There’s progress and I’m fully enjoying the fact that there is. It means I’m taking time for myself to reach my goal, slowly but surely! I’ve been working on the jewellery designs lately. I’ve changed my way of thinking, since I wanted to test all options to see what I could do myself to lower the costs. It was fun to explore the possibilities but it took time, lots of time. And sure I want the basics right but I also promised myself to let go if needed.
I have changed from bronze, to silver, to pewter, to silver clay, to other kinds of clay. I even took a workshop using silver clay which was awesome. Only one option stood out though; tin. I’ve made a mold and have been casting myself which was great fun and a cool learning experience. But I’ve decided to leave things to the pro who can do a much better job than I can *hehe*. It saves me time although I will still do the polishing etc myself.
I know it must sound odd but that way I feel I’ve still been taking part in the process of design. Everyone can place orders, look around for materials to use, or have something made instead of putting your own effort in it. It’s simple and easy, but I don’t want simple and easy. I’d like to put my thought and creativity into each and every aspect of this design and try to make it my own. So I’d like to learn the different methods and craftsmanship.
It’s part of the fun and a way to explore what feels right and what doesn’t. Fact is that I’ve been holding on to the basics for way too long now. I’ve tried but couldn’t make up my mind about the materials. So when I finally found the tin option I was excited to look into it. I received a casting set for my birthday and built some trial setups to help me with the mold making and casting. I ran into a small problem though whilst exploring this.
The back didn’t completely fill up no matter what I adjusted; temperature, preheat the mold, powder the mold, drill a bigger hole etc. Because of this I decided to look for someone who could help, so I found a very nice lady who runs her own tin casting business. Funny thing is that she ran into the same problems as I did but of course she managed to finish my first order. This weekend I’ll be polishing and fixing all 30 items using my wireless Dremel.
I’m having a ball and I’m grateful for the fun it brings me. Ever since I’ve met the lady I’ve had a smile on my face thinking about where this is going to take me. She told me that to her, getting the opportunity to do something different and participate in a new challenge was extremely rewarding. So I guess I’ve met my match! She will be going to China this month to show the people there about her craftsmanship and I’m happy for her!
Once she’s back I’m planning on placing a second order with her 
But first things first: polishing…