A Fine Fall Day

I guess a heat loving person would cringe to think that I have deemed the remaining days of summer as autumn days. After waking up this morning to a dry, crispy 52 degrees, how can I not think of my most cherished season? With the stove ablaze to warm up the chilly floorboards, my kitchen duties focused on cooler temperature activities. Today: chocolate biscotti. Tonight: chicken stew. Tomorrow: homemade mac and cheese. The kitchen is a soulful place when the oven is on and good aromas abound. I do hope the sweet, days of summer gracefully take their leave and are replaced with fruitful fall.

Inspired by this good weather, I devoted much of this morning to my Etsy shop. I listed a few more items, cleaned up some older listings, and planned a course of action for the upcoming holiday shopping season. I'll be stocking the shop with affordable earrings and pendants

for certain.

coral stack pendant

oval filigree hoops

coral stack earrings

Other fall and holiday events in the works, my first ever GIVEAWAYS! We all love giveaways, and this is the very best way to say 'thank you' for staying with me, reading my many, wordy postings, and commenting, too. Look for the first giveaway next week!

A Fine Fall Day

Today was a non-bench day. I stayed away from my studio and focused on other projects that needed attention. These were not difficult tasks; some were messy, some were new territory, some were time consuming. Tasks that don't quite gel with the rhythm of my day.

Outside in the chilly morning air, I employed my sister's well-defined ear, long neck, lovely hand, and patience (thanks, Al!) to model all of my finished pieces so I could get some nice 'action' pics for Etsy. During the photo session, we laughed so hard that we forgot about our cold toes and numb fingers. One of those 'you had to be there', dorky sister moments.

With a few of those pictures and some previously shot, I listed my first items on Etsy!! Woo-hoo!!! What I had imagined to be a daunting process was actually fun and quite easy. I brooded over listing for weeks, read and reread the policies, went to the forums...finally I took the plunge. What the heck was I so worried about? With a toddler running around, a dog barking at phantom ducks (the barking starts at 6:30am....it's a mystery, really), and dinner on the stove, I managed to get 2 listings done. More tonight when the family is tucked in and the house is quiet.

I also made a perfect apple crisp (perfect according to hubby, what a guy!) with apples picked by husband and daughter this past weekend. We have a LOAD of apples and I can see that the baking will continue right through this week and into Saturday. Tomorrow? Rustic apple tart.... mmm.

While prepping the apples for their trip into the oven, the 5 pointed, star-shape seed chambers caught my eye. What a surprising and mystical shape to discover inside these fruits. Negative space always interests me...a jeweler sees a mold for wax or metal. If time had allowed, I would have melted some wax and poured the hot liquid into these little chambers. Of course I am thinking ultimately how these hollow, nature-made star shape would look in sterling silver, or, better yet, 18k gold, hanging from a delicate, hand-wrought chain.

Away from the bench today, yes. Away from creativity, never!