Today has been my birthday! And I spent it … working. Yes it’s true - I have no life.

But as a special treat I allowed myself to finally get on with making some new pieces of handmade jewellery, which I did enjoy.

So after a productive few hours of finalising some designs, setting things up and making, above is what I have come up with.

Of course all of the pieces still need to actually be turned into wearable pieces, but I thought I’d give you a sneak peek as to what’s coming up in my jewelry shops.

I hope to get more new work finished over the weekend.

… apparently. And given just how untidy my bench has been for the last month or two I started to wonder if there really was a connection with my occasionally equally untidy mind!

So finally I got it together to have a reasonable tidy up, which was followed by several productive making days - so maybe it really did help.

I was inspired to snap a few photographs of the current state of my bench today, along with an image of a nice little collection of what I’ve started fondly referring to as ‘bench junk’, thanks to one of my Etsy Metal colleagues.

These are a variety of bits and pieces comprised of semi-finished components, experiments, pieces I intend to use in ways I haven’t yet decided upon, etc.. I like to keep them collected in little dishes on my bench so I can remember that they’re there (and probably need my attention!) and hopefully so I can get some inspiration from them.

As for what I’ve been working on at my newly tidied up bench … Well, so far I’ve mostly been trying to do ‘catch up’ making - re-making pieces I’ve sold - but also I have been working on my frighteningly long list of components I wish to have made before the holiday buying season kicks off.

I desperately want to start working seriously on some new pieces as I have a brain (and sketchbook!) full of ideas which are all itching to find form. I’ve made a vague start on some of them, but hope to find time over the next week to finish several new pieces which will ultimately before sale in my various jewelry shops.

So before I get back to the grindstone, here is a final image of my bench, featuring my extra lovely Circa Ceramics cup - handmade, of course!

To most people August probably seems quite a long way from Christmas (and I’m sure many are are only concerned about what to get me for my birthday!), but for those who make things to sell the festive season may as well be a week or two away.

And I confess that I’m starting to feel every so slightly panicked about it.

So today I typed up my roughly scribbled out list of festive season jewelry making, which is intended to make sure I have plenty of components and finished pieces of handmade jewelry on hand to help me survive the season in one piece. Once printed out I pinned the list to my gorgeous brand new pinboard and whiteboard (as discovered on Mintd.com).

Ouch.

There are currently 1180 components and pieces on my list - not including quantities of new jewelry items which are in the pipeline. Of course many of the components particularly are relatively quick and easy for me to make, but quite a number of pieces will require a fair degree of effort.

So right now I’m wishing I could make like Cher and turn August back into June. But instead I will need to spend many hours at my bench doing nothing but holiday season making for the next few months. If anyone fancies applying to be my slave to help keep the rest of my life running, do let me know!

And, yes, apart from that I will be completing some new pieces as well, which I’m very much looking forward to, having been inspired by my recent travels. I’ll be sure to tell you about them here.

Don’t forget to check out this great pinboard and whiteboard (or blackboard) from Giggle Design - and the Mintd Lookbook I made for it. It’s so much better than the one I was about to order from a very boring office supplies outlet!

I’ve just created a Treasury list on Etsy called Mine.

Below is a screenshot of the list, which features items I selected for my theme which are currently for sale on Etsy.com.

Go there now! Treasury lists generally only last for a couple of days so soon enough it will be gone.

Today I’ve been spending time setting up some new accounts in places to help me promote my business - and I thought I’d make mention of them here as I’m guessing some of my readers might be members in the same places (or should be!) and would like to join in on a bit of networking goodness!

Trunkt

For those who aren’t familiar with Trunkt, it aims to provide a buyer’s guide to independent design and art - it’s basically an indie design showcase.

The site is curated and I was well aware that anyone applying in the jewelry category has the odds stacked against them - there are so many applicants to that category that many more are turned away than are accepted.

I found that to be a challenge that I couldn’t resist and sent off an application before going out to breakfast this morning. And I was very pleased to discover that I’d been accepted upon my return! Yippee!!

So I now have my own Trunkt Lookbook. I’m still figuring out the site and finishing off my Lookbook, but if you’re a Trunkt member as either a buyer or seller, then network away! And I will network you back ;P

If you’re not a member yet, go and have a look around Trunkt - you’ll discover some really excellent indie design finds. You’ll thank me for the tip (although your bank account might not!).

Squidoo

I’ve been aware of Squidoo for a while now and have been meaning to set up an account and start making some lenses, although I felt kind of confused about how it works and what it’s for. Having been inspired by working on my Lookbook for Trunkt today, I decided to take the plunge and start playing with Squidoo.

Squidoo basically allows you to create your own web page full of information about any particular topic (each one is known as a lens - and you can make as many as you wish). You can make them interactive and it’s an excellent way to create a network of links and information about anything at all - which is great for Google rankings!

So I made my first lens about my handmade jewelry, of course! If you’re a Squidoo member you can rate me and make me a favourite. And, of course, you can make your own lenses if you wish!