It seems the holiday shipping Hydra is in full swing. I finally tacked down one package and 2 more go lost. 😞

A thing of beauty is a joy forever....unless that thing is a pen that takes D1 refills which you go through every 2-3 weeks, then it's just annoying as hell.

#ArtAdventCalendar Day 5: A couple of my Ogham scroll pendants Ogham is an ancient Celtic language read from bottom to top. The one on the left reads "dream" & the one on the right reads "breath" Still a bit more time to order for Christmas delivery: forgedmettlejewelry.com/products/per...

Day 2 of #ArtAdventCalendar: One of the very first pieces I made (hence the terrible background choice) It's a "Booby Trap" pendant, inspired by Jessica Rabbit. Not one of my biggest sellers (no clue why) but still one of my favorites... forgedmettlejewelry.com/products/boo...

Only a few hours left in my #CyberMonday Sale. 15% off all jewelry on the website. And since it's also the start of #ArtAdventCalendar I thought I'd share a custom piece I did this year. A Sterling Silver and diamond band ring for a 25th wedding anniversary. www.ForgedMettleJewelry.com

This Smal Business Saturday, why now take a look at some of my smaller pieces that still pack a mighty statement, just like me. All are available on my website www.ForgedMettleJeweley.com (Oh, and they're still on sale this weekend too)

Ah, it's that time of the year when I gauge how long pieces take to make based on how many times through Elf I get. #24HoursOfElf #TBS

My Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale is heating up!! (sorry, really bad pun) Save 15% on all jewelry at www.ForgedMettleJewelry.com no code required Avoid the crowds and help support small businesses like myself. I also won't judge if you shop in your pajamas...

Right, so now Neil Lane is advertising diamonds with low grade Color as their "Desert Diamond Collection". Please don't fall for this. And while your at it, maybe please consider getting jewelry from an artisan like myself. Instead of some mass produced nonsense...

I'm not entirely certain why Elf is on HGTV right now, but I intend to enjoy it. Well, as much as one can enjoy just listening to it while they work...

I took this photo a few years back. My mother finding the name of her friend at the Vietnam Memorial. #VeteransDay

Cutting it close, but still in there.

I'm sorry, but while I do have a shop on Etsy I DON'T sell personalized Christmas stockings.

This is what I get for thinking "Oh, the World Series game is in the bottom of the 7th. Let me just take a short break to watch the end and then I'll get back to work."

I always meant to ask: since Bruce Young is basically immortal, how come he never showed up in any more Jurassic Park/World movies? #JurassicPark #JurassicWorld

I'm so tired I tried refreshing the metal market price app on my phone and wondered why it wasn't doing anything. Uh, it's SATURDAY, not Sunday. At least that means I get another day to sleep.

In case you hadn't heard, I finally found a replacement for my silicone supplier & if you ask me, my ring mandrels are now better than ever. The nonstick surface & extended sizes are perfect for metal clay. Over safe to 450°f for polymer clay artists too. forgedmettlejewelry.com/products/sil...

I've been procrastinating for almost 24 hours now on a job that should probably only take a few hours. And in the meantime I haven't done much of anything else. Yeah, it's been a week...

If you've had your eye on my silicone ring mandrels now is the time to buy. My current silicone supplier has gone out of business & I'm working hard to find a replacement. In the mean time, I only have a few sets left of my current stock & they're going fast. forgedmettlejewelry.com/collections/...

Why in the world is my Facebook business page getting inundated with fake accounts looking to see if something is still available? I don't even use the page anymore. How am I on the spam radar?

I never bought makeup from Sephora, only cream or the occasional makeup brush, (to use for my jewelry of course) so why do they keep sending emails with makeup saying "we picked these just for you"?

Practicing some origami with paper to work on some possible new designs to make with silver. Any requests? I even do custom work. forgedmettlejewelry.com/search?q=Ori... #BSNM #ArtSky #Handmade

I wonder if I set my kiln temperature to 75°f if it has some sort of feature to actually cool down?

Remember the scene years ago from The Simpsons where it's so hot they put a tent in front of the fridge and open the doors? Think that would kill the motor if it's just a little tent for me?

I ship out something Express Mail today, got it in before the cutoff time. I just checked the tracking and it said it's going to be delivered on Saturday. What happened to Express Mail being 1 day, 2 at the most? Have I missed some run on shipping Father's Day gifts all these years?

Happy #PrideMonth! At Forged Mettle Jewelry, all are welcome here every day of the year. Be who you are #LetYourMettleShine ...just as long as you don't hog all the potato chips.

I put my music on shuffle while I'm working and it played "These Eyes" by the Guess Who followed immediately by Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine". Kind of disappointed it didn't play Queen's "These Are the Days of Our Lives" or the Eagles' "One of These Nights" but that's probably be pushing it.

No matter what time I finish working, I can never just go right to sleep. I have to sit around for a while and process. Which is why I'm still up from yesterday...

I don't usually work in color, but I got a custom request to add some green rings to my "Half Karat" chainmaille earring design and I was happy to oblige. forgedmettlejewelry.com/pages/contact #BSNM #CustomJewelry #MothersDay #LetYourMettleShine

Fine, I don't mind being labeled spoiled. But I would rather have no chocolate than chocolate that came from an assorted candy bag. The flavors all mix together and it doesn't taste right.

When your mother doesn't fit into one of those chain jewelry store commercials, maybe it's time to get her something just as unique and wonderful as her. Mother's Day is May 11th this year. So order early to make sure it arrives on time. (No reason to disappoint you mother again...) #BSNM #Jewelry

Turned on the TV while I get some work done. Or course it had to be the last 5 minutes of the series finale of Hawai'i Five-0. 🥺

Received this wonderful email today. I'm really honored they could take so much time out of their Sunday to give me their full attention and type this out for me. I would've just wasted mine slacking off watching YouTube videos. #WhoHurtYou

Last Sept. I applied for a state Artist grant. They finally announced the winners today and I wasn't one of them. They said that of the 430 applicants, "only" able to award 84 grants. So yeah, INCREDIBLY disheartening. I'm beginning to wonder if Connecticut just doesn't get me or my jewelry?

On an otherwise REALLY bad day, thanks to my Staples rewards I only had to pay 52¢ for a box of 250 bubble mailers. These should hopefully keep me going for a while... #ThatWasActuallyEasy

Happy International Women's Day! We are strong. We are powerful. We are beautiful. buff.ly/xbcTuK8 #IWD #BSNM #WomenOwnerBusiness

Man, I've been so swamped with work/life the past 2 days I've barely had time to check me email and I just realized I missed a notification for eBay that something I've wanted for YEARS was listed and it sold already.

I'm just a small business, but one day with no sales absolutely devastates me (some of that is stress though). Let's hope this helps...

Slow day today, (for obvious reasons) what's everyone else up to? I'm working on some new prototypes with Murder, She Wrote on in the background.

Getting all my shopping done today so I can hide home all Friday and just make jewelry.

Current mood:

There may still be lots of snow on the ground, but today is the first warm day of the season. Won't be long now before we get to see some real flowers again. In the mean time, hopefully these tide you over. #ThinkSpring #Artisan #Jewelrh #BSNM https://buff.ly/4gR8vYN

The Good News: Murder, She Wrote is on all afternoon on Hallmark Mystery. The Bad News: It's season 6. #IYKYK

Someone remind me to stop checking me email before bed. Feeling caught up for the night ≠ The not so slight chance of getting some really bad news

Somewhere along the line, people started coming to me for advice on working with metal clay, because somewhere along the line I apparently became an authority figure on the subject, which is very strange, because Is still feel like I have SOOO much more to learn...

Is it bad that I use my treadmill solely to play music while I work? In my defense, Bluetooth connectivity wasn't even one of the reasons I bought it, and didn't even know it was an option for months.

Please give me strength, I'm about to teach my mother about phone widgets.

Another custom piece I did, which actually turned into inspiration for a new piece. The customer want a "twist tie wrapped around a silver bar". I offered them 3 different sketches and they LOVED this one. In figuring out how to make a silver twist tie, the heart design sort of came to me. #BSNM

Timeless & One of a kind, just like your love. Each piece is handcrafted using recycled silver & real rose leaves, so no two designs will ever be alike. This year, why not get her roses that last forever? #ValentinesDay #BSNM #ArtisanMade #Jewelry https://buff.ly/3WKnHiS

The weather tomorrow for Punxsutawney, PA. Why does it just seem rigged to me? #GroundhogDay #GroundhogDay