Is it the feng shui?

i have had a banner time on Etsy recently - for a small/part-time jewelry designer, at least. Yesterday alone I sold six pieces of jewelry. With that sale came a note of support and inspiration that actually brought tears to my eyes. Later that afternoon as I was working on some writing, another sale came through - I am thrilled that this new customer has come to me via Ravelry! It sort of justifies my presence and time spent there, lol...

I fell off my bike about a week ago, and for a few days i thought i might have even hairline-fractured my elbow - I'd landed on my palms, with elbows locked. The result was one of the most intense and searing pains I've experienced in recent years, and a rush of endorphins that was enough to get me home (on foot) before the pain became so strong I cried. I still can't straighten it all the way, but I can ride my bike again, and in this beautiful weather we're finally having in Portland (and the gas-guzzler of a car I drive), this is a good thing.

Almost all of my mobility has returned, however, and if I don't stress it too much, it doesn't hurt too much, which will allow me to get some made-to-order items out.  I'll be finishing up a braille pendant this afternoon, whipping up another silk choker, and packaging some beautiful pieces of jewelry I'm very excited to see go to a new home.

In the meantime, I just did a photo shoot for the wonderful women of Tinctoria - I scored some FANTASTIC clothes and got to look like this for a day (that scarf is also from their line, and you'll soon see it, as well as the most flattering pants on the planet, their Palazzo pants, on their website - for anyone a fan of comfortable, yoga-style clothes made of sustainable materials, especially anyone who's got that silly girl issue about their hips, I promise you, those pants will erase those woes - they're so wonderful they just make you want to dance in them!).

I have had a really hard time making jewelry lately, however, despite the interest and the sales. I've been wondering if perhaps it's the feng shui of my studio - I know this will get some eye-rolling out of some, but I've been feeling this way for a while. My studio sits in my prosperity corner, and when I sit at the jewelry side of it (the other side's the "office") I face the door. Unfortunately it also means I face away from the window and what is now some beautiful, beautiful weather.

I suppose, too, I could attribute it to this beautiful weather, to spring fever, or to the puppy-dog-eyed guitar player that's swept me off my feet lately. Or, perhaps it's the knitting, which is just too easy to work on - it allows me to relax in my bed watching movies - since I rarely have time to myself these days, when I get home that's about all I want to do. I have been working on the SAME SINGLE SOCK for two weeks now, working slowly through some challenges and really enjoying them (I don't know why or how this has changed - last winter when I knit like crazy, I threw things across rooms that challenged me). It could, too, be the fact that my project bag and needle case from ZigZagStitches has finally arrived, and it's the most perfect, useful thing for a sock project EVER. It's so cute it has to be near me at all times - and if the project is near, and the moment is ripe, I think about knitting.

Regardless, I suppose the message is clear - I was wondering where rent was coming from this coming month, as for all intents and purposes, despite the fact that I seem to have scored my dream job (more on that soon) I haven't started it yet. Yesterday I made half my rent in jewelry sales. I suspect that a call to my shops, as it has been several months, may cough up most of the rest, and the gardening work I did last week up in Washington (yes, with my arm the way it was, and yes, I was in tears by the end of each day) will make up the rest.

I do believe the universe provides. I do wish, too, that my jewelry inspiration would come back to me. You think it would, since this is usually what does it. That's why I'm convinced it's the feng shui. I mean, it CAN'T be the boy, right?