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Dana Arts

The Art of Handcrafted Art

  • Dana Arts
  • Collections
    • Animal Inspired
    • Beaded Jewelry
    • Bracelets
    • Celtic Inspired
    • Charms
    • Chokers
    • CTR Rings
    • Earrings
    • Engagement Rings
    • Faces
    • Flag Rings
    • Gold Bands
    • Greek Inspired
    • Hawaiian Inspired
    • Impressions of Nature
    • Laotion Inspired
    • Mission Rings
    • Necklaces
    • Pendants
    • Paradise
    • Patterned Bands
    • Steampunk Inspired
    • Custom
  • Photography
  • Crafts
  • Still
  • CAD
  • Details
    • Policies
    • FAQ
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Pricing
  • Scheduling
  • Account/Login

Always a little progress is good

Things are moving along slowly, but to me any progress is good. I was able to figure out where some of the electricity is going. I got electricity working in the shed I want to tare down and possibly rebuild. I also got a telephone pole that has a light on it working. It had extra wires I disconnected that I have no idea where they go and are not live. I also would like to redo some wiring because it all looks so old and falling apart. Probably not very safe. There is one light near the shop that I tore down and need new wiring and a new light. That will be done soon.

The guy I’m going to hire to use machinery to help clean up the land has cancelled our scheduled date. It should be happening again next weekend. Until then I’ll continue working at it one day at a time cleaning up as much as I can. For now I’ve included an image to show you the vision I have for the property.

This is my vision for the Garden House

I haven’t had any sales this past month so I’m taking advantage of the time to polish up some designs I had cast months ago. This gives me the time to work in other areas of my business that need work on. So expect to see some new designs come out soon. That is always good. :) It’s been hard to find all the little miscellaneous things I need to work smoothly. For example I want to take pictures of some new designs and I can’t find my white box that I made to do that. My lighting is also not easily accessed. I now have to find a new way or make and find a new spot to do my jewelry photography. It’s those little things that sometimes can be big and make a difference. It’s a lot like life in general sometimes. My new goals are to do as I’m doing along with trying to find new ways to promote my designs. Not sure how yet, but as I try and figure it out, my hopes are that my mind will be enlightened with ideas as to how I should proceed. I see it all the time that people quit their jobs and start their own businesses and manage to survive. I’ve been doing this for well over 20 years and I still can’t manage to survive (good thing I’m not surviving off it). I think the one main difference is not product or design, but promotion. I can design and make beautiful things, but I don’t know how to promote myself. That is the main issue. Once I push my boundaries in that area and find a way to put myself out there, I will probably then find a way to survive. Let’s hope I can do that sooner than later. I don’t want to be a huge business, just one that I can make a living from. Anyway, I am thankful for all of those people that have supported my over the years by buying my art. Each sale is so important to me and I am thankful for each and every one of you. Thank you!





tags: Land, Garden House, Dana Arts Updates, New designs, electrical work
categories: Updates, the Garden House, All Jewelry Related
Friday 05.27.22
Posted by Dana Thorup
 

So the Adventure begins.

So the Adventure begins! It’s official. We just sold our house and in exchange bought 2.5 acres of land with no home on it. We are excited and a little scared at what comes next. There is a lot of change that will go on in our lives for many years to come. My family and I will grow together through this new and exciting times for us. I hope we can make it happen, meaning that we can build a house that we are happy with. Last night (3/28/22) I dropped the 1967 VW bug off onto the property. I will keep it there. That was day one. Today is day two is today as I write this. Not much happening besides some planning. My plan so far is to get rid of a tree that is going through our electrical line. Once that is gone I hope to get the electricity on so I can then move my shop onto the property. Dana Arts will live in a new home. Cramped, but with lots of room to expand as I am able. After shop is set up we will start making plans to clear the lot a bit, find the leach field, grade the land in some areas, and start to look at plans for a house. My days will be full from here on out. I will do my best to share here on my blog my progress with the land and hopefully my Dana Arts expansion over time. Thank you for supporting me and lets keep Dana Arts alive and growing.

Now to explain these images. lol. So the property use to have a manufactured home on it that burned down. This shed and the backyard walls were still remaining. There is a lot of cleanup to do all over the whole property and to save some time and money I will get this shed up to speed for Dana Arts shop. At a later time down the road I will hopefully build a bigger better shop, but this little thing will get me going for now. I hope to post pictures as I progress through this growing/transition period.

Future site for Dana Arts

For the ruins I already have plans to save money. I plan on keeping them to save money and time so I don’t have to do all the work myself or pay someone a lot to get rid of it. I’ll clean the area up and then I plan on turning this into a garden. I can envision a garden within the ruin walls. I’ll modify it a little bit, but once cleaned up it should come out beautiful.

The Ruins

I love the dream. I hope that my family and I can make it happen. The first step is complete and now to do the hard work. Stay tuned for more progress at “The Garden House”. (what my family and I decided to call the property).

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tags: Adventure, new adventure, Dana Arts, dana arts new location, the, the American Dream, Land, Farm land, Business
categories: Updates
Tuesday 03.29.22
Posted by Dana Thorup
Comments: 2
 

Moving off Silversmith Trail????

Well ever since I lived in this area I’ve always wanted to live on Silversmith trail because I though it would be so cool to live on a street that fits me and my business. I mean silversmith trail, how could it be better than that? A silversmith living on silversmith. Well it has been fun and I have enjoyed this home on silversmith trail. It has served me well and has been a great place to grow my business. I have been able to start casting here and I have turned the 3rd car garage space into a workshop. It has a sink in the garage too where it has been very handy to have. I do wish it was bigger, but all in all it has done it’s purpose. I will miss this place greatly. This is my second home and have raised my kids here in a memorable way. We have created a garden here that has finally started to produce for us. A grape vine that has finally grown to be very large. An apricot tree that yielded a lot of fruit this past year. We have lots of good memories here.

It’s time to move on. We have always known this would not be our final home. I’ve always wanted some land where I could expand and create a lasting home with more memories. I have been trying to find and get some land for maybe six years now. We even at one point sold our first house and tried to get an acre lot that didn’t work out in the end and so we were guided to this silversmith house. I’m glad we are here. Now the adventure continues as we go for another piece of land. This time it’s 2.5 irrigated acres that already has water, electricity and a 2000 gallon septic tank on it. There is no home on it and I don’t know when or what we can afford to build on the land. I do know that this is our next adventure and we will figure something out even though it’s probably a bad time to build with the prices so high right now. I’m excited. We have done lots of praying and figuring out our next phase in life. We all, as a family, feel good about this decision. Some people might think we are crazy for trading a house for land, but that is what we are doing. I will hopefully start sharing this new adventure as we try and develop the land and create new memories. Even though it will take time, I will start out by having my business there in a shed that I can work out of. I’ll keep you all posted of how that goes. Definitely will not be as nice as here for a long time. I’m going backwards to start moving forwards.

Silversmith Trail Home

My unfinished backyard

tags: Home, House, Land, San Tan Valley, danaarts, Moving
categories: Updates
Saturday 02.19.22
Posted by Dana Thorup
 

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