Lovely Copper

I was experimenting in the studio yesterday and made up a few new pieces that I wanted to share with you. This copper and fancy quartz ring was inspired by the Camille Bracelet shown below. I hammered the base of the ring flat, then added texture to the outter edge using the ball pein. A fine gauge copper wire was used to secure the quartz stones to the ring base. For an added touch, I wrapped the copper wire around the stones as well. Size 8, $15

For the Camille Bracelet, shown above, I have hammered the copper wire flat and formed it into a teardrop shape then added a fancy quartz stone to several of the links. An extra little loop at the tip of the teardrop allows each link to connect to the next. A small copper hook clasp, also hand forged by yours truly, secures the bracelet. This bracelet measures 6 3/4" but extra links can be added for a larger fit. $24

More experimentation with color led me to this brown/green jasper stone. Unfortunately, it's hard to appreciate from this picture but the stone actually has very little green in it. It is more brown with shades of rust and mustard that play off of the color of the copper very nicely. This Gwendolyn Ring is size 5. $14

All three pieces will appear for sale in my etsy shop by the end of business today. Free U.S. shipping (discounted International shipping) from my etsy stop for the summer months. I hope to see you there soon! ~Heather

Just a Few Necklaces

I can't believe how fast the summer is going and I feel like I've been away from the bloggersphere for too long. So in order to catch you up on what I've been up to, I figured I'd just show you the latest in HJD neckwear. There's actually more that what I've shown on here but really, how much time do you have in the day to read blogs, right? Most of the necklaces have matching bracelets and/or earrings which you can view on either my HJD website: www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com or my etsy shop: www.heathermgannon.etsy.com

I've been taking a great deal of time putting new bling on the etsy site as well as working on the new fall collection. Several of the older pieces have been marked down to 50% off in order to make room for the new designs. I had a blast with the summer sale at the latest HJD jewelry show that took place in my home in June as well as the Mid-Summer sale at the Leesport Farmer's market on July 11th.

The kiddies continue to be very involved in sports which has kept hubby and I busy as well. Zoe and Aeryn are currently without structured activities so aside from tagging along to the older kids activities, we've been having picnic lunches at the playground and visiting the local library.

I'm sad to say that I may hold off on the art gallery exhibit. I LOVE the idea but am finding it increasingly difficult to schedule the time to get into Philly (a 2 hr drive 1 way) amongst the soccer games, practices, sports camps, doctors/dentist/orthodontist visits, vet appointments, family vacation...well you catch my drift. I feel that it will happen but it's looking like it will happen later rather than sooner, when the timing is better.

I am looking forward to a private in home show in August, then we're going on vacation to visit my father-in-law in CT. Love going up there in the summer. Between the gorgeous seaport and lobster roll sandwiches...YUMMMMMM, I never want to leave. September is looking pretty slow at the moment so anyone in eastern PA want to book a show???

September is also birthday month. Caitlyn and I both have our birthdays in September, followed up by hubby and Zach in October. Sadly, September I also remember my dad's passing. This year will be 3 years. They say it gets easier as time goes by but I think of him each and every day.

So other than that, I'm just trying to balance family and work and starting to countdown the days until school starts!! :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer! Be sure to check out my etsy shop as I'm offering FREE SHIPPING for the summer months. Take care! ~Heather

Spring Showers brought May Flowers

Ahhh, yummy salad, sitting on the deck w/ my laptop and listening to the hum of my dryer, the neighbor's edge trimmer and the birdies singing. It's a bit breezy but the sun is out which makes me a happy camper and the kiddies aren't fighting--for now :-).

This weekend was Miss Zoe's dance recital. It may have been her last. My little ballerina would rather twirl in the breeze than be confined by someone else's procession of steps. She was wonderful though, in her white tutu, all done up w/ make-up and enough hair spray to last a lifetime. Honestly, I don't know how the backstage mom's do this with their kids in multiple dance numbers and costume changes. Hats off to you ladies!

Besides pre-recital preparations, I've been busy with a craft fair, an in-home jewelry party, yard sale, a bridal shower, lots of HJD paperwork, earring making, kid running, still unsuccessful potty training, daily laundry that seems to multiply exponentially, shrub pruning and weeding, prep for next weekend's jewelry party in Churchville, PA and the HJD Summer Sale Jewelry Party on June 19th, and finishing up with the custom orders that were already in progress. I've been putting new jewelry on my etsy site and have so many designs floating around in my head that I can't wait to get crackin' on. In fact I received a very intriguing e-mail the other day that got me thinking about new designs. A brand spanking new art gallery is opening in Philly called The Artists Room. One of the owners saw a sample of my work on http://www.phillyartgalleries.com/ and is interested in talking to me about participating in a gallery showing. Can I tell you how excited I am?? I am jumping out of my skin!!! Nothing is in writing yet though so I should probably calm my keister down and chill but the prospect is very exciting. I'll keep you posted.

Also in the works is the 2009 Berks Co. American Heart Association Heart Walk. It will be held at the Reading Phillies First Energy Stadium on October 4th, 2009. I can't wait to assemble the Hillcrest Jewelry Design Team again this year! We had so much fun last year and hopefully we'll be able to double our walker numbers as well as our donations! I'll be adding to the Four Heart Collection as well, as I donate 20% of each sale from the Four Heart Collection to the AHA. You can read more about that on my website at https://www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com/Awareness_Jewelry.php . So as you can see, even though I've discontinued my custom design services there is still lots of goings on with Hillcrest Jewelry Design.

Lots going on at and around home as well. The kids will be done school on June 4th and I am happy to say that this is the first time in a long time that I haven't had serious reservations about summer vacation. Cait will continue with soccer throughout the summer months as she is playing for the Berks Soccer Association's Super Y soccer program which will take us to New York and New Jersey (and elsewhere I'm sure). Hopefully we'll get to do a little sight seeing while we're in NYC. Zach has a long week of camping planned this summer as well as driving school-----eeeeek!!! I'm not sure if I'm ready for that... Zach and Caitlyn will also get together with their school soccer teams over the summer for friendly kick arounds and soccer camps. I hope to visit family in Pittsburgh and CT this summer in addition to taking the kids on day trips. Other than that, we plan to get the pool set up in the back yard and enjoy the summer.

As a prelude to summer, I've included photos from my yard. I was recently asked what inspires me in jewelry designing. The answer is...everything! My surroundings are very inspirational, especially with the color combinations that I see in flowers throughout the seasonally changing landscape. I hope you enjoy! ~Heather

Rain Rain, Go Away

Yeah, yeah, spring showers May flowers. I hear ya. Every time I turn around soccer games are being rescheduled due to the rain. Yuck. Bring back the sun! Again, I was dreaming of warm weather, the beach, you've heard it all before...hence the shells:

So here we are, another week has begun. Last week I got to meet Angie in person, face to face. You may remember I have been working on angel pins that I was selling and donating a portion of each sale to help raise money for a local family that is up to their eyeballs with Leukemia. http://hillcrestjewelrydesign.blogspot.com/search/label/pins Let's just say, meeting her and her family and knowing what they're going through put things into perspective for me. I have many blessings that I am grateful for and I am honored to have been asked to design a specialty piece for this cause. Thanks to all who purchased angel pins.

The rest of last week is a blurr...oh wait-new brakes and tires on my van. Picture this people, an hour from home, at night, alone, van full of shiny bling and displays and I've got the brake pedal to the floor and hearing metal grinding on metal. Wait, it gets better...I had to go DOWN a ginormous hill on Rt. 78 outside Allentown, PA. Fortunately, after white knuckling it and lots and lots of chats with the good lord above, I made it home, safe and sound. Shaking, but safe.

Last week in the studio was spent finishing up custom orders, mailing out orders, catching up on paperwork from the previous weekend's party and making necklaces for HJD's new Men's Collection. So far 3 necklaces are made. I have another design sketched out and hope to get to it soon. This week I need to get invitations in the mail for the next private party, build up earring inventory and work on my guest list as I've decided to host a party in June. I'm also working on a bridal set, listing products for sale in my etsy shop http://www.heathermgannon.etsy.com/ and marking down some older product that I'd like to see sell this weekend at the Leesport Market Craft Fair. If you're in the area this Saturday, May 9th from 9am to 4pm, please visit me inside the Meeting Room. That's the smaller building, I'm right across from Scoot and Bubba's Restaurant.

Tomorrow I get to catch up with a dear friend over lunch and I'm so looking forward to that! Have a great night! I'm going to go catch some Zzzzzz's. ~Heather

Trying to find balance

I crave balance in my life. I am a Libra, you know, the scales? When I feel like life is imbalanced I get a little wackier than normal :) Lately, the scales don't come to mind but for some reason I have this image of a seesaw that can never really stay horizontal for long. It's not natural for a seesaw to be like that. A seesaw is more about the extremes-high or low and that's what makes seesaws so much fun, if you go with the flow of the ride and enjoy it. Hence my problem. I'm always fighting the natural ebb and flow of the seesaw. I get too much weight on my end so I put it off to the other end. That's where hubby sits. He balances the load and he does it well and I know if he weren't on the other end I'd be on my keister on the ground. Are ya all following me? Problem is, when he's all the way down there at the other end, we rarely get to meet up and that's what it's been like lately. He is wonderful with the kids, the food shopping, cooking meals and paying the bills and ladies, you can't have him! He's so great with the kids that I find I'm seeing less of him and the kids as I throw myself into building my little business. I miss my family. It is the price I pay and so I've decided that while I do not wish to sacrifice my entrepreneurial endeavours, I need to change something so that I can make the time to see them. After much thought and consideration, it finally dawned on me that hello...I am the boss, I can call my own shots, right? So, the shots have been called.

I am discontinuing my custom design services. All current projects will be filled, however, going forward, I will not be accepting new custom orders. Custom design can be extremely rewarding (as well as frustrating at times) and time consuming. In the current market it's not as profitable as one would think. I will still be making my unique, funky, wonderful (okay, I'm biased) designs and selling them through in home jewelry parties and craft fairs. I am also in the process of listing pieces for sale on my new etsy on-line shop, http://www.heathermgannon.etsy.com/. The shop is up but it's looking very sparse at the moment so feel free to stop by but please be patient as I figure out all the etsy ins and outs and get my products listed. For now, I plan to put all the newest items in the etsy shop. I will be removing items from the original http://www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com/ website as they sell so you may want to view both sites. You may purchase directly from the etsy shop, however please send me an e-mail at hillcrestjewelrydesign@comcast.net if you would like to purchase an item from the hillcrest site as the hillcrest site does not have a shopping cart on it. Confused? I hope not. Let me explain.

I set up the original website with the intention of adding a shopping cart at a later date. I found out after the fact that the options I chose with the website necessitated certain requirements for a shopping cart that would have been costly and time-consuming. Live and learn. The website serves as a sort of on-line catalogue though so I kept it going. When I'm having a show, my customers can preview stock prior to party time. I do not have a printed catalogue as my inventory is constantly changing. So that's that, in a nutshell.

Now, getting back to the basics. The jewelry making continues as I prepare for an in home jewelry party this weekend. Potty training is in full swing: potty, pull ups and pee accidents OH MY! We missed dance class this week as someone forgot her dance bag and mommy didn't remind her prior to leaving the house, so more than half way there, we turned around to get the bag only to realize that we'd be missing more than half of the class by the time we got there. The amazing goalie got to play the field for the school's varsity team yesterday and managed to score a goal from the center fullback position!!! She was quickly pulled off the field as her coaches didn't want her to push up the field that far. Big picture people--she scored! She also had an assist from the same position. For those of you not in the soccer mindset, the full back position is way back on the field far away from scoring position. In addition, more soccer, volleyball, a yearly check up at the pediatrician, a school field trip and Zoe's birthday party mark the calendar this week. Did I forget something?? Probably.

Enjoy the pics, enjoy the wonderful weather we're suppose to get this weekend and happy belated earth day! ~Heather

Bridesmaids Necklaces

The Bridesmaids necklaces are finally done! The bride had a color scheme in mind that incorporates the color of the crystals with colors in the floral arrangements. The girls will be wearing black dresses so this pop of color will be stunning without being overpowering. I can't wait to see the girls all done up!!!

The amethyst crystals are Swarovski, the olivine and orange pear shaped crystals are cubic zirconium. I hand forged the sterling silver links and extender and finished off the extender with another crystal.

That's it for tonight. Have a good night! ~Heather

Spring Fever? Yup, little bit!

Let's take a little break from the bling to enjoy this gorgeous weather, shall we?

Welcome to my garden. I just wanted to share with you some signs of spring that are popping up around my yard.

The spirea is beginning to bloom. The metal little trellis thingy is what I cut my hand on while weeding this flower bed. Nothing major people, just a flesh wound and yes, I'm still current on my tetanus shot. Maybe I should stick to the jewelry. LOL!

A tufted titmouse at the feeder. My little diva, the 6 year old (otherwise known as 003), wanted the birdies to eat from her hand but it was not meant to be as the holy terror (004) refused to sit still and kept scaring the birds off.

The crocuses are done blooming but they looked so pretty while they lasted.

The lamb's ears are now filling in where the crocuses were blooming.

That's our fat cat, Schayna, scaling the fence.

Pulsatilla Vulgaris, or commonly known as Pasque Flower. This one is new to me but I'm told it is native to PA. It's a perennial, gets to be 8-10" high and enjoys full sun to part shade.

The maple tree has buds on it!

Ahhhh, I wish you could smell the hyacinths.

A couple of the fishies in our very murky pond. I was so relieved to see that they survived the cold winter.

More garden pics will follow as more plants bloom. I also have a very scary before picture of our veggie garden. Makes me sad to look at it with all the weeds and so neglected. Hopefully I'll get out soon to clean things up (good intentions, right?)

For my facebook friends who have already seen these pics, I apologize for being redundant. I'm just so happy for the warmer sunny weather!!!!

Enjoy your day! ~Heather