Starting Friday, I will be marking many of those already-on-sale items down to 40% off the original price! That's an extra 20% off!!! Head over to my Etsy Shop for great deals on handmade jewelry for the holidays!!!

I have the worst cold yet of the season, so I thought it only appropriate to do a Friday Finds on the things I wish I had for when I'm sick...

Himalayan Bath Salts w/ Lemongrass, Eucalyptus and Peppermint Essential Oil by Goddessnaturals

When soldering, there are many aspects to consider. The metal being used, shape and weight of the piece, the join that is to be soldered, what type of solder, what type of torch, etc. It gets easier the longer you're in practice. Problems don't take as long to solve.

The other day, I was getting ready to solder all the jump rings onto my charms for the Etsy Metal Charm Swap II, and I realized that I might have to do some tricky soldering, as these pieces wouldn't just sit nicely on my soldering block. I also didn't want to solder 22 charms one at a time. So I thought..."how can I get the jump rings to sit flat on the block?"...and remembered the lovely thing that is in my spinning soldering station--pumice! Pumice, that wonderful material that pieces can be pushed into, buried in, propped up on, or stabilized with.


This was the result...wedge the shapes into the pumice, as close to the soldering block as possible so the jump ring sat flat on the block. I was able to solder all 22 pieces in 2 groups, and only had to re-solder two that the jump rings deformed on. Not too shabby :)

These earrings are one of my favorite pairs of earrings...I wear my own pair most days and get wonderful compliments. These are now marked down 20% (from $80) in my Etsy Shop as part of my Early Bird Sale!

Remember...the early bird gets the worm...time to get your holiday shopping done!!!

Monday, October 20 is the start of the Early Bird Sale!!! Most items in my Etsy shop are 20% off until November 1 (that's almost 2 weeks!). Now's a great time to start stocking up on Holiday gifts! I am also open to custom orders as well.

I've been thinking and talking a lot about Australia lately...trying to sort out my future. It looks like I may end up back there at the beginning of 2010...so tonight I'm reminiscing. One of the things I miss? Being tan and fit and happy! Having a backyard and friends to spin around with in it :) Including 5 year olds...(those were some of my favorite jeans too!)

I will be holding an Early Bird Sale soon....keep your eyes peeled!

I originally discovered Jennifer Khoshbin's amazing beetles on freshly {blended}, and only today went to explore more of her work. It's incredible! I love the sculpture using books, cutting out sections of pages to enhance an image or create a "feel" for the piece. Not to mention the adorable deer heads and animals she creates, using different papers and colors! Absolutely incredible. You can check out more on Khoshbin's website, as well as her Etsy Shop, and Ruby's Lounge on Etsy.

Indie Fixx is having a fabulous giveaway for Autumn! Head over to their blog to check out the details of their Autumn Cornucopia Giveaway. There's fabulous pieces from artists such as Becky OH!, Karalee Designs, Kutuu and many others.

Obama Enamel Pendant by RubyGirl

Now, I don't normally get political on my blog...but it's an election year, and we're all bound to have our opinions.

I have donated a couple pieces to a new shop on Etsy called Vote Obama. All items are donated, and all proceeds go to help the campaign. You can find great jewelry there, and help a good cause!

Go check it out!

I just discovered Feral Childe, the product of two amazing designers, Alice Wu and Moriah Carlson, over at sub-studio design. I love the colors and use of different materials in these brooches!

This is what's been taking up the majority of my time recently....casting for my casting class! More photos of finished pieces soon :)

When dealing with forgiveness, whether it is forgiving yourself or others, keeping perspective can be a very hard thing to do. I am very grateful for my tough experiences in the past, because they have provided me with priceless lessons for the present and future.

For years, I blamed myself for the dissolution of a relationship because I had cheated on my partner. I felt guilty for years and years about how much I hurt them, and how I had become such a bad person. Much of that time, I confused my guilt with feelings of still loving that person, and idealizing them. It wasn't until about 3-4 years after the relationship ended, that I realized during a conversation we were having, that I had lost perspective.

This may sound like a rationalization, but it's not. He reminded me of other things that had happened in our relationship that I had completely forgotten about. I very quickly remembered the path that our relationship had taken, and realized that there were two sides. There were reasons, above and beyond my mistakes, that our relationship was basically doomed from the start. Our relationship served a very important role in both our lives--we both were lonely and needed to know we could be loved, and I believe that my moving to a different city to be with this person was entirely necessary, even if it didn't work out. There were many people I met and lessons I learned in that city, that have helped me become who I am today.

After gaining all of that perspective, everything fell into place. I finally felt at peace, realized that my amorous feelings were actually misplaced guilt, and was able to quickly forgive myself and move on.

I am once again dealing with the dissolution of a friendship, and having to keep perspective while feeling guilty about my role in the dissolution. It's a hard thing. A friendship is a type of relationship, so it feels much like a break up. So I am actually working to remember the bad times, to keep perspective. Sound a little unbalanced? Well, my theory is that the good memories you have tend to remain with you, while the bad memories can easily get pushed under that rug of guilt...at least that's my past experience.

I don't want to feel guilty for years to come. I don't want to blame myself solely for what happened, because I know it's not one sided. In truth, both myself and the person involved have attempted to end this friendship, or walk away before...so I am remembering why. It's just too bad that it's not on better terms this time (but sometimes, that's the only way, right?).

This situation has sapped a lot of my energy the last few months...energy spent worrying, feeling guilty, sad, depressed, etc. I now feel much more peaceful, and just a little sad. But balanced. And looking forward to filling my life with friendships that are healthy and balanced.