Samantha Jean Designs

Tidbits and Whatnots...

2011-12-05T23:28:00.001-05:00

After struggling with what I thought was fall allergies and a cold for six weeks, (upon strong suggestions from D.H.) I visited my doctor today. With little delight, I was diagnosed with bronchitis. Upon doctor's advice, I am to take it easy for a couple days and take some uber large antibiotics.

While resting, I decided that I would blog about my Thanksgiving and mountain cabin vacation from the last two weeks.
Thanksgiving was great. Both sets of parents were in Tennessee, and we had Golden Corral cook us up a bountiful feast.
D.H. and I decided to take an extra long break, and we rented a chalet in the Smoky Mountains. I took some pics of our chalet. Our chalet was called "Cabin Fever". I sarcastically stated that as long as our skin would not start peeling away due to a flesh eating bacteria - this would be a great escape.

Cabin Fever

View from our Porch

Another View from our Porch

Outdoor Jacuzzi (we were able to use it the first two days at the chalet - it got very cold the rest of the week)

A nice warming fireplace in the chalet

D.H. warming his derriere in a meditation pose

Our garbage thief (Hardee Frisco Burger Boxes)

Love tub

Sam Feet (No Vacation is complete without a foot shot)

Up the Cumberland Cap trail

Further up that trail

Up the trail we go

At the official Cumberland Gap location

Now for some fun. Things bought during our vacation:

Gas for the Crossover

Food

Beer for Jon & Flavored Water for Sam

Moonshine (Apple Pie) - mmmmm, Apple Pie

Spectacular Cat Teaser from the Cat House

Slippers

Lip Balm

Super Glue (Bet you cannot guess what this was used for....)

That is all for now. Have a great holiday season!

Zeus is Greiving the loss of his Pal

2011-08-03T11:46:00.000-04:00

Zeus and Tom were constant companions. Even though there was a seven year difference between the two, Tom still found the energy even when he was sick with cancer to play with Zeus.

After my shower, I noticed that Zeus was on the bed looking around the perimeter of the bedroom. I sat down with him on the bed, and he gave me the confused look a couple times after looking around the room like he was wondering where Tom could be....

Tom had a few surgeries and check-ups between January and August of this year where he had to stay overnight at the vet's office for evaluation, monitoring and care; however, he was never gone more than one night. Since more than one night has passed since we took Tom to the vet, I can see that Zeus is starting to realize that Tom is not coming back.

It probably does not help that he has seen me crying several times over the past couple days. He always has come to comfort me when I am sad.

Tom will be missed around the homestead.

Tommy, we will miss you

2011-08-02T17:20:00.000-04:00

Tom (Thomas Jay Cooper) 1997 - 2011

Our family lost a wonderful friend yesterday. Tom lived and loved us for 14 years. Tom was abandoned by his owner at a PetSmart 14 years ago. One of the PetSmart employees fostered Tom while trying to find him a loving home. My DH and I were both attending college at the time we wandered into this PetSmart to look at the pets up for adoption. I saw Tom and the first thing he did when removed from the cage was wrap his front paws around my neck. I knew that he was to be mine. He was two years old when we adopted him.

Tom suffered many sore throats the first couple years that he was with us. We eventually got a diagnosis for his chronic sore throats at age five, feline stomatitis. The only successful treatment for when his sore throat flared was Depo Medrol injections. Sometimes he would find comfort for only a month and sometimes he found comfort for six months. We were told at age five that he would live up to three years on this treatment.

Tom loved the outdoors (even though he was our indoor cat). He loved to run out the patio door when opened to rub and roll on the brick patio. He was often treated to fresh catnip that we would have growing.

As he grew older, he became a lap cat. He would lay for hours on my lap. When my DH started working contract programming projects at home, Tom would run into my DH's office first thing each morning rubbing and loving my DH until he would pick him up and cradle him into a light sleep of purring and cooing. Tommy even got a portion of DH's desk for his cat couch, and he would sleep happily next to my DH most of his work day.

Tommy loved visiting Tennessee (even though it was a long drive). He loved going out on my in-laws screen porch to watch the birds and bugs. DH would even let him wander the yard under supervision.

At age 15 1/2 (in January of this year), Tommy developed a mass on his right tonsil. At first, it was thought to be a bad flare of stomatitis; however, it did not respond to the Depo shots. Due to its continued growth, our local vet performed a de-bulking procedure and sent samples to find out if it was cancer. We received what we thought was good news at the time - the tissue sample confirmed stomatitis and no cancer. With this news, Tom had a bad tooth on the right side, so he underwent a dental cleaning and tooth removal. Unfortunately, the mass on the right tonsil continued to grow, and his right eye started to bulge out.

We were referred to a local oncologist in late April, early May of this year. The oncologist suggested a CAT scan to see if the mass was only in the mouth. He also suggested another de-bulking surgery and tissue be sent out for review.

This time the news was not good. The mass went from his right tonsillar area up the right side of his jaw and was the culprit to the eye bulging. The surgeon de-bulked the mouth mass; however, the entire mass could not be removed due to its location. Even worse, the report came back as oral squamous cell carcinoma that had metastasized to his local lymph node and behind the right eye.

Tommy went on an at home treatment of Palladia for a month and a half (late May and all of June of this year). Palladia is an off label use to try and treat this type of cancer. During treatment, he eventually needed supplemental feeding through syringe a couple times a day to try and keep his weight up. Unfortunately, due to increased levels of calcium and a lowering red blood cell count, we had to discontinue the Palladia treatment. The oncologist suggested euthanasia at this point.

Since Tom's quality of life was still good at this point, we decided to return to our local vet for a re-evaluation and opinion. Our local vet saw the same thing we did - Tom was still a happy cat that was not ready to go yet. He suggested an e-tube to help get Tom's weight back up, removal of his right eye and drive up to Purdue small animal hospital to be evaluated for radiation. We opted for the e-tube placement; however, I was able to get my Purdue appointment quickly after the e-tube was placed, so we decided to not have his right eye removed.

I drove from Indianapolis to West Lafayette with my sweet Tom in early July of this year. Purdue oncology evaluated Tom, and they did not believe that radiation or chemo would help Tom at this point - only harm him. I drove home wondering what was best for Tom.

It was decided that I would hospice Tom at home until his quality of life was gone. Yesterday, August 1, 2011, I awoke to begin our daily routine to find my sweet man severely congested as the cancer had made its way into his right sinus. After flushing his mouth with water to remove the gunk, I gave him some antibiotics during our morning feeding. Previously his congestion would clear up by late afternoon following a dose of antibiotics; however, I noticed his breathing had become further labored as the day progressed. Tom was unable to keep down the food and water that was given by his e-tube by late afternoon. I called my DH,and we took Tom to the vet knowing deep in my heart that Tom was telling me it was time.

The vet agreed that Tom's quality of life was not good, and while lovingly rubbing his ears, my sweet man went to sleep peacefully. With tears in my eyes and my heart breaking, I kissed his sweet head for the last time and told him that one day I would see him again. I cried most of last night and woke up with a deep hole in my heart. It is hard to not walk or look somewhere in our house where I remember better times with my sweet man. I know that as time goes on, I will be able to climb out of this grief. My other three littles have been spending ample time cuddling with me. I believe they know that Tom is gone and miss him as well.

Until we meet again Tom. I will love you forever.

Colds

2011-04-16T15:50:00.000-04:00

I first must apologize for my long absence in blogland. I find it difficult to set aside time to blog with my schedule.
I woke up yesterday with the onset of a cold. To my luck, this cold has decided to bench 'Sam' for today. I am stuffed full of cold medicine and ready for it to move on.
My birthday is tomorrow - so if the cold was a "gift" to give 'Sam' a couple days of needed rest, I say thank you; however, I think I would like to return it to the "gifter".....
Off to watch the new "Harry Potter" and the new "Narnia" movies (if I can stay awake) -I am a kid at heart afterall.

Sale!

2010-11-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

10% off plus free shipping in my Etsy shop! November 25 to November 29. No promo codes needed. I will reimburse your 10% & shipping via Paypal after your order is complete. Thanks for stopping by!

I'm back.....

2010-10-05T19:56:00.000-04:00

Back from a restful vacation in TN.

Gorgeous Lake View in TN

Deep Thoughts by DH

Cookout at Lake house with Family

Yum - bratwurst!

It was called the "Painkiller"

"Make me a bicycle clown"

Eagle at Dollywood

Gorgeous Mountain View

Vacation for Sam - and a bonus for you!

2010-09-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

I am going on vacation starting today - yippee! My etsy shop will remain open while I'm on vacation from today (September 24) through October 3... Any orders placed while I'm gone will ship out on Tuesday October 5. To give you incentive to shop while I'm gone, I am offering free shipping. Yes, free shipping on everything! Enjoy!

New Additions to Etsy Shop

2010-09-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

Tiny Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings

Dotted Sterling Silver Necklace

Etched Copper and Sterling Silver Necklace

Texturized Eudialyte and Sterling Silver Necklace

White Pearl and Sterling Silver Necklace

Mauve Pearl and Sterling Silver Necklace

Constipated

2010-09-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

Well it has been an adventure once again in the Cooper household. Last Friday while watching an insanely funny movie, my youngest fur baby, Zeus, was vomiting every thirty minutes. This caused great concern as unlike a child, you cannot force your cat to keep hydrated when they are vomiting constantly.

We are lucky that our vet has normal hours from 7am – 10pm. I called and explained the situation, and they recommended that I bring him in (at least to rehydrate him). So, off I went with my sick-o. After taking a handful of x-rays, the vet returned to the exam room with the reason for his current state.

My fur baby was full of sh*t. He was so blocked up that it was making him vomit. Zeus was rehydrated and given some anti-nausea medicine. I was given a prescription laxative and some special prescription can food. I was instructed to isolate a litter box and my constipated Zeus, give him his laxative and the only food allowed until normal flow was restored was the special food. I was also told that if flow was not restored by Tuesday – a cat enema would be needed to be done by the vet.

I know that when our cats get their temperature taken at the vet via the backdoor, their eyes look like a cartoon character with that “zoiks” look, so an enema would definitely be a “what the hell are you doing look followed by I’m going to get you back” glares at me.

So, back at home a decision had to be made on what room would be the isolation room. The master bedroom was chosen, since Zeus loves to snuggle up in bed with me at night, and it is quite roomy. I normally sleep late on Saturday mornings, and Zeus loves this extra personal snuggle time with me. Let me just say – this Friday/Saturday sleep arrangement was not as peaceful. He slept peacefully until around 7a Saturday morning until he realized that the door to the master bedroom was closed, and he could not get out. At that point, he decided the best solution was to jump up on the bed and run across me and my DH several times (I believe in an attempt to wake us up to let him out). I also began to hear load meowing from the outside of the master bedroom door from the other cats – like “Let us in!”, “Why is the bedroom door closed?”, “Hey, Open the door!”

Since Zeus was climbing the walls by the time I decided to get up on Saturday, I decided that as long as I supervised him while outside the master bedroom that he could roam free during the day. Unfortunately, he did not give “Pebbles” during Saturday, so he was doomed to another night in the isolation room.

The same pattern of restlessness that plagued Zeus in the isolation room during Friday/Saturday night occurred again during Saturday/Sunday night. Zeus had some free time outside of the isolation room Sunday morning; however, DH and I went to a family lunch for a couple hours, so he needed to go back in the isolation room while we were out – he was not please. He was very happy when we returned and was able to be free of the isolation room once again. So pleased in fact, he gave some “Pebbles”. I have never been so happy to see my cat poop! My DH was laughing at me when I did the happy dance after seeing that Zeus had done his business finally.

Flow has slowing been returning to normal over the last couple days for our dear Zeus, and I am happy to report that he will not have to endure an enema. He is happy as well.

Sale, Sale, Sale!

2010-09-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

I will be having a one day only sale tomorrow in my Etsy store - 30% off everything! Even sale items! 12:00 am to 11:59 pm September 9, 2010. Come on by and buy up some goodies - early xmas shopping, birthday presents or maybe something special for yourself!

Hi, Hello, Howdy!

2010-08-12T22:50:00.001-04:00

I know it has been awhile since I have blogged, but not too much has been going on other than work, work and more work.

I have been racking my brain the last couple weeks on ways to try to get more folks into my Etsy store (or even my 1000 Markets store or even better my website) to hopefully result in sales. I have to admit my online stores are getting views, but sales have been nada the last couple months. So, in an attempt to try to reach out to online buyers, I have created a Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Samantha-Jean-Designs/104629946260311). I would love, love, love it if anyone reading my blog would decide to become a fan and even better if you happen to wander into one of my online shops and purchase some goodies for yourself or someone you love.

On other fronts, I have to take a small break from metalsmithing. Our youngest cat, Zeus, loves to snuggle up with me at night and sleep with my arm around him. I had just started to fall asleep with Zeus all tucked in my arm and all of the sudden he freaked out. I felt a sharp pain in my right hand and arm. In the moonlight, I saw skin hanging and felt blood running down my arm. Meanwhile, Zeus boroughed under the covers and was shaking in fear. I calmed Zeus down and got out of bed to find my hand and arm scratched up pretty badly as you can see from the pic.

My DH has decided that Zeus saw a ghost. I do not know, but he sure left his mark on my right hand and arm.

On a final note, today is my mom’s birthday. (Happy birthday mom!) While in Tennessee, my mom saw a Celtic necklace with the triple spiral or triskele and admired it. I told her that I would make something for her birthday with the triskele. Here are the pieces that I made for her birthday. I sure hope she loves them. I really love how they turned out.

Til later!

Wasps....

2010-07-02T21:38:00.001-04:00

So I am not a big fan of bugs in general -especially spiders. I used to be terrified of spiders. Now I have relentless need to smush all that cross my path. Well, I do not know if the spiders send a Guido wasp or what, but last Thursday I stepped out my door to go get my mail from the mailbox. All of a sudden there was this intense pain on my left index finger's knuckle - probably the worst pain I have felt in a long time. I immediately recognized that I was being stung and flung the SOB across the porch into our poly vinyl fencing (there was a definite thud).
I grumbled in pain down to the mailbox and retrieved the mail. Came back into to the house grumbling louder. My chest started to feel tight, and I started to feel faint. I thought great - that SOB is going to send me to the ER. It was like I felt the wasp's venom running up my arm and into my chest - like the SOB hit a vein. I sat down at the kitchen table and put my head between my knees and finally the tightness in my chest began to subside and the faintness disappeared.
It this point my husband popped out of his office to see what all the commotion was - which was not the easiest to explain at that point other than I had a wasp sting and not doing well. I washed up the wound and put some hydrocortisone cream on it, but it itched like a motherfudger and was swelling. So, of course the next step was antihistamines and ice/heat rotation.
Here is a pic of what it looked like before antihistamines and ice/heat rotation:

The hand finally returned to normal by Monday of this week except the sting site still had a little red spot. I figured that it was just taking its time to heal.

Today, the sting spot and surrounding area started to itch like a motherfudger again and hive up like an allergic reaction. So, I clean up the spot AGAIN. More antihistamines...snoooze.... and I am hoping that this will resolve on its own. I really do not want to have to go to the doctor just because some Guido wasp was sent to give me a message about smushing spiders. I think I need to reiterate - I hate bugs.....

Stuck? Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!

2010-04-06T18:19:00.000-04:00

All I can say is I feel Flick’s pain.

Last night I sat down to enjoy my bowl of ice cream and a new episode of Nurse Jackie. A normal Monday evening.

My dear hubby walked in to the living room at the point of last night’s episode that revolved around a funny – yet painful point of the show for a man (any man).

To sum it up… a man was mauled by a Great Dane after resuscitating it at a dog show, which somehow caused his testicles to migrate up his body ("like biiiiiirds,").

My dear hubby asked, “Could that really happen?” I said, “I do not know. Maybe we should Google it?” I picked up my laptop and found out that it is indeed possible. OUCH.

Now keep in mind that I have yet to eat my ice cream. My spoon is sticking straight out of a yummy scooped mound of vanilla ice cream (my favorite), so it is still nice and cold (and frozen). I pulled my spoon out of the ice cream to enjoy my first spoonful. I noticed that the spoon is quite frosty – like a frosty mug. No bother. I stick the spoon in my mouth and STUCK, STUCK, STUCK! The spoon was frozen stuck to the inside of my lip and when it finally broke free; I was without some skin – ouch!

I felt like I was in the scene from A Christmas Story. I am calling my ouchie: My Christmas Story Lip. Thank goodness the mouth heals quickly…

Is it possible to catch an e-cold?

2010-03-25T16:25:00.000-04:00

I say, sure. My hubby and I work from home for his company, so we spend a ton of time at home. Lately our busy e-schedule has had us house bound most of our day with our person to person interactions being through Skype and GoToMeeting.

My hubby has been working with another developer that has a very bad cold this week through our various e-services. Yesterday, he started sounding extremely congested – like he was coming down with a cold? I thought – how strange. We haven’t really been around anybody the last couple days. I asked him how on earth did he get a cold. He said the developer that he has been working with gave him a Skype cold. Too funny!

By last evening, he was fully engulfed with his Skype cold. He spent most of the night breathing on me- he is a snuggler when he is sick. When I woke up this morning, I felt worn out and achy - like I was coming down with the Skype cold. I hope not, but I will have to wait and see…..

Inventory Reduction Sale!

2010-02-26T15:22:00.000-05:00

Hi all! While working on my total store inventory for my 2009 taxes, I realized that I have several pieces in my shop that have been in inventory for some time - so.... I decided it is inventory reduction sale time! I have started to edit several listings in my etsy store for the inventory reduction sale and move them to my SALE section. Go take a peek!

More Tails of Trauma

2010-02-15T20:11:00.000-05:00

Ouch! This time my big kitty, Shelton (aka Kitten), caused this tail trauma to Zeus. (He had to get staple sutures!)

The vet advised putting Mr. Zeus in one of our comfy cones. He is very unhappy. Mr. Shelton is proudly observing his handiness.

Please, please, please someone remove this cone! I am so unhappy....

New Beauties

2010-01-24T17:40:00.000-05:00

I finally have finished a round of beauties that I should have up in my shop (hopefully) this coming week. So without further ado, here they are:

Fine Silver Cabochon set in Sterling Silver

Accented with Garnets

Saw Pierced Sterling Flower set on textured Sterling Base

Accented with Green Garnets

Labradorite Cabochon set in Sterling

Accented with Saw Pierced Sterling Flower cut outs

Poppy Jasper Cabochon set in Saw Pierced Sterling Silver

Variscite Cabochon set in Texturized, Saw Pierced Sterling Silver

That's all for now! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm still here....

2010-01-17T21:34:00.001-05:00

Sorry for my blog absence. I really have not had much to report.

I have been busy with corporate taxes since the first of January. Blah.

On the metalsmithing front, I have been busy learning some new techniques and working with new materials.

I have had PMC tools and materials in my supplies for some time, but I have not worked with it. I did quite a bit of research and learning about PMC a few years ago, and I finally decided what I wanted to do with the PMC that I have in my supplies – make PMC cabochons to bezel set. I have to admit that I had read in several of my sources that PMC dries out easily, but I did not realize how quickly it would dry out. I had to spritz the PMC quite a few times to keep it moist. It probably does not help that I decided to work with my PMC in the winter when our house is quite dry –even though we have two humidifiers running. I was very pleased with the three patterned cabochons that I created and will be bezel setting. I am not sure at this point if I will keeping up on this area, but it was definitely fun working with the PMC.

On the technique side, I have seen some really cool saw pierced metal pieces of jewelry created by other artists. I have to admit that before this adventure I was used to sawing just the basics. I wanted to add some new pizzazz to my jewelry with metal cut outs and some cool patterns for my cabochons to rest upon, so off I went. After some research and reading, Sam was a sawing (and of course breaking quite a few blades). So far, I am quite happy with the pieces that I have created. I am hoping to keep expanding and growing in this area.

The final area that I have been researching and learning about is etching. I decided to venture into learning about this area for the same reason as saw piercing. I have seen some really cool etched pieces of jewelry. I was leery about the chemical aspect of this technique. I really should not be leery about chemicals as I have a minor in Chemistry and have worked with far worse chemicals, but I still have a little voice in my head that says, ‘Stay away’. I use vinegar and pickling salt for my pickle instead of the acid version for this reason. Yet, I still really wanted to do etching. All of my supplies for etching arrived last week. I, unfortunately, have not found the time to do my first etching. Hopefully, I will get a chance to do this soon.

I do have a handful of pieces ready for the liver of sulfur phase of my process. Once blackened, I will polish these beauties up for my shop. I am hoping that I will get these pieces up in my shop in the next couple weeks. We shall see – sometimes, it seems that the days just slip away so quickly.

Till later!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

Just dropping in to say Happy New Year y'all!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T18:48:00.000-05:00

My Precious! O my Precious!

2009-12-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

Sorry - all I could think about when I was looking at the four rings to unveil in this post was this quote from Lord of the Rings - they are Precious...

Without further ado, here are my Precious:

Beach Stone and Sterling Silver Ring

Binghamite and Sterling Silver Ring

Carnelian and Sterling Silver Ring

Opal and Sterling Silver Ring

Come visit my Precious in my Etsy shoppe. They will be listed later today. Have a great one!

Be Fearless

2009-12-12T00:36:00.000-05:00

I at last got to see ‘Julie and Julia’. I have to say I think it was a fabulous movie. I took away three messages from this movie:

First – Blogs are therapeutic. I started my blog as a way to display my metalsmithing and market my Etsy shop and eventually 1000 Markets shop. I have tried to make it more than just that – at least I hope I have. My mind is always running with many random thoughts and what better way to shed some of those random thoughts – blogging.

Second – Find something that you love to do. A few years ago I went through a career crisis. I was fortunate that my dear hubby was able to free me from a job that made me desperately unhappy. I now work for my hubby’s consulting firm during the day doing a slew of different roles which is enjoyable (most of the time). I also found time to discover my true love – metalsmithing.

Third – Be fearless. I have to admit that this is something that I struggle with. I tend to be more of a straight line instead of a curvy line. This is very good for what I do for my hubby’s consulting company – reviewing and writing contracts, accounting and payroll….. For my jewelry, I honestly need some curvy line or creativeness to materialize – to be fearless. I will continue to work on this – I will Be Fearless.

For now, Bon Appetit!

O Silver, Silver! wherefore art thou Silver?

2009-12-02T23:54:00.000-05:00

Oh, I how I miss my metal. It has been four days since I have been able to do any metalsmithing.

I have been overwhelmed with our consulting company’s work this week. I remember when I started working for my hubby’s consulting company that both he and his recruiter said that this time of year is usually slow, but I have been doing this for four years and have yet to see this time of year be slow. I have written at least six contracts this week for new contractors and new clients.

I really miss doing my metalsmithing – I may start to show withdrawal symptoms soon. The spiders and critters that live in our garage may try to take over my outside office – as I call my soldering station. I may have to go to war with them upon my return. Of course, they may have learned their lesson last time they tried to take over my outside office when they became little flame balls.

I will return to you soon, my metal. For now this girl must go get her beauty sleep.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

Just dropping in to say Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!

2009-11-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

Just kidding! I was running through my head everything that I wanted to jabber about in this post, and at the end of my thought this familar line from the Wizard of Oz came to mind.

I have been busy working on a handful of new pieces, and they are ready for their rollout. So without further ado, here they are:

Hemimorphite and Sterling Necklace

Serpentine and Sterling Necklace

Tiffany Stone and Sterling Necklace

Turquoise and Sterling Ring

I will also be adding gift certificates in the amounts of $25-$100 to my shop that are perfect for last minute shoppers or for those of you who just can't decide.

My last bit of news to mention.. (drumroll please...)

I will be having a holiday sale starting Thursday (Turkey Day!) and will run until 11:59pm Monday evening. I will be offering 20% off everything in my shop except the items that are already posted in my Sale category and the Gift Certificate category. So if you have had your eye on anything or need to do some Christmas shopping, go have some fun.

Have a great Turkey day everyone and be chatting up y'all later!

My Helper

2009-11-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

Mini Vacation in Tennessee

2009-11-11T15:02:00.001-05:00

I have returned from a mini vacation in Tennessee. It was a working vacation during the day, but the nights and weekend, we roamed free in Tennessee.

We took our littles with us and stayed at my hubby's parent's house outside of Gatlinburg and Pigon Forge. Eventhough, we were working during the week, it was still nice to get away.

Tennessee was gorgeous. The weather was perfect - a nice comfortable temperature and the sun was shining. The views - breathtaking.

While in Gatlinburg, I found some funny shops and signs that I thought I would share on the blog. So without further ado, here they are:

This store was dedicated entirely to Jerky. Beef, Pork, Alligator, Ostrick, Pineapple... I couldn't stop laughing at what the shop owner said to a potential customer about trying some samples - "I'm not a crack dealer. I'm not going to push it on you." Too funny!

In case anyone was wondering where God's corner was located: Gatlinburg, TN.

Need I say more...

I spotted this while sitting outside a Life is Good store. Just in case you were wondering which way was up...

On Sunday, we went on a drive through the Appalachian Trail and ending up taking a hike on a trail. It was really fun other than the fact that I realized how out of shape I really am! (Plus, I took a tumble on the way back down the mountain. Not cool. I was lucky not to break anything. I am still sore and look like a domestic abuse victim, but I am healing nicely now.) Here are some pics from the hike:

We went on the Grotto Falls trail to go see the falls.

Now we are back in Indiana and getting back into our normal groove. I am hoping by tonight or tomorrow night to get back to doing some of my metalsmithing fun.

Til later!

Had a Knotty Time...

2009-10-31T18:25:00.001-04:00

Your first thought might be that I did not use the correct word, but you are incorrect. I did get your attention though - didn't I!

Last night I decided to retake pictures of my rings that I have in my shop inventory. Once I got that completed, I thought that I might retake pictures of some necklaces that I am not 100% pleased with. It was a good thought; however, while trying to retrieve some of the necklaces from my jewelry chest, I realized that several of them had become entangled with each other. Usually, I just pull them out and 10 minutes later untangled. No such luck with the mess that I pulled out this time. This time it was 12 necklaces with super delicate chain tangled in one giant mess.

I realized that I needed to untangle this knotty mess. If I did not do it now, it would eventually need to be done. It seemed like every time it started to look like I was making progress, I was also taking 3 steps back. After working on this mess for 2.5 hours (and realizing that I really had not made any progress), I decided to take the necklaces apart to see if that would help. HA! It did. Unfortunately, once I got the mess untangled, I needed to put all the necklaces back together with all the right pieces. It was like a puzzle game at this point. After another hour of work, the 12 necklaces were back together and untangled.

Not exactly what I had planned for my Friday evening...

New Pieces for my Shoppes!

2009-10-27T12:10:00.000-04:00

I finished up a handful of pieces this weekend and played photographer last night. Here are the new goodies:

Lampwork Bead and Sterling Silver Necklace

Labradorite and Sterling Silver Bracelet

Turquoise and Sterling Silver Bracelet

Vintaj Brass Bead Bracelet

Recycled Glass and Vintaj Brass Bracelet

14K and Opal Ring

(This goodie will not be making an appearance in the shoppes - she is already spoken for - but I wanted to show her off - I think she turned out quite well.)

On the homefront, I have been playing vet the past two week. Our oldest cat has arthritis in one of his front legs and when the temp drops he licks and licks and licks at the joint until he is bald and create little sores. So, vet Sam gets to put antibiotic cream on his little joint to keep the sores from becoming infected. Good news for vet Sam is that the temp has gone up and he has started to leave the joint alone and let the hair start to grow back.

Unfortunately, this past weekend, my big guy (cancer kitty) received another tail wound from the youngest. The youngest likes to bite at the others butts when they are not looking. Only my big guy gets bad wounds it seems. I still have oral antibiotics and cream from the past visit for his tail wound, so we have started the tail wound regiment again. He hates it. I of course have to wrap him in a towel to avoid walking away with my own wounds. Hopefully a week of this regiment will heal this new wound - otherwise, we must visit the vet....

That's all for now. Hopefully I will get the new pieces up in my shoppes this week... Till later!

Happy Birthday Mom Cooper!

2009-10-23T11:40:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is my mum-in-law's birthday. I created a fantastic piece of jewelry for her b-day and sent it and a very funny card out earlier this week.

My in-laws relocated to Tennessee a couple years ago, so we do not get around to seeing them as often as we (or they) would like.

So, to everyone's delight, we are going to travel down to Tennessee the first week of November.

My mum-in-law says that the fall weather where they are is beautiful. That sounds perfect to me seeing that the last couple weeks of Indiana fall weather has been dark, wet and cold.

So without further ado, Happy Birthday Mom Cooper! Hope it is a special one!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

2009-10-19T12:05:00.001-04:00

Have you ever watched a dog or cat try to catch their tail? They run in circles trying to catch it. It must be awfully frustrating.

I felt like that last week. No matter what I did I felt like I was going in circles without result.

The weather last week even exuded how I was feeling - dark and rainy.

Today, I woke up rested. The sun was shining. When I took some mail to the box - it literally smelled like strawberry jam in the air. It was quite pleasant. Some of the things that were so frustrating last week were resolving themselves this morning.

So, as Mr. Rodgers sang, 'It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...'

Have a pleasant week everyone!

Au Revoir Ms. Audi, you will be missed!

2009-10-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

Three years ago my dear hubby had the chance to lease a breathtaking car, an Audi S4. I called her, Ms. Audi. She drove like a race car, yet she had a very professional ambience.

Her seats fit like a glove when you slid into them. (In fact, my dear hubby got me a chair for my metalsmithing desk that is like the Audi seats, because I loved the Audi seats so much. I call it my ‘Audi butt’!)

The sound system was a Bose. Need I say anything more…

Her trunk fit as much as an SUV in storage, yet you would never tell based on the size of the car.

She was a good car. (She was a fast car...)

Today, was lease turn in day…. I am sure that if I looked closely, I could have seen a few tears welling up in my dear hubby’s eyes as he had to turn the keys over for Ms. Audi.

Au Revoir Ms. Audi, you will be missed! I am sure you will make your next owner as happy as you made us!

New Goodies!

2009-10-02T23:41:00.001-04:00

I have been busy widdling new goodies for my shoppes and they are ready to be unveiled....

Turqoise and Sterling Silver Earrings

Pearl and Sterling Silver Earrings

Turquoise and Sterling Silver Earrings

Variscite and Sterling Silver Bracelet

Larimar and Sterling Silver Bracelet

Opal and Sterling Silver Necklace

(For you lovely October B-dayers!)

Garnet and Sterling Silver Necklace

Colbaten Dolomide and Sterling Silver Necklace

Hopefully these pretties will find there way into my shoppes starting this coming week - pending that ugly day job does not get in the way.

Til later!

Some Eye Candy

2009-09-24T18:27:00.000-04:00

I have been busy working on a special custom piece lately, and she is finally done and ready for reveal:

I normally do most of my work in sterling silver as it is more pleasing to the wallet; however, this special project required 14K all around due to a sterling allergy. I was very please with how it turned out. Simple, yet elegant.

Now on for some eye candy....

Aren't these gorgeous! I really do not need to add to my cabochon stock pile, but I could not resist.

1. A matched pair spiderweb turquoise cabochons from Carlen, Nevada

2. A hemimorphite cabochon from a mine near Hayden, Arizona

3. A turquoise cabochon from Kingman, Arizona

4. A tiffany stone cabochon from Utah

That's all for now from my neck of the woods....

A fond farewell to Red, a graceful hello to Lynne

2009-09-17T00:15:00.001-04:00

After many weeks of car shopping, a decision was made.

I have had a love, hate relationship with our Lincoln LS, Red. She was a sharp looking red metallic car with black leather interior and was fully loaded with all the bells and whistles. Anyone would fall in love with her just looking at her. She was very seductive. She unfortunately was very high maintenance. She required premium fuel. Her rims dented like tin cans and of course were costly to replace. Her tires would not hold air in winter? With age, her battery would not stay charged. The final blow, she would not allow the key to turn to start her – diagnosis, ignition cylinder needed to be replaced -$350.00.

After Red was repaired, we visited a car dealer intending to test drive a Mercury Milan and Mercury Mariner – preferably hybrid. Upon arriving, the Mariner just did not hit the spot. The Milan was worth a test drive; yet, after the test drive, it did not hit the spot either.

What kept catching my eye was the Lincoln MKX. Now, after all the problems that we had with Red, I had told my husband that he would have to break both my arms and drag me to hell and back before we would own another Lincoln. Yet, this Lincoln MKX was singing its sweet siren song to me. My dear hubby wanted me to try the Lincoln MKS and MKZ; however, they did not appeal to me at all. It took a whole 10 seconds in both of them to say, NO. Yet, there it was - the song calling me over to the MKX.

After a little coaxing, I was talked into a test drive. That sweet siren song became loader. Then, the dealer after a little coaxing on our end gave us pretty much what we wanted on trade for Red. With a good deal on the MKX and pretty good financing locked in, we bought another Lincoln.

No arms broken. No trips to hell and back. All that I asked of the Lincoln MKX as we drove out of the lot is that she treat us well, and we would treat her well. I named her Lynne.

Mishap at the grocery store

2009-09-13T14:33:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning is our traditional time to go grocery shopping. All was same ol, same ol until I decided I wanted to try a new shower gel.
As many women do, I wanted to smell the shower gel before deciding on what one I would choose. Unfortunately I am currently suffering from a cold, so my sniffer has been on the fritz. A brief whiff with the cap off was not doing it for me, so I lightly squeeze the bottle in hand.
That is when the mishap occurred. I got a nostril full of shower gel! The clean fresh scent of waterlilly and mint front and center! Thankfully, I had tissues to blow my nose clear.
I am sure that the if the folks watching the security cameras caught my mishap, they were probably laughing their a** off.

My hubby said that I smelled shower fresh the entire shopping trip. Needless to say, I did not go with that particular shower gel.

What do you think it means...

2009-09-10T23:38:00.000-04:00

When my cat comes up and starts licking my arm?

Could it mean that he thinks my arm is dirty? Dirty Sam! You need a bath!

Or maybe I am just very tasty? Yummy Sam! Wait til you go to sleep... You won't miss a finger or two...

Or maybe he considers me just one of the cats? Sammy Cat! Let's hang girl!

Or maybe he just wants my attention for more treats? Snack Wench Sam get me more treats!

Or maybe he is givin' me lovin'? Hey baby (with Barry Manilow singing in the background)....

Sometimes I wish he could just tell me - oh wait, he might not ever stop talking!

More Remodeling

2009-09-08T11:07:00.000-04:00

I decided that it was time to give my banner and avatar in Etsy a make over.

With this decision, I played around in photoshop last week with a couple options. None of them really hit the spot.
I ventured in Etsy's graphic design section and after browsing several talented artist's work, I found one that hit that spot.

The talented artist is customgraphics.etsy.com. I found this one in the crazy clearance bin, so I needed to come up with an avatar to match. I had this little bird in my image collection that with a little color tweaking to match the banner, I believe hit the spot:

What do you think?

This Yard Is Clean

2009-09-07T20:04:00.001-04:00

Remember the line from the movie, Poltergeist, 'This house is clean'. I literally had to exorcise the demon weeds from my flower beds. My perennials had become very overgrown. Our baby trees had become octopuses. Our shrubs had become porcupines. I think you get the picture

I had strikingly neglected our landscaping this summer for metalsmithing.

Today, it was time to clean. After four hours of hard work, a sunburn and sore muscles, our yard is now clean.

On the metalsmithing front, I tried a new design last night that did not turn out unfortunately. I definitely think it is a design worth trying again. After I recover from my sore muscles and sunburn, I plan to take swing at it.

Off to relax with my littles….

Labor Day Weekend Sale

2009-09-03T11:29:00.000-04:00

I decided to take a swing at a sale once again this weekend. It coincides with Etsy's Extra Hot Labor Day sales (http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-extra-hot-labor-day-sales-5088/)

Here is the skinny on my sale:
Labor Day Weekend Sale 9/3 thru 9/7

20% Off Entire Order (before shipping)

Simply enter the code ‘Weekend Deals’ in the Message to Seller field during checkout to take advantage of the sale. Your discount will be refunded through PayPal.

*Sale excludes items in the ‘On Sale’ category*

So if you know someone with an upcoming birthday or just want to splurge on yourself, go take a look. Heck, you can even start your x-mas shopping early this year!

Go and have some fun on Etsy this weekend!

Introducing Ms. Audra and Ms. Janelle

2009-09-01T14:01:00.001-04:00

Hello, our names are Ms. Audra and Ms. Janelle. Samantha just listed us in both her Etsy and 1000 Markets shoppes. We would love to meet someone who will love us for who we are. Just push that 'Add to cart' button and we can meet.

Case of the 'Mondays'

2009-08-31T11:31:00.004-04:00

Do you remember that expression from Office Space?

I definitely have a case of the Mondays....

My weekend sale unfortunately did not turn any window shoppers into buyers...

On a positive note, I gave my blog a facelift (to all my blog readers that read my posts through facebook, go to samanthajeandesigns.blogspot.com to take a gander).

I would like to give a shout out 'THANK YOU!' to both prettyneatdesigns.blogspot.com and periodicstyle.blogspot.com. Both blogs mentioned a piece of jewelry from Samantha Jean Designs this month. I am greatly appreciative and flattered that my jewelry was chosen for their blogs.

I was working diligently this weekend on new pieces. I am hoping to add my new pieces to my etsy and 1000 market shops this week. Here is a brief glimpse of some of the finished pieces:

Sterling Boulder Opal Ring

Sterling Turquoise Ring

That's all for now in the life of Sam...

Weekend Sale!

2009-08-27T23:33:00.004-04:00

Weekend Sale @ SamanthaJeanDesigns.etsy.com
Friday, Saturday & Sunday
20% Off Entire Order
Simply enter the code ‘Weekend Sale’ in the Message to Seller field during checkout to take advantage of the sale. Your discount will be refunded through PayPal.
*Sale excludes items in the ‘On Sale’ category*
Go and have some fun!

Metalsmithing porn...

2009-08-26T11:52:00.006-04:00

My hubby often catches my on the internet looking at what he calls 'metalsmithing porn'. I love to head to some of my cherished sites to oggle at metalsmithing tools and cabs.

There are so many fabulous tools and beautiful cabs to gaze upon.

(Unfortunately, business has been slow that last couple months, so indulging must be kept to a minimum. I need a fairy godmother to sprinkle some fairy dust on my etsy shop to turn my window shoppers into buyers.)

I did find an excellent tool (at an excellent price) that will definitely help during the soldering process of ring shanks to the bezel cup. I tried it out for the first time the other night, and I cannot believe I have gone two years without this glorious tool - here is a pic of her gloriousness:

I really do not need to indulge in any cabochons, but it is hard to resist when it is love at first sight. I have really started to love (and I mean LOVE) turquoise. There are so many different types of turquoise based on the mines and locations. Here is a pic of my most recent turquoise cab purchase:

These beauties are from Kingman, Arizona

That's all for now in the life of Sam...

1000 Markets

2009-07-31T10:45:00.002-04:00

I have been pondering about opening a 1000 Markets storefront for sometime now. Yesterday, I finally made the jump. Click on the link below and you will be directed to the beginnings of my 1000 Markets store front:

1000 Markets

Take a look around and have some fun!

Front Page @ Etsy!

2009-07-28T12:07:00.005-04:00

It's always a treat to be among other artists in user selected treasuries, but even more rare for that treasury to make the front page of the whole etsy site! Early Monday morning was my lucky moment. Lots of new views & hearts even in the wee hours.
My sweet, sterling silver Maya Necklace was choosen for this lovely treasury (second row, middle pic).

A very good way to start the week!

Cabochon De-Stash

2009-07-23T14:18:00.011-04:00

Like many other jewelry designers, I have become a supply hound - in particular, a cabochon hound. There are so many beautiful cabs out there. They sing to me. I see a beauty and can imagine a gorgeous design.

In organizing my beauties, I realized that I should really de-stash some of my babies. Over the next couple days or so, I plan on listing some my babies in my etsy shop to hopefully find a new home. I am sure that they will find a great home and be made into beautiful designs... These are the current babies that I have selected for de-stash:

Till later!

The dust is settling....

2009-07-20T16:52:00.005-04:00

It has been awhile since my last post. I have been engrossed in work and metalsmithing with little time left for much else.... The dust is now settling....

Our big kitty had surgery to remove his 'wubby'. It went very well, and the 'wubby' was completely removed. The histopathology report showed that the cancer had moved into the lymphatic system, so the report noted that 'clear margins' were not reached. Essentially, it is difficult to say that all the cancer had been removed. We were given a handful of options like chemo and radiation, but we felt it better with his age that we should not put our boy through chemo or radiation. I just need to keep a watchful eye for any new 'wubbies', and he gets to have wellness check ups every three months for a while. He definitely does not act like 'cancer Kitten', so that is a good sign. Each day he playfully runs through the house chasing his Andy friend.

My etsy shop did well in June - so a big shout out to all my customers, THANK YOU! Those orders helped with the vet bills. So far, July has been very slow again in the shop. I am hoping that it will pick up. I still try to work a few hours each night on my metalsmithing. Creating new pieces that someone will see and love.

DH has been very busy for the last four weeks (working like 12-14 hour days) on a project that has a drop date of this Wednesday. He has been stressed galore! I will be glad when he can get back to a more normal schedule.

I started a Flickr account yesterday while taking a 'sick day'. I woke up feeling under the weather. I took some cold medicine and while waiting for it to kick in (and make me sleepy), I opened a Flickr account. I have wanted to open one for awhile, but I never took the time to set it up. If you are interested in viewing what I have set up so far, please visit this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samanthajeandesigns/

I will leave you with one of my creations that I am very proud of. I listed it last week in my shop, and it sold the same day.

Till next time!

I hate cancer....

2009-06-08T13:46:00.004-04:00

It has been a long couple weeks in the Cooper house.

One of my littles was diagnosed last September with basal cell carcinoma of the eye. After many trips to Purdue's veterinary school and many long talks, we decided that the best course of action if the cancer had not gone systemic was to remove his eye and surrounding tissue. We were lucky that the cancer had not gone systemic and even luckier after surgery the report came back that it appeared they had removed all the malignant tissue.

He has been cancer free ever since.

Unfortunately, a couple weeks ago while lounging with him and giving him chin loving, I noticed a small 'wubby'. He already had a scheduled appointment for his tail check up, so I figured that I would have the vet check out the 'wubby'. I was slightly concerned at finding the 'wubby' as it was on the same side that cancer had previously reared its ugly head.

The vet took an aspirate and sent it off to the lab for review. Last week was stressful. The days continued to pass and no news from the vet. Finally, on Thursday morning the vet called. The 'wubby' was basal cell carcinoma....

I cried most of the day. I thought we had beaten this ugly beast. After much discussion, we decided to do the round of vet tests to see if the cancer has gone systemic or not. If the cancer appears to not have gone systemic, the vet advise surgical removal of the 'wubby'. We had decide back in September after much research that we would not put our little through chemo if the cancer had gone systemic. We would try to keep him comfortable and as pain free as long as possible. The same decision was made this time as well.

Our big guy was sooo excited to go to the vet once again on Thursday evening for his round of tests. When the results were in, the vet sat down with me and told me some good news this time. The cancer appeared to be isolated to the 'wubby'.

We are scheduled to go in for surgery early Thursday morning this week. He has been getting ample love'in. It will definitely be difficult to concentrate Thursday after I drop him off for surgery. I hope that it will be a quick in - remove the 'wubby' - quick out - cancer gone again.

Life in the Cooper House..

2009-05-22T11:21:00.012-04:00

It has been a crazy week in the Cooper house.
One of our little ones (he's actually 17 lbs., so not so little!) sustained some tail trauma while frolicking with the other cats. A few days after the trauma, I noticed that his wounds had become infected - eek! Hence a visit to our trusty vet was necessary. (Pets just love the vet!)
After getting his tail shaved like a poodle, the wounds cleaned, an antibiotic shot and some take home antibiotics, we were all set ($200 dollars later!).
He is doing much better now (other than the bruised ego due to the poodle tail!). I told him that all the cool cats are doing it!

Some of the Suspects in the tail trauma crime:

On the metalsmithing end, I have been very productive. So without further ado, here is my latest work:

Topaz and Sterling Silver Necklace

(This one is sooo cool - I really need to take a pic of it being worn.)

Raw Silk Ring

(I got to use my new Raw Silk hammer for this one.)

Fox Turquoise and Sterling Silver Necklace
(I am very tempted to keep this one....)

Orange Chalcedony, Faceted Topaz and Sterling Silver Necklace

Larimar and Sterling Silver Necklace

Labradorite and Sterling Silver Bracelet

(The lab has a ton of flash!)

Chrysocolla and Sterling Silver Necklace

That is all for now in the life of Sam...

Along came a spider...

2009-05-17T11:17:00.003-04:00

I am absolutely terrified of spiders - all forms and all sizes! My soldering station is located out in our garage which is known to be occupied by a few spiders. If they stay away from me, they are safe. If they show themselves in my workspace, all is fair in love and war.

Last night while going about my soldering (tra la la), a spider came creeping down from the ceiling and went running across my arm and on to my workbench! Eek!
Its web was stuck to my arm so when I jerked back, it came flying towards me! Double eek!
After a quick squirrelly dance, it went flying to the floor and was quickly smushed!
That was not enough for me after this grave personal violation - super eeby jeeby. I quickly grabbed my Blazer butane micro-torch and torched this offender.

Finally...a sign of relief! I am much better now that this offender has been dealt with.... Let this be a warning to all the other spiders in our garage - stay away....

Mum's Day Presents Revealed!

2009-05-07T10:59:00.008-04:00

Sorry that it has been a bit since my last post. I have been consumed in the construction of my super secret mum's day presents. I wanted the gifts to be extra special and have thrown my whole effort into the occasion.

In confirmation that both gifts have been received by the mums, I am ready to reveal...Drum roll please!

For my mom:

This necklace is composed of turquoise that is set in a handmade fine silver bezel on a sterling foundation. The turquoise pendant is surrounded by two types of delicate sterling silver chain which are accented by sterling beads. The necklace is completed with a handmade sterling ring, Samantha Jean Design sterling charm with a one point diamond and sterling lobster clasp. The sterling has been oxidized to give the necklace a vintage look.

For hubby's mom:

This necklace is composed of a 5.6 carat Coober Pedy Opal that is set in a handmade fine silver bezel on a sterling foundation. The opal pendant is surrounded by two types of delicate sterling silver chain which are accented by pearl beads. The necklace is completed with a handmade sterling ring, Samantha Jean Design sterling charm with a one point diamond and sterling lobster clasp. The sterling has been oxidized to give the necklace a vintage look.

That is all for now in the life of Sam...

It' my Birthday! 10% off in my Etsy Shop!

2009-04-17T11:29:00.002-04:00

Today is my birthday!

To celebrate, I am offering 10% off everything in my shop today, April 17, thru 11:59 pm April 19. Just mention '10%' in message to seller when you purchase an item and I will send you a 10% refund thru paypal on the item price.

Sorry, this does not apply for custom order requests.

New Work!

2009-04-15T13:44:00.015-04:00

I have been busy working on new pieces the last couple weeks, and they are now ready to unveil.
Drum roll please....

Faceted Anastasia Topaz Pendant Necklace

Sea Glass Charm Bracelet

Roman Glass Bracelet

Plain Jane Oxidized Sterling Ring

Czech Flower Charm Bracelet

Vintage Glass Cab and Ruby Bead Necklace

Apache Turquoise and Apatite Bead Neckalce

McGinnes Turquoise and Iolite Bead Necklace

Sea Pottery Pendant Necklace

(It is kinda the shape of California!)

Rainforest Jasper Pendant Necklace

Larimar and Moonstone Bead Necklace

Sea Pottery and Tsavorite Garnet Bead Necklace

Faceted Carnelian and Peridot Bead Necklace

That's all! Now I just need to find time to list them in my etsy shop.

I have begun work on the super secret mum's day projects, and I have a custom ring order that I am working on. Once I get those done, I will be back to the usual.

On another note, my birthday is Friday. Another year has pasted... Some days I feel older than I am - others I feel younger than I am! My birthday present from my hubby will hopefully show. He is not good about remembering birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc. I know what it will be - a TV to replace my dying one. My current TV's bulb pops on and off while I watch TV - so annoying when I am watching my favorite shows. It always pops off when something vital or important happens, then I am left wondering what happened!

That's all in the life of Sam for now...

Woo Hoo!

2009-04-07T22:20:00.005-04:00

Made a sell today in my etsy shop! It has been a month since my last sell. Business has been sloooooow..... My shop starting picking up business last fall, but since the new year it has been dead. It actually has been bumming me out a little.....

(Bummed Sam....)

To cheer myself up I keep chugging away on new work.

I have been working on an array of new pendants with faceted stones, cabochons, sea glass and pottery sea glass the last two weeks. They are currently in their final stages of construction. Once I have them all put together, I will be taking photos for the blog and etsy shop (and of course listing them in the shop).

Then it is on to my next big project.... (drum roll please...). For mother's day, I decided that I will be making something special for my mum and my mum-in-law. Normally, we send flowers to the mums, but I wanted to do something different this year. I'm so excited. I keep wanting to put down my current work and start working on the mother's day presents.

Well, that is all for now in the life of Sam....

New Work from a busy Metalsmithing Bee!

2009-03-25T11:58:00.017-04:00

I have been a busy little metalsmithing bee!
I treated myself to a Tomboy spinner ring created by the lovely Carolyn of Autumn Leaves Jewelry. I love, love, love my spinner ring! I had been oogling it for much time and a couple weekends back, Carolyn ran a Weekend Deal on this lovely, and I partook. You can find this lovely ring at AutumnLeavesJewelry.etsy.com.

Now on to Sam's creations...
My lovely beads have been crying out to me the last couple weeks, so I decided to incorporate some beads with my new cabochon pendants. I think they add a little pizazz.

Turquoise Pendant Necklace

Green Tourmaline Pendant with Citrine Bead Accents

Faceted Ruby Pendant Necklace

Pebble Ring

Ruby Pendant Necklace

Lampwork Bead Pendant Necklace

Lampwork Bead from Two Sisters Designs of Carmel, CA.

Lampwork Bead Pendant Necklace

Lampwork Bead from Two Sisters Designs of Carmel, CA.

Labradorite Pendant with two Garnet Bead Accents

I decided to make a bracelet with this pendant.

Green Amethyst Pendant with Cherry Quartz Accents

Chalcedony Pendant with New Jade Bead Accents

Aventurine Pendant with Aventurine Bead Accents

I started listing these beauties yesterday in my esty shop, and I will try to continue to list the rest of them this week (unless a company day job crisis consumes my time!).

As always, here are my helpers...

Busy Weekend!

2009-03-16T14:18:00.007-04:00

This past weekend flew by!

I did get some time to do some work on my new round of bezel set cabochons. I hope to finish these up this week depending on all the other chaos.

I have been working on a side project (a surprise) for my niece's birthday. She is into Betty Boop and as child I just happened to have a really cool Betty Boop watch. My mom still had the watch, but it was in dire need of some restoration. After obtaining my niece's wrist measurement, I went to work on restoring the watch back to its glory days! Here are some pics of the watch after I did the restoration:

Yesterday was the family birthday party for her, and she received the watch (as well as some other Aunt Sam picked presents). I hope she treasures the watch as much as I did as a child.

On other news, I was doing some house cleaning yesterday afternoon after returning from all the party fun, and I spotted a funny pose that one of my littles as striking.

I really cannot imagine that this is a comfortable way to sleep, but he was very happy.

That's about it for now in the life of Sam.....

Happy Tom

2009-03-11T13:07:00.000-04:00

Snoring and using my hand as a pillow - hard to get work done!

New Pendant Necklaces!

2009-03-05T13:35:00.008-05:00

I have had my evenings this week free for metal fun - whoo hoo!

Here are a couple of pendant necklaces that I completed this week. I hope to list them in my shop next week.

Turquoise Pendant Necklace

Peruvian Opal Pendant Necklace

Turquoise Pendant Necklace

Lampwork Bead Pendant Necklace
The lovely lampwork bead is a creation from Two Sisters Designs of Carmel, CA.
They do beautiful lampwork beads!

Labradorite Pendant Necklace
(I wish I could have gotten the cab to sparkle more in the pic)

On another note, our appointment at the BMV was so fast. We walked in and were done in less than fifteen minutes! I cannot remember going to the BMV and getting everything taken care of that quickly.
That's all for today! Have a good one!

Too Cool!

2009-03-03T18:06:00.003-05:00

So my hubby's birthday is next week, and he needs to renew his driver's license. My b-day is next month, and I too must renew my driver's license; thus, we decided to make it a date - at the BMV.

It seems like it was eons ago that we made the dreaded trip to the BMV to renew driver's licenses. SO, in preparations for this trip, I visited the Indiana BMV's website to see what we needed for our license renewal; as well as, BMV locations and hours. To my surprise, some branch locations take appointments via an online application! So... my hubby and I have an appointment at the BMV!

On metal news, I have four pendants that I am currently working on. I am hoping to finish them up this week and post pics (as well as list them in my shop next week).

That's about it in the life of Sam!

New Work

2009-02-22T16:28:00.007-05:00

I am so excited, I finally got some time to do some metal work!

Here are some pieces that will be listed this week in my shop.

Aquamarine pendant necklace

Carnelian pendant necklace

Moonstone pendant necklace

Ruby pendant necklace

Off to do more metal fun...

My Assistants

2009-02-19T14:11:00.003-05:00

These are my helpers today... They are working hard.

Looks like Andy wants to join in....

Frustrated with Politicians...

2009-02-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

While purusing the local tv channel websites, I came across an article that indicated the Indiana House Labor committee voted 9-3 to raise more money from businesses by increasing both the taxable wage base (which is currently the first $7000 the employee earns - same as the federal wage base) and tax rates (current rate for most businesses in good standing is 2.7% on that first $7000). In addition, the bill also includes a one-year surcharge on employers that would help pay back federal loans.

This is totally frustrating to those who run small businesses like my husband and I!

Law makers should really consider the negative impact that this could cause on Indiana businesses - especially small businesses. The employers are the sole contributers for each employee. If the employer cannot handle the extra cost associated per employee, this could contribute to additional lay offs and unemployed workers. In addition to paying toward the employment fund, the Department of Workforce Development has every employer pay a yearly 'worker's training fund' contribution - which is a percentage based on the previous year's unemployment contribution. I am wondering at this point, if this fund has been tapped into to pay for unemployment benefits or is DWD really using the contributions to that fund as they should be?
What is particularly puzzling to me is the proposed one-year surcharge on employers to pay back federal loans. As employers, we pay 0.8% (in good standing) toward a federal unemployment fund on each employee's first $7000. Granted, it is not a lot, but why would employers again be charged for Indiana borrowing money from the Federal Unemployment fund? Employers are already contributing to this fund, and Indiana law makers want to charge employers for their state borrowing from it. It just does not make sense....
I think it is time to write my representatives in the House and Senate in the state of Indiana to express my concern about this possible legislation. From my vantage point, it seems like they have taken the easy road instead of trying to find a real solution.

Facebook - wow!

2009-01-26T15:16:00.000-05:00

So I didn't get any metalsmithing done last week

I was busy with contracts and taxes all week.... Hopefully, I will get a chance to work on my pieces this week.

So anyway... I discovered Facebook. Interesting... So many people from my high school are on Facebook. It is so nice to reconnect with them. Many of them have moved out of state. One day, my hubby and I are hoping to relocate further south - maybe North Carolina.

I did get a chance to get caught up on movies this weekend. I love horror/scifi movies. My hubby and I joke that they are my 'tear jerkers'. I saw Saw V. Very cool! I occasionally have to watch a funny movie of coarse and watched Tropic Thunder - so funny!@ I laughed so hard that I was crying. (I don't think my hubby thought that it was that funny though. He only laughs out load if it is really funny on his 'laugh meter', and he didn't laugh out load.) I saw a couple 'You framed me' movies as well - Death Race and Eagle Eye. That pretty much got me caught up on the movies that I have been wanting to see.

Well - that's all for now in the life of Sam....

My Current WIP and Helper

2009-01-19T18:13:00.000-05:00

I have been working on five cabochon pendants, since before the new year. Unfortunately, working in a small business, once the new year turns, it is tax time. Eeeeeek!

I have been busy generating W2's, 1099's, 941's, 940's, SUTA, FUTA, etc. I did find some time on Friday evening to continue some work on the five pendants....

I decided that the moonstone and amethyst cabochon pendants will probably be worked into bracelets. The other cabochons, I will most likely make into necklaces.

As I type I have a small, furry helper that is too cute, so I must share an image of him.

This is Zeus. The youngest of my furry friends. He is the baby of the family. He loves to cuddle.

Off to a busy week already. Hopefully, I will have a chance this week to do a little metal fun!

About/Contact

2009-01-16T17:52:00.000-05:00

Contact info:

sjcooper76@hotmail.com

Hi, I'm Samantha - wife, jewelry artisan, and care giver to four cats.

My jewelry business, Samantha Jean Designs, is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. For many years, I admired the jewelry artisans of Sundance Catalog; however, the prices I could not afford. I was always busy doing many things – either work at home or at the office, so I did not have much time for a hobby. My busy, stressful life style caught up with me about six years ago. I suffered (and still do suffer, though not as badly) from chronic rib cage pain. Approximately five years ago, I had a spinal cord stimulator implanted that required a medical leave. Since I am not one to just sit around and do nothing, I needed something to do. I bought and read several books on beginner jewelry making which was followed by buying some basic supplies. Then, I was off making my first pieces of jewelry.
I have been making and expanding my techniques, supplies and tools ever since. I have been fortunate that I was able to leave my cubicle life to work at home for my husband’s consulting company, Tridge Alliance, Inc. I am a jack of all trades for his business. Since it is a small business, I am the HR, payroll, accounting, finance, etc. departments. I also am the tech. support for laptop repair. It is really fascinating how laptops are put together.
Anyway, in February 2008, I decided that I wanted to expand my jewelry to metalsmithing. I bought and read several books on the topic and as before bought some basic supplies and tools to get me started. I am still learning and expanding my supplies and tools as needed. I primarily work with sterling silver and fine silver. I have started to branch out with copper and brass.
One day, I hope to branch out further into casting, working with resin, making glass beads, etc. For now, those will have to wait.

That’s all for now. I will try to post as often as time allows.

Samantha Jean Designs

Tidbits and Whatnots...

Zeus is Greiving the loss of his Pal

Tommy, we will miss you

Colds

Sale!

I'm back.....

Vacation for Sam - and a bonus for you!

New Additions to Etsy Shop

Constipated

Sale, Sale, Sale!

Hi, Hello, Howdy!

Wasps....

Stuck? Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!

Is it possible to catch an e-cold?

Inventory Reduction Sale!

More Tails of Trauma

New Beauties

I'm still here....

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

My Precious! O my Precious!

Be Fearless

O Silver, Silver! wherefore art thou Silver?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!

My Helper

Mini Vacation in Tennessee

Had a Knotty Time...

New Pieces for my Shoppes!

Happy Birthday Mom Cooper!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Au Revoir Ms. Audi, you will be missed!

New Goodies!

Some Eye Candy

A fond farewell to Red, a graceful hello to Lynne

Mishap at the grocery store

What do you think it means...

More Remodeling

This Yard Is Clean

*Labor Day Weekend Sale*

Introducing Ms. Audra and Ms. Janelle

Case of the 'Mondays'

Weekend Sale!

Metalsmithing porn...

1000 Markets

Front Page @ Etsy!

Cabochon De-Stash

The dust is settling....

I hate cancer....

Life in the Cooper House..

Along came a spider...

Mum's Day Presents Revealed!

It' my Birthday! 10% off in my Etsy Shop!

New Work!

Woo Hoo!

New Work from a busy Metalsmithing Bee!

Busy Weekend!

Happy Tom

New Pendant Necklaces!

Too Cool!

New Work

My Assistants

Frustrated with Politicians...

Facebook - wow!

My Current WIP and Helper

About/Contact

Labor Day Weekend Sale