So here's mine with the link ...
And here's Tali's with the link. I love the beautiful summer colors she chose...
And here's Tali's with the link. I love the beautiful summer colors she chose...
offers such a wonderful selection of handmade creations, several of which can be seen in this fabulous Treasury by Catherine of Coral Seas. She was so kind to include my newest earrings in her selection and I just love the colors and items she selected. If you have a chance, stop on over to Etsy to leave a comment and click on some of the items in this gorgeous Treasury - I'm sure she would appreciate it. ;-)
It's not all work around here as we have the constant amusement of our newest family member, who we now call Tybie, to keep us entertained. Although small in size he's got the heart of lion. Our other resident cat still isn't very fond of him but since his main desire seems to be a playful friend we're hoping she'll eventually come around.
I've been busy preparing for a morning tea hosted by the JB Gallery this Saturday. I've never been to an event like this so it should be fun and enjoyable.
Fortunately a load of new supplies arrived so I've busied my hands and created a several new pieces to take along. So I just thought I'd give a little debut of some of the pieces D and I have created this week.
D made the beautiful Swarovski crystal and Bronze Byzantine woven choker - I just love it! He creates all of the rings from hand beginning with a simple spool of bronze wire.
The fiberwear bracelet has been a work in progress for quite some time. I wasn't sure what to use as a focal for it until I received a beautiful selection of brass stampings from my dear friend LuLu of Coastal Sisters. When I saw this piece it just seems to fit so perfectly.
I've really enjoyed the selection of earrings I've been creating and non more so than the new wire wrapped hoops. My dear friend Catherine of Coral Seas created the handmade sterling hoops which I then embellish with Swarovski crystals and Sterling Silver wire. Catherine creates and sells a selection of handmade earwires through her Etsy shop and I was amazed at how quickly they arrived.
The fabulous Julie of Meanderings by Julz has bestowed a lovely award and I'm SO delighted! Julie's blog and work are always inspiring to me, from her use of vibrant colors to gorgeous materials, she's an amazing polymer clay and jewelry artist - just look at these incredible hearts she created and the beautiful cabochon beading below! Oh and I hear she's quite "reliable" too. (inside joke) ;-)
Thanks so much Julie, you're a darling♥
I'm not sure how many of your use the site Craftopolis to check on Etsy Treasuries but I just noticed a new tool they've added and it's really super! There's a Treasury clock which gives you a rough countdown to the next available Etsy Treasuries!
I never imagined that mentioning one of the eight things I'm looking forward to would lead to such a stir but since it has I figured I would explain. The jewelry collection you see here was a custom order I created for Jacquie Bennett of the JB Gallery. Jacquie was venturing out to California to attend her son's commitment ceremony which was also to be included in an up coming airing of the "tori & dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" show (Oxygen channel).
I was tagged but the lovely and talented Luthien of Pimp and Paint. In my absence Luthien opened an Etsy shop and I'm absolutely thrilled that her work is finally available to a global public (hah! had you thought of it in that way, Luthien?) ;-) Do stop by her blog and new Etsy shop if you get a chance, she's an amazing artist! On with the tag, which appears to be all about 8s....
Yes, another year passed last week and this year I was presented with a beautiful cake my guys made for me (all by themselves... really... I swear). ;-)
It's funny about birthdays... when you're young you don't mind them but as you get older they take on a strange form, at least for me. I've never been one to mind age or really even consider it. Each year that passed I felt a little more confident, having gained more knowledge from my experiences.
This year is different for me though in that I feel I'm getting closer to the end rather than the beginning and that's an odd feeling. It's really more of an observation than a feeling though since it's not an obsessive point for me or anything, just something I considered this year. Of course I couldn't be happier with the life I have though as it's filled with so many blessings and the best family & friends ever!
I recently had the most wonderful experience. I was invited to guest teach at a local area High School art class by my friend, fellow artist and high school art teacher Aimee. I felt a bit nervous the first day as this was my first experience guest teaching for an art class but as always I looked at the experience as another way to learn and grown in life. (Ok, honestly I was so nervous I only slept 4 hours each night before, haha!)
Together Aimee and I came up with the idea of creating a wire wrapped bracelet that could include some of the ceramic beads the students had created in an earlier class. I also brought in a supply of glass beads for the students to select from and taught them how to create a hand wrapped dangle charm.
Throughout the four classes over two days I had so much fun sharing techniques with students and teachers. I enjoyed seeing the students delve into a new realm of art they hadn't dabbled in before and watching their creative process through the design of their own unique bracelets.
Aimee was so kind to send these photos to me and seeing the joy on the student's faces as they proudly showed their finished work leaves me feeling wonderful! The students even gave me a signed thank you card and a fabulous gift card for some delicious coffee. The gift was completely unexpected but SO appreciated and they certainly know how to get to the heart of this newbie teacher through coffee (yuuumm!).
It's difficult to find the words to express what a wonderful experience this was, how much I learned and the appreciation I feel for being able to give back to young artists. I'd like to say thank you SO much to Aimee for inviting me and to the fabulous students of IV High School Design Classes!!
Wow! We had a wonderful time at the 41st Annual Mifflin-Juniata Arts Festival this weekend. This was the first year that D ran the show being the new president of the arts council and he did a super job! We had such fun mingling with buyers and fellow artisans despite the unpredictable weather and torrential down pour just at closing yesterday. Nothing could have soured our mood though as we won Best of Jewelry which is an immense honor! (note the blue ribbon in the photo, whoot!)
Although there were less participating artists than past years, probably due to the economy and a lack of desire to travel in from out of state, there were still many demonstrating artists, including our friend and fellow council member Stan, who demonstrated a very cool Raku technique next to his tent. They also had loads of fun for the entire family; these darlings stopped by our booth and I just had to snap a photo of their beautiful painted faces.
![]() Thoughtful and sensitive When you are moved to act, you are: Giving and warm When you are inspired, you are: Creative and productive When your life is perfectly balanced, you are: Connected to nature and the world Your life's purpose is: To change the world |