Lately

The title of this post sums up how I've been feeling lately.  It's a simple - yet heavily used - word with a sometimes loaded subtext, a one-worded topsy-turvy conversation starter whose underlying meaning is simultaneously rooted in the mundane and the extraordinary.  At least for me.

Baby A. started crawling within hours of my last blog post, so we've been baby-proofing our living space and following her around on hands and knees to see what other shenanigans she could potentially get in to.  Now she can even kneel and push herself up onto her feet.  No pulling herself up just yet.  In awe I watch her, and almost miraculously, at least to me, she is becoming more mobile.  This natural growth progression amazes me.

On the shop front I've been thinking of new shop jewelry designs, which I briefly mentioned in my last blog post.  It's been a long time since I've made new jewelry (one year!), so I've designated this fall as my get-new-jewelry-made season.  I look forward to reacquainting myself with wire and stone, the sense of accomplishment felt when symmetrical coiling fits perfectly between the bail and the stone without the stone moving at all.  This technical aspect of jewelry making is actually my favorite part of the process besides the conceptual aspect of designing a piece, and requires a good visual estimation of how much wire to use, tight coiling, and technique.  Below is an example of what I mean:

Dainty Amethyst Ombre Earrings - Niobium

I've also recently been working on a few writing orders and shipped out a pair of linear moonstone earrings.  Next thing on the to-do list is to work on my main site, www.theintrovertedwriter.com, which is in need of a tone-specific overhaul.  Also recently been thinking of new business cards to replace my hand-stamped ones - yes or no?  I'm calling this summer the season of productivity.  Crossing my fingers.

Lastly, to all the dads out there, Happy Father's Day!

Crater Lake, OR

In June, we spent an afternoon at Crater Lake, a national park with the distinction of being the deepest lake in the US.  Crater Lake is a caldera, or a large volcanic crater.  On our visit, snow was still sprinkled atop the slumbering volcano and the East Rim Drive was (sadly) still closed due to snow, but the view was immense, breathtaking.  Even amid the slight early afternoon haze.  How to describe the place?  Imagine the most vivid deep blue hue you've ever seen, multiply that by 100, and you got Crater Lake.  I've heard that this natural wonder is temperamental: one day foggy, the next hazy, the next clear.  We were lucky to catch it on a good day so early on in the season.  My camera could not capture the entire lake in one shot, but you get the picture.

What you don't see though are the tourists, which were numerous.

I'd like to say this was a fun trip, but the mosquitos and the hoards of people, plus the sheer number of not-so-careful Oregonian drivers, made our trip precarious, anxiety ridden.  Southern Oregon is a different place, definitely small-town sleepy and a little edgy.  Contrasting with this is the abundance of natural scenery--billowing areas of forest, meadow, and lake--and statuesque cows grazing on huge tracts of lush green farmland.  Our brief trip was worth it for this and a glimpse of the caldera itself (see the webcam here).

Summer Cleaning

We've been cleaning house.  It's been a struggle for me to figure out what to toss (or donate) and what to keep.  Shop supplies, I tend to keep.  Books, I want to keep them all--and that's the root of the problem when you have fifty-plus books and not enough space.

Maybe you have the same issue with books.  While cleaning, we carefully moved my grandpa's book collection into a nice old display case, all 100 or so texts in all.  Some are mildewed, others are taped using masking or Scotch tape, and others have pages missing.  All are yellowed with age; most are 60+ years old.  Perhaps it's from him, my grandpa, that I developed my love of books and infatuation with the written word.  I'd like to think so.

Still, I stare at my jewelry-making stone stash, especially when I receive inquiries about currently listed pieces.  The creativity is still there, but so is the overwhelming (physical) book stash.  I'll take my chances and partake in summer cleaning first.  Then I'll slowly ease into jewelry making again for it'll be a refreshing change of pace.

Lately

I love that it's now June.  The weather is warmer, the pollen less, and summer wedding season is officially here.  If you're like me, you've been eyeing summer wedding dresses on Instagram and Pinterest with oohs and aahs, and reveling in the details of a bride's accessories and the wedding, itself.  It's pure creativity at play, a gorgeous mixing of traditional and modern elements that catch my eye.  But what I don't love is how behind I am on the shop front.  I haven't made or added new listings in months, but will finally make the May donation to Feeding America this week.  Also, I've further discounted my popular wedding-speech writing service for a limited time for wedding season, so check it out here.

Here's my tentative to-do list for the month...

To-do list for June:
- Finally make the May donation;
- Sit down and create new jewelry;
- Design new book-page wedding signs (from your helpful input);
- Carry out photography sessions for the aforementioned (new) shop goods;
- Edit photos and then add fresh listings to my shop;
- Work on my novel, whose progress has been on a months-long hiatus.  Yikes!
- Read more.


Can't wait to translate creative shop ideas, which I've been working on in my head, onto the page!  It may take a few tries, and certain projects may be scrapped altogether once begun, but that's the creative process for you.  Lastly, thank you for the high number of clicks on my blog post chronicling our recent road trip to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada.  Hope you enjoyed reading the post (read here).

More soon,

   Deanna
EmeraldCut | The Introverted Writer