Snow and Ice Necklace

OK, so I am watching TV in my chair 3 nights ago and I fall asleep. I wake up at about 11:30 P.M. and decide to go in and actually go to bed in my bed. I am tired and I feel as if I am ready to just collapse into a deep sleep. I lay down and close my eyes and who should appear?... The Fighter! Man, I wish that I could control the monster inside my head!
I began to think of ways to do a wire wrapped necklace with one of the druzy agates I have acquired in my travels picking up lovely items to create with. I was consumed with ideas of swirls of wire and the agate hanging like a pendulum from the bottom of the design.
I lay awake until about 3:00 A.M., but I had my idea! It was clear to me and I had to really concentrate so that I did not give in to the Fighter and go to the work table and begin creating at that very moment.
I lay awake trying to clear my head and think of NOTHING! Have you ever tried to do this? It is quite difficult. As I try to think of NOTHING, SOMETHING always takes the place of NOTHING! In my case, that SOMETHING is usually what I am trying to forget about while I try so hard to think of NOTHING. The necklace was consuming every aspect of my senses.
I finally staved off the urge to create and fell asleep. I woke up before I actually had to the next morning and guess what, there was the image of the necklace bright and shining in my minds eye. I got up and got ready for work early (5:30 A.M.).
I went to work and worked all day. I did not draw out the necklace because I believe that part of me wants to RULE the Fighter and show it that I am the one in charge. I would decide when I was going to do this design that was nagging at every nerve ending. I would choose...I would decide! I was able to stave off the Fighter for a total of 2 days~and then I gave in.
Last night I decided to bring the design in my head to fruition. The agate in the idea in my head was one of the black agates, but I asked my Cache Man to pick the one that would make up the focal piece of my necklace. He picked one of the blue ones instead. I will show the Fighter~one way or another!
I chose to go with what Cache had decided, instead of giving in to the Fighter and working with the black one, I picked up the blue one. The design elements would be the same, so I knew I could pull it off. I sat down and began to bend the wire. I knew where I wanted the wire to go and I knew what I wanted the piece to look like. It did exactly what I wanted it to do. Do you want to see what the Fighter possessed me to create?
Well here it is...

This picture was taken without flash.
This is what it looks like with flash...

This piece has been dubbed Snow and Ice. I chose the name because of the colors and the crystals in the agate. The ice blue crystal accents helped with the idea behind the name as well. I coiled the neck wires, as this has become something that I really love to do. Needless to say, the Fighter has proved right once again.
I never tire of the fascination of how I can create these items with just my two hands and a few tools. To see something so vivid in my mind and work it out into wire and beads or stones simply amazes me. I can't draw drawings that I see, I can't create animals or plants I see out of elements such as clay. So why is it I  can create what I see exactly as I see it as long as it is with wire and beads, rocks and crystals? This simply baffles me. I see other things just as clearly, such as an elephant or bird, but when I go to create these things out of clay or draw them, it simply turns out crappy! I guess I was just intended to do things with wire and beads, rocks and crystals...to make pieces of jewelry instead of fascinating drawings or clay masterpieces. I am just glad that God gave me this gift and that the Fighter just keeps egging me on...

Continuing On With Some Of My Favorite Things...

On October 7th, I posted some of my favorite things. Today, I wanted to continue on with this because I think that there are some really cool things to be found HERE and if you haven't had an opportunity to click, I think that you should.
The world is filled with amazing artists and creative minds that fill the pages of their Etsy stores with wonderful creations. There are so many things listed that your attention can literally be captured for hours. If you have someone in your life that you find it hard to buy for, I dare you to go HERE because you may just find something for that hard-to-buy-for loved one.
I happen to love This and if I had a little girl grand-daughter baby right now, you can bet she would probably be sportin' this around town in the winter months. It is absolutely ADORABLE! I believe it to be quite a statement and I bet you can't find it HERE!
What about These? Oh my gosh!!! These are so darn CUTE! Just look at the fur and the stitching and the originality of them. What mom would not be proud to get all the compliments on such a well dressed tyke? And I bet you can't find them HERE!
I can't think of many boys that This would not look good on. If he has to wear one when it is cold outside, why not make it be one like this? One that makes him look like a boy with attitude? A boy with his own style? I don't think it would damage his ego as much as This!
For Mom, I think that This is gorgeous! It is very beautiful and very classy and a true statement article. I think that any mom would be happy to receive this as a gift from a loved one, especially one of her children.
In my life, the dads seem the hardest to buy for. I found This and I think it to be very cool. It is something that is sentimental and I am certain it would become a very prized possession. Some dads may take things like this and put them in their treasure boxes only to take them out and look at them when they have a moment to themselves. Some dads use items like this everyday so that they have it with them at all times, like the lucky coin they carry in their pocket. Some dads may place it somewhere in plain site so that they may gaze upon it whenever the mood strikes them. Whatever the dad in your life does with items such as this, you can be sure that it will be looked upon as a treasure for many years.
These are again some of my favorite things. They are simple~yet elegant, functional~yet tasteful, graceful and charming. I bet that if you went to look for yourself, you would find something for everyone on your list~no matter the occasion. 

Change...

My life has changed once more. Change is ever present, forever recurring. I have been told over and over again that change is good. I, for one, happen to agree~especially when change brings about such things as this...

Meet my new grandson: Zeakyn Ray Thomas, born October 28, 2011 at 5:01 P.M. He weighed in at 7 lbs .02 oz. He was 19 inches long. He had curly blonde hair that has since turned to straight blonde hair and lots of it. His mommy is Chelsea Morgan...

And his daddy is Guy Morgan...

His big brother is Zaidyn Morgan...

 And he himself is beautiful!

He has a lovely family...

That will love him and take care of him all of his days. I think that Z likes him quite a bit...

As he hugs him and kisses him whenever he gets the opportunity.
Yes change, it is inevitable, it will happen without question but it is this kind of change that I welcome everyday. The kind of change that warms your heart and lets you know that God is present and He is mighty. The kind of change that makes us realize the important things in our lives and makes us appreciate them and hold them closer. The kind of change that makes us love and cherish each other and know that we have done right by our children. The kind of change that turns daughters into wives and sons into husbands. The kind of change that brings the two together to create families of their own to carry on family traditions and to bring about some new ones.
What would this world be without change? This change has made me one very happy Nana!

The Trials and Tribulations of Being a MOM!

As some of you may know, I am about to become a Nana to a second grandson. This is a wonderful and exciting time for me, but I have to tell you; it is a tad stressful at the same time. As I am becoming a Nana once more, I am still Momma to two very young boys.
I love each of my children with a fierceness that even I am amazed with at times. I strive to be there for each of my children, equally and when they need me. This has been quite a task these last few days. Brinson, my 10 year old son, has a science fair project due today. Chelsea, my 21 year old daughter, is in the hospital right now and hopefully we will have a new addition to the family very soon. Cache, my 8 year old son, has a Halloween party tomorrow. Halloween is his most favorite Holiday and, of course, the one that he chooses first to bring treats for. I am a Mom to all three of these wonderful children.
Night before last, Chelsea called me and told me that she was going to the hospital to begin the process of giving birth. I am fortunate in the fact that we have a wonderful relationship and she would like me to be there when the baby is born. She asked if I could be the one to take her to the hospital, as her husband works out of state and was on his way, but would not be back in time to get her to the hospital by the time she needed to be there. I, of course, said "yes!"
I loaded Chelsea up into the car, loaded her bags up into the car, loaded my grandson up into the car and took him to his other grandma's house to stay until the new baby would come home to play with him and headed off to the hospital some 30 minutes away. Upon arrival, I called my 10 year to let him and his brother know that I had gone with their sister to the hospital to hopefully welcome their new nephew into the world. I could suddenly feel the tension on the phone. I was instantly being yelled at and the tears began to fall. Brinson seemed lost now that I was not going to be available to help him with his science fair project. I explained to him that his dad was going to be there to help him and that I was confident that they would be able to do the steps necessary to get his project completed. This went over like lead. I was suddenly talking to no one. The phone was silent and I had been hung up on. My heart was now being torn in two different directions.
I called my husband, Kirt, at work and told him what was going on and that he would need to help Brinson with his project, as it was due the next day. I could hear the confusion in the silence on the phone. I explained the detailed steps to get the job done and I heard the, "OK", and then, "I love you...," and then we hung up.
I called Brinson back to provide what comfort I could, but it was no use. I was the one chosen to help. I was the one that was supposed to be there when the heat from the toaster made the balloon created out of the dry cleaning bag was to lift to the skies. I was the one that knew how to download the Flip. I was the one...I was the one.
We got Chelsea situated into her room and I nestled in to wait for Guy and the baby. Guy showed up and took his place beside my daughter, his wife, and then I was asked to please stay.
Of course, I was staying! It was a special opportunity to be able to see one of my grandchildren enter the world! I have always been the one to give birth and now it was my turn to see the miracle from a different view point and I was incredibly excited!
My cell phone rang, it was my husband.
"I don't know how to work the Flip..." This was the first thing I heard when I said hello.
Silence ensued for a few moments and then... "I don't know how to do this and I don't know what we are supposed to do. What is Brinson doing?" he asked, anger coating his tone.
I tried to explain what our son was supposed to do. I told him about the papers that explained everything. I told him to read the papers and get an idea of what was supposed to happen. He said, "OK", once more and then the phone was silent.
I hung up the phone as the nurses came in and explained the steps that were going to take place to get things moving and get this baby to greet the world. Cool!
My phone rang once more...
"Mom..."
"What?" I asked.
"The poster board is not big enough to go around the toaster..." and then there was silence. I had been hung up on again.
I called my sister.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"At the grocery store," was the reply.
"Can you do me a HUGE favor?" I asked, feeling guilty for asking.
"Sure! What do you need?"
That was a loaded question. I explained that I was with Chelsea and that Brinson was in the middle of his science fair project and he needed another piece of poster board. I went on to explain what the project was and the way it was supposed to work. I asked her if she could pick up a piece of poster board and go out to my house and help with the chaos that was everywhere. She quickly agreed and began driving to my house from hers, some 30 minutes away.
I called Brinson once more, "Aunt Sheila will be there to help you in a just a little while, she is coming over to help," I told him.
"We got it!" was his response. "We used the cover to the floor tablet that Cache writes on...." Anger is still lingering in the depths of his voice as the words seethe out of his mouth.
"OK," I say. "Sheila will still come out to check on you to see that you are OK," I told him.
"Never mind! We are already done!" was his quick response and then I was speaking to silence once more.
The nurse entered the room to go over the forms to be signed, the procedures in place so that babies are not stolen from the hospital, and general information that is just good to know. She finished up and left the room.
I sheepishly call my sister. "Where are you now?" I ask.
"I am at the edge of town, on my way out to your house," she tells me. I explain that the project is done and ask her if she can check in anyway. She agrees and we hang up.
My phone rings again. "Is there a baby yet?" my husband asks.
"Not yet, but maybe tonight," I tell him. He goes on to say that the project is done and that the Flip is downloaded. He asks when I might be home. I tell him that I am not sure, it depends on what happens. He says that he will see me later and we hang up.
There is cold air blowing down on the three of us from the ceiling above as we sit and wait for the baby to decide if he is ready or not. The nurses have tried several times to correct the air situation, but to no avail. Guy heads to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of blankets and pillows to make he and myself more comfortable as we sit in the frigid room awaiting the birth of his second son. The air blowing down on us from the ceiling is cold and the chairs are uncomfortable. The night lingers into day and there is still no baby. It was a restless, sleepless night.
It is 7:15 a.m. now and I call home. Kirt answers the phone..."Are the boys up?" I ask.
"Yes," he replies. "We are headed to Blair's for a lunch for Brinson," he tells me.
"Brinson has a field trip?" I ask, surprised that I wasn't aware of this.
"Yes, I guess so..." he responds.
"OK," I say. "I love you and I will talk to you later." We hang up.
The nurse from the day before is on shift now and the night nurses are no longer visiting the room. She enters with news that Chelsea and Guy have a couple of choices to make. They can either go home and come back when the baby is ready, or they can stay in the hospital and the Dr. will put her on a pitocin drip through an IV to see if that gets things going. They decide to stay.
I feel the need to get back to my life at home~ my job, my other kids and my husband. It feels as if an eternity has gone by. I say my "good-byes" and I leave the room. I drive to my house, take a shower and go to work. I am exhausted.
I check in with Chelsea to find out what is happening. Nothing yet. I go and get my boys after work and get mauled by hugs and kisses. They truly miss me when I am away. We go to McDonald's and pick up their special dinner because their mom is on a total guilt trip. We get home and they get on the Wii. I sit down at my jewelry bench and create this...

a special order that I received from the show last weekend.
I call Chels... still nothing.
It is late and I am completely exhausted. I go to bed and I sleep like a baby until the ripe ole' hour of 6:00 a.m.
I rise and get the boys up. I take a toaster, a computer, poster board, dry cleaning bags and two boys to school. We unload. I go to work and call Chelsea. Still nothing, but they are putting her back on pitocin, but at a higher drip so maybe things will get going.
I get an e-mail from Cache's teacher.
 Janet,
I had told Cache to let you know that his ham rolls would be a perfect treat for the party, then realized that just maybe an 8 year old boy may not have remembered to tell mom. So, would you be able to bring treats to the Halloween party?
Julie
Of course, I said "Yes...", but I still have my Chelly Bell in the hospital trying to give birth to my grandson and I get to be a part of it. Guess what I am doing on my lunch hour...
Kirt may be taking ham rolls to school in the morning for Cache's party. (Am I a bad mom?)
Brinson has his science fair tonight from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. I hope that Chelsea holds out until after I have the ham rolls made and I get to the science fair. My only wish is that I could be in two places at once when I need to be. No one ever said that being a mom would be easy. I can tell you that it is fulfilling and full of rewards, but it is trying at times. Especially times like these.
I will hopefully be creating jewelry again soon. I need to get back to my regular routine before one of my children literally EXPLODES right in front of me. My husband needs me back too...this is not his forte. He does OK, but he cracks under pressure.
God gives everyone a mom for a reason. Keep yours in your prayers and know how hard she works to provide herself wherever she is needed. Let this serve as a reminder to cut her some slack if she needs it too. Motherhood is a precious thing and sharing her time can be quite a difficult task under certain circumstances.
I would not trade my life for the world, I just hope that my kids may learn to understand...

The Tools Make All The Difference!

If you have not already guessed, I am a jewelry artist that loves to wire wrap. Wire is my soul food. It keeps me sane and lets me be who I am meant to be. Who knew, right? Another thing that you have probably guessed is that wire is metal and with metal comes sharp edges, pokey ends, dirt and grime. Of course, I need tools to work with my medium of choice and I have some very favorites. I refer to my very favorites as my 'Fab Five'. They are the tools I use the most and they are the things I love most, next to my husband and children, of course. My 'fab five' go places with me, they are always present when I sit down to create, they are my utensils that I use most often in my life. They aren't the 'fab five' for nothin', you know. No, they have a purpose in life and they are really good at what they do. They have to be, as often as I am grabbing them and holding them and squeezing them and loving them...OK, enough! I know.
So, today I have decided to tell you about my 'fab five'. I am sure every wire wrapper in the world has their favorites and they may not be the same as mine, but this is my story and I get to tell it how I want to.
My favorite among the five is...well, I don't have just 1 favorite, they are all my favorites so I will tell you about them all and I will be presenting them to you in no specific order, as they all have a job to do and they all do their own job quite nicely.

First of all, I have the Swanstrom Chain Nose Pliers pictured here...

These pliers are used to get into those tough spots where you need a little nose with a mighty grip. These are the best thing ever for that.
Next, I have the Swanstrom Round Nose Pliers...

These I use for making rosettes and spirals, swirls, and circles. They have a wonderful tip that can provide a very crisp circle. I love the fact that they have such a tiny tip. This can make the rosettes and spirals closed in the center and this is the look I really like when I am making these.
Third are the Swanstrom Flat Nose Pliers...

These are the greatest pliers I have ever used to form wrap wires around bundles. They have a nice thin end so you don't have to worry about having a wrap wire that does not hug the bundle tightly. They also have a narrow end and this is really nice to get a bundle wire that is the right fit without losing the sight of it in the jaws of the pliers.
I have used many different brands of pliers in my life, but I have to tell you; I have used nothing in the past that compares to the Swanstrom brand of pliers. They feel nice to hold, they have nice precise ends that do EXACTLY what you need them to do, they are a true PRECISION pair of pliers. I have invested a lot of money into pliers over the years, and I know now that I should have saved up and bought these the very first moment I started looking to buy my own tools. I have not been disappointed with them, only the fact  that I did not purchase them first. They are a little pricey at about $40.00 a pair, depending on where you purchase them, but I have to tell you from experience, they are worth every penny!
The next item in the 'fab five' are the Xuron Flush Cutters...

These are the best things to cut with. I have had many cutters, but these by far are the ones I prefer. They are very strong and I have cut through as many as 6 wires at once with absolutely little effort. Of course, you only want to cut jewelry wire with these and keep the wires at a gauge that is respectable. I don't suggest that you try to cut through 6 wires that are 16 gauge full-hard all at once, you may find a bit of resistance. I usually cut no more than 6- 20 gauge wires at once, half-hard. This is pretty extreme, and these cutters do just fine. They cut through wire like a warm knife through butter. (An old expression used in my dad's day...Happy Birthday Dad, I miss you every single day!)
the last of my 'fab five' are the Bail Makers...

I have 3 different sizes of these pliers and I love each one of them the same. I use these pliers to make the spirals that I don't want closed in my more swirly designs. I also use them to make perfect bails on my pendants. They are precise and even on both sides and I love that. The bail makers have come to be used for way more than bail making in my wonderful world of wire, so therefore they have become one of the 'fab five'.
I want to thank Wire-sculpture.com for helping me become the wire artist I am today. When I first saw things on the internet that I just had to learn how to do, I found Wire-sculpture.com and I have been using their site ever since. I have bought the 'fab five' from their website as well as countless feet of wire that I have used to create my designs. I also borrowed the pictures you see here, in today's post, from their website. If yo are looking for a place to buy quality wire and tools at a good price, go to www.wire-sculpture.com, they may just have everything that you have been looking for.

What's Next for Etsy

I have decided that the next things to be listed in my Etsy shop are my big chunky bling necklaces. You know the ones, the crystals and rhinestones glisten and shimmer in the light and the magnetic pendants make a distinct fashion statement. I have a few of these necklaces. I was not going to make these, as I am not much on trendy, fad jewelry but I couldn't help myself when I found the magnetic pendants that I used in my designs. They really made a statement, and I knew that if I paired them with the crystals and semi-precious gemstones that I know and love, then they would stand out even more. Would you like to see a few? Remember, after today, you will be able to find these pieces featured in my Etsy Shop under the CHUNKY COWGIRL NECKLACE section. http://www.etsy.com/shop/janetcozzens?ref=si_shop Here they are...

The name of the shop section may change as I get more savvy with Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, and Pageranking for keywords, but for now, this is what it is.
I feel stupid when it comes to all of this stuff. I wish that I knew more when it comes to optimizing my shop on Etsy. Handmadeology is a helpful tool that I have found. I think that I can gain a lot of knowledge through reading the things that they have to offer. It is made up of Etsy sellers that  know what it is like to want to sell your handmade items on Etsy. I am studying up on the Social Media Blitz right now. I hope to really get my shop out there and promote it the right way from the very beginning. I guess we will have to see what happens.
Anyway, these are the necklaces that will be featured next. I really hope to sell a few...

The Necklace Created from 5:00 A.M. Inspiration

I told you all that my husband woke me up at 5:00 A.M. the other morning and that once I was awake, the Fighter would not leave me alone. Well, I want to tell you about what was created because of the fact that the Fighter antagonizes me.
I lay awake from 5:00 until I actually HAD to get up at 6:00 to get ready for work. The entire time I was awake, I had this image in my head and I could not stop thinking about ways in which to make this image come to fruition. I went to work and thought about the necklace the entire time I was there. Thank gosh my boss was gone, he would have been astounded by my disconnection to what I was actually supposed to be concentrating upon. Anyway, I was consumed by these thoughts of this necklace so I got out the paper and began to sketch it out.
I am not a good artist when it comes to drawing. My art lies in the designs I create with wire and stones and fortunately, I can usually make what I see in my mind turn out with wire and stones despite the fact that I cannot draw my thoughts on paper worth beans. I proceeded to draw my sketch anyway because I know how important it is to get my ideas down on paper because ideas don't remain long in the creative mind before another inspiration moves in to take its place. I drew it out and this is what it looked like on paper...

Now remember that I told you that I cannot draw, so try not to laugh too heartily.
Once I had the drawing, I knew that I had captured the image pretty well. When I finally got to leave my job and go home for the day, I had to sit down right away and grab the wire. I found a couple of Aventurine stones, as this was the stone that I had in my mind, and I knew that I would have the correct sizes that I needed. Now I had the stones and the wire and I needed to get to work.
I took the idea out of my head and transformed it to the wire and stones. This is the necklace that was created once I could work on it...

 It is almost exactly what I had pictured. I had to change the stone at the bottom, as this stone fit the wire frame a tad bit better.
I was quite pleased to see the finished product. My minds eye and the Fighter have yet to fail me. What do you think? My only dilemma now is to antique or not to antique. I love the look of the antique copper, but I know how hard it will be to get the steel wool in the places that I need to get the black off and the copper to come through. Next thing I need to do is invent a tool to do just that. Any ideas?
So, here it is from my mind all the way to finished product. Yes, as I have said before, I am pretty proud of the results. I do indeed thank the fact that the Fighter is relentless!