DAY 4 - we ALMOST hung the door

Well folks, the day started really good. We finished almost all the sheetrocking, lots more of the electrical stuff, and started working on the door.

Paw-Paw taught me a lot today:

First, I learned how to mud and tape the walls...

In case you are interested... the first thing to do is to put some mud on the seam, then you measure out and cut the tape, then the SECRET is to dip the tape in some water before applying it to the "mudded" seam, and finally you gotta go over the seam to make sure that all the air bubbles are out!

Then I leaned how to be an electrician- Good news is - I never got shocked!!

Dad taught me how to wire up outlets. Just in case any of you want to know: The White Wires go into the Silver Screw Side, the Black Wires go into the Copper Screw Side, and the Ground Wires (copper in color) twist around the Green Screw. I also learned how to piggyback one outlet to the next... But maybe I should start charging you for all this info I am giving out!! LOL

Remember how I said the day started good?? Welllllllllllllll, The sheetrock was up and we were starting to work on getting the door up. Paw-Paw and Dustin were working on all the measurements and decided that the door needed a little trimming... That's when the day went from good to scary!! Dad was trimming the door down and all the sudden I hear my hubby yelling "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY" and in runs my dad holding his bloody hand! Below is just a FEW pics of the "trail"

Somehow, Paw-Paw cut into his middle finger while trimming down the door with one of his machines. It took FOUR butterflies and one large band aid to make the bleeding stop. We cut off the circulation as best we could and made him hold his hand above his heart...

But then he decided that he should go to the ER just in case. Turns out he didn't need stitches but they did have to clean it out real well and bandaged him up real well!!

Poor Paw-Paw... But you know what?? Its about time he made a trip to the ER... He always does when working on a project!! LOL- But tomorrow is a new day and a new year!! Sooooooo HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!!

DAY 3... Yippeeeeee

280 Nails

172 Staples

136 Screws

120 Sq Ft. insulation

88 Feet of sheetrock

60 Ft electrical wire

43 Minutes for the plumber to show up

10 Electrical outlets

7 Bowls of beef veggie soup

(A couple of curse words)

1 Sink

PUTTING UP INSULATION

HANGING SHEETROCK AS A FAMILY

PAW PAW INSIDE A HOLE IN THE WALL (plumbing stuff)

HANDIWORK OF THE PLUMBER

MIMI AND BRADYN PLAYING ON THE COMPUTER

GOT OUR RESPIRATORS WHILE INSULATING

SOME MANLY LOVE

MY LITTLE HANDYMAN

MY BOYZ

SERIOUSNESS IN THIS RESPIRATOR HELMET

GIT'R DONE!!!

Today, we insulated and sheetrocked two walls, called a plumber to help make preparations for a sink, installed several electrical outlets, and made a trip to 3 stores to buy countertops, paint, some hardware, and more lighting (that will be installed in days to come).

Day 2... Wired and Tired

Today's Highlights:

- Paw-Paw's injuries ONLY entailed some splinters and cutting his finger with an Exacto knife...For those of you who know my dad, that's a pretty good day huh!?!
- We were blessed with another of God's beautiful creations - SNOW!!
- Mimi made yummy tuna salad for lunch that we continued to eat all day long
- My hubby was wonderful... helping out any way he could
- My sweet little Bradyn continued to make us smile with his love for working with tools... even if they are plastic ones!
- I'm pretty sure I am an expert now. I could totally build our next house! LOL

Day ONE of studio building

Paw-Paw ready to start the dayNeed I say anything about this picture- Just Priceless to me!!

Carpenter in the making

Bradyn was determined to help Paw-Paw all day long
Day ONE complete
The Perfect End to today... Paw-Paw and Bradyn talking about woodworking

Bling Bling

This was a custom order that I completed the week before Christmas!

The Design... Its a Rough Sketch18K yellow gold wireSoldering the ringsHammering out on a mandrel to make perfect circlesFrame components completedSoldering components togetherSetting stonesOne earring finished... one to go!!THE FINAL PRODUCT

The Countdown Begins...

Yes yes, I know most of you are counting down the days until Christmas... But I am counting down the days until I have a new STUDIO!!! The renovation will begin on December 27th!! SOoooooo, that means I only have a week to go!

I currently have a small space in the garage where my jewelers bench is set up- but we will be transforming half of the garage into my very own studio! I cannot express how excited I am!!

Here are some "before" pictures:This is the small space that I currently use... See my Logo painted on the canvas?? Thanks to my friend Ashley for giving me that idea :)And soon my studio will extend out here!! Bye bye lawn mower and other random items... soon you will all have a new "home" located elsewhere in the garage.This is me getting OOOOoooohhhhhhh Soooo excited about my new STUDIO!!!!

A BIG thank you to dad and mom for sacrificing their vacation time to build this for me!! Love you and appreciate you both more than I can ever discribe!!

Last week, I posted a BIG THANK YOU to my friends and family for all their support and encouragement, but I left out my amazing sister. So I would like to dedicate this poem to her:

Ode to my Sissy

Thank you darling Tiffy

For being my wonderful sissy

You're always there for me

And you make me oh so happy

Jewelry encouragement is what you do

So I humbly thank you for that too

But lets not forget our deal

You 're rich now, dont you feel

And being a doc's wife

Means living a large life

So it's time to support me

And buy some Jewelry!!!

Its Business Time!!

For one reason AND another I have taken quite the sabbatical from my jewelry biz. I dream BIG most of the time but struggle with turning those dreams into reality. I dream of displaying my jewelry in high end boutiques and I dream that one day my business can support my family. And I WISH BIG too! For instance, I WISH I had a"real" studio, and I WISH I had all the equipment and tools from the Rio Grande catalogue, and I WISH I was PERFECT when making each piece of jewelry.

But you know what I have been thinking lately?? I have been thinking that being patient and working with what I got ain't that bad. So here is my NEW list. My BIG THANKS list. I am thankful for my tools, the skills I learned at the Revere Academy, the friends I have made along the way, my "fans", my jewelry closet, the joy I get when I am creating, I am thankful to the Lord for giving me this gift, and I am thankful for my friends and family who have encouraged me to get back to business.

So thank you Dustin for being my amazing man!! I deeply appreciate and love that you believe in me. Thank you for offering me time to do my work, thank you for all your pep talks when I get down on myself, and thank you for always supporting my dream!!! I love you! xoxoxo Then there's Paw-Paw, my dad. For some reason nothing quite tops having the support and encouragement from your daddy. I have always been my daddy's little girl - and knowing that you believe in me means more than anything!! So thank you Paw-Paw for everything you have done for me. And who could forget my Mi-Mi- my mom... Ooooohhhh Mi-Mi, where do I begin. You have been my biggest cheerleader and I am sooo grateful!! Thank you for my jewlery displays, thank you for taking care of me and my family while I was at The Revere Academy (and even taking a course with me), thank you for sending me inspirational jewelry pics, thank you for all your support, and the list goes on and on!!!!And then there's Michael David Sturlin- one of my mentors at the Revere Academy. I am so thankful to you for taking the time to encourage me on a regular basis. It is an unbelievable feeling knowing that such an amazing jeweler actually cares that much about someone like me! Thank you for the wisdom that I have gained through your teachings and for your motivational pep talks.

So now that I have been motivated and encouraged and am starting to believe in myself again... I am declaring that it is BUSINESS TIME. Enough with this blog- I gotta get some shut-eye so I can get to work first thing in the morning.

Since I am not David Yurman- Who am I??

I had an incredible experience learning from David Yurman for three days! He had many many interesting stories to share and worksheets to get us thinking. The class was very emotional for me because it made me think of myself and my business in a whole new light.

So far, my jewelry journey has consisted of me designing and making one-of-kind pieces. However, Yurman really got me thinking about production and creating my own jewelry line. He told me that my designs were "delicious and strong" and questioned my reasons for making individual pieces.

With that said, I have A LOT to think about!!! Starting with " Who Am I as a Jewelry Designer?"

Below is a picture of me receiving my certificate from Mr. Yuman for completing the class.

What an amazing experience!! Thank you Mr. Yurman!!!

Celebrities of the Jewelry World... Which happens to be my world

I am currently in San Francisco taking a couple Master Symposium Classes from the Revere Academy. I had the opportunity of a lifetime studying under Michael Good. And next week I will have yet another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of studying with David Yurman.

I am having a fabulous time and have so many fun stories to share, but for now I will just share some pictures- Enjoy!!

Alan Revere signing my shirt-

(a Really, Really, Really funny moment)

Michael Boyd-

master jeweler

Bernd Munsteiner

master of lapidary- father of a movement
Incredible man!

The Masters!

Alan Revere, Berd Munsteiner, Michael Good

My teacher- Michael Good
I had the privilege of learning from Mr. Good for 5 straight days!

It was an incredible learning experience- one that I will cherish for the rest of my life