jewelry projects

I promised myself that once school was over and my dissertation had been defended, I could treat myself to some crafty classes. I narrowed it down to either pottery or jewelry making. I did some research online and came across this great studio on Queen Street (The Devil's Workshop) that sells artisan jewelry but also has a multitude of workshops and classes. I couldn't resist and signed up immediately - for 3 classes! Two of the workshops were just one evening but the other is a 6-week course.

The first class was "wire-working basics." During the 2 hour class we made a pair of stiletto earrings and a pair of tied chain drop earrings.

The last project we did was a wire ring. This was quite time-consuming (especially since I decided to make a cluster ring instead of using just one large bead for the top of the ring).

It was a BYOB (bring your own beads) class but of course I forgot to grab my beads that morning when leaving for work so I had to buy some there. Leaving the house at 6:45 is just too early! I had stocked up on some great beads a few months back when Michael's had a big sale so I was disappointed that I didn't have those to work with. The selection of beads at the workshop wasn't the best but I'm pretty pleased with the pieces I made.

The next evening was a class on making fused glass pendants. I have pictures of my pieces before they went into the kiln for firing but I don't have the finished pieces yet so I'll wait to post all those pictures together. This was an awesome class!

Yesterday I attended my first silversmithing class. In 6 sessions we will learn how to make a sterling silver band ring then set a cabochon on it with a bezel setting. We'll also be able to do one or two other projects, depending on the labour involved.

Since I was busy working away I didn't take many pictures. The first thing we did (after learning how to put a blade into our saw and tighten it properly - harder than you'd think and more frustrating too!) was practice cutting through metal. Here's my L-line and curvy line.

I had fun using the torches but I don't have any pictures of that part. I decided to make a thick ring so bending the metal was difficult but hammering the ring around the mandrel with a rawhide mallet until the ends met was fun. Here is my ring at the end of day 1.

Once I'm back in class next Thursday I will join the ends of the ring together with solder (more torch work!) and then can get on with shaping, sanding and buffing the ring. I'm not sure what kind of finish I want to do yet. Also, I need to figure out what my other projects will be. We get started on those next week and I need to come with some drawings of my ideas.

In other crafting news, I received my first PIF gift on Wednesday! And it was 2 gifts in one - an awesomely stylish purse/clutch and a metal keychain. Thank you so much knitticrafty. I had my PIF gifts almost ready to go out but then decided to make an extra something for one of my recipients.

I am counting down the days until my defense. I don't have my presentation together yet but I've been thinking a lot about it, that counts right? I received the report from my external and she seemed pretty positive about my research. There are a few things I'll need to address in my presentation but I don't think it'll be as bad as I initially feared.

Also, we are considering moving to Waterloo! I've been surfing mls quite a bit but have only been out to see 3 houses so far. I have 4 viewings booked for Monday so things are picking up. I LOVE house-hunting!

A crafty weekend

Finally, a craft update!! My newest hobby is making cold process soap. Here are some bars from my first attempt. A friend gave me the recipe. These bars are largely olive oil based with some coconut oil, palm oil and cocoa butter which makes a mild soap with a good lather. The ones pictured below are scented citrus fresh and may or may not be destined for a PIF recipient.

I am hoping to get some batches made in September so they will be ready for Christmas. I will take some pictures of the process when I do.

I also got back into jewelry making this weekend. Here are a pair of earrings. The earrings ended up being a bit bigger than originally designed but I like how they turned out. I need to replace the earwires with bigger hooks but once that is done they may or may not be on their way to a PIF recipient.

And lastly, I made a batch of muffins to be enjoyed over the long weekend. Some of these are blueberry (for me) and some are chocolate-nut (for Alex).

Backyard life & wildlife

The backyard continues to come along - slowly but surely. Alex just redid the gate. It used to roll open on a wheel at the base of the gate but that didn't work so well in the winter with the snow and ice, or if the wheel went flat. So off he went with his welder and other power tools and made a support beam to go over top the gate. Now it hangs from and rolls along the beam. It's a pretty neat design. He's considering adding a motor to it so we don't need to open it manually. I tell ya, it's very handy having a handy husband around the house! He also added lighting around the perimeter of the yard (LED of course). I tried to take some pictures of the yard lit up at night but they didn't turn out : (

Just in front of Eva (light gray line) is a concrete step

Sadly we have hardly any green space in the backyard. Alex built in a concrete-edged planter (just in front of the shed) which houses a few trees but that's it. Since parking is at a premium in Toronto and we can't seem to get a permit to park on the street overnight, we needed to come up with a way to continue to use the backyard for parking but also have some space to hang out. Now we have a two-tiered yard that can accommodate our 2 cars, 2 motorbikes and trailer, or the cars can be parked on the street and bikes and trailer hidden in the shed which opens up the whole yard for relaxing or entertaining. I love it! And the fence really helps to block out street noise and allows a more private space.

Raspberry Margaritas

I had to add a few more pictures from around campus. There are TONS of geese that hang out on campus and the pond by my office is one of their favourite watering holes/playgrounds. For some reason they are gathered en mass in the morning when I drive in.

Alex surprised me by visiting me at work the other day (it was a nice sunny day and he was looking for an excuse to go for a ride on his motorbike). While giving him a tour we came upon this little bunny. Too cute!

A lazy saturday

I don't often get to enjoy a day of leisure just hanging around the house doing whatever I please so I took advantage of that opportunity today.

We ended up having to do a run to the cottage directly after work yesterday so it was quite a long day. We didn't get back home until 11pm and I couldn't get to sleep for a few hours after that. Alex was up early for work (at 3:30am..ugh!) but I got to stay in bed and sleep in. I love to sleep in. For some reason the best sleep I get is between the hours of 6 and 9 so I am VERY pleased when I get to stay in bed until 9.

Once up I put some coffee on and headed outside to read this month's edition of Dwell magazine. Here's a shot of the newly elevated, curbed and bricked sitting area of the backyard. It's a lousy shot really. You don't get to see the whole deck area or get an idea of how it's elevated from the rest of the backyard. Mind you, this is precisely where that 9 tons of screening was sitting just a few weeks ago. I took this photos mostly because I was happy to have somewhere to sit in the backyard again. I'll take some more shots when the rest of the backyard is finished off.

I went out for Chinese food with my mom for lunch and then did some shopping. Alex and I had decided that once the interlock was down in the backyard we'd buy a new BBQ so it seemed like a good idea to go looking for one while I was out. In the end, and at the recommendation of a friend and some pressuring from my mom, I went with a big and bad Ducane model. I love it. Here's how it looked right out of the box!

Max giving the BBQ a sniff test

Now that's assembly even I can handle! We only needed to fasten the side prep areas and put together the rotisserie. I'll have to take some pictures of it tomorrow now that it's finished and functional. I can't wait to barbecue on that baby tomorrow night.

When I posted my update message I forgot to mention that I had just gone to see Evil Dead the Musical on July 5th. It was an AMAZING show! I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at the theatre. The musical numbers were hilarious! And kudos to the actors for doing such a great job at acting, singing and dancing. I HIGHLY recommend going to see this production. The show has been extended a few times already and is set to close in early August. I strongly encourage anyone within the vicinity of Toronto to get see it. It's playing at the Diesel Playhouse.

Campus life rocks

What great timing! I decided to head over to the Student Life Centre yesterday on my lunch break and, as luck would have it, I stumbled upon a free noon-hour concert by the uwaterloo orchestra. I happened to arrive during a Mozart piece which was followed by Brahms and Strauss - so beautifully played. I figured this group was part of one of the music programs here on campus but when I looked them up online I was surprised to find out that they are an extracurricular ensemble open to students, staff, faculty and alumni.

The view from my office window, the building
across the pond is the Student Life Centre

After the concert I decided to go to the lower level of the SLC to get a drink and/or snack from the store there and came upon a Farmer's Market set-up in the courtyard! Two surprises in one day! There was an assortment of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, preserves, jams and honeys as well as fresh baked goods. I bought some wonderfully fragrant basil, two loaves of bread (italian loaf, and a multigrain type) and a chiabatta bun for the walk back to my office. The market will be back next week (every Thursday from mid-June to the end of July). I've decided I will go back and get some homemade honey and jam.

What fun! I'm really going to have to make an effort to find out all that goes on campus so I don't miss out on these events.

Here's the building I work in, and the Heron that hangs out in the pond

Things have been busy!

A lot has been going on during the last month and a half.

Alex and I had a 'date day' at the end of May and headed out to St. Jacobs for some shopping. I got a great deal on a cute pair of Keds, bought some awesome kielbasa and two huge bones for the dogs. We then headed to Stratford where we continued shopping (I got earrings, Alex got new mirrors for his motorbike and then we discovered the best surplus store EVER and bought a ton of cool stuff. I snagged a Wilton flower cake pan and other commercial grade baking pans and sheets for $5 each!), had our car hit by a motorist who proceeded to take off, spent some time getting to know the officers on duty and then had a relaxing dinner before our show. We saw Cabaret and it was great!

Stratford, Ontario

We couldn't resist buying this cute book at the theatre gift shop. It's called "Stick: Great Moments in Art, History, Film and More (by Jeffrey Metzner) and is about just what you'd think, stick figure depictions of important happenings in history, movies, etc.

In June I worked quite a lot on my dissertation and got it through 2 revisions. It was a lot of looooong hours and all nighters but I'm glad I was able to immerse myself in it. Ultimately I think it made things progress a lot faster and made me understand the data better. Quitting my job was a wise decision. We got a bit of work done on the house, mainly to the backyard. Here's a photos of the 9 tons of screening we had delivered. We are elevating a section of the backyard to make a deck area.

The dogs like playing "King of the Castle." Apparently so does Alex.

In mid-June I was able to take off to the cottage for 10 days, which was so nice. Mainly I worked on my research and when Alex was down I helped with the bathroom renos (which are now finished and the new bathroom looks great!). One day I needed to head into town (Picton, Ontario - home of Sandbanks Provincial Park) to find wireless access and met the cutest orange kitty named Lily at the bookstore. She shared my club chair and kept me company while I checked email, updated facebook and sent my latest draft to my advisor and then followed me around the store as I searched for some leisure reading. I wish I had a picture of her. Instead here's a photos of an antique shop just outside of Picton in Bloomfield.

The BEST name for an antique shop.

After spending a few days in Toronto to attend a committee meeting and put in a day of assessment work, I headed back to the cottage for the Canada Day long weekend, which coincided with my birthday. I thought it would be a low-key day, just hanging out on the dock reading and playing cards with my best friend Becky who was to arrive that day. I heard a car coming, thought it was Becky, and was stunned to see a caravan of vehicles making it's way toward me. My whole family had make the trek to the cottage to spend the day with me! Once the confusion cleared and I realized what was happening I bawled like a baby! Thankfully no one had their camera out yet. I was touched.

Later on in the weekend we took Becky out on my bike to teach her how to ride. She caught on easily and my bike remained dent free. Here she is sporting my stylishly chic pink helmet.

I started my new job at the beginning of July (I was hired as a Clinical Psychologist - although I don't have this title yet - at the University of Waterloo's Health Services. This is a medical clinic on campus). To say that they've been waiting and preparing for my arrival is an understatement. My schedule was fully booked with clients on my second day and there was a stack of computer administered psych tests waiting for me to review for clients who were booked to see me over the next several days. I'm told things will slow down in August.

The job is great so far. The commute is just over an hour and I only hit traffic at the end of the day when I'm coming back into Toronto. And I get to work from home on Fridays. I have a great office with a view of a pond just outside my window. On Thursday there was a Heron wading through the water. Next week I'll try to bring my camera to get some photos. My coworkers are all very friendly and I've learned that there are fellow crafters among them. One person makes quite beautiful necklaces and another is a potter with her own wheel and kiln! I'm hoping she'll be interested in giving me lessons sometime. My boss seems to be quite accommodating and gave me a company credit card during my first week and encouraged to purchase whatever I thought I would need to build a solid test and resource library. It's nice, but also a little stressful, to have all this freedom. I mean, I'm technically not even done school yet - should I really be calling all the shots?

And speaking of being done school...I'm almost there!! Just before writing this blog I drove downtown to school and dropped off the FINAL (well, it better be) draft of my dissertation for my committee members to approve before it gets sent out to my external reviewer in a week or two. Then, it's just preparing for my defense which has been scheduled for September 10. I can't wait to be done. Although, as excited I am to be done school I was equally excited to learn that as a staff member at UW I can take 2 courses tuition-free each term! I'll need to look at the courses but I'm thinking of trying either a language or fine art course in the fall.

Cute cupcakes

I had planned to make a few different baked items yesterday but after checking my inventory, I realized only could make 1 of these projects, a batch of cupcakes.

I went with a simple vanilla cake recipe and used a buttercream frosting as my base. I divided the frosting and made one half into a lemon buttercream by adding lemon extract, a touch of food colouring and some lemon and orange rind. I added some great Smucker's wildberry jam and raspberry syrup to the other half. They turned out pretty well but the syrup made the wildberry frosting too runny so I had to firm it up in the fridge and wasn't able to pipe it.