What a week!

It's been a fabulous week for me personally and for my jewellery business. I live on Vancouver Island and this past week I ventured to the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. I still had steady sales at my Etsy shop and in person and another shop in Chilliwack is interesting in my Chakra line along with having me do astrology readings several times a year. It's all good.

I bought some 14K gold while in Vancouver and hope to have a couple of pieces made soon. Check back in a week because even though I'm busy and shouldn't even be looking at it yet, I doubt I will be able to let it sit there for long!!!

I'm super busy this next couple of weeks fulfilling the second part of the order for ManilaTag, the store at 1157 Newport Avenue, Victoria, BC which is featuring my work. I still don't have a Grand Opening date, but will soon.

I would like to try and get some pieces made for the NorthWest Astrological Conference I'll be attending in Seattle, Washington May 22-25th. My astrology teacher is the only Canadian speaking at the conference and I can't wait to see her. It's always a positive when one can mix business with pleasure.

It's good to be alive and able to explore my passions! I am truly blessed!

Oh Happy Day!

What a weekend! I was feeling down due to no sales and so much effort! I am delighted to state I have sold several dozen pieces to a store in Victoria, BC, Canada. I will announce their Grand Opening as soon as the dates are firmed. I couldn't be happier with the flavour of the store or the people involved.

I have never let go of so many creations at once and as I tagged everything last night I was feeling a bit melancholy. I have sold to stores before, but never this quantity! I feel truly blessed today. AND they want more! I still have to make rings in several sizes for the second component of the order.

I now have all these creative ideas roaming around as I try to focus on a spreadsheet. The mundane aspects of having one's own business. And I must get it done as I'm going to the Lower Mainland of BC for a week of visiting, shopping and sushi!! I fully intend to get a manicure as my hands are rough and most of my nails have been gouged into by a file or just broken off period! My artist hands deserve a vacation too!!

No Sales but Looking Up

It's been a bit of a draught on Etsy for sales. It gets difficult not to take it personally. I'm aware that economic times are tough and jewellery is not a necessity. I still keep making new pieces, listing them and waiting. I know hard work equals success, so the less I sell the harder I work. It WILL turn around.

Just when it starts to look bleak, isn't there always a silver lining or a rainbow one didn't notice? Mine came in the form of a lovely woman who contacted me regarding putting some of my jewellery in her store. I was supposed to travel about 1.5 hours to meet her yesterday, but couldn't due to family matters. I thought that might be the end of it. However, she contacted me yesterday and asked if she could drive up here. I guess she is more than just a little interested! I've called a friend who also makes jewellery to come over to show her wares as well. Now I'm over the top excited and can't wait until the weekend! Be assured I'll let you in on the next chapter of this story!!!

Lack of Sales Letdown

At least I had one good day! The economy is tough. I got excited there for a minute!! So I've decided to simply dig in and make something I truly love and admire. I'm making this big chain. I saw Joy from The View wear one last week and I knew I just had to make one. I'm about a third done. It is a great deal of soldering, but luckily I like soldering almost as much as I like melting metal. I'll post it the minute it's done.

I'm totally enjoying spending some time with my daughter. She's super funny, kind and I'm so proud. We just got reports cards and she did very well. I'm also just tickled that she made a bracelet this week. It was quite complicated and took her the better part of a day. Like her mother is my beautiful daughter!! Beaming!! :-)

Parent Panic - Thrilling Week of Sales

This week has been thrilling for MetalRocks on Etsy. People are finally finding me! Some of my designs have really taken off, especially the Goddess Tear Mini Studs! I shipped pieces to the UK, Australia, USA and Canada this week! If I can't afford the ticket, at least my work is seeing the world!

As well, the pendant pictured is called Imagine, as neither my husband nor I could agree with what we see in the piece so I decided not to try and lock down our or anyone else's creative interpretation. The process is one of my favourite (ok I admit I'm a melting metal junkie!!) called fusion. Suffice to say it was a satisfying fun week creatively.

On the parenting front, I'm wincing. My daughter, Kat, is turning 12 at the end of the month and I'm trying to prepare a party, sleepover, or whatever. Communication is not thriving. I'm suddenly feeling old, outdated, trend ignorant, and my daughter told me she and her friends think I have similar characteristics to her teacher. I didn't dare ask if they liked the teacher!! I can see them rolling their eyes when I try to chum around with them and of course all conversation stops when I appear, letting me know I couldn't possibly understand what they are going thru!! My feelings were smarting and then I started to remember; something that now takes effort!

I remembered ME. Me at twelve. It was more fun to look back nostalgically than realistically. I somehow felt it was necessary for me to understand a stage in my life so I could understand that stage in my daughter's. I got out the wine!

I was a head-strong kid and by the time I was twelve I was listening to no one. Luckily I was smarter than I was brave, so that helped save me at times. Back then people didn't talk about hormones or even mention 'that time of the month', these were all secrets. Remember Cathy Rigby and those tampon commercials and what a scandal it all was. I am embarrassed at what I put my poor unsophisicated mother through. I made only the most mandatory appearances at home and the rest of the time, well I don't even want to mention because my daughter will likely read this.

So after my little trip down memory lane, I realized while Kat may be changing, so are the times. Conversation may stop when I appear but I am still smarter than I am brave. I simply hide and LISTEN. Kat and her friends are totally interesting, definitely more advanced than I was, more conscious of who they are and where they are going, and very frank about hormones, boys, etc. It's all fascinating stuff and way better than TV! After all - all is fair in love and war...AND PARENTING!!!

Enjoy your day!!

By the Light of the Silvery Moon Pendant

I am so thrilled with this new piece. I posted it on Etsy on a Full Moon no less. It did seem fitting. I'm going to make a whole bunch of Moons and then start to put them together into bracelets, pendants etc.

Today I'm working on a new idea, if I can get to it. I love hoops and if you look at my site you'll see I have a good amount of them. I want to do a new take on them. My piece Refections, pictured here (along with my Moon pendant) is a design based on my love of hoops. Tomorrow post will hopefully have a picture of my new idea! See you then!!

Work in Progress

I'm super excited by my new Organic Freeform line. I love melting metal, it matter not what kind. I plan on making more nose rings and earring studs today. I usually like to melt at night as it's easier to see when things are going right or wrong, in other words, when to take that torch away!

Last night I made this totally cool new piece. I took a copper coin about an inch in diameter and melted a bunch of silver on it. Because the silver was sterling, when it was in the cooling process it cratered. Now it looks just like a full moon, which will be the name of the piece. I think I'll call it By the Light of the Silvery Moon. I'll post it as soon as it comes out of the polisher.

I just love creating!!!!!

Greetings! Sharon Dudka is my name and family, melting metal, music and astrology are my games! I'm most fortunate to live on beautiful Vancouver Island in Canada, where I am busy creating jewellery. I can't get enough.
Originally from central Canada, I've been singing, making jewellery and gazing at the stars most of my life. I also was a Ukrainian dancer from the age of 5 to 17. I even danced for the Queen of England!

I sang country music, studied astrology and the healing properties of stone, took silversmithing courses and was the Stage Manager for several plays. I had several 'day' jobs to fund my habits! :-)

I moved to Vancouver Island to get away from the hard winters on the prairies and become a true Starving Artist! I was highly successful!! I did astrology full-time and the rest of the time was spent making jewellery, singing in various bands and writing for a music rag called the Cosmic Debris. Here's a link to an article on John and Michelle Law http://www.cvnet.net/cosmic/a_law.htm

Then I got pregnant. Always play with musicians ON STAGE! I broke my own rule and life changed. Now, I'm the proud mother of a lovely daughter who's rocknroll very talented lead guitar player father, sees her often and happily lives in the next town!! :-)

I'm now partnered with a stone sculptor, Doug Lagasse http://www.sunrisesculpture.com/ and we are living in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. I'm trying to get my jewellery work out there and doing a few readings on the side for outside stimulation so I don't get over-involved in my family's activities!

I've got a profile on my Etsy shop http://metalrocks.etsy.com/ that talks about my head injury, a very painful time in my life, physically and emotionally. I was in a car accident (going thru a green light!) and along with my various injuries developed a fear of the torch. I could no longer create jewellery! Happily, I just made my first solder joint June 19, 2008 after several years. Slowly I am regaining the skills I lost. Please check out some of my pieces! They are made with love of the materials and the process!!

Life is so much better now. I'm looking forward to sharing with you my journey and many of the experiences I had along the way, then, now and in the future! I'd love to hear from folks regarding any of the subjects discussed. I'm always interested to hear what other people have experienced. What I do know is: everyone has something to contribute, something special about them, they might not even see it, but I KNOW it's there!!!

More soon.....