Chatting into a New Year! January 2012 Chat Thread

[#1]

Happy New Year - Hello 2012!

Who are we? A friendly group of metalsmiths who like to talk metal,stones,techniques, and everything under the sun.

If you would like to be added to the list, hop over to this thread, follow the instructions and introduce yourself. Every month we start a new chat thread, and this is how we know who everyone is :-)

http://www.etsy.com/teams/7369/chattymetalsmiths/discuss/6774397/page/20/

We are :


AbellaBlue = Jessica
AHeronDesign=Anna
AlegraJewelry = Vicki
AlexSharDesigns = Gaynor
AlisonMooreDesigns = Ally
AmyEstelleMetalworks = Amy
anidem = Jesse
AnnealedHeart= Amanda
artdi = Diana
AZBluerockers = Mary Lou
bagsnstuff = Dianna
BeatrizFortes = Beatriz
BellaBijouJewellery = Jaime
BellaBijouToo = Jaime
bddesigns= Christen
bijoutery = Jen, Jennifer, or bijoutery
Brokentreasures= Amanda
Brontotheroocity= James L.
cabbingrough = LauraH
CGWhitfield = CG, or Cliff
CharOuellette = Char
Chrissilynn2=Chrissi
Chrissicabs=Chrissi
corybethy = Cory
cutforyou = Keith Cler
DaisiemaiCreations = Janea
DaVineJewelry = Danielle
DeirdreCunningham = Deirdre
DiemDesignsJewelry = Sarah Jo
DominicanLounge= Alpha
Doxallodesigns = Janice
Doxallostudio = Janice
Duffy Designs= Duffy
Eklektisch = Cole
Elementaldesigns= Denise
EmilyWiserJewelry = Emily
Epiphany of a Dragonfly = Wanda
evelynjewelry = Evelyn
evittscreekarts= Lois
ericafreestone = Erica
EyemaginationRSB = Robin
FiliGraceJewelry = Grace
fix8ion = Tammy
FoldAndSpindle = Mike
FoxyGirlBoutique = Melissa
gailwilliamsjewelry=gail
GirlLovesGlitter = Lilian
HappyTortoiseSupply = Jason
Hartleystudio = Ann
HRBeaDesign = Heather
InbarBareket = Inbar
JackStones = Jack
JaneaPauline = Janea
JaneDeaux = Gabby
JaneDeauxDeLuxe = Gabby
JazznJewelry = Kathy
jdwoody=James
JelliesJewelry = Jack
JenniferCasady = Jen or Jennifer
Jewelrytutorials = Janice
JonesingforJewelry = Carin
JudithGayleDesigns= Judy
KarlaWheelerDesign = Karla
karmahjean = Karen
KellyDesignStudios = Kelly
kiliari = Raina
KimberlyBellDesigns = Kim
KimVGlass = Kim V
KitandCaboodleShop = Gayle
KriksSilver = Kristie
lamazonian = Vema
LauraRoberson= Laura
LeahBestDesigns=Leah
Lilnut = Caroline
litapsilverj = Lita
Littlecherryhill = Emma
Lovebuttonsca = Laura
lsueszabo = Sue
Luxedesignworkshop = Peg
madstarsilver = Marilyn
MarcusBerknerJewelry = Marcus
Markaplan = Mark
mattjohnsondesigns =Matt
Maythenwolfbane= Nicole
Metalluxe = Peg
MieleMelograno = Liz
MissToryDesigns = Lina
MoMoMetals = Mo
MostlyStoneware = Kathy
novadesigns = Tess
novaofsweden = Tess
NRjewellerydesign = Nikki
OrmanaDesign = Katya
OverThinkingIt = Bree
Pinkcoyotejewelry=Lee
Ppennee = Pennee
PureDichotomy = Wendy
RadianTrace = Ronnie
Ranchiquita = Becki
rockaholic=Peggy
sbevisdesigns = sue
ScrapMetal = Addie
ShireJewelry = Lisa
SilverBlueberry = Esmeralda
SilverLinesJewelry = Jenny
SilverMade Studio = Teresa
silvermaven= Carol and Jackie
SilverspotMetalworks = Jessee J. Smith
StoneBeautiful = Jenn
StoneTemple = Mark
SToNZ = Susan
SugarCity = Grace
thebutterflygirl = Veronika
TheSpeeceCollection = Pat
ThirteenGems=Melissa
tinkertown = Sue (tinkerSue)
TeklasTreasures = Kyra
Treasuregypsy = Darcy
TreeFrogJewelry = Sheryl
TwoSilverMoons = Birgit
UntwistedSister=Terri
valerietyler = Valerie
verysmallbird = Heather
VillainAccessories = Brandi
VisionQuest = kim or VQ
WednesdaysDesign= Kristina (Wednesday)
wpcardenas= Wanda
Zenamels = Julie
2trickpony = Rachel
3sweetpeasjewelry = Gina

[Former_Member]

Welcome back Susan! Glad you made it home safely and enjoyed your New Years Eve.

[LauraStasa]

> stuffed more than the goose.

I think I'm waddling over to the couch now. Have to save my strength for tomorrow, you know:)

Have a great night all and Happy January!

[Former_Member]

Florida vacation would be nice.
Got folks there and all.
night Laura

[SToNZ]

<--- never tasted elk or goose

[SToNZ]

Where are they Marcus? Why not visit?

[SToNZ]

Man these look good.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68655709/baked-mini-donuts-wedding-shower-or?ref=af_circ_favitem

This is what I dream about when I start to try to eat healthy.
Sigh.

[lsueszabo]

haha susan, don't show me that! i'm trying to diet too. i'm heating up the split pea and ham soup i made and finishing the rest of the roasted beet salad i made last night. gotta love leftovers.
my nephew is doing fine- their family is in FL right now. He was kept 2 days in the hospital and then sent to the adolescent psych hospital where he spent another couple days. he is in therapy now. not sure if they also started him on meds. didn't get a huge opportunity to talk to my sis about it cause i saw her at the family xmas thing and there were lots of folks around. she has decided not to tell the rest of the family about it and i am the only one who knows (besides her spouse). even his little brothers don't know. not sure whether that's the right call but i'll respect it. given that, we can only talk about it when we are alone. i'll talk to her more when they get back from vacation. thanks for asking.

[Former_Member]

<-- not trying to diet but hasn't had dinner yet either

[lsueszabo]

just finished. i'm waiting for my old metalsmithing teacher to stop by- any time now. we had a morning coffee date but she partied a bit too hard and overslept. we rescheduled for tonight. can't wait to catch up with her. i'm hoping to get her opinions re my new project which i have a fair amt of doubts about (visually, not so much technically).

[cgwhitfield]

Not interested in dinner yet either. Emerging from 4 hours of 'offness' head to toe, truly rare for me so I ran through the checklist. All OK. No idea what it was.but ten minutes ago the fog and off feeling lifted, almost back to normal now.

Only possible cause might be two very ripe Mandarin oranges I had this mornng. Doesn't seem likely though.

The evil spirts have left. Yay.

I was doing paperwork....

[Former_Member]

Susan, local grocery store is an achievement at this point in life.

offness sucks, cg.

[EvittsCreekArts]

Yikes! Lost a whole studio day to listing. We're getting wind and heavy cloud cover, and it kept me having to restart the listings, but considering I've been since November or maybe even October since I refreshed my shop, I guess it had to be....
Sheryl, I've only used a tiny creme brulee torch(gaaahhh) then a oxy/ acy torch using a smith "little torch", so I don't know the advantages of anything else.
I love that I can blast the thing to sculpt bronze or have a tiny flame for jumprings. I've never looked back. I like having mega firepower when I need it. I have three tips 0 to 000, and with a good vent fan I haven't been bothered by soot. I did need to learn control with more or less oxygen, but have liked the variations possible. Might be the same with other fuels though.
I think I'm the only one here using that combination, but it was recommended by someone whose work in bronze I totally respect.

[cgwhitfield]

Offnes does suck, but compared to what's possible, it's barely worth thinking about. So rare for me, fortunately, once every year or two?, it does get my attention.

And then I feel guilty about those who aren't robust normally.

[EvittsCreekArts]

Sheryl,
I told you the wrong torch!
It's a victor.
http://store.cyberweld.com/vitohaj28lid.html

[EvittsCreekArts]

Some kind of weird food additive, CG?
Sounds like me when I stumble upon MSG.
I just feel like crap when I don't eat food that is "primitive". Would have made a good cavewoman.

[Former_Member]

Checking in from a trip to China town.
I bought about $40.00 of used tools. A draw plate, a nice little square for cab work, an old pin vice, flat graver and soldering tweezers.
Having a bit of buyers remorse like Stoney, I didn't really need this stuff.

[cgwhitfield]

Lois, same old basic food all day. MSG doesn't bother me in sensible amounts. Have the cast iron stomach, there was no problem there.

[2TrickPony]

too much work for too many days in a row?

[Former_Member]

Lois, hi and thanks for the info on your torch. It's nice to chat with all of you again!

[cgwhitfield]

Rachel, the light may have just come on. For the last ten years or so, if I'm overtired and overworked I may, a few times a year, get the lower back skin crawling sensation that can live on with shingles. Would happen early evening for a few hours, then gone. The only reminder. And it is there now, just a whisper.

Sue might know if the tiny flareup might affect the organs down there.

Thanks, Rachel, I'm very comfortable with that as the cause.

Now on to regularly scheduled programming......

[PPennee]

Lois- love the new etched cuff- very pretty!

Company is leaving tomorrow- quiet in the house will be nice, but it's back to work for me.

Have a great evening everyone- I'm off to watch some tv and crash

[2TrickPony]

we all need a break cg.

this is for Lsue, I had told her about copying content from one listing to another being a problem for google:
Mary from SEOWebDesign says

Regardless of where you place boilerplate content, it should not be in each listing.

Due to the Google algorithm change (called Farmer or Panda) in February, 2011 regarding duplicate content, it is critical to vary most of the words from one listing description to another, placing duplicate information such as shipping on the shop policy page (you can link from each listing to the shop policy page). Be sure to use a unique title for each listing - at least one word difference between if you can. Google will not index any Web pages it considers duplicates of other Web pages. (See Google's blog post about duplicate content: googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/google-search-and-search-engine-spa... (third paragraph down, second to last sentence, " And we’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content.").

[2TrickPony]

(incredibly boring, sorry, but there you are)
boilerplate language they call it.

I make lots of things using the same method and now I try to find different ways to say it, its hard.

[cgwhitfield]

Aw, just when I was feeling better....

Had a look at your etched bracelet, Lois. Very nice.

[Former_Member]

I second CG - Lois, your etched bracelet is beautiful.