In her gummy smile

Yasmina, age 7, on her 1st. day at school (Gr2) 18-09-2012 

I love autumn, I always have. Becoming a mother of a school girl, I started to appreciate it even better. Besides loving the cooler weather, I love seeing people rushing to get ready for school. I even enjoy the busy traffic and the noise it creates; the shorter days, the sleepy faces of parents dropping their children to school, or bringing them to the buses. And then there are the mothers, nagging about their children not going to bed early, or about them not finishing their homework - unwilling to admit that they have anything to do with it. I don't mind any of that, in fact, I love it. This is the thing about Autumn, it brings order, routine and discipline.

I am probably one of the most chaotic people ever, but even in my own chaos, there has always been order, because of which, I was able to get things done in my life. So when Autumn comes to wash away any laziness and wandering that I found myself stuck in during summer, I welcome it with a smile.
I love the mornings when daughter goes to school, and I get to be more than just a mother, even just for few hours. I usually start my day with some time for myself, reading or writing, or simply contemplating. I then head to the office. I teach if I have classes, otherwise I design and make jewelry. In the afternoon I return home for house chores and I cook and get things ready before daughter comes back. It doesn't take more than that amount of time for any woman to feel fulfilled and useful, instead of just simply being a mother. I couldn't have been any more appreciative of the life I have created for myself.

The season of Autumn inevitably rolls into Winter, bundled with the Spring and Summer past, where all I really want to be, is a mother, and to bond with my child.  You can really miss those endless days at home, when your only fulfillment comes from watching her discover the world by herself for the first time; turn a page, crawl, laugh, stand up, walk… and when she has had her first taste of a juicy plum, and smiles at you (as if she owns the world – having already owned you), any meaning of order or sense in the world dissolves in her heart melting, gummy smile.

Yasmina, 8 mths old, eating her very first plum.

JMR and the new logo

So I was gladly back to work after the summer holidays were over, and just a while before schools started. My plan was to try and make some good changes to Jewelry Making with Rana. While I was mainly satisfied with the way I was running my facebook page - through which mostly people found out about me - but I just knew that there had to be an update, and I knew that the start had to be simply with a logo. 

I assigned that job to one of my students who is a talented graphic designer and a nice guy from the South. He actually lives there so he used to come all the way from Nabatieh to attend his classes, tiring but you could bet it was worth it. At some point he even took both beginners and advanced classes on the same day. So Ali and I met one afternoon to check the drafts together. He showed me 4 different beautiful logos. Glancing at them, it took me exactly two seconds to let him know of my choice. A logo that, had I been a graphic designer myself, would have done that very same logo with every little detail. That's a little exaggerated, but I you get the drift; that logo really spoke to me. A silhouette of a tribal lady's face with her jewelry and a shining star, beautifully portrayed with asymmetrical details above the newly chosen acronym for short; JMR. And to add to the fun, that girl's face looks like mine to some extent. Not a bad idea when you think that Jewelry Making with Rana was founded by myself, is managed, run and taught by myself too.  Here's the new logo, you may wonder why is it not a high resolution one, and I would simply answer that I have been too lazy to ask Ali to send me the final logo (since I had to choose the colours and get back to him about that). So this logo you see above was cropped from the facebook cover photo we uploaded together when we were still trying it (picture below).

Now that the logo is done, time to get on with the next thing on plan; re-decorating the office. 

Work addiction

Summer is nearly over and it has been a long time sine I blogged. I haven't been making as much jewellery as I would have loved to, or writing about making them, or writing at all for that matter, and I miss doing all these. I have been busy at the workshop, however, teaching almost 6 days a week, until I took a leave 2 weeks ago, right after celebrating a year of teaching at the Jewelry Making with Rana's 1st. anniversary dinner. The classes are resuming in 2 weeks time, and I am hoping to make some changes to the office by then, make it look more colorful and welcoming, adding and taking away few things. One thing I have to decide on too, whether or not I should move back my own work studio home, because although I'm spending long hours at the workshop, I'm still only really getting inspired at home, at night.
My laptop is broken too and I have to decide on getting a new one or an iPad instead. Decisions decisions decisions :)
Anyway, until I do, and hopefully blog more often, about the jewelry that I am going to be hopefully making, here's a picture of the jewelry set I made and wore to the JMR's 1st. anniversary. If there's anything I'm fascinated about, it has to be metal disc charms and coin jewelry.

Hey spring! I love you

So delighted April was finally here. I could certainly do with less emotional and non-inspired days (I have decided, looking back to the last few years anyway, March is certainly NOT my month!). And to celebrate spring my own way, I went out and got some beautiful gems to get me going and beading again. Although I can't wait to start working away on some designs I have in mind (still not doing good at catching all ideas on my sketch book), I just have to wait a while, until I make some more changes in my workshop, especially with the new classes that are given by another teacher (intermediate level), and yet another teacher in the near future (advanced level). I am still happily and joyfully giving the beginners level in jewelry making, and boy do I love it! 

So anyway, I'm so excited I just wanted to share a peek of my semi precious stones that I bought 2 weeks ago. Besides April and the beautiful sunny days, those stones are making me happy. 

Aquamarine, Citrine, Amethyst, Aguate, and volcanic stone beads. 

Happy Mother's Day (not)

It's a new day, a new week, Spring is here and another year is going by.
Today is Mother's Day (at least in Lebanon), I need to be grateful for having the most adorable daughter ever. But in a way, right now, right here I am suffering a lot, I am very emotional.

Perhaps it's the missing for my mother who passed away 12 years ago.
Or maybe I am simply tired from years spent struggling to fill all the voids my daughter could have from being raised by myself alone, it's nearly 7 years already.
I believe some work pressure is involved too.
But for a while, I will just let go and let the pain settle, it sure will ease away again, just like it always does...

Transition

I haven't had time for myself in a while, and so I haven't been designing, this usually causes me frustration. It's not helping that it's Sunday and I can't even listen to a piece of music, or read an article without being interrupted. We're having a full house, daughter (6), her friend (5) her friend's brother (2) and their poor helpless helper (age unknown) . Being home and not getting any time for myself is killing me.

Putting the nagging aside, this was a good week when it comes to teaching. Yesterday I gave the last class in the current jewelry making workshop. I'm in the process now of preparing for the ladies' first exhibition, which could be in 2 weeks, and in the meantime, accepting new students for the new workshop. Besides the beginners workshop, I am organizing advanced workshops in collaboration with a new teacher, where students can learn, besides other techniques, soldering. I have been busy registering students and answering inquiries. 

Although I don't see myself designing or creating any new items this coming week either since my schedule is full with tasks and to do lists, I am excited about the new classes, grateful for finishing yet another successful workshop with satisfied students and new jewelry makers/designers, and looking forward to the exhibition where we get on spot feedback from the public which is always very rewarding. 

Until I share pictures of new jewelry that I can hopefully create soon, and before I am called again for the 50th time in an hour to answer the kids neverending requests, here's a picture from yesterday's class. 

The ladies are from left to right: 

Ensaf Khattar, Fatima Batch, myself in a bad hair day, Pascale Daou
and Maya Fares. (Suzy Saba and Alia Beydoun were absent)

Pictures from the workshops, students and exhibitions since I founded Jewelry Making with Rana last summer: 

https://www.facebook.com/jewelrymakingwithrana/photos

Custom made

I stopped by my friend at work couple of days ago and we had a lunch break together. I was delighted to see her wearing some of the jewelry I have made her a while ago, and took the chance to share some pictures.

I made the beaded name tag holder along with few others she ordered for giveaways last Christmas for her colleagues.  As for the earrings, they were a part of a set (2 earrings) that I made for her birthday a while ago. It's been some time now since I decided to start making jewelry using silver, gold and semi precious stones. It took me long enough to start since I always had other priorities when it came to purchasing expensive findings and stones. When her birthday came however, I thought it's about time, especially that she really loves me making her gifts rather than buying them. 

This is the birthday earrings gift set.

I used sterling silver (earring hooks, jump rings and wire) and Swarovksi crystals: 5mm bicones, 12 mm graphics, and 23mm semi matte rocks. And although I love colour mixing, and after spending an hour or so at the store trying to decide what colours I should pick, I went for amethyst and light amethyst. 

I'm counting the days now till I start making jewelry with only precious/semi precious stones, gold filled and sterling silver components.

The Christmas beaded name tag holders presents.

One busy weekend

The current jewelry making workship I give is about to end, we had a lot to talk about it this Saturday, especially preparing for what usually comes next; the exhibition. As a part of engaging people more with the classes we're having, giving them a glimpse of how the class goes, I decided to start a series of videos from the classes and post them on my channel on youtube. So in addition to the normal jewelry making, brainstorming and pictures taking we did this week, I filmed a short video of the girls while working. Here's the video with the beautiful rings pictures at the end.

That was my Saturday morning, on the afternoon however, I was a student. I attended another class at The Old Fashioned Way, aka Layla Totah, the sweet lady from England who teaches sewing for beginners from her flat at Sanayeh, Beirut. I have had 3 classes in the past and I loved them so much, but I haven't been there since my last class in November, and now I was back. The project was a bag, but not a tote bag, or a clutch, or a small purse which usually is done in one day, but a sophisticated bag of our choice (we choose from a wide variety of bags from those special Burda books). And so the first day was about choosing the design and fabric. Then drawing the pattern, cutting and beginning sewing, which is what we did yesterday. Today we finished the project, some beautiful bags we made. I love my bag so much, but I'm not going to show a picture of it just yet, I want to stitch some beads embellishments to it first. But here you can have a glance of my unfinished work from yesterday, the day 1 of this class :) 

Working away on the side pockets of the bag. 

I chose a black sturdy fabric with grey and beige flower fabric 

for lining and the for the side pockets.

Layla and Tom, one of her students 

Layla is wearing my evil eye glass bead earrings :) 

It wasn't just me who had a great time sewing, but also my daughter who accompanied me today, played with the cats, fabrics and chalks, ate Layla's home baked delicious yummies and helped tidying up when we finished.

Below are pictures of some of my work since I learned sewing. 

Counting the days till I get my very first sewing machine. 

Dressy earrings

The wedding of my cousin was 2 weeks ago. And although I loathe attending weddings, I had to make it to this one; her and I are so close ever since we were children. Without much thought, I decided on what to wear. Me being a big fan of black for such occasions made things easy. So I was going to be in black from head to toe. I struggled though, when it came to the jewelry. What oh what to wear!! 

I knew I had to make something new just for the occasion, since I'm all in black I would need something a bit flashy. I had no time to go beads shopping that whole week before the wedding. By Saturday, I had my jewelry making class, by the time the class finishes all the stores will be close and the wedding was the very next day, I was stuck. Luckily, one of my students have had newly bought some new components and brought them to the class. I happily accepted her offer for using them, and this is the pair of earrings I made that Saturday afternoon, I loved them!

Whenever I get a picture of myself from the wedding (that I like), I'll post it ;) (Those pictures from the wedding are making me realize just how much weight I have put on in the last couple of months. Time for some drastic changes!)