New Jewelry Designs – Available for Purchase!

Okay – here is the part I’m REALLY excited about!  I have made some brand new pieces of jewelry using the MOST BEAUTIFUL findings that I have ever seen!

I am a lover of all things vintage – especially vintage jewelry.  My engagement ring is an antique and I have several other antique rings, earrings and necklaces.  The only problem with vintage jewelry is that is can be delicate and should be handled with care.  The 100-year-old ring I wear on my finger has already been worn for 100 years – how much more wear-and-tear should I put it through?

But I LOVE the look of antique jewelry – the rich colors, the intricate filigree designs…it is so lovely and has so much personality.

And I love all things natural.  Things made by God have so much inherent beauty – I love to admire the subtle variations in rocks, leaves, trees – it’s one of the reasons I enjoy the outdoors so very much.

I also love things with patina – things that show wear – there is nothing fancy or elaborate in my home.  Just pieces with character – things that have been loved in the past and continue to be loved by another generation. 

So where am I going with all this?  I have been dabbling in jewelry design lately, but have yet to find anything that really fits my style.  I’ve picked up lots of books and magazines, but while a lot of the jewelry shown is pretty, it’s just not something that I would wear.  And I don’t want to make things that I wouldn’t wear myself.

But I have recently found a line of jewelry components and design inspirations that combine all the things I love!

The findings are made from natural brass with a finish that resembles a vintage patina.  Many components contain intricate filigree designs that resemble the antique jewelry that I love.  My jewelry designs incorporate natural stones with rich, wonderful colors that only nature can produce.  I also incorporate beautiful crystals, pearls and other gemstones for that little bit of added sparkle.

I have made the following pieces for myself, but I would be happy to duplicate them for you as well (keep in mind that since natural stones vary, your piece will differ slightly).  The prices are below each piece…

Moon Dance Necklace – $36.00

This beautiful necklace has a lovely filigree pendant and a sweet charm with a woman lounging on the moon.  It includes several moonstones and crystals and has a spiral clasp.

Filigree bracelet – $32.00

This intricate filigree bracelet has two small blue glass stones wrapped with brass pieces on either side.  It has a clasp hook and even more blue stones incorporated on the front and back pieces. 

Dressy Denim Earrings – $24.00

I just love these simple but intricate earrings!  A blue faceted glass stone is wrapped with brass filigree – perfect for wearing with jeans or for more dressy events.

Hyacinth Anklet – $15.00

How sweet is this delicate little anklet?  Perfect for yourself or for a young girl, the bright stones on this anklet add a little extra pizzazz!

Wrap Bracelet – $32.00

Two filigree pieces combine to form the focal piece of this sweet wrap bracelet.  I have added some amber-colored and clear stones to keep this bracelet neutral in color while showcasing its intricate details.

Spotted Stone Necklace – $40.00

The stone on this necklace is breathtaking – this necklace is sure to demand attention.  Several charms, filigree beadcaps and small faceted glass stones add to the detailed design of this piece.

Turquoise Filigree Bracelet – $24.00

The natural stones in this bracelet coordinate with the vintage- inspired filigree pieces for an eclectic look.

I hope you find these pieces as unique and exciting as I do.  I also love that these pieces will blend with your existing jewelry whether it is gold, silver or platinum – but I can guarantee that these will be the pieces that make you stand out and shine!

These pieces are just the start of my collection – watch for more designs to be added as I am inspired to create them.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these pieces or have other designs in mind, please email me at kathy@thetorrences.com. 

I accept Payment through PayPal (send payment to kathy@thetorrences.com) and shipping in the United States is free.

Thank you for looking and I hope you enjoy my work!

New Stamp Club

Starting this year, I’ve changed the format of my stamp clubs.  Last night was the first meeting.

At my stamp clubs in previous years, everyone brought their own supplies and used the meetings as sort of a ‘card crop’ – working on whatever projects they were currently creating and borrowing my stamps and ink, if needed.  I also provided one or two make-and-takes at each meeting for those who were interested in trying the project. 

All the members were obligated to make a purchase every month and everyone took a turn as the hostess with the combined orders (all members had to commit to the club until all the ladies had a turn as the hostess).

I was having some trouble with people who couldn’t attend the meetings and then placed their orders late or gave me their orders but then didn’t have a chance to pay for them.  As a result, I had to pay for a lot of orders up front out of my own pocket.  And most months, the group orders were delayed a long time because I had wait to for all the orders to come in.

Not to mention that after two years of stamp clubs, I have so many members that keep buying supplies, meeting after meeting, and have no idea of all the things they can do with them. 

One of my stamp club members recently held an outside workshop with some stamp club members there too.  I realized that some of the club members had never even been to an actual ‘workshop’ before – they seemed to really enjoy the ideas and demonstrations.

But I find that that stamp club members are hesitant to hold an outside workshop because most of their stamping friends are also in the stamp club and purchase their supplies at the club meetings.

So…I decided to change the clubs this year to more of a workshop format.  I charge $10 for the club meeting to cover the supplies and my time.  I also take $5 off any purchase of $25 or more (if they decide to make a purchase), and put all the orders together for a ‘mystery’ hostess drawn at random each month.   We’ll meet once a month and there’s no obligation to come every month.  All orders will be placed that night so there will be no delay – I think it’s going to work out well.

I may have to limit the size of the club, I think.  I had 11 women here last night, and it was a full house!  It did take quite a while to complete all the projects, too – I may have to either simplify the projects or break the larger group up into two smaller groups.

I’m going to post the projects that we made in several different posts so this doesn’t get too long…

Birthday Wishes!

I just wanted to wish a happy birthday today to my wonderful husband, Michael – happy birthday, dear!

Getting Ready for a Workshop

I will be doing a mainly scrapbooking-themed workshop for a customer on Friday night and worked on some project ideas yesterday.

I want to show a very simple stamped card so that I can keep the emphasis on scrapbooking, and came up with this one for Halloween:

Very easy, but very cute.  It will be a make-and-take.

I also wanted to demonstrate different ways to use our chipboard pieces including stamping, inking, covering with paper and embossing.  I came up with this little scrapbook page to demonstrate embossing the Pick-A-Petal chipboard pieces:

I also wanted to do two scrapbook-based make-and-takes.  I think I’m going to do one of these – it’s a little mini-book made from plastic badge holders:

Sorry for the lousy photo, but it was tough to get the pages to stay open.  To make the book, you take three clear plastic badge holders (available at office supply stored) and cut pieces of cardstock to fit inside – these are 3 X 4 inches.  The photos are then cut to 2 3/4 X 3 3/4 inches.  The book is tied together with ribbon through the holes – this is nice and sturdy and will hold up well in a purse or wallet.  I think wallet-sized school photos would be nice in these as well.  You do need to keep the embellishments flat since it is a tight fit inside the pages.

I want to do one other make-and-take and I’m trying to decide between a simple scrapbook layout or a manila folder layout like I showed in a previous post.  Hmmm….

Getting Ready for the Fall Semester and Other Stuff

Just a quick update for those who asked – yes, I am definitely teaching at Rowan University this fall!

I will be teaching Computers and Society on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  I have been working on my syllabus and semester schedule all weekend and I think I have the class all planned out.

The funny thing is, I’ve been online doing research for some of the privacy topics and have done Google searches on things like ‘Patriot Act’, ‘NSLs’ and ‘DOPA’.  Now I’m wondering how long it will be until I’m on one of the government suspected terrorist lists!  Just kidding of course – I was just doing research for my class – REALLY!!!!

I also got my artist comp copy of Stamper’s Sampler Take Ten magazine today.  In addition to those cards included in the Guest Artist article, I found in the magazine at least six other cards that I submitted to them.  And several others that they requested and that I submitted are not included, so I wonder if they’ll be in an upcoming issue…

Weight Loss Update

Well…I finally stepped on the scale this morning for the first time since my ranting post about my weight a few weeks ago.  And to my surprise, I’ve lost 7 pounds so far.  Not too bad….

Ugh! Menopause Stinks and Other Personal Confessions…

Okay, everyone. I need to use this blog for some accountability for a little while…and some personal info too. If you think it may be TMI (Too Much Information) for you, please skip the rest of this post. 🙂

Those who know me remember that about a year ago, I had a total hysterectomy right before Memorial Day weekend. I was suffering from advanced endometriosis and was in severe pain most of the time. This was my third surgery in a year to address the problem, and I had to take a radical step.

As a result of losing both of my ovaries, I immediately entered into early menopause at the age of 38. My doctor told me that I would undergo many changes to my body as a result of the lack of hormones – one of which was weight gain around my middle section.

Before the surgery, I was a yoga and Pilates devotee – spending about an hour, 5 times a week exercising and working with weights.

Here’s a photo of me and my daughter Emily two summers ago:

Kind of a hot body for a woman in her late thirties with three kids, if I do say so myself! 😉

And…this is me now…in menopause 🙁

I finally stepped on the scale yesterday (I was afraid!) – I’ve gained *40* pounds in the last year since my surgery!!!!!!!!!

How depressing. Sigh….

But…back to the accountability….

I know that if I put my mind to it, I can change this situation. I just need to dedicate myself to regular exercise again as well as a better diet. Not a diet like starving myself…just a diet like making better choices and watching what I eat (and how much).

Weight is a very personal subject for me. Even though I was always a thin child, when I was in college, my body chemistry changed and I put on some weight – as most college students do.

Then when I was about 25, I tried one of those diet plans and lost a great deal of weight. But I just couldn’t stop – I kept losing more and more weight and became obsessed with food.

I had an eating disorder. I can admit that now – I was anorexic. So many things in my life were out of control – and food was the one thing I COULD control. It wasn’t a physical issue – it was very much an emotional one.

Everyone around me could see that I was spinning out of control and wasting away, but I was helpless to do anything about it. I had many health issues – I even had to wear a cast on my arm as a result of nerve damage done to my arm due to the lack of fat in my body (every time I bent my elbow, it was as if I hit my ‘funny bone’ – the nerve was basically exposed).
Several doctors told me that I needed to gain weight or I would continue to be ill – I had blood tests that showed that there were almost no minerals left in my body. It seems odd to even think about it now that I’m on the other side of the weight issue…

So what saved me? I got pregnant with my son, Andrew. It was no longer all about me – I was responsible for another life. So I started to eat again and went back to a healthy weight and had a healthy pregnancy.

I never let myself get to that low point again – I made better food choices, exercised regularly and maintained a healthy weight through two more pregnancies and for over ten years. But when I started having endometriosis issues and surgeries a few years ago, I had to deal with weight issues once again.

And here I am now fat and in menopause. Did I mention it stinks?

I’m rambling here – back to the accountability.

I need to take control over the situation (that’s just how I am – did I mention that I’m a control freak?) starting right now. And I need to be accountable to someone or something – that’s where the blog comes in.

I’m going post some of my weight loss progress and struggles. If you feel like reading it, great – and if not, just ignore those posts. But at least I’ll feel like I have to actually *do* something about my health and weight – without going overboard.

I have to TAKE control without LOSING control.

I hope some of you can relate to my situation…wish me luck!

Cool New Stampin’ Up! Stuff

Today, the Stampin’ Up! demos got another little sneak preview into some of the stamps and other products coming out in the new catalog July 1st.

The stuff looks FANTASTIC – rich, bohemian paper, lots of new ribbons, pretty pearl and rhinestone brads, Prima-like flowers, gorgeous new colors, clipboards, scallop and star punches, cool new stamps…I’m in big trouble!!!!

No Time for Crafting Today

I didn’t get to step foot in my craft room even once today – too busy with other things.

We’re getting ready to take our camper on our first family voyage of 2007 this weekend – we’re headed to Cape May for a few days. We have a 27-foot long travel trailer that we purchased brand new last year:

It’s so funny – as a kid, I HATED camping (my parents had a Winnebago motorhome when I was growing up). But now as an adult, I find it very relaxing to just get away from everything – even if it is just for a few days. We bought the camper last June and took it out 10 times last year. You can read about our camping adventures on our camping blog (maintained by Mike).

And we’ll be taking it out a lot this year too. We already have our whole summer scheduled with reservations at lots of different campgrounds.

Anyway, I’ve been packing like crazy, trying to get everything in the camper. I had it nicely stocked last year, but I have to replace many items since I found myself raiding the camper on more than one occasion this winter. For example…out of paper towels? Take some from the camper. Out of plastic bags, paper plates, toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo, soap, etc? Grab some from the camper. No more clean towels? Take some from the camper! 🙂

So after helping out at our school’s Mother’s Day Flower Sale this afternoon (I wrapped in foil 9 flats of tiny little individual impatiens) I took a ride out to Target and ShopRite to replenish the camper stock. Of course, I forgot several things, so it looks like I’ll have to stop at the store again tomorrow.

Ever Just Have One of Those Days?

This was just one of those days where nothing seemed to go my way.

I put a brand new white shirt on this morning and spilled breakfast on it.

I cut my arm while trying to plug something in behind the stove.

The cat food fell off the dryer and spilled all over the floor – I swept it up and went to pour it into the trash…and spilled it all again.

My dog played in her water dish THREE times today – splashing it all over the kitchen.

I got a plant today at my daughter’s school and went to set it down on the passenger seat of my truck…it tipped over and spilled dirt all over the upholstery.

My dog peed INSIDE today more times than OUTSIDE.

My son has been having a hard time focusing in school lately so I talked with his teacher – turns out, he’s been having more trouble than I thought so I had to make an appointment for him with the pediatrician to have him evaluated.

A person showed up to replace our water meter and when he came up from the basement, he asked if we knew that our hot water heater pressure valve was leaking (no, we didn’t – plumber is coming tomorrow).

And…my husband still hasn’t commented on my blog.

Sigh…just not my day.

On the plus side, I went to my daughter’s school today for a Mother’s Day Tea program (but there wasn’t actually any tea…hmmm) and it was very nice. The kids sang and danced around a maypole – even the parents ended up dancing. Here’s a nice photo of me and Emily…

At least something good came out of today. But my video camera battery ran out after only one minute of taping her sing…

Tomorrow will be better, I’m sure. Right?