Back at the Bench

I'm finally getting back to the studio! The baby is three and a half months old now, and life is just starting to get back to "normal". New normal, anyway. For the first few weeks just taking care of the baby, getting everyone fed, keeping the dogs walked and brushed and maintaining a somewhat reasonably clean house were overwhelming. Slowly but surely its gotten easier.

I started working at my "day job" at about 8 weeks postpartum. I wasn't sure where to squeeze the extra time from during the day, but it was there (just an hour or two per day at the computer). And now at nearly 15 weeks I'm scrounging up a little time for art.

So today I cleaned the studio. The door is always open for the cat to come and go as she pleases, so dust and dried leaves had piled up in the corners. I swept everything out, washed the table tops, reconstituted my terribly tried out flux and put my bench pin back in. I have small goals to start: just two pairs of earrings and a few necklaces to match, made from these tiny birds cast in sterling silver and paired with opals and other gems.

Right now I don't have any plans for upcoming shows. Awhile back I was accepted for the Patchwork Show, but ended up canceling. The baby was just 5 weeks old then, and I didn't think I could manage running a booth and dealing with a newborn out in the heat on my own. So I canceled. I'm just starting to think about when I'll be ready to participate in a show again. For the time being though, I'm focused on baby first, and then making one piece of jewelry at a time.