 12-year-old Haley Palmer. She raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for CF research by making and selling bracelets. I thought, “I know how to make jewelry... If she can do it, maybe I can too.”

Somer and I put together a line of pendants based on the theme from Somer's paintings, “Live, Love, Breathe.” Each one is handmade from pure silver, and signed on the back. 100% of profits are donated to Love to Breathe for CF research. With the help of several dedicated friends who wear the pendants and spread the word, we have raised over $500 in just three months.

Haley Palmer has since succumbed to her battle with Cystic Fibrosis. I am saddened to have never known her, but I will follow her lead. I can only hope to be half as successful as she was. Haley said that you can't make footsteps on history sitting down. So stand up and support our efforts to cure Cystic Fibrosis.

Next weekend we will enjoy another fabulous Taste of Salt Lake. I can't wait to dine on food from all of the finest restaurants in Salt Lake. Two of my pendants have been donated to the silent auction, but you can by your very own at lissabird.etsy.com.