My orange tree post cold weather

It's spring here and we've been enjoying oranges off the tree for about a week or so. Since it was a rough winter on the tree (I blogged about this in January), I thought I would let everyone know the tree survived, albeit barely.









The oranges were able to finish ripening, but the tree looks rough. About half the leaves fell off and if you look at the picture above closely, the branches that extend up (from about 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock) are completely bare. These are the ones that were shoved into the top of the tent and apparently got too cold anyway.

I'm grateful he pulled through and hoping a springtime recovery is coming soon.

Custom order: part 2

So onto the next pour of the custom order! The picture shows after I poured the orange. I let the resin cure for 36 hours in between pours. That assures me the pour before is solid so that way if I accidentally get resin where it shouldn't be, I can soak it up with a Q-tip, although sometimes accidents happen. See the pendant in the top row just to the right of center? It spilled after I let it cure so I will have some sanding to do later.





After all the resin has hardended, I can begin sanding. If you look closely at the pieces, you can see I have "overpoured". This is intentional, as I need to sand until the pieces are flush.










The center pieces of silver are also a little taller than the outer piece to make sure that any spills go to the outside, versus the inside (easier cleanup). The next step in the process is to completely sand it down with 8 different grits of sandpaper. I then use a buff to give it a soft, satin finish. The last step that I do is to coat it with a museum quality microcrystalline wax. That makes the pieces just a smidge on the satin side and makes them moderately tarnish resistant.




As I was writing this blog post, I realized that I didn't get a picture of the set before my customer picked it up. Whoops! The pendant at left is the same as the one from the first picture in this post (bottom row, middle pendant) and the center pendant in the second picture in this post. This pendant is available for $50 on a 16 inch rubber neoprene cord. Sterling silver chains are an option for an additional charge.





I hope my customer will send me a picture of his sweetie wearing the set. I will be sure to post. :)

Custom orders and mock ups

So it's another over-the-top Saturday night in the studio. Kids are in bed, hubby is at work and I'm working like a crazy woman. I love my family dearly, but I definitely don't have as much time to work on jewelry as I used to. I have to work on my jewelry and the business of making jewelry every possible moment their needs aren't taking priority.

A customer recently contacted me about wanting the University of Florida Gator colors (orange and blue for those of you outside of Gainesville) in a set of jewelry. We talked some details and he actually left it for me to use my judgment. Hmmm.... A couple of days later I had the idea that I would take pieces I've already done and "Photoshop" the Gator colors in there. While my Photoshop skills aren't anything to write home about, I think I did a pretty good job of getting representational images.

I've got a good start below. What do you think? Anyone got any favorites out there? Maybe this is the start of a line of resin jewelry just for University of Florida Gator fans or just someone that loves orange and blue. Are there any other schools with this color scheme? ??

I'll keep you posted on what he likes (it's a gift for his girlfriend). I'll see if I can't get some pictures too as I'm ready to pour and while they're being finished.