Out of the Studio - A Little Renewal

I found it very interesting today, to see that the Art Bead Scene blog post was about renewal.  That's exactly what I've been in the process of.  I've had many things that have kept me from getting into the studio in large chunks of time.  Some, even days.  The high holidays, beginning of school shopping, physical therapy (yeah, again), and a regular workout routine (hopefully, my physical therapy preventative).  I've learned through my past experiences that when I finally do get into the studio and have the feeling of not knowing where to turn first - 9 times out of ten, it's because the studio needs some organization.  Only then can I continue to work with a more creative mindset.  So, I knew I finally had to address what had morphed into a mess on my work bench in the metals studio.  Seriously.  I had jump rings, wire, ez bead changers, paper towels containing smaller parts, beads, earrings in process, a reticulated bracelet with kuem boo (I really need to finish that this year and start wearing it!), tons of bezels of varying sizes, and this list just keeps going. Every group was put in a little plastic baggy and put in my "handmade sterling" container.  When I start a new project, I'll go to this container and see if I can use something from there first.  Next, I swept it off (metal shavings, polymer dust, etc.) and proceeded to grab a bag of finished items that I wanted to re-work.  Yeah, it happens.   I removed the polymer centerpieces that had been inlaid previously, re-sanded the metal, tumbled, patinaed, and prepared them for their next stage of polymer.  Here's some photos of those stages. The first photo are some pieces that have been sanded and are ready for the tumbler.

Here are some pieces right out of the tumbler.  The chain you see had a patina on it and needed to be tumbled.  It came out all tangled up but with a needle tool, I simply unwound it very easily. 

And finally, I reapplied patina.  Today, on my to do list, I'll polish them and bag them as well.  I am putting one necklace a week on my to do list so I will not be overwhelmed with trying to do them all at once.  Sometimes, we really need to listen to that inner voice.  So, what's your gut saying?  And also, do things really all have to be done at once?

I now feel like a load has been lifted and I can get to what I really wanted to accomplish this week.  Monday, I had blogged about Judith Kinghorn.  Her combination of black and gold got me going.  I had listed one of the items in my shop but have others that I want to get to today.  With a sense of renewal, I'm heading to the studio.  Who knows, I may even post pictures this weekend!