Crazy About Copper

I love copper and I love chain maille. Put the two together and I'm in heaven.

Some people prefer the shiny new copper and it is very nice, but I like the antique look of oxidized copper. When I'm putting on airs, I say it has a patina but you and I both know it's actually tarnish. Whatever we call it, the color of oxidized copper gives it character. It feels old and you can imagine that it has a story surrounding it.

Don't be worried about your skin turning green from wearing copper. Wear it at home for a few hours and see what happens. If you do turn green, it will wash off. But don't clean the copper. You body's natural oils will coat the jewelry and protect it and you from future Martian impersonations.

If you do prefer the shiny new penny look of copper, there are several ways to clean it. There are many preparations available at jewelry stores and online. But I wouldn't waste my money when I have the materials in my own kitchen. You can use lemon juice and table salt if you like. But my favorite copper cleaner is ketchup. Done laughing? Good. All you do is put a little ketchup on the copper and rub it in. If the piece has a lot of nooks and crannies, use an old soft toothbrush to get to them. Rinse it really well under running water and ooh and shh over the shine. To be extra safe, you might want to use some baking soda when you rinse it to offset the acidity of the ketchup.

Shine or patina, copper is a gorgeous material and is perfect for casual jewelry as well as high fashion.

Happy Earth Day!

There's a lot of talk these days about being green. You can't turn on the TV or radio, read a magazine or go shopping without someone imploring you to be more environmentally aware. I don't think we've been this conscious of Mother Earth since the late sixties and early seventies. At least I haven't.

So, how green are you? How green is too much? Is there such a thing? Do we need to go hog wild and completely change our lifestyles or is even a little bit enough? We could go crazy trying to find definitive answers to these questions. Some think we already have.

I do my part, albeit in a small way. I use a reusable water bottle that I fill with tap water. I don't use paper cups or paper plates. I save plastic grocery bags for a variety of uses. They make great packing material for Christmas ornaments, etc. and I use them as tote bags and lunch bags. I even put customer purchases in them at craft shows.

My absolute favorite contribution to the green movement is what is now being called upcycling. In a nutshell, it's taking something that otherwise might sit in a landfill and making something new out of it. I love to give things new life, especially discarded jewelry. Give me broken, tarnished or ugly jewelry and I'll play around with it until I end up with something beautiful, funky or interesting. It might not be everyone's taste, but it won't be boring! Buttons are a favorite but I'll use an old clasp, beads, charms or pretty much anything. One of my biggest hits with customers was a necklace made from a rather garish pair of leaf earrings. The leaves were so cool but they were a bit overwhelming as earrings. I made them the focal point of a necklace and it was a huge draw whenever I showed it. As a matter of fact, when it sold, I had several people disappointed because they had intended to buy it themselves. Remember, when it comes to one of a kind anything, you snooze - you lose.

Today, I'll be at the Earth Day celebration at Lynchburg College. If you happen to be in the area, stop by and say Hi! If you tell me you read this blog entry, I just might have a special Earth Day deal for you.

OMG!

I cannot believe it's been almost 3 months since I updated this blog!

I became unemployed in December and all my efforts have been directed towards finding a job. I even started a blog about that at http://timetomakethedonuts.wordpress.com/. Because of that blog, I found a job and start this week.

Now I can relax a bit and focus my free time on the jewelry, this blog and my web site. I hope to completely redo that eventually. I may even do away with it and just combine all the information here on the Sweet Pea Creationz blog. Decisions, decisions!

Anyway, I'm still at the Heritage Crafters Gallery in the Lynchburg Community Market. I'll have a table at the Lynchburg College Earth Day Celebration on April 22. I've even got a few pieces at the Faery Godmother boutique in downtown Lynchburg. Please check it out if you're in the area.

I'll be starting to give beginner chain maille classes soon, so stop by the Community Market and sign up.

I've got some other ideas flitting around like butterflies inside my head (and it tickles!) but will keep them secret for now until they settle down and I can see what they actually look like.

So, how have you all been? Please leave me comments and let me know how your 2009 is going so far.

I'm not quite sure if my readers are jewelry shoppers, jewelry makers, or people who wonder just what the heck a Sweet Pea Creationz is. But I want to make it worth your time to come and visit, so let me know who you are and why you stopped by. Introduce yourself and don't be shy!

What is a new year, really?

Yesterday was my birthday. Thursday is New Year's Day. While it may be a new year for the calendar, isn't an individual's birthday really the beginning of their own personal new year?

So, in that spirit, I've already made and started on my resolutions. (Son #6 calls them revolutions.) I'm going to continue to take better care of my health (started a diet last month and went to the doc's today for a checkup). I'm going to increase my jewelry inventory so I will have enough on hand for both in person and internet sales. I'm going to work on my internet presence, updating my web site and etsy shop at least weekly. That means I'm going to take more pictures of the jewelry too, of course.

I guess it's convenient that my personal new year comes so close to the calendar new year. But what about you? Will you be making any resolutions this week or will you wait until your personal new year/birthday? Or will you just skip it completely and let things happen as they happen?

Merry Christmas

This is just a quick note to wish everyone a merry Christmas.

Life has tossed some challenges my way lately but I'm still so very thankful that I'm here to enjoy the holiday and my loved ones are safe and healthy, even if we can't all be together right now. God has been good to the Burns family over the past 30 years and I have complete faith that things will work out the way they should.

I hope you and yours are having a healthy and happy Christmas and that 2009 will be an even better year for all of us.

Love you all!

Huh?!

Cat's name is Marvin. (Don't look at me. Son #4 named him.) He's perched atop a closet door. We're not quite sure how he got up there, but this is the same cat that lies on his back on the top of the entertainment center and tries to walk on the ceiling. You'd think that, after the first time he fell, he'd realize cats can only do that in cartoons.

He tried to figure out how to get down for about 5 minutes. Son finally helped him down, but not before snapping this picture with his camera phone.

Post-Thanksgiving Thoughts

What were you thankful for this year?

I'm thankful that 4 out of 6 of my boys were able to be with us for the holiday. I'm especially thankful that #5 son was able to be here before he ships out to Korea and that the sons who couldn't be with us were with friends on Thanksgiving.

I'm also thankful to a stranger. I met this fellow 2 days after Thanksgiving while selling my jewelry at the Heritage Crafters Gallery in the Lynchburg Community Market. It turns out that he's in the army and just returned from Korea in September. He reassured me that my son will be safe there and gave me some good information to pass on to my son, including his e-mail address. He gave me some Korean money for Pat, enough to buy a soda when he gets there. He was a very nice young man and his wife and 2 children are gorgeous.

I'm also thankful that my wonderful daughter-in-law was able to visit us. She's recovering from
Guillain-Barre Syndrome, also known as GBS, and is still in a wheelchair most of the time. However, she is able to stand for brief periods. The last time I saw her, she was in a hospital bed and very weak, so it was wonderful to see her back to her vibrant and funny self. I've designed a necklace in her honor and will post a picture soon.

I hope each of you had a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving. So? Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?