New Beginnings...

I am so very excited to show you guys my new bench, and a sneak peak of a bunch of work I'm going to make! Firstly, the bench. ZOMFG. I got it from Otto Frei in Oakland--I'm lucky enough to live in California where a lot of the main warehouses for stores you mainly buy online are located.  Not to mention the West Coast is the Best Coast, but that's a song for another time.  This bench is a little smaller than the ones I'm used to at UArts, and it honestly weirds me out there are no dings or scratches or marks on it at all.  I need to start cracking or it wont look like a real bench--it's just not acceptable!

I have just about everything set up.  My baby (the flexshaft) is all ready to go, and I replaced the hose on my torches and it doesn't seem to be leaking anymore.  I've forgotten how sooty acetylene is so I want to find a way to keep the rest of my room from acquiring thousands of little, black specks of dust. You cant see it in this photo, but theres a HUGE white shag rug that I don't want to ruin.

Now for the pretty part--the stones! These are a bunch of stones I've collected over the years and some I got recently for this very project.  I'm putting together a collection to sell--don't worry, you'll be updated with in-progress shots--and here is a quick sneak peak of what I'm starting out with! If I make everything here it'll be twelve rings, five pairs of studs, and one large brooch.  For now I'm calling it "stones and metals," so keep your eye out for my next little collection of wood carved pieces.  <3 Lani